The Power Terror Doesn't Have!

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. Psalm 91:1-10 NIV

Though darkness creeps upon us like dense fog and we cannot see our way, we can be assured of this one thing--God has never failed those who love and trust Him. Those who live according to His Word--in all things--shall know victory, joy and peace.

Father, in the name of Jesus,

We thank You for keeping watch over us throughout the night and we thank You even more for resolving whatever may make hearts faint and weary on a daily basis. We know that in You--we have peace and joy and through You--victory reigns in every area of our lives.

We know that no weapon formed against us, shall prosper. None of the evil that the wicked plot against us shall keep us from hearing and obeying You.

We know that You are more than the world against us and we have no need to fear what any man plans.

We know that Your Word is true and that You are not a man that You should ever lie to us and that we can count on Your Word to see us through the valleys, in the fire, and climbing the mountains, through the floods--that appear to overwhelm us.

We know that perfect love--unconditional love towards one another--casts aside fear for where love is--fear and hate cannot abide.

We know that You are Love and that none who claim to know You can hate people or promote hatred of others simply because they are different.

We know that You are the Only Wise God--though many may serve other gods or think they are gods. You are the only one who created all things and without You, nothing was ever created.

We know that You are the same--Your character never changes from the beginning to the end and we can count on You to be faithful to Your Word.

We know that any battle we enter into is not truly ours, but Yours when it comes to standing up for justice and defending the rights of the poor and needy.

We know that You have assigned angels to watch over us day and night and we thank You for the love and protection from those things or people who would harm us or put obstacles in our path to keep us from doing Your Will.

You said, whatever we ask of You in Your Son's name, would be granted and we ask You right now, in the name of Jesus, restore sanity, peace, dignity and integrity in all who trust and worship You in the beauty of holiness. Provide an avenue by which all Americans will know You and You alone have the final word over all of our lives.

We thank You for giving us rest in You all the days we have left to praise You.

Amen!

Don't Despair!

It shall come to pass in the day the LORD gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve, that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: “How the oppressor has ceased,
The golden city ceased! The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked,
The scepter of the rulers; He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke,
He who ruled the nations in anger, Is persecuted and no one hinders. The whole earth is at rest and quiet; They break forth into singing. Isaiah 14:3-7 NKJV

Our day of rest is coming--rest from hearing adults act like children, rest from watching entire cities being bombed and entire populations diminished, rest from debating the merit of being religious versus being in relationship with God--rest--from all the cares of the world and we will see the world break forth into singing.

Is your song ready?

"Great is thy faithfulness, Great is they faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see."

"He's an awesome God."

"There is none like You."

"Worship Him."

Here's one I'll sing--and this is the first view:

Lord God Almighty,
How I adore You
How I wait--for Your Return
Lord God Almighty,
You who know all about us,
And loved us, equally
In spite of our flaws.
Lord God Almighty,
Though I may not be perfect,
I try to live Your Word
And more than anything,
Promote love as Your Laws.
Lord God Almighty,
Hear our plea
And Give Rest to The Weary,
Courage to the fainthearted,
Faith to the hopeless,
Standing Firm until the end.
Lord God Almighty,
Only You know
The Day of Your Return,
And I wait--to live with You forever!

For those who are thinking, "what's the point of continuing to live in such a crazy world," don't despair, live on any way. God has something wonderful in store for you--just for you--and He intends for it happen. Don't let the enemy influence you to become fearful of anything man can do or has done--just look to Him and know you are loved beyond measure and no matter what you have done--He is willing to forgive and keep you on the path He has established for you. Let Him into your heart and allow Him to reign and watch how blessed you will be--when you belong to Him.

Whatever is going on in your life that makes you want to stop living--remember--this is just a temporary moment--and it shall pass. Live the life that God has planned for you and give the devil notice that you will not believe his lies--you will live and praise God for His love and mercy and grace.

Learning To Rest!

For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me. And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:6-9 NKJV

There are so many things that happen to us in life that are simply not in our control. Some of our life events cause us to be over anxious and frenetic and some have even caused people to seek escape from the problems by committing suicide--which is never the answer, for then we leave those behind to handle those things we refused to face.

