Tag Archives: Psalm 37:3-8

Faithful When We Are Faithless??? Bible Ballistics: Vol. 14 No. 06

22 Sunday Sep 2019

Posted by in A Father's Love, Confidence, Contentment, Faith, Faithful is He that has Promised!, Faithfulness

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Bible Ballistics: Vol.14 No.06 Faithful When We Are Faithless???

 

I have a word for today that I want to talk about with you all– faith—an oft misused and misunderstood term, but the bedrock and the very core of the Gospel we believe in.  The author of Hebrews put it in a nutshell for us, if you will.

“Now faith is the substance

of things hoped for,

the evidence

of things not seen…

…6 But without faith

it is impossible

to please him:

for he that cometh to God

must believe that he is,

and that he is a rewarder

of them

that diligently seek him.”    Hebrews 11:1, 6

We must seek HIM—but it is HIS grace, convicting power, and the drawing of the Holy Spirit that calls us and draws us to Him.  Isaiah told of it, and even Jesus pictures it!

“Seek ye the LORD

while he may be found,

call ye upon him

while he is near:

7 Let the wicked forsake

his way,

and the unrighteous man

his thoughts:

and let him return

unto the LORD,

and he will have mercy

upon him;

and to our God,

for he will abundantly pardon.

8 For my thoughts

are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways

my ways,

saith the LORD.

9 For as the heavens

are higher than the earth,

so are my ways

higher than your ways,

and my thoughts

than your thoughts.

10 For as the rain

cometh down,

and the snow

from heaven,

and returneth not thither,

but watereth the earth,

and maketh it bring forth and bud,

that it may give seed to the sower,

and bread to the eater:

11 So shall my word be

that goeth forth

out of my mouth:

it shall not return unto me

void,

but it shall accomplish

that which I please,

and it shall prosper

in the thing whereto I sent it.”   Isaiah 55:6-11

God is calling and has always called us to Himself—salvation is the work of God, not of our own hands!  If you don’t know Him, Jesus is calling you to Himself today; He has paid the price for your sin and mine!  And faith is being willing to see our sin, as sin, repenting of it, and receiving the sacrifice that HE has paid for all whosoever will!

“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

Have you answered the door?  Maybe you have opened the door, yet lost hope due to your circumstances, well God knows your heart and your circumstances; and He also understands when we are too weak to hold on—that’s why HE holds us!

“Jesus said unto him,

If thou canst believe,

all things are possible

to him that believeth.

24 And straightway the father of the child

cried out,

and said with tears,

Lord, I believe;

help thou mine unbelief.”  Mark 9:23-24

Oh, how often I have cried out to my Lord Jesus in this way—times when faith seems so distant that I can’t bear it, and yet the God who called me to Himself always meets me there; and He will meet you where you are!  No matter the difficulty, God is able to lift us up!  Praise be to HIS name!  Our God knows your heart, and even when we stand in danger of the fires of persecution, discouragement, or just plain weariness, our God is able.  We can stand with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (or Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, their Jewish names—each reflecting the character of God); and just as these three had Jesus meet them in the fire, remember that He will never allow you to go through it alone either.

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,

answered and said to the king,

O Nebuchadnezzar,

we are not careful to answer thee

in this matter.

17 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 3:16-18

We can trust ourselves to HIM just as these three did, for HE is always there (where ever ‘there’ is for you today!)!

“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

Jesus Himself assured us of His presence—even when we fail, as we often do–HE is ever faithful to keep His own.

“My sheep hear my voice,

and I know them,

 and they follow me:

28 And I give unto them eternal life;

and they shall never perish,

neither shall any man pluck them

out of my hand.

29 My Father, which gave them me,

is greater than all;

and no man is able to pluck them

out of my Father’s hand.

30 I and my Father

are one.”  John 10:27-30

Have you heard His voice?  Have you repented of your own sin and opened the door to His’ knock?  Are you questioning His work in your life—look up and trust HIM!  He who bore our sins is faithful even when we are faithless!

“For when we were yet without strength,

in due time Christ died

for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man

will one die:

yet peradventure for a good man

some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love

toward us,

in that, while we were yet sinners,

Christ died for us.

 9 Much more then,

being now justified

by his blood,

we shall be saved

from wrath

through him.

