Psalm 26

 

Psalm 26 by David

CJB

 

Vindicate me, ADONAI, for I have lived a blameless life; unwaveringly I trust ADONAI.

Examine me, ADONAI, test me, search my mind and heart.

For Your Grace is there before my eyes, and I live my life by Your Truth.

I have not sat with worthless folks, I won’t consort with hypocrites, I hate the company of evildoers, I will not sit with the wicked.

I will wash my hands in innocence and walk around your altar, ADONAI, lifting my voice in thanks and proclaiming all Your Wonders.

ADONAI, I love the house where You live, the place where Your Glory abides.

Don’t include me with sinners or my life with the bloodthirsty.

In their hands are evil schemes; their right hands are full of bribes.

As for me, I will live a blameless life. Redeem me and show me favor.

My feet are planted on level ground; in the assemblies I will bless ADONAL.

 

David must have written this early in his life or He had such a relationship with ADONAI that he understood the coming Messiah and His redemptive life and death. He either wrote this psalm before he killed Goliath or his relationship with GOD was more than the scholars can understand. In David’s time the Israelites only had the 5 books of Moses and maybe Joshua and Judges. Samuel was the last prophet-judge and none of the Messianic prophets had lived and spoken yet.

 

David had such a personal and deep relationship with ADONAI that he prophesied of the coming Messiah, Psalms 2 and 22 plus others clearly tell of YESHUA’s experiences as Messiah. And yet he committed adultery and murder. We cannot reconcile those two natures because they are so opposed to each other. The nature of the flesh which easily gives in to sin and the nature of GOD that calls us to live to and for GOD.

 

This has and still is the greatest danger to every Christian; that we can walk and live in obedience and harmony with GOD through His Word and His SPIRIT. Yet, we can sin! JESUS tells us this in Matthew 7:13-29 and Peter, James, John and Paul all tell us the same thing. Just before His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane JESUS chastening the three disciples for sleeping when they should have been praying said, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

 

David did not become an overnight adulterer and murderer, first pride and laziness rose up in his soul. All Christians have to be on the alert for small subtle things that work their way into our soul. We can never let our guard down especially against thinking that we know all there is to know or that we know enough to not fall; Paul warns about both of these is 1 Corinthians 8:2 and 10:12. We have to balance faith (trusting GOD) and works (obedience to GOD’s Will) so that we do not become religious. Andrew Murray said that “pride is the root of all sin”.

 

It is easy for us to enjoy our successes in ADONAI but we have to maintain a humble spirit, David in Psalm 22 prophesying JESUS’ words says, “But I am a worm not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people.” Isaiah describes JESUS’ humility and obedience as The Son of Man who redeems humanity in accord with GOD’s Will.

 

JESUS taught us to pray to The Father, “Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done in the earth as it is in Heaven.” GOD’s Will is like His Righteousness or His Justice or His Mercy; it is established in Heaven and must be worked out in the earth. It is not a matter of do we want it, we will get it willingly or forcefully; His Will is being done and will be completed according to His timing and purpose. Pastor Robert Morris made the point that we are made of the dust of the earth, so when JESUS says “in the earth” He is referring to humans!

The Battle Hymn of The Republic - The End of Days?

 

The Battle Hymn of The Republic – The End of Days?

 

Mine eyes have seen the Glory of the coming of The LORD;

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;

He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift Sword;

His Truth is marching on.

 

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!

His Truth is marching on.

 

I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps;

They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;

I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;

His Day is marching on.

 

I have read His fiery Gospel writ in rows of burnished steel!

“As ye deal with My condemners, so with you My Grace shall deal with you!

Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel.”

Since GOD is marching on.

 

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;

He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;

Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him; be jubilant my feet!

Our GOD is marching on.

 

In the beauty of the lilies CHRIST was born across the sea,

With a Glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;

As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free!

While GOD is marching on. [Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management]

 

Julia Ward Howe, an abolitionist wrote the lyrics in November 1861 to the music of the song, John Brown’s Body by William Steffe written in 1856. It was first published by the Atlantic Monthly in February 1862. The song links the judgment of the wicked at the end of the age (through allusions to Biblical passages such as Isaiah 63 and Revelation 19) with the American Civil War. [Wikipedia]

 

The other night as I was getting ready for bed the tune and pieces of the chorus and first verse started playing in my head, by the time I got in bed I remembered the first verse and chorus but not the name of the song. It would not stop repeating in my head so I got up and wrote it as a memo in my phone, today I saw the memo and so I looked up the song.

 

This was written during a very dark and trying time in America, the forces of evil wanted to control and destroy America, not unlike today. It was not just about slavery, it was about the economics of an elite class living off the labor of a working class that was prevalent in both the north and south. Today we have the socialist who believe they are the elite that know how to rule the world best and they need a large working class to support them. Historically you can look at every country that has been ruled by communist and socialists and see what has happed, a small elite ruling class over a large oppressed working class; power and wealth for the elite and poverty and struggle for the working class; and a large standing police and military to control the populace.

