FEAR NOT

Proclamation:

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

Explanation:

These are the words of The Lord God as written by the prophet Isaiah under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Isaiah, the greatest of all of the prophets, wanted the people of God to know that The Lord God said that He would be with them and that He would protect them. (Isaiah 41:11-12)  God also said that He would provide for them. (Isaiah 41:18-19)  He was with them in the past, He was with them at that moment, and He would be with them in the future. (Isaiah 41:9)  God said that He would take care of them and help them. (Isaiah 41:13)  

Application

The prophet Isaiah was telling the people of Israel of God's promised help, but as a believer and a child of God that promise applies to us today also.  We are commanded not to be afraid and not to be dismayed or discouraged.  Our God promised to strengthen us in our weakness, to help us when we are overwhelmed, to protect us when we are attacked, and to lift us up when we are down by holding us in His hand.  Bad things can happen to good people.  You can lose your job, develop a serious illness, or a loved one can die.  These things, and others like them, can test our faith in God.  However, all we have to do is to trust Him and believe in Him.  Our God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and always present.  He is an all-sufficient God and He can help us even in the worst of times and situations.  Fear not, for God can control our enemies and our circumstances.  "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalms 46:1)

PRAY AND PRAISE GOD MORNING AND NIGHT

Proclamation:

“It is good to praise The Lord … proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night …” Psalm 92:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

Most Bible scholars, but not all of them, attribute this psalm to King David.  This is a song for the Sabbath day which was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Here the psalmist expounds upon the virtues and benefits of praising The Lord.  The benefits are that: "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  Those that be planted in the house of The Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.  They shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing ..." (Psalms 92:12-14)  He clearly states that the people ought to praise The Lord more than once each day, i.e. morning and night. 

Application:

These verses were recorded in a psalm for the Sabbath day.  Unfortunately, some of us only praise The Lord on Sunday when we attend worship services.  We breath every day, we eat every day, our hearts beat every day, and we should thank God and praise Him every day.  As believers we should give thanks and praise to The Lord in prayer the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night.  Doing this several additional times during the day would not be a bad idea either.  In fact, it would be good to praise Him all day long. (Psalm 34:1)  He is worthy of all of our praise. No one can comprehend the extent of His greatness. (Psalm 145:3)  Regularly and repeatedly praising The Lord will lead to the blessings of a long, productive, and fruitful life, even into one's old age.  “Praise The Lord…Let everything that has breath praise The Lord. (Psalm 150:1 and 6)

NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST US SHALL PROSPER

Proclamation:

“No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.  This is the heritage of the servants of The Lord, and this is their vindication from Me, declares The Lord.” Isaiah 54:17 (NIV)

Explanation:

This was written by the Prophet Isaiah, the greatest of all of the prophets, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  According to Isaiah, The Lord God said I created the man who makes the weapons and I created the man who will use the weapon to wreak havoc in the lives of men. (Isaiah 54:16)  The Lord said that He will render all of the weapons which come up against them to be useless.  He also said that they would refute every charge brought up against them.  This will be the privilege of all who serve The Lord.

Application: 

The Lord will be our protection.  All of our enemies shall be put down and all of the devices that they planned to use against us shall fail.  The Lord has promised to protect us because we belong to Him.  Even those who speak evil against us will find that their words will not harm us as they intended, but will backfire and condemn themselves.  He will protect us from those who plan to do us wrong individually or collectively.

WHAT SHALL WE GIVE GOD

Proclamation:

“What shall I return to The Lord for all His goodness to me?  I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of The Lord.  I will fulfill my vows to The Lord in the presence of all His people.” Psalm 116:12-14 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David when he was fleeing from King Saul.  David was thankful that The Lord had saved him. (Psalm 116:6-8)  Here he asks a rhetorical question and then proceeds to answer it.  The question is: “What can he give to God in return for all of the blessings he has received?”  The answer is that in order to express his gratitude he will offer praise to God for his temporal salvation, and for his spiritual and eternal salvation.  In addition, he would do this publicly in front of God’s people.

Application:

God is the maker and creator of everything.  “The earth is The Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” (Psalm 24:1)  Everything belongs to Him including all the cattle on a thousand hills and the hills also. (Psalms 50:10-11)  All that we can give to Him which He does not already have is our praise and thankful worship.  This we can give Him publicly and privately, with our external behavior and our internal thoughts, and through our praise and prayers.  We can make vows to The Lord publicly before the assembled people of God and then keep them. (Psalm 66:13-14)  Because He gave us the free will to choose when we were created that is all that we have to give Him.  We can choose to praise Him, worship Him, and serve Him.  We should do these things both privately and publicly to the glory of God.

MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE UNTO THE LORD

Proclamation:

“Come, let us sing for joy to The Lord; let us shout aloud to The Rock of our salvation.  Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.  For The Lord is a great God …” Psalm 95:1-3 (NIV)

Explanation:

According to most Bible scholars, this psalm was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  The purpose was to tell the people of God that they should sing songs of joy to The Lord and that their praise and worship should be done with a loud voice.

Application:

As believers we should not only attend worship services regularly but we should actively participate in the praise and worship of The Lord.  We should sing the congregational hymns and we should do so loudly and with enthusiasm.  The worship service at church is not a spectator sport, it requires our active participation.  Unfortunately, most of us make more noise at sporting events than we do in our worship services.  It is okay to shout “Amen” when we hear The Word of God being preached accurately, truthfully, and appropriately.  We should not have to be asked to say “Amen”, “Praise The Lord”, or “Hallelujah.”   By saying “Amen” we are attesting to the truth of what was said.  By saying “Hallelujah” we are giving God the highest form of praise.  Throughout His Holy Word we are repeatedly exhorted to give God praise.  The Bible also encourages us to "... make a joyful noise ..." unto The Lord.”  Even if you sing off key, like I do, make some noise in church.  “Shout for joy to The Lord, all the earth.” (Psalm 100:1)  Don’t let The Lord have to make the rocks cry out and praise Him because we kept quiet. (Luke 19:40)

LET'S DO BETTER

Proclamation:

“Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? … The one who is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honors those who fear The Lord …” Psalm 15:1-5 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm was written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Here David answers the question, “Who may live with The Lord?” (Psalm 15:1)  He who is upright, righteous, and tells the truth.  He who does not slander, do wrong to, or slur his neighbor.  He who despises evil, keeps his word, and honors The Lord.  He who does not charge interest when he lends money or accept a bribe.  This person is a believer and doer of God’s Holy Word and will get to live with The Lord in heaven. (Psalm 15:2-5)

Application:

None of us does a perfect job of following The Word of God.  We all have sinned and we fall short of that goal. (Romans 3:10 and 3:23)  It also does not matter how “good” we are, we could all do better.  Part of my prayer is that The Lord would help me to sin less tomorrow than I did today, and that I would do one more thing to please Him tomorrow than I did yesterday.  The point here is to try to be more Christ-like with each passing day.  The Bible is the instruction manual for good Christian living.  Unfortunately, many of us do not read it very often, and most of us who do read it do not follow it, or we follow only parts of it.  This psalm identifies ten ways in which we could be a better Christian.  If you are already doing these things, then there is a more complete list of sins in Romans, chapter one, beginning at verse 21 and through verse 32.  Even judging others who sin is a sin. (Romans 2:1-9)  The question is, “Are you striving to be a better Christian?”  A good Christian exhibits integrity and reliability, respects the people of God and holds himself accountable for his thoughts, words, and actions.  We all have room for improvement.  Let's do better!

THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES

Proclamation:

"Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away … Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:10 and 12

Explanation:

The human author of this psalm is believed to be Moses.  It was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God as the people of Israel wandered in the wilderness after leaving Egypt.  Moses addresses the frailty of man and the short life span.   Here the mortality and misery of man is compared to the aforementioned eternalness of God. (Psalm 90:2)  This prayer of Moses asks God to help us consider and appreciate the shortness of life that we may devote ourselves to Him and following His Holy Word. 

Application

The life span of man is seventy years.  We can do things which lengthen or shorten our lives. (Exodus 20:12)  Regardless of how long we live, seventy, eighty, or even ninety years is but a short time when compared to eternity.  The few days that we spend on earth are full of trouble and sorrow. (Job 14:1)  We need to pray as Moses prayed and ask God to help us appreciate the time that we have.  Every day that we live is a blessing.  We should be thankful and rejoice in The Lord every day of our life for we do not know how many days we have left.  Some people who saw yesterday will not see tomorrow.  Praise The Lord for each day and do something to please Him each day.

HEAVENLY PROTECTION

Proclamation:

“If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make The Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.  For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;” Psalm 91:9-11 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by an unknown human author.  The psalmist states that those who know The Lord and love Him and follow His word will be protected by His angels.  No harm will come to them or their home.

Application:

Those of us who trust in The Lord will be under His protection.  He will assign guardian angels to watch over us and to protect us.  Believers will have not just one guardian angel but angels will be assigned to us and “they” will protect us. (Psalm 91:12)  As the song says, "O to be kept, by Jesus ..." He can keep us safe from all hurt, harm, and danger.

A UNIVERSAL PRAYER

Proclamation:

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine on us; so that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.  May the people praise You, God; may all the people praise You.  May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the people with equity …May the people praise You … May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear Him.” Psalms 67:1-7

Explanation:

This psalm was written by an unknown human author under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  It is an intercessory prayer for God to be merciful and to bless all of the people in the world.

Application:

Given the sad state of affairs throughout this country and the rest of the world, we should pray for all of the people in the world.  We all need prayer, especially the leaders of the nations.  Daily we are reminded of the sinful state of man and each incident should serve as a reminder to believers to pray for mankind.  Eventually, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord of all. (Philippians 2:11)

SIGNED SEALED AND AWAITING DELIVERY

Proclamation:

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins ... and you also …When you believed you were marked in Him with a seal, the promise of The Holy Spirit, … until the redemption of those who are God’s possession ..." Ephesians 1:7 and 13-14 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Paul to the believers in Ephesus.  Paul wanted them to know that they were only acceptable to God because they had been redeemed and purchased by the blood of Christ who paid the price for their sins to be forgiven by His death on the cross.  Paul also wanted them to know that the moment they first believed in Christ, The Holy Spirit of God marked and sealed them as belonging to Christ.  They would be kept and protected until they were redeemed and repossessed by The Lord Jesus.

Application:

As believers we were purchased by the blood of Christ.  We were sealed by The Holy Spirit the moment we believed.  We belong to Jesus, The Christ, and we are just waiting to be delivered to Him.  That is some very good news which is worth shouting about.  So, as Christians, to paraphrase the song by Stevie Wonder, we are "signed, sealed, (and waiting to be) delivered, (because) we're His".  We are just waiting for the rapture. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

ONLY WHAT WE DO FOR CHRIST WILL COUNT

Proclamation:

“Every man's work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.  If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.  If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved …” 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 (NKJ)

Explanation:

Under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God the Apostle Paul wrote these words to the believers in Corinth.  Paul told them that all that he had taught them was based upon the gospel of Jesus Christ.  That was the foundation upon which they should base their philosophy and behavior. (1 Corinthians 3:10-11)  All of their life’s activities would be like gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble.  He said that on judgement day, every man’s work would be tested by fire. (1 Corinthians 3:11-12)  The believer would be saved but all of his work which was wood, stubble, and hay would be consumed by the fire, only the work which was gold, silver, and precious stones will pass through the fire. (1 Corinthians 3:13-15)

Application:

Wherever we go and whatever situation we find ourselves in, we should spread The Word of God.  If there is anyone there to talk to, we should speak about the gospel and spread the good news about salvation in Jesus, The Christ.  This is not something that we only to share with those in our local church on Sunday mornings.  The Apostle Paul was under house arrest in Rome but he preached the gospel to all who came to visit him. (Acts 28:16-31)  Some of them who heard him "... believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not ..." (Acts 28:24)  Every one that we tell about the good news will not believe it.  And some people just will not understand it, no matter how we explain it. (Acts 28:26-27)  But our assignment is to tell them, not to make them believe it.  Of all of the people that we talked to this past week, to how many of them did we mention Jesus Christ and salvation in Him?  Think about all of the words that we spoke, how many of them gave God glory?  "For I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgement.  For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned." (Matthew 12:36-37)  We can't say that our good deeds out number our bad deeds so we are okay.  We don't really know what our good deeds are, and some things that we think of as neutral are actually bad (sinful) like our idle words.  "All unrighteousness is sin ..." (1 John 5:17)  If what we say or do does not give God glory, then it is a sin.  Only our works which are “gold, silver, and precious stones”, things that give God glory, will pass the test of fire on judgement day.  For those things we will receive a reward.  Remember, as the song says, "... only what you do for Christ will last ... only what you what you do for Him will be counted at the end ..."

SOME BLESSINGS COME FROM STRANGE PLACES

Proclamation:

“… Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut.  While they were trying to kill him, the news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar.  He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd.  When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.”  Acts 21:30-32 (NIV)

Explanation:

This historical account of the events in the life of the Apostle Paul was recorded under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Luke, the physician and Paul’s traveling companion.  Earlier in his life, Paul had led soldiers to persecute Christians.  Now soldiers arrived just in time to save him from the Jews who were "... about to kill him ..." by beating him to death.  The soldiers did not save Paul because they knew him or liked him.  They were just trying to stop a riot because "... all Jerusalem was in an uproar." (Acts 21:31)  The soldiers were part of the Roman government which was anti-Christian.  The Roman commander arrested Paul to stop a riot.  So, in essence, Paul was saved by his enemies, the soldiers, from his enemies, the Jews.  God arranged it so that Paul's enemies, the soldiers, were a blessing to him, they saved his life.  

Application:

Paul was blessed by his enemies.  Some blessings can come from some strange places.  Our blessings may also come from some unusual places or from some unlikely people.  God can use whomever He wants to bless His people.  God can "... make your enemies your footstool ..." (Matthew 22:44)  Their intentions may have been to harm us and not to do us any favors but God can use them to be a blessing to us.  Or, as Joseph said to his brothers, "... you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good ..." (Genesis 50:20) 

DON'T BE AFRAID TO SPEAK UP FOR JESUS

Proclamation:

“One night The Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.  For I am with you …’” Acts 18:9-10 (NIV) 

Explanation:

These words were recorded by Luke, the physician and frequent traveling companion of the Apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Paul had his life threatened for saying that Jesus was The Christ and The Son of God.  The Lord spoke to him in a vision and told him to keep on speaking up for Him.  He also said that He would be with him and that no man would harm him. (Acts 18:10)  

Application:

Sometimes we sin without speaking or doing anything.  We sin by keeping quiet when we should speak out.  There are sins of omission as well as sins of commission.  When we should speak up for Jesus and we don't, we sin.  The Bible records that Jesus said, "... whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 10:33)  There is an old saying which says: “Silence is consent.” (Author unknown)  If we do not speak up for Jesus when we have the opportunity, then we may as well be agreeing with those who in disbelief put Him down.  At a time when you could be beaten to death for your beliefs, The Lord basically told Paul to speak out for Him without fear of being harmed because He 'had Paul's back'.  "Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.  Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad; for great is your reward in heaven ..." (Matthew 5:11-12)  It is possible that we might lose a few “friends” if we speak up for The Lord Jesus, but what have we really lost but some popularity with man.  What is the worst thing that could happen?  They could kill us.  But we know that being absent from the body means being present with The Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)  So, even if it kills us for doing so, we should not be afraid to speak up for Jesus. 

THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Proclamation:

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house … All of them were filled with The Holy Spirit …” Acts 2:1-4 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by Luke, the physician and frequent traveling companion of the Apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Luke recorded the events which transpired on the day that the disciples received The Holy Spirit of God.

Application:

Some people believe that only the eleven apostles received power after The Holy Ghost came upon them.  However, The Bible says that in that upper room there were about 120 people (Acts 1:10-15) and they were all filled with The Holy Spirit of God. (Acts 2:3-4)  This power is not just for preachers but it is available to all believers.  After Peter preached his first sermon he said, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost ..." and about 3000 people gladly received his word and became disciples (students) of Christ. (Acts 2:38 and 41)  That number grew into a multitude.  Stephen, the first deacon, was full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, before the apostles laid their hands upon him and prayed for him. (Acts 6:3-8)  As Christians and believers in Jesus Christ, we have The Holy Ghost within us.  Our problem is we have a choice in what we do and say, and we do not let The Holy Spirit have control of our lives.  We want to be in charge.  My favorite example of this is to use a bus as an example. On the bus that is our life, we want The Holy Spirit to be a back seat passenger on the bus that we are driving, instead of us letting The Holy Spirit take charge and drive the bus.  We have the potential to do great things for The Lord.  We have the power of The Holy Spirit of God available to us, to help us to be a help to others.  We have the power within us, the question is what are we doing with it and what are we going to do with it?

JESUS UNDERSTANDS WHAT WE GO THROUGH

Proclamation:

“For surely it is not angels He helps, but Abraham’s descendants.  For this reason He had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people.  Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:16-18 (NIV)

Explanation:

The human author of The Bible Book of Hebrews is unknown.  Some Bible scholars attribute it to the Apostle Paul, although the second sentence in chapter two, verse three, seems to preclude this.  However, it was clearly written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The author states that Jesus shared humanity with us so that by His death He could break the power of him who holds the power of death, the devil, and free all who were held in captivity by the fear of death. (Hebrews 2:14-15)  By putting on humanity, Jesus could feel what we feel and deal with the same things that we deal with.  He could help those who were tempted but did not give in to it.  However, because He did not sin when He was tempted, He was able to be the perfect, sin free sacrifice to pay for the sins of the world.

Application:

When we are tempted or suffer, and pray to The Lord for help with our burdens, we know that He understands what we are going through. He will be merciful to us because He loves us and He has been through similar situations.  Jesus, The Son of God, took on human form, put on flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:1 and 14)  Jesus endured rejection by family and friends.  He was talked about and lied upon. He had loved ones close to Him to die.  He was tempted and He suffered physically.  He went through what we go through, so He can empathize and not just sympathize with us.  He truly understands.  He can feel our pains.  Jesus is the only one who is truly qualified to have mercy on us and to forgive us of our sinful thoughts, words, and actions.  So, no matter what it is that you are dealing with, pray, take it to Him, He will understand and answer your prayer.  As the old hymn says, "Take you burdens to The Lord and leave it there ... If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out.  Take your burdens to The Lord and leave it there."

PUTTING OUR FAITH TO WORK

Proclamation:

“For The Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done.” Matthew 16:27 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were spoken by Jesus, The Christ, to His disciples as recorded by the Apostle Matthew under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Jesus will come to earth again to execute judgement of mankind.  He will reward all believers according to their works and put to death all non-believers.

Application:

Having faith in Jesus Christ and believing in Him is a very good thing.  Our salvation is based upon our faith in Him.  Without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)  However, we must act upon our faith.  We must exercise our faith and do something with it.  We know that as Christians, we walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7) and we know that we live by faith (Romans 1:17) but faith alone is not enough.  The Bible says, "... faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." (James 2:17)  This is so important that it is stated twice, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:26)  Just having faith alone is not enough.  We are justified by our works (James 2:24) and in the end we will be judged based upon our works, "... and they were judged every man according to their works." (Revelation 20:13)  As believers we are all responsible for kingdom building here on earth.  It is important for us to do something for the glory of God.  Let's put our faith to work!  Spread the good news, talk the talk and walk the walk.  Our good work will soon be rewarded.  "For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works." (Matthew 16:27)

GOD CAN WORK IT OUT

Proclamation:

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:20 (NIV) 

Explanation:

These words were written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Moses recorded the account of how Joseph came to Egypt and how he went from being a prisoner to become second to Pharaoh in command in Egypt. (Genesis 41:39-41)  His journey started with his brothers hating him.  Joseph’s brothers hated him because their father loved Joseph more than he loved all of the rest of them.  (Genesis 37:3-4)  They also hated him because he told them of his dream that he would rule over them. (Genesis 37:8)  They even had conspired to kill him but their brother Reuben talked them out of it. (Genesis 37:21-22)  They put him into a pit and left him there for a while.  Then they took him out of the pit and sold him to some merchants who were passing by on their way to Egypt. (Genesis 37:28) 

Application

Into every life some rain must fall, but some good things happen after the rain.  Too much rainfall in our lives can cause bad things to happen.  Sometimes ‘things’ just don't go the way that we think that they should go.  But things that the devil, and some folks, meant to be bad for us, God can turn into good. (Genesis 50:20)  So, when bad things happen, don't worry, turn it over to Jesus, He can work it out. Remember, God is still in control "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)  Let's first make sure that we are doing Our Heavenly Father's business and working according to His will.  Then when negative situations occur, He can turn them into preparation for a positive result.  Whatever it is, God can work it out.

BLESSED IN THE MIDST OF TROUBLE

Proclamation:

"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve my life; You stretch out Your hand against the anger of my foes, with Your right hand You save me."  Psalms 138:7 (NIV)

Explanation:

King David wrote these words under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  While he was praising The Lord with song and music, and thanking Him for hearing his prayer, he said that God kept him as he walked through the midst of trouble.  

Application:

We should also praise and thank God for preserving and protecting us while we were in the midst of trouble.  We have walked in the shadow of death, without knowing it, and God saved us. (Psalm 23:4)  God has protected us from dangers seen and unseen, and all manner of hurt and harm.  We don't know how close to death we came while driving on these city streets and freeways.  We ought to thank and praise His holy and righteous name every day for all of the good things that He has done, and for all of the blessings that we have received including protecting us as we were going through the storms of life. 

ENTERTAINING ANGELS UNAWARE

Proclamation:

“Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.  Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

Most Bible scholars agree that the human author of The Bible Book of Hebrews is unknown.  There are those, however, who attribute it to the Apostle Paul.  Regardless of the human authorship, these words were clearly written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to the believers in early church.  After encouraging them to continue to love one another, the author exhorts them to also be kind to strangers.  He tells them that some strangers are angels and they may have entertained angels without being aware of it.

Application:

When we think about angels, we usually visualize small or adult size, people-like creatures with very large or small wings.  But not all angels have wings.  Some angels are walking around with us here on earth.  Angels are messengers from God.  Smith's Bible Dictionary defines ‘angels’ as "whoever or whatever God uses to do His will."  Pastors are frequently called the angel of a local church.  Since angels can look like regular people, we should be very careful in how we treat people, especially strangers, as they may be an angel that is unknown to us.  We don't want to miss out on a blessing because we mistreated one of God's angels.  God may take personally our mistreating one of His messengers.  "... as you have done it unto one of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me." (Matthew 25:40)  As believers we need to be careful how we treat strangers and other people in general.  Be kind to strangers, they may be angels with a message or a blessing from God.

RESIST THE DEVIL

Proclamation:

“Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by James, the half-brother of Jesus, The Christ.  His point was that we must choose virtues instead of vices.  We frequently obey the suggestions of the devil and sin instead of following The Word of God.  James states that we must make a conscious effort to resist the devil and choose to submit ourselves to God and follow His Word.  Only then will the devil flee from us.

Application:

The devil is busy.  He attacks us and tempts us all of the time.  If he is not bothering you, then maybe you are already doing what he wants you to do.  As Christians, we do not have to give in to the devil.  We have a choice in what we do.  However, we cannot resist the devil by ourselves.  The beginning of this Bible verse says, "Submit yourselves to God ..." and the verse which follows it says, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you ..."  Only with God's help can we resist the devil.  We need to get closer to God and do His will or we do not stand a chance against the devil and his powers.  God has already defeated the devil.  We just need to get on The Lord's side and make a conscious effort to obey The Word of God and then the devil will leave us alone for a while.  Remember, the devil temped Jesus three times before he let Him alone. (Matthew 4:1-11)  Even after Jesus rebuffed him twice the devil continued to tempt Him.  So, don’t be surprised when you resist one temptation to sin and the devil presents you with another different temptation.  We have to continually be on guard for attacks by the devil.  That is why we must put on the whole armor of God in order to stand up against the devil and his attacks. (Ephesians 6:11-18)

TRUST IN THE LORD

Proclamation:

“It is better to trust in The Lord than to put confidence in man.” Psalm 118:8 (KJV) 

Explanation:

While there is some doubt as to the human author of this psalm, it is clear that it was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God and it points the reader to Jesus, The Christ.  The point of this psalm is that only The Lord God is worthy of our trust.  Man will let you down and disappoint you, and maybe even deceive you.   

Application:

Blessed is the man who put his trust in The Lord. (Psalm 40:4)  He is always with us.  The Lord God will never leave us nor will He forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:8 and Hebrews 13:5)  He hears our cry and He sees our tears.  He even understands our frustrations and our temptations.  He can get us out of a bad situation, clean us up, place us on the right path, and give us a new song of praise to sing because of His goodness and mercy. (Psalm 40:1-3)  No man can do that.  We cannot even do that for ourselves.  Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)  The Lord is our strength and our protection, our help and our Savior, only He is worthy of our trust. (Psalm 28:7)  Do not put your trust in a person, trust in The Lord and be blessed.

LORD HAVE MERCY

Proclamation:

“Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths.  Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.  Remember, Lord, Your great mercy and love, for they are from old.  Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to you love remember me, for You, Lord, are good.” Psalm 25:4-7 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  He recognized that he was a sinner and that he needed God’s forgiveness and help.  David was a man after God’s heart. (1 Samuel 13:14)  This was so not because he was so good, but because when he sinned he frequently prayed and asked to be forgiven.

Application:

If we are honest with ourselves, most of us will admit that we have messed up a lot trying to do things our way.  We need help and forgiveness for our sins.  We really do not want to be reminded of all of our past sins.  We need God's grace and mercy.  We need His Grace because we want God to give us of His goodness that which we don't deserve.  We need His Mercy because we want Him to withhold the punishment that we do deserve.  If we would confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us of our sins and cleanse us for all of our unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)  That's why, like David, we need to pray and appeal to God's mercy and His tender loving-kindness.

WHAT GOD REQUIRES FROM US

Proclamation:

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does The Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Micah to the people of God.  In the previous two verses (Micah 6:6-7) he makes it clear what God does not want from His people.  In the verses which follow he list the sins of Israel and then spells out the punishment which they will receive for their sins. (Micah 6:9-16)

Application:

What does man have to do to please God?  Put another way, what does God require of man?  This rhetorical question was asked by Micah because the people of Israel should have known what God wanted from them.  God wanted a spiritual commitment that was sincere and from the heart, from which right behavior would result.  That is what God wanted from them back then and that is what He wants from us today.  He wants us to believe and obey His Word.  He wants us to love our fellow man as we love ourselves.  He wants us to walk humbly in this world as we follow Him.  Our problem is not a lack of knowledge regarding what The Lord God wants for us.  Our problem is that we are so caught up in pleasing ourselves and doing what we want that we don’t do what He wants us to do.  We need to put God first. (Matthew 6:33)  We need to humble ourselves, and pray, and seek The Lord God, and stop our self-indulgent sinful ways, then we would be able to do what He requires of us and we would be blessed for doing so. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

DESTROYED FOR A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE

Proclamation:

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee ..." Hosea 4:6 (KJV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Hosea to the Jewish nation to convince them of their many sins and to invite them to convert to Christianity.  Both the priests and the people had rejected knowledge and had turned from The Word of God

Application:

A lack of knowledge of God is a bad thing.  Being ignorant is bad enough but refusing to learn is worse.  Do not reject the instructions of The Lord by refusing to read and obey His Word.  We can easily be misled by false prophets and false teachers when we do not know The Word of God for ourselves.  Everything that sounds good isn't good or true.  Think about how much time we spend in other less significant activities as compared to the time that we spend in the study of God's Word.  Let's read and study the Bible more.  Let us not be destroyed for a lack of knowledge of The Lord God and His Holy Word. 

FEAR THE LORD AND BE BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE

Proclamation:

"Fear The Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.  The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek The Lord lack no good thing.  Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of The Lord.  Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.  Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.  The eyes of The Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry ..." Psalms 34:9-15 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm of David deals with the happiness of those who fear and trust in The Lord.  He begins with a personal testimony and ends with public teaching on Christian behavior.

Application:

We are blessed in more ways that we can count, and yet there are still some blessings that we miss out on because of our behavior.  God supplies the needs for those who fear Him.  Fear here is not being afraid, it is more like being in awe, respectful, and obedient.  The fear of The Lord requires that we tell the truth, turn from evil, do good, seek peace and live like we love and follow The Lord.  If we do this, we will be blessed beyond measure.

GIVE TO THE POOR LEND TO THE LORD

Proclamation:

“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to The Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.” Proverbs 19:17  The King James version of The Bible reads: “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto The Lord; and that which he hath given He will pay him again.”

Explanation:

King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, wrote these words under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Solomon told the people that charity is a principal of good heart.  It is charity to do for the poor.  That shows compassion, concern and sympathy for the less fortunate.  Solomon also encouraged the people to be charitable.  He told them that giving to the poor is the same as lending to The Lord.  That which is given to the poor, The Lord God will place it to the account as lent to Him and He will repay it with interest.

Application:

As Christians, we should be kind to those who are less fortunate than we are.  All of the blessings that we receive were not meant for us to keep to ourselves.  We are to pass them on and share them with others.  Remember the rich man who would not share anything with the beggar Lazarus who sat outside his gates. (Luke 16: 19-31)  That selfish rich man ended up spending eternity in hell.  The Bible says that blessed are those who have compassion for the poor, The Lord will deliver him out of trouble, preserve him and keep him alive, and heal him when he is sick. (Psalm 41 1:1-3)  The Lord looks upon us as if we treat Him the same way that we treat the poor. (Matthew 25:40)  The Lord keeps a record of how we treat the poor and what we give to them.  He treats that which we gave to them as a debt which He has to repay.  And, when He repays us He pays the debt in full, plus interest.  We get more from God than we give to the poor.  We are abundantly blessed for being a blessing to the poor because The Lord repays us.