Tag: Strength

Salvation

” On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.”

“But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.”

 

Psalms 21:1   O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults! You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold upon his head. He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever. His glory is great through your salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him.  For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence. For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.

Hebrews 12:2   looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Psalms 28:7   The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

Psalms 62:7   On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Psalms 20:4-5   May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!

Psalms 3:3   But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

We often are confident in the fact that our salvation is anchored in and on God.  Him alone through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.  David speaks of blessings and security in knowing this and rejoices that God has allowed/directed all of it and made it known to him.  Do we lose sight of this sometime?  Do we forget the great cost of our salvation at the expense of Christ on the cross?  If there is thanksgiving in our heart for this everyday wouldn’t our lives be lived out differently?  Do we realize that for the “JOY” set before Him Jesus endured the cross?  Look at what is says in Isaiah: “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.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”  Salvation of mankind has been God’s plan since the fall of Adam and Eve.  Yet in this salvation is a qualifier – You must believe.  Therefore if we believe, there should be both an outward and inward difference in our lives.  There should be a desire to honor and glorify and humbly serve and worship and praise and thank God our rock, refuge and author of our salvation.

Speak of Him

tell of his salvation from day to day

Psalms 96:2
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

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

Psalms 71:18
So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation

Romans 10:14
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?

The question asked in Romans “how are they to believe in home they have never heard” should be a reminder to us each day why we have both an obligation and honor to speak God/Christ into encounters with others.  Psalms clearly states “tell of His salvation every day” – “let me live to an old age so I can proclaim your might to another generation” and as well in Isaiah “blessed are the feet of him who brings good news”.  It is easy to say this is not my calling – WRONG.  We can come up with all sorts of reasons why we don’t do this.  It is up to each of us to live to bring honor and glory to God through how we live.  It is also up to us to speak of Him and tell others of the hope that is within us.  Be that person.  Start with open ears to hear God’s leading – then just do it.

God’s Mighty Arm

for they shall hear of your great name and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm.

Joshua 4:24
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.”

1 Kings 8:41
(for they shall hear of your great name and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm)

Deuteronomy 3:24
‘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

Psalms 8914
You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand, high your right hand.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
who exult in your name all the day
and in your righteousness are exalted.
For you are the glory of their strength

Isaiah 52:10
The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God

I am so encouraged by reading this today.  God’s mighty arm, His mighty hand, and His strength.  This chapter of Joshua we have seen how in God’s power He stopped the Jordan River so the people could cross over.  After this feat it is recorded that all people should know how mighty God is.  This same God of old – is our God, who never changes, and His promises never fail.  I love the verses from Deuteronomy and Psalms that speak of His mighty hand and am reminded of Paul speaking of God “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” Nothing can separate us from God and His promises.  What limits us is our belief that He is able.  Purpose to know and trust in His mighty power.  His outstretched arm is there for you!

Place of Rest

walk in it, and find rest for your souls.

Joshua
‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.

isaiah 11:10
In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

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. ’
I set watchmen over you, saying,
‘Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet! ’
But they said, ‘We will not pay attention. ’
Therefore hear, O nations,
and know, O congregation, what will happen to them.
Hear, O earth; behold, I am bringing disaster upon this people,
the fruit of their devices,
because they have not paid attention to my words;
and as for my law, they have rejected it.

Isaiah 40:28
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.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.

I see this happening over and over again.  In times of trials and heavy burdens people turn to God for peace and rest.  They come to a place where “doing it on their own” is not working out and the desire/seek God’s hand in their life.  Why is it that we “run” to God when we are finally broken but in times of little to no trials or burdens we seem to not see the need for God?  Could it be that our walk with Him is superficial?  What does it say about a life that only seeks God when times are rough?  What would you think about a son or daughter who only spoke to their earthly father when they needed something or were in trouble?  They never went to see their father any other time.  They never invited him to any part of their life.  Only when they were in need did they contact him.  I am confident you get the point – God, our heavenly Father, wants our heart desire to be for Him, to serve Him, to seek what His purpose is for us each day.  To stay in His word we find words of direction, hope, peace, rest…. To stay in His presence is peace and rest.  Learn to live in His presence every moment.

Stay Awake

Therefore be alert

Keeping focus is hard if you lose purpose of what you are or should be focused on.  We all have the issues that attack our focus.  Culture issues, moral issues, personal issues, family issues, financial issues, work issues, friend issues, neighbor issues,…..    there are so many things that can jump in front of our focus and purpose, it takes constant reminder to take care.  We can get so caught up that we forget we are here in this life with single purpose to bring honor and glory to our Heavenly Father.  When we lose this focus/purpose how easy is it to hear God’s voice leading us.   The question seems to be how can I stay focused.  Keeping God first in our day, thoughts, and actions.  Try it today and ask God to bring to mind every time your focus has gone off Him.  Paul says to train ourselves in walking with God encouraging each other all the more as the day of His return approaches.

Matthew 24:42
Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

1 Thessalonians 5:6
So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.

Luke 12:37
Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes
21:36
But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man

Revelation 3:3
Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you

With All Your Heart and Soul

But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord

Love the Lord your God with all your hear and with all your soul. This is the greatest command given to us to follow.  If we follow this command what would we see in the outward appearance of our lives?  Would we worry so much? Would we be blind to the needs of others?  Would our time be spent differently?  Would our generosity be more? Would we be kinder?  Would we see people in a more positive light?  These are questions each of us could ask ourselves.  Everyday we will have opportunity to love Him more and deeper.  Today is a new day, purpose in your heart to love Him more and be wanting to be used by Him for His glory and honor.

Matthew 22:35
And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets

Deuteronomy 6:4
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates

Luke 10:27
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.

Hand of God Working

It is good to be able to see the hand of God working in your life. Seek Him and He will be found.  He is our strength and our refuge.

Isaiah 66:14

the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants

Ezra 8:22

For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty

8:31

The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way

2 Chronicles 15:2

The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them