Goodness & Mercy of God

 

Psalm 23:6

Surely Goodness & Mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of The LORD for ever. 

THE GOODNESS OF GOD

The Goodness of God is visible.
    Psalm 34:8 

O taste and see that The LORD is good: blessed is the man who trusts in Him.

The Goodness of God is for those who seek Him.

    Psalm 34:10

The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek The LORD shall not want (lack) any good thing. 

    Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

The Goodness of God is the foundation of our faith in Christ Jesus.

    Proverbs 3:5

Trust in The LORD with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding. 

    Isaiah 26:4

Trust in The LORD for ever, because GOD The LORD is The Rock Eternal.

    1 Peter 2:6, 7

“For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a Stone, a Chosen and Precious Cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.

Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The Stone which the builders rejected has become The Chief Cornerstone.”

THE MERCY OF GOD

The Mercy of God blots out transgressions.

    Psalm 51:1, 2, 9

1. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness: according to the multitude of Your tender mercies blot out my transgressions (willful disobedience which breaks the covenant relationship with God). 

2. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity (guilt), and cleanse me from my sin (the moral breach between God and man).

9. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

The Mercy of God intercedes between judgment and restoration.

    Micah 7:18-20

18. Who is a God like You, Who pardons iniquity, and passes by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retains not His anger for ever, because He delights in Mercy. 

19. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

20. You will give Truth to Jacob And Mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old. 

    Romans 8:34

Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.

    Hebrews 7:25

Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.

The Mercy of God never fails.

    Lamentations 3:22, 23

22. It is of The LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.

23. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

    Deuteronomy 7:9

Know therefore that The LORD your God is God, The Faithful God Who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.

    James 3:17

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

    This Goodness and this Mercy not only follow me all the days of my life, but are integral in living a holy and righteous life in Christ while I draw breath and after death claims my body. For in Christ, Who is The Resurrection and The Life, I have Life Eternal, which I have only begun to live on this side of eternity, but will continue to live on the other side of eternity. 

    God's Goodness and Mercy are ever-present in The Person of God The Son, for The Son of God is Eternal, Everlasting. This Goodness and Mercy was sent from God The Father (John 3:16) to save the world from the condemnation of their sins if they would only believe in The Name Above All Names (Philippians 2:9) that is The Name of  Salvation (Romans 10:13). 

    Surely. With confidence I can say, God's Goodness and God's Mercy follows me (walks closely with me) all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of The LORD for ever (John 14:2, 3; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Revelation 21:3, 4; 22:14). 

    

Blessed Are The Righteous - Psalm 1:1

 

Psalm 1:1

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers.

WALKING WITH THE WICKED

    The wicked are themselves deceived and seek only to deceive others, including the righteous, if possible. 

    Proverbs 12:5

The plans of the righteous are just, but the counsel of the wicked leads to deceit.

    Ephesians 5:11

Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

THE WAY Of SINNERS - Proverbs 2:12-17

    The way of sinners is the way of evil, and therefore, it is not The Way of the righteous. The evildoer lies and has a hypocritical tongue. The evildoer enjoys evil and takes great pleasure in it. Their path is not strait, and their words are perverse. The prostitute and the adulterer tempt and seduce. Their ways are traps and snares for the unwise, the unsuspecting.  

THE COMPANY OF MOCKERS

    A mocker is a person who derides The Truth of God's Word. The mocker is scornful of righteous ways. Intolerance and hate spew from the mocker's mouth. Pride, arrogance, and self-righteousness rise up in their hearts and violence perpetrates harm and death to the target of their derision. 

    To keep company with such is to keep company with death and destruction. This, too, is not The Way of the righteous. Contempt drips from their lips. Rebellion against The Authority of God has taken up residence in their hearts. Of such the believer is not to align themselves with, for they are corrupt and divisive. 

    The mockers persecute, torment, are scornful of, belittle, and ridicule the righteous. To mock is to lampoon, scoff, jibe, jeer, sneer. It is intended to dissuade the righteous from The Way by speaking words which could torment the mind and cause the weary heart to be discontent, fearful and doubting. 

THE RIGHTEOUS ARE WISE

    But the faithful, righteous, born-again believer who is filled with The Word of God daily and listens to God's Holy Spirit, The Voice of Wisdom, will not be so easily dissuaded, nor overcome by the evildoers, the workers of iniquity, of this world. The righteous are blessed by their God because they walk in His Way of Holiness, in The Path of Righteousness. 

    Psalm 40:4 - The righteous trust in The Lord. They listen not to the prideful, nor to the liars

    Psalm 112:1 - The righteous fear The Lord and greatly delight in His commandments

    Proverbs 3:13 - The righteous find wisdom and acquire understanding

    Proverbs 12:5; 16:3 - The plans of the righteous are just

    Proverbs 11:30; Daniel 12:3; James 5:19, 20; Jude 1:22, 23 - The righteous win souls to The Lord 

BLESSED ARE THE RIGHTEOUS - A Few Scriptural References of Such:

    Matthew 5:3-11 - Be Attitudes

    Psalm 144:15 - Who Choose The Lord

    Psalm 128:1 - Who Fear The Lord & Walk in His Ways

    James 1:12 - Who Perseveres Under Trial

    1 Peter 3:14 - Who Suffer For What Is Right

    Luke 11:28 - Who Hear The Word & Obey It

    Romans 4:7, 8 - Whose Sins Are Covered & Forgiven 

            And, ultimately,

    Revelation 19:9 - Who Are Invited To The Marriage Supper of The Lamb

    

    

    

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Nineteen

    

 

Psalm 83:16, 18

 Fill their faces with shame, 

That they may seek Your Name, O LORD.

That they may know that You alone, 

Whose Name is The LORD, 

are The Most High over all the earth.

    Israel being under attack is nothing new. But there is coming a time when all of Israel's enemies will cease to exist. Until that time, knowing who they are may be a big help in aiding her. And while it may not seem  so on the surface of The Word, Asaph is, indeed, praying for Israel's peace. But in order for Israel to be at peace her enemies must be destroyed. 

    In Psalm 83, Asaph sings a prayer to God, asking first off that God not be silent at this time. 
Psalm 83:1
A Song. A Psalm of Asaph. Do not keep silent, O God; Do not hold Your peace or be still, O God. 

    Second, he asks God to see the tumult going on down here. And who is making all this great noise against Israel.

Psalm 83:2

For behold, Your enemies are in tumult, And those who hate You have raised their heads [in hatred of You]. 

    The word 'tumult' is derived from the Aramaic word 'hamah', which means: clamorous, concourse, cry aloud, be disquieted, loud, mourn, be moved, make a noise, rage, roar, sound, be troubled, make in tumult, tumultuous, be in an uproar;  roar, boisterous, become disturbed, disturbed, howl, make an uproar;  to be in great commotion, to rage, war, moan, clamor. 

    Does any of this sound familiar in our day now? Those who hate God will always come against God's people, both His elect and His church. When they raise their heads, they are not humbling themselves to God. God's enemies defy Him and refuse to recognize His Authority. They repent not, nor do they see any reason to. 

    Asaph tells God how their enemies have come against them. 

Psalm 83:3, 4

They concoct crafty schemes against Your people, And conspire together against Your hidden and precious ones. They have said, “Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation; Let the name of Israel be remembered no more.”

    Scheming and conspiracies always begin in the dark, in the hidden realms, where men's eyes cannot see clearly, and the heart holds deceit and treachery. A person may say one thing with their lips, but their true self is hidden. However, when many oppose the few, the many congregate and plan their modes of attack and domination together.     Since they care not for Israel's God, they care little for Israel and Israel's allies. 

But God knows all hearts, and even Israel's enemies will eventually fail and fall permanently. Until then, we must stand together against them and with her. 

    Asaph speaks of alliances formed amongst the ten nations who have come against Israel. They are people of one mind: destroy Israel and wipe it off the face of the earth (vs4). The desire of Israel's enemies will never be fulfilled. Though many of us will die in conflicts with her enemies, we will never fully be destroyed, for we are God's people and Christ is our Hope and Salvation.

Psalm 83:5-8

For with one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against You—the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagarenes. Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them; they have become an arm for the sons of Lot. Selah. 

