Thursday, September 21, 2017

Psalm 61




v 1 “Hear my cry, O God;
Give heed to my prayer.”

We know God hears us because of the promises in the Bible. 1 John 3:22; 14,15 The benefits of following Jesus means we can be assured that God will answer when we call to Him.

V2 ”From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

Lead me to the rock that is higher than It doesn't matter where we are, God will answer us in any place and in any circumstance.

Jesus is the Rock and we can be led to His presence by the Spirit. When we are with Jesus there is a tactical advantage. Our life is built on Him. He is our foundation.

V 3,4 “For You have been a refuge for me,
A tower of strength against the enemy.
4 Let me dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.”

God is our refuge. Ps 91 is a promise we can count on and live by. We aren't strong in ourselves but we don't live by ourselves. We have God within as He promised in John 14:23  John 4:4 One of the ways to utilize this strength is to meditate on the Scriptures and let them lead you to victory. If God is for us who is against us? Obviously there are people against us and the Devil. But with God is on our side, we overcome. John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you to give you peace. In the world you will have tribulation but be of good courage I (Jesus) has over come the world. As we walk (as we live God's directions) we overcome. Romans 16:19,20

v 5 “For You have heard my vows, O God;
You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name.”

God hears us and has given us the inheritance. Romans 8:17 We are now part of the family of God. What Jesus got we get. Jesus is the forerunner or prototype for His followers Hebrews 6:20. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Ephesians 1:3 And we are seated with Christ in heaven. Eph 2:6 What the will of God is, can be prayed down from heaven to earth. Matthew 6:10 Praise God we have the victory Romans 8:37

v6 “You will prolong the king’s life;
His years will be as many generations.”

Here is a promise of long life. But it is not a life for self it is a life lived for God. We are kings. Meaning we serve God by ruling in this world, by His direction. Long life is promised to those who walk with God.

V7 “He will abide before God forever;
Appoint lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him.”

We will abide before God. Or sit enthroned. We rule in Christ. Rom 5:17 In this life and the life to come. This rule is not for self but to advance God's kingdom. What we have is for Kingdom use. Deuteronomy 8:18

It is by lovingkindness and truth that we have the anointing. We are not empowered to lord it over others. We have the power of Jesus to bring healing, wholeness and the good news of the gospel to others.

Repentance comes with following Jesus. A child that picks up a sharp knife will lay it down if you offer him a teddy bear. Followers of Jesus will lay down their sin to gain what is much better for us.

To walk in lovingkindness and truth is to set aside the desires of the flesh and purse the desires of the Spirit. And what are the things of the Spirit? Romans 8:5,6  It is what God has promised. John 6:63

v8 “So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may pay my vows day by day.”

So I will sing praises to God. It is in praise we serve. We go out with joy and are led by peace. Isaiah 55:12

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Isaiah 35 Encouragement Brings Life





Isaiah 35:1,2 "The wilderness and the desert will be glad,
And the Arabah will rejoice and blossom;
Like the crocus
2 It will blossom profusely
And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
The majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the glory of the Lord,
The majesty of our God."

v 1-2 The wilderness is a type of our soul that is dry without life. This chapter explains how a transformation can take place by encouragement.

Isaiah 35:3,4 "Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.
4 Say to those with anxious heart,
“Take courage, fear not.
Behold, your God will come with vengeance;
The recompense of God will come,
But He will save you.”

v 3-4 Talks about encouragement. And the way we encourage is to say what God is going to do. And we know what God is going to do by the promises that are in the Bible. And we understand that all the promises in the Bible are for us by 2 Corinthians 1:20. So we speak the promises of God to each other to encourage.

Isaiah 35:5,6 "Then the eyes of the blind will be opened
And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.
6 Then the lame will leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.
For waters will break forth in the wilderness
And streams in the Arabah."

v 5-6 The problem with our soul is that it is blind deaf and we are not able to walk in God's ways. It is encouragement of the Scriptures that brings life to our soul. John 6:63

We have the Spirit of God within but a mind set on the flesh brings death. Romans 8:5-8 The Spirit is then repressed within us not able to operate. When we are encouraged to put our mind on the Spirit life springs forth and we operated in the life of the Spirit of God.

Waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the Arabah. This is a type that ties into John 4:14 that as we drink of the water Jesus gives the Holy Spirit will spring forth from us to others in ministry.

Isaiah 35:6,7 ". . . For waters will break forth in the wilderness
And streams in the Arabah.
7 The scorched land will become a pool
And the thirsty ground springs of water;
In the haunt of jackals, its resting place,
Grass becomes reeds and rushes."

v 6-7 wilderness, desert, thirsty ground, haunt of Jackals.
These terms are types of our soul that is void of life and the water that flows from the Spirit. When water comes, (the word of God believed), than life changes the wilderness to life.

Isaiah 35:8-10 "A highway will be there, a roadway,
And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean will not travel on it,
But it will be for him who walks that way,
And fools will not wander on it.
9 No lion will be there,
Nor will any vicious beast go up on it;
These will not be found there.
But the redeemed will walk there,
10 And the ransomed of the Lord will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
With everlasting joy upon their heads.
They will find gladness and joy,
And sorrow and sighing will flee away."

v 8-10 This life that comes from the word of God believed, (not just acknowledged as valid), brings us along the highway to the presence of God. The lions, vicious beasts represent the enemy that tries to destroy our hope and belief. We reject these attacks with God's word. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Belief is not just acknowledging the validity of Scripture or the existence of God and the work of our Savior Jesus. Belief is taking the Scripture and accepting it to bring forth fruit from the word with perseverance. Luke 8:15 Belief will set aside the worries and pleasures of the world and be committed to love God and others to bring God's kingdom into peoples lives. Matthew 6:10  It takes work to maintain belief. John 6:29

Notice it is a highway that brings us to the presence of God. It is going, serving in belief having the water of the word within us we have interaction with the Lord. When we are not walking in service we don't have the presence of God apparent but it is repressed.

As we are encouraged in the Scriptures and respond with belief and faith we have God's presence apparent and this relationship brings the joy that sends us with power to the world.

Isaiah 55:12  "“For you will go out with joy
And be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands."