know – Page 3 – Praying Pint

Walk among them

“as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

“ The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; “

“teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

Zecharuag 2:10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the LORD. And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.

John 14:23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

Leviticus 26:12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.

Ezekiel 37:27 My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Isaiah 40:9 Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

God, the creator of all there is, has made His dwelling place with His people and He will walk among them. He will gently lead them who are willing to be led by Him. He will guide those who desire Him. He will give them hope and assurance. He will carry them through hard times. He will teach us how to live to honor, glorify, follow, and obey Him if we are willing to grow in this knowledge. With so much pulling at our time we must commit to this with urgency and heart deep desire.

I will hear

“Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.”

“All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.”

Psalms 65:2 O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.

Psalms 66:19 But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Psalms 102:17 he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer.

Psalms 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.

1 Kings 18:37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”

2 Chronicles 33:13 He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.

Jeremiah 29:12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Luke 11:9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Psalms 22:27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you

Isaiah 49:6 he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Isaiah 66:23 From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the LORD.

John 12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Sometimes I wonder if we have confidence in God and His promises. I wonder if we know Him personally enough to know He is near and that He will answer our cry, pleas, and requests. I wonder if we know what it means to seek Him. I wonder if we know what it means to seek Him with all our heart, mind, and soul. Do we spend enough time with Him to know Him? Do we live each day with a single purpose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him? Are we growing in our knowledge of Him? I think there are times when we have sought Him and know the presence of God. I think there are times when we totally forget Him and live our life for other purposes. When I think about this I realize one clear truth. If we purpose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him, and if we stay in His word for this purpose – I know His presence and Holy Spirit occupy our heart and mind. Our day is not filled with the worries and cares of this world. Our focus is on Him and serving Him however He leads us in this world. Another truth I know is true. If we spend no time in His word there is little chance of us hearing His whispers leading, guiding, directing, and using us. His word has no root in our being and we lose connection with Him seemingly content with drifting further and further away from Him. Choose to stay in His word and seek to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.

Ponder what He has done

“Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.”

“For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

“Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

Psalms 64:9 Then all mankind fears; they tell what God has brought about and ponder what he has done. Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him! Let all the upright in heart exult!

Psalms 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.

Psalms 53:5 There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror! For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you; you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.

Psalms 119:20 My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.

Jeremiah 51:10 The LORD has brought about our vindication; come, let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.

Psalms 107:42 The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth. Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

Isaiah 5:12 They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the LORD, or see the work of his hands.

Proverbs 1:5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,

Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

Daniel 12:10 Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.

Have there been times in your life where the hand of God was so present and real that you just pondered what had just happened? Where one step, one glance, one decision, or one word at the wrong time would have changed your life in another direction completely. How many times have you said “I was very lucky”? People of God ponder these acts of God and give Him praise. They do not say it was luck or chance but by the sovereign hand of God working in their life. How do they know this is the work of God? Because they know Him. They know His promises. He is their rock, refuge, hope, faith, love, joy, power and they rely on His steadfast love. The Holy Spirit within them confirms to their spirit it was the work of God. They absolutely know. His hand, power, love, joy, peace, kindness, strength, might, forgiveness, hope, mercy and grace is known to them. They find anchor to these in His word. They cling to, rely on, and trust in Him. To the world and those who know Him not this all seems foolish, but to those who have put their hope and trust in Him it is the purpose and meaning for life this side of eternity. Desire and seek to know Him and to be able to hear His whispers into your life. Humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him. Believe in His promises. Trust in Him. Cling to Him. Rely on Him. And you will see His hand at work in your life.

Secret Intent

“know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.”

Psalms 44:20 If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.

Psalms 7:3-5 O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands,

Job 31:4 Does not he see my ways and number all my steps? “If I have walked with falsehood and my foot has hastened to deceit; (Let me be weighed in a just balance, and let God know my integrity!) if my step has turned aside from the way and my heart has gone after my eyes, and if any spot has stuck to my hands, then let me sow, and another eat, and let what grows for me be rooted out.

16 “If I have withheld anything that the poor desired, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it

19 if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, or the needy without covering, if his body has not blessed me, and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep, if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help in the gate, then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder, and let my arm be broken from its socket.

24 “If I have made gold my trust or called fine gold my confidence, if I have rejoiced because my wealth was abundant or because my hand had found much, if I have looked at the sun when it shone, or the moon moving in splendor, and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth has kissed my hand,

Jeremiah 17:10 “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Jeremiah 23:24 Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.

Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Romans 2:16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

God sees the intents of our heart and mind. He sees the secret places we hind within ourselves that no one else sees. In Hebrews it tells us that His word is living and is able to discern our thoughts and intentions of our heart. This is true if we stay in His word. Reading it, meditating on it, and seeking understanding from it. If this is not something you can you every say ” if my step has turned aside from the way and my heart has gone after my eyes,”? I see the problem all around where people who proclaim to be a follower of Christ do not spend more than once a week in His word. The natural result of this is the culture around us will then dictate what the intent of our mind and heart is – it has no other influence. I can give example after example of seeing this: Men who think only of themselves and their activities at the expense of their wife, children, family. Their free time is only given to themselves and what they want to do without any thought given to others in their family. Men will golf, hunt, fish, play sports, cars, trucks, etc…. and expect they are fulfilling Gods call in their life to lead their families. How will men give account before God for the time they have wasted away. I am not saying any of these actives are bad, however if they discount God given obligations in the home and family then they are bad. All of us men can take heed to this and improve. I am the last one to make recommendation. Too often I get side tracked and focused on me, myself, and I forgetting to appreciate the family God has given me. Ask God to reveal to your heart His intent for you in regard of your family, wife and children. Ask Him to convict you of selfish actions. Be humble enough to confess and change. Remember our purpose this side of eternity is to humbly serve, honor and obey Him in all aspects of our lives.

Number my Days

“Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.”

“making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Psalms 39:4 “O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!

Psalms 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Job 28:28 And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

Proverbs 2:2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Proverbs 3:13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.

Proverbs 4:5 Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

Proverbs 4:7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.

Proverbs 7:1 My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend,

Proverbs 8:32 “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

Proverbs 22:17 Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge,

How are we to gain this understanding and wisdom? It comes from choosing it, applying it, seeking it, listening for it, holding firmly to it, and making the best use of our time. Note David asking got to show how fleeting his time on earth is. And again he asks God to teach us to number our days. Why? Because life teaches us (the older we get) that life is short and we find our path is much better, our lives more fuller, and our purpose more clear when we choose to stay close to God. When we seek more than anything else to humbly serve, honor and obey Him. Keep these scriptures close and review them often.

While He may be found

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Psalms 32:6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

Proverbs 1:28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

Isaiah 49:8 Thus says the LORD: “In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages,

Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;

Luke 19:42-44 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

John 7:34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”

2 Corinthians 6:2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Psalms 34:2-5 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

Psalms 4:3 But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.

2 Corinthians 1:4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Titus 2:12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near”. “In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you;”. “Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;” The day of salvation is now and yet for some it will never again come or be open to their eyes and hearts. They have rejected and set their heart against God, rejecting Him, and salvation through Jesus Christ. It is very hard to watch and see people who are like this but many of us too were at such a place in our lives at some time. We heard but we rejected, we saw but we discounted, and we chose to follow thoughts of those who cling to what is present in this world. To those who choose to listen, follow and obey God there is peace, joy, hope, love and promise of eternity with God in heaven. To those who continually reject His salvation there is promise of eternity in hell separated from God, forever tormented. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the time to believe, repent, follow and obey. God wants you to come to Him just as you are. You are not required to get right before you come to Him. He is standing at your heart’s door knocking seeking to come in and transform you into a life with Him. Come as your are He is knocking. Come now in this day of salvation. All changes in your life and how you see life this side of eternity will come at His leading and your willingness to let Him be Lord of your life – your everything.

Joy comes in the morning

“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”

“The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”

Psalms 30:5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

2 Corinthians 4:17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

Isaiah 57:15-16 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made.

Isaiah 54:7-8 For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD, your Redeemer.

Psalms 63:3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.

Psalms 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

2 Corinthians 7:9-10 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Psalms 59:16 But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.

But joy comes in the morning. It is not fun spending time grieving, in distress, weeping, and having heart deep hurt. Yet in this life it seems as though it does find us when we do not expect it. Where do we turn in these times for comfort? Who is able to ease the burden in our heart? It is God. We have seen those who do not trust God and their grief and anger over the distress they are in never goes away. We see others and possibly ourselves that have passed through this time of trouble and recognize it was God who carried us. The night time of trials, grieving, distress, and heart deep hurt is followed by “joy in the morning”. I am not sure how or what God is able to do that turns these heart hurts into joy but I know it happens. We have all seen loved ones who are in times of hurting and our soul would do anything to remove it. It is God who leads us through the valley of the shadow of death onto green pastures. It is He alone who lifts us up out of the darkness into light. No one likes going through these times alone and it surely seems like that at the time. God is there. We should be ever ready to be used by God to be an encouragement and help to those hurting.