Tag: moved

Lift up your eyes

Genesis 13:14  The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward,  for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever.  I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.  Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”  So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD.

Genesis 28:14     Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

Deuteronomy 3:23  “And I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying,   ‘O Lord GOD, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours?  Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’  But the LORD was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. And the LORD said to me, ‘Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again.  Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward, and look at it with your eyes, for you shall not go over this Jordan.

Abraham and Moses were both given a promise.  Both were give to righteous men.  Yet the promise was different in it’s intention.  To Abraham, he was told to  look east, west, north, and south and that it was all given to him.  To Moses, he was told to look east, west, north, and south and that he would see it but not cross the Jordan and set foot on the possession but Joshua would.

Living for God has promises that direct us to keep our eyes on that which is to come, heaven.  No matter what direction we look, we have promises of love, joy, peace and rest.  As well we have promises of trials, pain, and work.  In both we have God who loves us and wants us to desire Him and life eternal.  The problem seems to be that we get so caught up in the temporary things of this life as we look to the east, west, north, south, that it over clouds our thinking of what our life should be all about.

The promise of eternal life through Christ ought to over shadow all that is temporary in this life no matter what direction is before us.  This promise alone should make our hearts thankful and our actions worthy of serving, honoring, and glorifying God.

How easily do we forget the promises of God’s all powerful hand, awesome power, steadfast love, ever present guidance and place of refuge?  Too often I would guess.

Stay in His word, learn of and trust in His promises, and keep your eyes on serving, honoring, glorifying Him until that eternal day arrives. Do not let your eyes and heart get distracted by what is to the east, west, north, or south.

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.

I will instruct you

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”

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

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 19:13    Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.

Romans 6:12-14     Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.  Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

Romans 7:23-24     but I see within me another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

Sin, unchecked, will attempt to gain and hold dominion in our life. First it may be in a small or seemingly insignificant area, but that dominion will grow in size and strength until our spiritual life is in serious compromise. Many today want to direct their steps by something else, anything else other than the word of God.

· “Direct my steps by my feelings.”

· “Direct my steps by my lusts.”

· “Direct my steps by my friends.”

· “Direct my steps by my parents.”

· “Direct my steps by circumstances.”

· “Direct my steps by fate.”

· “Direct my steps by my comfort.”

The word of God is our light, path, knowledge and understanding, living water, and spiritual food.  Through His word we hear whispers of His voice leading, reproving, convicting, confirming, teaching, instructing, encouraging, and giving us hope, building our faith, peace, joy, love, and changing our passions and love for this world to a  Love of Him, and a heart desire to honor, glorify, worship, serve, follow and obey.   This is fueled by time in His word. Great and precious promises are given to us in His word.  These are given to us so that through them we will grow more in our faith and live more abundantly for His plan and purpose, not ours.  We do well to spend time in His word and not so much time in our own pursuit of satisfaction apart from it.

Psalm 96

Psalms 96:1  Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!  Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.  Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!  For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.  For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.  Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.  Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!  Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!  Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!  Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”  Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;  let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy  before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Steven Cole commented on this Psalm: John Piper, who begins Let the Nations be Glad! ([Baker Academic], 2nd ed., p. 17) by saying, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man.” He adds (ibid.), “The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God.”

He is right that worship is the goal of missions. But it’s also true that worship is the basis for missions. If we are not fervent worshipers of God, we have nothing to tell the nations. If we do not exude joy in God and His wonderful salvation, why should lost people be interested in what we have to say? So worship is both the goal of missions and the foundation for missions. If we’re not worshipers, we will be lousy witnesses.

Psalm 96 is a call to tell the nations about God’s glory and His great salvation. It follows on Psalm 95, which describes the stubborn hard-heartedness of Israel in the wilderness, in spite of God’s goodness towards them (C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David [Eerdmans], 4:336). It was the same hardhearted nation that later rejected her Messiah, leading to the gospel going out to the Gentiles (Matt. 21:43; Acts 13:46). So Psalms 95 & 96 form a pair, showing Israel’s rejection of the gospel and the subsequent missionary task of proclaiming the gospel to the Gentiles.

And my reason returned to me

“The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.”

Psalms 93:1  The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.

Psalms 96:10     Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”

Psalms 97:1    The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!

Psalms 99:1    The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!

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.

1 Chronicles 29:12    Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

Isaiah 52:7   How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

Daniel 4:34   At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;

Revelation 19:6   Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

Psalms 75:3    When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars.

Isaiah 45:12    I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host.

Isaiah 49:8    Thus says the LORD: “In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people,

Isaiah 51:16     And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”

Hebrews 1:2-3     but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.  He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

“and my reason returned to me” We all battle the thoughts that come in and deny God’s power greater than what is attacking us, strength greater than our fears, love, grace and mercy greater than our sin. Paul says to take these thoughts captive.  We are not going to stop them from jumping into our head but we can bind them in God.  We can acknowledge them and then discard them.  Sounds easy but in reality it may require us to continually repeat this especially when we are in a situation that seems unbearable or so big we are totally lost.  Keeping God’s word in our heart and mind gives us other brain food to dwell on and fight these thoughts when they appear.  It is also good to be mindful of others who may be going through a rough spell and we need to be filled with God’s word so that we can speak hope, faith and love to them.  Helping each other in these times can be very uplifting.

I will hear

“Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.”

“All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.”

Psalms 65:2  O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.

Psalms 66:19    But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Psalms 102:17    he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer.

Psalms 145:18  The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.  He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.

1 Kings 18:37   Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”

2 Chronicles 33:13    He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.

Jeremiah 29:12  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Luke 11:9  And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

1 John 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Psalms 22:27     All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you

Isaiah 49:6     he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Isaiah 66:23     From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the LORD.

John 12:32     And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Sometimes I wonder if we have confidence in God and His promises.  I wonder if we know Him personally enough to know He is near and that He will answer our cry, pleas, and requests.  I wonder if we know what it means to seek Him.  I wonder if we know what it means to seek Him with all our heart, mind, and soul.  Do we spend enough time with Him to know Him? Do we live each day with a single purpose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him?  Are we growing in our knowledge of Him?  I think there are times when we have sought Him and know the presence of God.  I think there are times when we totally forget Him and live our life for other purposes.  When I think about this I realize one clear truth.  If we purpose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him, and if we stay in His word for this purpose – I know His presence and Holy Spirit occupy our heart and mind.  Our day is not filled with the worries and cares of this world.  Our focus is on Him and serving Him however He leads us in this world.  Another truth I know is true.  If we spend no time in His word there is little chance of us hearing His whispers leading, guiding, directing, and using us.  His word has no root in our being and we lose connection with Him seemingly content with drifting further and further away from Him.  Choose to stay in His word and seek to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.

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.