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Psalms 131:1-3 NLT Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord— now and always.
There are things in life that will rattle our faith. We may have abruptly lost our jobs, experienced the death of a loved one, or have gone through a messy divorce.
If these things happen, we don’t need to carry those cares. We don’t need to concern ourselves with the situation or think of things we could’ve done better. Carrying these cares and concerns brings stress and stress affects our health.
What we should do is calm ourselves by trusting in God’s word. He is the solution to every problem. He is our peace, He is our joy, He is our provider, and He is our comforter.
Whatever we’re lacking during troubled times, find what we need in God’s word, and meditate on these scriptures. As we meditate, supernatural peace and provision will manifest in our lives.
Focusing on the problem brings stress, but focusing on and trusting the truth in God’s word brings life and peace.
Psalms 130:4 NLT But you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you.
In the old covenant, God offered forgiveness. For the new covenant believer, through Jesus, God offers forgiveness. As easily as He offered forgiveness is as easily we should receive it.
We don’t have to put ourselves in timeout for a week to think about what we’ve done. We don’t have to experience guilt or beat ourselves up about the sin we’ve committed. Like taking a receipt at a grocery store, we can accept the payment for sin, take forgiveness, and move on. It’s as simple as that.
No one needs to question us about being truly sorry for what we’ve done. We can accept God’s forgiveness, thank Him, and know we’ve been forgiven.
Praise God for the forgiveness we have through Jesus Christ.
Psalms 129:2 NLT From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me, but they have never defeated me.
Attacks against health, our character, our finances, and our families may come, but as we believe in God’s word, they will not defeat us.
As long as we trust in what God says about us, we won’t be defeated. However, if we only look at our circumstances and situations naturally, we may suffer some defeats. If we see low finances in our account and conclude we’re broke, we’ll be defeated in our finances. If we see problems in our marriage and conclude, this may not work, our marriage may suffer a defeat.
Hold on to what God said about your life and you won’t be defeated. Attacks will come, but our counterattack is maintaining our belief in the word of God.
Psalms 128:1-4 NLT How joyful are those who fear the Lord— all who follow his ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be! Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home. Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table. That is the Lord’s blessing for those who fear him.
Some believers have a big problem with prosperity. I don’t know why. Prosperity is mentioned all throughout the bible. Even though it’s in the bible, if someone mentions prosperity in a sermon, some deem it as “the prosperity gospel.”
First of all, there’s no such thing as the prosperity gospel. There’s only the gospel of Jesus Christ also known as the gospel of grace (1 Cor. 15:1-10). The gospel of Jesus Christ is about the forgiveness of sins for all who will believe in Him (Col. 1:14; Rom. 10:9). Once we believe, there are benefits when joining the family of God. The benefits of our belief are health, authority, and prosperity in all areas of our lives (1 Pet. 2:24; Luke 10:19; 3 John 1:2). Prosperity is a byproduct of our belief.
Looking at the scripture above, as we trust in God by putting our belief in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins, we’re promised enjoyment, prosperity, and a blessed family. God never intended for us to be saved and sick. God never intended for us to be saved and broke. God never intended for us to be saved and having marriage problems. That is NOT God’s will for His people.
It’s interesting how people negatively came up with the term “prosperity gospel” when referring to being blessed financially, but no one has negatively come up with the term “health gospel” or “family gospel” when referring to being blessed in our health and in our families. Being prosperous financially is part of the same belief benefit package as being healed.
So, if you have a problem with prosperity, you have a problem with God’s promise to the believer.
#be #prosperous #salvation #health #joy #peace #wealth
Psalms 127:2 NLT It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to His loved ones.
The term grinding has become popular nowadays. It essentially means people working long hours, usually at multiple jobs, with little to no sleep, attempting to be financially successful. People say they’re grinding like it’s a badge of honor, but as we can see from scripture, the concept of grinding is useless and unwise.
Working is not a problem. In fact, God commands us to work (Gen. 2:15; 2 Thess. 3:10). The problem comes when we push God to the side and attempt to be our own provider. Where is our dependence on God if we’re working long hours to exchange time for money?
God desires rest for His people. Science has proven that there’s a number of health issues that come up due to a lack of sleep. What good is it to make $200,000 a year, but we’re not healthy enough to enjoy it?
Also, how is working long hours beneficial to our family? Yea, that person is living in that big house, driving that nice car, but they don’t know what their daughter is going through at school.
There should be balance in our lives that’s inspired by the Holy Spirit. If He tells us to pick up an extra shift or work an extra job, that’s fine. But if He doesn’t, trust that God will provide.
Rest in Him and rest in the natural. Stop trying to chase money and receive all that God has for you by faith.
Psalms 126:5-6 NLT Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.
Giving anything is difficult for our flesh. It’s because our flesh sees giving as a loss. This negative mindset on giving is natural. We’ll see this in a one year old shouting “mine!” They were never taught to be stingy, but they have to be taught to share. And if they’re made to share, they often cry.
Just because it feels natural doesn’t make it right. Our mindset on giving has to be renewed with the word of God (Rom. 12:2). If we want to experience God’s best, we can’t see giving as a loss. We must see it as a seed with a guaranteed harvest.
It may be extremely difficult to give, especially when we have needs of our own. But if we’re prompted by the Holy Spirit to give, just know He’s not trying to take anything from us, but He’s trying to get more to us.
Initially, it may be difficult to give our time, talents, or treasure, but the harvest on our seed makes giving well worth it.
Psalms 125:1 NLT Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever.
As we trust in the Lord, we obtain security in every area of our lives.
We’ll be secure within ourselves. Insecurities will fade because we’ll trust what God said about us and we’ll know who we are in Christ. We’ll be secure in our finances. Our trust in God’s principles of giving causes us to be sufficient in all things and have plenty left to share with others (2 Cor. 9:1-8). Our trust in God causes us to be secure in our marriages. When we trust God’s instructions on how to be a husband or a wife and give our cares to Him to perfect, we’ll experience a wonderful marriage (Eph. 5:21-33; 1 Peter 5:7; Psalms 138:8).
The devil will try to knock us down, destroy something of ours, or take something that belongs to us, but becuase of our trust in God, he won’t be successful.
Establish and maintain complete trust in God. It will take us to great places.
#trust #God #experience #the #good #life
Psalms 124:1-3 NLT What if the Lord had not been on our side? Let all Israel repeat: What if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us? They would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger.
“What if” scenarios can be beneficial for the believer. It makes us appreciate God and the sacrifice of Jesus even more.
-What if God wouldn’t have saved us from that toxic relationship? We probably would have been arrested for domestic violence.
-What if God didn’t come through to provide rent money? We would have been on the streets.
-What if God didn’t heal us of that disease? We probably would have been dead.
-What if God didn’t prompt us to go outside while our children were playing? We wouldn’t have been there to tell our children to get out the street and they could have been hit by a car.
-What if we were never awakened by God, through our neighbor’s dog barking in the middle of the night? We wouldn’t have smelled the smoke in the house and we all could have died.
On the other side of some of our biggest blessings were tragic circumstances. Let’s take time to reflect on God’s goodness and mercy and thank Him through “what if” scenarios.
#thankyou #God #for #keeping #me
Psalms 123:2 NLT We keep looking to the Lord our God for His mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.
Negative circumstances will come. When those circumstances come, the best thing we can do is look to the Lord.
The good news for us is, under the new covenant, every negative circumstance has already been handled through Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter if it’s a hangnail, a loss of a job, or stage 4 cancer. It’s all been handled by Jesus. Jesus has done it all.
As we look to Jesus and His finished works, we can expect a change in our situation. We may not know how or when, but as long as we keep our eyes on Him, change will take place.
Hebrews 12:2-3 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.
#change #is #coming #hope #in #Jesus #Christ
Psalms 122:6 NLT Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper.
God doesn’t show favoritism (Rom. 2:11). What He does for one, He’ll do for another. So, if they prayed for peace in Jerusalem, we can pray for peace in our city. We can pray for peace in Houston, Chicago, Washington DC, etc. Wherever we are, we can pray for peace in that city.
Verses seven through nine gives us a prayer template. All we have to do is add our cities and update the government structure.
Example:
Psalms 122:7-9 O (YOUR CITY), may there be peace within your (BORDERS) and prosperity in your (CITY HALL/GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS). For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “May you have peace.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek what is best for you, O (YOUR CITY).
*For us, Jesus will do whatever we ask in His name (John 14:13). So, begin or end every prayer in the name of Jesus.
Since we have to live in the city, we might as well use our God-given authority to create its setting.
#pray #for #your #city #nation #home
Psalms 121:7 NLT The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.
Through His word, God lets us know that He keeps us from all harm and He watches over our lives. Either we’re going to believe this or not.
Doubt to believe this promise usually comes when we consider our experiences or the experiences of others. If we consider the car accident we were in or being physically assaulted, we may doubt God’s ability to keep us from all harm. We may think we’re responsible for our own safety. That’s not true.
We can live a life where we’re kept by God from all harm. The first thing we must do is to truly believe God’s Word about this promise. Doubt contaminates our faith (James 1:6-7).
