Sing to the LORD

 “Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvellous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.” - Psalm 98:1

Songs can stir us up or they can bring us comfort. Songs can take us back to a special time, or songs can give us hope for things to come. Unfortunately, we usually leave the words and the music of our songs only for someone else to write, never taking time to write our own "new song."

But today, why not make up your own new song of praise and thanks to God. It doesn't have to be great, just heartfelt and offered to the Father from whom all joyful songs come.

Scriptures for Anger

Colossians 3:8
But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.

Questions in Genesis

26:9-10
Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?”
  Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’”
   And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.”

26:27
And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?”

Thoughts 

. Know that even when you are in the kitchen, our Lord moves amid the pots and pans. - Teresa of Avila

. Begin now to be what you will be hereafter. – Jerome

The mystery of believing 

Acts 9:6
So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
  Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

[Message No: 7349]

Heedless Man

. A Balaam in good wishes
Numbers 23:10
“Who can count the dust of Jacob,
 Or number one-fourth of Israel?
 Let me die the death of the righteous,
 And let my end be like his!”

. An Ananias in profession
Acts 3:5
So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

. A Simon Magus in desire
Acts 3:19
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

. A Diotrephes in prating
3 John 1:9
I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.

. An Esau in tears
Hebrews 12:17
For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

. A Demas in friendship
Colossians 4:14
Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you.
2 Timothy 4:10
for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia.

. A foundation less builder in folly
Matthew 7:26
“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:

[Message No: 7348]

God’s Perspective on War

Romans 13:1-4
War is a very controversial subject in both the world and the church. Considering the broad spectrum of views and opinions, those who follow Christ would do well to search the Scriptures and ask, What does the Lord think about war?

As you think about this difficult subject, remember that God’s goal is the destruction of wickedness, not people. In the final battle, Jesus will defeat sin and death, wars will cease, and righteousness will reign (Revelation 19:11-16). Until that day, we are left on earth to do our part in overcoming evil.

Bible references for Comfort 

. Psalm 37:39
But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
 He is their strength in the time of trouble.

. Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden on the Lord,
 And He shall sustain you;
 He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Don’t Calculate with God

Psalm 37:5
Commit your way to the Lord,
 Trust also in Him,
 And He shall bring it to pass.

1. Toward God:
Love – Joy – Peace

2. Toward Others:
Longsuffering – Gentleness – Goodness

3. Toward Myself:
Faith – Meekness – Temperance

[Message No: 7347]

First, Not Finally

This important choice to trust doesn’t mean everything suddenly turns to sunshine and roses.
Circumstances do not instantly resolve themselves and fall perfectly into place. That’s not how it works. Instead, we find that our choice to trust God will bring a presence of peace we didn’t have before. This is the kind of peace we read about in Isaiah 26:3:

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”
Proverbs 3:5 - “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding. “

The Devotion of Hearing

1 Samuel 3:10
And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

Commands

. Make no provision for lusts

Romans 13:14
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

. Make full proof of ministry

2 Timothy 4:5
But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry

Word – Power in the name of Jesus

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. — Romans 1:16

For the rich and poor, young and old, weak and strong, thin and heavy, there is still just one message and one name and one story that makes the eternal difference. That one message, story, and name are announced in the gospel — God's good news to the world in Jesus Christ. God's good news of life in the story of Jesus Christ is The Story and The Message and The Hope for all.

[Message No: 7346]
      

Expression of Praise and Worship in Scripture - Mouth

. With The Mouth:

. Singing –

Psalm 9:2
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:11
Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!

. Praising
Psalm 103:1
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!

Heaven is the Dwelling Place of God

Job 22:12
“Is not God high in the heavens?
See the highest stars, how lofty they are!

Deuteronomy 26:15
Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.’

Blessings of Prayer

. Personal Healing

James 5:16
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

. Revelation of Word

Ephesians 1:17
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,

[Message No: 7345]

Deliverance from every problems?

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. — Psalm 34:17

Deliverance! A great theme of the Bible is that God is a God of deliverance who keeps his promises and faithfully shares his grace, mercy, and justice. Let this promise stir you to righteous living and then and to cry out to God in all your troubles. One way to do this is to read through the Psalms regularly, letting these inspired words from so long ago offer a rich topography of prayer from which you can call to God.

Whether you use the Psalms or not, however, cry out to God with the praises, questions, and wounds that life brings. Let his presence be real to you and your heart open to him.

Questions in 2 Chronicles 

20:12
O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

24:6
So the king called Jehoiada the chief priest, and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the Lord and of the assembly of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?

24:20
Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.’

What is that to Thee?

John 21:21-22
Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”
   Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

[Message No: 7344]

Confronting Closed Doors

Acts 16:5-12
So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.

      The Macedonian Call

     Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

      Lydia Baptized at Philippi
     Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days

Divine Strength

Genesis 49:24
But his bow remained in strength,
 And the arms of his hands were made strong
 By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob
 (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

The Process of Belief

James 2:14-17
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

[Message No: 7343]

Blue Skies and Cloudy Days

Deuteronomy 31:6

God, still shining, still working, still doing what He does.
Don’t forget that on your cloudy days, He is still there!
Of course we prefer blue skies and sunshine. Of course we love a more visible evidence of His presence and working in our lives.

Here is the truth, for our faith to stretch and grow we must believe He is still there even though there are days when the clouds may appear to block our view.
This is so important to understand. God is still with us on the days when the skies are not blue. There is not a cloud that can dim the power of the sun, or cloud or storm that can lessen the power of our God.

What is the cloud or storm in your life? Health issues, financial matters, marital problems, family problems, trust issues, fear?

We are incapable of moving any clouds one inch for the sun to come shining through again.
But we can move the clouds of fog in our mind that make us feel like He has moved away from us. We must choose to push them away with the truth of God’s Word that He goes with us and never leaves us, whether it is blue skies or a cloudy day.

“For the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” 

Are you exhausted Spiritually?

Isaiah 40:28
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard,
that the everlasting God, the Lord,
the Creator of the ends of the earth,
fainteth not, neither is weary?
there is no searching of his understanding.

Is your Imagination of God Starved?

Isaiah 40:26
Lift up your eyes on high,
and behold who hath created these things,
that bringeth out their host by number:
he calleth them all by names
by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power;
not one faileth.

[Message No: 7342]