magbo system

Blessed in the tabernacle – Part One

BIBLE STUDY, DAILY LIFE, ENCOURAGEMENT, TRUSTING GOD

shallow focus photography of hot coffee in mug with saucerIt had been a busy morning already. Having hit snooze twice, morning routines had been shortened: only token wake-up stretches, just a few scritches atop Lily’s head and abbreviated, albeit not abandoned, morning devotions. But I remembered, as ever, to grab the current Bible passage for meditation from its resting place on the kitchen counter.  With a final “I love you, Lily Bugs!” I slung my lunch bag and purse over my shoulder and was out the door into the slanting rays of morning sun. At the foot of the stairs, I stopped and glanced at the paper in my hand, as I would all the way to the gym.

Photo by Tim Foster on Unsplash

“How lovely are Your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! “Tabernacles, tabernacles, tabernacles . . .” I glanced at the paper in my lap then murmured as I waited for the light to change. “Oh, I see, Lord! Is the psalmist saying that at the points along life’s journey where You let us be aware of Your presence – the places where we stop and worship You and You receive our sacrifices, the tabernacles—are lovely? Just as the Israelites always carried a way—that portable tent—for You to dwell with them, so we always carry about in our heart the way for You to dwell with us? Is that what You mean here, Lord?”

I began meditating-upon-Scriptures-with-the-intent-to-memorize five years ago when God healed my soul of depression. Although far from perfect in this spiritual discipline, I have been consistent. God has never once failed to bless me beyond the ability to tell as I meditate on His Word. Each and every time.

Why? One reason is that when we meditate on His Word, when we consciously turn our thoughts toward Him with gratitude, admiration, respect, and worship, we create a space for Him to be with us. We build a spiritual tabernacle. In my view, this spiritual tabernacle is the central subject of Psalm 84.

OUTLINE: One way to outline this psalm is as follows:

Verses 1 -4        Adoring God and describing the blessedness of His presence – of being in His tabernacle.
Verses 5-7         Thinking of how God’s presence brings strength.
Verses 8-12       Talking with God – Confidently asking for God’s attention, further adoration of God, reminding oneself of God’s goodness and the blessedness of fully trusting God. And, as a consequence, getting so caught up in adoration as to forget to make the request? I think so.

green grassPhoto by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash

What is a tabernacle? Webster’s 1828 online dictionary (Websters 1828 – Webster’s Dictionary 1828 – Tabernacle) gives several definitions of tabernacle:

  • a tent,
  • a temporary habitation,
  • a place of worship or sacred place, and
  • our natural body (see 2 Corinthians 5:1 and 2 Peter 1:3.)

Two more definitions are especially relevant to this exploration of Psalm 84:

  • “God’s gracious presence, or the tokens of it” and
  • “Among the Jews, a movable building, so contrived as to be taken to pieces with ease and reconstructed, for the convenience of being carried during the wanderings of the Israelites in the wilderness.”

PSALM 84, VERSE BY VERSE: Psalm 84:1-4 – “To the Chief Musician; set to a Philistine lute, or [possibly] a particular Gittite tune. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Who were “the sons of Korah?” It is helpful in understanding this psalm to know that the sons of Korah wrote it. These descendants of Korah–who rebelled against God’s authority and was killed for it–were some of King David’s expert warriors. Later descendants of Korah were prominent leaders of orchestral and choral temple worship, well-known for their dedication to serving in God’s house. So, we are hearing the heart of someone with deep passion for God and for being in His presence, a supremely worthy attitude to adopt. Let’s search for the truths God has hidden in this song of ecstatic worship.

1 How lovely are Your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God.
3 Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
4 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!”

Do you see that in the first four verses the psalmist is earnestly, ecstatically praising God as he thinks about the blessedness of being in God’s presence? Look at Verse One.

Verse One: “How lovely are Your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!” I have been pondering the understanding I received that morning for several weeks now, that idea that we build a spiritual tabernacle when we turn our thoughts consciously to Him. When we praise and adore Him, we make God the most important thing in our lives. We make Him King. Our whole-hearted praise creates a spiritual throne, with God lifted up and us fully submitted to Him, positioned at His feet, the only appropriate way for us to be in His presence. Truly, God is “enthroned on the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3b, NLT) and His presence is readily perceived.

That throne, that Divinely-ordained place of meeting with God, is in our hearts, just as the Holy of Holies was in the tabernacle wherein the ancient Israelites worshipped. The Israelites always had available the God-given means, wherever they were, to stop and erect their portable tabernacle. So we always have available the God-given means to stop and build a place to worship Him and to easily perceive His presence – in our hearts.

And here in Verse One, the psalmist is reflecting on how lovely God is in those special places, so lovely that it makes him homesick.

Verse Two: My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God.

Ever been homesick? Remember when you could think only of cherished faces, smiles, and voices, of familiar sights, sounds, and smells, and the comfort of your accustomed surroundings and activities? The psalmist longs so intensely and persistently for the joys of being with “the living God” that his longing is nearly palpable. And just remembering being in God’s presence makes him sing for joy.

Obviously, the psalmist is one for whom God has become his home. Home is where you live permanently. It is the primary source for all things necessary for life. You leave home to work, see friends, and run errands but each night you eagerly return. Home is where you get physical and emotional sustenance, restorative rest, joy and so much more. It is your primary place for receiving comfort and companionship.  Can I truly say the living God is my home? Do I dwell, or live permanently, in His presence? Is He my main source for all things relating to life?

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ (Psalm 91:1-2, NIV).

Am I like a bird, diligently searching out the most fitting place to live and fulfill the purpose for which God created me?

Verse Three – Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

I think God is reminding us here He cares for even the tiniest, apparently least significant of His creatures and that He has provided abundantly for these smallest of creatures to live as close to Him—His very altars—as is possible in this earthly realm.  If God does that for birds, how much more will He do that for us?

Birds live and build nests where there is enough food.  We can live and make our home in God’s presence because in His presence is abundant spiritual supply.

a nest of birds in a treePhoto by Annie Lang on Unsplash

Besides densely vegetated areas, sparrows roost in man-made structures, as does the most common swallow, the barn swallow. Possibly the psalmist, after reflecting on Israel’s early history, is now thinking of sparrows living in the tabernacle of King David’s time that, unlike the wilderness Tabernacle, was stationary.

Perhaps Jesus had this psalm in mind when He reassured His followers that they were far more valuable than sparrows. As recorded in Matthew 10, Jesus sent out His disciples and gave them authority to minister, “to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” (Matthew 10:1 b, NIV). Jesus reassured them there was no need to fear their enemies, even those who would seek to “kill the body but who could not kill the soul” (Mattthew 10:28). Jesus said:

“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell 29 What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. 30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”  (Matthew 10:28-31, NLT)

Possibly when Jesus sent out His followers on their own, He was thinking of them protectively and affectionately, as a father with a child, wanting them to remember the sparrows living in the Temple which His followers would have seen when they went to worship. Maybe He wanted them to remember—as they encountered the enemy on their own for the first time without Him—that they could always come into His presence in spirit whenever they turned their hearts to Him. He wanted them to be about Kingdom business with joy.

Verse Four: “Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!”The first four verses of Psalm 84 could be like one paragraph of thought. Starting at Verse One, the psalmist exclaims “Oh, Lord! the places where You meet with us are lovely, so lovely that I am homesick and pining to meet with You again! You love the lowliest of creatures, even the tiniest birds. Anyone who lives with You is so fortunate that they will sing about You all day long!”

Verse Four points out a by-product of being in God’s presence constantly: you will be busy “singing His praises all the day long” (emphasis added). You will be enthusiastically extolling His countless virtues, admiring Him and the things He does—all day long. Will that leave time for doubt or fear or frustration? It is a good idea to selah, to “pause and think calmly about that” as the last word in Verse Four urges us to do.

What thoughts come to your mind as you re-read Verses One through Four and stop to think? Stop now and do that. Give God a chance to speak to your heart.

Part Two will start with the next verse, Verse Five, which, like Verse Four, also begins with the word blessed as the psalmist continues thinking about the benefits of living in God’s presence.

A couple of birds sitting on top of a wire

Photo by Sophie Legtenberg on Unsplash

 

The Goodness of God, #godindailylife, #thebibleindaily life

ANXIETY, DAILY LIFE, ENCOURAGEMENT, HARD TIMES, TRUSTING GOD

turned-on laptop computer on top of side table inside bedroomPhoto by Cesar Aldhela on Unsplash

God loves and accepts me . . .  I paused a moment to get oriented, leaning forward on the edge of the bed. Gray light was barely visible around the edges of the window. I smiled up at the ceiling and repeated my personalized version of Psalm 16:3, the verse which had started my day for the six months or so since it had come alive during morning devotions.

“Father, I do roll my works upon You, I commit and trust everything I do today completely to You, and I know You will cause my thoughts to become agreeable to Your will, and in this way our plans —our plans, Lord, not mine but ours — shall be established and succeed.”

I reached over to turn on the radio and stood up. Scuffling the few steps to the bathroom, I paused. As the first few bars of slow, trilling melody glided through the darkness, I felt God gently touch my mind, as ever, with this song.

“I love You, Lord for Your mercy never failed me.
All my days, I’ve been held in Your hands.
From the moment that I wake up until I lay my head
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God.

(The Goodness of God, by Ed Cash, Ben Fielding, Jason Ingram, Brian Johnson, and Jenn Johnson, 2018)

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head as overwhelming feelings swirled. I grabbed the towel from the rack and buried my face in it. I stood there, sobbing and weeping as scenes from all the years of God’s unspeakable goodness marched by, scenes like finding two twenty-dollar bills in a closet when my fourth grader needed shoes and we needed groceries, the providence of finding that civil service job with good benefits, God’s leading me to friends when I had none, and years of feeling God’s presence through the Word, worship and sitting in silence with Him.

“Thank You, Father, thank You for this fresh manifestation of Your presence and love. I know that You are telling me You love me and You accept me, just like I am.”

I paused as I noticed a thought that did not seem to be my own.

“Lord, I think that all my life, even after knowing You, the question ‘Am I doing everything right?’ has caused much of the fear, discouragement, and self-criticism. But You know that verse in Psalm 57, the one that says, “You show Your approval of me when You help and comfort me”? Well, I know You are comforting me right now through that song because, as I listen, my emotions are responding. You, Lord, are touching my feelings on the inside and I feel loved. I think You are showing that You approve of me, even though I feel I am not doing enough with my spiritual life lately. This is a lesson I apparently need to keep learning. Oh, Father! Help me take it to heart!”

. . . even when I feel like a failure. The relief was intense because yesterday, like many days recently, fatigue had demanded extra rest and wrecked my plans. After the bare minimum of daily chores and two essential errands, I lacked mental energy even to text or call a friend or do Bible study. I rested through the afternoon, had an early dinner then went to bed, too tired physically and mentally for the fervent attention to my prayer list that I had planned. Even the little I had done that day had required repeated proclamations of Scriptures like Psalm 28:7: “The Lord is my Strength and my [impenetrable] Shield; my heart trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song will I praise Him”

He tells me everything will be alright.  After tea, morning prayer, and breakfast, I stepped into the surprisingly cool air outside.

“Kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty! Here, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty!” I leaned over the balcony and saw her, my sweet little tortoise shell stray, running down the sidewalk, away from her hidey hole around the corner of the building next door.

“Meow! Meow! Meoooooow!” all the way down the sidewalk and up the stairs she came. Little Bit rubbed my ankles thoroughly as I poured kitty kibble into her bowl. I took her water dish inside for washing and refilling, then came back out and sat on the folding chair while Little Bit chomped a third of the kibble. Then, as usual, she jumped into my lap for ten minutes or so of ear rubbing and murmured sweet nothings.

            “Everything’s going to be alright, little girl. I’m going to take care of everything for you.” Then, as suddenly as when I first woke, tears filled my eyes as memory brought another treasured song to my inner hearing – “Gonna Be Alright,” by Ryan Ellis. (2) Ryan Ellis – Gonna Be Alright (Official Music Video) – YouTube

Tears fell on Little Bit’s cream and black fur.

“Father, I think You are telling me that You will never criticize me when I am trying to do good for You and the Kingdom. You will never tell me I am not good enough, or that everything I do is a mess, or that I am sloppy or messy, or that me and my life are pathetic. I know those are all lies directly from the enemy when he is trying to steal my joy with You. I am submitted to You, and I can resist the devil, tell him to leave, and he has to leave, like You tell us in James 4:7!

I know that nothing I ever do could cause You to love me more. Though that does not make sense to my human reasoning I know that is true. You accept me just as I am.  You showed us all that, Lord Jesus, because You died for us while we were rejecting You and living whatever way we wanted to, as Romans 5:8 tells us.

I know Your love for me exceeds the height of the heavens above the earth (Psalm 103:11). You showed the greatness of Your love, Lord Jesus, when You died on the cross. Laying down Your life for me is the greatest love of all, as You say in John 15:13.

You delight in everything I do, far more than a human parent delights in a little child, and You prepare each step of my day (Psalm 37:23). I know that “. . . in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm 139:16-b, AMPC),

Though sometimes I feel like it, I know have not disappointed You because I am not further along in my journey with You. I know that is true because I am trying with my whole heart to love You and serve You and that is all You require. You tell me so in Deuteronomy 10:12-13

I know that You long to help me far more than I can understand! Help me meditate on and get the powerful truths of Isaiah 30:18 deep into my heart, Lord!

8 And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]! (Isaiah 30:18, AMPC)

He helps me keep trusting and doing good . . . So dear friend, what led up to needing God’s reassurance so desperately? For the last six months or so a broken relationship caused deep emotional pain. The relationship is partially restored, for which I am grateful beyond words, but we all are so very human. Much remains to be mended. I continue to pray, trust God and speak words of healing over that relationship. I also continue to trust God for complete healing from surgery and other ailments my earthly tabernacle is enduring. I praise Him for the healing He has already done and for what He is doing and going to do!

However, thoroughly human human being that I am, I occasionally feel discouraged about these things. I also get discouraged at times with how much time dealing with things of the world takes away from my heart’s desire to be about God’s business! By His grace, when I stumble like that I keep getting back up and moving forward with my heart fixed on God and His mercy and goodness. I choose to give voice to my gratitude, and I choose to speak His Words of truth about my life situations.

I am especially grateful for Psalm 37. Recently, I have been leaning extra hard on verses 3 and 4.

3 Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.

4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. (AMPC)

I know that, in His strength and by His grace, I can:

  • Have firm belief in the Lord, His mercy and His goodness as I go about living a life of complete surrender and loving service to Him.
  • I know that as I do that I will remain in the land, or condition, where His promises are fulfilled, just as they were for the Israelites.
  • I know that, while I am doing that, He will supply my every need. His faithfulness will supply me as surely as a shepherd supplies green grass to feed His sheep.
  • And, when doubts about that come because of the enemy’s arrows or my own weakness, I can meditate on the fact that God already knew that I would sometimes have doubts because He emphasizes the fact that I will be fed when He says “truly you shall be fed.” He was stressing that promise!
  • As I live my life, taking pleasure hour by hour in living with Jesus, I can ponder His promise that, as I do so, He will give me the things I desire and the things only He and I know about.

a couple of people standing on a beach under a cloudy sky

Photo by Elias Maurer on Unsplash

. . . and He lets me feel His presence. Our every breath depends totally upon God. I often think of Job 12:10: “For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being.” NLT). One of my greatest needs since finding Jesus has always been to feel His presence and to know He approves of me. He has so graciously shown me how He wants me to live all these many years. And He has shown His approval of me when He helps and comforts me, as He is doing even this minute.

17 Show me a sign of [Your evident] goodwill and favor, that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame, because You, Lord, [will show Your approval of me when You] help and comfort me. (Psalm 86:17, AMPC)

I believe that desperately needing God is very good, as David expressed in Psalm 63:1.

