The Lord is My Shield, My Glory, The Lifter of My Head

 

PSALM 3:3

But Thou, O LORD, are a Shield for me, My Glory and The Lifter of my head. 

The Shield of God defends, protects, hedges in and covers round about (encompasses) the one who is in Christ, Who is in God (John 17:21).

The Lord My Defense

Psalm 94:22

But The LORD is my Defense; my God is The Rock of my Refuge.

Psalm 18:22

The LORD is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer. My God is my Rock, in Whom I take refuge, my Shield, and The Horn of my Salvation, my Stronghold.

The Lord My Shield

Psalm 5:12

For surely You, O LORD, bless the righteous; You surround them with the Shield of Your favor.

The Lord Lifts Me Up

Psalm 27:6

Then my head will be held high above my enemies around me. At His tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.

Psalm 30:1

I will exalt You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up and have not allowed my foes to rejoice over me.

1 Thessalonians 4:17

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

    Whatever it is you and I are facing or going through right at this moment, remember that if you are a born again believer in The Lord Jesus Christ, He is with you. You are not alone, and there is no reason for you to fear what lies ahead of you. He has promised to always be with us; to never leave us, nor forsake (abandon) us. 

    Now is the time to praise The Lord. Now is the time to rejoice that we have been found worthy to suffer for His Name's sake. Now is the time to seek Him out in His Word, to dig in a little deeper that our anchor in Him would be steadfast and immovable; that our faith would remain secure, yet increase. 

    Ephesians 5:19

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to The Lord, always giving thanks to God The Father for everything in The Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

THOU ART A SHIELD FOR ME-Kent Henry 

GOD WILL LIFT UP YOUR HEAD - Jars of Clay 

The Lord Is Prophet

 

Deuteronomy 18:15

“The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me [Moses] from among you, from your countrymen (brothers, brethren). You shall listen to Him." 

    Matthew 21:11, 12

When Jesus had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, The Prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

    Luke 7:16

A sense of awe swept over all of them, and they glorified God. "A great Prophet has appeared among us!" they said. "God has visited His people!" 

    Acts 3:22, 23

For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells you. Everyone who does not listen to Him will be completely cut off from among His people.’ 

HALLELUJAH, PRAISE JEHOVAH - Calvin Bernard Rhone

    

 

PSALM 119:105

Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet, and a Light unto my path. 

    John 1:1-4

In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God. The Same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was Life; and the Life was The Light of men.  

    John 8:12

Then spoke Jesus again to them, saying, "I Am The Light of the world: he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but will have The Light of Life." 

    Have you seen The Light? Are you a sinner saved by grace, or do you still walk in the darkness of your own ways, your own self-centeredness? To walk in The Light is to live out our daily lives in the full assurance and knowledge that we belong to Jesus Christ, Who purchased us with His blood on the cross and gave us new life in Him when He walked out of the grave. 

    The Word of God is Jesus Christ. There is no other word that can reveal the will of God to us but Jesus Christ. There is no other name that can save our souls from eternal damnation but Jesus Christ.

     To have The Light of Life--Jesus Christ--as one's personal Savior is to recognize sin for what it is: disobedience to God's Word, God's laws, God's precepts, God's Way and God's will. This is the first part of a repentant heart. 

    To have The Light of Life is to acknowledge with humble hearts our wrongdoings and confess them aloud to God, whether we are at the altar in our churches, sitting in our cars, kneeling at our bedsides: wherever we are when The Spirit tugs at our heartstrings revealing The Light of The Word to us, that's when and where we pray to The God who loves us and sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us.

    To have The Light of Life is to stop committing the sinful things and do the obedient things which God has prepared for us to do as our way of life. When He says to do a certain act or think a certain way and we don't, then that is sin. When He says not to do a certain thing or not say or think ungodly words or thoughts, then that, too, is sin. 

    To have The Light of Life is to forgive anyone who has wronged us and to go to anyone we have wronged and forgive them. For without forgiveness to each other and one another, we cannot be forgiven by God. 

