HE WILL KEEP YOUR SOUL

Be Still My Soul by Selah

He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. Psalm 121:3, 7-8

We’re temporarily in Virginia on a mission trip. I have my laptop and I am sitting on the motel patio looking out at the Chesapeake Bay. There is a stiff breeze coming off the bay and the waves are slapping the shore with a loud emphasis. Since Norfolk is a naval town the waves have to compete with the sound of a helicopter practicing some kind of maneuver that keeps it hovering over the water in one place. It’s too far away to see any of the details that I want to know. Are there sailors or Navy SEALS in the water under the powerful blast of the rotating blades? I can’t make it out. It is comforting to know that those entrusted with our national security and safety are on the job, honing their skills.

Above the comfort of national security is the truly wonderful promise for me and every child of God that He will keep our souls. My soul can tie itself in knots in the changing financial and political climate in which we find ourselves. His Word assures me that He will keep me steady on my feet, and He never sleeps on the job. He will protect and guard us. Anything that is allowed to touch us will be filtered through His fingers of love. He will work all things together for good to those who love Him and to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 That’s security. I can lay me down in peace and sleep knowing that He alone can truly cause me to dwell in safety. God gives these promises but we have to set our feet on the solid rock of not just hearing but doing. When thoughts try to rob us of the peace that Jesus left us we must not allow it. Our thoughts most bow to the truth of His provision and faithfulness. As a friend of mine wrote me, “We must combat whispered lies with spoken truth.”

MY PRAYER: Father, thank you for exceedingly great and precious promises. Help me to keep my focus on you and not on changing or uncertain circumstances. Help me to take captive every thought and renew my mind with your word.

MY CONFESSION: You will keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is steadfast, because their trust is in you. Isaiah 26:3 I stand on your word!

My Deliverer Is Coming!

Free Indeed

Genesis 46:2-4a And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, "Jacob, Jacob." And he said, "Here I am. And He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again."
Matthew 2:13-15 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise and take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him." And he arose and took the Child and His mother by night, and departed for Egypt; and was there until the death of Herod, that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "OUT OF EGYPT DID I CALL MY SON."

I love the way the word of God is so consistent from Genesis to Revelation. God promised to deliver His children Israel out of Egypt. They were there approximately four hundred years and many of those years spent in cruel bondage and slavery. He did exactly what He promised by protecting the infant Moses and eventually raising him up to confront pharaoh with signs and wonders until pharaoh complied and let them go.

Approximately four hundred years passed between the last writings of the Old Testament and the appearance of Christ. There was no prophetic word from God during this time until a baby’s cry sounds forth from a manger. Once again God protects His Deliverer by sending his parents to Egypt with Him. Out of Egypt He calls His Son. He is the One who by signs and wonders heals and delivers those who are in bondage. He is the Passover Lamb who sheds His blood to deliver us out of the kingdom of darkness. God keeps His word.

He has given us an amazing promise. John 8:34-36 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. "And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. "If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” If we are slaves to sin we are in just as much bondage as the children of Israel were. Jesus came to deliver us to walk in freedom. Does that mean we never sin? No, we all fall short, but sin is not to have control or dominion over us.

· Through the blood of Jesus
· Through abounding grace
· Through the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit,
· Through the renewal our minds with His powerful word
· Through prayer and confession of His promises
· Through fellowship with those to whom we can be accountable

We will overcome. Our Deliverer will not fail us. He has given us everything we need for life and godliness.

MY PRAYER: Father, I thank you that you sent your only begotten Son to free us from our captivity to the world, the flesh, and the devil. I thank you for the peace and the freedom that you have given us. In this world we will have troubles but you have assured us that you have overcome the world. In the mighty name of our Deliverer, amen.

MY CONFESSION: The Son has set me free. He is my Deliverer. I have put off the deeds of darkness and I have put on the armor of light. Romans 13:12 I stand on Your Word!

Rich Mullins--Driving without Headlights

Rich Mullins - Creed (Credo)

Examine and Hold Fast

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

We are so blessed to have a wealth of resources available to us as Christians. I love to go on certain websites and hear sermons and teachings by gifted men and women of God that challenge, strengthen, and encourage me in my walk with God. I also have a few people on Christian TV that I love to take a break from my daily activities and watch their programs. There are an enormous number of options and with them come some pitfalls. There is a certain segment that seems to be growing in influence that delights in telling fanciful stories and experiences of a bizarre nature. One thing I have noticed is they often will say or imply that people who are legalistic or have a religious spirit probably won’t believe them or receive what they are saying. They try to squelch discernment by making you feel guilty if you are doubtful. They want you to believe if it is odd then it must be God. I certainly don’t find that attitude in the apostle’s teachings. Over and over again in Scripture they admonish us to examine, test, and prove the things we are being taught to see if indeed they are true. The word of God is our plumb line to see what is crooked and what lines up perfectly with His revealed word. Truth tellers aren’t threatened by examination and careful thought. Luke called the Bereans noble in character because of their eagerness to listen and examine the Scriptures to see if Paul’s teachings lined up with the O.T.

If your Spirit is troubled or doubtful about something you have heard or been taught don’t quench that response. You don’t have to make a snap or forced decision to gullibly swallow everything you are fed. Take the time to pray and search it out. God won’t think you are weak and doubting; He thinks you’re noble.

