Category: God’s Promises

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Unshakable, Immovable

A few days back a friend and I were discussing all the senseless tragedies that have been in the news lately. Some people want to blame God for what’s occurring. I would like to go on record, “this is not God’s fault”.

What I’m about to share with you now are the words that came pouring from my heart. The word of God is my unshakable, immovable, solid rock foundation. In these uncertain times we need a firm foundation.

“ Anyone who comes and listens to me and obeys me 48 is like someone who dug down deep and built a house on solid rock. When the flood came and the river rushed against the house, it was built so well that it didn’t even shake. 49 But anyone who hears what I say and doesn’t obey me is like someone whose house wasn’t built on solid rock. As soon as the river rushed against that house, it was smashed to pieces!” Luke 6:47-49 CEV

Let’s take a look at God’s word. He has given us a free will and He will not violate that. We are free to choose His blessings or to reject them. The choice of building our lives on the solid rock of God’s word is ours. God will not usurp our will to keep us from going to hell nor will He force us to accept any of his other blessings or His help.

“God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance”. II Peter 3:9 KJV

Psalms 103:1-5 tells us that the Lord forgives all our sins and heals all of our diseases but there are very few people I know who actually live free from the guilt of sin in every area of their lives or who live in divine health, 100% of the time. Does that mean that God lied when He said all, or does it mean we are unworthy to receive those blessings? NEVER!

If we are in Christ, children of the Father, all His promises belong to us.

“We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. 4 God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.” II Peter 1:3-4 CEV

Why do bad things happen to good people? 

If we don’t know that God’s promises belong to us, all of His promises, then we blindly and ignorantly accept the evil being done without fighting back. If we don’t know that God wants us protected, well, prospered, worry-free, forgiven and loved then that lack of knowledge will destroy us. We will have no foundation.

“My people are destroyed because they have no knowledge…” Hosea 4:6 ERV

But if we know we can fight against those things and be victorious, it changes the outcome.

“I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory.” II Corinthians 2:14 CEV

If we are in Christ, and we are as Christians, we are promised victory. I have more to share on this so there will be a part two tomorrow.

Don’t give up, don’t quit! Build on a solid foundation; we will be unshakable and immovable!

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One More Time!

Yesterday I shared some insights from the book of Joshua. It seemed appropriate to draw on that book again today.

Years ago, I was given a copy of the book, Victorious Christian Living by Alan Redpath. It was written in 1955, long before much was being said about victory in the lives of Christians. Redpath uses Joshua’s experiences to show us how God has designed for us to win. (I would encourage you to find a copy [ebay’s a good place] and read it.)

This morning I was reading about all the kings that came out to fight Joshua and the Israelites when the entered their Promised Land. Moses had led them in successful military campaigns before they crossed the Jordan River but Joshua was given the responsibility to lead the warriors as they defeated the many kings occupying the land.

“…The total number of kings was 31.” Joshua 12:24 ERV

Joshua went from battle to battle. Sometimes he was the aggressor but at other times four or five kings would form an alliance and come out to attack him and the Israelite army. Each time Joshua headed into battle the Lord would give him the same message.

“All these kings met together at the small river of Merom. They joined their armies together into one camp and made plans for the battle against Israel. 6 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of that army, because I will allow you to defeat them. By this time tomorrow, you will have killed them all.” Joshua 11:5-6 ERV

Don’t be afraid – one more time go out to battle; one more time I will give you the victory.

Joshua wasn’t the only one who faced repeated battles. Young David first fought Goliath and then he battled many enemy armies, including one his oldest son led against him. Jesus also faced many personal attacks. Satan came to him with three different temptations when Jesus was physically and emotionally weak. He had just completed a 40 day fast when Satan tempted him with food, with proving his deity and with world-wide acclaim.

“Jesus said to him, “Get away from me, Satan! The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God. Serve only him!’ 11 So the devil left him. Then some angels came to Jesus and helped him.” Matthew 4:10-11 ERV

Joshua and David won great victories because they trusted God’s word. Jesus was victorious over the temptations of the devil because He placed His trust in God’s word.