Secondly, we must forget the past and focus on the truth in God’s Word. If He said He’ll keep us from all harm, we should magnify this truth over everything else.
Finally, we should know how to hear from and be led by the Holy Spirit. Learning to hear from the Holy Spirit comes from spending time with God. The Holy Spirit will always agree with God’s word. The Holy Spirit wants to keep us from harm by telling us to go this way or do things that way, but if we get in the way of the Holy Spirit’s instructions by doing what we think or feel is right, God is not obligated to keep His word.
Let’s set ourselves up to be kept from all harm by believing in God’s words despite our experiences, putting our past behind us, and being led by the Holy Spirit.
#trust #believe #God #follow #HolySpirit
Psalms 120:1 NLT I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to Him, and He answered my prayer.
Marriage trouble, car trouble, financial trouble, health trouble, or children trouble. Any kind of trouble we have, we can take it to the Lord. He doesn’t want us handling any trouble ourselves. He wants us to bring it to Him. Even if we caused the trouble, He still wants us to bring it to Him.
When we bring any and all trouble to Him, we’re humbling ourselves. We’re letting Him know that we can’t do it without Him.
Once we give our troubles to Him, we don’t need to check on His progress. We should give it to Him, trusting that He’ll handle the situation for our good and for His glory.
As always, He’ll find a great solution to our troubles. God’s solutions are so good until they make it seem like the trouble was a setup up for His solution.
Give every trouble to God and let Him work it out.
#cast #your #cares #on #the #Lord #give #God #your #troubles
Psalms 119:165 NLT Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.
Mostly everything we purchase comes with instructions. When we buy clothes, there are instructions on how to clean the clothes. When we buy a phone, there are instructions on how to operate the phone. The instructions are given to ensure that things look and function properly.
God’s Word is instructions for life. When we follow the instructions in God’s Word, we’ll experience a smooth and peaceful pathway to success.
Problems will come in general because we live in a fallen world (John 16:33). But even more problems come when we deviate from God’s instructions. If we choose not to forgive, we may have more emotional trauma (Matt.18:21-22). If we choose to chase money, we may find ourselves doing something deceptive to get it (1 Tim. 6:10). If we choose not to discipline our children, we’ll have to deal with spoiled children with behavioral and character issues (Prov. 22:15).
We’re not smarter than God. Our way is not better than His way. We’ll save ourselves a lot of headaches if we would just trust that His way is best and follow His instructions.
We tend to follow the instructions for everything else. Let’s consistently follow the instructions given by God.
#follow #Jesus #listen #to #Word #of #God
Psalms 118:10-12 NLT Though hostile nations surrounded me, I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord. Yes, they surrounded and attacked me, but I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord. They swarmed around me like bees; they blazed against me like a crackling fire. But I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.
God has given us authority over any and every thing. There’s nothing that can defeat the children of God. No hostile person, no attacks, no illness, and no other issues can triumph over us. But we must know how to operate in our authority.
In Luke 10:19, Jesus says “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
Our authority comes from our belief in the truth of God’s word, our understanding of the power of our words, and our use in the name of Jesus.
1. We must believe that what God said in His word is 100% true regardless of our experiences. It could be our second week in the hospital, but we must believe that we’re healed according to 1 Peter 2:24. We could see a negative balance in our bank account, but we must believe God will generously provide all we need. Then we will always have everything we need and plenty left over to share with others according to 2 Corinthians 9:8.
2. We must believe in the power of our speech. Jesus says in Mark 11:23, we will have what we say. So, if we believe God’s word and say what it says, instead of what we’re experiencing, we will have what God desires in our lives.
3. Nothing works for us without the name of Jesus. Mark 16:17-18 Jesus says, these miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” He also said in John 14:12-14, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
When we combine these three things, in any situation, we will dominate whatever life throws at our way.
#wininlife #walk #in #God #given #authority #the #name #of #Jesus
Psalms 117:2 NLT For His unfailing love for us is powerful; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord!
Accompanied with faith, the most powerful defense and weapon we have against the enemy is the revelation of God’s love for us.
Regardless of what’s happening around us, if we truly believe God loves us, we won’t believe the lies of the enemy or be moved by our circumstances.
If sickness attacks our bodies, with a revelation of God’s love for us, we can say, “God loves me, which is why He’s made healing available through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:24). If our children are being disrespectful and disobedient, instead of fighting with them, we can say, “God loves me which is why He promised deliverance for my children” (Prov. 11:21). If we’re short on money, our knowledge of God supplying our needs based on His love for us will bring us comfort (Phil. 4:19).
Understand, receive, and accept God’s love for you to overcome every attack in life.
