“IN THE MORNING!”

Psalms 92:1-5                             (ESV)

“1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to YOUR name, O Most High; 

2 to declare YOUR steadfast love “IN THE MORNING”, and your faithfulness BY NIGHT, 

3 to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. 

4 For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of YOUR hands I sing for joy. 

5 How great are YOUR works, O LORD! YOUR thoughts are very deep!”

“The RIGHTEOUS SHALL LIVE BY FAITH” says Scripture in a number of places, Romans 1:17 being one of them.  Just as every MORNING is preceded by NIGHT, so are the times of proving for a Believer.  Abraham has to place Isaac on the altar before GOD intervened!

“IN THE MORNING”, after the darkness of the NIGHT, GOD is faithful to bring HIS SUNLIGHT into our lives.  WAIT FOR IT, darkness is running to hide from HIS LIGHT “IN THE MORNING”!!!

“KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH!”

2 Timothy 3:1-7                   (ESV)

“1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,

4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, LOVERS OF PLEASURE rather than LOVERS OF GOD,

5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,

7 always learning and NEVER ABLE TO ARRIVE at a “KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH” of the truth.”

Unless we have a “KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH”, which is given to us from GOD above (1 Timothy 2:3-4), we cannot display actions that reflect HIS characteristics.   All of the hot air that we spew out, whether factual or error, is worthless unless it is bathed in the “KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH”!  

JESUS said in John 14:6 “I am the way, and the TRUTH, and the life. No one comes to the FATHER except through ME”!  Your pastor, your politician, your physic, nothing is able to provide a “KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH” outside of JESUS!  GOD made sure that was the case so our only HOPE is in HIM.  

So although we are wasting away (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) we can find comfort in the “KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH” that can only be found in CHRIST!  

“HE SHALL STRENGTHEN THINE HEART!”

Psalms 27:14                            (KJV)

“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and “HE SHALL STRENGTHEN THINE HEART”: wait, I say, on the LORD.”

Lifting weights during strength training was always one of the least favorite things I endured in school.  Being raised on a working farm, we never had to concern ourselves with strength training, for our chores demanded we be strong enough to do what we were assigned.  

A commentary about the Children of Israel crossing the Red Sea says they “encamped” eight days before GOD parted the waters for them.  Eight days of waiting!  For me, waiting has always been one of the most challenging things I have ever done.  TRUSTING in HIS timing can be FRUSTRATING.  “There is actually SOMETHING happening while NOTHING is happening. GOD USES WAITING TO CHANGE US” was in a devotional that I read recently.  HE wants us to be more like HIS SON, and for some of us, HE has to change us A LOT!  

GOD IS IN CONTROL!  How many times do I have to hear this before I realize that I am NOT in control?   WAITING might be a part of my lesson that I am not in control!  Twice in this one verse Scripture instructs me to WAIT ON THE LORD!  Only once does it say “HE SHALL STRENGTHEN THINE HEART”!   WAIT LIFTING is tougher to me than WEIGHT LIFTING ever dreamed of being!  When our CREATOR wants us to WAIT ON THE LORD, “HE SHALL STRENGTHEN THINE HEART” is usually not far behind!!!

“NOW I KNOW!”

Genesis 22:9-14                                            (ESV)

“9 When they came to the place of which GOD had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.

10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."

12 HE said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for “NOW I KNOW” that you fear GOD, seeing you have not withheld your son, YOUR ONLY SON, from ME."

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

14 So Abraham called the name of that place, "The LORD will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided."

The book of Genesis hasn’t always been my favorite book of the Bible.  Now when GOD “reveals” TRUTH to me, it doesn’t matter what book of the Bible I am studying, for that moment it becomes the dearest to me “for such a time as this”!  I have previously written about Genesis 25:12, acknowledging that GOD already KNEW that Abraham would offer Isaac as an offering on the altar on Mount Moriah.  Now Abraham was known as a “friend of GOD” (James 2:23), so why would GOD put him through the torment of thinking he was going to have to sacrifice his only son as a display of his obedience???

Most of us want to Believe that GOD would “NEVER put more on us than we can handle”?  The interesting thing is, Scripture indicates that GOD allowed Job to go through exceeding torment to display the grace of GOD.  Saul/Paul was promised that he would SUFFER GREATLY for the sake of CHRIST.   In Genesis 22, Abraham was being taught a lesson that GOD was in control, even at his advanced age.  We are never too old to grow in the LORD.  Abraham dies three chapters later in Genesis 25:8, so we don’t need to except GOD to take it easy on us just because we are getting older.  We are here to Glorify HIM, not to be glorified!

Isaac was not the only male offspring of Abraham.  Ishmael was born before Isaac, but he was not the CHOSEN of GOD.  Being CHOSEN by ALMIGHTY GOD is a wonderful privilege, but we mustn’t take the privilege lightly.  There is GREAT responsibility in being a CHILD OF THE KING.  Royalty has it’s freedoms, but it also has its constraints. We can’t “do whatever we want”, rather we must act appropriately.  We must be set apart!  We have to do things differently than “this world”!  

