Faithful – Page 4 – Praying Pint

Cast out fear, God is Greater

“At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.”

‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”

John 7:13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.

John 12:42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.

Galatians 2:12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

2 Timothy 2:9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;

Fear is something common to all man. Deep down or on the surface it is there. Fear takes root in the place where there is unknown outcomes. In our heart and mind we formulate what the possible future outcomes could be based on connecting the dots from past experiences or things we have heard or seen. From an early age we learn either to respect or fear natural affects of fire, gravity, snakes, bees, wild animals, water currents, speed, etc…. Some of these we have experienced and others we have heard of their affects on others. Sometimes we apply this same thought process to serving God and have fear based on only what is in our mind. When it comes to serving God, fear should be blanketed in trust and faith in Him. Trusting God is in control, He is more powerful than whatever I’m facing, He has promised to be our refuge, strength, and power. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He can do more than we ask and much more than be can imagine. Replace fear with Trust and Faith in Him alone who can overcome whatever is or is thought to be before us.

They believed His words

“Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.”

“with minds set on earthly things.”

John 6:26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Psalms 106:12 Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert;

Ezekiel 33:31 And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

Romans 16:18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites,

Philippians 2:21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 6:5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

How many times do we act this same way? “Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel” Where we do not wait for His leading. Where our ears are not listening for His guidance. Where our heart is set on me, myself, and I. When the people asked Jesus what works must we do to be doing the work of God, He said believe in whom He sent. But there is more to “believing” than a thought process in our brain. This belief changes us, or should. Scripture today speaks of many who believed but their belief was not heart and soul deep. God said to love Him with all of our heart, soul and mind. Give God all your heart, soul and mind. Spend time in His word. Learn of Him and how to serve Him. Love Him more than things of this world. Learn to give. Learn to love, learn to serve, learn to make disciples, learn to give, learn to hope, learn to grow faith, learn for His wisdom. Spend time in His word. Through believing these actions become evidenced; humble service, God honoring, following faithfully, obeying completely, listening fully, waiting patiently, giving generously, praising and thanking continually.

Brought very low

Psalms 79:1 O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins. They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the heavens for food, the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth. They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them. We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us. How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name! For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation. Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake! Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes! Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die! Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord! But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.

Being mindful of God and living for Him can advert many trials brought on by our actions. Note the writer does not question the fact that their trials were because of their “Not living in line with God”. The request for God’s compassion to over look past iniquities and come to their rescue is a heart that is ready to return to God. Why is it we, like they, run to God in times of trials and trouble but run/drift away from Him in times of blessing. Stay close to God, and choose to live for Him. Giving your whole mind, heart, and soul to honoring Him in what you say, think, and do will give present and lasting reward.

Present yourself

“And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules,”

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Psalms 78:72 With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.

Psalms 101:1 I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil. Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure. I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me. No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes. Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.

Isaiah 11:2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

In Psalm 101 David says he will ponder the way that is blameless, he will not set his eyes on anything worthless, and he will hate the work of those who fall away. Why does he want to choose to live this way? Because of the place God has in His heart, mind, and soul. If we choose to live this way we will need to have God’s wisdom, knowledge, discernment, and understanding. To walk with God each day and desire and purpose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey is not something that comes easy to us. Placing God first in all we do and think takes discipline and commitment. Fighting the sinful nature of self purpose and choosing to replace it with God’s purpose will give meaning, hope, peace, love, joy, strength, power….. this side of eternity.

Walk in the Light

“let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins”

Psalms 56:13 For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

Psalms 86:12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forevever. For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

Psalms 116:8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling;

2 Corinthians 1:10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Psalms 17:5 My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

Psalms 94:18 When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.

1 Samuel 2:9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.

Psalms 116:9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,

Isaiah 38:3 and said, “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 12:35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.

Ephesians 5:8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead exposed. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

This chapter in Psalms speaks of those who walked in a way that demonstrated their whole heart wanting to please God in all they thought, did, and said. Ephesians brings us into remembrance of when our heart was enlightened. “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” Yes, in the past we did live in darkness and walked a path that was apart from God. But we are to now walk in a way that is good, right and true continually discerning what is pleasing to God. How do we know what is good, right and true? How do we discern what is pleasing to Him? I fear we allow the culture we live in to dictate what is good, right, and true. I fear we do not give thought to the love God demonstrated for us through redemption in and through His son. Can you imagine what it would feel like to give your son’s life for the redemption of another and in addition to this grace you also write a book filled with knowledge about you, your statutes, your commandments, you promises, your warnings and the person you redeemed has now lasting thankfulness for what you have done. I fear we neglect God’s word. We don’t spend time in it. We don’t think about it so how can it speak into our heart, mind and soul. We don’t have anything to apply into our lives because of this neglect. We are lukewarm at best. We convince ourselves that we are better than most, give when we can, read His word when we have time, and believe in Him. We need to be careful with this thinking. Even Satan believes. Belief is nothing without faith. Faith is nothing without action. Action means nothing if it is not with discernment and according to God’s word. Scripture is clear that we are to live in light of His word, meditate on it, seek His word and act on it. We do this because it honors and glorifies God. We do it because of who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised. There is nothing done in secret. God knows all the thoughts and actions of every single person. We fall into satan’s trap of being good enough rather than being all we can in Him. Do you want to glorify God – spend time in His word with a prayer request of Him leading you on a path that glorifies Him. I recently was told of a friend who found out he has a serious medical issue for which there is little that can be done. His time will end far to early. Yet what he realizes now is all the time he spent on things that don’t amount to much at all. He has many regrets. We never know when our time will end and we enter eternity. Don’t allow one more day to go by being fooled into thinking you can serve God lukewarm. This is not serving Him it is only leading you down a path further from God. Choose now to commit to being in His word, humbly serving, following and obeying Him. When tears come it will be for the reason of joy meeting God rather than of regret.