MY PRAYER: Lord, thank you for the wonderful teachers that have helped me to grow in my understanding of You. You have warned us Lord that there would be those who would seek to lead us astray from the simplicity of the gospel. Help me to verify that what I am taught or even what I think lines up with your written word. Help me to hold fast to that which is good.

MY CONFESSION: I will not be gullible enough to believe every spirit. I will exhibit noble character by testing and proving all things to see if they are true to Your word.

09. Michael Card - The Basin and the Towel

What Religion Does

Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said to them, "Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. "And you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning. "For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you."And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever. Exodus 12:21-24 NAS

And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the moneychangers, and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a house of merchandise." John 2:13-16 NAS

I am not one who enjoys reading through the Bible every year. I’ve tried it but I like to linger over what I am reading rather than plowing through a set number of chapters per day. I do however try to read in the OT and the NT every day. I’ve been reading in Exodus and the gospel of John and it has made an interesting contrast to see God’s instructions concerning the Passover and what it had become in Jesus’ day.

The Passover was the awesome display of God’s power in delivering His people out of bondage. Now everything that symbolized and fulfilled the Passover feast was being sold in the temple courtyard and often at exorbitant prices by religious profiteers. By the time Jesus walked the earth it had been commercialized and complicated to the point that Jesus felt compelled to clean the whole thing up. What was intended to be a wonderful commemoration of what God had done for them was now a money making scheme. What was to be a house of prayer had become a place of business. Would His verdict be so very different today?

How would this apply to you and to me? First, we should be grateful for the wealth of study and discipleship materials that are available. I have been deeply enriched in my personal life from these resources. I am grateful that Christian bookstores sell beautiful Christian themed accessories for our homes. However, we should realize that a “Christian industry” has risen to meet genuine needs. But with it comes all the perils of fortune, fame, crass materialism and selfish ambition. I suspect Jesus might be tempted to clear the house again. We need to soberly assess Christian celebrity speakers who charge exorbitantly large speaking fees. Just because a church can afford to pay them doesn’t mean it is right. I know many who give unselfishly of their time and talents to the cause of Christ with no thought of monetary rewards. Some are justly recompensed for their labor and efforts. The heart of the matter is the matter of our hearts. 1 Peter 5:2 “Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve.” With Him our motives are so important.

In the same way, it would be good to look at how we as a family celebrate our meaningful holidays. Have we fallen prey to emphasizing the material aspect of holidays and trivializing the spiritual reality we are supposedly celebrating? If you realize that it has become less than it should be resolve now and brainstorm with your friends and family to make it more about Him. Take it back as your act of worship to Him.

MY PRAYER: Lord, I don’t want to harbor selfish ambition or an unhealthy desire to receive earthly rewards. Help me to be eager to serve out of the overflow of all You have done in my life. Help me to resist the pull and influence of religious profiteers. In Jesus’ name.

MY CONFESSION: The Lord’s zeal will help me guard my home and my heart. Our celebrations will focus on substance and honoring You. We will not merchandize your holy things.

Hillsong United - From The Inside Out - With Subtitles

DISCIPLINE AND STABILITY

For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ. As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. Colossians 2:5-6 NAS

When I came to the Lord I was not a pretty sight. Many years of an undisciplined life left my character weak and deeply flawed. I did not come with a lot of good work or study habits. I pretty much did only what I wanted to do in every area of my life. I was an airline stewardess with enough tenure to only work three or four days a week. I made sure I didn’t fly any route that made me get up too early. I was easily bored with what I considered the mundane and glossed over little things like details. Even in my checkbook. My detailed oriented husband almost had a heart attack when he saw the sloppy way I kept it.

I would like to tell you that the minute I was saved great character traits immediately manifested in my life, but that wouldn’t be true. Some wonderful things did happen immediately. My language cleaned up, I by-passed the immodest clothing that hung in my closet for more modest fare, and I resisted using those “convenient lies” that so easily rolled off my tongue before the Holy Spirit took up residence.

For all my lack of personal discipline, I didn’t neglect times of reading my Bible and prayer. The wonder of that was explained when I heard someone say, “If you love someone you don’t have to discipline yourself to spend time with them.” Let that sink in. However, I continued to live by my motto, “I’ll do it when I feel like it,” for many years. God’s patience amazes me. Slowly but surely, diligence and self-control appeared as the fruit of the Spirit matured in my life. As that happened God gave me a little group of preschoolers to teach. Eventually my husband and I taught the teenagers. Then we began to teach the highly disciplined studies from Kay Arthur’s Precept Ministries. Amazing what His presence in our lives can do.

Good habits are essential if we are going to lead lives of accomplishment, but good habits apart from a love relationship with God can lead to a legalistic works oriented faith or a sense of self-righteousness. So walk in Him and with Him and watch your life bring forth the fruit of His Spirit.

PRAYER: Lord, I know that discipline and stability work hand in hand in my growth. Help me to be motivated by my love for you to meet with you day by day. Help me to be faithful to read your word and cultivate my prayer life as a way to stay intimately connected to You. I want my walk to bring joy to You and be an encouragement to others. In Jesus name.

MY CONFESSION: I received the Lord Jesus Christ by faith and I will walk in Him by faith today. I am disciplined and stable. Others will see the growth in my life and be encouraged. I stand on Your word.