Come take a stroll with your Living God!

OH Yeah!

This is the Almighty God I serve,

• He Who never lets His people down!
• He Who never lets His people be put to shame when they are following Him exactly!
• When His people humble themselves and pray, HE DOES Answer!
• Oh death where is thy victory!

When Jesus lived on this earth, He did not live like the way His followers are living now. He did not live in constant fear of what will happen next. He did not live in any fear for His provisions. He did not live worrying whether Father God would answer His prayer or not! He knew His Father way more intensely and deeply for anything on this earth to put a dent in their relationship. In return, Jesus never had a loss!

In Jesus God dealt with death with the ultimate punishment for sin and rendered it powerless so God's creation can now have life abundantly. So what profit is there in a human's death, nothing but sorrow especially if one leaves without knowing God their Creator. David says in Psalm 29 as follows

Psalm 30 : 9-12

⁹ What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit (the grave)? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth and faithfulness to men?

¹⁰ Hear, O Lord, have mercy and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!

¹¹ You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,

¹² To the end that my tongue and my heart and everything glorious within me may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

There are people on this planet who are struggling and living in ignorance of this Loving and Living God. The ones who think they know God (mostly because they were born into the religion that sort of believes in Him) but have no real relationship with Him, continue living a nominal and powerless life.Blending in just like the rest of the people around them, with no difference to show forth for this AWESOME GOD. Some followed a protocol viz. believe - get baptized - receive the Holy Spirit - continue with your life like nothing happened!

I have a bone to pick with such as these. No, I am not saying I have completely grasped all that God has spiritually, scripturally, theologically offered to me, but now that I have begun listening more than just blabbering during my prayer times with Him, I am getting a chance to hear Him. So from this point of time in my spiritual journey in life, I want to urge my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Rise up, take charge, sit down with God Your creator, to Whom you have access because of a very heavy price that His Own Son Jesus paid for you and more than that He even sent His precious Holy Spirit to guide you into your relationship with Him!

NOW because of Jesus Christ there is nothing stopping you from having a relationship with your Heavenly Father, the same One Who strolled with Adam and Even in the cool of the day in the garden of Eden. So come brothers and sisters to take a stroll with Your Living and Loving God!

P. S. Check out the other meaning of stroll

1. walk in a leisurely way
2. a victory or an objective that is easily achieved

Stroll with God like you have all the time in the world to hang out with Him!

No Fear Here! No Really I Mean It

Have you seen those T-shirts with a pair of eyes drawn on it and the words "No Fear Here!" written on them? None of us is immune to fear. I don't think there is anyone beyond the scope of some fear. Fear of losing your job, losing a loved one, losing your finances, losing your house. Fear can paralyze any man. These are fears that try to choke out God's plan and hope for our very life. Some recognize fear and shrink away from doing whatever needs to be done to tackle it, some think they have no fear but are unknowingly operating from it and live in denial and never conquer it.
We are created to be the person that God has fearfully (reverential fear) and wonderfully made us to be on this earth. Let no one snuff out our life by creating fear in our lives. 

You see fear is exactly like faith but flipped! 
Fear = Expecting something negative to happen 
Faith = Expecting something positive to happen 
Its very easy to walk from one into another in the speed of a thought. 

 The one place I have found where fear is completely nullified and faith is strengthened is in the Presence of our Living God. God has not given us the Spirit of fear again to become slaves but the Spirit of Power, Love and a Sound Mind! Yes truly in God's Presence there is no fear.

In Psalm 27 God gives David the formula to become an overcomer. David had to go through times of intense fear, for his very existence was in danger. He declares

"The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?"
"⁸ You have said, Seek My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital need]. My heart says to You, Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek, inquire for, and require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word].

You have that power in God, for He knows every need you have and every need you will ever have in the future! Take heart, live boldly and get closer into His Presence where fear is rendered helpless for God is an ever present help in times of trouble. Jesus Christ our Lord lived on this earth knowing He was to become a sacrifice every single day of His life on earth but He never once feared it. Father and Son who had never in all eternity had to be separated and the wrath of sin had to be quenched through sacrifice of a Holy One so all mankind may benefit! You and me ! The price for our freedom from fear is very heavy so let us draw near to the One , even our Lord Jesus, and learn through Him to approach our God of Love and live out everything God has planned for our lives as He placed us upon this earth!

Be not afraid for God is with us, even until the ends of the earth!

Dwelling in the Presence of a Living God

Recently I have been desiring more of God's presence in my life because of multiple things...I for my own self want to see God's glory and live in the middle of His Presence every moment because, the fleeting encounters I have had in His Presence have been unforgettable! What's more in this new desire of mine are these words of Jesus that have been bothering me!

¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes^(A) in me will do the works I have been doing,^(B) and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
John 14:12

Now if I profess I am a Christian or a follower of Jesus then I should be able to truly do the things He said, then why can't I?

As I read Psalm 26 I realized David worked really hard to remain righteous(in right standing with God), so he could  well in the Presence of God! He had experienced God's Presence in such a way that his heart cried out ^"8 Lord, I love the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells."

His righteousness depended on him. There was no other option for him but to habitually strive for right living if he needed to hear from God! For me the equation has been made way easier - I have to become a sheep of Jesus and acknowledge Jesus as my shepherd, then as His sheep I am enabled to hear His voice and know Him.