Yes, “NOW I KNOW” is what GOD told Abraham.  But GOD already knew how Abraham would respond.  HE already knows our response to the trials we will face.  But we need to SEE that GOD is the ONE working ALL THINGS for HIS Glory, in HIS TIMING!  GOD is saying to us, “NOW I KNOW”, but do we know???

“WHOEVER DISREGARDS!”

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8                                              (ESV)

“1 Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the LORD JESUS, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please GOD, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.

2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the LORD JESUS.

3 For this is the will of GOD, your sanctification: that you ABSTAIN from sexual immorality;

4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,

5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles (unbelievers) who do not know GOD;

6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the LORD is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.

7 For GOD HAS NOT CALLED US FOR IMPURITY, BUT IN HOLINESS.

8 Therefore “WHOEVER DISREGARDS” this, DISREGARDS NOT MAN but GOD, WHO gives HIS HOLY SPIRIT to you.”

There are a number of things on which people want to blame the degradation of America.  Liberals want to say that we are old-fashioned in the way we do things. Conservatives want to say that we are don’t respect the way we used to do things.   When everything is said and done, ALMIGHTY GOD has Blessed America IN SPITE of our sinful behavior and our selfish desires.  We SHOULD be thankful that HE has brought us this far, and pray that HE draw America back to HIM!

Surely mankind can’t read the focal passages today and expect to live the way we want and for ALMIGHTY GOD to overlook our iniquities?  The GOD of love that everyone wants to talk about is first and foremost HOLY! HE sent JESUS as a sacrifice for our sins, because no other sacrifice was acceptable.  “WHOEVER DISREGARDS” the ultimate sacrifice of JESUS and lives IN IMPURITY is rejecting the sacrifice of JESUS for their own fleshy desires.  

Being a Republican will not get a sinner into Heaven.  Being a Democrat will not get a sinner into Heaven. Only trusting in the finished work of JESUS CHRIST will atone for our sins and avert the WRATH of ALMIGHTY GOD for eternity.  America has ONLY ONE HOPE!  

Acknowledging the sacrifice of JESUS is the only thing any of us could have ever claimed.  Although America is more sinful now than ever, we could not have ever proclaimed our righteousness as “good enough”!  Isaiah 64:6 (KJV) says that our righteousness is but filthy rags before a HOLY GOD.   “WHOEVER DISREGARDS” what JESUS has done for mankind is damned to an eternity of THE WRATH OF GOD!  HE IS OUR ONLY HOPE!!!

“SET YOUR MINDS!”

Colossians 3:1-4                               (ESV)

“1 IF THEN YOU HAVE BEEN RAISED WITH CHRIST, SEEK THE THINGS THAT ARE ABOVE, where CHRIST is, seated at the right hand of GOD.

2 “SET YOUR MINDS” on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with CHRIST in GOD.

4 When CHRIST WHO is your life appears, then you also will appear with HIM in glory.”

A recent meme displayed the deceptive traits of “the enemy” and how he attempts to manipulate our MINDS to believe whatever he is selling at that moment.  Displaying numerous “catastrophes” that never came to fruition, his lies are always exposed to be exactly that, LIES!   “The enemy”, and all of his minions, aren’t interested in sharing TRUTH, for TRUTH brings PEACE, and he thrives in chaos!

No matter how STRONG we are Spiritually, we are all susceptible to FEAR unless we daily “SET YOUR MINDS” on TRUTH!  When that happens, PEACE floods our lives, fear subsides, and “the enemy” must flee!  

The thing we must realize is that PEACE comes only after YOU HAVE BEEN RAISED WITH CHRIST. not just because we THINK we have been “good”.  Only CHRIST can supernaturally change a life!  Believing anything different is a lie, the antithesis of TRUTH.  That is precisely the reason that we must “SET YOUR MINDS” on things that are above, NOT on things that are on earth.

Make certain that YOUR EYES aren’t swayed by the beautiful things of “this world”, but are FIXED on JESUS CHRIST!  Genesis 3:1 says that the serpent was more “subtle” (deceitful) than ANY other creature that GOD had made.   His trickery can fool even the most mature saints, as evidenced by Peter numerous times in the New Testament.  INTENTIONALLY and PURPOSELY “SET YOUR MINDS” on THE ONE WHO has overcome!!!

Points to Ponder!

1 Corinthians 7:17                   (ESV)

“Only let each person lead the life that the LORD has assigned to him, and to which GOD has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”

“The church” would be a LOT less contentious if we would get our own ship on course and let the LORD straighten everyone else’s out!  I am not saying to not offer loving correction on occasion, but make sure that your words are “loving”, that they are “correct”, and only on “occasion”!!!