Praying Pint

 

Dan 11:32  He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.

1Ti 1:3-11  As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,  in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

Jhn 17:3  And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Job 19:25  For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

 

What are the benefits of keeping our gaze continually focused on God? I can think of at least three. First, the more we study Him the more we will want to become like Him. The most natural thing in the world when there is a good relationship between parents and their children is for that child to want to become like them. That is the way it is also with God our Father. The more we discover of His love, His holiness, His purity, His trustworthiness, His strength, His patience, the more we want to emulate Him. Second, the more we study God the better we will know ourselves. When Isaiah stepped into the Temple and had a vision of God, he also saw the truth about himself. Things that were hidden deep within him came to light in the presence of the Eternal. Third, the more we study Him the clearer will be our perspective on the world. When you see that God is in charge then you won’t panic every time you open the newspaper. You can only know God, of course, through Christ, and because You have Him, instead of saying, “Look what the world has come to,” you will be able to say: “Look what has come to the world.” The people who know their God will firmly resist the Adversary, says Daniel. The Amplified Bible puts it well: “– the people who know their God shall prove themselves strong and shall stand firm and do exploits.” I can do no more than to say – there you have it in a nutshell. The more you know God the stronger you will be.

My Father and my God, now I set my course for the wide seas. With Your truth as my compass, and Your Word as my chart, I set sail on this great adventure – to know You better. I can count on You but can I count on me? With Christ’s help I can. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. (Hughes)

 

Psa 15:1    O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

Psalms 23:6      Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

 Psalms 27:4     One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

 Psalms 61:4      Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!

 Psalms 84:4      Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!

 Psalms 92:13     They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.

 Mat 22:37-40  And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

 John 3:3-5   Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”  Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Mat 23:27  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.

 Luke 11:44      Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

 Acts 23:3    Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?”

 Psalms 58:1-2    Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the children of man uprightly?  No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth.

 Micah 3:8-11    But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.  Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who detest justice and make crooked all that is straight,  who build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity.  Its heads give judgment for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money; yet they lean on the LORD and say, “Is not the LORD in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us.”

The psalmist poses two heartfelt questions in this verse: “Who may abide? And “Who may dwell?” These are questions that every believer should ask of God. The words “abide” and “dwell” are similar in meaning in the Hebrew language, and when applied to the believer, they become a permanent state of mind. According to the whole psalm, the reality of who enjoys this intimate, ongoing fellowship is determined by their character lived out daily.

The Bible tells us that our access to God’s throne in heaven has been thrown wide open because of His grace. But we must never forget that with grace comes a responsibility: “…love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” And “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39).

The believer who consistently seeks out and enjoys God’s presence will begin manifesting His character toward others—mercy, patience, longsuffering, faithfulness, gentleness, and kindness. Their words and lifestyle will not contradict one another because to live otherwise is hypocritical and runs the risk of becoming cold and pharisaical, “beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27). The Pharisees were clinically religious, yet their lives were duplicitous. And Jesus condemned them for it.

There is no better, safer, or more expansive place to dwell than with the Lord.  May you and I be counted among the “who”—those saturated with love for God, as revealed in the love for others. (Gibbs)

 

Psa 127:2  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

Psa 4:8  In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

1Co 15:34  Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

My aim is to awaken some from the rut. I know it is impossible to awaken everybody, but I hope to awaken some. I use the word awaken here advisedly and carefully because the Bible contains significant teaching gathered around the word sleep. There is first of all natural sleep. “He grants sleep to those he loves” (Psalms 127:2). “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Psalms 4:8). . . . I am thinking of moral sleep and spiritual sleep. Moral sleep is suggested in First Corinthians 15:34, “Awake to righteousness and sin not” (KJV). There is such a thing as moral sleep. It is entirely possible to be displeasing God and grieving the Holy Spirit by being asleep morally; that is, by permitting what should not be allowed. Most people do not want to hear this. They want something added to what they have. They do not want to be told that they are permitting something that should not be allowed. In other words, they are doing what they should not be doing. But you ask, “Is it true of Christians” Do you believe that many Christians are doing this”” I have no hesitation in saying that all the symptoms in the church today point to Christians doing things they should not be doing and failing to do what they should be doing. That is the positive and the negative—sins of commission, sins of omission. To be unaware of these sins is to be morally asleep. (Tozer)

 

Rev 12:7-8  Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

War always will rage between the two great sovereignties until one or other be crushed. Peace between good and evil is an impossibility; the very pretence of it would, in fact, be the triumph of the powers of darkness. Michael will always fight; his holy soul is vexed with sin, and will not endure it. Jesus will always be the dragon’s foe, and that not in a quiet sense, but actively, vigorously, with full determination to exterminate evil. All his servants, whether angels in heaven or messengers on earth, will and must fight; they are born to be warriors-at the cross they enter into covenant never to make truce with evil; they are a warlike company, firm in defence and fierce in attack. The duty of every soldier in the army of the Lord is daily, with all his heart, and soul, and strength, to fight against the dragon.

The dragon and his angels will not decline the affray; they are incessant in their onslaughts, sparing no weapon, fair or foul. We are foolish to expect to serve God without opposition: the more zealous we are, the more sure are we to be assailed by the myrmidons of hell. The church may become slothful, but not so her great antagonist; his restless spirit never suffers the war to pause; he hates the woman’s seed, and would fain devour the church if he could. The servants of Satan partake much of the old dragon’s energy, and are usually an active race. War rages all around, and to dream of peace is dangerous and futile.

Glory be to God, we know the end of the war. The great dragon shall be cast out and for ever destroyed, while Jesus and they who are with him shall receive the crown. Let us sharpen our swords to-night, and pray the Holy Spirit to nerve our arms for the conflict. Never battle so important, never crown so glorious. Every man to his post, ye warriors of the cross, and may the Lord tread Satan under your feet shortly! (Spurgeon)

 

Luk 8:26-39  Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

Jas 2:19  You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

The Bible teaches that we are both body and spirit. But the point is that the spirit world is very real, and it impacts our lives every day.

One account in the Bible shows the characteristics of demons better than any other passage. In Luke 8:26–39, Jesus met a man who was tormented by many demons. Notice the characteristics of demons that we can derive from this passage.

Demons have intellect. When the demons saw Jesus, they said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” (v. 28). They immediately recognized Jesus. Demons are theologically orthodox. They believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for the sins of the world. But believing the right things about Jesus is not what gets you into heaven. James 2:19 says, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.” Believing in Jesus does not mean believing a set of facts about Jesus; it means trusting in Him and Him alone to save you from eternal death. No demon has done that.

Demons have emotions. They feel things. In Luke 8, the demons begged Jesus not to send them into the abyss (v. 31). Scholars disagree about what the abyss is, but we know it is such a horrible place that the demons begged Jesus not to send them there.

Demons have a will. The demons in Luke 8 proposed an alternative. Verse 32 says, “There was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine.” Jesus agreed to that, and He sent the demons into the swine.

Demons have names. The chief demon identified himself in verse 30 as “Legion,” a military term for a group of six thousand soldiers. Apparently, he had authority over a group of demons.

Demons are real beings, and people who ignore the reality of demons do so to their own hurt. Understanding the reality of demons is necessary for gaining spiritual victory in your life. (Jeffress)

 

 

 

Psalm 84:12    O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!

Psa 1:1  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

Psa 65:4  Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!

Psa 32:2  Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Psa 84:5  Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

A cynic once defined Christians as people who live in fear of someone, somewhere, being happy. That is, the cynic had the impression that God wants to make life burdensome and difficult. A person who believes that has never read the Bible. Thirteen times in the Old Testament we find the phrase, “Blessed is the man who.”

What does blessed mean in Scripture? In modern English translations it is often translated as “happy” or “joyful.” In other words, God wants us to be happy and joyful in life and gives us instructions on how to achieve that goal. We are blessed when we walk in God’s ways (Psalm 1:1), when we trust in God (Psalm 84:12), when our sins are forgiven (Psalm 32:2), when we dwell in God’s presence (Psalm 65:4), when we rely on God’s strength (Psalm 84:5), and more. God would not have provided ways for us to be happy and joyful if He did not intend for us to be so.

Meditate on these and other verses which promise blessedness. It is there for the receiving for all who seek it God’s way. (Jeremiah)

Seek for happiness and you will never find it. Seek righteousness and you will discover you are happy.

 

 

Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.” (Genesis 48:21)

When Israel (Jacob) told Joseph, Behold, I am dying, he understood a transition was underway. The torch Israel held for so long was now given to Joseph and his brothers. Israel was the last of the three great patriarchs to walk the earth, but God’s work would continue.

Charles Spurgeon, the great preacher of Victorian England, understood this principle. “If Abraham dies, there is Isaac; and if Isaac dies, there is Jacob; and if Jacob dies, there is Joseph; and if Joseph dies, Ephraim and Manasseh survive. The Lord shall never lack a champion to bear his standard high among the sons of men…. God will keep up the apostolic succession, never fear of that. When Stephen is dying, Paul is not far off. When Elijah is taken up, he leaves his mantle behind him.”

It’s true. Sometimes when we see great men and women of God die, we despair. Who will carry on God’s work? The answer is simple: God will carry on His work. He will choose, call, and train His servants as it pleases Him.

Israel gave Joseph hope for the future, planted in a valuable promise: God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. If the patriarchs no longer walked the earth, God would still be with His people. God would also keep His promise to give the land of Canaan (the land of your fathers) to the descendants of Israel.

Israel’s declaration, God will be with you and bring you completes a collection of phrases connected to his life that illustrate the believer in various stages of spiritual maturity.

The phrase, I am with you (Genesis 28:15) was God’s promise to be with young Jacob (Israel) in the present moment, the “right now.” This shows that God gives the young believer every possible assurance of His presence and grace.

The phrase, I will be with you (Genesis 31:3) was God’s promise to Jacob of His future faithfulness, to be seen in coming days. This shows that God expects the growing believer to trust He will be near, even when he only has the promise of His presence.