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (AMPC)

Many books have been written about how God communicates with us, and the Bible is filled with truth about that topic. Here is a link to an excellent article about this precious gift of hearing God speak to us.  30 Powerful Bible Verses About God Speaking To Us (Full Commentary) – Bible Study For You

A prayer of thanksgiving to God for the manifestation of His presence. A manifestation is a “demonstration of the existence of something ‘unseen or obscure or secret’ by clear evidence. (Webster’s 1828 online dictionary). With that in mind, I pray:

Oh, Lord, my God, my Savior, my sweet and loving King! I thank You, Lord, and I praise You for demonstrating Your existence to me over and over by clear evidence I can perceive, even though You are invisible to my physical senses. Thank You for drawing near when I call to You and telling me “Fear Not.” (Lamentations 3:57.) Thank You for Your tender mercies and innumerable loving kindnesses, which never fail (Lamentations 3:22). I love You, Lord!

I can only join with Charles Wesley, Lord, and say:

O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer’s praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace!

2 My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread thro’ all the earth abroad
the honors of your name.

3 Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease,
’tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’tis life and health and peace.

4 He breaks the power of cancelled sin,
he sets the prisoner free;
his blood can make the foulest clean;
his blood availed for me.

5 To God all glory, praise, and love
be now and ever given
by saints below and saints above,
the Church in earth and heaven. (Charles Wesley, 1739)

Amen, my precious Father in heaven, amen!

A little note: A tidbit about this little writing. . . When I began this writing I wondered if it would just be a journal entry. However, over the following three days I heard The Goodness of God three more times. Then as I sit at my computer, doing the final proofreading and looking out my second-floor window, I saw Little Bit languidly strolling, as only cats can do, down the sidewalk. I had only seen her in early morning or early evening, never in the middle of the day. I had to smile. Seeing Little Bit and hearing The Goodness of God may or may not be an indication from God that He wants me to share these thoughts. But, once again, in His tender way, I believe He has let me know He is with me, He loves me, and He understands me.

He is also with you, this moment, He loves you, and He understands you. Will you stop and let Him love you, however that looks for you and Him? We look to Him for our every breath. He looks to us to love Him and choose to be with Him.

Give me a hug. Father spending time with his son outside.

Photo by Getty Images for Unsplash

Honoring Charlie Kirk

Uncategorized

If you knew and admired and loved Charlie Kirk, you probably feel shocked and sad. Please click the link below for a Flashpoint special broadcast about this great hero of our faith. It will greatly encourage you and comfort you.

Charlie Kirk Panel Discussion | America’s Turning Point | FlashPoint

What can we do to honor Charlie Kirk? We can follow in his footsteps of faith by speaking out, however we can, whenever we can, whatever way we can, for God and for righteousness.

If you do not know how you can take an active part in the fight against the evil, watch Flashpoint Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings at 7 Central Time.  You will hear God’s viewpoint on what is happening in our world, and you will learn about things we can all do to take our part in the fight against evil. We can all do something, even if we have never taken a political action in our entire life.

In the war against evil, what we do as individuals matters. Charlie Kirk knew this. He devoted his life to standing with those, especially the young, who were standing alone. Honor his life. Do something.

FlashPoint – YouTube

Just a note . . .

Uncategorized

Hi – just a note to let you know that you will continue to see fewer blog posts for a while. The reason is a common one: cataracts!  I am grateful that God has given doctors the wisdom on how to remedy this obstacle that most of us face, sometimes sooner, sometimes later.

My enthusiasm for God’s Word and for sharing it with you has not waned. On the contrary, I am eager to be free from eye strain and to return to regular blogging and writing.  I am trusting in God with confidence in His mercy and graciousness, for this and all things, for me and for you.

1 Be merciful and gracious to me, O God, be merciful and gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge and finds shelter and confidence in You; yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I take refuge and be confident until calamities and destructive storms are passed. (Psalm 57:1, AMPC).

Love and prayers and blessings!
Freda

two person step on gray soilPhoto by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash

God changes the world for you

ANXIETY, DAILY LIFE, ENCOURAGEMENT, HOPE, TRUSTING GOD

Note: First published March 24, 2023

What’s your perspective today? When I returned home this morning, I glanced down the length of the sidewalk, turned splotchy gray from rain. Quarter-inch puddles stood here and there in the uneven spots, evidence of the passage of years or else of the impatience of the long-ago sidewalk crew. A patch of black dirt stood next to a single mud puddle that reflected the darkened sky. Not such a cheery scene. However, in the center of the six-by-six-foot patch of black dirt grew a sizeable tangle of some sort of shamrock green foliage. I always take a few moments to draw near this little patch of exuberant green to contemplate dew or rain drops winking like diamonds on the surface of the leaves.

How closely are you looking? As I stepped closer, I avoided three snails, each one using its miraculously-constructed “muscular foot” (I had to look that up!) to push against the sidewalk and propel itself along. When my grandsons were younger, I had, perforce, developed the habit of glancing at the ground for little treasures, like roly-poly bugs, lady bugs, bottlecaps, coins and anything else that attracted their curiosity and their magpie-like vision.

Looking closely at God’s handiwork is a good habit. It is obvious that those whom Holy Spirit used to write the Bible were keen observers of nature. I am grateful to God that He provides glimpses of nature even if we must live and work in an urban environment. How often have I heard the chirp of sparrows in bushes as I walked into my office building? How many times have I thrilled to see the sunset from the lofty elevation of an interstate as I drove home on winter evenings? And, in recent years, I have found deep beauty and peace in city parks. But you have to pay attention. You have to look closely to see things like diamond-speckled leaves, right outside your front door.

Beauty, wonder and peace. As I anticipate the next few weeks, which will include a repeat surgery and recovery, I am determined to focus on the countless good things God has provided, good things like knowledge and skill to physicians, bodies that generally work well (which is itself an unaccountable miracle when you think of how many moving parts we humans have!), food, shelter, family and friends, His Word, His powerful and sweet, sweet presence, a good church, and the way that carefully considering nature brings peace.

I wrote the following poem more than thirty years ago. I’ve lived in several homes since then. In each one, God always included a place where I could sit and drink in the sunset and sunrise, even though the view was often partially obstructed. Nonetheless, I sensed His special presence at sunrise and sunset and at any point in the day where I slowed down, observed His handiwork closely and gave Him thanks.

Won’t you take time, today, to slow down and stand in awe at the beauty with which God has lovingly surrounded you? Won’t you take time to be with God? He is waiting for you – eagerly, watchfully, joyfully.

“God changes the world for you”

God changes the world, twice, for you each day.
He dims the light
softens the sound
cools the air
and flames heaven with patterned colors,
all to delight your soul, calm your spirit, and give you rest.

As a tender parent, He blankets earth, and you, with soothing peace.

Stop. Still your hands. Let your Maker tell you of His love for you.

Pause in your rush to do. Listen.
He says “Be with Me” as He said to Adam and Eve in Eden.
Honor His love for you.
Pay attention.

Let Him show you how He turns green branches into inky black filigree.
Let Him delight your ear with birdsong and thrumming silence.
Let Him cool your skin with gentle whispers of wind that slide through the sheltering trees.

Breathe deeply. Take in the fragrances floating in cooler air.

Let Him give your body rest.
Simply stop. Open your heart and your eyes to your Maker.
And thank Him.

You will feel His presence.
You will know His love.

a silhouette of a tree against an orange skyPhoto by Ethel Gr on Unsplash

 

The message of the hummingbird, #godindailylife, #thebibleindailylife

ANXIETY, DAILY LIFE, ENCOURAGEMENT, GRATITUDE, HARD TIMES, HOPE, TRUSTING GOD

brown humming bird flying in mid airPhoto by Mark Olsen on Unsplash

Note: First published July 25, 2024.

Unsettled. Plink, plink. The kitty kibble rattled into the bottom of Lilly’s bowl. I scratched the top of her head.

“I love you, Lilly bugs. I’m so glad I have you. You are a gift, you know.”

I walked from bedroom back to front room, ignoring the rumpled throw atop the couch and two days of mail sliding off the toppled stack of books on the end table. Darkness still claimed the edges of the room, covering over other signs of recent neglect. Cup of tea in hand, I moved to sit in the rocker by the window, not clicking on the lamp, preferring the softened edges of darkness.