#GOD #LOVES #US #Godlovesyou
Psalms 116:7 NIV Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
We are spirits. We possess a soul and we live in a body. The spirit and soul are not the same. Our soul primarily consists of our mind and emotions.
When negative circumstances come, our soul (our mind and emotions) can become disturbed. Our soul may panic when we think about the economy or when we hear a negative report from the doctor. Our soul may become unsettled when we hear reports about school shootings and we think about our children.
When our soul is not at rest, we must first recognize that our attention is focused on the wrong things. We’re focused on our finances, our health, and the safety of our children, but if our attention was focused on God and His word, we’ll be kept in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3).
Secondly, we must reel our thoughts and emotions in by magnifying the truth in God’s word over what we see and hear in the world. By consistently meditating on God’s word, His word will become more real to us than what we see or hear in the world.
Finally, it’s important to think about the goodness of God. When we think about His goodness, we’ll recognize how He easily handled the things that worried us in the past. If He’s done it before, He’ll do it again.
When things become unsettling, instruct your soul to be at rest. Keep it at rest by focusing on God’s word and His goodness.
#focus #on #God #Word #Bible #brings #peace #rest
Psalms 115:16 NLT The heavens belong to the Lord, but He has given the earth to all humanity.
The earth was given by God to mankind. God is the owner, but He’s made us responsible for managing this planet (Ps. 24:1). So, whatever we allow on this earth, will be allowed and whatever we don’t allow on this earth, won’t be allowed (Matt. 16:19).
This means God’s not running the earth. We are. We further see mankind’s dominion over the earth in Genesis 1:26 where it says, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
To properly manage earth and to see God’s will be done, we need His help. As we can see in society, without God’s help, we’ve made a mess of this earth. There are wars, adultery, and what’s right is wrong and what’s wrong is right. We may not be able to stop every bad thing from happening, but we can make our world around us better. We can make this earth better by using the believer’s authority that Jesus died to provide (Luke 10:19; Matt. 16:19).
Let’s read and obey God’s word, pray, and be led by the Holy Spirit. That way, we can make this world a better place.
#authority #in #Christ #maketheworldbetter
Psalms 114:8 NLT He turned the rock into a pool of water; yes, a spring of water flowed from solid rock.
A rock is hard and dry while water is flowing, refreshing, and life-giving. The same way God can turn a solid rock into a pool of water is the same way He can turn any hard dry situation in our lives into a refreshing flow of abundance.
He can turn our dead dry spirit into a river flowing with life. He can turn our empty dry bank account into flowing finances. He can turn the stubborn hardheaded sickness into divine health.
There’s only one way transformations can happen. That’s by faith. We must believe and act on our belief that God’s word can change any situation. We must have faith to believe that through Christ, our spirits can turn from death to life. We must have faith to realize God can increase our finances. We must have faith to know that by the stripes of Jesus we are healed.
We must remove all doubt and unbelief that these things can’t happen. How do we do that? We continuously study God’s word until we’re convinced that no situation is impossible for God.
God’s power, in His word, can turn any situation around. Believe it.
#manifest #possibilities #through #Christ #havefaith #justbelieve #God #is #good
Psalms 113:7-8 NLT He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of His own people!
God is the lifter. He lifts us from anywhere. If we’re broke, He’ll increase our finances. If we’re sad, He’ll lift our spirits to make us happy again. If we’re ignorant in certain areas, He’ll increase our intelligence, knowledge, and wisdom in those areas.
This lift won’t happen automatically. We must cooperate with Him to be lifted. This means reading financial literacy books when He tells us to. This means keeping our minds on positive and lovely things to keep ourselves from depressing thoughts (Phil. 4:8). This means possibly fasting to gain clarity to hear His voice so we’ll know what to do.
Once we’re lifted, like Joseph, He’ll put us before great people. We’ll be lifted to execute God’s will in the earth, share God’s love, wisdom, and grace with others, and better the world around us.
#lifted #through #God #clarity #purpose #favor #abundance #inChrist
Psalms 112:7 NLT They (the righteous) do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.
From hearing about layoffs to getting diagnosed with a negative doctor’s report, we may experience bad news. It’s how we respond to the news that determines how much trust we have in God.
If we freak out, worry, can’t sleep, or panic, we trust in God very little or not at all. We can say we trust Him, but our actions speak louder than our words. But if we’re not moved by what we hear because we trust that God will take care of us, we’re in good shape.
We want to be in a position where we hear a negative doctor’s report and don’t flinch because we’re convinced that we’re healed through Jesus (1 Pet. 2:24). We want to still be emotionally okay when we hear they’re downsizing at the company because ultimately we know God is our provider (2 Cor. 9:8). Contrary to what society currently says, it’s NOT okay to be not okay.