    To have The Light of Life is know godly sorrow for our sins. It is seeking out God in His Word personally, if we are able to attain any part of The Bible for ourselves. It is to hear God's Word being preached, taking into our hearts and applying it to our lives through the power of God's Holy Spirit, Whom we all desperately need within us, leading us through God's Holy Word and growing us in God's kingdom.

    To have The Light of Life is to walk in newness of life. For our souls have been redeemed by God's grace: we are new creations, we have been born again: we are made new. And because we are new, we need to learn how to walk God's paths in God's Light: seeing clearly and understanding with clarity of thought; developing a heart that follows The Word of God with love and joy. 

    To have The Light of Life is to be a Philippians 4:8 thinker. It is learning to live Philippians 4:12, as well as many other verses which will guide us into living a changed heart and mind lifestyle. 

    No more do we have to walk in the darkness of this world. No more must we live like the rest of this old world lives. We have The Light of The World living in us through the power of God's Holy Spirit. And now we are the light of the world, because we bring The Light of Life to all who will hear us, when we speak the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. 

JESUS IS THE LIGHT - Carman

LIGHTS SHINE BRIGHT - TobyMac 

    

God's Faithfulness and Love Are Enduring

 

Psalm 36:5 

"Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies."

Psalm 57:10
"For Your loving devotion reaches to the heavens, and Your faithfulness to the clouds."
Psalm 103:11
"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him."
Jeremiah 9:24
"But let him who boasts, boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am The LORD, Who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth--for I delight in these things," declares The LORD."

 

I LIFT MY EYES - Kristyn Getty/Jordan Kauflin/Matt Merkel

Psalm 121:1
"I lift up my eyes unto the hills, where my Help comes from."
Hebrews 13:5-6
"Let your conversation (character and lifestyle) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: for He has said, 'I will never leave you, nor forsake you.'

So that we may boldly say, 'The Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.'

  

GOODNESS OF GOD - Bethel Music

Psalm 23 - The Lord Is

 This week I am in Psalm 23 and Psalm 23 is in me. 

THE LORD IS SHEPHERD

The LORD is my Shepherd: 

I lack nothing.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures:

He leads me beside still waters. 

THE LORD IS RESTORER

He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. 

 

THE LORD IS DEFENDER

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. 

THE LORD IS PROVIDER & PROVISION

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: 

You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. 

THE LORD IS EVER NEAR

Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

and I shall live in the house of The LORD forever.  

COME TO JESUS - Chris Rice 

The Lord Is King

 

Psalm 47:2

For The LORD Most High is terrible; He is a great King over all the earth. 

Psalm 95:3

For The LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Psalm 22:27-29

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to The LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him. For dominion belongs to The LORD and He rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him—even those unable to preserve their lives.

    As both subjects and travelers will bow in the presence of earthly kings, so, too, will all bow in the presence of THE KING. Even if they don't want to, they will. For in the hearts of those who have rebelled against God in life, they will recognize in death that they were wrong and that Jesus Christ is indeed King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But for them, those, as the psalmist writes, they will not live; for they chose in this life to live without Christ in theirs. And, so, their lives were not preserved; their souls perished and will continue to perish. 

Romans 14:11

For it is written: “ As I live, says The LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.” 

Philippians 2:9-11

Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him The Name above all names, that at The Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God The Father. 

    God made a Way for every person to avoid going to hell for their sins. He calls this Way, The Way of Holiness. The entrance is through Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, Who came to this earth that He created to die for our sins; Who conquered death, hell and the grave by walking out of the tomb after a major spiritual battle in death, into a new glorious body. 

    The Bible calls Him at this time, The Firstfruits: 1 Corinthians 15:20 "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become The Firstfruits of them that slept." He is the First to rise from the dead and remain so. Though many had been brought back through the power of God from death, they all died again and remained dead. Until Jesus rose from the dead. Until death was conquered with such great a victory! The King is King Forever! The Lord is Lord forever! Hallelujah! What a mighty God we who believe choose to serve!

    YHWH ELOHIM MELEK: THE LORD MOST HIGH IS KING FOREVER!

 AWESOME GOD - Michael W. Smith 

THE LORD IS = TELEIOTES

 

TELEIOTES

(pronounced tel-ah'-ee-tee-os) 

THE AUTHOR OF ETERNAL SALVATION

Hebrews 5:8-9

Though he was God's Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. And being made perfect, He became The Author of Eternal Salvation unto all who obey Him. 

