Favor – Page 4 – Praying Pint

Thankful – God will supply all our needs

“Do not my words do good to him who walks uprightly?”

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

“Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered”

Psalms 84:4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Psalms 34:9 Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Proverbs 2:7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

Proverbs 28:6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

Have you ever thought of what it is that hinders walking with God? Lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, greed, and pride all lead down a path of ever wanting and never finding. These are all temporary satisfactions that have no end and will never satisfy the heart, soul and mind. Satisfaction the world offers is tied to that which cannot satisfy the heart and soul. Searching for satisfaction outside of God is like chasing the wind – (never caught – only a temporary sensory feeling – always changing direction). Those who desire and seek God choose to be humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying Him. Their eyes are on Him and eternity promised. Holiness, purity, genuine love, kindness, faith, hope, generosity, obedience, service, and humbleness replace complacency, neglect, lust, greed, and worldly satisfaction. Their hope is in the Lord. Their trust is in the Lord. Their strength is in Him. Their peace is in Him. Their want is to honor Him. Their desire is to serve, follow and obey Him. Their wisdom and food for life this side of eternity is found in His word and promises.

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.

Connecting the Dots

“But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.”

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

“So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Malachi 2:13 And this second thing you do. You cover the LORD’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”

2 Corinthians 6:18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Deuteronomy 7:4 for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.

Jeremiah 2:21 Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine?

1 Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Malachi was speaking to men about connecting the dots between their lack of not being blessed and their actions. You come weeping and groaning to God and ask why are you not blessing us. It is because your offerings are not acceptable because actions in your life are not acceptable. In this scripture it speaks of men who divorces his wife for no other reason than to follow the lust of his flesh for someone new. The connection between our thoughts and actions and God’s blessings should be understood. If we choose to neglect His word and if we choose to desire more the things of this world than to serve Him we soon are on a path quickly away from Him. This path leads us in a direction to where God’s blessings do not flow. Keep your heart desire pure for God and His word and the application of it in your life. Our purpose this side of eternity is to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God. Blessings of peace, comfort, joy, love, grace, mercy, healing, strength, power and patience come to those who keep their heart with vigilance for Him alone.

Don’t lose sight of Him

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.”

Psalms 74:9 We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long. How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever? Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them! Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

Exodus 12:13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

Judges 6:17 And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me.

Ezekiel 20:12 Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

Hebrews 2:4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

1 Samuel 3:1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

Micah 3:6 Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision, and darkness to you, without divination. The sun shall go down on the prophets, and the day shall be black over them;

Can you imagine what it would be like if there was a famine of hearing God’s word? A time where He pulled back and gave no signs, visions, or spoke with His children. It is hard to imagine in a time when His word is so readily available. I wonder if we intentionally choose to act as though His word is not there. It is available but we seem to see no need to spend time in it. We easily lose sight of our purpose this side of eternity in exchange for carefree living now. His word is a light unto our feet, a refuge for our heart and soul, and a guide to know and understand His purpose for our lives. Do not neglect the gift of His word or seeking to have no other purpose than to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him. Now is the day of commitment, now is the day of redemption, now is the day of turning away from that which is not pleasing to God, now is the day.

Fortress of Faith

“Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.”

“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”

“I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.”

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,”

Psalms 59:16 But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.

Psalms 21:13 Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.

Psalms 106:8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power.

Psalms 145:11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,

Exodus 15:6 Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.

Psalms 31:7 I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul,

Psalms 86:13 For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

Psalms 89:1 I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

Psalms 30:5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Psalms 61:2 from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.

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.

Psalms 77:2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.

Psalms 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.

These verses just lift your soul don’t they? It is very easy to be overcome with the trouble at hand. Even if we have a relationship with God it seems the only way to know how strong our faith is, is when we have exhausted all of our personal power and strength, and have no where else to turn. Things outside of our control can and do affect us. Try as hard as we can we simply do not have power to control much of it. However God has control of it all. He has a purpose and plan for each of us. His plan never fails. His plan and purpose is perfect. He can do all things. And above all of this He loves us and will lead us. It is easy to say all of this but in the time of trouble our heart and mind find it hard to let go and say “God is in control and I am content”. These times will show the weakness of the fortress of our faith. This is life and our walk with God. Precept upon precept, line upon line, we grow in our faith, understanding, and knowledge of God. Peter put it this way: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.” We all have room to grow – let it start with praise and commitment to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God.