    Ten nations, ten kingdoms, whose uniform desire is to destroy Israel. And ultimately The Holy God she worships. These kingdoms Asaph is praying against. He lists her enemies and in so doing tells God that all of these nations have formed an alliance against Him, against His God. (God knows who His enemies are, but this last prayer of Asaph is for our benefit, as well).

    God's desire is for all to be saved from eternal damnation. That's why He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross. [2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16-18] But not all will desire God's salvation plan because God is Holy and His people need to be holy to stay in His holiness. That's why we are given God's Holy Spirit, Who reveals God to us through God's Word. 

    Our enemies do not want to be holy and they rage against us in every evil way they can. Not just in warfare with guns and knives, but in warfare of the mind and heart. If the enemy of our souls can get a foothold in the door of how we think and what we think, then his whispers penetrate our decision-making. Our enemies use words that incite violence and death to be perpetrated upon us. 

    But let's return to the ten kingdoms here. The descendants of these nations who were fighting against Israel in Asaph's time are still fighting against Israel in our time. Their kingdoms were of great size and their armies were strong. But in their unified goal to destroy Israel, their armies and armaments increased. They were 'Goliath' against 'David'. They still are. And we know how that battle turned out. What is there to fear when God fights for His people? 

    In Psalm 83:9-17 Asaph asks God to bring down these ten nations, to destroy them completely. Not just for Israel's benefit, but that these kingdoms would 'ever be ashamed and terrified' of Israel's Holy God. But just before that verse (17), Asaph says something about these nations that seems to be out of context, but isn't. 

    Psalm 83:16

Fill their faces with shame, That they may seek Your Name, O LORD.

    Asaph prayed for deliverance on God's enemies. He prayed for their salvation through God. He prayed for them to know the shame of their ways and to repent of their wicked ways. He prayed that they would seek God's Name. Seek to know God. Seek to know God for their God, that they would be God's people. He prayed for them to come to the knowledge of saving grace. For all of these things happen when we seek The Name of The LORD. And speak It. [Romans 10:9-13]. 

    Those who refuse to seek The Name of The Lord even today are only seeking their own undoing. Their time will come when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. Every eye will see Him Whom they pierced. [Revelation 1:7; Zechariah 12:10; Isaiah 53:5]. Those who seek to destroy God will find themselves destroyed in the end, unless they repent now and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, is God's plan of salvation, is God's only begotten Son, is God's Right Arm of Righteousness. 

    Psalm 83:18

That they may know that You alone, Whose Name is The LORD, are The Most High over all the earth.

    We, like Asaph, are to pray for our enemies. We are to ask God to bless them with our blessings. Namely, salvation and deliverance. But also in ministering to their needs: with food, drink, and clothing; with medicine and shelter; with visiting the imprisoned. To console and comfort. To share what we have been given by God with those who do not yet know Him personally. [Matthew 25:31-40]. Why? That they may KNOW that God Is The Lord. 

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Seventeen

 

 

Psalm 14:2

The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men,

to see if there were any that did understand

and seek God.

Prayer Cards No. 71

Psalm 14:2

The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

    Are we seeking God the way He wants to be sought after? I would hope that we are.

    We run to God with our problems, with our tears; with our sorrows and troubles. We run to God with our hopes, our joys; with our happiness in His love and grace.

    We run to God and He runs to meet us. We have been prodigal children and we have sought out a loving Father to embrace us and bring us into His home, choosing to be His servants in whatever way He wants to use us.

    But God lifts us up in His embrace and calls us sons and daughters. He kisses our faces and we are overjoyed at the welcome He gives us. We are enveloped in His lovingkindness and shown great grace. He calls for a feast to be prepared for us.

We have, indeed, sought God the way He wants to be sought after. We are home, for this is love.

The Lord Is My Keeper

 

THE LORD IS MY KEEPER
Psalm 121:5
The LORD is

your Keeper;
The LORD is

your shade

on your

right hand.

How The LORD Keeps His People
~Sanctified & Preserved Blameless
1 Thessalonians 5:23
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
~Sanctified By The Word of Truth
John 17:17
Sanctify them by The Truth; Your Word is Truth.
~Justified By His Blood and
~Saved By His Life
Romans 5:8-10
But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Therefore, since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him! For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!