Unlike David, I have got another work to do - work out my salvation -with trembling and reverence and shrinking away from everything that would offend God. This is such serious business, that I am sure I can absolutely mess up very easily and I have so many times.Now I was very worried that if I had to cry out to God on my own merits, I might as well just give up for me by myself I have no hope or scope to ever be able to converse with God Almighty! But you know what - more than I can be desperate to talk to God, He has been desperate to talk to me, how amazing is that. Phillippians 2:13 continues in saying

 "¹³ [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while ^[c]effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and ^[d]delight.

Ah wonderful God my Creator desire to talk to me and through Christ in me, energizes and creates in me to desireto be in right standing before Him, just so we could commune.

It is like an extremely passionately in love fiance who has bought me his fiancee the very best cellphone and has charged it to last for eternity just so we could talk! AAH....

Dear Loving Heavenly Father,
Thank you for Your everlasting Love that upholds me, keeps me connected to You through Your precious Son Jesus my Lord. I cannot do life without You! So many more of Your children around me need to know of this awesome gift of communion with their Eternal God, help me so I can...
Amen

How to get out of trouble!

If you are living a nightmare, then here's a Psalm from David, who's life revolves around, running and hiding from the king. What a scary life he must have led, hiding from his own people because the king,Saul, didn't like him. I cannot imagine such a life yet I am sure there are people who would want to run away from their life or their situations! But take heart for the way David shows us how he faced his situations and did not give up and ended up becoming a king who will be remembered and known by the whole world. I bet he felt like nothing, as he survived in caves and foreign countries.

Psalm 25

Lessons

• Bring your life to God-^v1 Unto You, O Lord, do I bring my life.-You have tried life on your own and nothing is working out the way it ought to, then you must bring your life to God because He is able to turn any situation around!
•  Put your trust in God-"² O my God, I trust, lean on, rely on, and am confident in You. Let me not be put to shame or [my hope in You] be disappointed; let not my enemies triumph over me.
  ³ Yes, let none who trust and wait hopefully and look for You be put to shame or be disappointed; let them be ashamed who forsake the right or deal treacherously without cause." David had nowhere to go, noone to trust but he had consistently found help in God. God truly never let him ever go out of his radar. So it is for you. God always has you in His radar so trust Him!
•  Ask God for directions -⁴ Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths.
  ⁵ Guide me in Your truth and faithfulness and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You [You only and altogether] do I wait [expectantly] all the day long. It is usually a wise thing to follow the one with a map or a GPS and never someone who has no clue of where to go. This resonates with me because often I find myself lost in what route I have to take and who better to give us directions than the one Who is constantly watching over us. He's got the entire view in His eyes, He knows the end from the beginning and He can show us which way to go. Jesus Himself stated "I am the Way the Truth and the Life." He got all the most important aspects of life covered, then why not ask Him for directions?
  
  
  Conclusion If you got your feet stuck in a net, your life jumbled up in a mess ask God to get you untangled. He is the best! David says in the following verses

  ¹² Who is the man who reverently fears and worships the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way that he should choose.

  ¹³ He himself shall dwell at ease, and his offspring shall inherit the land.

  ¹⁴ The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning.

  ¹⁵ My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He will pluck my feet out of the net.

   Though David is not completely out of his troubles, he knows through his experiences that God is absolutely able to deliver him out of anything and any situation. God could have easily got Saul out of the way but Saul's presence enabled David to lean more on God and his tough training gave him such special experiences with God that when he received the kingdom, he knew where his heart must lie. Not with the riches and power he would receive as a king but in the secret companionship of the One True Living God.

Bridge the Gap, Don't Be the Gap

"When the going gets tough the tough get going" we've heard this saying before but the thing is, the going in the world is continually tough and even for those who are tough, there seems to be nowhere to get going to! I think the one place I can find help for disappointments in my life, is in the Book of Psalms. No one would have gone through tough situations like David did and here is one of the Psalms that encouraged me today.
Psalm 24 
³ Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His Holy Place?

⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood or to what is false, nor sworn deceitfully.

⁵ He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

⁶ This is the generation [description] of those who seek Him [who inquire of and for Him and of necessity require Him], who seek Your face, [O God of] Jacob Selah [pause, and think of that]! 

Background  

How many times as a believer I have wanted to be able to be in God's Presence continually to be able to know Him, to be able to know for myself how wonderfully I am made and how I am to function on this earth. To be safe and secure in Him. This needs a protocol. Yes, we cannot just stroll into the Presence of a King with no preparation. David understood that for him to survive his difficult situations he needed to get clear feedback from God on every decision he took.  Here he gives us a glimpse of what God has put in his heart as a way to reach out to Him.

• Clean hands
• Pure heart
• Not a follower or recommender of false things
• Not a person who will swear to false things (deceit)

Lesson

By our own efforts we can hardly achieve any of those things and more often than not I am grateful to God for having placed me in the time period after Jesus Christ was born and for giving me the privilege to be born in a Jesus believing family and I got introduced to Jesus my Savior in my youth so I had a chance to escape Godlessness. Through my High Priest Jesus Christ I have the opportunity to talk to my Heavenly Father Who willingly did everything just so I could connect with Him. Who is to benefit from all of this except me, just plain old me. v5 says such a person will receive blessing and righteousness from his God of salvation.

You know the most important thing that God requires of His people is "holiness" or "righteousness". You know why God would want that as the first priority? Because God our Creator is Holy and in Him or lets say in His Presence evil cannot exist. Now we were made for fellowship with God our Father and that means meeting with Him, walking with Him and talking with Him being close to Him and being close to his proximity. If we are allowed in His Presence we must follow the protocol of Holiness and Righteousness - which we are not, which we cannot achieve by ourselves ever! God is so awesome and so loving He decided to give that ability to us through His Son. How incredible! Has any leader or any king or queen of any country ever worked out everything just so his/her subject can come and dine with him/her at his/her table? Never! But this is our God our Maker Who desires to commune with us.