“Father, I feel so unsettled, so messed up, just lost and hurting, Lord. I just need to sit here with you, Lord, and just talk with You about it all. My feelings and thoughts are such a jumble, and it hurts so bad. I cannot do anything about it, absolutely nothing, but pray. You know what I mean by that, Lord. As a thoroughly human human being, I feel in control, at least a little, when I can do something tangible about a situation. But I also know, by faith and by experience, that prayer is tangible and produces tangible results.

This has moved me to pray like never before, Lord, but I still just want to do something. I want to be there, I want to help, I love. . . “

A long pause. I stare out the window, into the gentle dimness. Tears, tears, and more tears.

“I love him so much, Lord, and I can’t do anything. I can’t do anything!”

Another longer, deeper pause.

“But I will pray, Lord, and You can help. You can do anything (Matthew 19:26). Nothing is too hard for You. . .  (Genesis 18:14)

Then, right where I was looking, at the tip of the rose bush growing up the drain pipe outside my second-floor window, a hummingbird poised, for a quick moment, at the end of the branch–a branch with no blossoms, nothing to attract hummingbirds. Then the finger-sized creature darted away, the first hummingbird I’ve seen in the five years I’ve lived here.

The soft blanket of God’s love enfolded me with comforting weightiness. Fresh tears. As so often before, God put a bird right in front of my eyes to remind me of His presence.

“Oh, Father! Thank You! I know You are right here with me. I know You are with me in this. I know You understand how I feel and You are feeling what I am feeling. That’s what compassion is, isn’t it, feeling with someone?

I think You are telling me You have felt the tears the last few days, and You understand that I have not been able to focus, to think or to pray. It’s been all I could do just to do the minimum . . . but to know that You understand, Lord, that You see me, that You promise to never ever fail me, to always help me.

Silently, the balm of a favorite verse moved through my thoughts.

“. . . and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you) [Assuredly not!]  (Hebrews 13:5b, AMPC)

When it hurts too bad. When something turns your heart inside out, when you cannot think clearly enough to pray or even read the Bible, God understands. And He shares your feelings.

For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning. (Hebrews 4:15, AMPC)

God not only shares your feelings, but He earnestly, passionately longs to help you (Isaiah 30:18). That’s one reason He tells us in many Bible passages to pour out our hearts to Him, to cast all our cares on Him, to trust Him and not worry. He knows that just putting sorrow or fear into words, to a trusted, loving person, lightens our emotional burden. So, He says:

Trust in, lean on, rely on, and have confidence in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us (a fortress and a high tower). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! (Psalm 62:8, AMPC, emphasis added),

The power of trust. Look again at the verse above. Notice that trusting God includes leaning on Him, relying on Him and having confidence in Him. This thought is repeated in Isaiah 26:3 in the AMPC.

3 You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.

4 So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages]. (Isaiah 26:3, AMPC, emphasis added)

 Trust, according to Webster’s 1828 online dictionary, is:

“Confidence; a reliance or resting of the mind on the integrity, veracity, justice, friendship or other sound principle of another person. Includes actively knowing . . . ”

I like that phrase “actively knowing”. That encourages me to keep my mind busy thinking about God’s faithfulness, the endless facets of His goodness, His awesome power, His sovereignty over all that was and is and is to come, His unbounded love for me, and the surety of all His promises. And in hard times, like now, it comforts me to meditate on Romans 8:28, the fact that “ God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (NLT)

Trust and obey. Perhaps you have heard the beloved hymn “Trust and obey” written by John H. Sammis in 1887. Below is the first verse and the refrain.

  1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
    What a glory He sheds on our way!
    While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
    And with all who will trust and obey.
  • Refrain:
    Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
    To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

“Dwell in the land and do good” That beautiful hymn brings to mind Psalm 37:3.

Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed. (AMPC)

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This verse has helped me move forward with daily life before when darkness closed in. This verse says God’s faithfulness will feed me. We are the sheep of His pasture and He is the good shepherd. We can trust Him to take good care of us. Didn’t He lay down his life for us because He so loves us?

With those thoughts in mind, I can look for good things to be grateful for, I can go on with the tasks of this day, I can look for ways to help others, I can meditate on the Bible truths I know. I can do what I need to do because it is God Who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13) I can rely on Him, not myself. And, by God’s great grace, I can put into practice Paul’s advice in Philippians 4:4-9.

 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9, NIV, emphasis added)

No matter the situation, there is always something in it for which I can give God thanks. That is one of the first things to do when burdens are heavy.

Steps to take when you are troubled:

[1] Be grateful for what you have. Find the good things in the situation and sincerely thank God. That is part of putting Philippians 4:4-9 into practice. And Psalm 100 instructs us to approach God through giving thanks.

[2] Pray about the situation. Include statements, often called proclamations or positive confessions, about the situation and what God is doing. Tell God, “Father, thank You that You never sleep, that You always are watching the entire earth. Thank You that Your mercy never ends. Thank You that I know Your love and mercy extend to everyone and that You are always seeking to draw people to You. . . “

Also, spend time praying in tongues, also called praying in the Spirit. If this is a new concept to you, see the free booklet “The Remedy for Desperation”, beginning at page 14 (available on the Basics of Believing page of this website).

[3]  Release the weight of your worries to God. The well-known verse “Cast all your anxiety upon Him for He cares for you” in I Peter 5:7 is a quotation from Psalm 55:22. Notice how the AMPC verse clarifies that we are to release the weight of the burdens we carry:

“Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail).” (AMPC)

Notice also that God promises He will keep the consistently righteous from falling. Consistent means to be regular or steady in doing something. Consistent does not mean perfect.

[4] Trust God, keep doing good, and keep moving forward with your life. Honor God by considering Him your only hope of safety (Isaiah 8:24). Ponder His omnipotence and His unfathomable love. And I say again: keep moving forward with your life. Except for times of sickness, mourning, or other legitimate reasons, withdrawing from daily life is dangerous. Idleness and isolation leave the heart open to attacks from Satan. Keep your hands and your mind busy. And the best thing to busy your mind with is, of course, God’s Word.

[5] Meditate on His Word. Nothing calms the soul like keeping the mind fixed on God. Consider Isaiah 26:3 in the AMPC.

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. (emphasis added)

Be at rest, oh my soul! Hope confidently in the Lord! He has never, no never, no never failed you in any regard and He never, no never, no never will! (Hebrews 13:5). He is with you, and He adores you.

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Comfort and confidence from God, #godindailylife, #thebibleindaily life

ANXIETY, ENCOURAGEMENT, HARD TIMES, HOPE, TRUSTING GOD

huge wave at daytime

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1 Be merciful and gracious to me, O God, be merciful and gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge and finds shelter and confidence in You; yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I take refuge and be confident until calamities and destructive storms are passed.

2 I will cry to God Most High, Who performs on my behalf and rewards me [Who brings to pass His purposes for me and surely completes them]! (Psalm 57:1-2, AMPC)

So many trials! I have written several blogs where I briefly listed the latest sea of troubles threatening to overwhelm my soul then went on to share comfort from Scripture. Well, this time I will not even list the recent “troubles, trials, distresses and frustrations” (John 16:33, AMPC).  Life has been especially hard for everyone lately, and I do not want to spend one minute thinking about the hard things. I am sure you understand how I feel.

Three Scriptures for comfort and confidence in God. This blog post shares three Scripture passages in the AMPC that have especially helped me find comfort and confidence in God recently.

  • Psalm 37, especially the last two verses,
  • Psalm 84, 85 and 86, especially Psalm 86:17, and
  • Psalm 57, especially verses1-2.

Let’s look at these three passages.

PSALM 37 – Are you taking the refuge God offers?

39 But the salvation of the [consistently] righteous is of the Lord; He is their Refuge and secure Stronghold in the time of trouble. 40 And the Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they trust and take refuge in Him.” (Psalm 37:39-40, AMPC, emphasis added).