How The LORD Shades His People
~Given Grace by The Lord
Psalm 84:11
For The LORD God is a Sun and a Shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
~Saved By Grace
Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved; and that not of yourselves.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
~The Name of The LORD Is Strength & Salvation
Proverbs 18:10
The Name of The LORD is a Strong Tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The LORD shall be saved.
~Covered By A Permanent Covenant/Canopy
Isaiah 4:5, 6
Then The LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing flame of fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a canopy, a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and the rain.

Ephesians 1:21

Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

Colossians 1:15-23 (specifically verse 18 here, for we know that the head of the body is over all the body. Therefore, the head is the canopy).

And He is The Head of the body, the church; He is The Beginning and Firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.

Revelation 22:5

There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun. For The Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.

    Once we have believed on The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, we are entered into the covenant of grace. This covenant of grace requires us to Walk by Faith, not knowing the exact path or route by which Christ leads us, but we do know that wherever He walks, we want to go with Him. For life before knowing Him, and life lived without Him, is the worst way to go through life.

    Romans 10:9-13 reminds us that salvation in Christ enters the ears first, then the heart, then is spoken by the mouth. Romans 10:10 "For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved." This Justification and Salvation are the Canopy which covers the believer, the born again in Christ.

    We urge you, if you have not yet done so, to put your faith in Christ Jesus, for His return is nearer than when we first believed. [Romans 13:11-14]. He is only the Canopy for the believer, for His sheep, for His people; for not only His chosen, but them who choose Him back.

    

COVERED - Planetshakers

Names of God: Shamar Yisrael - The Protector of Israel

 

SHAMAR YISRAEL
(pronounced shah-MAR yis-rah-EL)
THE PROTECTOR OF ISRAEL

Psalm 121:4
Behold! The Protector of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

Behold simply means, 'listen up!' or 'pay attention!', in order to gain a person's attention that the next words said are heard by the hearer. Sometimes to remind, sometimes to reinforce what has already been said previously.
The Protector of Israel is Almighty God. He is Keeper. He keeps watch over His chosen people. [John 17:12]. As a father protects his children, God protects His people.

    He is Guardian. He guards us on every side. As He guarded His people in the wilderness, He went before them as a pillar of cloud and behind them as a pillar of fire. [Exodus 13:17-22]. Even when the tabernacle was built, and the glory of God was upon it, the cloud by day and the fire in the cloud by night, reinforced God's presence upon every Israelite in the camp. And the tabernacle was not consumed in the fire of God's presence. [Exodus 40:38].

    The Protector of Israel surrounds him, instructs him and guards him 'as the apple of His eye'. [Deuteronomy 32:10]. We are surrounded by the angel of The Lord [Psalm 34:7; Zechariah 2:5]. We are instructed by His voice [Isaiah 48:17]. We are the apple of His eye. We are vulnerable in our humanness and require great care by a loving God. [Psalm 17:8].

    The Protector of Israel is Shepherd over Israel. When the flock begins to scatter, He gathers them back to Himself. At times, He will leave the majority of the flock and go looking for the wanderers, the lost sheep. Even when it is The Lord Who has scattered us for His purposes and will, it is still He Who brings us back to Himself. [Jeremiah 31:10; Deuteronomy 28:64]. Only when we acknowledge Him as Shepherd, does He become our personal Shepherd; The One we follow everywhere because we love His voice. [Psalm 23].

    The Protector of Israel never sleeps or grows weary; never gets drowsy. [Isaiah 40:28; Isaiah 27:3]. It is impossible for mere man to be on guard 24/7, seven days a week, month after month into the years. Yet, our God's strength and protection is beyond time and space. Wherever God is God is awake, alert, and prepared.

    Aren't you glad God is your Protector?

    

Warrior of The Word - Your Word In My Heart

 

Deuteronomy 11:18

Fix these Words of Mine in your hearts and minds; tie Them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

Deuteronomy 6:6

These Words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts.

Psalm 37:31

The Law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not falter.

Psalm 40:8

I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart. (both statement of actual fact at that time AND prophetic statement revealed in Christ [Hebrews 10:1-18])

Jeremiah 31:33

“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares The LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.” 

Romans 7:22

For in my inner being I delight in God’s law.