The Christian life isn’t void of trials or attacks but like Joshua and even more, like Jesus we can go from victory to victory when we put our trust and confidence in the promises of God.

“But we thank God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Don’t let anything change you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. You know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.” I Corinthians 15:57-58 ERV

I just had the feeling that some of you woke up this morning with a battle ahead of you. The Lord wanted me to remind you, you’re not in this alone. “Be not afraid, send the devil running. Our victory comes from the Lord”. You’ve got this – He’s got this!

Trust Him – one more time!

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An Audience with the King

I have a very strong image of God, the Father, as my heavenly father. I often see Him in my mind’s eye, sitting with me, as a father does with his daughter. There is a familiarity that comes with the closeness of His love. It gives me great comfort.

Then I come across verses that I read this morning and if brings me back to the fact that my Father, my heavenly Father, is the ruler of the universe. There is no power greater than His.

He reigns in majesty!

“Our Lord, you are King! Majesty and power are your royal robes. You put the world in place,
  and it will never be moved. 2 You have always ruled, and you are eternal.

3 The ocean is roaring, Lord! The sea is pounding hard. 4 Its mighty waves are majestic,
  but you are more majestic, and you rule over all. 5 Your decisions are firm, and your temple will always be beautiful and holy.” Psalm 93 CEV

You have always ruled…always. And He still does!

I remember the words from a movie I like. The king has disguised himself as a commoner so he could live among his subjects. At a climaxing moment in the movie, he reveals himself as king. He makes this statement, “I am king and as such my words are incontestable”!

The words of a king are law and as such they are not to be argued with. What he says is established.

Our Father, the King, has established His word forever.

“The sky and the earth won’t last forever, but my words will.” Matthew 24:35 CEV

The stars are held in place by his word, the seas hold their ebb by his word, the sun rises and sets according to his word. We can put our trust in His word and know that He will not lie and He will not change. His word is incontestable!

That gives me great confidence and hope. The Almighty God, the One who was, who is and who will always be, is the ruling force behind the words I base my life on. There is no one, no force of nature, no government, no other power who can stop His word from coming to pass.

“Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:15-16 CEV

We are invited to come bravely before the throne of Almighty God and find help. He has extended the invitation. We have full access to an audience with the King!

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Don’t Forget What You See

Have you looked in the mirror this morning? That reflection first thing in the morning can be a bit unnerving. Everything seems a bit undone after a night of sleep. It takes time to get things in order – hair, makeup, men need to shave, etc.

I am reminded of what James says about looking into a mirror.

“Obey God’s message! Don’t fool yourselves by just listening to it. 23 If you hear the message and don’t obey it, you are like people who stare at themselves in a mirror 24 and forget what they look like as soon as they leave. 25 But you must never stop looking at the perfect law that sets you free. God will bless you in everything you do, if you listen and obey, and don’t just hear and forget.” James 1:22-25 CEV

We are quite intent on having everything look good when we stand in front of a mirror but are we just as intent when we look into the Word of God. The Bible gives us instruction on how God sees us. He was us to reflect His character to the world.

King Solomon put it this way in Proverbs 23:7. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:”

If we see ourselves as God sees us and we meditate on His word, we will be victorious when the battles and the challenges come. Let’s look at a few things the Bible tells us about ourselves:

…I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

…My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.

…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

…If God be for us, who can be against us

…the thief comes but to steal, kill and destroy but I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly

…if any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God who giveth to all men liberally

…He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed

…(Abraham) And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

God tells us that the battle is in our minds and we are to renew them to His way of thinking and not to be caught up in man’s natural way of thinking.

“Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That’s the most sensible way to serve God. 2 Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.” Romans 12:1-2 ERV

In preparing for the day, take a little longer looking into the mirror of God’s word. Let the image that He has created for us be the one we hold in your heart. Like Abraham, let’s be fully persuaded that what God has promised He will do.

Don’t forget what the Father sees in us and who He created us to be!

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Dig Deeper

This morning I found myself praying for those we will be working with this upcoming summer at the campground. I was texting a friend a couple days ago and we agreed that the mountain and the lake are home.

