Psalm 51

"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." Psalm 51:1-2

This is the Psalm I turn to, when I am feeling the crush of heartache. When I have sinned and am feeling alone, isolated from God. That is where David was, when he penned it; crushed, isolated.

"For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight - that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me." Psalm 51:3-5

As many times as I have read this Psalm; as many times as I have turned to it for guidance and comfort; as many times as I have meditated on it and made it my prayer;  I have never noticed the following verse. This morning it jumped off the page at me!

"Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom." Psalm 51:6

It has been my desire for sometime now, to get as close to God as I can! Reading this Psalm puts me right on the road to repentance!


"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and up hold me by Your generous Spirit." Psalm 52:7-12

When you pray this prayer to God, don't expect Him to just pat you on the head and say, "okay, that's nice, lets move on!" No! God is a God of action and will take you at your word! If you truly desire to draw closer to Him; if you truly desire to walk in His ways; if you truly desire to be used by Him; it going to get uncomfortable!

He's calling for a Church that is spotless; Holy as He is Holy! Yes, and it is the Blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all unrighteousness. But that blood must be applied! You can be saved, and sanctified and still be holding onto baggage from your past that He wants you to be free of; unforgiveness is the biggest bag most carry;  whether it be against someone else or yourself.

When you pray, "Create in me a clean heart", expect Him to do just that. He will put the desire for you to have a clean heart, in you and won't let you rest until you do!!! You will want Him to shine His light into the closets of your heart where you have hidden all of your hurts and then He will require you to take them out, dust them off, and deal with them, once and for all.  In the past you would only take them out to stroke them; to justify the pain and injustice, and then put them back in the dark recesses to save for another pity party! Oh, and we are not just talking recent adult injuries; we go way back. These hurts are the ones from childhood that have shaped us into the adult we've become. Hurts that we have built walls around; made shrines to; used as the excuse for every terrible thing that has occurred in our life!

"Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom."

Okay, God! I'm ready, let's get this show on the road. I know it's gonna hurt, but I know You have a balm! I know you want to, and will heal these injuries to my inner man and that I will be stronger and more useful to You when we are finished!  I'm willing!  In other words, Your will, not mine!

Even so - MARANATHA!

Psalm 40:16

"Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love Your salvation say continually, 'The LORD be magnified!' But I am poor and needy; Yet the LORD thinks upon me, You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!" Psalm 40:16-17

While reading this Psalm this morning, the following verse caught my eye. It says: "But I am poor and needy; yet the LORD thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God."  "Yet the LORD thinks upon me"! I had never considered "He" thinks upon me. I am told in the scripture to "think on these things"; meaning to ponder His words, but Him thinking on me! Wow!

Well, I decided to look in the Amplified Bible to see what it said regarding this verse and was even more wow'd  when I read:  "Let all those that seek and require You rejoice and be glad in You . . ."

For my physical existence, I require air, water, food to sustain me. My spiritual existence is another matter. When I began seeking the LORD I was totally unprepared how much I would need HIM! I knew I needed Him, but the more I sought HIM, the more I NEEDED HIM. I need Him more than the air I breath! More than the water that hydrates my body! More than the food that nourishes me. The life that HE has brought me is more fulfilling than anything this earth offers. How did I exist before Him? That's it! I did just "exist"; I did not live! I didn't know what life was - until He breathed "life" into me. I now "REQUIRE" HIM! He IS  the AIR that I breath; the LIGHT in my world; the "Living Water" and I thirst no more! And He thinks upon me!!!!

Again the Amplified shed more light on The Word! In verse 17 it says: "Oh my God, do not tarry!" My prayer everyday!  We are told not to plan for tomorrow, and as I know He is coming back soon; some time ago, I began prefacing every thing I scheduled with, "IF THE LORD tarries"!

Today's prayer!

THE LORD BE MAGNIFIED!
Oh LORD, thank You for thinking on me! You knew I require You, even when I didn't know it! Thank you LORD for allowing me to find You and I will seek You and think on You continually; even if You tarry!

Even so - MARANATHA!

Psalm 19:12

"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise." Proverbs 12:15
"In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death." Proverbs 12:28
"'Come now, and let us reason together,' says the LORD, 'though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat of the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword', for the mouth of the LORD has spoken." Isaiah 1:18-20

How do you think you are doing with your walk with the LORD?

• Are you going to Church every week (or so)?  
• Do you pick up your Bible when the spirit moves you? 
• Carry your Bible to church and then leave it in the car all week?
• Are you a good person: holding the door for blind people and old ladies (like in the commercial)? 
• Dropping a $20 in the offering plate, or even buying the Starbucks for the car behind you; "Pay it forward", they say! 

Is that your idea of your relationship with Jesus?

