Tag: forevermore

God is greater than what you fear

Genesis 28:15   Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6     Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Jeremiah 1:19     They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.”

1 Kings 8:57     The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us,

John 10:28-29     I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

Hebrews 13:5-6    Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Psalms 121:5-8     The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.  The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.  The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.  The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

Romans 8:31-32    What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Isaiah 41:10     fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

There is much happening in our lives, neighborhoods, schools, work place, states, country, and the world that can and at times does give us reason to fear what is happening.  I think this is natural.  The nature of man, without God in their life, ought to be fearful and afraid.  Lying, fighting, partial truths, global warming, natural disasters (floods, earthquakes, volcanos, hurricanes, wildfires), sickness, cancer, law suits, pornography, godlessness, financial troubles, jobs, hacking, stealing, death, divorce, bias news, child abuse, wife abuse, foster care, pride, greed, sex trafficking, pedofiles, murder, shootings, etc… are all things that can and do happen frequently.  Who in their right mind would not have fear knocking at their minds door?

Fear is a natural response to a belief concerning something dangerous or unwelcome may happen.

Are any of these greater than God?  Can any of them thwart God’s plan’s and purposes?  Can any of them take God by surprise?  NO!!! they are not and can not.  God is sovereign and King of Kings, Lord of Lords, God above all things.  He is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine.  He knows all, sees all, above all, and in control of all the things that have potential to bring fear into our lives.

He promises to be with us, help us, uphold us,, keep us, never leave us, shelter us, encourage us, go before us, and deliver us.  He has given many examples of these through scripture; creation, flood, ark, Red Sea, manna, fiery furnace, lion’s mouth, serpent’s, blind, deaf, dead, chains, walls, rivers, mountains, and many more.  What do we have to fear?

Fear of the unknown has a way of robbing us joy.  It takes live from our soul.  It confuses our heart and mind.

As much as we want to think that we are strong and fear will not have a place in our heart and mind, it seems to find a place when we least expect it.  This is when faith, trust, reliance, and hope in God must engage.   It is natural to have sudden fear but, once recognized, it needs to be put into it proper place – subjected to faith, trust, reliance, and hope in God.  Recognizing it for what it is “natural fear” and laying it at God’s feet, and trusting in His ever present power, might, strength, and love is where we see fear defeated and God glorified.

The one example I always look at is when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, would not bow to the great idol even with threat of being cast into fire.  They said they would not bow and that their God was able to keep them from harm and even if He didn’t they would not bow.

God’s will, God’s plan, God’s purpose, God’s timing, God’s protection, God’s love are never wrong.

Rely on, cling to, and trust in Him whatever may come your way.

The LORD is your keeper

Psalms 121:1   I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.  Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.  The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.  The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.  The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

Psalms 146:5-6     Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,  who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;

Isaiah 40:28-29    Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.

God is just as present in the journey as in the destination.  The one who looks to the Lord can have confidence in the fact that God does not sleep.  God’s watchful eye is always open looking with love and care upon His people.

“Nothing either of the day or night can harm us if God is keeping guard. God is our covering against every calamity. He is our shade against the visible troubles of the day as well as the hidden troubles of the night.” (Boice)

“Our soul is kept from the dominion of sin, the infection of error, the crush of despondency, the puffing up of pride; kept from the world, the flesh and the devil; kept for holier and greater things; kept in the love of God; kept unto the eternal kingdom and glory.” (Spurgeon)

“When we go out in youth to begin life, and come in at the end to die, we shall experience the same keeping. Our exits and our entrances are under one protection.” (Spurgeon)

We can trust in His everlasting, ever present, all powerful, faithful, limitless grace, mercy and love at all times.  God never changes “He is the same today, tomorrow, and forever.”  Hope and faith in God is never empty.  It brings life’s purpose for today, a reason to look forward to tomorrow.

Faith Praise

“giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”

Psalms 113:1  Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD!  Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore!  From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!  The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!  Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high,  who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap,  to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.  He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!

Psalms 103:20-21   Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!

Psalms 134:1    Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD!

Psalms 135:1-3     Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD, give praise, O servants of the LORD,  who stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God!  Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant!

Psalms 145:10    All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you!

Revelation 19:5     And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.”

Exodus 15:11     “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?

Isaiah 40:25     To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.

Jeremiah 10:6    There is none like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is great in might.

Luke 1:52-53     he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;  he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

James 2:5    Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?