It’s where we are comfortable and enjoy being. It’s a place of peace but not without a few challenges. The month of June we were under a red alert. The fire danger was high and only propane fires were allowed outside. Even generators were reduced in their hours of use. Finally, the order came to evacuate the campground. The fire danger was too high to allow campers to stay. Everyone had to leave. We camp hosts were sequestered in one area that had several routes of ingress and egress. For two weeks we lived with Ready-Set-Go evacuation orders.

On July 7 we were allowed to go back to our campgrounds and prepare for campers’ arrival just a few days later. The weather had changed. We had now gone from dry dangerous conditions to thunderstorms and flooded campsites. But everyone seemed to be in good spirits, hardly a complaint, we were all so grateful for the rains that came each day.

But one day the rain came, and it didn’t stop in a few hours like it normally did. It rained all day and all night and into the next day. We joked that very shortly we would be building an ark. Our campground is elevated above the entrance and there are run off channels throughout the campground which bring the water downhill and to the lake. It was an efficient way to handle the normal run off but not this time, there was too much water.

So, what’s all this got to do with my prayer time? Glad you asked. I was telling the Lord it would be really great if one small issue were remedied. The culvert used to funnel the waters at the entrance is too small in diameter and it isn’t buried deep enough. It needs to go deeper! I was praying that will get fixed this year.

It was then this verse came to mind.

“ I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. 48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” Luke 6:47-49 NLT

Dig deep!

Life will have its storms. There will be flash flooding and hurricanes; physical, emotional, financial and spiritual. It’s our responsibility to dig deep and be prepared to withstand what comes. When we have God’s word in our lives, we have a rock solid, immovable foundation that will not be shaken.

The time to prepare is before the floodwaters come. The skies may be blue and sunny and you may have a list of fun things you want to do but prepare your foundation first. Dig deep into God’s word. Find out what He has promised you about joy and peace, forgiveness and grace. Shore your foundation up on hope, kindness and His unconditional love. Line the perimeter with the rocks of protection and provision that He promises to everyone who hears and applies His word.

Dig deep! It will keep your house from falling.

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The Power of Prayer

For the last several mornings a bit of my quiet time has had me reflecting on Daniel. When he was a young man, many from the nation of Israel had been taken captive and led away to Babylon.

There he was taken into the king’s palace and groomed to be a royal aid. Daniel remained faithful to the Lord and refused to serve any other gods. The Lord blessed Daniel for his faithfulness. The kings whom Daniel served, recognized his wisdom and promoted him, even over those who were citizens of the land.

The other advisors in the king’s palace were jealous of Daniel and tried to figure out a way to get rid of him. The only flaw they could find in Daniel’s character was his faithfulness to God. The advisor’s had the king draft a law which said anyone praying and worshipping anyone but the king would be sentenced to death in a den of lions. When the king realized he had sealed Daniel’s fate he was filled with remorse. But the law was the law and Daniel was sealed in the lion’s den.

“ So King Darius gave the order. They brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May the God you serve save you!” 17 A big rock was brought and put over the opening of the lions’ den. Then the king used his ring and put his seal on the rock. He also used the rings of his officials and put their seals on the rock. This showed that no one could move that rock and bring Daniel out of the lion’s den.” Daniel 6:16-17 ERV

“The next morning, King Darius got up just as it was getting light and ran to the lions’ den. 20 He was very worried. When he got to the lions’ den, he called to Daniel. He said, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God been able to save you from the lions? You always serve your God.”

21 Daniel answered, “King, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel to save me. The angel closed the lions’ mouths. The lions have not hurt me because my God knows I am innocent. I never did anything wrong to you, King.” Daniel 6:19-22 ERV

Daniel’s crime was prayer. God’s answer was deliverance. It was then and it still is now.

“So be humble under God’s powerful hand. Then he will lift you up when the right time comes. 7 Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you. 8 Control yourselves and be careful! The devil is your enemy, and he goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to attack and eat. 9 Refuse to follow the devil. Stand strong in your faith.” I Peter 5:6-9 ERV

We have an enemy, the devil, and he is “like” a roaring lion, but he won’t defeat us or devour us if we stand our ground and remain faithful to the Lord. I like to say the devil is a toothless lion because Christ defeated him and stripped him of his powers.