Gladness and Satisfaction

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

“Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.”

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Psalms 90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Psalms 90:16 Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.

Psalms 90:17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

Psalms 36:7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

Psalms 63:3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

Psalms 65:4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!

Psalms 103:5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

1 Corinthians 3:7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

Proverbs 16:3 Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

2 Thessalonians 2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

What gladdens your soul? What satisfies your heart, soul and mind? What do you see as blessings in your life? I have been blessed with colleagues who come from other corners of our globe. They have seen so much more about life outside of the United States. The struggles of existence, lack of means, minimal opportunities, and disparity are all familiar to them. When they see the culture of the US and what people complain about they are put back and see much of these complaints as foolishness. This should not surprise us. When our eyes are on what the world can offer, what we can take, and what others have these outcomes of thought are manifested in our lives. However, scripture is always pointing us to be thankful to God, trusting in God, hoping in God, believing in God, relying on God, clinging to God, loving God, serving God, honoring God, glorifying God, praising God, obeying God, and praying to God. Our culture and natural focus on the “here and now” robs us of a fulfilling, abundant, and purposeful life. Do you want to satisfaction, blessings, and gladness in your heart, mind, and soul? Choose to focus on Him alone who can – God

Number my Days

“Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.”

“making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Psalms 39:4 “O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!

Psalms 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Job 28:28 And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

Proverbs 2:2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Proverbs 3:13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.

Proverbs 4:5 Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

Proverbs 4:7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.

Proverbs 7:1 My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend,

Proverbs 8:32 “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

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

How are we to gain this understanding and wisdom? It comes from choosing it, applying it, seeking it, listening for it, holding firmly to it, and making the best use of our time. Note David asking got to show how fleeting his time on earth is. And again he asks God to teach us to number our days. Why? Because life teaches us (the older we get) that life is short and we find our path is much better, our lives more fuller, and our purpose more clear when we choose to stay close to God. When we seek more than anything else to humbly serve, honor and obey Him. Keep these scriptures close and review them often.

Make me Know

“Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!“

Psalms 25:4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.

Exodus 33:13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight.

Isaiah 2:3 and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 6:16 Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Psalms 86:11 Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you

John 8:31-32 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Psalms 119:33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.

Psalms 119:66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.

Proverbs 8:34 Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.

James 1:22-25 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Statements like: “Make me to know your ways”, “teach me your paths”, “Lead me in your truth”, “please show me now your ways”, “Teach me good judgment and knowledge”, “unite my heart to fear your name”, “Come, let us go”, and “I believe” are all choices men made because they had respect, reverence for God. They understood their sinful nature, the need for forgiveness, and the only way possible was for God to teach and lead them. Do you ever think about questions like these? Do they come to you early in the morning and when you go to bed? God promises blessing for those who listen but the point here is the person must first have the desire and want for God to teach and lead them. This desire and want is a choice each of us must make if we want to learn and be lead by God. How many days go by without even a second thought of Him yet alone humbly serving Him? With all readily available access to God’s word, how do we think we will not be held accountable for neglecting His word? Every day we make a choice to learn from and be led by Him or to go it alone.

No One Knows

And there shall be a unique day,

There is a day coming that will have consequences for everyone. Those who are of faith in Jesus Christ and salvation through him by the grace and mercy of God will have a glorious day. Those who, like in the times of Noah, do not see any merit in pleasing God or living for Him or evening believing that He exists will have a very terrible day. The fact that the day is coming does not matter if you believe it or not. Believing determines if you look forward to that day. Believing determines how you live your life this side of eternity. The same can be true of not believing. I wonder how people’s lives would change if they thought or knew this day was on the 6th of June 2016. Would that which is troubling us seem so important? Would the things that we put before others seem so important? Would the money we so dearly hang on to seem so important? Would Me, Myself, and I have any importance at all? The answer to these questions is No they are not. So what is it that keeps you from living this way?

Matthew 24:36
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man

Zechariah 14:7
On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light

Genesis 6:5
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord