February 21
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1
The word “dwells” came from the Hebrew word “yashab“, which means to “sit down, settle, remain, and inhabit.” God protects those who live close to Himself, and continues to live a life under the control of the Holy Spirit. This is a choice we make with our will, and comes out of a willing heart. A heart which wants to serve Him. Trust and obey is the way to live our lives.
February 19th
“For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.” Hebrews 9:17
Believer did you know that your are in a will? The Lord Jesus Christ has remembered every believer in His will! Yes He has! When Christ died His will was immediately in force. Ephesians 1:3; “Blessed be the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” All believers are very rich. Rich in spiritual blessings from our Lord and Saviour, and that is not all. Christ owns the wealth of the entire universe and He shares it with us, believers. This world may take what we own, but praise God are true riches are not on this earth.
February 18th
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21
In early 1990’s a poll was taken asking people which beliefs they would die for. 48% said “none”. Only 30% percent would die for God and their faith under any circumstances, and fewer would die for their country.
-(authors of The day of America)
The Apostle Paul never regretted living his life for Christ. In fact he counted everything he had ever accomplished in his life before placing his faith and trust in Jesus Christ as worthless. As he sat in prison waiting for the executioner there was no sadness. He lived his life for Christ and knew that when he died he would stand face to face with His Lord and Saviour. His impending death produced no sadness. Paul’s goal in life was to glorify His Saviour and he worked tirelessly in that pursuit. He counted it a privilege to die for His Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He faced death with courage without fear. Do we have anything we would die for. Would we die for freedom, or would we rather be slaves, would we die for Christ? He died for us. Who knows when and if that day of testing may come for us!
February 17th
” We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29
“And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.” Deut. 11:13-14
Our primary allegiance needs to be to the Lord Jesus Christ. Stephen Grover Cleveland served as the twenty-second and twenty-fourth president of the United States. He brought to his office a respect for Jesus Christ.
He said: “All must admit the reception of the teachings of Christ results in the purest patriotism, in the most scrupulous fidelity to public trust, and in the best type of citizenship.
Those who manage the affairs of government are by this means reminded that the law of God demands that they should be courageously true to the interests of the people, and that the Ruler of the universe will require of them a strict account of their stewardship.
The teachings of both human and Divine law thus merging in to one word, duty, from the only union of church and state that a civil and religious government can recognize.”
February 16th
“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity.” I Corinthians 16:13-14
Quit you like men, means to stand up, resist the evil, be strong and let us do all things in love. The love of Christ. When troubles come don’t fold, don’s quit (give up) but quit (resist the evil, be strong). It is the strength of the Lord, through the Holy Spirit that we must rest on and rely on. Our own strength will fail us, but His strength, His wisdom and courage will never quit.
February 15th
“While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” II Peter 2:19
When leaders promise you everything, and it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Look beyond the words, for deceivers and charlatans use smooth words and cleverly concealed lies. If we serve “servants of corruption” we will find ourselves bound in their bondage. Only through the Word of God are we able to understand truth from lies, and deceivers from those who tell the truth, from those who wish us good from those who wish us evil. Study the Word of God, seek the truth within its pages and you will not become slaves of corruption.
February 14th
“the grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” Isaiah 40:8
George Washington Carver said: ‘the secret of my success? It is simple. It is found in the Bible’, “In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.”
Daniel Webster: “If we and our posterity neglect [the Bible’s] instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity.”
February 13th
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
That I might not sin against thee. Among many excellent virtues of the word of God, this is one: that if we keep it in our heart, it keeps us from sin, which is against God and against ourselves. We may mark it by experience, that the word is first stolen either out of the mind of man, and the remembrance of it is away; or at least out of the affection of man; so that the reverence of it is gone, before that a man can be drawn to the committing of a sin. William Cowper.
How many times have we needed the wisdom of the “Word of God” in our lives to make correct decisions. God’s word is “a light unto our path and a lamp unto our feet.” We need God’s direction in our lives and with the direction of His Word and His Spirit we can be sure we are in the Lord’s will. His word hid in our heart well help keep our paths straight and keep from sinning against Him.
Psalm119:11
February 12th
“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?”
Psalm 2:1
The raging here is against God and in verse two we read;
“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed.”
The Lord’s anointed. “Anointed” is a translation of mashiyach, the word meaning “Messiah.” All the raging in this world is against God and against those who identity with Him, believers in Jesus Christ.
“He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.”
Psalm 2:4
God will laugh at those who think they can destroy Him or take His place, He will have them in derision and confusion. God is in control of all things. He is sovereign over all things, including human history. He created the universe and all the galaxies and He upholds the universe by the power of His word. He knows the end from the beginning. There is no created being that can destroy the Creator God or take His place.
In Isaiah 46:9 God tells us:
“I am God, and there is none like me.”
God is alone in His power, authority, His sovereignty. He is all knowing, all powerful and is everywhere present at the same time. There is none like Him and all who try to be like Him will find that desire will ultimately destroy them. He desires those who will worship Him, who will love Him, and who will ultimately obey Him. May our lives be lived to the praise of His Glory!
February 11th
“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
Romans 12:19
When we are betrayed it hurts, but when a family member or close friend betrays us it cuts deep into the heart and soul. When it happens to us we can understand how Christ felt when Judas betrayed Him. The natural reaction is to want revenge, but Scripture tells us “Vengeance is mine; I will repay saith the Lord.” God is a righteous judge and we must place the betrayal and case into His hands. He will do what is right and ultimately vindicate His people.