 

Many Christians believe that we are living in the end times and that if we just hold on we will be taken out of the earth before it gets really bad. I do not believe either that we are living in the end days or that we will be rescued before it gets really bad. My study of the scriptures and seeking The LORD cause me to believe that there is a couple of hundred more years before the end of days and that Christians will go through the Great Tribulation that leads up to CHRIST’s thousand year reign over the earth from Jerusalem.

 

An interesting side note is that Howe wrote new words to the music of an existing abolitionist song which caused it to have a familiar ring but with a better message. Martin Luther is purported to have done the same thing with popular drinking songs of his day when he wrote some of his hymns, the familiar ring with the better Gospel message.

Do We Pray Correctly?

 

Do We Pray Correctly?

 

There are two famous and often repeated prayers from the Bible that many us as mantras.

 

“You therefore pray like this, ‘Our Father who is in Heaven, Holy is Your Name! Your Kingdom Come Your Will be done in the earth as it is in Heaven! Give us today what we need for life and forgive us our sin as we forgive those who sin against us! Do not let us be led into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is The Kingdom and The Power and The Glory forever. Amen!’” Matthew 6:9-13

 

“then, if My people, who are called by My Name will humble themselves, pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from Heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

 

The problem is not the prayers it is our heart attitude when we pray them! We pray them for what we want rather than what GOD Will is, even when we are praying for GOD’s Will we have in mind what that is rather than just receiving. We most often quote and pray these verses out of context in relation to what we are praying for.

 

Reread Matthew 6:5-15 and 2 Chronicles 7:11-22, then pray them with an open mind and a willing heart to receive and obey.

Romans 6:11

 

Romans 6:11

 

“In the same way consider your selves to be dead to sin but alive for GOD, by your union with JESUS CHRIST.” Romans 6:11

 

“If you give GOD everything – there is nothing left for the enemy to steal.” Pastor Bob Harris

 

“IF The SPIRIT of GOD brings to your mind a Word of The LORD that hurts you, you may be sure there is something He wants to hurt to death.” Oswald Chambers

 

The theme is total surrender or always being held in some order of captivity to the devil. James told us, “Therefore submit to GOD. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to GOD and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands you sinners, and purify your hearts you double-minded.” James 4:7-8

 

So why is that so hard? This is a question we all must meditate on in Philippians 3 before HOLY SPIRIT.

 

John was told by the angel in Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him by the Blood of The LAMB, the word of their testimony and they did not love their lives more than death.”

 

I know how hard this is and in America we have not really suffered persecution for The Gospel, only for ourself as James says in 1:12-18; it’s lust then sin then death. Or, “Of His own Will He brought us forth by The Word of Truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.”

A Psalm for Donald J. Trump - 45th President of The USA

 

A Psalm for Donald John Trump – 45^th President of The USA

 

Psalm 9 For the leader on the death of Labban. A psalm of David rewritten by Bob Headrick

 

I give thanks to ADONAI with all my heart.

I will tell of all of Your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and exult in You.

I will sing praise to Your name Elyon.

 

When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before You,

for You upheld my cause as just, sitting on The Throne as The Righteous Judge.

 

You rebuked the nations, destroyed the wicked, blotted out their name forever and ever.

The enemy is finished, in ruins forever;

You destroyed their cities; all memory of them is lost.

 

But ADONAI You are enthroned forever; You have set up Your Throne for judgment.

You will judge the world in righteousness; You will judge the peoples fairly.

 

ADONAI is a stronghold for the oppressed, a tower of strength in times of trouble.

Those who know Your name put their trust in You, for You have not abandoned those who seek You, ADONAI.

 

Sing praises to ADONAI, who lives in Washington DC; proclaim His deeds among the peoples.

For the avenger of blood remembers them, You do not ignore the cry of the afflicted:

 

“Have mercy on me, ADONAI! See how I suffer from those who hate me; You raise me from the gates of death, so that I can proclaim all Your praises at the gates of Washington DC and rejoice in this deliverance of Yours.”

 

The nations have drowned in the pit they dug, caught their own feet in the net they hid.

ADONAI, you made Yourself known and executed judgment;

the wicked are ensnared in the work of their own hands. (Meditate)          Selah

 

The wicked will return to hell, all the nations that forget GOD.

 

For the poor will not always be forgotten or the hope of the needy perish forever.

 

Arise ADONAI! Don’t let mortals prevail!

Let the nations be judged in Your presence.

Strike them with terror ADONAI!

Let the nations know they are only human.               Selah

 

Your Will be done in the earth as it is in Heaven, Father!

Come LORD JESUS!

