Bible Ballistics: BBs #185   ‘In Thee O Lord Do I Hope’!!!

“For in thee, O Lord, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.” Psalm 38:15

We talk about our feelings, and find that we can’t depend on our feelings, but, friends, we can depend upon God!!! As the Psalmist declares here, true hope is in the Lord God Almighty, His precious Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, which He gives to those who are born again by “the blood of the Lamb” of God, slain “before the foundation of the world”. Our hope is in the Lord who loves. He provides all we need:

2 Peter 1:3-4   “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

The Lord Jesus Christ IS my hope! He is all I need! How about you? Have you realized the futility of the un-fulfilled promises of the world? Have you tried it all and found it empty? Well, there is one who loves you! He always has, He always will.

“Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold   my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:24

       “According as he hath chosen us

              in him

              before the foundation of the world,

              that we should be holy       

              and without blame

              before him in love:” Ephesians 1:4

Jesus–the one who came to die, that we might live. And HE did it for YOU and ME, that we might be with HIM!

 

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your        fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the    foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him        glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.  22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the   truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the    brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

              23 Being born again,

              not of corruptible seed,

              but of incorruptible,

              by the word of God,

                      which liveth and abideth for ever.”

                                                  1 Peter 1:18-23

He knew YOU before the ‘foundation of the world’—

He loved YOU then,

He loves YOU now,

He loves YOU so much that He died for YOU!!!

He lives to give us life—now and in eternity!!!

He gave His life for YOU!!! But it didn’t stop there; He will give ‘abundant life’ now, to those who bow before Him as Lord and Savior–redeemer. It’s what he does; it’s who He is—“In him was life”!!! Father, Son and Holy Spirit– I praise His name, for my hope is secure IN HIM!!! And I can be secure “in Him”, because HE is IN ME!!! Won’t you trust HIM today—HE knows exactly where YOU are—and HE cares!

He’ll come in, if you but invite HIM in.

“Behold, I stand at the door,

              and knock:

                      if any man hear my voice,

                      and open the door,

       I will come in to him,

       and will sup with him,

       and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

Where’s your hope? Mine is in Jesus—because He’s in me! Won’t you answer the door and let HIM in? Today?

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”                                                                        Colossians 1:27

 

 

Bible Ballistics: BBs #184     But I Don’t Feel Like It!!!

We all have those times when our feelings run amuck. Times when we have disappointments, discouragements, hurts and struggles beyond our comprehension. We all have times, even me—especially me—when we just want to throw something, or scream or sometimes just run away!!! Ever been there, done that? I think we have all probably had those seasons in our lives, so what do we do. We walk on in what we know, not what we ‘feel’. Our feelings come and go with the circumstances around us, but what I know—WHO I know never changes!!!

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8

 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”     Hebrews 13:5-6 (conversation being our lifestyle, not just our words)

When my feelings seem to be making me ‘crazy’, I must stand in what I know!!! I personally have had times when I’ve just had to say out loud over, and over again, “I know that I know, that I know, that I know…..”! Why ? Because I do know that God is faithful, that He is the same every day, no matter how I ‘feel’!!! Our Lord Jesus has promised to be with us always:

“….I am with you always, even unto the end of the  world. Amen.”

Matthew 28:20b

       “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed:

for I know

whom I have believed,

and am persuaded

that he is able

to keep that which

I have committed unto him against that day.”  2 Timothy 1:12

So??? Here’s our shot for today! Short and simple, get in the Word, find out about the faithful God of the universe, His faithful Son, my Savior and Lord, and then stand fast in what you know. God will meet you in HIS Word. But you’ve got to open it up and read and study it. You aren’t alone—God is there if you’ll but look up!!! Get your eyes off of the circumstances, and focus on the only one who can and will deliver.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith….” Hebrews 12:2a

“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”     Daniel 2:17-18

And my dear friends, HE is still in the fire!!! Your fire!!! So no matter how you ‘feel’ today, look up:

 “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28

Bible Ballistics: Are You Confident In The Crisis? Vol. 6#13

We talked last week about Daniel and his faithful determination to honor his God with his whole life regardless of the circumstances. We found that while he suffered with his people for national disobedience, Daniel had made up his mind to continue to be personally faithful to his God, wherever he might be.