“He defeated the rulers and powers of the spiritual world. With the cross he won the victory over them and led them away, as defeated and powerless prisoners for the whole world to see.” Colossians 2:15 ERV

The Lord closed the mouths of the lions for Daniel, and He will do the same for us. We have the power in prayer to resist the devil and he must flee!

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Not Today!

This morning’s blog came with great emphasis in my heart this morning – no fear, not today!

All through the night a song from Sunday’s worship service kept running through my mind. It was published by Bethel Music, just last year, (I must give credit where credit is due), “No Longer Slaves”.

From my mother’s womb
You have chosen me
Love has called my name
I’ve been born again to a family
Your blood flows through my veins

I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

Fear can be paralyzing; fear can be demoralizing; it robs the richness of life – an abundant life that Christ came to give us.

“ A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” John 10:10 CEV

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

Every day we are bombarded with fearful reports. “There’s a storm coming; the crime rate is up; the newest COVID cases; inflation; shortage on the grocery store shelves…and the list goes on.

NO!! Not today! I will not be a slave to fear, I am God’s child and He is my protector and my provision.

Not today! I am with the Shepherd and He uses His rod to beat back my enemies!

“I may walk through valleys as dark as death, but I won’t be afraid. You are with me, and your shepherd’s rod makes me feel safe.” Psalm 23:4 CEV

Not today! God is with us; He will protect us!

“Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.” Isaiah 41:10 CEV

Not today! Christ is in control!

“Don’t be afraid! I am the first, the last, 18 and the living one. I died, but now I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys to death and the world of the dead.” Revelation 1:17-18 CEV

Not today, dear friend – you are God’s child and He has promised to never leave you!!

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Thoughts – Pleasing Thoughts

It was windy last night and there was something popping outside. I thought that we had possibly left a storage door open or something of that nature, so I ventured outside to see if I could figure it out.

Everything was buttoned up tight. I came back in, it was 2:30 am and I knew there was no going back to sleep. It was time to pray. I began to meditate on God’s goodness…what a wonderful, comforting and strengthening thing that is to do.

A verse from my childhood Sunday School memorization came to mind.

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, Oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 KJV

I will be honest with you – my thoughts at 2 am were “this is going to be a long day” and if I would have continued to think on that I know by mid-day I would be worn out and somewhat grumpy. Not an acceptable meditation.

So, I opened my Bible to read the entire chapter of Psalm 19. When we ask the Lord to redirect our thoughts, He will.

“The Law of the Lord is perfect, giving new strength to the soul. The Law He has made known is sure, making the child-like wise. 8 The Laws of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The Word of the Lord is pure, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The Lord is always true and right in how He judges. 10 The Word of the Lord is worth more than gold, even more than much fine gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey straight from the comb. 11 And by them Your servant is told to be careful. In obeying them there is great reward.

12 Who can see his own mistakes? Forgive my sins that I do not see. 13 And keep Your servant from sinning by going my own way. Do not let these sins rule over me. Then I will be without blame. And I will not be found guilty of big sins. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in Your eyes, O Lord, my Rock and the One Who saves me.” Psalm 19:7-14 NLV

I have a choice today – so do you. We can meditate (think on continually) how tired we are, how little sleep we’ve had, how little strength and joy we have, how we are misunderstood and mistreated, or we can choose to make the thoughts of our heart centered on God’s Word.

His word will give us strength and make us wise. His word will give us joy and understanding. His word will never fail but instead will last forever. His word is more valuable than gold and sweeter than honey.

If we insist on going our own way and following our own thinking we can be led astray and possibly into sin – the sin of worry, self-pity, anxiousness and frustration.

We have a choice! I choose to make my thoughts and my words pleasing to the Lord!

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Learning How To

We watch a lot of YouTube “How To” videos. When Dave needed to know something about the boat motor, replacing the filters on the truck, etc. he would find a video. I watch instruction on cooking something new, tutorials on my new camera and computer and travelogues on places we want to visit.