    Now that we, too, have become the children of God, we must learn obedience through suffering as well. For those who follow Christ must follow Him all the way to the cross if they want to rise out of the grave in new bodies. 

1 Peter 2:20, 21

How is it to your credit if you are beaten for doing wrong and you endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps. 

    He is our example, the First of us to follow this pattern of obedience which God has set from the beginning, but now has revealed in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. -- Hebrews 9:26, 27 - And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation. 

Isaiah 53:5, 12

But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 

Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

Romans 3:25

God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand. 

    Where is Jesus now? He's in heaven with His Father interceding on behalf of His people. And one of these days He's coming back to get those who have been obedient to God. 

Acts 1:9

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

1 Thessalonians 1:10

And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 

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. 

    And one of these days, when God tells Him to go and get His people, Christ Jesus will return and bring all of us with Him: we who have died and we who are waiting and watching for His return. 

    But He will not return with a blazing star in the night sky. He will not return, yet, with trump and fanfare. He will come and get us like a thief in the night: quietly and swiftly. 

    Now is the time to get ready. Accept Christ as Lord and Savior, receive The Holy Spirit into your life and be obedient to His leading, walking out our salvation by living The Word daily: by walking God's Way of Holiness, that we may see Him and live. Live a life of (agape) love now. There's not much time left.

BY HIS WOUNDS - Mac Powell

NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD - Jars of Clay 

REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH  

    

The Inspired Box - The Lord Is With Me

 

 

Deuteronomy 31:8

The LORD Himself goes before you;

He will be with you. He will never forsake you.

Do not be afraid or discouraged. 

    You are not alone in the annals of time, when you feel discouraged, a little on the edge or alone: you are in great company. Here Moses is speaking encouragement into Joshua's hearing and spirit in front of all the Israelites. For now Moses has entrusted the leadership he held for so long into Joshua's hands. A young leader taking the place of an elder is being blessed in his position by that elder. 

    Do not be afraid, young leader, nor allow discouragement to take hold of your thoughts and do let it rein in your actions. For THE LORD IS WITH YOU. He must lead you where He wants you to go. He must direct your steps and you must walk in the way He has planned and set before you. 

    The LORD has promised to never leave us, nor forsake us. He is ALWAYS with us when we obey His Word, His direction. We must not let distractions draw our attention away from the duties to hand. Distractions take up time which we do not have to spare, for these are the last minutes, even seconds perhaps, before Christ's return. 

    The disciples believed that they were living in the last days before Christ's return to come and gather them with Him. It's been nearly 2.000 years since then and still the church awaits the return of her King. But if 2,000 years was the last days and the last hours, surely we are nearer now. Do not doubt He is coming.

    For The Word says that "in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Corinthians 15:52) Jesus will come and get His church. "Like a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2) He will appear: swiftly, silently, stealthily (for no one will see Him, no one will hear Him and no one will be aware of His approach when His Father sends Him to come and get us. 

    So, stand up young leaders; you who have been called to lead God's people into God's kingdom. Stand on The Word of God as you walk in it. Stand and hear what God is speaking to you today. Stand strong in your LORD and Savior (steadfast on The Rock of your Salvation) and see what The LORD can do. 

    Lead by Christ's example: 

Lead in the all-encompassing love of God

Lead in submission to The Word of God

Lead in surrender to The Word of God

Lead in tender mercies

Lead in lovingkindness

Lead where no one wants to go (to the least of these)

Lead in prisons and hospitals (setting captives free and healing the sick)

Lead in your homes, your schools and your towns 

Lead only where God tells you, directs you, to lead 

Lead in humility (admit failings and triumphs, take responsibility for your actions/words spoken)

Lead with integrity (be honorable and live honestly) 

    Many of the faithful churches which still stand are filled with elders. The young have grown up and moved out of the church and its steadfast doctrine of saving grace. The faint sound of children's voices and happy laughter are just a whisper of memory. But even now God is calling His wandering children to repent and return to Him. Fear not little churches, God will raise up leaders for Himself who will serve Him honorably and humbly. 