“But Daniel purposed in his heart

that he would not defile himself

with the portion of the king’s meat,

nor with the wine which he drank:

therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs

that he might not defile himself.” Daniel 1:8

While Daniel determined to be faithful to his God, he also expressed and lived out respect and honor toward those over and around him. Daniel never acted with presumption or arrogance because of his relationship with his God. We can to learn so much from Daniel’s behavior, not only before his God, but also before the pagan world where he lived in captivity for most of his life. Let’s continue our look at Daniel’s life and see what else we can learn—a lot I believe.

As we progress into chapter 2, we find Daniel and his friends after their three-year time of indoctrination serving in Babylon, a pagan king, kingdom and culture. While we are inundated with a culture that wants to indoctrinate us in much the same way, although we aren’t in ‘captivity’ yet, what is our response? What can we learn from Daniel and how he dealt with the crisis that comes to him and his friends? Let’s dig in to see.

“…..Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.” Daniel 2:1a

To sum up the crises, the king has had a dream that disturbed him. It disturbed him so much that he called in his magicians, astrologers and sorcerers to relieve his anxiety. But there was a small problem besides the anxiety over the dream itself; King Nebuchadnezzar couldn’t remember what the dream was, only his anxiety. So, he not only asked these men to interpret his dream, but to tell him what the original dream was!!! Wow, talk about an uproar in the ranks! The king’s counselors all went into ‘panic’ mode—in fact they made a most revealing statement that is often overlooked when studying this passage; a statement that is most apropos of our culture today.

“The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. 11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.  

12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious,

and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.” Daniel 2:10-12

Talk about a crisis—this is one. The wise men are telling the king, “no one can do this”!!! Hello, telling the KING it ‘can’t be done’, isn’t the greatest way to work your way up the corporate ladder. While the king was furious, I don’t want us to miss what these men said.

“not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter”—

“no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things”—

“it is a rare thing that the king requireth”—

And most importantly they proclaimed before the king:

“there is none other that can shew it

before the king,

except the gods,

whose dwelling is not with flesh”—

Did you get it? They not only understood that ‘we can’t do this’, but they presumed that ‘none other can show this to the king’!! They had only one answer, but it wasn’t the answer the king wanted to hear! What didn’t they understand?

They said, “only the ‘gods’ could do this thing” but they also made a most revealing statement that we need to examine. They declared that the ‘gods’ don’t dwell with men—and their ‘gods’ don’t’! They understood that they had no control over those that they claimed as ‘their’ ‘gods’! They knew that they had no real way to communicate with ‘their’ ‘gods’; no way to ask them questions, or get real answers. What a telling truth! The ‘gods’ that men have ‘created’ of their own devices, and for their own purposes, can’t solve the issues of life; they can’t deliver in the real dilemmas and crises of life, because they aren’t real. The result for these men? A death sentence from an angry and troubled king!!! And not only the ‘wise men’ who were actually present with the king in this encounter, but ALL THE WISE MEN were sentenced to death.

Now, how does this dilemma affect our man Daniel and his three friends? Remember in chapter one, they had so impressed the king, that they were placed in his service in the ‘wise men corps’ (if you would allow me to call them that). So, when the death sentence was passed on ‘ALL’ the ‘wise men’—Daniel and his friends were included.

“And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.” Daniel 2:13

And Daniel? He stood firm in the face of the compromise of his commitment and conscience before God, but what will he do now in the face of seemingly certain death? Let’s see?

“Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom

to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard,

which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:

15 He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain,

Why is the decree so hasty from the king?

Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

16 Then Daniel went in,

and desired of the king

that he would give him time,

and that he would shew the king

the interpretation.

17 Then Daniel went to his house,

and made the thing known

to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

his companions:

18 That they would desire mercies

of the God of heaven

concerning this secret;

that Daniel and his fellows should not perish

with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.”   Daniel 2:14-18

Wow! What an amazing young man.

Faced with captivity for sins he didn’t commit—

and he chose faithfulness.

Faced with imminent death for a problem he didn’t create–

and he chooses calm, confidence and reason.