Let's face it--life happens--to everyone, some of it good, some bad, some absolutely horrible, but when we are in Christ, we can rest--assured of His grace and mercy--and know He will work it out for our good.

So when the world is careening out of its orbit--we don't have to sway into fray--we can lean entirely on God's Word, the firm foundation of our faith and weather any storm that comes our way. In life--storms come and they go--and we have shelter in the arms of our Lord! Nothing the enemy does--no fiery dart shall ever thwart God's plans for our lives and if we only Believe.

Believe that He is our comforter when we need to be comforted.

Believe that He is our healer when sickness and disease attempt to make us fearful.

Believe that He is our Father who gives good gifts.

Believe that He is our provider and He will take care of us.

Believe that He is Alpha and Omega--the first and last--and He has us covered with the blood of Jesus.

Believe that when we are weakened by the trials of this world--He strengthens us to endure until the end.

Where does our help come from? Our help comes from The Lord! And when we know that He watches over us--we can rest in the knowledge that He knows all about our troubles and concerns and we can rest in Him--never fearful or over anxious about anything or about what anyone may do.

Now--shake off those feelings of dread or fear or anxiety and enter into His peace and rest--troubled no more by those things we cannot control. For if we can control some things, we should control them and thank God for the wisdom He bestows upon us from on high!

How We Get Rest and Peace With Him!

“Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other. And may your hearts be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.” I Kings 8:56-61 NIV

Solomon's prayer for the Children of Israel is just as relevant today as it was then. We need peace in the land so all can rest from the uncertainty that stems from all the hate and upheaval. "Oh that man would cease from strife over trivialities that mean nothing."

People are concerned about things that they have the power to conquer if they would just learn from the wisdom of those who have walked the earth before us. There is no savior in the person of any political candidate, modern-day hero, or any other such person. We have a Savior and His name is Jesus!

Did He not tell us to cast all our cares upon Him? Did He not tell us that He would give us rest? Did He not tell us we shall peace with Him? If we believe what He said, then why can't we just do what Solomon did?

Let's praise Him all day long, being thankful for all He has done, is doing and will do for those who love Him. If we have unrepented sin in our lives, let's repent, rejoice, and move on--to the victory promised to us in Him.

There's not much I can add to Solomon's prayer and so I wont' attempt to alter it. In fact, all I can say is, "Amen."

Thank You for rest and the peace in Jesus, Lord!

Be Still and Rest!

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. Psalm 37:7-11 NIV

At some point in our lives, we sometimes think we have to be busiest when challenges arise. We get upset, angry, defiant, rebellious and simply want to bulldoze everyone and everything--we think gets in our way. That's the carnal mind that influences those types of thoughts.

The spiritual person--the one who allows Holy Spirit to speak to them and they listen--can rest in the middle of the storms of life. They know the battle is not theirs, but the Lords. They also know that no matter what happens, if they just stay focused on the One who has already made us victorious, right versus might will win every time. The Word tells us to "be still and know that He is God."

It's time to rest--physically, naturally, and spiritually--time to stop trying to determine where the enemy will attack us next. It doesn't matter--the enemy is already defeated and we simply have to bide our time, patiently waiting to see how God works things out in our lives. God doesn't need our help--we need Him.

So, if we need Him, why do we wear ourselves out trying to figure out--what happens next? God knows and when we truly belong to Him--totally submitted to His guidance, we have no need to worry, fret or get angry--we simply rest in Him, knowing that the battle--whether in the natural or spiritual, is already won.

Rest in Him today--physically and spiritually and keep your heart open to Him and watch what He does. I'm smiling already, knowing that He has me glad and it is the joy of The Lord that is my strength. I can rest--totally at peace--knowing that He holds all things in His hands and since I am belong to Him--no weapon--not jealousy, envy, poverty, sickness--nothing formed and fashioned to harm me, will succeed.

It's hallelujah time! Praising Him while I get still and rest in Him!

Glad Heart, Rejoicing Tongue, Rested Body!

"David said about him: “ ‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope," (Acts 2:25, 26 NIV)

Knowing that Jesus was not defeated in death and that He rose with all power in His hands makes my heart glad!

