Category: Isaiah

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Waiting During Construction

If you read my posts on a daily basis, you’ll remember that a few weeks ago I asked the question “what do you do when God seems silent”? David is dealing with that very thing this morning in the verses of this segment.

“I feel weaker and weaker as I wait for you to save me. But I put my trust in your word. 82 I keep looking for what you promised, but my eyes are feeling tired. When will you comfort me? 83 Even when I am like a dried wineskin on the trash pile, I will not forget your laws. 84 How long must I wait for you to punish those who persecute me? 85 Proud people have tried to trap me and make me disobey your teachings. 86 All your commands can be trusted. Those people are wrong to persecute me. Help me! 87 They have almost destroyed me, but I have not stopped obeying your instructions. 88 Show me your faithful love and let me live. I will do whatever you say.” Psalm 119:81-88

Personally we waited on the Lord to change a situation for almost 7 years. I know what it’s like to tell the Lord – “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” but we WILL continue to trust you! There were days when I felt things would never change and that’s when I would have to remind myself that God is faithful and He will keep His word and bring it to pass.

I can get a real sense of David’s heart in these first verses – he’s tired, he feels like he is drying up inside but he will continue to trust. You may have been waiting now for a very long time, waiting to see a promise that you have from the Lord come to pass. I want to share with you some of the verses God put in my heart to encourage me.

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Wait – something we don’t do well for the most part but this verse isn’t talking about a passive action of sitting back; it’s active, like a waiter or waitress, this wait means to pay attention too, to actively participate in meeting the requests of others. So we are told to “wait on the Lord”. During this time, I try to keep my focus on the Master and His desires, not mine. There’s a promise attached with waiting, my strength will be renewed. I will be able to soar above the storm clouds, I will be able to run with race with endurance. Yes, I will learn to wait!

Another verse that ties into this one is Isaiah 26:3 “3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in Thee.”

Staying focused on God and His word will keep me in a place of peace. When I find that I am anxious or upset, weary or weak; I realized that my focus has changed from being on the Lord to looking at the circumstances. In times like that I must return to focusing on God and His word. Because His word says…

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” I John 5:14-15

God’s word is His will so if we are asking for things that He has promised in His word we know that we are asking according to His will and can have confidence that He not only hears our prayers but answers them. We are then able to go from a place of continually asking to asking confidently and then begin to thank Him for the result we know we will see. It’s hard to be discouraged when you are saying thank you.

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ…” II Corinthians 1:20-21

God is the one that confirms His word by promising to watch over it and perform it; our job is to trust Him. This is something that I have considerable experience with. These are just a few of the verses that the Holy Spirit has confirmed to my heart when it comes to waiting for answered prayer to come. If our focus is distracted we will become like a dried up wine skin, good for nothing but when our hope and trust is in God we will continue to live fruitful lives during the wait.

Verse 88 is the kicker in this segment. Show me your faithful love, in the King James version that word is “lovingkindness” and it carries the meaning of a blood covenant or what we know to be “blood brothers”. When a blood covenant was struck between two people or two nations, it meant you have available to you all the resources that I have and vice versa. I give God all that I have (which compared to Him is seriously lacking) and He gives to me all that He has; His strength, His power, His promises, His provision, His life eternal! That’s what David was talking about – he had entered into covenant with God. This is why he could say I will do whatever You say because he had willingly entered into a relationship with One so much greater than he was. He was willing to do whatever the Lord had to say because David knew it would be the right way to go.

Look at waiting like you do building a house or doing a remodel. We said at the beginning of this study in Psalm 119 that God’s Word is our firm foundation that makes our life unshakeable in the storm. Prepare while you’re waiting for the construction to be complete. Live expectantly – pick out the flooring and the paint for the walls. God is building your life and you can trust Him to make it wonderful!

Again today, I reaffirm “Show me your faithful love and let me live. I will do whatever you say.”