I can’t help but think that perhaps he remembered a verse from the Proverbs:

“The king’s heart

is in the hand of the Lord,

as the rivers of water:

he turneth it

whithersoever he will.” Proverbs 21:1

But what did Daniel do with his faithful confidence in his God? Did he lie down and wait for God to deliver him? NO WAY! Daniel took action, but again, not arrogant or presumptuous action, but he acted quickly, yet with “counsel and wisdom”, and in respect of the authorities over him. I can’t get past the fact that this mighty, high-ranking officer had enough respect and admiration for Daniel’s integrity and demeanor that he recounted to him the situation that had precipitated the ‘death decree’. Then what? Daniel was granted an audience with the king and ‘ASKED’ for time and assured the king that he could reveal the desired information to the king, and the king granted his request! Really??? Again it appears that the king had a measure of respect toward Daniel that he didn’t have toward his other advisors! Go back and see the king’s responses to the others at the beginning of this dilemma:

Verse 5, “The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.” Deliver or die!

Verses 8-9, “The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. 9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.” NO TRUST!!! Lying and corrupt words???? Really???

Here we have a king who had such confidence in this young man, in contrast to the distrust of his ‘senior’ staff, that he was willing to trust Daniel with the time to find the answer to his dilemma.

And what was Daniel’s action after seeking permission for time? Daniel calls for a prayer meeting! With all the Hebrew children who were there in Babylon? NO! He called the three other faithful servants who were as devoted to his God as himself! He called on faithful prayer warriors who walked what they talked, not only before the ‘religious’ world, but those who were living it in these difficult circumstances as captives in Babylon. Daniel called his friends to pray with him for God’s deliverance, so they wouldn’t die with the condemned ‘wise men’ of Babylon.   But Daniel didn’t ask for his own deliverance only, but for all those whose lives were in jeopardy. Those who would not appreciate his intervention, and who would later plot the destruction of his three friends, and even later his own life! Yet he sought to meet the king’s need and alleviate the danger to those ‘wise men’ that caused the problem.

Yet what do we do? We often pout, complain, stomp and take our own vengeance on those who cause what we perceive to be ‘problems’ in our lives. Oh to be like Daniel—

A man of integrity—

A man of confidence in God at all times—

A man of calm and reason under the gun—

A man of action—based on dependence on his God—

A man of prayer—and a man with friends who pray—

A man of honor and respect –toward all people–

        (Respect for authority, not compromise)

A man whose life caused others to trust him—

      and in his integrity!!!

And what was the outcome for this faithful man?

“Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel

in a night vision.

Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.”  Daniel 2:19

What can we learn? God hears and answers prayer:

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16b

“Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.” Psalm 54:2

“But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.” Psalm 69:13

So whatever your crisis is or when it comes, remember our faithful God is always able to hear, answer and deliver. And we’ll pick up with Daniel next week, so read up on chapter 2!

 

Bible Ballistics: BBs #183       A Place of Safety!!!

We live in a crazy world of chaos and terror, but no matter what is going on around us, we have a place of safety. We have a God who holds us in His hand and we can stand in the security of HIS total sovereignty no matter the circumstances or environment around us.

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;” Psalm 91:1-9

What confidence we have at hand, and yet so often we let the enemy steal our joy—our confidence—our security. Not the flippant arrogance of the world, but a joy and absolute secure confidence in the ability of our God, as Paul said to Timothy:

“For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12

I am so glad for the great old hymn written by Daniel Whittel in the 1880’s, that reminds us of this assurance:

“I know not why God’s wondrous grace

To me He hath made known,

Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love

Redeemed me for His own.

Refrain

But I know Whom I have believèd,

And am persuaded that He is able

To keep that which I’ve committed

Unto Him against that day.