Conclusion

God is Love. He is not full of love, which can mean that He can be made full or empty which would mean He is changeable, which He is not. But God Himself is Love, the embodiment of Love. In His Presence there is fullness of joy. He is the source of Life. I hear people say, why did God cause bad things to happen or why are there bad people? God's Presence I think has density. The more we press on, follow the protocol to invite this King of Glory, the more His Presence engulfs us and becomes denser. The lesser we host Him it fades or wanes away. That does not mean God is not omnipresent. He truly and completely is, because His Word says "in Him we live and move and have our being" There is never a moment in time that God is not aware of us, NEVER! But there are moments when we do not carry His Presence. Remember God calls us His temple. He meant for us to be carriers of His Presence to wherever we may go. As in Acts 17:26 we are made and placed in prime locations where God desires to touch His people, He created on this earth (v1) and the way He can do it easily without His Judgment and His Glory consuming the carrier of sin in his/her body is through people who are His mobile-Temple.  

Let us therefore be lifted up, raise your door heights for the King of Glory is Big and Mighty. Set your thoughts on things above and don't have the earthly perception. Make way for the King of Glory to come in and dine with you and change lives around you, for eternity!

The Lord is my Good Shepherd

Psalm 23

¹ The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.

² He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.

³ He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him—not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake.

⁴ Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with ^[a]oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.

⁶ Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.

Lessons

When the Lord is my Shepherd

• He takes care of feeding me
• He guides me
• He shields me
• He picks out the best, fresh, tender green pasture for me to lie down(notice: not work)
• He leads me where there is still and restful waters
• He refreshes me when I am dirty
• He restores me when I am tired
• He leads me in the right way, close by Him, not because I deserve it in any way but for His name's sake because I belong to Him, I am His sheep!
• Even though I must walk through deep and sunless valley-a path through dark of seemingly no direction and no light on the path to show me the way- this is the time my Shepherd guides me with His rod for protection and His staff to guide me. I walk through such a dark and directionless time with comfort!
• When my enemies perceive me, they see I am well provided for and that I am anointed with oil and my portion is so full that it is runs over!
• Surely(ONLY) goodness, mercy and unfailing love follow me ALL the days of my life and through all my days the house of My Lord and His Presence shall be my permanent dwelling!

Conclusion

Dear Lord God,
 I want You to be my Shepherd, for You are a Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. I want You to be my guide, my provider and my protector. Please help me to be sensitive during the times I walk through the valley where it is dark and sunless, so that I may pay attention to your rod and staff which guide me and protect me. Help me to be a good sheep, who follows and knows beyond a shadow of a doubt, her Owner's voice. In Jesus Name I pray.
Amen.
  

Know Your Impact!

Psalm 22

A Psalm of pain and prophecy. Little did David know the words he was speaking would be the exact words Jesus(Son of God) would speak down his own generation.
When David is speaking this Psalm, he conjures strength from his past for his present and projects faith onto his future. What David invested toward God, during his life - his emotions, his suffering, his obedience, throwing himself at God's mercy, worked out to be a blessing for his future way beyond what he would physically be able to see.

Lessons

• Drawing hope from God's work in the past - ^v4 Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted (leaned on, relied on You, and were confident) and You delivered them. ^v5 They cried to You and were delivered; they trusted in, leaned on, and confidently relied on You, and were not ashamed or confounded or disappointed.
• Talking God's presence into his present -^v9 Yet You are He Who took me out of the womb; You made me hope and trust when I was on my mother’s breasts.^v10 I was cast upon You from my very birth; from my mother’s womb You have been my God.  
• Prophesying to the future -^v30 Posterity shall serve Him; they shall tell of the Lord to the next generation. ^v31 They shall come and shall declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born—that He has done it [that it is finished]!

What David went through, enabled him to completely and utterly depend on God for his dear life. He went through preparation to be king like nobody else. His life after being anointed was full of toil and hardship and a lot of running away. Yet he learned that God is more merciful than men, more powerful than men, more loving than men. Ps 20:7 ⁷ Some trust in and boast of chariots and some of horses, but we will trust in and boast of the name of the Lord our God. Now these things that David learned he would be transferring through his generations and because of all the trouble he was going through, his descendants would be blessed.

Conclusion 
No matter what you are going through, God has complete knowledge of it. He knows how you will fare in those circumstances and He knows how much you can handle. This being said, it does not mean that we are to settle down with our troubles but we need to realize that God must have thought us capable of handling that kind of a storm and coming out victorious. If David had quit in the midst of it all would we have all these wonderful Psalms to encourage us? David had no clue when he said "Posterity shall serve Him..." how far that impact would go! But I am sure God did. Our daily victories are building in us and through us a posterity who will remember and take courage from the works of God in our lives way beyond what we can see right now.

God Will Fight to Fulfil His Wonderful Plans for You

Psalm 21

David gives God glory for ALL that God has and is doing in His life!
v1 He is joyful for God's strength
v1 He is rejoicing for God's salvation (saving power)
v2God has answered all things David has asked for
v3 God sends His blessings to meet David
v4 David asked for God to save his earthly life but God granted him life forevermore
v5 David is getting all the good name and being glorified by men on earth because God helps him
v6 God makes David exceedingly glad because God's Presence is with him
v7 David has completely trusted and has abandoned himself to the care of God and through God's mercy and steadfast love David cannot be moved out of God's protection
Now watch this!
v8 "⁸ Your hand shall find all Your enemies; Your right hand shall find all those who hate You." Weren't the people actually chasing and trying to kill David but David here says those enemies are the Lord's and also includes "v9(NIV) When You Lord appear in battle!" David knows that though he is viewed by the people as the warrior guy, it has always been the Lord's battle and God will take care of it!