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Your Defender

We are going to learn how to accept correction from the hand of the Lord and to let the Lord defend us from our enemies. So many times we want to jump right in and defend ourselves in circumstances where we aren’t being treated right. It’s only natural to speak up and defend what’s ours but that’s not always the wisdom God wants us to use. We need to use God’s wisdom when our reputation is being ruined by liars.

“I am your servant, Lord, and you have kept your promise to treat me with kindness. 66 Give me wisdom and good sense. I trust your commands. 67 Once you corrected me for not obeying you, but now I obey. 68 You are kindhearted, and you do good things, so teach me your laws. 69 My reputation is being ruined by conceited liars, but with all my heart I follow your teachings. 70 Those liars have no sense, but I find happiness in your Law. 71 When you corrected me, it did me good because it taught me to study your laws. 72 I would rather obey you than to have a thousand pieces of silver and gold.” Psalm 119:65-72

David mentions twice in this segment that the Lord corrected him and that this correction was a good thing – it brought him back to obeying God’s word and that was more precious than silver or gold.

How does God correct us?

“16 All Scripture is given by God. And all Scripture is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching the right way to live. 17 Using the Scriptures, those who serve God will be prepared and will have everything they need to do every good work.” II Timothy 3:16-17

The Word of God is profitable for correction and instruction. It’s amazing to me how some folks can get so off base and say that the way God corrects is to cause us to lose our job, create financial hardship, make us sick, destroy our marriage, send a tragedy all to teach us something. Rubbish! Now these things happen but they are not a result of God teaching us a lesson. We need to recognize that there is a real enemy, seeking to destroy us. And we also need to recognize that sometimes we bring things on ourselves by being selfish and foolish, but they aren’t a result of God “teaching” us.

There is so much more to be said on correction but time and space limitations move me on.

Now how do we deal with those that criticize, lie and seek to destroy our reputations? David said to keep following and obeying God’s commands.

“I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart. I will tell about the wonderful things you have done. 2 You make me happy, so I will rejoice in you. God Most High, I praise your name. 3 My enemies turned to run from you, but they fell and were destroyed. 4 You listened to me from your throne like a good judge, and you decided that I was right.” Psalm 9:1-4ERV

David knew to follow God’s command was to let God be his defender.

“Do the best you can to live in peace with everyone. 19 My friends, don’t try to punish anyone who does wrong to you. Wait for God to punish them with his anger. In the Scriptures the Lord says, “I am the one who punishes; I will pay people back.” Romans 12:18-19 ERV

Jesus lived this way – He could have retaliated against His accusers and those who persecuted him but He kept silent on His own behalf and just kept on doing what God had called Him to do – He healed the blind, raised the dead, cleansed the lepers, healed the broken hearted and preached the love of God.

Paul was persecuted in nearly even town he entered and his comment was

“13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

He kept his focus – he didn’t get off course but just kept pressing forward in doing what God had called him to do.

Isaiah 54:17 also tells us that “Weapons made to attack you won’t be successful; words spoken against you won’t hurt at all. My servants, Jerusalem is yours!  I, the Lord, promise to bless you with victory.”

When we take time to answer our critics and defend ourselves we are being drawn away from what God has designed us to do. If we enter into the conflict of self-defense we are doing exactly what the enemy wants us to do. We need to learn from David, Isaiah, Jesus, and Paul and when adversary and accusation come – we keep our eyes on Jesus, standing on his Word and we will win the battle!

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What Do You Remember

A few weeks back my Mom came to stay for a several days. At 94 her memory isn’t as sharp as it once was but she still has a good memory for someone her age. It’s always fun for me to talk with her about things that we did as kids – places we lived, friends we grew up with and special times we had as a family.

Dad was a blue-collar worker so we never had lavish gifts or big vacations. What we had instead were times of fishing at the lake, picnic lunches from the tail gate of the station wagon and day trips to the National Parks. We fed salt water taffy to the chipmunks in Zion, caught trout on salmon eggs and had rain water pour through the rotted roof of a travel trailer. (big smile) Yes, wonderful memories.