Fear, worry, and panic will knock on our door, but we don’t have to let it in. Our trust in God keeps us secure and at peace.
Don’t fret over bad news. Trust in God.
#trust #God #remain #in #peace
Psalms 111:1 NLT Praise the Lord! I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with His godly people.
Even before the birth of the church, meeting with other godly people was encouraged.
Today, people have so many reasons why they don’t or won’t attend church. They’ll talk about the effort it takes to get there, not liking the preaching styles of ministers, the “manipulation” they experience from pastors to get their money, or the fact that they can watch online.
There are some benefits in being part of a body of believers.
1. Weekly, we can support or be supported by other believers (Prov. 27:17).
2. We can come together corporately and worship the Father.
3. Our faith can be strengthened by what we hear (Rom. 10:17).
4. We can show our appreciation for all that God has done by serving others in His Kingdom.
We don’t have to attend a traditional church as we know it. We can join a small group of believers at a coffee shop weekly and worship God, discuss His goodness, and explain what He’s revealed to us through His word.
It’s selfish to think that because you’re not getting something out of being around other believers, you would rather not go. We have testimonies, an encouraging word, and prayers that could benefit someone else. If being around other believers doesn’t encourage you, at least show the love of God by being an encouragement to someone else.
#be #a #blessing #stay #encouraged #fellowship #serve #give #lovepeople
Psalms 110:3 NLT When you go to war, your people will serve you willingly. You are arrayed in holy garments, and your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew.
With everything we have going on in our lives, fatigue will come. When we wake up each morning, no matter how much sleep we’ve gotten the night before, we have a promise from God of renewed strength.
We’ll have strength for work, strength to handle our responsibilities around the house, and strength to manage, as well as, socially interact with our children. We’ll even have the strength to work out. The bible says we have strength through Christ (Phil. 4:13). We also have strength through the Holy Spirit who gives life to our bodies (Rom. 8:11).
This strength is obtained by faith. In the natural, we may be exhausted, but our strength can be supernaturally renewed by faith. Faith is activated with our words (Mark 11:23). So, in times of fatigue, we read scriptures about strength and confess we have all the strength we need.
We can also forfeit this promise of renewed strength with our words. If we complain and say we’re too tired for this or that, our bodies will agree with our decree.
We can tap into the strength that’s been made available through Christ to accomplish any goal. There’s a time to rest, but if the Holy Spirit prompts us to do something, no matter how we feel, we can obtain the strength to complete the task.
#rest #renewed #strength
Through the influences of Satan, there will be people who just don’t like us. We may not have done anything to them, but they just won’t like us. It could be jealousy, insecurities, fear, or the fact that we’re believers. This dislike for us may cause them to be easily influenced by Satan to do other things. They may lie on us, spread rumors about us, damage our property, or pick a fight with us.
As much as our flesh will hate it, we must let God handle our enemies. It’s not our responsibility to stop the lie, stop the rumors, or confront the person. We’re to pray for the demonic stronghold to be removed from our enemies and let God fight our battles (Matt. 5:44; Exo. 14:14).
A way in which God fights for us is He’ll let our enemies live long enough to see Him bless us (Psalm 23:5). They may attempt to do something evil, but it will work out for our good (Gen. 50:20; Isa. 54:17). If we keep our focus on God, our enemies will ultimately realize there’s nothing they can do to stop our joy or the blessing of God on our lives.
Regardless of what someone does to us, we must keep our emotions in control, keep our focus on Him, and trust that He’ll handle everyone who comes against us.
Psalms 109:27-28 NLT Let them see that this is your doing, that you yourself have done it, Lord. Then let them curse me if they like, but you will bless me! When they attack me, they will be disgraced! But I, your servant, will go right on rejoicing!
#theblessing #is #on #us #blessed #rejoice
Psalms 108:1 NLT My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!
One main goal in our relationship with God is having confidence in God. Another word for biblical confidence is faith in God.
When we have confidence in God, we cannot be shaken by the issues of life. If we experience sickness in our bodies, our confidence in God helps us realize this sickness won’t end in death. After all, God said we’re healed (1 Pet. 2:24). If we have financial shortages, our confidence in God helps us understand that this is only temporary because God said He’ll increase us more and more (Psalms 115:14). Whatever negative situation knocks at our door, we’re not moved by it because our confidence in God helps us understand that God has already handled it.
Our confidence in God prevents stress, worry, anxiety, and fear. If we’re feeling any of those things, it’s because our confidence is not completely in God. To obtain and maintain our confidence in God, get in His word and see all the things God has handled. Secondly, trust that He’s handled them correctly. Finally, magnify what He’s handled in His word over what we see.