Lessons
Its not just this way for David, if you have met with this Awesome God you will know that His plans for you are exactly that- His plans! If anyone comes against you while you are walking in God's ways - they are coming against God's plan and agenda for your life and if that be the case then God will not let that be as it is, for He will bring His plan to pass for your life in His all knowing, all perceiving, all powerful way which we cannot fathom! While God is defending you, your prayers are getting answered because they are exactly what God has put in your mouth to pray for! Your heart is one with God's and you are becoming slowly and steadily a man or woman after God's own heart! You are changing life here on earth for the people around you and establishing the Kingdom of God on earth! You are allowing God's light to so shine before men that they are seeing your good works and glorifying your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16) . This is exactly what happened with David in v5⁵ Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. Just keep dwelling in the midst of God's Presence and you will remain in His Joy!

Conclusion 
God is truly no respecter of persons! Throughout history God has been demonstrating His power in the life of people who will lean, rely and completely depend on Him for their life - Do you know why? 

• To show that we are created for fellowship with our Father in Heaven
• To show His majesty to the people around us who are in misery for they do not know Him
• To show His love for the people, His people whom He created
• To snatch us all back into life if only we ask

What He has done for David He will do for you but only if you let Him! So let God be God in your life and watch Him satisfy you with His mercy and steadfast love like only God your Creator can!  
God's plans are to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future and if we trust God with His plans - He will Himself fight to make all things happen on your behalf!

Bringing Justice to Your Unjust Situations

^{Psalms 19:7-14}

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the [whole] person; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure and bright, enlightening the eyes.

⁹ The [reverent] fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold, even than much fine gold; they are sweeter also than honey and drippings from the honeycomb.

¹¹ Moreover, by them is Your servant warned (reminded, illuminated, and instructed); and in keeping them there is great reward.

¹² Who can discern his lapses and errors? Clear me from hidden [and unconscious] faults.

¹³ Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then shall I be blameless, and I shall be innocent and clear of great transgression.

¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer.

Background
When we have good laws that help citizens become better, be safer, be empowered, be free-it is worth being praised. This is what David says about God's laws!I heard something worth thinking about from a preacher on Youtube. He said the angels in heaven are constantly declaring "Holy, Holy Holy" do we know why? They are acclaiming not only the being, the composition of God but also His acts, every single one of His Acts are Holy, Perfect, Just, Worthy of praise! So in heaven the angels aren't saying Holy, Holy Holy as a chant, in rhythm following a beat-but more like as declaring, as and when the acts occur, not in unison but perhaps, what I can think of is, like kids answering a question when a teacher throws a question at the whole class and its an answer everyone knows! But only in a continuous process, forever, non-stop! With wonder, with Awe, With admiration! Whoa Holy, Holy Holy the angels declare! That's how wonderful God's Works are on this earth.


Lessons
These verses in Psalm come from David, a man who after being anointed to be king did not really become king the very next day.  The Bible records in the book of Samuel how he went through struggle every single day of his time of preparation with Saul trying to kill him for no fault of his own except that Saul was jealous of David. How crazy is that!!! Yet God gave him twice a chance to take out Saul but David maintained that he would rather have God's justice for his situation rather than exercise his justification by himself!
The Laws of God have the ability to

1. Restore a person and make him complete in every way
2. Giving you wisdom
3. Bring rejoicing in your heart( a permanent thing)
4. Enlightening your perception-increasing your ability to observe the situation on a grander scale
5. Fear of the Lord makes a person clean!

How can we receive God's Justice through His Laws

1. Just by observing ONE THING-keeping yourself Holy before a Holy God - in mind, in heart, in words and in deeds that means making a very painful but conscious effort to have/harbor no evil thought towards the person or group who has wronged you!

David does exactly that - He asks God to clean him up of everything evil, even hidden sins, presumptuous sins. Stuff we do without knowing. David considered it important, very important to be clear of everything. Now when God looks at David, He sees no offense in him and is ready to bring His Perfect Justice into His circumstance! So when Justice is delivered you are clear of it!


Conclusion
So, there will always be people or groups who will despise you! Seek to do wrong to you even though there is nothing you have done to offend or hurt them! Take heart and make effort and ask God to help you clear up every malice from your heart, every bitterness toward them, every single thing that is not of God, so when God's justice is dealt out, you will observe it- standing and beholding and your spirit will cry out "Holy Holy Holy are the works of my God towards me!"

Creation -The Silent Declaration of His Glory

Psalm 19:1-6
The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice^[b] goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
⁵     It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.

Background
It is amazing to me that the whole of creation just stands there declaring the glory of God our Creator and I we  have no guts to do it! All that the wonderful heavens, the majestic mountain, the gorgeous sun and everything around us even our human body does is, declares the Glory of our Magnificent Creator! Now this has been on my mind, to be a carrier of God's presence all the time (24x7) . I do not mean to carry His Presence in only the words I speak, but just in my being anywhere that I am supposed to be. What I mean to say is that I desperately desire to so shine before men that they may see my good works and glorify my Father in Heaven! I love what St Francis of Assissi said "Preach the gospel and if necessary use words". How many times I have been waiting for the right words to say to prove to someone that I am truly a follower of Jesus Christ. But why can't I just shine in and through My God's Presence that people will see and know without the shadow of a doubt, this woman has something about her that makes me think of God or reminds me of God or makes me feel peace, love, joy and brings me hope.