Dear Lord,

       We pray that The Holy Spirit would get ahold of each and every one of you who are not serving Him faithfully -- regardless of your age--, convicting you of sin and leading you back to Christ in God. We pray that God would pour out His Holy Spirit upon our homes, our neighborhoods, our communities, our towns and cities, our countries. We pray for a mighty outpouring of God to bring you into His kingdom, drawing you in with His Words of Love and Life. 

In Jesus' Beautiful Name,
Amen. 

FEAR NOT - Carman

LET IT RAIN = Michael W. Smith 

HOLY SPIRIT RAIN DOWN 

  

The Lord Is - Sun and Shield

 

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. 

Revelation 21:23

And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.

Isaiah 60:19

The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but The LORD shall be unto thee an Everlasting Light, and thy God thy glory. 

Psalm 3:3

But Thou, O LORD, art a Shield for me; my Glory, and The Lifter up of mine head.

    Right now people are excited about the solar eclipse that will be happening this week, when the sun is completely covered by the moon and darkness will be upon the land briefly. But someday, both sun and moon will vanish, for their usefulness will have faded. I think that is the more exciting event to look forward to and I'm so glad I'm going to see The Light of heaven someday! 

THOU ART A SHIELD - Kent Henry

(LIGHT OF THE WORLD) HERE I AM TO WORSHIP   -The African Children's Choir 

The Lord Is Faithful and True

 

REVELATION 19:11

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He does judge and make war.

    HIS FAITHFULNESS

He Keeps His Promises

Psalm 96:12-13

Let the fields exult, and all that is in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the LORD, for He is coming—He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

2 Timothy 2:13

if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

    HIS TRUTH

He speaks Truth because He IS Truth

John 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am The Way, The Truth and The Life: no man comes to The Father, but by Me.

John 1:14

 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of The Only Begotten of The Father,) full of Grace and Truth.

Numbers 23:19 (Balaam's response to Balak) 

God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?

    Every promise of God will be fulfilled. Whether to bless the faithful or judge the faithless. There are over 400 prophecies in The Old Testament concerning The One Whom God would send to deliver His people and reign as King. Just as the prophecies are several years apart, so, too, are the promises of God. It hasn't even been 2000 years since Christ, but we're getting close. Still His Name is proclaimed to the nations. Still He saves the sinner seeking His grace and mercy. Still The Holy Spirit is poured out upon they whom The Lord God has chosen to receive Him. 

    The promises of God are many and ALL will be fulfilled at some point in time. When King Jesus returns, according to the detail available in this verse, His Authority will be evident (the white horse - purity). He is not coming for a party, but for war. War against the people who chose not to follow Him and who remain after the event in which His people had been "caught up in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:17); and after the dead in Christ have risen (1 Thessalonians 4:16). 

    His Name is Faithful (unwavering adherence to the truth, steadfast {committed,  unswerving, unyielding}) and True (in accordance with fact, reality; verifiable, accurate). He is Judge and Jury, for He will war against the unfaithful with His Righteousness: the divine approval of God. 

    So very thankful that this Righteousness covers me. See, it's nothing that I accomplished. But it's through my faith on, my belief in, The Only Name Under Heaven by Which We Must Be Saved, through JESUS CHRIST The Only Begotten Son of God, that I am made approved by God to be God's child. 

    His Righteousness is the spiritual garment I wear. I clothed myself in His Righteousness when I repented of my sins and turned away from a living a sinful life to living a holy life. It's not a perfect life, but a lifetime of small achievements in grace which make me holy. In His Righteousness is where I live. I became a  child of God through God's grace ( Galatians 3:25-27; John 1:12). 

    If you are not already in His Righteousness, it's not too late. As long as you have breath in your body, there's still time to place your faith in Christ Jesus. For the day is fast approaching when the decision to choose wisely will no longer be yours to make; for death will have snatched your soul and the opportunity to choose Christ will be gone from you for ever. 

