“In the Lord I put my trust; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”? For look! The wicked bend their bow, They make ready their arrow on the string, That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do? The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind Shall be the portion of their cup. For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.”
Psalms 11:1-7 NKJV
Upholding the upright
It is easy for the follower of Jesus to experience great fear, as the tide of the times appear to be moving away from the righteousness of God and toward the god of this world, the devil.
Reading Psalm eleven, was a much needed reminder as the people of God face much uncertainty in these days. What we believe is under attack, and the world is looking for answers in all the wrong places, all the while rejecting the truth of God.
The great temptation when facing such opposition, is to duck down, or head to the hills. That is the problem of our flesh, we have a short teem memory of all the great things and blessings the Lord has done and brought. We quickly forget the victories, and turn away and run. We are much like Elijah, who upon defeating the prophets of Baal, recoiled in fear when Jezebel threatened him.
“And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.”
I Kings 19:1-3 NKJV
It is in these times that we have an obligation to look into the Scriptures, and see and behold the glories of God, and His ongoing upholding of the upright. From the beginning to the end, the Bible is full of examples of the Lord’s faithfulness to those who rely on Him.
For the follower of Jesus, there is no down side, for even in death, there is victory. Those who have called upon the name of Jesus for salvation, have a destiny set for Heaven, and a glorious eternity far beyond the struggles of these present times.
Let us not be fearful of what sinful man can do to us, but rejoice in that we are known and know the Father. We know that He has adopted us into the beloved, and that God is far greater than he that is in the world.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”
Romans 8:31-34 NKJV
Jesus makes intercession for us.
Brothers and sisters, we have the Creator of the Universe, the Savior of the world, interceding on our behalf. He is the uplifter of the upright, the sustainer of those who have been adopted into the beloved, those made righteous through His shed blood on the cross. In these perilous times, let us not be fearful of what the world may desire to do to us, but let us focus forward to what is to come.
There is coming time of true justice for all those who believe. Let us look to that bright shining day, that time when Jesus will reign. As each day dawns with new horrors to behold, my heart’s desire for what is to come is is magnified all the more. The worse things get, the more I desire the eternal things.
I also found myself burdened, as I know so many who do not know the Lord, and know still more who are at best lukewarm, and not at all looking forward to the return of Jesus.
My people, let us be focused on the Lord, on His word, prayer, and the spreading of the Good News. Her has given us a commission and the Holy Spirit power to do it. Let us be faithful, pressing on in confidence. Let us focus on all that is new and soon to be here.
“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.””
Revelation 21:1-5 NKJV
Have a blessed Lord’s Day!
#prayfortheharvest
#prayforthepersecuted
#praythathegospelgothroughouttheworld
Musings from an idle mind 
Our God is amazing! We can surely and completely trust in him. Thanks Bernie.
Exodus 34:6-7 (ESV) 6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
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