Don’t throw away your confidence—it brings a great reward (Heb. 10:35).
#remain #confident #inChrist #hope #in #God
Psalms 107:32 NLT Let them exalt Him publicly before the congregation and before the leaders of the nation.
After all that God has done for us, we shouldn’t have a problem praising God. When good things happen to us, publicly or privately, right then, we should be comfortable enough to praise our awesome God.
The real test is if we’re bold enough to praise God in front of leadership or highly respected people. Will we praise God in front of our boss after they just told us we’re getting a promotion? Will we praise God in front of our highly educated atheist professor after getting an “A” on an assignment?
Our praise doesn’t need to cause a scene, but we shouldn’t be ashamed either. A quick, but sincere “Thank you Lord” in their presence is all that’s needed.
Be sure to bless the Lord at all times and let His praise be continually in our mouths (Psalms 34:1).
#praise #God #publicly
Psalms 106:20 NLT They traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass-eating bull.
It’s crazy to think that the Israelites saw all the miracles the Lord did and still created an idol for themselves. They saw God rain fire from heaven, send locusts, and part the Red Sea, but when they became impatient and fearful, they quickly decided to make themselves a golden god.
It’s crazy, but some of us do similar things. We’ve seen how God healed our bodies and kept us from a wreck, but we become impatient with God’s timing for provision so, we go against God’s will for a glorified piece of paper (money). Or, we become fearful that we’ll end up alone so we compromise our morals for a virtual like. Some of us jeopardize our freedom for respect or to impress others.
Money, a relationship, likes, or respect shouldn’t be our god. That’s a bad trade. God should be our God. When we do things His way, we’ll have the money, relationships, and the necessary approval of some (Matt. 6:33). The point is, never trade God for anything.
#make #Jesus #Lord #God #first
Psalms 105:43 NLT So He brought His people out of Egypt with joy, His chosen ones with rejoicing.
God brought the Israelites out from under the harsh rule of the Egyptians with joy. When we get born-again, we typically come out of Satan’s grip with joy. There’s joy in heaven when one sinner repents (Luke 15:7).
Somewhere down the line, after we get born-again, some believers lose their joy. Some become mean, judgmental, and overly critical of people. We get extra serious about everything. People remove joyful things that aren’t necessarily wrong from their lives. They feel like the less joy they have, the holier they become.
Nowhere in scripture do we see God taking away our joy. From the beginning, God told mankind to freely eat, which is a form of joy (Gen. 2:16). Jesus died so that we can be full of joy (John 15:11). One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy (Gal. 5:22).
As believers, we need to learn how to properly have fun and enjoy the abundant life we have in Christ. We can smile, laugh, and be entertained by some earthly things like sports, certain television programs, and disciplined shopping. Stop making everything a sin. It’s only a sin if God told us not to do it through His word or specifically to us through His Spirit.
Believers, let’s have and maintain our joy!
#bejoyful #laugh #enjoy #Godlyfun
Psalms 104:31 NLT May the glory of the Lord continue forever! The Lord takes pleasure in all He has made!
The Lord takes pleasure in or is pleased with all He has made. God’s greatest masterpiece is us (Psalms 8). Since He is pleased with how He made us, we should be pleased with what He’s made.
Love, accept, and be pleased with the nose and lips you have, whether they’re big or small. Love, accept, and be pleased with the hair texture you have. However God made you, love, accept, and be pleased with that. Never compare yourself to anyone else because it’s unwise (2 Cor. 10:12).
Love, accept, and be pleased with yourself and never reject the beautiful thing God created, which is you.
#fearfully #wonderfully #made #beautifully #designed #intentionally #crafted
Psalms 103:3 NLT He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.
Through the blood of Jesus, all our sins have been forgiven (Colossians 2:13-14). Since all our sins have been forgiven, how many sins do we have left? None. No sin has been left in our lives. Every lie we’ve told, every bad attitude we’ve had, and every intentional sin we will commit has already been forgiven. Since we’ve been forgiven from all sins, there’s nothing left for God to punish.
Does that mean we abuse His grace and mercy by doing whatever we feel just because all our sins have been forgiven? Of course not. Sin still has natural consequences. If we punch someone out of anger, we’ll still go to jail for assault. But spiritually, there’s nothing left for God to punish.
Praise God every sin has been forgiven.
Let’s not forget about sicknesses and diseases. Like sin, through the blood of Jesus, every disease has been healed (1 Peter 2:24). We are healed from all diseases. Even the diseases that science says are incurable, the blood of Jesus has healed us from those too.
