"But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge." ~Psalm 94:22, NIV
God bless America.
Tough times happen. The world we live in is full of basically evil people with some good inside of them, and thus, courtesy of Satan, terrible, terrible things occur.
Does this mean God isn't good? Does this change God's status as God?
No. This means that when this sort of thing jumps into your life by surprise, you have a chance - have a choice - to make actual the Scripture. God uses even evil things for good, and one good thing is drawing you nearer to Himself. He wants to be able to come in, wrap His arms around you and be with you during those hard times. It's only in tragedy, in difficulty that we really get a picture of God our fortress, God our refuge.
God doesn't just want us to remember Him when we're in trouble though - He wants to be a part of our prosperity as well. So this Christmas - can you believe it's tomorrow? - remember, remember, remember that God sent Christ to die so He could be near to us.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Day 358: Psalm 18:17
"He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me." ~Psalm 18:17, NIV
God loves His children. It's a simple fact that isn't always as simple to believe, but when the worst comes to worst, there's another fact to hold on to, equally as difficult to believe.
He's there. He will save you. He's saved countless others in your position - and the psalmists wrote about it. The God you believe in was the same yesterday, is the same today, and will be the same tomorrow.
The God who saved the psalmist yesterday, will save you today, and you progeny tomorrow. You will come up against enemies bigger than you can actually handle. But that doesn't mean they will defeat you - it just means you have to lean on the source of power, and believe in Him.
God loves His children. It's a simple fact that isn't always as simple to believe, but when the worst comes to worst, there's another fact to hold on to, equally as difficult to believe.
He's there. He will save you. He's saved countless others in your position - and the psalmists wrote about it. The God you believe in was the same yesterday, is the same today, and will be the same tomorrow.
The God who saved the psalmist yesterday, will save you today, and you progeny tomorrow. You will come up against enemies bigger than you can actually handle. But that doesn't mean they will defeat you - it just means you have to lean on the source of power, and believe in Him.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Day 357: Deuteronomy 31:7
"Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance." ~Deuteronomy 31:7, NIV
Fulfilling God's plan for you life won't be easy. Sorry, it just doesn't happen. For Joshua it was doubly, maybe triply so, just because of the nature of the people that he was leading.
But God was with him, God lead him and directed him to be strong and courageous. Joshua couldn't avoid his destiny. But just because he couldn't leave it didn't mean it would best him - God gave him strength, God gave him courage, God gave him what he needed when he needed to be the hero that we remember him as today.
He'll do the same for you, and all He asks is that you listen and obey with strength and courage.
Fulfilling God's plan for you life won't be easy. Sorry, it just doesn't happen. For Joshua it was doubly, maybe triply so, just because of the nature of the people that he was leading.
But God was with him, God lead him and directed him to be strong and courageous. Joshua couldn't avoid his destiny. But just because he couldn't leave it didn't mean it would best him - God gave him strength, God gave him courage, God gave him what he needed when he needed to be the hero that we remember him as today.
He'll do the same for you, and all He asks is that you listen and obey with strength and courage.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Day 356: Psalm 31:14
"But I trust in you, Lord; I say, 'You are my God.'" ~Psalm 31:14, NIV
Choices. We make them all the time. Sometimes we make them for our current self, sometimes for our future self. Sometimes we make them irrationally, other times too rationally, sometimes too emotionally, sometimes we don't even choose to make them, they just happen.
The psalmist here is obviously stating his simple choice, and it's one we too, have to make daily. Will we trust in God? Will we let Him be the Lord of our lives?
Let this verse be a reminder that while God has a plan and purpose for you, you choose whether or not to accept that destiny. And I promise, that destiny has nothing to do with cowering in fear at your terrors.
Choices. We make them all the time. Sometimes we make them for our current self, sometimes for our future self. Sometimes we make them irrationally, other times too rationally, sometimes too emotionally, sometimes we don't even choose to make them, they just happen.
The psalmist here is obviously stating his simple choice, and it's one we too, have to make daily. Will we trust in God? Will we let Him be the Lord of our lives?
Let this verse be a reminder that while God has a plan and purpose for you, you choose whether or not to accept that destiny. And I promise, that destiny has nothing to do with cowering in fear at your terrors.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Day 355: Judges 4:18
"Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, 'Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.' So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket." ~Judges 4:18, NIV
This verse might be a little controversial and almost against my point, but I'm going to use it anyways. Here's the scoop: Sisera was the general of an army that was trying to destroy Israel in the promised land, but thanks to God, the Israelites had routed his army and were pursuing him. He came upon lady Jael's tent, and as the verse shows, she went out to meet him and brought him into her tent.
She told him not to be afraid. He believed her, and entered her tent and hid. Jael ended up killing the dude by driving a tent peg through his head, and that's part of the point.