Being mindful of what God has done, is doing, and will do ought to bring praise to our lips and faith to our heart, mind and soul.  God is in control and His plans and purposes for each of our lives.  He gives us free will (choice) to humbly serve, listen intently to whispers of His leading, faithfully follow and obey and to be used by Him.  Praise grows within our heart and mind as we yield more and more to Him.  It is easy to praise Him in good times.  In tougher times, when our heart is broken, relationships are stressed, and consequences of our sinful nature overbear us, praise seems to be buried deep and far way from our lips.  Many times David has stated in the Psalms how his heart was broken, situations were over bearing, and his friends had abandoned him.  In these Psalms he cried out with these burdens and yet finished with – Praise to God for who He is, for His love, for His power, for His might, for His salvation, and for His promises.  This is where overbearing burdens of this life turn into “Faith Praise”.  This is where the heart, soul and mind, in faith, fully trust, yield, and place whatever the situation is into God’s hand.  There is no other place to find peace for our soul than fully in His care.

Establish the work of our hands

“so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.”

Psalms 102:28  The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you.

Psalms 22:30-31     Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;  they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.

Psalms 45:16-17     In place of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.  I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.

Psalms 69:35-36      For God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah, and people shall dwell there and possess it; the offspring of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it.

Isaiah 53:10    Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Isaiah 59:20-21     “And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the LORD  “And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from this time forth and forevermore.”

Isaiah 65:22     They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

Psalms 90:16-17     Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. 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!

“Establish the work of our hands” I think much of the time we think about this and only apply it to our jobs.  We ask God to bless us in what we do.  We try to find meaning and purpose in what we do.  There will be no blessing from God if we are pursing our own path in life.  We should not take a job anywhere if we are not confident this is where God wants us.  We will find no purpose in life if we go our own way, seeking what ever it is to please us.  Purpose in life and blessings in life come from being in God’s will and seeking to honor and glorify Him.  Seeking to hear His quiet small voice leading you in family and work will light your path and allow you to see blessing and give you purpose.  How can we expect to give our offspring and generations to come anything to hang on to if we are not clinging to, relying on, and trusting in, and proclaiming the mighty glorious power, love, grace,  and mercy of God.  We don’t have to look very deep into our society / culture to see that our lack of commitment and complacency toward humbly serving, honoring, following and obeying God has terrible results upon our children and the next generation.  Our life can be one filled with purpose and blessing if we would seek Him alone with our heart, mind and soul.

The rock of my salvation

Psalms 89:26  He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’  And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.  My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him.  I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens.  If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my rules,  if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments,  then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes,  but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness.  I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips.

Matthew 26:39     And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Luke 23:46     Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

John 11:41     So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.

John 20:17     Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Hebrews 1:5     For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?

Psalms 18:46     The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation—

Psalms 62:2     He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.  On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

2 Samuel 22:47    “The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,

Isaiah 50:7     But the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.  He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me.  Behold, the Lord GOD helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up.

Isaiah 59:21     “And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from this time forth and forevermore.”

The rock of my salvation.  We have times we seem to experience being broken and unable to see blessings, joy, peace, and hope. Life happens and is going along fine and then out of the blue it is upside down.  The rock of my salvation, my refuge, my strength, my hope, my joy, my peace, my defender, my power, my help, and my guidance are all words used by men who looked to God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in times of trouble.  These men chose to keep in the presence of God at all times.   Keeping close to God and seeking His help is easy in broken and confusing times of our life.      Shouldn’t we want to desire to be close to God at all times living to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him?   Holding on to God’s hand through life is so much easier than running off into things alone.  Listening to His whispers of guidance each day and staying in communion with Him will keep our heart, mind, and soul focused with hope, joy, and peace.

Consider your ways!

“Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways.”

“Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure”.

“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is”

“My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside.  I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.”

“but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

Psalms 37:23  The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.

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

Psalms 85:13  Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps a way.

Psalms 119:133   Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.

Psalms 121:3   He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.

Psalms 121:8   The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

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.

Proverbs 16:9   The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

Jeremiah 10:23  I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

Hebrews 13:16    Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Ephesians 5:15   Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise

I have been thinking about resting in God.  Relying on Him.  Waiting on Him.  Trusting in Him.  I wonder what this looks like lived out.  Does resting mean we are not constantly searching to know and understand Him more?  I think we have a tendency to become complacent and we stop at “resting”.  Notice scripture today in pondering our path and God’s leading.  Can we know this if we are complacently resting?  Our purpose in this life is to humbly serve, honor, glorify, and obey God.  To do this we need to continually spend time in His word with a heart deep desire.  Spend time in His word.