The Lord Preserves His Faithful

The Lord preserves His faithful, those who love Him and keep His commandments (Psalm 31:23). He does not want us to obey for His sake as much as He does for our own sake.

We avoid so many troubles and trials when we do things His way. After all, Father really does know best. He created us for His purpose and when we walk in His will, our life proceeds so much more smoothly and effortlessly.

Our soul finds rest in God alone. He is our only rock and salvation, our fortress that prevents life from shaking our faith. We have strong courage to face life's issues, because God strengthens our heart as we hope in Him (Psalm 31:23, 62:1).

God is our hiding place and He preserves us in trouble by encompassing us with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7). Whenever we are afraid, we can trust in Him (Psalm 53:3). 

Yet, He allows the proud and arrogant who refuse to believe in Jesus for salvation to reap the results of their choices - even to the point of eternity in the fires of damnation (John 3:18; Psalm 31:23).

We are crucified with Christ and share in His death to sin, even though we still live on this earth. Christ lives in us and we live by His faith in us (Galatians 2:20). We are dead to this world and our life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-3).

As we delight our self in the Lord, God puts His desires in our heart (Psalm 37:4). We make the effort it takes to clear our heart and mind of things of this world, and instead to love the Lord with all of our heart.

We walk in His ways, keep His commandments and cling only to Him. He orders our steps and He delights when we walk in His will (Psalm 37:23). Even if we fall in spirit, soul or body, we shall not be entirely cast down, or cast out of His Kingdom, because God holds us in His hand (Psalm 37:24).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for giving us the opportunity to be risen with Christ and for helping us to seek and set our affections and desires only on heavenly, eternal aspects (Colossians 3:1-3). You make our steps firm, when You delight in our thoughts, words and deeds.

Always keep us in the center of Your will; not drawn away by our fleshly desires, but kept on the straight and narrow road, designed to protect us by its simple parameters. Allow us to hear Your still small voice whispering "this is the way, walk you in it.” We always want You to delight in us, and in our ways; so You will keep our steps firm and our footing sure (Psalm 37:23).

Thought for the Day:

God’s river of salvation protects us in any fiery trial, and He alone is worthy of all of our trust.

Quietness and Confidence are our Strength

The proud and haughty think only of themselves. They have a superior attitude and demean others in order to make themselves greater in their own sight.

They gossip, backbite and bully people; thinking they are wise and better than anyone else. Some people really believe this, but some are insecure and hide behind this mask (Psalm 131:1).

It is only as we are quiet before the Lord that He can search us and teach us to know our own heart. He tries us and knows our thoughts. He sees the wickedness within us and leads us to His everlasting truth (Psalm 139:23).

Our soul is like a little child within us - frightened, demanding and careless. As we learn to trust in the Lord now and always, we rest in His loving arms (Psalm 131:2-3).

We wait in hope by faith, and God gives us His Son of righteousness as our salvation (Galatians 5:5). We rest in His secure hope and safety (Job 11:18). Courage and strength fill our heart as we hope in the Lord (Psalm 19:7; 31:24).

God is our help and shield (Palm 33:20). We never feel ashamed, even in hard times, because we have patience and rejoice as we pray to and trust in Him and worship His holy name (Romans 12:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:3).

God reveals to us the mysteries of the riches of His glory through Christ who dwells in us, and gives us a living hope of dwelling with Him for eternity (Colossians 1:27).

We do not even have to worry about what we will eat or wear. As He cares for nature, He provides even more for us. Worry cannot add an hour to our life or an inch to our stature. In fact, stress from worry reduces the quality and quantity of our life (Luke 12:22-26).

Only as we cast all of our cares on God's strong shoulders can we truly enter into His rest. He will never let us fall (Psalm 55:22). He is our light, our salvation and our stronghold, so we have no need to fear (Psalm 27:1)

Prayer:

Father God, this world often terrifies us; but the fact that You will never leave or abandon us gives us hope, strength and courage (Deuteronomy 31:6). You hold our hand, help us and redeem us (Isaiah 41:13-14; Proverbs 29:25). You are our refuge, strength and ever-present help in any times of trouble (Psalm 46:1, 118:6-7).

You surround us with Your holy angels and protect us from threats and trouble (Psalm 34:7; 1 Peter 3:14). As we call on You, You free us from all of our fears and You fight for us (Psalm 34:4; Deuteronomy 3:22). Nothing will ever separate us from Your love - not even the power of Satan and all of His demons (Romans 8:38-39).

Thought for the Day:

Whomever dwells in the shelter of God Almighty will rest in the shadow of His wings; we climb into Him as our strong tower and refuge and are safe. - Psalm 91:1-16

Safety in the Lord

Regardless of our earthly circumstance, God Himself is our refuge during our trials, and our strength to make Godly choices in spite of how much pain we are experiencing. He is always ready to help us during difficulty.

We experience numerous negative issues in this life including illness, natural disasters, war, fire, loss of a loved one through death or divorce, etc.; yet, God is with us through them all, calming our fears.

Although He brings destruction on ungodly nations, He also blesses Godly nations with His glorious works. Every nation will obey Him throughout the whole world, and will bow their knee to His Lordship (Romans 14:11).

He will ultimately end all wars on the earth, and destroy the implements of war; bringing peace and His goodness on all those who honor Him with their life.

The city of God is our future dwelling place. There is a river, which brings joy to the sacred home of our most high God, and we will abide with Him forever.

The voice of the Lord can melt the earth; yet the God of angel armies is our fortress, living among us. He is our dwelling place and He also dwells within us, making our way straight and providing us with an everlasting fortress (Psalm 46).

It is a safe dwelling place and can never be destroyed, even when earthly kingdoms crumble in chaos. There is no one like our God, who rides the heavens to come to our aid with all of His majesty streaking through the skies in our defense.

His everlasting arms gird us and He drives out our enemies before us (Deuteronomy 33:26-27). We have all of God's fullness within us at the moment of our salvation; and as we surrender to His will, He manifests more of Himself through us.

His heavenly dew refreshes us in times of spiritual drought and He leads us to dwell in the land of plenty. He saves us from calamity and is our shield and sword in the face of our enemies (Deuteronomy 33:28-29).

Prayer:

Father God, I am so glad that we have all of eternity to praise and worship You for Your magnanimous blessings to us during our sojourn on this earth. Your name is our high tower and we run into it and are saved from life's evil and disappointments (Proverbs 18:10).

Only in You do we place our trust (Psalm 91:2; Proverbs 29:25). You are our loving God and there is no one else like You. You are great and Your name is great in all the earth (Psalm 144:2; Jeremiah 10:6). We give You all the praise and glory, which is due to Your name.

Thought for the Day:

Whoever surrenders to the Lord has a secure fortress in this life and the next, and He is an eternal refuge for our children and children's children. - Proverbs 14:26