Considering the history of God and Satan--when Satan was thrown out of heaven, along with a third of the angels (now demons), it is not surprising that Satan was defeated in his own territory (he is the god of this world). And because Jesus rose from the grave, we have been given the same power to keep the enemy defeated through Holy Spirit, when we allow Him to reign in our lives.

We are in a battle--for flesh will always war against the spirit--but since we have Holy Spirit living within--we can be victorious--maybe battle-scarred, but never defeated!

Since we know we have the victory over Satan's influence, we can share the good news with others so they too can know victory. Therefore, our tongues rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus and our lips are full of His praises--knowing He rejoices in our praises of Him.

While we're rejoicing in the victory of keeping Satan under our feet, and our heart is made glad because we know we are never alone, our bodies can rest in His peace and in the hope of His return! Glory to God! What a great day that will be when we all get together, caught up in the sky, ready to reign with Him for all eternity.

So, if our hearts are saddened by the events of this world, we can make our hearts glad when we rejoice in the knowledge that earth is not our home, we are merely passing through and while we are, we are never alone. Rejoice! We have a risen Savior who will not leave us and we can rest assured that He is going before us and has granted us favor with men, to do all He would have us to do.

Resting therefore in the peace of God, never shaken by the chaos in the land, keeping our eyes on the prize--Jesus Christ and His return--knowing our mansions await, we can continue this journey in life with a glad heart, rejoicing tongue and rested body! Hallelujah!

Revelation and Rest!

“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:27,28 NIV)

Prior to the resurrection, Jesus told those listening to Him that no one "knows" the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son "chooses" to reveal Him. Having heard about someone or recognizing their name or picture is far different than actually "knowing" them.

To know someone is to have an intimate knowledge of them. This is one of the reasons that the term "know" was used to explain the act of having sex. There are a number of people who claim to know a lot of people, but do they really know them? We have often heard that even for those who marry those they think they know, they don't really get to know them until they have lived with them.
One of the reasons there are so many divorces is because people don't really know who it is they're marrying. They may be Prince Charming or Princess Wonderful during the dating process, but then--everyone is putting their best foot forward and hiding all the stuff that is revealed once a marriage takes place. Then, they become Prince Godzilla or Princess Witch. If time had been taken to get to know them, a great deal of heartache and expense could have been avoided.

Being in a right relationship with someone--where no secrets are hidden--and everything is revealed--creates an environment of knowledge that can be used to make a decision about the continuing relationship. Relationship with God is far more important than religious observances. When we are in that intimate relationship with Him, we hear Him when He speaks and He guides us in all things.  Notice what Jesus is saying, only to those He chooses is the Father revealed before He arose. Now, Holy Spirit has been given and it is our choice to receive Him and accept all He has done for us, by getting to know Him through The Word.

Now, after we get to know Him, we can go to Him when we are tired and weary--not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. Sometimes, our bodies are tired, because we are emotionally and spiritually spent. Being in this condition leads to depression and hopelessness. But we can go to Him and lay our burdens at His feet, leave them there and walk away refreshed and renewed--physically, emotionally, and spiritually--when we know Him and know He only wants the very best for us.

He has revealed The Father through all He has done as the Son, and if we choose to know Him on a very personal level, we can rest in His peace, never bothered by what is going on in the world because we know--we win in the end.

Resting In Jesus!

There are times when life gets so busy that we cannot think clearly because we're trying to do so much!

Have you ever noticed that the more you attempt to do at one time, the greater the likelihood that mistakes will be made and you'll have to go back and fix things?

There is an old adage that states, "haste makes waste" and it is still relevant today.

I have discovered that if I attempt to do things in a hurry, without taking my time, I'm more prone to mess it up and have to go back and redo it or start all over again.  What I'm trying to do now is to learn how to rest in Jesus, so I can start with a clear mind--no cobwebs, no distractions, and can see clearly everything that must be done before me.  When I finish, I make an attempt to review what I've done so I can assure myself that everything is right; especially since I hate re-doing anything because it is so time consuming.

At any rate--let's try harder to do it right the first time--so we won't have to re-visit anything.  We can do this when we learn to rest in Jesus, trust Him with all our heart, soul, and mind and stop leaning on our own understanding.  Rest in Him and see everything with clarity!