The phrase, God…has been with me from Genesis 31:5 was Jacob’s wonderful testimony that God had fulfilled the promises of His presence. This is something a mature believer will declare. The mature believer can tell others how God has been with him, even in difficult and testing times.

Finally, the phrase here in Genesis 48:21, God will be with you shows that God gives the mature believer the opportunity to encourage others with the promise of God’s presence. It was as if Israel could say, “Joseph, God has never forsaken me. God has been with me, and I can confidently say He will be with you.” (Guzik)

Which of these four stages best describes your spiritual condition?

 

 

Haggai 2:4    But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.

Jhn 15:5  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Php 4:13  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Eph 6:10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Neh 8:10  Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Zec 8:9  Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.

Isa 35:3-4  Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

Jdg 6:14  And the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”

2Co 4:1  Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.

Gal 6:9  And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Rom 8:31  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

In our lives, we will face many trials and troubles. Some due to; what we intentionally do and should not have, what others have done, and the big mystery of how God allows does these to either test or grow us. 

We live in a sin-filled world with Satan the initiator, author, and tempter of and to every person born. Satan’s cunning, deceptive, and lying ways affect the world in which we live and we will experience the effects of it.  

Arrogance, pride, boastful, greed, selfishness, self-reliance, self-worth, lying, stealing, murder, adultery, envy, jealousy, lovers of pleasure, wicked, conceited, without self-control, brutal, unholy, heartless, ungrateful, disobedient, lovers of money, abusive, scoffing, treacherous, reckless, careless, without love, sexual immorality, idolaters, ungodly lusts of what the world has to offer, power-hungry, denying God, mockers, drunkards, refusing the truth, stiff-necked, harden hearts, deafened ears, selfish gain, etc….. are all born of Satan throughout mankind and will cross our paths and affect our lives. 

Praise be to God we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit from losing heart and growing weary. How these events will be used for our good and God’s purposes is a mystery to me. Throughout God’s Word, we see the effects of sin and sinful acts and how God used these for the good of a person or nation. Still, it is a mystery that is in God’s will and purpose on earth this side of eternity.
Where does my strength come from? It comes from the Lord.

Who is my strength? The Lord. 

How is my hope? The Lord.
Who holds me in His every loving hands? The Lord.

Where should I turn in times of trials and troubles? The Lord.

Can I face these trials and troubles alone? No

Will God ever leave me or forsake me? No

The effects of this sinful world in our lives does have a counter provided by God through Jesus Christ and the infilling Holy Spirit. He is our rock, refuge, fortress, hope, faith, joy, help, strength, power, rest, peace, etc….. We are held in His hands through this life into eternity. No one, (nothing), can separate us from the love of God. He is far greater, more knowing, more powerful, and ever-present than we can imagine. 

 

 

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
1 Peter 3:8-9

In the church you attend, there are burdened souls staggering under their loads. In the nearby hospital, the sick and their loved ones are facing difficult moments. Down the street, inmates in the jail feel lost. In the nursing homes, lots of lonely people are suffering. And all around the world, there are millions of people who wonder how to deal with their overwhelming problems.

God has called us to minister to a suffering world. We must make a priority of asking God to show us where people are hurting so we can serve them in whatever way we can. We don’t have to go looking for those with needs. They’re all around us. We can’t help everyone, but we can help someone.

Pray today and ask God to lead you to someone you can serve in their time of need. (Jeremiah)

Jesus teaches that human need must always be helped; that there is no greater task than to relieve someone’s pain and distress and that the Christian’s compassion must be like God’s—unceasing.

 

 

He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone.

–Psalm 91:11–12

God uses angels to minister to believers. They protect us from physical and spiritual harm. Did you know Satan’s strategy is to cause your premature death? He wants to end your witness for Christ. How does God protect you? Psalm 91:11–12 says, “He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone.” This passage does not promise that you’ll be protected from all harm. But you’re not going to leave this world until God is finished with His plan for you on earth. God uses angels to protect you from premature death.

God also uses angels to protect us spiritually. As we see in Ephesians 6:12, we’re in a spiritual war. Sometimes the oppression, depression, and temptations in our lives are spiritual attacks. For example, in Daniel 10, Daniel was discouraged and in mourning for three weeks. Finally, an angel appeared and said to him, in essence, “I would have been here earlier, but I was delayed by a demonic force.” I don’t understand all of that, but I do understand that God protects us from demonic warfare through the ministry of angels.

Does this mean every Christian has a guardian angel assigned to protect them? Theologians have debated this, but ultimately, whether we each have a guardian angel is not important. As John Calvin said, “If any one does not think it enough to know that all the orders of the heavenly host are perpetually watching for his safety, I do not see what he could gain by knowing that he has one angel as a special guardian.” In other words, the only thing better than having one angel available to us is having a multitude of angels available to us.

Finally, angels minister to us in death. When our time comes, angels usher us into the presence of God. In Luke 16, Jesus told a story about a righteous poor man and an unrighteous rich man. Jesus said, “The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried” (v. 22). I can give you countless examples of Christians facing death who have talked about seeing angels to welcome them into the presence of Jesus. You do not have to fear dying alone. God’s angels will usher you into His presence. (Jeffress)