His Throne Forever

“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”

“May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed! Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory!”

Psalms 45:6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness

Psalms 89:29 I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens.

Psalms 89:36 His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me. Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies.”

Psalms 93:2 Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.

Psalms 145:13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.]

Daniel 2:44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,

Luke 1:32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Hebrews 1:8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Jeremiah 23:5 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’

These scriptures surely give us a glimpse of everlasting throne of God, His plan to call unto Himself a people, and security in trusting in Him. What we see and understand now is hampered by our sinful nature, but there is coming a time when we will be raised with new bodies that will never die and will be in the presence of God securely, forever, without end. This is is promised to all who believe in, rely on, cling to, and trust in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ on the cross. For this reason we humbly serve, follow, honor and glorify Him, waiting for reuniting with Him forever. It is hard for us to imagine being imperishable, having a new body that will never die, and live in His presence where there is no more pain, death, or worries. In Isaiah He tells us that He will create a new heaven and earth. Live for Him now. Follow and serve Him now. This is our purpose this side of eternity.

Sin

“I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.”

“Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!”

Psalms 51:3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

Job 31:33 if I have concealed my transgressions as others do by hiding my iniquity in my heart,

Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

Psalms 32:5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

Psalms 38:15 But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.

2 Corinthians 7:7 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

1 John 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

There is nothing like having done something wrong to a person and being forgiven. How much more so with the Creator of all heaven and earth. We can sin knowingly and unknowingly. Knowingly when we hear God’s quiet small voice speaking to our heart and mind and we deny it, or even worse we choose to close our heart and mind to His voice and leading. Knowingly, when we choose not to stay in His word and unknowingly when that word of warning, direction, or command is not planted in our heart and mind. Choosing to neglect His word does not give us, by any means, an excuse. Set time apart each day to read His word, listen to His quiet small voice, and humbly serve, honor and obey.

Praise Him

“But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.”

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?“

Psalms 33:1 Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

Psalms 97:12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!

Psalms 32:11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Psalms 147:1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

Psalms 135:3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant!

Isaiah 42:10 Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the end of the earth

Psalms 98:1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

Ezekiel 33:31 And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

Isaiah 29:13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Deuteronomy 5:28 “And the LORD heard your words, when you spoke to me. And the LORD said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!

Psalms 106:12 Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.

Praising God, shouting for joy, singing a new song, being glad, rejoicing, and giving thanks are all actions that come from a heart and mind serving God with reverence, awe and wonder. We choose to do these actions and at the same time they are a natural outpouring of our soul to God for the great compassion and love He has shown and will continue to show to those who seek, serve and follow Him. Do you find these actions a natural outpouring in your life? They should be. If they aren’t ask God to open your eyes to the many wonders and blessings given to us. The blessing of promises that He will guide us, lift us up, protect us, be our strength, our hope, our joy, our peace, our place of rest. The blessings of His word. The blessings of fellow believers. The blessings of the Holy Spirit. The blessings of salvation through Jesus Christ. The blessings of forgiveness. The blessings and wonders of creation. The list of blessings is endless. Praise His name, shout for joy, sing, be glad, rejoice, and give thanks.

Hope in weakness

“Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge”

“For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Psalms 31:1 In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.

Romans 5:2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Isaiah 49:23 Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.”

Proverbs 22:17 Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge,

2 Samuel 22:3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.

Psalms 71:3 Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

Jeremiah 14:7 “Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O LORD, for your name’s sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you.

2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2Timothy 2:24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

At the time we are asking God to be our refuge, fortress, strength, power, rock, savior, shield, and come speedily to our rescue we also have to know too that His power is made perfect in our weakness. It is in this weakness we find hope. This hope comes to us as we finally get to a place where we have exhausted all of our own efforts to see that what we are facing is much bigger and complex than we can have influence on. I recently heard a person say “I finally turned it over to God, and when I did I had this peace come over me. I am fine with whatever comes”. Why is it we are slow to bringing it to God and quick to try to keep it in our own power? We don’t find peace in our own power do we. It is only when we have surrendered it fully to God do we find hope, peace and rest.

The Wicked Prowl

“I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.”

Psalms 12:8
On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

Proverbs 29:12
If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked.

Hosea 5:11
Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, because he was determined to go after filth.

Job 30:8
A senseless, a nameless brood, they have been whipped out of the land.

Psalms 101:5
Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me. No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.

Proverbs 29:12
If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked.

On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man. This should not be a shock to us that the world is in such a state. People tell lies, seek filth, listen to lies, practice deceit, and have arrogant hearts. When I read these verses I am encouraged to pray for leadership of our country. It is not uncommon for them to be in the company of people listed above and my prayer is for them to have discernment in clearly knowing the intent of those who surround them each day. That they are able to hear God’s leading and willing to obey. That their ears are closed to falsehood and they are able to with stand attacks from those in opposition. God open their eyes, ears, and heart to see you and fill them with desire to know and serve you.