Lesson
God has designed us so beautifully and His works are so marvelous that we don't really need words to convey His Glory! What better way to show off God to the people around us but by being like Him! He is awesome and amazing and glorious and love and in His presence there is fullness of joy and hope and He is an ever present help and He is slow to anger and He is rich in mercy....and so so much more that words truly cannot describe!
On my journey as a wife one of the first words that God gave me three months into my marriage was
 1 Peter 3:1

3 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, ² when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

Boy did this make life easier for us. I was more joyful in being quiet than in being the blah blah girl I used to be. I had tried my best in using words to convince people of God's love with no real action to back it up. You know how that would backfire!

Conclusion
God could have called us anything existing in His Creation but He chose to call us the light of the world. Light does not speak, it just has the behaviour which can expel darkness merely by its presence.Or that God would liken us to be the salt of this earth, being the preservative and flavour amplifiers in food.  The salt's being in the food can be tasted and known even though you don't see it in the food it is mixed in.
More often than not, I have used my own efforts and become a lightning and thunder of this earth rather than the salt and light of this earth(Matthew 5:13, Acts 13:47)!

Dear Lord Jesus, help us in being the people you made us to be. Help us to be the bearers of your presence therefore truly becoming your TEMPLE that you may dwell in us richly and we may carry Your beautiful, life changing presence wherever you send us. Let your light so shine through us that people on this earth may see our good works, that you have prepared for us from the beginning, and give all glory to our Father in Heaven!
Amen

Don't Move -You are being filled with God's Empowerment!

Psalm 17

¹⁴ From men by Your hand, O Lord, from men of this world [these poor moths of the night] whose portion in life is idle and vain. Their bellies are filled with Your hidden treasure [what You have stored up]; their children are satiated, and they leave the rest [of their] wealth to their babes.

¹⁵ As for me, I will continue beholding Your face in righteousness (rightness, justice, and right standing with You); I shall be fully satisfied, when I awake [to find myself] beholding Your form [and having sweet communion with You].

Background: Before David became something he was just a shepherd boy. He was a delivery guy for his brothers when he met his destiny! Yes, in terms of our overly educated society he was a nobody. Yet in the eyes of God he was somebody when he was yet in this state. He had to fight to get to where God would have him be. He faltered many a times as he attempted to grasp what God had shown him to do. Yes he made many a mistake, yet he did not give up on God and God did not give up on him.

To top it all God gave him the choicest army to work with when he debuted into God's plan for his life. Saul was trying to kill him, he was running away and  he found 300 losers to start his first army.

Here in this Psalm, David talks about the people, who he sees around him, prospering, having everything, storing up wealth for their children. In other words, if we looked at them in the eyes of our current society(my society), they were flourishing. Here nobody introduces a person without attaching their degree, qualification and job profile. Those are markers for the amount of respect that you are deemed to receive from the people around you. It doesn't matter what you are as a person on the inside. David saw it all, he grieved that he was (at this moment) not as successful as the one around him, but he knew something and thats our(my) lesson today..

Lessons

David understood one thing, he had tasted the Lord "Psalm 34:8". He had tasted something out of this world-extraterrestrial if I might add. I have not reached that level of tasting but this I have tasted-His love. Once while reading the Word of God, in the night I felt God's warm embrace hug me at even my cellular level infusing me with confidence and hope in this my God, my Creator who has plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me a hope and a future. He never fails. He has never failed, because He does not change like the rest of the things of this world(wealth, security, health, education). God has a plan for my life and it needs quiet preparation. Quiet means quiet-with no distractions and I will wait for my Lord do His work in me as He prepares me for what He has entrusted me to do(my portion of work on this planet)

Do not give up, all you who wait upon the Lord. You are being prepared for the very task God has created you for and placed you in the exact place you must perform the task and God is filling you up as you wait. By logic it is hard to fill a moving vessel, so don't be moved! Wait and get empowered by His awesome presence, which enables us to do His works on this planet so many will see and testify to the glory or our Father in Heaven.

Conclusion

Therefore I can say like David said in the above Psalm so I can say as it is written in 2 Timothy 1:12... for I know (perceive, have knowledge of, and am acquainted with) Him Whom I have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on), and I am [positively] persuaded that He is able to guard and keep that which has been entrusted to me and which I have committed [to Him] until that day.

Interact
Is there something you are going through and its hard for you to sit still and wait for the Lord to work it out on your behalf?

God Listens to us Seriously

Background: A lot of kings have changed since the time David was king, Israel and Judah have separated themselves after David passed away (they just wanted different kings). The Israelites have changed a lot. The recent kings, during the time Elisha has been the prophet, haven't shown any signs of devotion to the Living God like David did. During such a time the Bible records in 2 Kings 8:16-19 "16 In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. 18 He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. 19 Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, the LORD was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever. " What caught my eyes is this "19 Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, the LORD was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever. " Just that verse alone says so many things about our Lord God Almighty the Maker of heaven and earth.