1 Corinthians 13:13-14:1

 

I Corinthians 13:13-14:1

 

“But for now, three things last – trust, hope, love; and the greatest of these is love. Pursue love! However, keep on eagerly seeking the things of The SPIRIT; and especially seek to be able to prophesy.” CJB

 

There have been many teachings on love based on these verses, today the Church needs trust and hope just as much as love. The key phrase is “But for now,” with so much fear and confusion about the election and the China virus many Christians are losing trust and hope which causes love to wane.

 

Many are becoming complacent and many are becoming politically radicalized. What Peter told the religious-political leaders of their day was that they had to obey GOD rather than men. That is where we must be today; political leaders want to stop us from obeying CHRIST’s command.

 

We must proclaim JESUS as LORD and Savior in trust, we must gather in hope and we must love one another and our enemies in obedience.

Mark 4:35-41 by Von Heckman

 

Happy Fall! "I have the joy, joy, joy, joy, Down in my heart (Where?), Down in my heart..." Probably some of us "older" saints remember this song from way back at a Young Life summer camp or similar setting. Ha ha. Psalm 27 reminds us to find God as our stable light and salvation when life is inhospitable towards us. There is joy in knowing Yehovah - God - not just being a decision for Christ but, to be a disciple of Jesus who knows God, talks to God, and walks with God. Yehovah takes care of His people in all the ups and downs. Therefore, even in the midst of pandemics, electoral indecision, and civil unrest, God remains the steadfast anchor above all! In this fact, we can truly find that the joy of the Lord is our strength. So, where is your joy found today? What "word" would you use to describe how you are feeling this week?

 

Jesus' "Pro Tip" Of The Day...Have Faith!   Jesus Stops A Storm - Mark 4:35-41 35 Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” 36 They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along. 37 Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. 38 But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?” 39 He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, “Silence! Be still!” The wind settled down and there was a great calm. 40 Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?” 41 Overcome with awe, they said to each other, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

This story is sandwiched between two key pieces for      the disciples; Jesus teaching them about the          difficulty of spreading and planting the seed of the gospel and launching into the deliverance of the demoniac, Legion. "Have you faith, believe..." We must contend for what's to become reality, Heb. 11:1

We will have struggles and trials as Christians. This does not diminish the power and authority of God, it reinforces the picture of the cross that contains great victory and great suffering. He allows us to wrestle for our faith, even in the midst of storms. Be encouraged! With all that 2020 has given and/or taken, God remains steadfast!

John 16: 33 "I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world.”

 

Von Heckman

Intercession Experience 11/14/2020

 

While I was in the hospital on November 14, 2020 for the second time due to my gallbladder I had an intercessory experience like I have never had before.

While I was resting in my room I heard a commotion start up in the next room, I could hear a woman’s voice and several people entered the room. I could tell it was not a medical situation because no code was called.

I threw up my regular prayer for grace and peace for all involved and for GOD’s will to be done.

I heard the woman say something about drugs and probation.

Suddenly I understood that this was a eternal life or death situation and I was overwhelmed with the need to pray in The SPIRIT to the point that I was weeping. After 15 or 20 minutes the pressure eased and the commotion settled down.

Later I heard the woman leaving with a promise to return with some completed paperwork. After she left the hospital staff moved the patient to another room; when the woman returned later she was ushered away.

I believe that the woman is the mother of the man in the room and GOD has opened the way for this family to enter into His eternal salvation. Not because I was there or because I prayed, but I did get to participate.

This is an event that I hope to never forget and I hope I will always be ready to obey.

 

The next day before I was discharged I got to share with one of the CNA’s who have served me four of the seven days I was there. Moses is a Christian and I got to encourage him in his Bible studying and pursuing of GOD.

Dream 11/11/2020

 

Dream 11-11-2020 2:55AM

 

I just woke up from a dream in which I beat Joe Biden in an election.

I do not remember the purpose of the election. My dream was a compressed version of a campaign and election in which there were dirty and illegal activities. Not what you would actually see in a campaign, I refused to give in to them and I won. One strange thing was there was a cardboard box about 4 inches cube, it was opened and the sides pulled down, inside was a cube of dirt with squally green plants growing out of the sides, the dirt was a lump not loose. The whole thing took place in a confined space, both groups were in the same room, I did not see Joe Biden except in a glimpse when I knew I had won, right at the end of the dream.

 

I dream a lot and remember very few of them and they rarely have anything to do with real life. As a young Christian I had three dreams that were prophet, one for me and two that told me what to do in particular situations. I have never run for political office and I have never been a part of any campaign.

 

My first impression upon awakening was that this dream was GOD saying that Trump beat Biden.

 

I share this because we all get tired of hearing from the well known conservatives and Christians who proclaim that Trump won and that we need to keep the faith. They are right but we need to hear from GOD ourselves. I believe that GOD has shared personally this very thing like He did me with many people so that we can share with others His Truth.