Psalm 37 is one of many psalms that is heavily marked up in my Bible from repeated readings and studyings. You could summarize the forty verses of Psalm 37 like this. God commands the righteous person to not “fret yourself” in spite of what the evil and wicked are doing. God says to trust Him, delight yourself in Him, commit your life to Him, live right, and just rest in Him because He is going to deal with the evil and the wicked.

a dirt road surrounded by trees

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Scroll back up two paragraphs and re-read those last two verses of Psalm 37 (verses 39 and 40). That word because explains how God is going to rescue the righteous from the wicked. He rescues the consistently righteous because they use the refuge He offers. If you took a long hot walk on a park trail, you could find relief in the cool shade of the trees beside the trail only if you trust that the shade is cooler and you step off the path and actually sit under those trees.

In the same way, we can find refuge in God if we trust Him and then take the refuge He offers.

That word trust means “leaning and believing on God, committing all and confidently looking to God, and that without fear or misgiving!” (from Psalm 84:12, AMPC). If you are caught in a wild thunderstorm and you see a shelter, you take refuge in that shelter if you believe it will give relief. You commit your whole self to it when you step inside it. You step into the refuge God offers when you commit you whole self to loving and obeying Him. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” (Mark 12:30, NIV). If you do not trust, or believe, that the shelter will be a refuge to you from the storm, you will remain out in the storm, unsheltered, shivering, cold and wet.

Notice that this refuge God offers is for the consistently righteous. That does not mean perfect believers (there are none!), but it does mean that we keep trying whole-heartedly to follow Jesus consistently.

Go back now and slowly read all of Psalm 37. This psalm specifically tells us how to live in our present evil times. It tells us to trust God, obey Him, calm our heart in Him and wait for Him to do as He promised about the wicked. And do you see what God will do to the wicked? Do you see how God will preserve the consistently righteous through “the time of trouble” when the wicked and evildoers seem to prosper and spread out like a healthy tree? (verses 35-36)? Do you see that verse 39 says God will help and deliver the righteous from the wicked?

Read what Halley’s Bible Handbook says about Psalm 37. “This is one of the best-loved psalms. David, always puzzled by the fact that wickedness seems to prevail, here states his philosophy as to how to live among the wicked: do good, trust God, don’t worry.” (p. 331).

May Psalm 37 be a refuge and a secure stronghold for you, “a rock of refuge to which you can always go” (Psalm 71:3, NIV).

PSALM 84 THROUGH PSALM 86. Are you seeking His presence, praising Him, and being confident in Him?

It seems to me that Psalm 84 through 86 go together. Consider the main topics.

  • Psalm 84 – celebrates the blessing of being close to God, of living in His tabernacle.
  • Psalm 85 – recalls God’s mercy in the past, asks for and expresses confidence in God’s restoration.
  • Psalm 86 – David asks God for protection and mercy and reminds himself of God’s goodness and forgiving nature.

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Psalm 84. In Psalm 84 the psalmist describes how he longs to be in the presence of God because he knows those who are in God’s presence sing His praises all day long (verse 4.) Even one day in God’s presence is better than “a thousand elsewhere.” Why? Verse 11 says:

“For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly).” There again is the promise of refuge.  Pause and calmly think about that!

Psalm 85. Psalm 85 is a song of gratitude to God for dealing graciously with His people, for forgiving and covering their sin. It is also a plea for God to revive His people again (verse 6) so that they may rejoice in Him again. In verse 8-9 the psalmist has decided that he will wait and listen with expectation because He knows God will “speak peace to His people, to His saints [those who are in right standing with Him].” Again, we see that God’s promises are for people who are walking in obedience.

The psalmist tells himself that “Surely His salvation is near to those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him”. Salvation also means deliverance, as in Exodus 14:13 when Moses told the Israelites ““Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.” (NIV)

Then verses 10 through 14 of Psalm 85 describe the time of God’s deliverance as a beautiful time filled with mercy, loving kindness, righteousness, peace, and truth. It is a time where “God will give what is good and our land will yield its increase.” (Psalm 85:12)  And, again, it is righteousness that makes this possible. Righteousness “prepares the way for His steps.” (Psalm 85:13b).  How encouraging to ponder the fact that when we go about our daily life with God, trusting Him, and obeying Him, we are making room for Him to work in our life!

Psalm 86.  In Psalm 86:1-4, David pleads passionately with God for His help and offers himself to God because he knows God is ready to forgive and is “abundant in mercy and loving-kindness to all those who call upon” You. (Verse 5). David reassures himself that God will answer him in his day of trouble (verse 7).

David next praises God Who alone rules over all the nations and works wonders. David pleads with God to teach him His ways so that he can reverently fear and honor God’s name. David continues praising God for His mercy and kindness and His deliverances. David asserts his trust in God even though “the proud and insolent are rising against” him. David pleads once more for the Lord’s mercy and graciousness and his strength (verses 15-16).

Then comes the verse that, for me, is as close to an actual hug from God as I guess we can have this side of heaven.

“ Show me a sign of [Your evident] goodwill and favor, that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame, because You, Lord, [will show Your approval of me when You] help and comfort me.” (Psalm 86:17, AMPC, emphasis added).

a view of a forest through a window

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God unfolded this verse for me in a season of one bitter trial after another. I had managed to cling to God, with faith and trust, through all of it. Yet, a vague feeling stirred inside, a flaming, poisonous lie from the enemy that I was not doing enough, that my faith was not as strong as it should be, and yada yada. Oh, how the tears flowed when I read this verse late one afternoon! I sat reading my Bible and glancing out the window as God dimmed the sunlight and stretched dark shadows over the trees. And I knew, beyond all doubt, that God was saying “See, My child. I approve of you and how you are handling all of this because I keep helping you with it all and comforting you.”

The most important thing in my life is to know I am doing what God wants, so this verse has become to me an impenetrable fortress in which I take refuge and find comfort. This verse, this living, loving Word, never, no never, no never fails to calm my troubled soul. I pray it does the same for you.

PSALM 57 –Are you confident in God?

Finally, we come to the third passage that always brings me comfort and confidence in God. Look at verses 1 and 2 of Psalm 57 again.

“ Be merciful and gracious to me, O God, be merciful and gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge and finds shelter and confidence in You; yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I take refuge and be confident until calamities and destructive storms are passed.

2 I will cry to God Most High, Who performs on my behalf and rewards me [Who brings to pass His purposes for me and surely completes them]!” (emphasis added).

Do you see David again pleading with God for the mercy and strength and lovingkindness he knows is in God? Take time to read just these two verses over and over until the Holy Spirit speaks to you.

When storms come we all need to cast ourselves on God’s abundant mercy, like David repeatedly did. We need to remind ourselves that we always find Him to be a refuge and a shelter when we trust Him. We need to remind ourselves that we can be confident in Him because of the experiences we have had with Him, the experiences we read about in the Bible, and the personal experiences  our friends have shared.

brown hen beside brown wooden fence

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When we take refuge, we are doing what is described in Psalm 91. We hide our soul in the shadow of His wings, and we stay there, baby chicks safe under mother hen’s wings. And we can remain there, free of fear, “until calamities and destructive storms are passed.”  We can cry out to God with confidence because we know He is working out His plans for us. We can have faith in God and please Him with our confidence, as described in Hebrews 11:6.

“But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].” (Hebrews 11:6, AMPC).

Psalm 57 was written by David when was hiding in a cave to save his very life from Saul. This was only one of many severe trials in David’s long life. Yet, while he is in the cave, David reassures himself that God will send from heaven and save him from those who would take his life. David praises God and says “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth!” Even though his enemies are trying to trap him, David’s heart is fixed and trusting in God with confidence. He speaks to his inner self and says wake up! I will get up early and praise God and give thanks to Him “among the peoples” and “among the nations”. Why? Because, as David tells God, “Your mercy and lovingkindness are great, reaching to the heavens, and Your truth and faithfulness to the clouds.”

Then, David says again, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth!” (Psalm 57:10).

“His mercy and lovingkindness endure forever.” Turn now to Psalm 136. Do you see how many times this one psalm repeats that God’s “mercy and lovingkindness endure forever”? Do you see that is the main point? God is emphasizing something vital here! We are to give thanks to God, live for Him, and praise Him because “He is good and His mercy and lovingkindness endure forever.”

In your times of trials, I pray that God unfolds these and many other passages of Scripture for you, so that you may have comfort and confidence in God. Let us fix our minds and hearts on this truth about God — “His mercy and loving kindness endure forever.”

1 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.

23 To Him Who [earnestly] remembered us in our low estate and imprinted us [on His heart], for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

24 And rescued us from our enemies, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

25 To Him Who gives food to all flesh, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;

26 O give thanks to the God of heaven, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!

(Psalm 136:1, 23-26, AMPC, emphasis added)

Dear friend, if you are struggling with a situation that seems more than you can endure, like I am right now, comfort your soul by dwelling on the fact that God loves you with a love fiercer than we can imagine. Awareness of His presence creates a shelter. He longs for you to rest in that shelter, to rest in Him. The enemy wants to run you out of that shelter, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7, NLT).  Resist the devil by immediately replacing negative thoughts with the truths of God’s Word, like the truths found in these psalms. Trust and take refuge in Him.

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Danger: Scammers are getting more deceitful, #godindailylife, #thebibleindailylife

ANXIETY, CURRENT EVENTS, DAILY LIFE, TRUSTING GOD

Comment:  This is not a subject about which I typically write. However, I felt it important to bring the increased danger of getting scammed to your attention.

Do not approach this with an attitude of fear. Rather, be grateful “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV).  We need not be afraid of anything the world can do to us (Psalm 118:6-7; Hebrews 13:6). But we do need to use the sound mind God gave us and be informed and cautious.

a woman holding a cell phone in her hands

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Scammers are increasingly targeting older people and banks and credit unions. If you already heard this warning, just take this as a reminder. If not, please be extra careful about responding to texts, phone calls, emails, anything on line and people who come to your door. As you may have heard, scammers target older people because we tend to be more trusting in general. And, obviously, we are not as well-acquainted with technology and the ways it can be used against us as younger people tend to be.

Why am I writing this? Unfortunately, I recently was scammed. My credit union stopped payment on part of the money before it was transmitted. I am still waiting to hear what decision will be made about the other part – my entire savings account, which, though not large to many people perhaps, was large to me.

Although it is painful even to think about, I share what happened in the hope of helping to protect someone else.

In my case, the scammers sent a text to my phone that looked like it came from my credit union. The text asked, “Did you approve the payment of $54 to John Jones?” I replied with “N” for No and one thing led to another.

How to avoid this and similar scams in the future? The credit union official said to ignore any text apparently from the credit union and call the credit union directly to ask about the status of my account. I plan to do the same for texts or emails regarding a credit card.

Other text scams.  Below is a link to an excellent Reader’s Digest article from October 2024.  Read it carefully and you will see just how devious scammers are becoming.

8 Scam Text Messages You Should Delete Immediately

Good advice from a credit union. Below are links to more articles about scamming. I learned a lot by reading them.

Why We Get Scammed – A+ Federal Credit Union

Pay Attention To These 4 Banking Scams – A+ Federal Credit Union

Fraud Alert: Romance Scams – A+ Federal Credit Union

Financial Safety Tips: Using Direct Payment Apps – A+ Federal Credit Union

Scam-Proof Your Financial Life Online – A+ Federal Credit Union

Scams To Look For In The New Year – A+ Federal Credit Union

Although Christmas and tax seasons are over, read the two warnings below. They will help you be more cautious and prepared.

Beware Of Tax-Time Scams – A+ Federal Credit Union

Top 10 Holiday Scams – A+ Federal Credit Union

Other precautions to take.  Recently, in the city where I live, a lady I know (call her Jane) was the victim of a home robbery.  A woman who appeared to be a nurse coming to give physical therapy came to Jane’s house. The woman knew a lot of personal information about Jane. Jane went into another room for just a minute and in that short time the imposter grabbed Jane’s wallet out of her purse. This woman and another woman were arrested about two weeks later, having robbed many people in the area.

The obvious warning here is to be more careful than ever about who you let into your house. I suggest that if you have not specifically requested a service or delivery, do not even answer the door, and certainly do not open it. If it is a scammer/criminal, or solicitor, they will just go away if they get no response.

If you have specifically requested a service, like home repairs or physical therapy or installation of medical equipment, speak through the closed and locked door and tell them to wait. Call the company or agency the person says they represent and get the name and physical description of the person they are sending. Then ask the person’s name and see if they look like the person described by the company. (If you do not have a peephole, get one installed.)

If the name and appearance do not match, stop talking. Period. A determined scammer will start making up excuses, like “Joe got sick and I am filling in.” Just stop talking. Period.

Signs of the end times. As we all know, the world is getting more and more evil, as God warned in His Word. Jesus taught us about what will happen at the end of time as we know it. One of those teachings is in Matthew 24. One of the signs Jesus mentioned is that evil will increase and the love people have for God will grow cold.  But He encourages us that if we stand firm to the end, we will be saved.

12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:12-14, NIV)

red neon light cross signagePhoto by Diana Vargas  on Unsplash

Here is the thought I want to leave you with. The world is indeed getting more evil, but we can rejoice. Why? Because Jesus has overcome the world for us and deprived it of power to harm us.

33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you will have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]” For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.” (John 16:33, AMPC)

What if I get scammed anyway? Immediately report it to the bank or credit card company involved. Immediately. The sooner you report it, the more likely it can be stopped.

You might ask, “Well, if I get scammed how does that show Jesus has overcome the world and deprived it of power to harm me?”  For one thing, loving Jesus helps us value the unseen, spiritual things more than things of this world. He tells us: “And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2, AMPC, emphasis added)

And He says:  We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.” (Romans 8:28, AMPC)

God does not promise us a trouble-free life but He promises to be “our very present help in time of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1).  Another verse that is instructive to consider in this regard is Hebrews 13:5. Notice that the first part of the verse exhorts us to be free from the love of money and things of this world. God tells us to be satisfied with our present circumstances and what we have.

5 Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] (Hebrews 13:5, AMPC)

In conclusion. Be smart, be alert, and keep your heart fixed on and resting in the love of God. As we go forward in this world, we can face the future as King Jehosophat did in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30. We can pray, rely on God, and send our songs ahead of us.

“When he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to sing to the Lord and praise Him in their holy [priestly] garments as they went out before the army, saying, Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!” (2 Chronicles 20:21, AMPC)

Friend, I say again, and again, and again:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!”  Pause and deeply consider that.

Casting sorrows on Jesus, #godindailylife, #thebibleindailylife

ANXIETY, DAILY LIFE, DEPRESSION, ENCOURAGEMENT, HARD TIMES, TRUSTING GOD

A personal note: I often do my journaling with the Lord on the computer because it is faster. That is what I did first thing on the morning I wrote this little blog post, even before having devotions. This is exactly what I prayed, except that I added headings, to make it easier to read, and the Scripture references. I pondered whether to post it, for several reasons. Finally, I decided it might help someone else find the comfort with which God has comforted me so often.

“ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement),

4 Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, AMPC, emphasis added)

Please, dear one, tell your heart that wherever you go, whatever you do God is right there with you and in you if you love and follow Him as your Lord and Savior. “8 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28, NLT)

There is no hurt God cannot heal. It often takes much time and waiting, but He is always faithful. He will be a very present help in your time of trouble (Psalm 46:1).  He will be close to You (Psalm 34:18). Just look for Him. Just expect Him.

trees under cloudy sky during sunset

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In the morning quiet. It hurts so bad, Father, I don’t know what to do. I’m trying. I’m doing everything I know I am supposed to but it still hurts, this ache inside, this emotional pain that seems to just reach out from inside and pull me down. It is too heavy, Father. I cannot bear it. I cannot endure it and I cannot lift it. It is overwhelming. But I am trying, Lord, I am trying and I know that is all only because of Your grace, only because it is You working in me, giving me strength to try, to just keep pressing on and pressing in (Philippians 2:13).

Yes, pressing on and moving forward with the tasks of daily life that must be done and pressing in, leaning hard on You and into You, just like I would lean on someone if I had just hurt my ankle so bad that it could not bear any weight.

I know You never, no never, no never fail, Lord (Hebrews 13:5b, AMPC).  I know that You always make everything work out for the good of those who love you and are called according to Your purpose (Romans 8:28) I know I must choose joy, Father, in the middle of this pain. I know that deliverance will come, however You choose to do that. And I will choose joy, just like You have enabled me to do so very many times in the past, when other sorrows and disappointments and hurts have come (Habakkuk 3:17-19, AMPC)

But, my dearest One, right now, in the quiet dimness of early morning, while the birds are waking up, while the sun has not yet moved above the horizon and while soft music plays, I need to hear Your voice, Father.

Thank You so very, very much my beloved One that You have put so much of the Word in my heart. Thank You that I know Your Word says You are close to the broken-hearted and that You save those who are crushed in spirit. I know Psalm 34:17 that says, “When the righteous cry [for help], the Lord hears and rescues them from all their distress and troubles.”

low-angle photography of trees during nighttime

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In the silence. I know that, Lord, but right now I just need to sit here with You and listen to the music and enjoy how beautiful the leaves of the trees are in the dimness, how it somehow feels like the subdued light envelopes me, surrounds me tenderly. The quiet, the silence itself, feels like a companion, like someone or something real, something with a life of its own almost. That must be You, Lord.

Father, are You somehow right there in that very silence, in the beauty of the dawn-dark trees somehow in the same way that it is part of Your very self that I feel in music?  Is part of Your very own self in beauty? In nature?  And in the words and smiles and hugs of loving friends that You send to me?  And in the devotionals and other writings that have so deeply touched my soul in this time?

Are You there, Father, You Yourself, in those writings, in a similar way as You Yourself are there, in Your Word?

I have no words, Lord. I can’t talk out loud, Lord. I can’t get the thoughts into words. I can whisper and pray in tongues and that helps. Thank You for that.  But every time I try to talk about it with You, the tears just overflow. It all hurts too bad to say in words, but I know, I do know, Lord, that You hear my every thought. I know that You are in my heart, in my mind (Psalm 139:4).

I love that proverb You showed me so many years ago, in one of the times when I was so depressed, the one that says something “Like he who pours vinegar on soda or takes away a garment on a cold day is he who sings song to a heavy heart.” (Proverbs 25:20).   I remember reading that and realizing that You were telling me You understood that when our heart is heavy sometimes we just cannot be cheerful and that sometimes if people try to cheer us up it actually makes us agitated. Somehow the slowed inner pace, the dulled responses we have in sorrow are a protection around our heart, just like a coat on a cold day protects our body.

I know, Lord, You tell us to encourage each other and pick up the one who has fallen but You also say to weep with those who weep as well as rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15). Thank You, Lord, for friends who are weeping with me. Bless them richly, Lord, for their compassion and their love.

I found that proverb many, many years ago now, in one of the times of depression before I had learned to meditate on Your Word and Your Word had healed my heart. Thank You again for that healing, that deliverance Lord. But this time, this sorrow, this has not come from letting my thoughts run loose and stay stuck on negative things. This sorrow has come from outside circumstances over which I had no control.

Thank You, Lord, that I know You will work it out for good, that You will work deliverance in this situation, and that no weapon that the enemy tries against me will succeed, not even this though it feels like it (Isaiah 54:17).

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I know that feelings come and feelings go but Your Word endures forever (1 Peter 1:25). I know You will continue helping me fix my eye, and my heart, on things above, on unseen things, on the eternal things (Colossians 3).  I know You will help me keep being busy with things of Your kingdom. You will help me fulfill my obligations at church, You will help me reach out on Your behalf to those You put in my daily path, You will help me keep on with our writing for Kingdom purposes, and You will keep speaking to me through Your Word as we study.

You know I am trying, with all my heart. So, my dearest One, I know that You understand I am trying with all my heart to trust You, to wait with hope and expectation, to honor You with my trust, like that favorite passage of mine in Lamentations 3 (Lamentations 3:19-26, AMPC). I am trying with my last bit of strength to choose to trust You and be faithful in everything I do to honor You. I do not want to be like the Israelites in the desert who doubted You and complained and who refused to believe You (Psalm 106:7, 13, and 32). I know that greatly angered You so much that You swore they would never enter Your rest because of their doubt and disbelief (Hebrews 3:7-19).

Please help me keep my heart soft toward You, Lord. I understand, from Your Word, Your immeasurable love for us and Your mercy and lovingkindness and also Your absolute power over all that is. Thank You so much, Lord, for all those rescue stories in the Bible and for telling us so clearly and repeatedly how much You love us and how much You long for us to have an abundant life with You on this earth (John 10:10) before You take us home to  be with You eternally in heaven.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for leading me to meditate on John 16:33 in the AMPC until I had it memorized. It is such a comfort to know that in the upper room You lovingly reassured Your disciples, after You had given them Your last discourse:

33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]

I will choose to believe. So I will, Father, when we get up from here and start the day, I will keep Your Words in my mind. I will meditate on Your Word as we go along with the day and I know You will some miraculous way give me new and living hope as I try with all my heart and strength to please You with the attitude of my heart.

But right now, Lord, the tears keep coming. Maybe they were stored up all the months I have been trying to hold fast to You and stand strong. I guess I have not actually cried that much since this started, all things considered.

Thank You, Father, for Lily bugs, my sweet, sweet little cat. She is so gentle and in her catly way, so loving as she follows me from desk to chair to bedroom and back.

Thank You, Lord, that my little home is so quiet even though city traffic zips by within thirty yards on two sides. Thank you for the trees right outside the windows by my desk and the rocker. When I look into their branches it makes me feel like I am in a big meadow or forest, alone with You, safe and sheltered.

Only You can understand. There is no one to talk to, Lord, no one who understands, no one but You. Your Word says every heart knows its own bitterness and no one else can share its grief (Proverbs 14:10). How true I am finding that verse to be. Thank You, Jesus, for showing that to me so long ago. Thank You that it has been a distinct and personal comfort for so many years.

Yet, Your Word also says who can know the thoughts of a man except the spirit that is within him and that in the same way no one can know the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:11). Well, Father, I know that Your Holy Spirit is within me so You do understand and You understand even better than I do what I am feeling.

man carrying to girls on field of red petaled flower

Photo by Juliane Liebermann on Unsplash

Thank You, my precious Father, so much for Psalm 103. Those verses where You say Your love for us is as high as the heavens are above the earth and that Your compassion for us is like the compassion a father has for his children because You earnestly remember and imprint on Your heart that we are just dust, just human . . . Lord, every time I meditate on those verses I see a strong father tenderly carrying his small, tired children close in his arms. Thank You for the reassurance and peace which that mental image brings.

Reminded to be grateful.  And thank You, Father, for reminding me last night as I was about to fall asleep to be actively grateful today. Thank You for making the thought so strong that I got up and wrote myself a note.

There are so, so many blessings in my life, Father, right in the middle of this. You are doing so many things to take care of all my needs. Even before I know about them You have prepared for them, every need, in every way.

woman in black long sleeve shirt and blue denim jeans covering her face with her hand

Photo by Igor Erico on Unsplash

But most of all, Lord, thank You for letting me feel Your presence. I know that what I feel is from Your Holy Spirit touching my spirit. I know we do not live by depending on feelings but it is comforting beyond words to just have that sense that You are right here with me. I have no words to say how much I appreciate that and how much I love You, Lord. You are such a good, good Father, such a loving Friend, such a kind, loving Helper and Comforter.

Thank You for letting me know that You understand the thoughts of my heart, that You know every word in my mind before I even say it (Psalm 44:12). That is so comforting to know.

And thank You again for Your Word and how You explained  that Your Word truly is living and active, that it judges the thoughts of my heart, showing me what is truth and what is not. Thank You that Your Word gets right down into my spirit, that it separates my soul from my spirit (Hebrews 4:12).

Thank You, that although my soul may feel such sorrow and pain and hopelessness and sadness, that my spirit is experiencing Your presence and Your very life and Your very joy. And that the Word shows me that blessed truth as I feed on Your Word.

Your Word shows me–it evaluates and renders an opinion just like a judge in a courtroom–that my thoughts and intents toward You are good for I see that my thoughts and attitude reflects those of David and other writers of the psalms whom You commended. Thank You so very much, Father, for all those psalms, all 150 of them. They show Your man David and other psalmists pouring out their totally human heart to You. That shows me it is good for me to do the same.

Your wonderful psalms. The psalms put my heart at rest when I feel bad that I cannot be happier right now, that I do sometimes feel doubt before I overcome it with faith. Thank You that Your Word shows me that You, You Yourself Father, Maker of heaven and earth, You are and You will ever be my strength. You will be whatever I need, in every situation, for all my life.  You, oh Lord, are the great I AM, as You told Moses (Exodus 3:14) and as You said, Lord Jesus (John 14:6).

How I love that psalm that says You, Lord, are my strength and my impenetrable shield and that when I trust and confidently lean on You, I am helped and then my heart rejoices greatly and I can sing praises to You (Psalm 28:7)

How I love to remind myself all day long that when I trust, rely and confidently lean on You I am compassed about with mercy and loving kindness (Psalm 32:10b, AMPC)

What a comfort to play over and over in my mind those verses in Psalm 33 where You say that Your eye is on those who fear You, who revere and worship You with awe, who wait for You and hope in Your mercy and loving kindness, that You are watching to deliver them from death and famine. I love how it ends with “Our inner selves wait earnestly for You, Lord, that You are our help and our shield and that we rejoice in You because we have trusted, relied on and been confident in Your holy name (Psalm 32:18-22, AMPC, emphasis added).

So, my precious, precious Heavenly Father, I do say, by Your grace, “let Your mercy and loving kindness be upon me in accordance, in proportion, to my waiting and hoping in You” (Psalm 33:22, AMPC). I love You, Lord, I just really love You.

7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (1 Peter 5:7, AMPC, emphasis added)

person holding babys hand

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Choosing to rejoice, Part Two, #godindailylife, #thebibleindailylife

ANXIETY, BIBLE STUDY, CURRENT EVENTS, ENCOURAGEMENT, HARD TIMES

Reprinted from August 29, 2024.

In Part One, we began exploring Habakkuk 3:17-19. We saw that we can choose to rejoice and trust God, and even be over-joyed in Him, even when all hope seems lost. We can do that because God, living within us, will be, or exist within us, as  our ‘strength, our personal bravery and our invincible army.” In Part Two, we will consider how He does that.

a grassy field with mountains in the background

Photo by Dreamstime.com on  Unsplash

17 Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, [though] the product of the olive fails and the fields yield no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls,

18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the [victorious] God of my salvation!

19 The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]! (Habakkuk 3:17-19, AMPC)

About that semicolon  in verse 19. . .  As we learned in school, a semicolon connects two independent clauses that are related. Though I have daily pondered upon this passage for months, I did not see the importance of that semicolon in verse 19 until writing this blog post.  That semicolon connects the things I need (strength, bravery and an army-size amount of help) with what God will do for each of those needs. He will give me strength to walk, He will make me brave, and He will enable me to make progress in the midst of trials.

“. . . He makes my feet like hinds’ feet. . . (Habbakkuk 3:19) ”  The term hinds’ feet is mentioned in 2 Samuel 22:34. On the day God delivered David from his enemies and Saul, David sang the 51 verses of 2 Samuel 22 to the Lord.  David’s words in that song are very similar to Psalm 18, in which verse 33 declares “He makes my feet like hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly or make progress on the dangerous heights of testing and trouble]; He sets me securely upon my high places.” (AMPC)

Do you see where Habakkuk likely got the visual imagery for Habakkuk 3:19, the verse we are exploring? No doubt Habakkuk had reflected often upon David’s thoughts about hinds’ feet.

What does hinds’ feet mean? The hind symbolized “agility, swiftness, and surefootedness, indispensable qualifications in ancient warfare.” 2 Samuel 22:34 Commentaries: “He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, And sets me on my high places. (biblehub.com).  God had gifted David with these and many more qualities essential to the life he would live for God, which included being a warrior in those ancient times.

The hind “is a picture also of the ability God gives His children to travel easily over the rough paths of life, and to feel at home among the difficulties of life. The hind enjoys the rough mountain terrain. She is sure-footed, she does not seek easy paths.” (Wilson’s Dictionary of Bible Types, 1957, p. 259).

white goat on large roc k

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God gives hinds, or deer and mountain goats, a hoof that is split, which enables them to grip; a hard outer part of the hoof that can dig into rock, with a soft bottom part that molds into the contours of the mountain; strong forequarters or shoulders; and an incredible sense of balance, among other things. If that is how God cares for them, how much more will He provide for us, oh we of little faith? (Matthew 6:30, Matthew 8:26).

“. . .  and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror] but to walk and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places of trouble, suffering or responsibility.” (Habakkuk 3:19, AMPC).  Mountain goats do not stand still in terror of obstacles or danger. With their strong feet and powerful forequarters, they can jump nearly 12 feet. With God, I have strength for each challenge, little or big. With God, I am empowered to walk and move forward, rather than letting fear immobilize me. With God, I can make progress, in both spiritual and earthly realms, in the thick of daily life’s ” troubles, sufferings and responsibilities.”

I believe all of us sometimes feel that the humdrum responsibilities of daily life are too much. But in God, we can move forward, one step at a time, one task at a time, with any challenge.

three white goats on rocky cliff

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The dangerous heights. I like to think of Psalm 18:33 together with Habakkuk 3:19. Remember Psalm 18:33 says: “He makes my feet like hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly or make progress on the dangerous heights of testing and trouble]; He sets me securely upon my high places.”

When we face personal troubles and when God is testing or training us, we are in dangerous times because we are, like mountain goats, in a potentially dangerous position. Because of our human weaknesses, we are in danger of turning away from God in such times. But God has provided all that we need to stand firm. Not only that but He has provided all we need to make progress in the very midst of those testings and trials.  “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3, NIV)”

We can also apply this principle to the dangerous times we live in as we see darkness trying to overcome the world. Believers world-wide are being tested and tried. Will we stand fast in our faith? Will we speak up for righteousness? Will we say homosexuality, transgenderism, anti-Semitism, and abortion are sin?

Will we do the things God shows us we can do personally to fight evil in our day? Will we educate ourselves on the issues, vote and encourage others to vote? Will we send emails and letters and call our government representatives? Will we participate in government and run for a local office or help at the voting polls?

We are in perilous times yet also the most glorious, victorious times of all time. God is exposing evil. He is awakening millions to eternal life. He is calling individual believers to a closer, stronger relationship with Him and He is calling believers to be salt and light.

Encourage yourself! To encourage ourselves, we can ponder all the dangers David faced. We can ponder all the victories God gave him, and we can—with God’s strength, His personal bravery and His mighty army—“walk as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8) We can live holy, consecrated lives, and we can do our part to influence the world around us. We can let the light of God’s truth and love shine into this present darkness. We can be that candle on a hill. We can be the salt and light Jesus commanded us to be in His first great sermon, the Sermon on the mount.

lighted candle

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13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16, NIV)

It is no accident that you and I are alive at this time. All the days of our life were ordained by God before one of them ever came to be. (Psalm 139:16) We have a part to play in the part of the world in which God has deliberately placed us.

With our eyes fixed on God, we can rely on Him to give us hinds’ feet, for our personal struggles and also for our nation and our world. We can be strong, we can move forward in the face of fear, and we can take our part in the invincible army of God.

You and I can fulfill Philippians 2:15-16 as we strive to:

“prove yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish in the midst of a [morally] crooked and [spiritually] perverted generation, among whom you are seen as bright lights [beacons shining out clearly] in the world [of darkness], 16 holding out and offering to everyone the word of life. . .” (AMPC).

It is especially in hard places that we are positioned to shine as beacons for God.

So, I say to myself and to you: Set your heart to rejoice, to exult in the Lord and to shine!

Shine within your heart in your personal relationship with God. Love Him truly “[with affectionate reverence, prompt obedience, and grateful recognition of His blessing]” (1 Corinthians 8:3a, Psalm 149:4, AMPC).

Shine into the darkness of this world. Like Gideon, go in the strength you have (Judges 6:14) and bring to the world the light that comes from understanding truth.

In the midst of dire personal and world circumstances, declare “Yet, I will rejoice! I will exult in the [victorious God] of my salvation! (Habakkuk 3:18, AMPC)

tall green tree painting

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