Lessons I learnt

1. Our Lord's faithfulness surpasses our lifetime- Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. As we sow our lives in God and make every effort to love Him as He loved us, we can be rest assured our God will take care of our following generations. Isn't that (as we all have experienced Jesus as Lord of our lives know) the most beautiful and precious gift we could leave for our children, and their children's children. David has long gone, but God remembered His promise to David much much after he was gone.
2. Our God's Love endures forever- People may love you today, for whatever reason they have, even our loved ones may love us for whatever reason they have, but when the reason is gone, the love goes with it, but not with our Living Lord, our God's Love endures forever. When I gave a search in the Bible online for the phrase "love endures forever" I found sooooooooooo many references and most of them are from David. This man knew that he knew that He had found a love that never fades, a love that never gives up on him, a love that is forgiving, a love that restores, a love that heals, a love that comforts and a love that endures(meaning:To carry on through, despite hardships; undergo OR also To bear with tolerance) Isn't that so wonderful.
3. What God has promised He is able to do-God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? Numbers 23:18-20 Many a promise we would have received from people and they haven't made it. Many a times we've trusted a promise of a man or a company or a friend and it has failed us, but not with our Lord. When God promised Abraham he would be the father of many nations, little did he know how many nations God had on mind and aren't we all living witnesses of the effect of this promise to Abraham. No matter what country or language we are from, Abraham's blessing touched us wayyyyyyyyy out there. And lets not forget about the vast difference in centuries and continents and languages and climates and distances and yet, God's promise to Abraham didn't fail. Abraham is my father of faith, in a way his story of obedience taught me faith.

Conclusion: In this world of selfishness and hypocrisy, even among believers, there is a God whom you can trust your life with. A God who cares for you and thinks about you daily.Did you know that? God cares for you daily. The psalmist writes "Psalm 68:19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah" and what were we thinking. David responded beautifully when he came to know the promise of God's faithfulness to his family and to his children and their children and the whole generation after him.(2 Samuel 7) Little did David know, how seriously God had considered the words he spoke before God that day (mentioned in 2 Samuel 7) when he went into a room and prayed 27 "O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, 'I will build a house for you.' So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer. 28 O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29 Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever." 2 Samuel 7:27-29.

We have talked about God watching over us, but the verse that David wrote reads like this "Psalm 34:15

The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;"

Life's Not Normal...

This morning I woke up about 4:30am with 'this' thought on my head. It kept ringing in my mind as if I needed to hear it, not just once but over and over again.
I have been wondering quite a lot about my life lately. Why is it different?

I started thinking from the beginning of time, when God called Noah....all this while Noah was having a "normal" life...like all others, until one day when, "Genesis 6:13 God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth." Not only this, but that he had to build a boat...uh..on land!!!. Life didn't remain normal for him from that day on...

Then we read of Abraham, he must have been having a "normal" life at home with his parents and relatives in Us, until one day "Genesis 12:1[ The Call of Abram ] The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." Little did this man know that God meant what He said and that, this decision would change his life and the life of his descendants forever and we know what we have because of this our "faith" ancestor.

Then Joseph..another little boy who's life changed at the age of 13 when he shared, the dream God gave him. His own brothers sold him as slave to another country, but God had not abandoned this boy, God meant to keep the promise made to him through a dream. Joseph's life did not remain normal anymore.

Then there was Moses, from the day he was born, God had chosen him to represent and lead His people. The day God met him at the burning bush, his life did not remain normal...he was to go stand before the pharoah and demand God's people be set free and lead them to the promised land. He did not have the normal life from the day he took up his duties given by God.

Then another little boy, a shepherd boy, his life changed from the normal, when the man of God Samuel approached him and anointed him (in spite of there being a king in Israel, Saul, at that time) according to God's command. ...

Moving on to the latter times in the Bible, Saul- he thought he was doing a good thing by killing the Christians..until the time Acts 9:4 "He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"...and then his life did not remain "normal" anymore.

Whatever we think of as a "normal" life, does not remain normal anymore when our God enters in, it does not make sense until God's full plan is revealed. It makes no sense at all when you're just starting or halfway in the plan, but until the end is revealed. The world has fallen drastically so God has to change people's lives drastically for us to come out of our "normal" lives and appreciate the pleasant and perfect will of God, which only God can explain....in the end. Does it make sense that Jesus, God's only Son had to die for people who didn't know Him, was that big a sacrifice needed? We know it did, and was a valuable thing for us. Our lives, no matter how abnormal it may seem, no matter how inexplicable certain turns in life may seem, God knows the outcome of it all and He knows it is beautiful. For Noah, he saved his entire family from flood, as well as the creatures of the earth on that boat. For Joseph, he saved his family from famine and the people of Egypt during drought. For Moses, his life brought deliverance for the Israelites from Egypt. For David, a throne was established for the Israelites, that which would never lack a king...and would be the predecessor of the Great and Mighty King to come. For Jesus, his life became the cause of Salvation for the entire human kind.

Mercy

In the book of 1 Kings 16 onwards we have been reading through the life of Ahab. I am now on the 22nd chapter of 1 Kings. In the readings I find Ahab a very fickle minded person and disobedient to God, unless it was something that would benefit him.

• He and his evil wife Jezebel killed the prophets of the Living Lord
• He started following the gods of his wife Jezebel , baal, ashtoreths, asherah ..etc
• He takes over Naboth's vineyard by false means and killed Naboth
• Leading the nation of Israel to sin before the Living God by making them follow gods other than the Living Lord.

Then the word of the Lord came to Ahab through Elijah -" 20 Ahab said to Elijah, "So you have found me, my enemy!" "I have found you," he answered, "because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD. 21 'I am going to bring disaster on you. I will consume your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free. 22 I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have caused Israel to sin.'
23 "And also concerning Jezebel the LORD says: 'Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of [a] Jezreel.'
24 "Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds of the air will feed on those who die in the country."
25 (There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife. 26 He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the LORD drove out before Israel.)"

