Help?

“I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121

I have nothing to fear for I know that my God watches over me and guides me. He walks with me and protects me from harm. I know that the will of God will never take me where the grace of God cannot protect me and that He will lead me through whatever I may face.

Quiets my Spirit

God speaks to us through many different ways and this just happened to be my quiet time this morning. He brings us peace and quiets our spirit if we are still before Him and choose to listen. It requires complete trust in His promises and knowing that He will do what He says He will do. God is faithful.

“Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity.”

Psalm 64:2

The charges were ridiculous. Didn’t people have anything better to do than create perverse fantasies about other people? Cliff had been helping Judy through a really tough time in her life. The two had spent many long hours together, often sitting up through the night in Cliff’s apartment, talking. Now, a select committee from the school was calling into question Cliff’s fitness to teach “young, impressionable minds.” Important matters would take a backseat to an imagined scandal. It was ironic that when a person tried his hardest to do something good, his motives were most suspect.

Doing what is right and good is sometimes risky. There is always someone who will question our motives and try to undermine the good we hope to accomplish. Be assured that God sees all things, and He will richly reward those who continue to do right, even in the face of stiff opposition.

Prayer: I need to know that You are on my side and that You will not leave me to fight on my own. I am constantly made aware of how hard it is to do good things. Fill me with perseverance, Lord. Amen.

Wisdom from the Psalms

Chariots of Fire

“Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.”

The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.” So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.

This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Will you not tell me which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”

“None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”

“Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked.

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

And Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

2 Kings 6:8-17

The Lord is ready to open our eyes in every situation we face, making us aware of His strength and how much greater He is than our enemy. Just like the servant our eyes see through murky glasses and we must allow God to open our spiritual eyes. In order to have our eyes opened, we must seek Him and ask.

“Heavenly Father, help me to see how Your strength is so much greater than anyone that threatens to harm me. Remind me of how awesome You are and that Your resources are great. Give me courage because You are fighting for me!”

Bump in the Road

“The Father of compassion and the God of all comfort…comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort others …”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

“…we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair…”

2 Corinthians 4:7-8

“…under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”

James 1:2-4

We all at one time or another find ourselves stuck in the

potholes of life. We might feel damaged and broken or rejected

and alone but we have no need to despair. We are not alone!

Jesus knows. We have a higher calling, a greater purpose for

those troubling experiences we are facing. One day we will be

able to comfort others who are hurting because we know their

suffering. Our light will shine on another’s dark and difficult

path and one day when we step into eternity, we will receive

the crown of life.

Heads or Tails?

“If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God and carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always have the upper hand. You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today not to follow after other gods and worship them.”

Deuteronomy 28:13-14

“In darkness there is no choice. It is light that enables us to see the differences between things; and it is Christ who gives us light.”

Augustus Hare (1834-1903)

Stand Strong

Nothing ahead of you is bigger or stronger than the Power of God behind you!!!

Uncover the Truth

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.”

Jeremiah 17:7

“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”

Psalm 118:8

“He will not be afraid of evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”

Psalm 112:7

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble;
And He knows those who trust in Him.”

Nahum 1:7

“The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You.”

Psalm 9:9-10

Found this list online about the characteristics of God. This is for those whose faith, like mine, has become shaky at the moment. God is faithful!!

Uncover the Truth

· God gives us strength and courage to do His will.

· God has made it possible for any person to trust in Him.

· God can do the impossible.

· Remembering what God has done in the past helps us trust Him today.

· We take part in God’s great works when we obey Him.

· God cannot overlook sin.

· God restores His people when they return to Him.

· God honors us when we keep our word.

· God blesses those who serve Him wholeheartedly.

· God keeps His promises to His faithful people.

· God calls His people to remain faithful to Him always.

· God is both just and merciful to those who disobey Him.

· God makes possible what seems totally impossible.

· God can work through our weaknesses as well as through our strengths.

· God sometimes does a mighty work in a surprising way.

· God brings hope in times of deep trouble.

· Sin brings consequences, but God continues to extend His grace to us.

· The choice to follow God changes the direction of our lives.

· God provides for those in need through the obedience of His people.

· What God is doing at any moment is bigger than we can see at the time.

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

In heavenly armor we’ll enter the land,

The battle belongs to the Lord.

No weapon that’s fashioned against us will stand,

The battle belongs to the Lord.

And we sing glory, honor, power and strength to the Lord,

We sing glory, honor, power and strength to the Lord.

When the power of darkness comes in like a flood,

The battle belongs to the Lord.

He’ll raise up a standard, the power of His blood,

The battle belongs to the Lord.

When Your enemy presses in hard, do not fear,

The battle belongs to the Lord.

Take courage, my friend, your redemption is near,

The battle belongs to the Lord.

©1985, Fairhill Music

Words and Music by Jamie Owens-Collins

When I was younger, I had the great privilege of attending a non-denominational church for a couple of years. They were some of the greatest moments of my pre-teen years as it was during those years that I understood and felt the presence of God for the first time.


One of my favorite songs was “The Battle Belongs to the Lord”. Whenever I was down or scared, I would find myself singing it over and over for comfort. Over the past few weeks I have found myself doing the same thing and it has brought me great strength and comfort.


This morning I was reading the story of David and Goliath and reminded of how when God is on our side, it does not matter how big the giant may be because the battle ultimately belongs to God.
The following is such a powerful passgage and speaks volumes to the trust that we can have in God when we are going through hard times.

“David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

1 Samuel 17:45-47

Whenever I read this passage, I get goose bumps. There is such power and conviction behind that statement. How awesome did David feel to stand against such a giant and not be afraid? To know that he could stand strong in his faith in God and know that he would prevail? God does not expect us to stand around, do nothing, and think that He will do all the work but He does want us to know that His will and truth will always prevail because the battle is His.

Weaknesses

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

I am going through one of the greatest tests of my faith right now and I know this may sound odd, but it excites me. I know that when God is testing me through struggles, He is only growing my faith in Him. In these times, I am being taught to trust and rely on Him in all things.

There have been moments when fear begins to set in and suddenly a peace surrounds me and I hear the verse ” There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18.
I am then reminded that God’s love is perfect and because of His perfect love for me, I can have complete confidence in His plan for what is taking place. Because I trust His word, there is no room for fear.

There are times when I feel completely exhausted but then another verse comes to mind and suddenly my spirit is put at ease.
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
When my struggles are great and I am at my weakest point, those are the moments when I most lean on Him and His strength alone gets me through.

God is all-knowing and knows every event that will comes my way and He is always there to walk with me and help me through if I allow Him. He never leaves me alone to handle my struggles and in this, I can have confidence in knowing that His grace and love will bring me through the worst of times.