Psalm 119:16, 24, 47, 92

I will delight myself in Thy Statutes: I will not forget Thy Word. [Testimonies (v24), Commandments (v47), Law (v92)]

    Memories take place in that part of the body that is separate from the flesh and bones frame which is formed with touch, smell, taste, hearing, and sight. But there is another part of us that has a heart and a mind which also contain memory. It is our souls and our souls are eternal. Which means that even after these bodies of flesh and bone that die and decay, our soul will continue beyond the grave. 

    Now is the time to strengthen our souls that we may live beyond the grave. We do this when we exercise The Word of God in our hearts by trusting in His Word; by being obedient to His Word. First we take in His Word by hearing It, which causes our faith to grow. It is both Sun and Rain to the Seed of Faith which has been planted in our soul hearts. 

    Secondly, we take in His Word when we read It. Reading our Bibles every day is a privilege, for many are still without a whole Bible or a Bible written in their language. Some have memorized chapters of Scripture because a single page is all they ever had. The Word is precious, and even a small amount can do wonders: For The Word of God is Living and Enduring. The Living Word changes the Seed of Faith within our soul hearts, causing us to grow in Him and He in us. 

    Thirdly, we take in His Word when we dream Him. There are places where His Word is not allowed, yet He reveals Himself to men and women there to bring them into Himself and His kingdom. Dreams which reveal that Jesus Christ is The Messiah, The Only Begotten Son of God, are revelatory dreams, revealing God's great Love for them, filling them with wonder and urgency. 

    The more of God's Law, God's Word, that is in us, the more we want. [Matthew 5:6]

We are never satisfied with just a little bit of godly knowledge: we are always hungry for more. Yet there must be moments of rest, as well. So we rest in The Lord, while our souls digest what we have already taken in. In this we are content. 

    While we are taking in God's Word, Law, Commandments, and Statutes, The Holy Spirit of God is writing these things on our hearts. As The Finger of God wrote on the wall in Daniel 5:5, so, too, does He write on our hearts [Ezekiel 36:26, 27]. The verse in Daniel is both a warning and a promise of destruction [Daniel 5:6-28]. The verses in Ezekiel are a promise for the believer; not just for that time of our salvation, but for our continued walk with God by His Spirit. 

    Fifty days after Christ ascended into heaven to be seated at the right hand of God, God sent His Holy Spirit first to those who were waiting together [Acts 2:1-4], then to all who believed [Acts 2:38, 39; 4:31; 10:44-48; 11:1-18; 13:52; 19:6; Ephesians 5:18; Joel 2:28, 29 (Spirit poured out on all the people who return to The Lord with repentant hearts [Joel 2:12-17]); Isaiah 44:3 (Spirit poured out on seed)].

    We who are alive today are some of the people to whom The Holy Spirit had been promised. We who have repented of our sins, turning our backs on worldly pleasures and giving our minds and hearts to heavenly treasures, are receiving God's Holy Spirit, Who reveals godly wisdom to us through our faith in Jesus Christ. 

    We rise up in prayer to our God and He empowers us to go outward into the world to preach the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ. He empowers us to walk upright before The Lord. He empowers us to speak in other languages that we might more readily share, bear witness of, The Testimony we have seen and heard. 

    We are Warriors of The Word and His Word is in our hearts. 

Names of God - YHWH MAGEN - The Lord My Shield

 

YHWH MAGEN

(pronounced yah-way maw-GEN)

THE LORD MY SHIELD

Psalm 3:3

But Thou, O LORD, are a shield around me, My Glory, and The Lifter-Up of my head. 

    Can't always see Him at work in our lives. Can't always see His protection. But as Christians we know that our God is always with us. We know that He protects us from both unseen dangers and snares laid for us. 

    The Word of God covers us, surrounds us and causes us to walk uprightly in The Word. Our Shield covers our head with His salvation. Our Shield is held in our least dominant hand and arm, the weakest part of us, that His Strength may be made evident, that His Name would be glorified in times of battle and warfare.

    Our Shield is held in front of us. We are holding onto Him while He goes before us. We should never let go of, drop, our Shield, for then we would be in dire straits in the midst of our daily battles. And should one of us be killed for His Name's sake, it is not because we dropped our Shield; it was merely their time to be on the other side of the victory we always hope for. 