I also have wonderful memories of when our children were growing up and we saw the Lord do numerous miracles in our day to day life. Miracles of healing and provision, miracles of safety and protection. Answered prayers and expressions of God’s faithfulness.

Oh, how I love God’s word! It is such a joy to read it and know that for thousands of years it has never failed or been proven false and God will continue to protect it and bring it to pass. It won’t fail me or my children or my grandchildren.

“Heaven and earth shall pass away but my word shall never pass away” Matthew 24:35

We’re about 1/3 way through Psalm 119 and I hope you are enjoying our study and that the Lord is ministering to you personally as we cover each segment.

“Remember your promise to me, your servant. It gives me hope. 50 You comfort me in my suffering, because your promise gives me new life.
51 People full of pride are always making fun of me, but I have not stopped following your teachings. 52 I remember the laws you gave us long ago, Lord, and they bring me comfort. 53 I am overcome with anger when I see wicked people, who have stopped following your teachings. 54 Your laws are the songs I sing wherever I am living. 55 Lord, in the night I remembered your name, and I obeyed your teachings. 56 This happened because I carefully obey your instructions.” Psalm 119: 49-56

Remembering God’s promises should give us hope and create an excitement in our hearts just like it did for David. I once heard it said that God has never had anyone, other than Jesus, qualified working for Him yet so don’t get hung up on your shortcomings. Look at those who God has used. Abraham was too old; David was too young. Mary Magdalen was a prostitute; Peter denied the Lord and Paul, the Apostle, killed Christians. (Just to name a few.)

We can either get puffed up with pride or become discouraged if we compare ourselves to others but when we see that God gave His promises to common everyday people, just like us, we know that His word isn’t just for a select few or the very elite. One verse that is ringing in my memory this morning is my favorite verse in the Bible. If you’ve been reading my posts very long at all you will know that I am talking about Numbers 23:19.

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”

God doesn’t lie – that gives me hope! He doesn’t lie about salvation, healing, peace, joy, comfort, protection, prosperity, wisdom, victory…He doesn’t lie! And what’s more, He tells us to remind Him of His word. Not because He’s old and senile and might forget but because He wants us to boldly trust our relationship with Him.

“Turn to the Lord! He can still be found. Call out to God! He is near. 7 Give up your crooked ways and your evil thoughts. Return to the Lord our God. He will be merciful and forgive your sins. 8 The Lord says: “My thoughts and my ways are not like yours. 9 Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, my thoughts and my ways are higher than yours. 10 “Rain and snow fall from the sky. But they don’t return without watering the earth that produces seeds to plant and grain to eat.
11 That’s how it is with my words. They don’t return to me without doing everything I send them to do.” Isaiah 55:6-11 CEV

Moses instructed the nation of Israel to teach their children the things that God had done; deliverance from Egypt, the miracles in the wilderness and the victory of entering the promised land. Then Peter says that it was important for him to remind the believers of all that God had done for them so that they, we, wouldn’t be deceive and fall away from God’s plan.

In Hebrews we are instructed to come BOLDLY to the throne of grace to find help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) That boldness can only come as we stand on God’s word and rely on Him to be faithful and loving. Each time I think of this verse I remember an incident that happened when our kids were small. We live out in the middle of nowhere, and I do mean nowhere; thirty miles from the closest small town and 70 miles from Phoenix. We were farming 900 acres of alfalfa – we had told the kids that on Friday we would go to the Dairy Queen. That was a big deal! We had promised!

So Friday when the kids got home from school they quickly reminded us that this was Friday and we had said we were going to Dairy Queen. Of course we went – tired but we went – we had promised! We didn’t scold the kids for reminding us – they weren’t being arrogant or demanding – they were being kids and we had promised so they expected that we would have kept our word.

If we as natural, earthly parents make promises and keep our word to our children should we think that God in all His power and glory would do any less? If He didn’t want us to believe that He was faithful, then He shouldn’t have included promises in His word but He did and He IS!

