Saturday

Psalm 139:1-5, December 19, 2009

Ps 139:1-5 "O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD." NIV

You are living under the searching gaze of God. Whether you feel like it or not, whether you can sense His eyes upon you or not, God is always watching. You live under His ever watchful love as He vigilantly examines the thoughts of your heart. David lived in this conscious knowledge and it greatly impacted how he lived his life.

When we live with a conscious awareness that God is watching over us and examining the thoughts and intentions of our hearts it changes how we live every moment. When you recognize that there is not one thought that passes through your heart or mind that escapes His notice it cause you to live in a greater measure of conviction and a sense of accountability for your words and deeds that shapes the quality of your life. To live knowing that you cannot hide even a reflection of your heart from the eyes of God brings a sense of conviction and humility that causes you to live with greater care and excellence. The writer of Hebrews stated this principle in Heb 4:13 by saying: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” To live in the knowledge that there is nothing hidden and that we will give an account for every moment of our lives is a compelling truth that calls us to live with a tender conscience.

There are two different heart conditions from which we might consider this principle. For one man this news is the message of restraint. “Stop your negative actions. God is watching and will punish your miss deeds.” It is a warning to that man who would do evil that there is no place to hide, no place to escape accountability for a wrong heart. For the other type of heart this principle is good news. It is the news that God is watching carefully to help perfect us in righteousness. When a man wants to live pleasing to the Lord this passage is wonderful news. It is the knowledge that God will help me live with purity before Him.

David did not live in terror of this principle but rather lived in the joy or it. For the man who desires to please the Lord the knowledge that God is constantly examining his heart is the promise of help in our pursuit of living pleasing. Can you imagine a relationship where the love is so secure, so deep, so genuine that the parties can be totally honest with one another and are committed to helping each other grow. The power of this passage is the reality that God is committed to helping you find the purity that you desire! Jesus affirms the pursuit of purity in His sermon on the mount. He states in Matt 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” God wants to be seen. He wants to be known, and therefore He searches the hearts of man to help him find the purity that will produce revelation.

Don’t fear the searching presence of the Holy Spirit, run to it! Welcome it with joyful heart! David affirms “You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.” He does not state this with fear but with confidence. God will heal the conscience of those who are willing. If we open ourselves to Him we can live in the joy of a Father’s guidance and counsel as we seek to know the Lord. He wants to speak into your spirit to shape you and transform you so that you can draw closer to Him. Do not fear His searching presence. Humble yourself before the truth that He brings to light in your life and let Him remove the barriers of guilt and shame that separate you from knowing Him more completely. With the help of the Holy Spirit let us live out the command of God in 2 Cor 7:1 “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” KJV

Friday

Psalm 138:3 - December 17, 2009

Ps 138:3 "When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted." NIV

The fruit of confident prayer is bold living! David developed a consistent history with God of answered prayer. From his earliest days as a shepherd David lived before the Lord in a life of prayer and worship. He experienced God’s faithfulness when he prayed and knew the great strength of the Lord to give the victory. Because of this triumphant history with God even in his youth David was transformed into a bold and stouthearted man.

In 1 Sam 17:45-49 David demonstrates the boldness and stoutness of heart that he has gotten received in the presence of the Lord: “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. 46 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. 47 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." 48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.”

Natural circumstances were not enough to cause him to shrink back because of this impartation of boldness that God has placed in his life through prayer. David displays an absolute confidence in God as he boldly rushes in to confront Goliath in the faith of the Lord. He declares his victory before he even enters the battle and then charges into the conflict in the strength of his history with God!

Are you developing a history in God? Have you gained a rich experience of God’s victory being displayed in your life as you pray and obey? The more you partner with God and see His power expressed both in and through you the more boldness will overtake you. The more you are transformed in your character so that your conscience allows you to stand before God with confidence the more you will have strength to stand against your enemies in the name of the Lord. Pr. 28:1 teaches us that “the wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” A confident life before God will always translate into a confident life before man in due time. Let God make you into a bold representative of His name and His kingdom as you develop your life of faith!

Thursday

Psalm 138:2-3 - December 17, 2009

Ps 138:2-3 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

From the very earliest parts of the Biblical record God begins to establish the importance of honoring His name amongst His people. Time and again it is reported in the book of Genesis that Abraham “called on the Name of the Lord.” After this, as Moses begins his ministry as the leader of God’s people the Lord further exalts His name amongst His people. In Ex 3:15 “God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob — has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” The Lord later builds upon this foundational statement in Ex 20:7 where He says to His people "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”

In the book of Leviticus four different references establish the importance of using the name of the Lord reverently and by Deu. 21:5 the priests are established as ministers who “pronounce blessings in the Name of the Lord.” In I Sa. 17:45 David charges into his conflict with Goliath not in the confidence of his own might but rather declaring “I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel.” His power and boldness in battle was because he came as a representative of the “name of the Lord.” Elijah also entered boldly into his confrontation with the prophets of Baal in “the name of the Lord.” His challenge to them in 1 Kings 18:24 was very direct and unmistakable as he said “you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire-he is God," and of course, the Lord answered by fire, thereby exalting His name above the name of Baal. Isaiah as well was a servant of the name as he declared in his writings such statements as Is. 50:10 “Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.