    Our Shield causes us to not only walk upright before The Lord (for it impossible to carry our Shield with our heads bowed low), but to maintain a vigilant walk with Him. Always looking forward, anticipating the fiery darts from the enemy's quiver which have the power to slip through our Armor, which is also The Word of God. We must keep our Shields up, our eyes and ears open to the dangers around us, and our Sword ever ready to repel the onslaught of hate which threatens to take us down and out. 

    Our Shield shines with the glory of God. The reflective Light shines Itself into the eyes of our enemies. It frustrates and blinds them to The Truth and sometimes they turn on each other. There is no need for us to polish our Shield, The Word of God; It's shine is The Glory of God. 

    This, our Shield, is a special Shield. It not only leads and protects us going forward, but as we go, It's properties of protection also surround us completely: on every side and behind us: A SHIELD AROUND ME, is what the psalmist writes. What is there to fear, indeed, when God not only goes before us, but is behind us, as well? It wasn't only at the crossing of The Red Sea that God led and followed after His people. He's still doing that. We have the favor of God with us as long as we retain Him as our Shield, too. 

    Don't drop your Shield. Don't stop following after God. Don't stop believing that Jesus Christ Is Lord. Don't stop listening to The Holy Spirit. Continue to walk your faith out in your lives. Continue to read Scripture daily. Continue to commune with, spend time in prayer with, God. Continue to listen to His Holy Spirit, Who is The Breath of God, The Wisdom of God, The Fire of God. You have, after all, the favor of God surrounding you as a Shield.

    Psalm 5:12

For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield. 

Names of God - YHWH 'Asah Shamayim Erets - The Maker of Heaven and Earth

 

YHWH 'ASAH SHAMAYIM ERETS

(pronounced yah-way - ah sah shah-MAH-yeem eh'rets)

The Lord, The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Psalm 121:2

My Help comes from The LORD, The Maker of Heaven and Earth. 

MY HELP: My Divine Intervention. My Intercessor. My Rescuer. My Savior. My Interceder. My Alliance. My Restorer of The Covenant. My Wisdom & Navigator. My Source. 

THE LORD: Self-existent, Eternal

Genesis 2:4

These are the generations (the history, the account) of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that The LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 

Psalm 124:8

Our help is in The Name of The LORD, The Maker of heaven and earth. 

    And because our help is in The Name of The LORD, we are so very much aware that our salvation is in The Name of The LORD, too. As Paul wrote in Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved." Now we see by Scripture and the knowledge of the holy that, THE LORD IS MY SAVIOR. 

[Exodus 15:2; Psalm 18:2; 27:1; 118:14; Isaiah 12:2; John 2:9; Revelation 7:10] 

THE MAKER: Purposeful Creator, Industrious One, Governor, Accomplisher, Provider, Deliberate Creator, Intentional Artist

Nehemiah 9:6

You alone are The LORD. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all things, and the host of heaven worships You.

Psalm 148:1-5

Hallelujah! Praise The LORD from the heavens; praise Him in the highest places.  Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His heavenly hosts. Praise Him, O sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars. Praise Him, O highest heavens, and you waters above the skies. Let them praise The Name of the LORD, for He gave the command and they were created. 

John 1:1-3

In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 

Revelation 1:8

I am Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and The Ending, says The Lord, Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come, The Almighty.

OF HEAVEN AND EARTH: Sky above the earth, celestial bodies above the sky. Dry land, ground, country, domain, firm.

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 

Genesis 1:6, 7

Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 

    By The Word of The LORD were the heavens and the earth created. God spoke, with His Breath, all life into existence at the time of creation during the six days He created the earth and the heavens. Psalm 33:6 "By The Word of The LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by The Breath of His mouth."

[Isaiah 45:2; Jeremiah 10:12]

Genesis 1:9, 10

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas: and God saw that it was good.

Psalm 104:6-8

You covered it with the deep like a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At Your rebuke the waters fled; at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away—the mountains rose and the valleys sank to the place You assigned for them.

    And on this earth, God created mankind, male and female, man and woman. Man God created with His Word and His Breath out of the dust, the land, of the Earth. [Genesis 2:7; Genesis 3:19; 1 Corinthians 15:47; Job 33:4; Acts 17:25; John 1:3]. Not primordial soup, neither primates nor rocks, as some would have us to believe, but by The Word of God, The Spirit of God and God Himself we are created beings. And we have a responsibility towards our Creator to return to Him and worship Him. 