When I remember God’s word, His promises and how He has provided in the past it causes me to sing. Just this last week, while I was out on a walk, I had been battling discouragement in a particular matter. As I focused not on the problem but on God’s faithfulness, I began to recall times in the past when God had “come through” and shown Himself faithful. There were so many times – large and small. It didn’t take me very long before I was singing praise to God.

“Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:” Jeremiah 32:17

Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing. Nothing is too difficult for thee!!

Put God in remembrance of His word today!

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White As Snow

Yesterday morning after I had written and posted my blog I took Glory on a morning walk. There’s a new house being built down the road and we stopped to good through it. It was interesting to see the bedrooms, the closets, the bathrooms – it was all framed in. We had walked by when they were clearing the lot and when the footing was being dug and even the day the concrete trucks came and poured the foundation. But I hadn’t seen it up close since they started the framing.

While I was there I noticed the concrete. As often happens in this area, there were some cracks in it. Those will be covered over soon and no one will realize they had ever been there. That made me think again about what I had written on “No Shame” just that morning. As I finished my walk, my mind was racing considering the other side of the coin.

When we follow the Lord he won’t lead us to do anything that we need to be ashamed of. However, we all know that there are things in life that we aren’t proud of and would prefer to keep covered. Things of our own making, things God had nothing to do with. It could be something as simple as being a High School dropout; an arrest record; a failed marriage; a bankruptcy; an affair; an abandon relationship; or whatever event or action you would know about yourself that no one else does.

The Lord knows how to deal with those areas of shame.

“Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. 2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. 3 But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” Psalm 3:1-3 KJV

These words were written by King David when his son Absalom was trying to kill him and take his throne. David said that the Lord was his shield of protection and the lifter of his head.

When you’ve experienced shame in your life it’s hard to look others in the eye. Someone who has been shamed will walk around head down but the Lord comes in, forgives our failure and our intentional sin and lifts our head. He brings a change to our countenance and restoration to our lives.

“And I will forgive the wrongs they have done, and I will not remember their sins.” Hebrews 8:12ERV

“His love for his followers is as high above us as heaven is above the earth. 12 And he has taken our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west.
13 The Lord is as kind to his followers as a father is to his children.” Psalm 103:11-13 ERV

“I, the Lord, am the one speaking to you. Come, let’s discuss this. Even if your sins are as dark as red dye, that stain can be removed and you will be as pure as wool that is as white as snow.” Isaiah 1:18 ERV

Our failures, our shame, our sin should by all rights keep us separated from a perfect and just God. In our own efforts we can never be good enough to remove our own shame. God knew that and He had a plan, a wonderful plan.

“Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. 7 No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. 8 But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

9 But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger. 10 Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son’s life.” Romans 8:6-10 CEV

What a great way to start the new year – shame removed! Head help high, walking in peace with God!!

“But if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done.” I John 1:9 ERV

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The Gift of Memory

My Christmas tree is probably like yours; decorated with ornaments that have been collected over the years. I love angel ornaments!

Each year as I hang different “angels” on the tree I remember fondly the friends that have given them to me. And as they are hung in a special place I pray for that dear friend or family member.

I was thinking this morning, if each ornament were a picture my tree would be filled with images of those I hold dear all year long! You know God has done that – He has drawn our picture in the palm of His hands.

“But the Lord says,
“Can a woman forget her baby? Can she forget the child who came from her body? Even if she can forget her children, I cannot forget you.

16 I drew a picture of you on my hand. You are always before my eyes…” Isaiah 49:15-16 ERV

He not only holds us in His heart but He keeps our pictures close so He can always be looking at us! See He is a loving father. If heaven had a mantel all our pictures would be on it and He would be glad to show them off to the angels.

When our children were still at home I made three new Christmas ornaments each year, one for each child and when they grew up and left home each of them received a box of ornaments. I’m not sure if they still have those, to be honest some weren’t very good, but there was a memory attached with each one.

But the thing about God’s memory is what He chooses to forget. He is omniscient so He knows all things, things from the beginning and the events of the future. He knows it all. However, He allows himself the opportunity to forget.