SPEAK LIFE - TobyMac

JESUS HAVE IT ALL - Jeremy Riddle

NO OTHER NAME BUT JESUS - Victory House Worship

The Lord Preserves The Simplehearted

 

   THE LORD PRESERVES THE SIMPLEHEARTED

    Psalm 116:6

The Lord preserves the simplehearted; I was helpless, and He saved me. 

    Simplehearted does not imply simpleminded. The simple in mind are openminded, hearing everything but the instruction of the wisdom of The Lord. The simple in heart have the faith of a child, believing without seeing. 

    Believing that The Lord has done great things for us, though we, as yet, may not see the results of our childlike faith. A person must be aware of their helplessness to save themselves before they can reach out to The Lord for salvation. 

    Before I was born somebody prayed for me. When I walked in the ways of the world, somebody prayed for me. When I should have died in my sins, somebody prayed for me. Though my heart was harder than my head, somebody was praying for me. And while some still do, the ones who prayed for me without my knowledge are now in my "great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1). They passed the torch of a faithful, prayer-filled relationship in Christ to me and I'm passing it to the next person to reach out for it. 

    I was helpless. I still am. But I came to the understanding that nothing I could do could save me. That there is only ONE Savior, ONE plan of salvation: that only God's plan of salvation (John 3:16-18) would be able to deliver me from all my unrighteousness. I needed to repent of my wickedness against God and believe that His only begotten Son Jesus Christ is Lord of All. He can only save the people who believe on His Name for their salvation. Unbelief will not save you. 

    I'M SO GLAD THAT THE LORD SAVED ME 

BLESS THAT WONDERFUL NAME OF JESUS

The Lord Is Light

 

2 Peter 1:19

And we have the more certain prophetic word, to which you do well taking heed, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until this day shall have dawned and the morning star shall have arisen in your hearts,

2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

John 1:14

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of The Only Begotten of The Father,) full of grace and truth.

    David writes in Psalm 27:1 that "The LORD is My Light and My Salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the Strength of My Life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Indeed, where Light shines there is no fear, there is no doubt, there is no one to be afraid of. For this Light is the Knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And I love that face. By faith in my Savior I will see Him face to face one day. 

    This precious Knowledge we have been given is The Truth of God's Word and it sets us free from the entanglements of sin (John 8:32), releasing us to be joyful, content and rested. This Truth breaks chains, tears down walls of separation and division; it not only brings people into the family of God through the blood of Jesus Christ, but it splits families in two. 

    For where The Word is believed by one or two, it is come against by the many, yet we gain ground in the kingdom of God when we stand fast on His Word. To stand fast ON His Word is to trust Him fully, even when our situations look grim. To stand fast IN His Word is to have His Word enveloped around us, encompassing our every thought and move. We are saturated in the anointing of His precious Holy Spirit and God makes Himself known to us. 

    The LORD is My LIGHT. And My SALVATION. He SHINES in my heart and in my mind. He is The Strength of My Life. Without Him I would be nothing; I wouldn't even exist. He is my Breath for it is He Who gives me breath, gives me life, gives me everything. I am known by those who do not know me, for when they see me, they see JESUS. Sometimes even those who do know me, can just glance in my direction and say, 'She's been with The Lord.' 

    And when I see His Face, I will see His Light shine ever more brighter. In Him I am complete. In Him I am content. In Him I am the lighthouse out of which His LIGHT shines, to warn of the hidden dangers in the darkness of sin. 

    Can you see The Light? He is The Light of Christmas in the Christmas season. He is The Light of Salvation in the Resurrection. He is The Light of Life in the heart of every believer. Is this Light shining in your heart? Do others see Jesus in you? If you let only your light shine, the day will come when your light will be snuffed out: like a candle you will have shined briefly. But if you allow The Light of God, Jesus Christ, to shine in your heart and remove the darkness from within you, then your light becomes His Light and you will shine for Jesus evermore. 

    We sing This Little Light of Mine in Sunday School because we are aware that our lamps are small and frail. However, we also know that The Light that shines in us can spread to every heart who is seeking The Light. Then when our little lights unite, a great LIGHT shines. 

    I'm so glad His LIGHT shines in me and through me. Aren't you?