    For we have been separated from God through our sin-nature which we have inherited from Adam and Eve, from whom all life has been generated. For when God created them, He told them to 'be fruitful and multiply'; and they did [Genesis 1:28].         But when they sinned against God, all of the lives which came from Adam and Eve were now tainted and separated from God. It wasn't just Adam and Eve who were removed from the garden in Eden: all of their children and grandchildren and so on and so forth also had to leave the garden. The nature of sin is that it taints everyone. 

    But how do we get back to God? How do we return to our Creator, our Maker? In the beginning of returning back to God, it was during the time of Adam and Eve's third son born after the fall--Seth--when mankind turned to God. Genesis 4:26. 

    Perhaps seeing the results of his brother Cain's actions--jealousy, murder and unrepentance--caused the men of Seth and his son Enosh's time to separate themselves from them and call on The Name of The Lord. 

    Still this call goes out: Whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved. Urgently the call is given: Return to The Lord Your Maker. Repent, and believe.

Romans 10:13

For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved.

John 20:31

But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is The Christ, The Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name.

John 1:12, 13

But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.

    Mere lineage cannot bring us into the presence of The Eternal Living Holy God. We must be born again through belief that Jesus Christ is God's Only Begotten Son, Who died on the cross for our sins, conquered death/hell/the grave and walked out of the tomb in which He had been laid into a glorified body, a resurrected body and is seated now at the right hand of God, interceding on behalf of His people. 

    We who believe are not only of the lineage of Adam and Eve, we are of the seed of Abraham, who believed God when circumstances always said otherwise. He obeyed God and journeyed to a place he'd never been before, never seen nor even heard of. He brought his son Isaac to the top of the mountain to sacrifice him as God had commanded. But God provided a different sacrifice. Abraham did not have to sacrifice his beloved son.

    But God chose to sacrifice His Beloved Son, so that the sins which dragged us down to hell, the sins which separated us from God, would be broken from off of us, through the shedding of His own blood. God allowed His Word, wrapped in flesh, to be tortured, beaten and nailed to a cross: for us. 

    Now it is possible to return to God, for the ultimate sin-offering has been made and the veil that separated us from God's Holy presence has been torn permanently. Now, we can return to our Creator. Now, we can call on The Name of The Lord God for our salvation. Now, The Maker of Heaven and Earth is The Maker of our New Life in Christ Jesus. Now, our Maker is remaking us daily into His image in a different way than He made us in His image in the garden. 

    Come, let us worship and bow down before The Lord Our Maker. Let us call on His Name for our salvation. Let our repentance be real and pure, that we might remain His people. If we are truly of Christ, then we will live for Christ and die to self. 

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Eleven

 

 

Psalm 40:4

Blessed is the man that makes 

The LORD his trust,

and respects not the proud,

 nor such as turn aside to lies.

    Have you made The LORD your trust? Are you trusting His Word above the words of the liars, the prideful, the dubious and the doubters? Those on the left tempt us with whispers, while those on the right call out to us loudly, yet neither will cause us to give them our complete and wholehearted trust. I'm not talking about politics here, I'm talking with you about the salvation of your souls. 

    There is but one path, one road, one Way to save our souls and that is through the blood of Christ Jesus on Calvary. We need to repent of our sins and transgressions to Almighty God and receive His forgiveness and the indwelling presence of His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, and His Holy Spirit. 

    We need His Christ to save us and wash sin from our hearts and His presence. We need His Holy Spirit to teach us to be holy, and empower us to be His witnesses. When we trust in The Lord with all of our hearts, we are leaving no room for doubt and fear to enter in. - Proverbs 3:5, 6

    Fear can disguise itself in many ways. The "what ifs" are a branch of fear. What if ____doesn't work out? What if they say no? What if I'm stuck here? What if ____doesn't like/love me? What if is not trusting in The Lord. 

