Category: forgiveness

Psalm 5 and What’s going on?

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A visual for the battle… spiritual and natural

Welcome to this week’s musings. A battle is raging on earth and in heaven.  Many are asking where God is in all of the turmoil. You probably guessed that Psalm 5 was my Wednesday chapter in my devotions this week.  Let’s take a look at what David had to say… to… and… about God in this Psalm.

A Prayer for Guidance
To the Chief Musician.                                With flutes.                                                           A Psalm of David.  

5 Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my meditation.
2. Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray.

In the first two verses, David implores the Lord to hear and consider what he’s saying, thinking, and agonizing over. He reaffirms the Lord as his King, his God.  He knows from experience that no one else can help him.


3. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You,
and I will look up.                                         David knows where to direct his voice.  He knows the morning is an apt time to seek the Lord. Notice that he directs his voice to look up to Him.

4. For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You.

David has a track record with God. He knows God is not pleased with wickedness, and evil can not abide with Him. Next, David shares what God thinks of the boastful and those who work iniquity:
5. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;
You hate all workers of iniquity.

David continues to enumerate the things God abhors:
6. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

In light of his knowledge of the Lord, David now turns to Him with his response to the situation.

7. But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;
In fear of You, I will worship toward Your holy temple.

David realizes that he can’t overcome his enemies on his own. He asks God to lead him and make his way straight because he knows God’s right-ness. As you read on, think about what we are dealing with these days.                 8. Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;
make Your way straight before my face.

9. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;
Their inward part is destruction;
Their throat is an open tomb;
They flatter with their tongue.

Are you watching the debates or the news commentators?  Maybe you have a battle above and beyond the election fracas? Read  the next verses with this in mind.
10. Pronounce them guilty, O God!
Let them fall by their own counsels;
cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against You.

Thank God for the grace sinners have because of Jesus Christ.  Are you rejoicing in the midst of what’s swirling around you? Read on as David shares a godly way to respond to these people.                                                                  11. But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.                                       12. For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor. You will surround him as with a shield.

A God who blesses us with such glory in the clouds should make us pause and meditate on things. What an awesome God we serve! He loves us so much. He can handle our cries and complaints, but temper them with magnifying His Name. He truly is worthy!

I leave you with  Luke 23:34.

23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.

Love them anyway…  the paraphrase on a sticker on the back of my phone case. Even our worst enemy doesn’t deserve the dark, evil, torturous, eternal fires of hell. Rescue the perishing and speak life where death is trying to overcome. Let the light of Jesus Christ break through the darkness that encroaches.

Until next time, Shalom to you all.             Don’t forget to pray and vote!

Vengeance?!

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Romans 12:19 NKJV
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

This was a motor home one of our neighbors brought to their piece of property down the hill from us. Notice that the front and the side window sill can still be read : VENGEANCE. Sorry, I took the photo with the trees in the way; this vehicle went all the way back to where it looks like it was!

When we left for an early morning testing run, this abode was in pristine condition.  On our way home from the run, we wondered why the garage doors on the firehouse were open. Then we drove past this motor home. Apparently, one of the rear supports sparked, and flames quickly spread from back to front. By the time we saw it, there was no fire, just a burned out shell..

I’m not sure why my neighbors chose this phrase for their temporary home, but apparently, the devil took full advantage of a flaw in the construction. Kind of reminds me of the insurance ads with “Mayhem” in them, reminding you to buy their insurance to protect your car from mayhem.

Apparently, the neighbors had insurance. There’s now a much smaller motor home parked on their property. Needless to say, it does not say VENGEANCE! Now it’s MALLARD and a bit shorter from front to back. Can anyone say, “Humbled!”?

What about your life? Are you usurping God’s authority and seeking vengeance of your own? Is there anyone you are holding a grudge against, despising, bitter against, or unforgiving? Maybe a government official, abuser, or accuser?

Hebrews 10:30-31 NKJV
For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” [31] It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Those who belong to Jesus Christ are to live a crucified life. His kingdom is generally at odds with what we’ve been humanly taught. This includes forgiving those who wrong us, doing good to those who hurt us, and praying for those who persecute us. I am subscribed to The Voice of the Martyrs monthly magazine. It includes testimonies from Believers in difficult circumstances who are rejoicing in the Lord, loving and forgiving those who persecute them or take away their loved ones. It brings me back to the reality that we must forgive, or we hurt ourselves and we hurt others with our attitude.