The Bible says "27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly. "

In spite of all the Ahab had done all his life, God saw his change and took him seriously and the Bible says "28 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: 29 "Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son."

Lessons I learnt

God took notice of Ahab's humility, God noticed!!! And not for anything else but our God being the source of all mercy, who sits on the mercy seat, who looks down from above to see whom He can bless, God shows His mercy.

David constantly cried out for God's mercy for every situation of his life and God kept him safe in his arms. I went through Psalms and I find that David continually asked for God's mercy. He knew Whom he was approaching. Even Job humbled himself during his troubled times and said "Though I were innocent, I could not answer him; I could only plead with my Judge for mercy.Job 9:14-16 Job was living a righteous life yet he did not consider that a big deal, he let everything in God's hand that he could not demand God his healing his restoration on the basis of his good works so far, but on God's mercy. Oh that brings God honour, knowing that God has mercy on us, not for our sake but because it is His nature, it is His discretion, it is His choice. The moment we start depending and counting on our own deeds for seeking God's mercy, we elevate ourselves in the position of demanding from God, yet this is not so. Just because our God is a Loving and Wonderful Friend to us, doesn't mean we forget His Position, His Power and His Authority over us. "It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy".Romans 9:15-17

• God's mercy is from everlasting to everlasting-Psa 100:5 "For the LORD [is] good; his mercy [is] everlasting; and his truth [endureth] to all generations. " "Psa 103:17 "But the mercy of the LORD [is] from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; "
• The merciful shall receive mercy-"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy" .Matthew 5:6-8 .
• Mercy is better than sacrifice-"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.Hosea 6:5-7

Seriously Faithful

I had a wonderful time studying David's life, and the way he "clung" to God it'll be difficult to continue with the Word of God without mentioning him. More than that this man leaves lasting impressions in the lives of people who come after him. I have now moved on to the Book of 1st Kings and I am amazed at the faithfulness that God is showing, to the promises He had made to David.

David has now passed away and Solomon has taken David's place. He has a done a good job of building the temple, asking the right thing, wisdom to rule God's people. However in the long run, Solomon fails to remain faithful to God. The Bible says in 1 Kings 11 that Solomon had a weakness for women and because of this, "4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been."(1 Kings 11:4) So much so that "9 The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD's command." (1 Kings 11:9-10). Though God could have removed Solomon from the throne immediately, as he did Saul, God does not remove Solomon and you know why? The Bible says "11 So the LORD said to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. 12 Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen." God did not remove Solomon for the sake of David’s faithfulness. Later on Ahijah the prophet met Jeroboam ( a man faithful to his duties, though he rebelled against Solomon) “and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 Then he said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand and give you ten tribes. 32 But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. 33 I will do this because they have [d] forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molech the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in my ways, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my statutes and laws as David, Solomon's father, did.” Then Ahijah continued saying “34 " 'But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who observed my commands and statutes. 35 I will take the kingdom from his son's hands and give you ten tribes. 36 I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name. 37 However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel. 38 If you do whatever I command you and walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you. 39 I will humble David's descendants because of this, but not forever.' "

God talked about David so many times, and kept reminding his descendants how faithful David was and that He would do everything for the sake of the promise God had made to David.

Lessons I learnt

1. Faithfulness to God goes a long way-David’s faithfulness to God sowed the seed for his children’s lives. Our God is a God who remembers His promises to His children from generations to generations, kept David in mind and dealt with them keeping David in mind. Our faith is more powerful than we can imagine. It goes beyond our lives, right upto the lives of our children and our children’s children.
2. Does God really have to bribe us to follow him?-Another big lesson I learnt from David’s life is that, David was not asking God for more money, more kingdoms, more people, more followers etc. All I remember from his life is, he did what he was asked to do. Even when he had to go for battle he would ask God if he should go for it or not. David just followed God. When he fumbled or made a mistake, he asked for forgiveness and went right back on track after God. Doesn’t the Word of God say in Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." I guess this is the biggest lesson I learnt from David’s life. David followed God and God blessed him in whatever he did. Isn’t that the same thing that happened to Joseph, though he went through trials and slavery and punishment for someone else’s fault, God blessed him in whatever he did and finally he came out a winner and all things were added unto him. When Abraham decided to follow God and trust him, he left Ur and later on we see he became rich and famous, just because he had faith in God.
   
   Conclusion-There are two very important lessons I learnt from this, how important our faith and faithfulness is, not only to us but also to our children. The other important thought I was thinking is, if a father had to pay his son or daughter to spend time with him, how cruel that would be. How sad that situation would be. Isn’t that the kind of attitude we’ve got for God today. Going to Him (our Father in heaven) only in time of need and in times of trouble and when we want something. It is true that God is our help in times of trouble, but then what about when the times are good, what’s our relationship with our Living Father then?? Let’s look at our relationship with our Lord very closely and see what our real attitude is towards our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Do we keep looking at God’s hand for all the things we can get or do we want to see His face and enjoy being His children, obedient in bringing a smile upon His face?

Quality Tested

The Bible records in 2 Samuel 23 the last words of David and in 2 Samuel 24 :1 we read "1 Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah." I was surprised that such a test be desired for David at such an old age. However, David went on with the census even though Joab his commander tried to talk David out of it."3 But Joab replied to the king, "May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?" . Well needless to say, that did not work and David went ahead with the census anyway. "10 David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing." Now comes the interesting part, God asks David a very unique question, I dont think I have come across such question posed to anyone else in the Bible so far. Gad the prophet came over to David and said "This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.' "
13 So Gad went to David and said to him, "Shall there come upon you three [b] years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me." and you know what David decided "14 David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men." David's answer is wonderful. More than that God asks David to perform a sacrifice and the plague in Israel is stopped.