THRONE ROOM - Kim Walker-Smith

I AM THE LIGHTHOUSE 

SHINE JESUS SHINE - Vineyard Music

The Lord is Like A Green Fir Tree

 

Hosea 14:8

Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From Me is thy fruit found.

    The blessings of God are found in God. The repentant soul has turned its back on the idols which it had created (vs. 1-3) and finds itself now in the covering, the branches, of The Lord God. Though under His wings we are sheltered (Psalm 91:4), under His branches we find ourselves being nourished and strengthened and protected (Ezekiel 17:23; Matthew 13:32). 

    It is our Faith, our Trust, in God Himself that keeps us under His branches. It is more than knowing what He can do for us, what we have seen Him do in us and around us: it is being aware of and completely enthralled with Him because we KNOW beyond a  shadow of a doubt that THE LORD GOD LOVES US. 

    We know because we have heard the gospel of salvation through JESUS CHRIST and we have believed that it is TRUE. We know because we who believe in The Name of The LORD for our salvation have seen the chains of addiction fall away from us. We have seen alcoholics delivered, not just recovering. We have seen the chains of sexual immorality broken and cast aside because the BLOOD of God's perfect Lamb has washed away the stains of sin and the chains with which we were bound are no more. 

     We are so totally enamored of our LORD GOD that we have chosen to follow Him anywhere He leads us. We are aware of danger on every side (Psalm 23:4,5), yet we have set our hearts on Him knowing He walks with us. Our mouths open and we speak THE WORD which our GOD has placed in our hearts to bring THE GOOD NEWS, GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY, to all who seek the kingdom of GOD and His righteousness. For all who truly seek will surely find and all who find will be saved, delivered, filled and join the army of God, which moves on its knees. 

    There is room for everyone under this mighty tree which God has raised up. For it is not the tree itself which is mighty, but He who once hung on a tree. Under that tree is room for all who believe that He Who died on the cross, the tree of humiliation, is the only begotten Son of God, Whom God chose to fulfill His plan of salvation for all mankind to receive. The only ones not under that tree are the ones who choose not to believe that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. 

    There's room under that tree for a wretch like me and there's room under that tree for you.

GLORIA - Chris Tomlin 

The Lord Is SongGiver

 

PSALM 42:8

The LORD decrees His loving devotion by day, 

and at night His song is with me as a prayer to the God of my life.

Job 8:21

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with a shout of joy. 

    When I first got filled with The Holy Spirit I saw myself as a mountain filled with music. And when the mountain became a volcano, it wasn't lava that flowed, it was Music. New music, new songs. Songs of joy, songs of hope, songs of rejoicing; songs of sorrow, songs of wistfulness, songs of grief. Songs of pain, songs of the love of God and for God; songs of laughter, songs of weeping. 

    All of these flowed from God through His Holy Spirit into me where they flowed out of my pen and my mouth. Many Christian songwriters will tell you that it is not of their imagination from which they write and sing: it is a gift from God meant to be shared with whomsoever God places on our path. 

    Many nights He would waken me and have me write. But I remained rested, for I was with Him and He is my Rest. Sometimes these songs would build up inside me while I was doing something else, like running around the velodrome in the predawn hours with my bestie. Or the time she and I backpacked Ireland (Perfect Replica*)  Sometimes, I'd be sitting in a meeting and the song would start writing itself (No Room*), even though I wanted to wait until the meeting was over, I relented, repented, and let God move through me. No Room I actually wrote before I got baptized in The Spirit, but God was moving in me even then.

    There is coming a day when sad songs will not only be a thing of the past, they won't even be a memory. For in the presence of God is fullness of JOY. In His presence is LIGHT and LOVE. In His presence we sing the song of the redeemed. All together every saint will sing that song. It is the sound of many rushing waters. It is the resounding song of Love for God for this great thing He has done. 

     

*PERFECT REPLICA

I wonder what my God shall see,

When He sees a finished me?

Perhaps I'll be a Daniel,

Content in times of stress.

Or maybe I'll be Lydia

Adorned in purpleness.

Perhaps I'll be Rebekah,

Waiting ever on;

First 'twas by the well,

Then for her two sons.

I wonder what my God shall see

When He sees a finished me?