Throughout the Old Testament men fought in the power of the name, prophesied in that name, pronounced blessing in the name of the Lord, and raised a standard of holiness of heart all because of that name. Yet it is in the earthly life of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the apostles where the name of God finds its greatest expression. The works of Christ were summed up succinctly in John 12:13 when the multitudes gathered in the road into Jerusalem. “They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!" All of the miracles, all of the wisdom, love and compassion that Jesus demonstrated in the Name of the Lord were summed up as the people exalted that name.

Jesus declared to his followers two important concepts. In John 14:9 he said to them “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” And in Matt 28:18 “Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Jesus established himself through these things in the minds of all who would listen in regard to the oneness between He and the Father in both person and in power. He also demonstrated the power of His name by commissioning the disciples to heal, preach and deliver in the power of His name. Their lives were so joined to God as servants of the name that Peter clearly states the understanding through which he and the others minister as they confront the religious leaders in Acts 4:12 where Peter says “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

The entire lives of the disciples are spent lifting up this name through which all may be saved. But even then the work of God to exalt that name is not complete. It is a work that will continue until the close of time as we know it. Jesus Christ, the Lord, will be exalted above all things, for all times. It is best stated in the writings of Paul where he declares by the power of the Holy Spirit in Phil 2:9-11 “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” God has and forever will, exalt the name of Jesus Christ above every other name, above all created things!

Wednesday

Psalm 134:1-2 - December 16, 2009

Ps 134:1-2 "Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD. 2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD." NIV

Have you been called to the night watch? One of the unique callings in our journey with the Lord is the calling to the night seasons! The Lord has a way of placing His Spirit upon certain ones of His saints for the work of intercession and worship during the night seasons. In the Old Testament there was a commandment made of the Israelites to keep the fire burning both on the Altar and in the golden lamps all through the night. The fire was to never go out. Lev 6:9 "Give Aaron and his sons this command: 'These are the regulations for the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar.”

Ex 27:20-21 "Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. 21 In the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the LORD from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.”

Lev 24:2-4 "Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. 3 Outside the curtain of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening till morning, continually. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. 4 The lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the LORD must be tended continually.”

In the same way that the Old Testament priests kept the fire burning throughout the night, many believers, God’s New Testament priests, find the Lord calling them to this same ministry of keeping the fires of prayer burning on the altar of God’s heart! He awakens them during the night hours to a ministry of worship and intercession.

Psalm 132:1-2 is a commissioning of this work. “Praise the Lord all you servants of the Lord, who minister by night in the house of the Lord.” Consider that around the world, night and day, God has a people whom He moves upon by His own design and will to keep the fires of God burning night and day. When you find yourself awake in the night seasons, redeem the time. When you find yourself alert at an hour that is not of your choosing or by personal design, turn your heart towards heaven and embrace the calling of the priest, to keep the fire on the altar of God. Let yourself yield to the great work of prayer and praise that awaits you and expect the blessing that comes to those who seek Him in this way. Many a saint has experienced deep revelation of the things of God during the night watch, laboring in prayer while others sleep. This ministry holds a special place in the heart of the Lord. Make yourself the offering and join the Lord in the night watch as a priest before Him.

Tuesday

Psalm 136:1-3 - December 15, 2009

Ps 136:1-3 "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever." NIV

Have you remembered to say thank you today? There is a simple message in the words of this psalm: Give thanks! Sometimes when we are in the midst of our struggles and the pressures of life it is easy to lose sight of the big picture of what has been done for each one of us through Jesus Christ. But Psalm 136 tells us to “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”

No matter what is happening in your personal circumstances the good news is that the scriptures give us a powerful promise in Rom 8:38-39 “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Imagine this reality for a moment. There is no power in heaven or on earth, no circumstance nor difficulty that can separate us from the Love of God that has come to us through Jesus Christ. It is unshakeable. It is immovable. It is eternal! And it is because of this love that we are called to give thanks.