You know then, in your heart of hearts, you are just paying lip service to God. The Bible calls you a fool, and you are; because you may be fooling others (and yourself) but you are not fooling God.

We are called to righteousness and that leads to life!
We are called to repentance and that leads to righteousness!  You can't have one without the other.
Also, repentance is an on going thing. You just don't repent once and think you are finished! That turn around is just the first step in your walk with the LORD!

"But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteounesses are like filthy rags" Isaiah 64:6

No matter how hard we try, without the help of the Holy Spirit, we cannot achieve right standing with God! Everyday we breath, we need to purpose in our hearts to allow God to work in us. We need to repent of the sins we know we have committed and those we have committed without realization.

"Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults." Psalm 19:12

Father, open my eyes to see where I need to repent! Cleanse me from secret faults! You know my thoughts and the things in my life that are not pleasing to You; show me what changes need to be made to walk closer to You! Give me wisdom and understanding, so that I may not be a fool! I want to be wise; the desire of my heart is to be a reflection of You! In Jesus' name I pray! Amen!

I watch and wait for your Son's return!

Even so - MARANATHA!

Psalm 5

"Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD;  in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up." Psalm 5:1-3
"But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; in fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before my face." Psalm 5:7-8

In the morning, all of creation sings praises to You, God!

I sit here and listen to the cows and the birds, each with their voice singing praises unto You. The flowers even raise their voices as they lift their heads toward the sky and reflect the sun's light. I'm amazed at the various melodies and tones that assault my ears. One proud bird this morning has been singing "Judy, Judy, Judy, Judy" for a good hour! I wonder what that means in his tongue!  But You know!  He's not as adamant as the "squeaky" bird that often awakens me. The bird that sounds like the squeaky thing I remove from my dog's toy! On mornings, he decides to sit outside my window, his tune (or lack of) is amusing at best. But for all his effort he never ceases in raising his voice, as you gave it to him!

LORD, my prayer this morning: let my praises, as I lift my voice, be as constant and as joyful as the birds that sing to you each morning! Let me be as fervent as the least and as zealous at the greatest! Even if I sound like a squeaky toy, may it be a joyful noise unto You! And may my words only glorify You with every utterance of my mouth!

Until You return; let the words of my mouth be acceptable in Your sight!

Even so - MARANATHA

"For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he may gain much, if God takes away his life? Will God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call on God?
"I will teach you about the hand of God; what is with the Almighty I will not conceal. Surely all of you have seen it; why then do you behave with complete nonsense?" Job 27:8-12

Job then goes on to explain to his friends why God allows the wicked to prosper.  His discourse takes on what things are precious to man and the lengths he will go to find them; then he asks: "But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. The deep says, 'It is not in me'; and the sea says, 'It is not with me.' It cannot be purchased for gold, nor can silver be weighed for its price." Job 28:12-15

"From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the birds of the air. Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a report about it with our ears.' God understands its way, and He knows its place. For He looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under who heavens, to establish a weight for the wind, and apportion the waters by measure.
When He made a law for the rain, and a path for the thunderbolt, then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out." Job 28:20-27

Proverbs 4:5 says "Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget it:; nor turn away from the words of my mouth."
Proverbs 16:16 says, "How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver."

And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the LORD is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.'" Job 28:28

"Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." Isaiah 55:6-7

In summation:

You, who are behaving with complete nonsense; walking in your own ways, not seeking God, need to open your eyes and see that you are not wise.

Fear the LORD! Depart from evil! Seek Him! Turn to Him while there is time!

He will pardon you and have mercy on you, unless you wait too long!

Time is running out.

Don't wake up one day and find you have been left behind!

Even so - MARANATHA

Job 23

"Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to His seat! I would present my case before Him, and fill my mouth with arguments. I would know the words which He would say to me. Would He contend with me in His great power? No! But He would take note of me. There the upright could reason with Him, and I would be delivered forever from my Judge. Look, I go forward, but He is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; when He works on the left hand, I cannot see Him, but He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food. But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And whatever His soul desires, that He does. For He performs what is appointed for me, and many such things are with Him. Therefore I am terrified at His prescence; when I consider this, I am afraid of Him. For God made my heart weak, and the Almighty terrifies me; because I was not cut off from the presence of darkness, and He did not hide deep darkness from my face." Job 23:3-17
"Since times are not hidden from the Almighty, why do those who know Him see not His days?" Job 24:1


Dictionary.com defines:
awesome 

c.1600, "profoundly reverential," from awe + -some. Meaning"inspiring awe" is from 1670s; weakened colloquial sense of"impressive, very good" is recorded by 1961 and was in voguefrom after c.1980.