Magnify what God says in His word about sins and disease over our behavior and what we experience. Praise God that every sin and sickness has been handled.
#healed #redeemed #forgiven #restored #madenew
Psalms 102:27-28 NLT But you are always the same; you will live forever. The children of your people will live in security. Their children’s children will thrive in your presence.”
God is and forever will be the same. People may change and situations may change, but God remains the same.
If He loved you before you sin, He’ll love you after you’ve sinned. If He promised you something in His word before you miss the mark, His promise is still available after you’ve missed the mark. Since He promises us safety, security, health, and wealth, it doesn’t matter if World War 3 happens tomorrow, He’ll still deliver on that promise if we believe.
The only thing that changes is us. Our unbelief won’t chage His mind about us, but it will distort how we think He feels about us. If we don’t believe He can still love or bless us after what we’ve done, that limits God. It’s not true, but because we believe it, that limits what God can do in our lives (Matt. 13:58).
Nothing we do and no situation that takes place will change God’s mind about us or stop His promises coming to pass.
#trust #God #keeps #His #promises #justbelieve
Psalms 101:4 NLT I will reject perverse ideas and stay away from every evil.
“The only weapon Satan has is thoughts, ideas, and suggestions.” -Fredrick K.C. Price
When thoughts, ideas and suggestions that are contrary to God’s word enter our minds, we must reject them. We can’t entertain or dwell on those ideas. We must immediately reject them. If we don’t, we could end up acting on those ideas.
That’s why it’s so important to know God’s word, that way, we know what to reject.
We can’t control what enters our minds, but we can control what stays there. Reject anything contrary to God’s word or God’s way and replace it with things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise (Phil. 4:8).
#think #about #good #things #pure #excellent #worthy #of #praise
Psalms 100:4 NLT Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
When we come to God, a lot of times, we come to Him with our list of what we want Him to bless and what we desire. Prior to asking for anything, we must remember to thank Him for what He’s already given.
In just one day, we can thank Him for an hour for the things He’s done. We can thank Him for Jesus and His sacrifice. We can thank Him for His love and His word. We can thank Him for life, health, and strength. Thank Him for protection. Thank Him for food, clothes, and shelter. Thank Him for movement in our bodies. Nothing is too small.
Everyone likes to hear “thank you,” including God. Throughout the day, thank God for what He’s done. If you need help identifying the good things God has done or if you need to be reminded about the things God has done, ask the Holy Spirit and He’ll help you with your gratitude.
#remember #to #say #thankyou #God #is #good
Psalms 99:5 NLT Exalt the Lord our God! Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!
Bowing to God is an act of worship, but it’s also a gesture of humility. It’s saying that we’re not in charge of our lives and we’re putting Him above ourselves. We’re putting Him and His ways above our ego, our plans, and our ideas of what’s right and wrong.
There may be some who choose to bow to His ways when it’s convenient or when they feel like it, but we should put everything under Him.
Once we humble ourselves and bow before Him, we’ll realize that His way of doing things benefits us. It will never feel good to our flesh, but His ways will improve every area of our lives.
So, when you’re spending time with God, literally bow before Him because He’s a holy God who deserves our worship, but also bow before Him spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.
#honor #exalt #worship #God
Psalms 98:9 NLT before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with fairness.
This scripture may scare some people. They see where God is coming to judge the world, which makes them think at anytime, God can come back and judge them for their sins. And if they have too many, they’ll go to hell.
This is flawed thinking, and if this is being taught, this is flawed doctrine. This may have been true in the old covenant, but in the new covenant all our sins have been forgiven (Heb. 10:12). Jesus took every last sin known to mankind and put it on Himself. He was severely punished for that sin, so that we wouldn’t have to be (Rom. 5:9). Our belief that Jesus sacrificed Himself to save our lives makes us forgiven, holy, and righteous (Rom. 5:1). Even if we sin after accepting Christ, that sin has been paid for too (Col. 2:13-14).
God still will come back and judge the world, but that shouldn’t scare us. If we’ve made Jesus Christ Lord and Savior, when He does judge the world, He’ll see us as righteous and we’ll be with Him forever.
Those who haven’t made Jesus Christ Lord will be judged for their sin of unbelief and will experience eternal death (John 3:18). Encourage people to accept Jesus as Lord so that they’ll be accepted by our Father.
#made #righteous #through #Christ #Jesus #saves
Psalms 97:7 NLT Those who worship idols are disgraced— all who brag about their worthless gods— for every god must bow to Him.
Idols are anything we put or magnify over God. We obviously shouldn’t worship statues of various “gods”, but some are unknowingly worshipping mammon (money).