The thing is we don’t watch them just once. No, we sit down, watch, take in as much information we can and then start our project with cell phone in hand, video queued up, so we always have instruction at our fingertips.

That’s what I feel this prayer of the Apostle Paul’s does for us. Step by step it gives us instruction on “how to” know the power and blessings God has for us in Christ. It’s something we need to read again and again. Words we need to digest for life enriching, life changing growth. I hope you took the time to read it through again yesterday.

“I pray that the great God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ may give you the wisdom of His Spirit. Then you will be able to understand the secrets about Him as you know Him better. 18 I pray that your hearts will be able to understand. I pray that you will know about the hope given by God’s call. I pray that you will see how great the things are that He has promised to those who belong to Him. 19 I pray that you will know how great His power is for those who have put their trust in Him. 20 It is the same power that raised Christ from the dead. This same power put Christ at God’s right side in heaven. 21 This place was given to Christ. It is much greater than any king or leader can have. No one else can have this place of honor and power. No one in this world or in the world to come can have such honor and power. 22 God has put all things under Christ’s power and has made Him to be the head leader over all things of the church. 23 The church is the body of Christ. It is filled by Him Who fills all things everywhere with Himself.” Ephesians 1:17-23 NLV

We’re going to look at a couple items of major importance in this prayer:

  • promised great things to His children
  • know His great power

The Father has promised us great things; joy, peace, forgiveness, healing, salvation, strength, wisdom, protection, provision – great things! One translation records verse 18 this way, “the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people),”. The Father gives us these things, great things, as our inheritance. We are His children and as such He has an inheritance for us.

The next thing Paul prays for us is that we will “know His great power”. Now, this is something that amazes me – the Father’s power is working for me and not against me.

This is the power that He put into practice when He raised Christ from the dead! It’s the same power which transported Jesus from earth back to heaven while His disciples watched his ascension.

This power, this great power of God, is for us who put our trust in Him!!

When we feel powerless in life’s situations His power is available to us, that same power which He used on Christ’s behalf.

“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” Romans 8:11 NLT

Paul prayed this prayer so that we, those of us in Christ, will learn how to know our Father’s great promises and great power. Amen and amen!!

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Protected

Some of you live in areas where the ground has been snowed covered for quite some time but that’s not how it is here. We get colder weather but not for extended periods of time and snow is a rarity.

Before we sold the house and moved into the RV, I had many plants in our yard. Most of them were resilient to the cold but others had to be covered, protected. I loved working with my flowers and plants but had to leave most of them behind. I was only able to bring a few of them with me – our space is limited.

This last week we had freeze warnings and I brought a few of them in and covered the larger, stronger ones. The weather forecast has predicted warmer days this week and night before last was above freezing so yesterday I pruned a few frost-bitten leaves and placed the plants which had been inside back out on the patio.

Much to my chagrin when I got up this morning our thermometer had a reading of 30*. That’s upsetting because I didn’t cover any of them last night. It’s one of those should have, would have, could have situations and frankly, I’m praying that they were protected even though I was neglectful.

I am very grateful that our heavenly Father isn’t caught off guard by anything and He has given us His promise of protection.

“Live under the protection of God Most High and stay in the shadow of God All-Powerful.
2 Then you will say to the Lord, “You are my fortress, my place of safety; you are my God, and I trust you.” 3 The Lord will keep you safe from secret traps and deadly diseases.
4 He will spread his wings over you and keep you secure. His faithfulness is like a shield or city wall. 5 You won’t need to worry about dangers at night or arrows during the day. 6 And you won’t fear diseases that strike in the dark or sudden disaster at noon.” Psalm 91:1-6 CEV

He cares for us like we would care for a young and tender plant. This is the Lord’s promise for our protection and safety. We can put our hope, our faith and trust in Him; He keeps His word, God does not lie!

“If you honor the Lord, his angel will protect you. 8 Discover for yourself that the Lord is kind. Come to him for protection, and you will be glad.” Psalm 34:7-8 CEV

We must not let fear rob us of those things that the Father has promised. His faithfulness is our shield, our covering, our protection!

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