10 For if,

when we were enemies,

we were reconciled to God

by the death of his Son,

much more,

being reconciled,

we shall be saved

by his life.

11 And not only so,

but we also joy in God

through our Lord Jesus Christ,

by whom we have now received

the atonement.”  Romans 5:6-11

So, may we each take courage and hope in our faithful God!  He knows where you and I are, and He will provide!  He will help our unbelief—and we all have it from time to time–so just rest in His grace and in His promise to supply.

“But my God shall supply

all your need

according to his riches

 in glory

by Christ Jesus.

20 Now unto God

and our Father

be glory

for ever and ever. Amen.”  Philippians 4:19-20

And in closing, one of my favorite reminders of the practice of faith and obedient walking with our Lord.

“Trust in the LORD,

and do good;

so shalt thou dwell in the land,

and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also

in the LORD;

and he shall give thee

the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the LORD;

trust also in him;

and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness

as the light,

and thy judgment

as the noonday.

7 Rest

in the LORD,

and wait patiently

for him:

fret not thyself

because of him who prospereth

in his way,

because of the man

who bringeth wicked devices

to pass.

8 Cease from anger,

and forsake wrath:

fret not thyself

in any wise

to do evil.”  Psalm 37:3-8

May God speak to your heart and lift you up where ever you are.

Amen and Amen!

A Broken Heart??? Bible Ballistics: Vol. 13 No. 21

07 Sunday Jul 2019

Posted by in Broken Hearts, Confidence, Cross, Healing

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Bible Ballistics: Vol. 13 No. 21     A Broken Heart???

 

Ever have a broken heart?  Most of us have had a broken heart at one time or another, and while it’s not something that we seek after, it is something that God understands.  And I don’t know about you, but I am eternally grateful for God’s love, care, and provision for those who experience a broken heart—in fact, for all!

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent

in the wilderness,

even so must the Son of man

be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him

should not perish,

but have eternal life.

16 For God so loved the world,

that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him

should not perish,

but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son

into the world

to condemn the world;

but that the world

through him

might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him

is not condemned:

but he that believeth not

is condemned already,

because he hath not believed

in the name

of the only begotten

Son of God.”  John 3:14-18

God gave His all—His Best—Himself–that we might have life, abundant life in His Son, Jesus.  I can’t imagine the heartache that God felt as His Son hung on that cross for ‘my’ sin and ‘yours’!  And no matter what has caused your heart to break, God understands what you feel, He cares for the brokenhearted.

“The LORD is nigh unto them

that are of a broken heart;

and saveth such

as be of a contrite spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous:

but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”    Psalm 34:18

And while God has promised us deliverance, his deliverance doesn’t always look like we think it will.  While God’s promises are “yes and amen”, His timing may be different than ours, but His work is ever secure and sure in His love, care and goodness.

“Wherefore let him

that thinketh he standeth

take heed

lest he fall.

13 There hath no temptation taken you

but such as is common to man:

but God is faithful,

who will not suffer you to be tempted

above that ye are able;

but will with the temptation

also make a way to escape,

that ye may be able to bear it.”  1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Paul reminds us, as he shares God’s message with us, that we are all subject to temptation in this human condition, and because of sin (original sin that came on all of Adam’s descendants, and personal sin that we all find ourselves in) we are subject to its insidious grip—but we don’t have to succumb!  God has provided through the sacrifice of Jesus, a way of escape—when we ‘fix our eyes’ on Jesus.  God wants to draw near to us when we are hurting—He knows and feels our pain.

“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.

16 Let us therefore come boldly

unto the throne of grace,

that we may obtain mercy,

and find grace to help

in time of need.”  Hebrews 4:15-16

Jesus tread the paths of human frailty and accomplished the victory for us—and because He did—we can trust Him with our heartaches, our sorrows, our grief, our confusion, our emotions!  Jesus cares and He has provided because He walked the same paths that we walk; He felt what we feel; He loved a world which for the most part didn’t love Him, and broke His heart—in fact they put Him to death—we put Him to death– because of our sin.  But unlike us, Jesus knew what He came to do, He knew that He was born to die for me and you; He knew that it would cost Him the cross, and because He paid that price, He saves us and makes those who will come to Him a part of HIS family, and invites us into His throne room to find a Father’s love and provision.  What are you in need of today?  Is your heart broken?  God loves you and is waiting for you to give it to Him!