Perhaps I'll be an Andrew

Who leads my brother to

The One and Only Savior

Who died for me and you.

Perhaps I'll be a vessel,

What let the Son shine in;

Who mirrored God's reflection

To a lost and dying friend.

I wonder what my God shall see

When He sees a finished me?

Perhaps I'll be a fruitful vine

For God to harvest home.

And I shall wear a robe of white

With stars upon my crown.

And when He views the finished me,

I know He'll smile in victory--

"Well done thou good and faithful,

You may enter in,

Here's your gown; here's your crown.

Hello, friend."

I wonder what my God shall see,

When He sees a finished me.

I've gone through the fire,

I've gone through the grind,

I've gone through the waters

Time after time.

God has not forsaken me

In any of my trials.

And when He sees the finished me,
I'll wear a great big smile.

*NO ROOM

No room, no room, no room for Jesus

No way, no how, not here at this time, not now.

Can you imagine telling God 

you have no time for Him?

There isn’t any place today for Him to enter in.

To enter in with joy delight,

Communion sweet to share

No room for Jesus, No room anywhere.

No room, no room, no room for Jesus

No way, no how, not here at this time, not now.

The temples are empty, no life exists here.

No joyful days, no redeemed souls, 

The faces of the people are shut, blank and cold.

I see forlorn temples, I hear lonely sounds

Heartbeats, no heartbeats, no love of God abounds.

No room, no room, no room for Jesus

No way, no how, not here at this time, not now.

No merry hearts, no shining lights

The doors to the temple are shut, slammed in tight

Listening, not hearing; Hearing, not caring.

Heartbeats, no heartbeats, no love of God lives here.

No room, no room, no room for Jesus

No way, no how, not here at this time, not now.

Now, when the feastday of the Bride

Arrives and you are there,

Will you hear Jesus say to you,

“You have no place set here.

There is no room for you today,

You’ll have to go, you cannot stay:

I do not know your name you see, 

It isn’t written here.”

No room, no room, no room for you.

No way, no how, not here at this time,

Not now.

    While No Room is the number one requested song that I sing when I sing, this song is one my favorites:

The Ballad of The Body of Christ

I am the eyes That see the need for compassion

I am the hands That do the work of The LORD

I am the feet That go through the doors that are open

I am the heart, The heart of The LORD.

I am the ears That hear the cries of the lonely

I am the arms That carry the grieving and sore

I am the legs That walk the crowded sidewalks

I am the heart, The heart of The LORD.

I am the Body of Christ that was broken/I’ve been asleep for a thousand years it seems/But now I’m awake and I see the needs that aren’t spoken/Gettin’ ready to run, Gettin’ ready to fly / 

Gettin’ the Body back in shape.

It’s God’s desire That no one should be lost

It’s God’s desire That everyone be saved

He can’t make your choices, It’s entirely up to you.

Don’t hesitate, don’t even wait 

Don’t turn and walk ................ the other way!

I am the voice When God gives the words to be spoken

I am pure silence When I need to be ............... when I need to be

I am the Body of Christ That was broken! / I been asleep for a thousand years it seems / But now I’m awake And I see the needs that aren’t spoken / Gettin’ ready to run, Getting ready to fight / 

Gettin’ the Body back in shape.

I am the fingers That pull the lost from the fire

I am the knees That bend to carry the load

I am the back That bears the marks of the hunter

I am the heart, The heart of The LORD.

I am the Body of Christ that was broken/I’ve been asleep for a thousand years it seems/But now I’m awake and I see the needs that aren’t spoken/Gettin’ ready to run, Gettin’ ready to fly / 

Gettin’ the Body back in shape.

I am the Body of Christ That was broken! / I been asleep for a thousand years it seems / But now I’m awake And I see the needs that aren’t spoken / Gettin’ ready to run, Getting ready to fight / 

Gettin’ the Body back in shape.

You are the Body of Christ That was broken! / You’ve been asleep for a thousand years it seems/ But now you’re awake and you see the needs that aren’t spoken / You’re gettin’ ready to run / Run your endurance race / Gettin’ your body back in shape.

Now, you know my story. Now, you hear my voice.