Photo by Valeria Ushakova on Pexels.com

We have a multitude of chances to take vengeance ourselves in these days. The world encourages it. My husband is watching a series of Cold Case murders right now. All these families, for decades, are seeking peace by finding the perpetrator. Finally solving the murder and watching the perp arraigned, the family has settled their vengeance, but can never bring their loved one back by the years spent fighting.

Psalm 94:1 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs— O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!

My Lord God, bring us to a place where we can love like You do and forgive like Jesus has forgiven us. We will stand our ground in You, Lord, and look for Your justice to shine in this darkness that so many of us are living in. Keep us humble, at Your feet, and lead us on paths of righteousness, for Your sake. Amen.

I leave you with encouragement from Donna Rigney Ministries:

I Stand At The Door…

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Repeated references to this scripture recently  gave me pause. Let’s look at it.

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Usually, this verse is used to call sinners to salvation, but is that what Jesus was saying? Let’s look at the verses around this one.

Revelation 3:15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth…

The worst thing we can be as a Christian is Luke warm. Vomit is one of the strongest words Jesus uses!

17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

We need to ask the Spirit to search our inmost being, the depth of our soul. We need the refined gold and white garments, the salve to anoint our eyes. Search me, oh God, and know my heart… I need a true understanding of who I really am in Christ.

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

  Be thankful and desire the searching and chastening of the Spirit of the Lord. Repent, turn back to your loving Father. Realize the price Jesus paid to blot out our sins and heal us.

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Let us come back, invite our Savior to come back to the center of our life. Jesus has already overcome this life. He’s offering us the same reward He obtained, return to the place at the Father’s right hand.

Lay it all down, lay it all down… lay it all down! Work with the Spirit, Who searches all things, and open each door within your soul and let Him cleanse you.

I just got Penn Clark’s newly published books, Finding Finney and Finding Father Nash. This Second Great Awakening they were part of, the spirit of prayer was heavy. It is said that every grove and field had groups of people praying. You could stand in the area and hear several prayers being lifted all around.

http://www.finney-revival.com

Find a couple of people who want to join in prayer, or maybe there’s a prayer meeting in your area that you can join. Open yourself to the lover of your soul and let go of the things that hold you. Let’s humble ourselves and pray in what God is releasing these days. You have a part in this new era of revival. Humble yourself and He will lift you up into the plans He has for you!

Shalom my dear ones, until we meet again.

He Knows!

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The Bible says Jesus was tempted and tried in all the ways we are. God puts people around us and provides someone to help us when we can’t go on. Last week, I shared Jesus’s prayer in the garden, asking Father if there was any other way to reconcile fallen humanity with Him. His spirit was willing, but his flesh was weak, not wanting to endure the cross. Now I take you to his journey to Golgotha with the cross on his back. His beaten, abused body gave out, and he fell under the weight of the cross. God provided Simon of Cyrine to help him.

How many times have we been struggling, thinking we’re all alone? Have you ever convinced yourself that you can’t bother someone else? Maybe God had a person for you to call, that He had prepared to help you, and you didn’t reach out. He may even have brought someone to mind, or someone was right in front of you who could help, but you didn’t realize. Simon had no preconceived notion of helping Jesus carry his cross that day, but Father God caused him to be in just the right place, at a Kairos time. He was blessed for helping, and Jesus was blessed with the help he gave. Simon of Cyrene is still honored today as part of Jesus’s road to the cross.

Here is an important scripture that is in my devotions today. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free from our past and all regret. This would be a good prayer to pray for our nation right now!

Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake… Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the people turn from their wicked deads. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:3a,6 NLT

As Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, “Neither will I condemn you-go and sin no more.” This is a new day, the past is gone. Regret is not a road you want to travel. It’s full of snares and sharp rocks. I prefer the Lord’s path of grace and obedience. It’s full of faith, hope, and love. (thanks to Uta Milewski & her devotional)

As for my book, Musings Along Life’s Journey, I have reached the mark of selling as many books as I’ve given away or gifted. On Monday, I found out Sabrina Adams, my publisher, had finished her battle with the cancer that ravaged her body and has been translated to heaven. I am praying for peace for her family and that her daughters and husband can keep her publishing company going.

There is much opposition to this book being sold. Must be God has great plans for it! I encourage you to get a copy from me or order one at http://www.zoelifebooks.org, read it, write a review, and share on social media. I currently have one event scheduled if you’d like to mark your calendar. Saturday, August 12th, from 9-3pm I will be at the Henderson Heritage Day, on the lawn by the Historical Society.

http://www.zoelifebooks.org