Scripture

Those who trust in the LORD are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever.

~Psalm 125:1, NLT

Quote

Faith puts God between us and our circumstances.

~Daniel Webster

Wiersbe says this Psalm speaks of three kinds of people: [1] THE FAITHFUL–those who trust the LORD, [2] THE BACKSLIDDEN–those who compromise with evil, [3] THE APOSTATE–Those who rebel against God’s will. After reading the Psalm several times, I began to see all three but I want to talk about the first group, “Those who trust in the LORD.’ The Hebrew word bä·takh’, translated ‘trust’ is a strong word. It is not a weak or timid faith, he is a trust that is confident, so confident that one feels secure and protected. Security is a big issue these days. Joe David mentioned in our weekly phone message that we are in the process of organizing a security detail at DBC. Texas is a part of the South and the Bible Belt. What happened there can happen here and we need to be prepared. Had that church been prepared, lives could have been saved. But all the security details in the world cannot guarantee our physical safety which is why we need to be covered by the blood of Jesus. In Christ we have eternal security. Wade mentioned this to June and I Wednesday night: He said, “I am ready to go and it doesn’t matter where I am at when I go.” He is not immune to bullets and bombs but he knows that ultimately evil cannot hurt him. They may kill the body but they cannot touch the soul.

A huge part of our feeling secure is knowing that God is present. The Psalmist said in verse 2, Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, both now and forever. God has us surrounded right now, tomorrow and forever. He has us covered. What we have to do is to learn to live by faith and not feelings. We cannot and must not give into our feelings. Feelings are fickle and unreliable. The very first verse my mother had me memorize is Psalm 56:3 and trust me, I used it a lot. It goes like this…But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. This confident faith that the Psalmist speaks of gives us stability: it enables us to stand during difficult times and to endure difficult times. Ultimately, this confident trust leads to peace. I have said for many years and I say again, Solomon asks for wisdom but my first request is ‘Peace.’ If we have peace, we can weather any storm. Without it, we will fold up like a tent.

Some people get their courage out of a bottle but I go to the LORD. I am a coward by nature, a very fearful person. I have never been brave. Just has I need the righteousness of Jesus because I don’t have any that God will accept, so I need His courage. I don’t run on my courage: I rely on His.

Some 15 or so years ago, Keith and I went to Venezuela to see Ken and Allison. We landed in Caracas which has the highest crime rate in the world. Ken meet us there and we flew from there to the city of Merida, a small city of about 600,000. Before leaving, I wanted to go shopping for June and the girls so Allison and I went down town. She told me what to do step by step…like…look straight ahead, walk with confidence, don’t show fear, etc. I risk my life to get my wife and girls a hand crafted leather purse {75 American Bucks per} and I never saw the purses again until June got her’s out last year. I haven’t bought them anything since. Every where we went last year, women would rave about June’s purse and I tell them, “Yeah, I bought five of them and paid $75 a piece for them–plus risking my life and I don’t know what happen to them because I never saw them again.” Don’t think I will not tell my story if asked! Anywho, when Allison and I got back to the car and started home, she began explaining how dangerous it was to go down town shopping. She said, “That why I didn’t insist on Ken coming, he is a big coward, {JK} but I wasn’t afraid because you were not afraid.” Well, actually, I was afraid but I am such a male chauvinist, I would not let on in front of her. You do know what JK stands for, “Just Kidding.” She did not say her husband was a coward but the other is accurate. I couldn’t resist. The real reason he didn’t go was he was afraid I would ask him to pay for the purses. Actually, I am being a little hard on him, he did buy me a hog ear sandwich.

Veteran of The Day

George Washington

 (February 22, 1732– December 14, 1799)

George Washington is without doubt the most indispensable man in American History. This may come as a shock but he was not a highly educated man. By trade he was a surveyor and he aspired to be a farmer which was a calling that he never mastered. He was a man of few words and whereas he did not have the intellect of a Jefferson, he was unmatched in nobility and character. He was highly intelligent, but he did not speak five languages and know Greek and Hebrew as did Jefferson. I got a chuckle when the liberal media compared Slick Willy to Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson had more brains in his little finger than Clinton has in his head. George Washington was a man of faith and wisdom. He has been written out of modern text books because he was a God fearing man who prayed daily and gave God the credit for our victory in the war of Independence. But let’s speak of his military experience. He got his combat experience in the French and Indian War. He rose quickly in the ranks because he was fearless. The Indians believed he was a god. They believed that bullets could not kill him. Washington did not send troops into battle, he lead them himself. He had horses shot from underneath him on more than one occasion and often times bullet holes were found in his hat and clothing. It was his courage that inspired the patriots to continue the fight when things seemed impossible. Ironically, the British underestimated Washington’s intellect and military expertise. We should not have won the war. The British had all the advantages. We had one big advantage: we had Washington and He had the LORD’s protection and favor. There should be a statue of Washington in every city in America.

• GOLDEN GIRLS this morning at 9:00.
• Sunday Schedule: Deacon’s meeting at 8:15, LCBS @9:15, Celebrate Jesus @ 10:15 with General Thomas Todd, AWANA @ 5:15 and evening worship @6:15.
• We took a short trip yesterday to Lynnville TN. It is a quaint little village located on the railroad between Pulaski and Nashville. It is very close to the Milky Way Farm: I’d say within five miles, perhaps less. Their down town features hand crafted bags and leather goods. We ate at their dinner and the food was very good. They also featured the fried pies. This must be a Tennessee staple. You can get there in an hour and 20 minutes by interstate but we went the back way. The leaves were not pretty–they are basically gone or brown. We have had an unusual fall. I would have thought with all the rain, the colors would have been great but we had color for just a few days and it was gone.
• Today is a big day if you are a college football fan. June is a big time Georgia Bulldog and she also pulls for Miami. I hope and pray that Mark Richt doesn’t go to Auburn.