2 Thessalonians 3:3

But the Lord is faithful. He will strengthen and guard you from the evil one.

The word for “strengthen” here means the same as “establish.” We often use the word “establish” to define when an entity began to operate as a formal, legal, and viable entity. Prior to the establishment date, the entity was a work in progress or a good idea forming to make something permanent. God is faithful, and He will establish us, making us strong, formal, legal, and viable as His representative on earth.

We are all becoming something real and lasting. Although our bodies may be growing older and even failing, we are being established for God’s kingdom, where we will never die. As such, we are a threat to the enemy, and he will attack to try to wear us down. The more we are established, the more formidable opponent we become. Because God is faithful to us, however, Satan’s attacks cannot ultimately prevail.

If you are feeling defeated and discouraged, know today that your victory is certain. God is faithful. He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. He has invested in you for the long term, and no short term emotion can override His plans for you, which are good. Put your hope in God, and allow Him to establish you on higher ground. You can count on Him to come through for you.

Have a blessed day!

1 Samuel 1:19-20

The next morning Elkanah and Hannah got up early to bow and to worship the LORD. Afterwards, they returned home to Ramah. Then Elkanah was intimate with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her. After some time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel because she said, “I requested him from the LORD.”

After Hannah poured her heart out to God, she continued to worship. She returned to her husband, and they worshiped together. She went back to life as usual but with the assurance that she had made her peace with God and had placed everything in His hands. Still without the promise fulfilled, she continued to worship.

We live in a culture when everything is at our fingertips, and we want things instantly. When we don’t get things quickly, we often feel as if we are receiving bad service. Scripture does not tell us how long Hannah had to wait, but we do know God granted her request “after some time.” In the meantime while waiting, Hannah continued to worship God. Do we have the faith it takes to worship while we wait?

When we’ve prayed for something and have received no answer, we can easily be tempted to be angry toward God and to cease worship. In fact, I think this is where many atheists originate. I’ve noticed that atheists are usually people who actually believe in God but are just mad at Him. He didn’t do what they wanted or prevent them from pain, and they blame Him for it. In retaliation, they withhold worship and try to convince others not to worship Him. Refusing to worship God will get you nowhere because pain and suffering are a part of life, and in those times you need a God who can help you through them. Whether we have our desire fulfilled or not, the appropriate response to God is always worship.

Take time to worship God today. Spend time in prayer and Bible study, as I know many of you already have planned. “After some time,” God will remember you if you are truly worshiping Him. I know this for a fact because I have my very own Samuel to prove it!

Have a blessed day!

Genesis 28:15

Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.

These were God’s words to Jacob just after he had deceived Isaac and stolen the blessing of the first born. Isaac had sent him to Paddan-aram to take a wife from among the daughters of his uncle, Laban. God’s words here are proof that you don’t have to be perfect to receive God’s blessing; you must be chosen.

For some reason, God chose to extend the promise of Abraham through Isaac’s second born son, rather than the first. Perhaps, it was Esau’s wild spirit and desire for Canaanite women that turned God’s hand toward Jacob. Of the two, Jacob was certainly the more disciplined and calculating. Nevertheless, God chose an imperfect man to bless and bring forth a perfect promise. In this place called Haran, God chose to reveal a stairway to Jacob and assure him of His presence.

Haran means parched. When Jacob became tired in a hot, dry, burned place, he laid down to rest with a stone for a pillow. Although it seems awfully uncomfortable to me in comparison to my soft, fluffy pillow with a satin sheet, at least the stone was able to elevate his head enough for him to rest. In this uncomfortable place, God showed Jacob the pathway to blessing – God was with him and would watch over him. He needed nothing more.

If you find yourself exhausted in a parched place today, the best thing you can do is to find a way to elevate your head and rest. Even if you have to use a stone for a pillow, get your head above the ground and listen for God. Stop complaining and running in circles. God is with you. You may have sinned and failed, but He is with you. You may have made a complete mess of things, but He is with you. You may have relationships that are broken and a family in chaos, but He is with you. You may be facing financial difficulty and uncertainty by your own doing, but He is with you. He will watch over you wherever you go and will not leave you until He has done what He has promised. What He has promised is to transform you into the image of His Son. God is still working on you, and His plan is still to bless you.

We no longer live under the Abrahamic covenant. We live under the covenant of grace through Jesus Christ. All of our promises are in Him. We need not be perfect because He was perfect, and when we submit to His lordship, we receive His righteousness. Our response should be the same as Jacob’s was to God in that parched place, which we find in verses 20-21 of the same chapter:

Then Jacob made a vow: “If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey, if He provides me with food to eat and clothing to wear, and if I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God.”