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having money. As believers, we should have lots of money in order to expand the Kingdom of God, be a blessing to others, and enjoy life (Prov 10:22; 2 Cor 8:9).
Money becomes an idol when we’re willing to go outside of God’s will to get it. If we’re willing to lie, cheat, steal, sell our bodies, or destroy the lives of others to have it, that’s when money has us. Money is also an idol if we’re not willing to obey God with it. If God is telling you to give that family $300, but you refuse for whatever reason, that’s when money is placed above God.
God is the one who gives us the ability to get wealth (Deut. 8:18). Don’t magnify that wealth above God. Don’t make money an idol. It’s just a tool that we use to buy and sell.
#God #first
Psalms 96:2 NLT Sing to the Lord; praise His name. Each day proclaim the good news that He saves.
Before the Lord’s name was known, people were to proclaim that He saves. In context, they were referring to Jehovah (God).
Today, under the new covenant, we know the good news. The good news is there’s only one name (JESUS) under heaven that can save (Acts 4:11-12). And, our belief in His sacrifice for our sins makes us right with God (Romans 3:22).
If people under the old covenant were instructed to proclaim that He saves, how much more should we under the new covenant proclaim that Jesus saves?
Each day, in some way, we should proclaim that Jesus saves. We can talk to people about the love of God at the gas station. We can post about the salvation of the Lord on social media. We can wear a t-shirt, create Christian content, or just talk to coworkers about Jesus.
In some way, we should let the world know that Jesus saves. He not only saves us from our sins but from self-destructing habits, financial ruin, or past hurts.
Let the world know that Jesus saves.
#Jesus #saves
Psalms 95:7 NLT for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today!
God watches over us all. We are under His care, and everywhere we go and whatever we do, He ensures that we’re kept safe.
We don’t have to worry about this or that because we can count on God.
Look at the last sentence of this verse. If only we would listen to His voice. If we choose to go down our own path and do our own thing, we will have consequences. It’s not God pouring out His wrath on us. It’s our choices that put us in a problematic predicament.
If we want to minimize the headaches in life, trust that God always has and always will take care of us. Obey His voice to avoid adding additional problems in life.
#God #takes #care #of #us
Psalms 94:14 NLT The Lord will not reject his people; he will not abandon his special possession.
Sometimes, people have a difficult time trusting God because of rejection. They may have been rejected by their parents or someone really close to them and feel like God may do that to them. The death of a loved one can even be a form of rejection. God will never ever reject you.
It doesn’t help that some believers spread the lie that God will reject us if we sin or don’t do enough righteous works. No matter what we do or how far we’ve strayed, God will NEVER reject any of us.
When we repent and turn to God, He will accept us with opened arms. We can see this in the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32).
Once we believe that God won’t reject us, we can develop a more intimate relationship with Him. We can boldly come to Him, despite what we’ve done, and request our needs, desires, and ask for His help.
People may have rejected us, but God won’t. Allow Him the opportunity to replace the people who rejected you.
#God #loves #us
Psalms 93:3-4 NLT The floods have risen up, O Lord. The floods have roared like thunder; the floods have lifted their pounding waves. But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore— the Lord above is mightier than these!
God is mightier than anything we could ever face. God is mightier than cancer, mightier than financial shortages, mightier than diabetes, mightier than childhood trauma, and mightier than identity confusion. Whatever we face, God is mightier than that.
In order for us to conquer these difficulties, we must truly believe that God is mightier than anything that comes across our path. If we doubt that God can handle something, that thing will damage or destroy our lives. If we feel like we can handle something better than God, we’ve made ourselves mightier than God, which never works.
Trust and believe that God is mightier than anything. Let Him handle everything. That way, we can benefit and testify of His might.
#trust #God #is #greater #than #anything
Psalms 92:8 NLT But you, O Lord, will be exalted forever.
The scripture says the Lord will be exalted forever. Whether everyone honors Him or not, God will be exalted because He’s God. However, it’s our choice if we personally exalt Him in our own lives.
To exalt means to hold or think of something in very high regard. To personally exalt the Lord means we put Him above everything else in our lives. This includes work, our children, our spouses, entertainment, and social media. If we put anything above God, we have exalted that thing above God.
This can be difficult when we experience problems. Our human nature has the tendency to magnify our current problem(s) above everything else. If our minds are consumed with whatever we’re facing and not on God, we’ve exalted the problem above God. We can reverse that by worshipping God, reading His word, listening to sermons, and praying. With each thing we consistently do, we’re putting and keeping God first.
Exalt the Lord and keep Him exalted to experience a wonderful victorious life.
#exalt #God #above #all
Graced To Do God's Will 