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD

is upon me;

because the LORD

hath anointed me

to preach good tidings

unto the meek;

he hath sent me

to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty

to the captives,

and the opening of the prison

to them that are bound;

2 To proclaim the acceptable year

of the LORD,

and the day of vengeance

of our God;

to comfort

all that mourn;

3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,

to give unto them beauty

for ashes,

the oil of joy

for mourning,

the garment of praise

for the spirit of heaviness;

that they might be called

trees of righteousness,

 the planting of the LORD,

that he might be glorified.”  Isaiah 61:1-3

We can be “the planting of the LORD” because He gave “His only begotten Son” to be the payment for our sin.  And even as Isaiah wrote hundreds of years before Jesus arrived, He was the plan for our redemption, and confirmed this in His public ministry.

“And there was delivered unto him

the book of the prophet Esaias.

And when he had opened the book,

he found the place where it was written,

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he hath anointed me

to preach the gospel to the poor;

he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,

to preach deliverance to the captives,

 and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

20 And he closed the book,

and he gave it again to the minister,

and sat down.

And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue

were fastened on him.

21 And he began to say unto them,

This day is this scripture

fulfilled in your ears.”    Luke 4:17-21

Just like those in the synagogue that day, many today hear the Word of The Lord, and yet don’t perceive or hear what God is saying unto them; Jesus proclaimed to them that “HE” was the fulfillment of the promise of God recorded by Isaiah the prophet.  Yet on this occasion and others, the people took offense rather than believe, and people do the same thing today.  Yet God The Father, God The Son and God The Holy Spirit, accomplished the work of redemption at Calvary!  Oh, praise His name—you and I don’t have to stay broken!  Do you need healing?  Do you need mending?  Do you need a Savior?  Jesus is standing at the door of your heart knocking—calling—loving you!  You can choose HIM and His love or suffer on your own.

“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

Jesus is ever working to draw us near to Him that we might truly experience that “abundant life” He supplies!  We just have to keep our eyes on Him and run the race (even the ones that bring heartache and anguish) trusting to HIS care, not our own wisdom.  We have the complete testament of scripture to fill our hearts with examples of assurance and hope!

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about

with so great a cloud of witnesses,

let us lay aside every weight,

and the sin which doth so easily beset us,

and let us run with patience

the race that is set before us,

2 Looking unto Jesus

the author

and finisher

of our faith;

who for the joy that was set before him

endured the cross,

despising the shame,

and is set down

at the right hand

of the throne of God.”   Hebrews 12:1-2

Jesus gave His all for us.  We can not only find peace, love and joy in Him, but we can trust HIM for our heartache, to clear the confusion we experience, and to overcome the challenges that life may bring.

“Trust in the LORD

with all thine heart;

and lean not

unto thine ownunderstanding.

6 In all thy ways

acknowledge him,

and he

shall direct thy paths.”   Proverbs 3:5-6

How?  By simply pursuing Jesus, His Word and resting in HIS care—He truly is a heart healer! I know—He has healed my heart more than once.  He has restored me when I got angry because His answers didn’t match my demands!  He has lifted me up when I didn’t have the strength to go on!  He has even given me grace to do things that were (and often still are) difficult. And I simply close with one of the passages that strengthens and renews my heart again and again.  He has soothed my heart when it has been broken by the very ones that I love the most!  He will do the same for you, if you will but “give it to Jesus”!

“Trust in the LORD,

and do good;

so shalt thou dwell in the land,

and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the LORD;

and he shall give thee

the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the LORD;

trust also in him;

and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness

as the light,

and thy judgment

as the noonday.

7 Rest in the LORD,

and wait patiently for him:

fret not thyself because of him

who prospereth in his way,

because of the man

who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8 Cease from anger,

and forsake wrath:

fret not thyself

in any wise

to do evil.”   Psalm 37:3-8

May you find HIS healing!  There truly is a ‘balm in Gilead’ (see Jeremiah 8:22 & 46:11).  Blessings on your week!

Amen and Amen!!!