Jacob surrendered and vowed to serve God. If God is with us, we should determine to serve Him. Whatever He has called you to do, do it. He is with you.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 68:35

God, You are awe-inspiring in Your sanctuaries. The God of Israel gives power and strength to His people. May God be praised.

There are times in life when God will just reach down and perform a work so awe-inspiring and unexpected you can’t help but know He is with you. At these times, your prayer life becomes invigorated because you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God hears you and cares about you. He cares about every little detail of your life, and He will do things so absolutely amazing that you can’t explain it aside from Him. Such moments deepen your relationship with Him, and you gain power and strength from His presence. The only thing you can do is praise God because He is the only explanation for what just happened.

For this very reason, we should learn the art of prayer. While prayer is not a magic potion or vain hope, it is constant communication with a God who truly cares about you and wants to be involved in everything you do. Prayer is the divine connection with God that expresses your inner most thoughts, feelings, hopes, and desires to Him and trusts Him to answer. Prayer is the development of a relationship that turns your attention away from the cares of this world and toward a holy and righteous God who longs to have fellowship with you.

We live in a day when we all need to see the awe-inspiring work of God. E.M. Bounds was one of Christian history’s most scholarly men on the subject of prayer. According to Bounds, God does nothing except in response to prayer. If this is true, now is the time for all of God’s people to pray – diligently and without ceasing. He may, yet, do awe-inspiring things among us that can only be explained by His hand as He gives His people power and strength to overcome the enemy. Dare to become a prayer warrior, and watch God do awe-inspiring things for you!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 100:4-5

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good, and His love is eternal; His faithfulness endures through all generations.

Our children today have such an expectation of entitlement, they truly don’t understand the difference between a privilege and a right. What we worked hard to gain, they expect to be given – often without even a “Thank you.” I fear we have raised a generation that will never succeed in life because they are not willing to work and expect instant success. As I watch the ungrateful attitudes of these children of entitlement, I can’t help but wonder if God sees the same thing in me.

I may not have everything I want or even everything I need in some cases, but God has always been good to me. He has always been faithful, even when I failed Him miserably. I’ve learned that when things don’t happen quite in the time frame I’d hoped or when my expectations were dashed, God was still at work. He just had a better plan in mind.

Things could be better, but Lord knows they could be worse, too. I’m very thankful that God has brought me this far and that He is leading me still. I don’t want to be the bratty child who just asks for more all the time and is never satisfied. I’m thankful for a God who loves me beyond my self-destructive habits and works behind the scenes, where I can’t interrupt Him. If I start to feel sorry for myself, I can easily look around and see others who are suffering in areas where I am at ease. When my world looks like it is falling apart, I’m thankful for a God who catches all the pieces and forms new purpose from what is left.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving this morning, and give Him praise. He is in control, and He is faithful. When you truly trust His handiwork in your life, you can be thankful. He has a beautiful inheritance for you, and He will work all things together for your good and His glory. Let thankfulness activate peace, and rest in the love of your Father. He has been good to you, and He has not changed.

Have a blessed day!

Philippians 4:6-7

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Satan attacks us through anxiety. If he can get us to worry about the future or feel the void of what is not there, he has gained a stronghold in our minds. Worry can prompt us to move when we shouldn’t and remain still when we should act. Anxiety is fear-based, and you cannot trust it because the devil is a liar! Spiritual battles are fought in the mind, and Paul shows us how to guard against the enemy’s attack in these verses.

First, we should take every care and concern to God in prayer with thanksgiving. I’ve heard it taught and have always thought this means to thank God for what He is going to do in regard to your prayer and petition. I now see it as having a thankful heart for the things He has already done for you. If we are not thankful for what we do have, why would we be thankful for anything new? We don’t deserve a thing, but God loves us and acts on our behalf anyway. When we can be thankful for the small things we take for granted, we can begin to see God’s faithfulness and have peace that He is working in our current situation. Being truly thankful helps you accept where you are so your desire for something more does not take center stage and literally choke the life right out of you.

Paul used the peace of God in a military fashion to illustrate the battlefield the mind represents in spiritual warfare. The guard of peace will prevent a hostile invasion of thoughts with which the enemy will bombard you. Being thankful for where you are and what God has done for you – even the small things – keeps your focus upon the truth of His word and gives you a proper perspective.

As we enter Thanksgiving, create an atmosphere of thanksgiving in your life and in your home. Thanksgiving will draw the peace of God into your life, and we all need a strong layer of this surrounding us. We certainly have much about which we could worry, but it only stands to defeat us if we go there. Choose to be thankful, and choose peace. ‘Tis the season!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 10:18

But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief, observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands. The helpless entrusts himself to You; You are a helper of the fatherless.

The Psalmist recognized the fact that God has seen trouble and grief for Himself, and He can sympathize with our troubles. God observed trouble and grief, meaning He paid attention to it in order to act on the matter. We can be sure that when we face sorrow, we can entrust it to God’s hands to move on our behalf.