Thesaurus.com states:

terrify  [ter-uh-fahy]  Show IPA
Part of Speech:	verb
Definition:	scare
Synonyms:	alarm, appall, awe, chill, dismay, freeze, fright,frighten, horrify, intimidate, paralyze, petrify,scare stiff, scare the pants off of, scare todeath, shock, spook, startle, strike fear into,stun, stupefy, terrorize

Reading this passage this morning reminded me of our Sunday School lesson this week. We have been studying "The Names of God", and "El Gadol Ven-nora: great and awesome God" was our topic. During our lesson we learned that originally the word "awesome" meant terrible.

• Should we be terrified of our God as Job was?
• When we sing "Our God is an Awesome God", should we not be touting His terrifying power that produces a state of "awe" in us that "makes our hearts weak"? (Instead of singing of a "good", milk-toast god with no power, who gives us what we desire!)
• Do we acknowledge His power and state: "Whatever His soul desires, that He does"? Or do we tell Him what to do, imposing our will on His?
• Are we content to let God be God?  

When we finally see God, will we not (like Jacob, Paul, John, and many others) be terrified, paralyzed, petrified, awed and have our pants scared off, by His terrible presence? Do you think you will stand? I think not! (Hebrews 10:31)

And see God we will; and soon!

Even Job knew that one day he would:
"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another, how my heart yearns within me!" Job 19:25-27

Judgement is coming!

The believer (one who has made Jesus Christ his Lord and Savior) will not stand alone at the Judgement! Jesus will be standing with us and our Awesome God will see our debt as paid through His blood. (1Timothy 2:4-5)

If you haven't repented - turned to Christ; don't wait! Time is running out! (Romans 10:13)

Even so -  MARANATHA!

Isaiah 13

"Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will be limp, every man's heart will melt, and they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them; they will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; they will be amazed at one another; their faces will be like flames. Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth and the moon will not cause its light to shine. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, a man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of their place. In the wrath of the LORD of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger." Isaiah 13:6-13 NKJV

Most everyone you talk to these days agrees that our world cannot continue on this path. The evil that permeates our country, and the rest of the world, grows like a cancer that has no treatment.
We the Church have allowed this evil to flourish by burying our heads in the sand, in stead of standing up against it. We have bought the lie of tolerance and compromise; allowing it's wickedness in our doors, now we cower in the corner, wringing our hands wondering how we got here. "What can we do?", some say, and they are the fortunate ones, for there are others that are clueless as to how far we have fallen!

Sad, also are the ones that know that things aren't right in our world, yet go through each day as they always have. They shake their heads, yet do nothing because the evil hasn't yet touched their little world; but it will! No one will be spared.

We often hear the quote from Edmund Burke who said "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" ; usually given by a politician campaigning for an election, with a promise of change he has no intention of fulfilling.


Well, I have good news and bad news for all of you. 


The bad first: As bad as it is, it's going to get worse! Not only will evil continue, but it will continue until God puts a halt to it. And it won't be long! The above scripture is just one of many that talks about the wrath of God. Our time is running out and soon the earth will feel His Hand!


The good news: Believers will not go through the wrath of God!   "For God has not appointed us to [incur His] wrath. [He did not select us to condemn us], but [that we might] obtain [His] salvation through our LORD Jesus Christ (the Messiah). 1 Thessalonians 5:9 Amp.


The Rapture of the Church could occur anytime! Even this week!!!
Because time is so short we all need to be about the Father's business - winning souls. 


"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."  John 3:16-18 NKJV


Repent!
Repent from your sins!
Repent from your apathy! 
Repent like your life depends on it! Because it does!


Even so - MARANATHA!

Joel 2:10-17

Concern for my country and concern for the unsaved 
Turn we must
Our time is short
He's our only hope




Posted 5/17/12 Facebook


"The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; the sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness. The LORD gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and terrible; who can endure it?
"Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him -
"A grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God?
"Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and nursing babes; let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from her dressing room. Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, weep between the porch and the alter, let them say "Spare Your people, O LORD, and do not give Your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'" Joel 2:10-17

At some point, in the near future, we as a people will come face to face with an event that will set us on a course and ultimately bring us to the terrible "day of the LORD"!

The time to change direction is now! Until that "moment" occurs God might "relent" and show mercy on us, but we have to repent to make that happen. He is righteous and we are sinful; we can not continue on the road to destruction and expect HIM to overlook our sins, because we don't want to stop sinning.

If we want our country to return to moral values (that we didn't appreciate at the time) then we as a nation have to return to God.

Don't look at what "the other guy" is doing and say they are to blame for our country's shape.

Look to yourself.

You repent! You "rend your heart"!

What are you "not doing" that would make a difference? And I am not talking about "works". I'm talking about a state of your heart!

If you are living like you did yesterday, and the day before and have not changed, then you have not turned around! You have not repented!

You have to have it in your heart that you want to live for God!

You have to live in a state of repentance!