I know not how this saving faith

To me He did impart,

Nor how believing in His Word

Wrought peace within my heart.  Refrain–But…

I know not how the Spirit moves,

Convincing us of sin,

Revealing Jesus through the Word,

Creating faith in Him.  Refrain–But…

I know not what of good or ill

May be reserved for me,

Of weary ways or golden days,

Before His face I see.  Refrain–But…

I know not when my Lord may come,

At night or noonday fair,

Nor if I’ll walk the vale with Him,

Or meet Him in the air.”  Refrain–But…

Each time I sing this precious hymn, I am reminded of the truth that our God Reigns!!! His arms hold to my being. His wings cover me. His Spirit is working within us that we might be “conformed to the image of His Son…” (Ro. 8:29)

So??? Here’s our shot for today! Praise God “from whom all blessings flow”, give Him the glory and rest in His strength and power, His love and compassion that He pours out on us, and within our hearts. The Psalmist said it best:

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord,

and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:

2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning,

and thy faithfulness every night,

3 Upon an instrument of ten strings,

and upon the psaltery;

upon the harp with a solemn sound.

4 For thou, Lord, hast made me glad

through thy work:  

I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

5 O Lord, how great are thy works!

and thy thoughts are very deep.” Psalm 92:1-5

Look up!

Walk straight!

Press on in confidence!

Praise the Lord God Almighty!

Praise the Son Jesus Christ!

Praise the Holy Spirit!

Praise “God from whom all blessings flow”!

REST IN HIM!

Bible Ballistics: BBs #182 Crying??? Someone Cares!!!

Ever have one of ‘those’ days? Those days when everything seems to go wrong, when you can’t seem to get it right—we all have them on occasion. But when they come—we have a resource, if we’ll but look up and turn to The Lord God Almighty to meet us in our time of need. Rest in HIM!!!

“Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. 4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. 6 Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. 7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.” Psalm 86:3-7

As I was reading through Psalms yesterday, the Lord just made these verses come alive in my heart anew and afresh. You see, I’ve been having one of those seasons of trial, trouble and uncertainty, but when we run to our God,

HE always answers—

HE’s always at home—

He’s always ready to guide our steps,

if we’ll but ask and then listen.

The Psalmist understood ‘those’ kinds of days and I’d like to share some of the highlights of what God spoke to me:

“O lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: 2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; 3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.” Psalm 88:1-3

God knows when those tears won’t stop!

God knows when we feel like we’re hitting an iron wall!

God knows when the grief and sorrow

make us feel like we’ll just explode

from the pain and pressure within our heart.

God knows when we feel like the world is against us!

In fact Jesus experienced all of those things, and overcame.

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15

Jesus is:

Our Redeemer—He paid the price!

Our Savior—He delivered me with that price!

Our Sacrifice—He was the price!

Our High Priest—He delivered the price!!

Our merciful and compassionate High Priest—

He felt what we feel!

Jesus lived:

In this flesh—

In this world—that hailed Him on one day

and cried, “crucify Him” a few days later.

In victory by looking to HIS Father.

In overcoming, resurrection power—

which He imparts to us.

To accomplish victory over SIN and DEATH!!!

Therefore, we can lift eternal praises to our God even in the “valley of the shadow of death”!!! Rejoicing in all things because our Lord Jesus Christ has victoriously FINISHED the work of redemption! So,

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. 2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.” Psalm 89:1-2

“Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound:

they shall walk,

O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.

16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day:

and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.

17 For thou art the glory of their strength:

and in thy favour

our horn shall be exalted.

18 For the Lord is our defence;

and the Holy One of Israel is our king.”   Psalm 89:15-18

We are truly blessed to have a God who loves us, who loved us enough to redeem us from our sin. And not only redeem us from our sin, but give us victory to overcome through the blood of the Lamb—Jesus is our overcoming power, and His Spirit that He gives to those who are His.

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony..” Revelation 12:11a

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:26-27

We can live in victory, if we will but remember that our God reigns, rules and relieves His children!!! Jesus gives us overcoming power and grace. We must live in light of what HE has already done!

So??? Wherever you are today, remember

that there is one who loves you,

who cares and knows where you are, and

that HE is waiting for you to call on HIM

and rest in HIS strong arms.

Remember —

“My help cometh from the Lord,

which made heaven and earth.

3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:

he that keepeth thee will not slumber.”

Psalm 121:2-3 (Read the whole Psalm for an boost of encouragement).

So??? Look up!!! Walk forward!!! Press on!!!   Because:

“Your redemption draweth nigh” Lk.21:28 and,

“…greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” 1 John 4:4b

WE WIN!!!

“Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”  2 Chronicles 20:15b