God is a helper to the helpless. If you feel as if there is nothing you can do, submit your care to God and allow Him to act. He is a helper to the fatherless who have no one to teach, protect, provide, or comfort. He is our source for all of those things. When you don’t have a clue about what to do next, turn to Him for your help; He specializes in helping those who cannot help themselves. 

Do you need doors to open? Are you hurting and in need of comfort? Do you need to be rescued or delivered? Do you need wisdom and instruction? God can help you with all of these things. He sympathizes with your need and is willing to help. Take your hands off the matter and entrust it to His care. Your help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. There is no better place to be than helpless and in His care.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 44:6

For I do not trust in my bow, and my sword does not bring me victory.

We all have battles to face, but we must face them with the strength of the Lord and not on our own. Our most powerful weapon in battle is prayer. We certainly cannot trust any physical weapon of defense because our spiritual battles are much too complicated. Only God can see the whole picture, and we must trust Him to fight where we can’t.

I find the Holman Christian Standard translation of Psalm 46:10 interesting in light of our featured verse. While we know this verse from other translations as “Be still and know that I am God,” the HCSB reads, “Stop fighting – and know that I am God, exalted among the nations.” Certainly, God wants us to be still, stop fighting, and trust that He is fighting the battles we can’t even completely see or comprehend for us.

Use your greatest weapon of spiritual battle today, and simply pray. Rest in God’s promise to defend you, protect you, and provide for you. He has your back, and He has a purpose and a destiny prepared for you that your enemy cannot destroy.

Have a blessed day!

Malachi 3:10

“Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I will not open the flood gates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.”

The tenth mentioned here is the tithe. God instructed His people to bring a tenth of their produce – that with which He had blessed them – into the storehouse of worship so His priests and Levites would be fed. This same storehouse was to care for widows, orphans, and foreigners. Those who served the LORD and those who were in need were to be supported from the tithes of the people.

When the people of Israel neglected the tithe, the priests and Levites were forced to find other avenues of work and could not devote full time to the ministry. The care of widows, orphans, and foreigners was neglected. By not taking care of those God commanded, the people robbed God. In turn, God allowed the devourer to come and consume their crops. By neglecting the tithe, the people had placed themselves under a curse.

Reversing the curse was easy. All they had to do was begin to tithe, as God had instructed, and He would rebuke the devourer so it would not ruin the produce of the land. God would again bestow His blessing upon them if they would simply give what He had commanded so the care of His designated servants and ministries would not be neglected.

While this command may be Old Testament, the concept continues today. God still expects His servants to be supported from the tithes of His people, and He still commands the care of the needy from the tithe. In the New Testament, people sold all their possessions to support the early church. The more we give to God, the more He blesses us and rebukes the devourer for our sake.

Don’t rob God of what is rightfully His. He has certainly blessed us, and we should be faithful to give what He has commanded. By obeying Him in this manner, we simply enable His blessing to continue in our lives. Be faithful to tithe. God has been faithful to you, and He will use your contributions to further His kingdom. When He accepts your tithe, He blesses you.

Have a blessed day!

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.

God poured out His wrath upon Jesus at the cross. He paid the price for our sins. God did not save us to punish us; He saved us so we might have relationship with Him now and forever more.

When we go through a difficult time, we often feel as if we are being punished. The hardship we face may even be the result of our own poor choices, but God dealt with the issue of sin on the cross. He forgave your past sins and your future sins with the sacrifice of Jesus, and He does not seek to punish you for them. The consequences you suffer from sin are the result of unbelief in His word. Take it to the cross, and receive forgiveness. 

I once heard Lisa Bevere say that attacks from the enemy happen not because of our past but because of our future. The Devil cannot change our destiny in Christ. He can only do things to us to discourage us and make us doubt God’s love for us. If he can distort our thinking, he can ultimately change our behavior, which is how he gains victory over us. For this very reason, we should encourage each other daily in God’s word. We all need a different perspective from time to time, and other believers in the body of Christ can help us get that new perspective.

If you are discouraged or depressed today, understand that this is not from God. The Devil wants to damage or delay a great blessing God has in store for you, and you are succumbing to his tactics. God is with you – wherever you are and in whatever circumstance you find yourself – and He will never leave you. His plans for you are good, and you have every reason to rejoice today. God did not appoint you to wrath, nor is He punishing you from something you’ve done in the past. He is leading you into His destiny for you, so believe Him and cooperate with Him. Stop doubting His word, and start to stand strong in it. Find a place to serve, and start encouraging someone else. The sooner you take your mind off your circumstances and start to live where you are now, the sooner you will find God’s plan for you unfolding. Go to church today with an attitude of rejoicing, and leave the Devil in the dust!

Have a blessed day!