    The "why is this happening to me" questions are fear and mistrust. As Job reminds us, bad things happen as well as good, but nevertheless we worship God because He is God and knows what is best for us. (paraphrased) - Job 1:20, 21 & 2:10

    When we pray, we are placing our trust for prayers answered into God's hands. And though we seek many times for immediate answers, God does not always work it out that way. He is The Potter, after all, and He knows what's best for the clay in His hands. 

    We cannot, must not, listen to the clamoring voices calling out to us from the left and from the right. We must continue on the path which our God has laid out for us. Waiting for His Voice, His Spirit, to direct us on our journey. - Deuteronomy 5:32; Proverbs 4:27; Joshua 1:7 

    We are seekers on the road of life. We seek His Face. We seek His kingdom. We seek His favor. We seek doors which can be opened when we knock. Let us knock even now on doors which can be opened: let us join together in prayer for God's perfect will to be done. 'Til all the world hears the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ. Let us seek the salvation of the lost and dying, the hopeless and the fearful, the despondent and the melancholy, the broken and the downtrodden: the many who are dying daily without receiving Christ as their Savior. That we may all rejoice in His heavenly kingdom someday, let us trust in Him completely to answer this prayer. 

    

The Color of Worship -Beryl

 The Color of Worship - BERYL 

 

We hear and see reasons why we, as a united earth, should "Go Green". Save the planet for future generations. Save the whales, the dolphins, the owls. Save, save, save; ignore, ignore, ignore.

What about save the people? The reason Christ was born was to save the people. He didn't die on the cross and rise from the grave to save the polar bears. He died for me and for you and for him and for her.

You want to "Go Green"? Okay. Let's "Go Light Green". In science, the color light green is associated with new growth, spring, new life. Flowers blossoming, trees budding and the first little blades of grass rising through the wet black dirt.

Zechariah 8:12 For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.

2 Chronicles 31:21 And in every service work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.

Let's "Go Light Green"! This isn't about $$. This isn't about "Earth Day". This prosperity is prosperity of our soul: My Soul Prospers before the LORD. God wants us to be blessed with "every good and perfect gift from above." Money is not perfect. 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some have coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many arrows. You want true prosperity as outlined in the Word of God? Seek God. Seek His face, His will, His way. Read His Word, Believe His Word, Obey His Word.

Growth requires the four seasons: spring (seed time), summer (sunshine, rainy days), autumn (harvest time) and winter (dormancy, rest). In order for the seed to grow, it needs to take root. The seed requires sunlight and rain. Once the seed has budded and blossomed, new seeds are released. And then they are harvested. And the root of the seed rests until the next season arrives and begins the cycle again.

Psalm 1:3 "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper." 

You and I are the seeds. Our roots reach deep into the Word of God, where we are grounded. Our hearts and minds and souls push forward through the darkness of this world into the Light of God's Love and Mercy. We stretch forth our hands and wave our arms in the breeze of His Holy Spirit. We receive and embrace the reign (rain) of Authority over us. Our thirst for the presence of God is satisfied when we open our hearts to Him. And when we share the Love of Christ, then more seeds are released to dig into the Word and take root. And so, the garden grows. We grow. We prosper.

While light green is not mentioned as such in Scripture, beryl is. Beryl is a mineral 'with gemstone varieties'. Aquamarine, Morganite, Heliodor and Emerald are all forms of Beryl. It is the darker green shades of Beryl that we associate with emeralds, but it is the lighter green, the pale, translucent greens that we associate with Beryl. A lighter shade of green.

It is the 8th gemstone layer in the wall around the new Jerusalem. While Beryl takes on many shades and colors, the color intimated here is sea-green: Revelation 21:19,20 "The foundations of the city walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone: The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth Beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst."

Beryl is on the Breastplate of Judgment worn by the high priest (Exodus 28:20), signifying one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This beryl, though, is thought to be yellow jasper in color, which can also be construed as being a lighter shade of green, depending on the hue of such a stone.

Ezekiel 1:16 states that 'the appearance of the wheel was like unto Beryl'.

When the bride describes her bridegroom, in Song of Solomon 5:14, she says, "His hands are as gold rings set with the Beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires."

I love the many colors mentioned in The Holy Bible. It is hard to choose a favorite, but I like that this pale green, this Beryl, tells me that 'my soul prospers'.  My spirit is transformed and my soul is uplifted.