Scripture
Be strong, and let your heart be courageous, all of you who put your hope in the LORD.
~Psalm 31:24, CSB
Quote
Jesus Christ and Jesus alone is the true source of PEACE. There is no peace a part from HIM.
~Ya’akov
God’s word is absolutely amazing. I took a step of faith last night by following my convictions. I took a firm stand on an unpopular subject and I got no or little affirmation from the human standpoint. Yet, I firmly believe that the LORD was leading me so I refused to worry. I went to bed in peace but woke up at 4:30 with it on my mind but I prayed and reaffirmed my stand that this was in the LORD’s hands and it is not my worry. When I got up and opened my bible, my daily Psalm was 31: I would read a verse and then marvel, read another verse and pray, read another verse and give thanks, read another verse and praise God. It was as if I was getting a telegram straight from the Throne of Grace. The WORD of God was real, powerful and it gave me all the reassurance I needed.
It not only gave me courage and reassurance. It gave me instructions. I went back and reread the Psalm and make a list of the things we are to do when our enemy conspires against us and I do say enemy because Satan is the one behind all the gossip, all the linear foul meetings where the opposition is lining up their ducks, all the lies that are being disseminated–he is behind it all. I was making a visit to a prospective member many years ago. The man did eventually become a member of the church but his first impression of me was not good. He is an honest man and he told me what he had heard and I told him frankly, “That is a lie but I know where it came from.” He was a bit shocked because he thought I was referring to the human source. The truth is: I had a hunch who the human source was but I was referring to the devil. All lies originate with him. He is behind all the lies, gossip, and the usual chatter that goes with a hidden agenda. But you and I do not have to lose sleep over him or his lies. To gain the victory, there are some things we must do and they are found in Psalm 31 of all places.
- We must seek refuge in the LORD [v.1,19]
- We must follow His lead [v.3]
- We must put our absolute trust in Him [v.5]
- We must rejoice in His faithful love [v.7,14]
- We must remember His goodness [v.19]
- We must bless the LORD [v.21]
- We must pray [v.22]
- We must love the LORD [v.23]
- We must be strong in the LORD [v.24]
- We must put our HOPE [completely] in the LORD [v.24]
I have seen preachers show fear, frustration and even strike back from the pulpit. To be honest, I have probably done these things myself but this is never the solution. Take refuge in the LORD and you will have courage to stand before men, even those who are telling lies about you. A few years ago, at a COLS of all places, I sat and listened to a preacher strike back. He is a friend and a good man so after the service I pulled him aside and told him: “Never show your frustration, never let them see you sweat. You are adding fuel to the fire. You get with the LORD and get all your frustration out of your system so that when you get into the pulpit, none of that comes out.” Trust me, those who oppose God’s work and His servants don’t need encouragement. There are more of them than there are of us. They will always have the crowds support. We don’t get our affirmation from the crowd: we get it directly from our LORD and Savior. I would love to please people and sometimes I wish I could but my purpose in life is not to please people, it is to be obedient to Jesus Christ. He and He alone is the source of true PEACE and I for one don’t want to live without it.
- You know how I hate tattoos. In my visitation last week, two of the young ladies that I visited had tattoos, multiple and large tattoos. I’m going to have to be more sensitive about the tattoos. I love both of these girls and want to help them in their relationship with Christ. I just don’t get it, why would a beautiful girl mess her body up with such tacky art if you can call it art. I say that to say this: I have not be convicted of decrying my pure hatred for drugs and Marijuana is on the top of the list. I am sick and tired of hearing about the so called “harmless drug.” The harmless drug killed 76 people on Wednesday. It stinks. It is more trashy than a cigarette and that is trashy. No one smokes pot unless they are morons, rednecks or pure idiots. I’m not through: those who want to legalize it are the biggest fools of all. It is the gate way drug. If this offends you: you needed offending.
- Common Sense 101…