“Here is the new agreement that I, the Lord, will make with the people of Israel:

“I will write my laws
on their hearts and minds.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.

34 “No longer will they have to teach one another to obey me. I, the Lord, promise that all of them will obey me, ordinary people and rulers alike. I will forgive their sins and forget the evil things they have done.” Jeremiah 31:33 & 34 CEV

How can He do this? Why does He choose to forget? God can do this because he’s God and the answer to the why is because he is love! We’re told in I Corinthians 13, the love chapter, that love thinks the best of a person at all times and that love doesn’t hold on to things that someone has done wrong. That is a perfect description of God the Father. His memory is filled with the good we’ve done and He has removed our sin as far as the east is from the west.

So I ask you to exercise your memory today. Follow God’s example and wipe from it those times that you’ve been wronged and chose to think the best. Remember with a heart of love today and take time to thank the Lord for the way He sees you. Smile, he’s drawn your picture on his hands.

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The Gift of a Father

For the last several days we’ve been looking at the different names and characteristics of Jesus that are mentioned in Isaiah. He was given to us for a purpose, to restore us in relationship to God the Father. One purpose but it was multi-faceted in execution.

“This will happen when the special child is born. God will give us a son who will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be “Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 ERV

We have looked at Jesus as the Counsellor, Almighty God and the Prince of Peace. This morning we will look at him as the eternal father or as the translation above says, the Father who lives forever.

I lost my dad almost 12 years ago and I miss him! But before he died, we lost him to dementia. I don’t think it was called Alzheimer but all in the same I saw him fade away. He was a wonderful man; tough but loving!

For those of you who are familiar with an older country song, Daddy’s Hands, the lyrics pretty much describe him to a T. I loved going fishing with him, Saturday mornings going to get donuts, dove hunting, watching him play with my children and taking them fishing…. A good man. He loved to sing and I loved to sing with him. One of my final visits home I enjoyed a cherished time; daddy was having a hard time sleeping so I went in and sat on his bed in the dark and sang hymns and choruses to him, sometimes he sang along and others he would just lay there and listen. He slept well those nights, I’m glad!

One of the main things I remember about Christmas was my dad reading the Christmas story each Christmas morning before we opened our presents, that’s why we did the same with our kids and grandkids. Then Daddy would pray and we would open gifts. I only remember 2 or 3 presents I received as a child but I always remember the story and the prayer.

I know not everyone had a relationship with their dad the way I did. I know not everyone can recall such wonderful memories. However, now with him gone, I also am drawn even closer in my relationship with my heavenly Father. He’s always here, I can hear His voice and feel His presence and it makes me glad. He is the Father who lives forever and will never die. My heavenly Father is my strength when I feel weak, my joy when depression would like to take over and my peace in every situation. There’s nothing that I have faced in the past or that will flood my future that He doesn’t know about and He has provided an answer for.

Everlasting Father. Just those two words bring comfort and contentment.

“Only those people who are led by God’s Spirit are his children. 15 God’s Spirit doesn’t make us slaves who are afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our Father.[a] 16 God’s Spirit makes us sure that we are his children.” Romans 8:14-16 CEV

[a] “Abba” (meaning “father”), which shows the close relation between the children and their father.

To me the word Abba means daddy.

If you didn’t have a father like mine, you can have the same heavenly Father and His love is so much deeper, so much greater, so much more intimate than what I experienced with my natural Father. If you do or did have a wonderful relationship with your Father, it can bring you such joy to know that you never have to be without that closeness of the heart, the warmth, the acceptance, the unconditional love with your heavenly Father too.

What a wonderful gift we have been given – the Everlasting Father!

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The Gift of Power

Have you noticed how many movies are about Super Heroes? And it’s not just the kids that are going to see them. Adults are flocking to the theatres to see this bigger than life crime fighters. When I was a kid it was Mighty Mouse, Superman, then came Underdog, the Bionic Man, Wonder Woman and Batman. Now it’s the heroes of the Marvel comics or Storm Troopers and Jedi. So many others have been added or brought to the forefront but all them had one basic principal, they save us from evil injustice.