God's plan for the Israelites was to destroy their enemies. Anyone who's not on the Lord's side shouldn't be taken in by someone claiming that they don't need to be afraid. I'm sorry, but the fact is if you are against God you will not stand. Just like Jael telling Sisera he didn't need to be afraid, anyone against God who thinks they don't need to be afraid is LYING to themselves!
Conversely, anyone who IS on God's side can know that He has the situation under control, and they DON'T need to be afraid.
So whichever side you're on, take heed - God is watching, and He is just. He's a God of second chances, it's true, but He's not going to let the wicked get away with their schemes forever. Whether they get justice in the afterlife or here, we can't say, but we know that ultimately, good always wins.
This verse might be a little controversial and almost against my point, but I'm going to use it anyways. Here's the scoop: Sisera was the general of an army that was trying to destroy Israel in the promised land, but thanks to God, the Israelites had routed his army and were pursuing him. He came upon lady Jael's tent, and as the verse shows, she went out to meet him and brought him into her tent.
She told him not to be afraid. He believed her, and entered her tent and hid. Jael ended up killing the dude by driving a tent peg through his head, and that's part of the point.
God's plan for the Israelites was to destroy their enemies. Anyone who's not on the Lord's side shouldn't be taken in by someone claiming that they don't need to be afraid. I'm sorry, but the fact is if you are against God you will not stand. Just like Jael telling Sisera he didn't need to be afraid, anyone against God who thinks they don't need to be afraid is LYING to themselves!
Conversely, anyone who IS on God's side can know that He has the situation under control, and they DON'T need to be afraid.
So whichever side you're on, take heed - God is watching, and He is just. He's a God of second chances, it's true, but He's not going to let the wicked get away with their schemes forever. Whether they get justice in the afterlife or here, we can't say, but we know that ultimately, good always wins.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Day 354: Isaiah 37:6
"Isaiah said to them, Tell your master, 'This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me." ~Isaiah 37:6, NIV
Sennacherib was the leader of the Assyrian army, and they were threatening Israel at her very gates - scoffing that even though the King Hezekiah might proclaim "the Lord of Israel will deliver", no god had ever delivered someone from the Assyrians.
Two things - one, that was because the Assyrians hadn't yet come upon the true God, and two, knowing the truth makes you prepared to take on lies, to filter them out. A lie might be "I'm not good enough", or "they're bigger than my God!" If you live believing those kinds of lies, of course you're going to be afraid!
But like Isaiah said, we don't have to be afraid of lies. Walking in truth isn't easy (for sometimes the truth hurts, or is harder to believe than the lies), but ultimately, if you know it, lies won't scare you.
The Bible is the truth; when in doubt, seek God out and He will always answer you - maybe not in your time or with the answer you want, but He will answer.
Sennacherib was the leader of the Assyrian army, and they were threatening Israel at her very gates - scoffing that even though the King Hezekiah might proclaim "the Lord of Israel will deliver", no god had ever delivered someone from the Assyrians.
Two things - one, that was because the Assyrians hadn't yet come upon the true God, and two, knowing the truth makes you prepared to take on lies, to filter them out. A lie might be "I'm not good enough", or "they're bigger than my God!" If you live believing those kinds of lies, of course you're going to be afraid!
But like Isaiah said, we don't have to be afraid of lies. Walking in truth isn't easy (for sometimes the truth hurts, or is harder to believe than the lies), but ultimately, if you know it, lies won't scare you.
The Bible is the truth; when in doubt, seek God out and He will always answer you - maybe not in your time or with the answer you want, but He will answer.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Day 353: Psalm 73:23
"Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand." ~Psalm 73:23, NIV
So a lot of times we quote God telling us that He'll always be with us. This verse seems a little backwards then, doesn't it? I will always be with Him? He holds my right hand?
This just reflects God's will that we choose Him. Yes, He'll always be available, but it's up to us to accept His love, His goodness, His grace, His promises. When we do that, we're also accepting that there's nothing in this world to fear, and we're taking a certain measure of control over our destinies by putting it in God's hand.
And when we do that, He leads us by the hand down the path of His plan - which is perfect, and in it is perfect love, which casts out all fear. The choice, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective) is yours.
So a lot of times we quote God telling us that He'll always be with us. This verse seems a little backwards then, doesn't it? I will always be with Him? He holds my right hand?
This just reflects God's will that we choose Him. Yes, He'll always be available, but it's up to us to accept His love, His goodness, His grace, His promises. When we do that, we're also accepting that there's nothing in this world to fear, and we're taking a certain measure of control over our destinies by putting it in God's hand.
And when we do that, He leads us by the hand down the path of His plan - which is perfect, and in it is perfect love, which casts out all fear. The choice, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective) is yours.
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