Lessons

1. God tests His people for their faithfulness,no matter what their age. There is no time a believer can take a vacation from faith. Our faith is active and alive, working every single moment of our lives. Romans 1:17 says "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." Our very life depends on faith and thus it doesn't matter how old we get, as long as we live, we live by faith and God tested David to see whether his faith held ground even at that old age.
2. David's powerful understanding and relationship with God-I sometimes wonder if I were in David's place would I be able to make such a decision as David did. He could make a sure decision because he "knew" God, he could not vouch for people or for anything else but David could confidently vouch for God, he could vouch for God's mercies as he knew God's mercies are new every morning and His love endures forever.
3. Every failure David runs to God- One of the most important lessons David's life resounds is about God's forgiveness. David knew God's mercy more than anyone else I've met so far in my Bible lessons I guess. David didn't have such perfect life as one would expect from a man of God. He had some major downfalls, sins in his span of life. However the key that made David a "man after God's own heart" was his admittance that he keeps falling, he makes consistent effort to stay obedient to God in every step of his way. Every time he failed, he just ran to God and almost like threw himself at God's feet for God's mercy. He relentlessly surrendered to God at every situation of his life (be it success or a failure) and God always took him. You know, many times when we fall short (which we will because we're still in a flesh which tends to disobey God."Matthew 26:41"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." we learn from David , we MUST run TO GOD and not away.
4. Nothing cheap for God-Later on when God asked David to perform a sacrifice, David was at Araunah's place and Araunah offered all that he had to David to be able to sacrifice. However David replied "24 But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." These verses are used as wonderful testimony for David anywhere people talk about David. Surely David gave God the best, always. Even in his life, he offered what was costly to any human, his life.

Conclusion: We're coming to the end of the life of a man who has impacted lives of believers around the world. David has taught me that we have failures but that shouldn't discourage us from following our Living God, he knows we are flesh and we are weak more than anyone else. he doesn't expect us to be perfect, if God did where would we stand. David's life brings out a different kind of intense relationship man can have with God. A man after God's own heart. Even though he had many faults and shortcomings, he yet followed God whole heartedly, totally depending on God for whatever God's decision would be for his life. God always turned his life around no matter how bad he messed up. We have hope with our Living God. There is no refuge like our Living God, Who reaches out for His children to bring them out of darkness into light.

A Song in Praise

David, a man who went through so many troubles, so many hardships, family problems, enemy problems, sin, sons fighting among themselves, sons misbehaving with their sisters, people who were not faithful to him for the care he showed to them when they were in trouble...well and so many more. This kind of a man, writes a song to the Living God

He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn [a] of my salvation.

He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent men you save me.
4 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.
5 "The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6 The cords of the grave [b] coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.
7 In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God.

From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears.
8 "The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens [c] shook;

they trembled because he was angry.
9 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.
10 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.
11 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared [d] on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness his canopy around him— the dark [e] rain clouds of the sky.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth.
14 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot arrows and scattered the enemies , bolts of lightning and routed them.
16 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare

at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of breath from his nostrils.
17 "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.
20 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
21 "The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God.
23 All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.
24 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.
25 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness [f] in his sight.
26 "To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
28 You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.
29 You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light.
30 With your help I can advance against a troop [g] ;with my God I can scale a wall.
31 "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless.

He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God besides the LORD ? And who is the Rock except our God?
33 It is God who arms me with strength [h] and makes my way perfect.
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.
35 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You give me your shield of victory; you stoop down to make me great.
37 You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.
38 "I pursued my enemies and crushed them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
39 I crushed them completely, and they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet.
40 You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet.
41 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes.
42 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but he did not answer.
43 I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets.
44 "You have delivered me from the attacks of my people; you have preserved me as the head of nations. People I did not know are subject to me,
45 and foreigners come cringing to me; as soon as they hear me, they obey me.
46 They all lose heart; they come trembling [i] from their strongholds.
47 "The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior!
48 He is the God who avenges me, who puts the nations under me,
49 who sets me free from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me.
50 Therefore I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name.
51 He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,

to David and his descendants forever."

This poem that David wrote is so uplifting. There are times when you feel there is no help, the situation seems overwhelming. It may not be a problem caused by the outside forces, it may be something my own inability or failure might have stirred up, but God remains faithful. That does not mean we take advantage of God's goodness, but it means to give ourselves to Him totally that He may set everything right.

A young boy was building a kite, he did not know how it works but he just wanted to make one. He had all the items needed, his dad asked him if he needed help, he said "No". The boy did make something, though it was not a kite and it was all messed up. His dad waited and watched by his side as the boy continued to try to fix it. Finally he could not. He turned to his dad and asked his dad if he could help. Of course by this time, the material was over, the kite was torn, the wires and stuff all entangled. Dad patiently yet, helped the boy and untagled everything one by one, patched up the work, got some new material and made the kite a kite. It wouldn't have had that many patches if the boy had asked his dad for help in the first place isn't. I am sometimes like that boy, trying to do things on my own, thinking that I could make it work better, but the One Daddy who watches from heaven is the one who really has a clear idea of what I am at and how it'll work out.

Let's learn to trust our Living Heavenly Father with "every " issue of our life, "every endeavour" we may ever take up and let Him make things work together for our good. He knows, even when we didn't. No matter how trivial the thing may seem, lets give it to our daddy to guide us and help us do it right, the first time. That saves a lot of potential patches the end result would have.

God Bless