“This will happen when the special child is born. God will give us a son who will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be “Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 ERV

Mighty God – Powerful God. Yes, God all mighty and all powerful.

The stories in the Bible aren’t just nice little tales to give us hope when things look bad. The Bible is an accurate portrayal of God’s intervention into the lives of those He loves. Noah and the ark, Joseph and Egypt’s protection during famine, Moses and the Red Sea, David and Goliath, Daniel in the lion’s den, Joshua and the walls of Jericho, the immaculate conception and birth of Christ, the healed leper, feeding 5000+ with a small lunch, raising of Lazarus from the dead, turning the water into wine, protection on the open seas – all real, all true, all God intervening in the lives of those He loves.

“God’s Spirit doesn’t make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control.” II Timothy 1:7 CEV

Joseph, a young Jewish man, had just learned that his fiance` was pregnant. By Jewish, custom he could have had her publicly stoned but he loved Mary and was struggling with what to do. He had decided to have her put away quietly, move her to another town, let her start life over. But God came to him in a dream and gave him this message.

23 “The virgin will be pregnant and will give birth to a son. They will name him Immanuel.” (Immanuel means “God with us.”) 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the Lord’s angel told him to do. He married Mary.” Matthew 1:23-24 ERV

Yes, Immanuel, God with us! No super hero can compare to our God. His plan was and still is to be Mighty God. His purpose is to complete our lives, He desires to give us everything we need.

” I say this because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth. 10 And because you belong to Christ you are complete, having everything you need. Christ is ruler over every other power and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10 ERV

Thank you Father that You truly are God Almighty.

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A Wonderful Counselor

What do you do when you run into those situations that you just don’t understand and need some extra insight? Do you have a trusted friend that you can talk to, someone who gives good advice, a counselor who will give you the proper perspective?

It seems we are a society intent on gaining information and affirmation. My goodness, just look at the afternoon “talk shows” and commentaries. If that isn’t enough to set your head swimming you can “research” just about anything on the net and get an “expert’s” advice. There you will find answers to medical issues, marital advice and even financial investment guidance. Oh but wait, there’s still more. Then you can get a You-Tube video to give you instruction for mechanical, construction and destruction projects.

Yes, we are a society in search of answers.

Who’s better than Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Oprah, Judge Judy, the horoscope, Howard Stern, the entire news service and the net? The Counselor!

“This will happen when the special child is born. God will give us a son who will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be “Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 ERV

He’s never given bad advice – never. He’s never drawn a wrong conclusion or made a judgment out of malice. He’s never gone back and change his mind because of political correctness or because more information has surfaced. He is the same yesterday, today and forever!

His Word is infallible, His judgments are pure and righteous and He is easy to reach – no appointment necessary. No waiting – come right in and it’s free!

“ Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. 6 With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way.” Proverbs 3:5-6 ERV

This Counselor knows all the answers. He knows the beginning from the end. There isn’t a topic of concern that is above his pay grade or surpasses His knowledge. He can accurately advise you on any subject.

“The Lord’s laws are right. They make people happy. The Lord’s commands are good. They show people the right way to live. 9 Learning respect for the Lord is good. It will last forever. The Lord’s judgments are right. They are completely fair. 10 His teachings are worth more than pure gold. They are sweeter than the best honey dripping from the honeycomb.” Psalm 19:8-10 ERV

Jesus is also our advocate, our defense attorney. He is the one who pleads our case but it isn’t based on our merit but on His.

“My dear children, I write this letter to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone sins, we have Jesus Christ to help us. He always did what was right, so he is able to defend us before God the Father. 2 Jesus is the way our sins are taken away. And he is the way all people can have their sins taken away too.” I John 2:1-2 ERV

“With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 ERV

The one requirement on your part is time. Take time to read the information He gives. Go ahead it’s there for you. You may say you don’t understand the Bible, I agree that some translations are difficult to understand but there’s an app for that. I use the Bible Gateway app all the time, www.biblegateway.com. It lists multiple translations and paraphrases to help you understand God’s word. And you’re going to be spending time, one way or another, searching for your answer so why not start here first?