Col 1:21-23 tells us that at one time we “were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation- 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.” This is the measure of the goodness of God that reaches out to us today. But why would God care enough about you and I to allow Christ to suffer death!? The answer is an easy one: love. John 3:16-17 states clearly "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

There is a love so deep, a love expressed at such great cost and with such complete finality, that we can live with the assurance that nothing can separate us from its power! We can reject this love, but God will still love us. We can neglect this love and it will still endure. We can lose sight of this love, but God will never lose sight of us! The Lord calls to us and says “receive the gift that I have purchased for you through the blood of my Son. Accept the kindness and compassion I have extended towards you.” Why not chose to live in the joyful embrace of God’s love? Why not offer to God a heart of thanksgiving for the generous gift that He has poured out on us through His Son? Take your eyes off of the things that you do not have and place them firmly upon the precious gift that God has made available to us for all eternity! Enjoy God today with a thankful heart!

Monday

Ps 133:1-3 "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Coming down upon the beard, Even Aaron's beard, Coming down upon the edge of his robes. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon Coming down upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing — life forever." NASU

Oh, how the Lord loves unity! It brings great pleasure to the Lord when His people learn to dwell together in unity. It brings Him great joy when we learn to work through our differences and find a place of relationship that is deeper than the points where we disagree with one another. Paul describes the lifestyle and heart condition of the believer that makes this possible in Phil 2:1-4 “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” NIV

Unity is the foundational building block for the release of God’s blessing! When God finds brothers who will walk together in love He blesses that kingdom community. He likens the beauty of brothers who truly place honor on one another and walk in a lifestyle of connected relationship to the anointing oil coming down upon the high priest covering his head and his garments. He compares it to the dew that waters Mount Hermon, bringing life to the plants and animals that dwell there.

Psalm 133:1-3 is powerful for its simple declaration of the power of unity when it says “For there the LORD commanded the blessing — life forever.” God is looking for the right atmosphere to release His presence in. Just like a plant flourishes in the right environment, in the same way the Spirit of God flourishes in the environment of unity with humility! When God can find such a place, where people serve one another in love, there He commands that that group of people will receive blessing from the Lord. Peter addresses the reality that dishonor in a marriage relationship can hinder our prayers and I am sure that this same principle is true on the level of all committed relationships. The good news is that if division and dishonor hinders prayer then true unity, with a servant’s heart empowers effective prayer. Let us each one heed the call to love one another and walk in true forgiveness so that our own selfishness and agenda driven actions which James 4 tells us are at the center of most conflicts lose their power to damage the purpose of God amongst the people of God because we have chosen to set aside our own agendas for the higher calling of God’s eternal purposes in and through us.

Sunday

Psalm 131:1-2 - Decemeber 13, 2009

Ps 131:1-2 My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. 2 But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.

One of the greatest forms of wisdom is the wisdom to know when NOT to get involved in something. So many people waste time, physical and emotional energy and/or finances in those moments when they step into something that is not their concern or calling. I once knew an older man who had a number of friends going back to university to get higher education degrees and he suddenly felt as if he needed to do the same to “keep up” with them. During this time of wrestling with this decision he had a dream. In the dream he was in a laundry mat and he and his friend who went back to school were washing their clothes. The man went to take one of the piles of clothing that was on the counter, thinking that it was His and the other man who had gone back to university came to him and said, “Wait that is not your load. That is my load!” The man awoke from the dream and knew that the burden of going back to school was “not his load!”

In Psalm 131:1-2 the psalmist points us not only to the wisdom of knowing what to say yes to and what not to concern ourselves with. He also points us to the humility that is needed to accept such restraints. Far too many Christians have their identity wrapped up in their function rather than their relationship with Christ. There are times when our need to feel important or successful or our ambition for material success can create an internal pressure to involve ourselves in issues and areas that we have no grace nor gifting for and it requires a heart that has embraced a sober and realistic appraisal of ourselves to be able to submit to wisdom when it conflicts with these other internal voices.

King David imparts a powerful point of wisdom through these few verses in Psalm 131. In his reflection he directs us to the understanding that his rest and right discernment flows out of having two primary things: this heart of humility that we have identified before and his ability to subdue the voice of his soul! He states in verse two “I have stilled and quieted my soul.” The voice of the soul is a deception and flows out of our brokenness but the voice of our Spirit man is rich with wisdom and understanding.

Every person who would enjoy a life giving relationship with the Lord must grow in their capacity to live out of their Spirit and conquer the insistent voice of their soulish needs and desires. Heb 4:12 points us to the scriptures as the training ground for growing to maturity in the inner man. He writes “the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit.” The more we implant the living word within us the more our spirit man is trained to distinguish between the impulses of the soul and the wisdom and direction of the Holy Spirit. Set your heart today to become wise by the Spirit of God and to live out of a rich inner life that is ruled by His peace and revelation within you.