Set up your “counselling” appointment today. Lay down on the couch, rest in Him and find help in your time of need!

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The Gift of Constant Peace

And his name shall be called “Prince of Peace”.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 KJV

Peace: quietness, stillness, rest, prosperity. Jesus came to bring peace.

I live in a small community so we don’t have many of the external factors that disturb the peace; we don’t have a lot of fires or accidents that bring the sirens, no traffic jams, or fighting for parking places. To us a crowd is more than 3 people in line at the grocery store and the biggest disturbance is the school bus that rushes down the road each morning or the Fed-X truck each afternoon. In fact, in the evening we can hear the deer as they walk through the brush on the lot next door, the quail calling for the chicks and the dove cooing in the trees.

But regardless of our lack of external factors, the internal ones are the same no matter where you are. Anxiety, interpersonal conflict, health concerns, financial issues – those affect everyone no matter where you live. A sense of peace was so important to God that he made it part of His name, “Prince of Peace”. The peace that He was referring too will bring us peace in all the areas listed above. He was talking about peace between God and man. I’ve heard it said that there are 365 verses in the Bible that tell us not to worry or be anxious or afraid; one for each day of the year!

“Glory to God in the highest [heaven], and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased [men of goodwill, of His favor].” Luke 2:14 AMP

Peace between God and man was broken in the garden of Eden when Adam sinned. Their relationship was affected and Christ came to restore that relationship. He came to reconcile the relationship between God and man.

“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1

Jesus spoke to his followers time and again about peace. And one of the last things He told them was this.

“Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]” John 14:26 AMP

This was His instruction right before His crucifixion. He was talking to them about peace. The angels announced His birth with peace and at His death he was still talking about peace.

I give you permission to open a Christmas present early this year. It’s probably the most valuable gift you’ll receive – untie the bow, open the box and the let peace of God, which bypasses our understanding, guard your heart and mind (Phil 4:7) and flood your life today.

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The Gift of Words

Remember a week or so back I asked you to join me in a fast, a fast of criticism? So how are you doing? I have to admit that there have been a few times that I’ve had to stop and repent and get back on track. Our words are so important.

You might not think that a teaching on words has much to do with the Christmas season but it really does. God started everything with His words. He said, “Light be” and it was. He spoke the plan of Christ’s birth was spoken out in words hundreds of years before the event took place. God had the prophets repeated that message again and again until it came to pass.

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 KJV

Then the angel came to Mary and told her that she had been chosen to give birth to the Messiah. Listen to her response.

“26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth…
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:26-38 KJV

According to your word. Mary knew that it was only necessary for God to speak a word for things to happen.

Words are filled with power – power to create or power to destroy. The writer of Proverbs penned it this way

“ A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Proverbs 18:20-21 KJV

This is why it’s so important that we “fast” those words that are critical and condemning. We don’t want to end up eating our unkind words, we need to feast on words that life giving.

Our casual approach to the spoken or written word can undermine our faith. My favorite Bible verse, Numbers 23:19 focuses on the importance and power of God’s word.

“God is not a man; he will not lie. God is not a human being; his decisions will not change. If he says he will do something, then he will do it. If he makes a promise, then he will do what he promised.” Numbers 23:19 ERV

When God speaks His word – it comes to pass. He has faith in what He has said and that’s why Mary could have such life-changing faith in the message that Gabriel brought her from God. We can have that same conviction and faith in God’s words.

At Christmas, and throughout the year, make your words a gift. A gift that brings life and encouragement. A gift of forgiveness and peace. A gift of kindness and love!

“Don’t let me do wrong on purpose, Lord, or let sin have control over my life. Then I will be innocent, and not guilty of some terrible fault.14 Let my words and my thoughts be pleasing to you, Lord, because you are my mighty rock and my protector.” Psalms 19:13-14 CEV

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