Psalm 51:10-13 – “Create for me a pure heart, O God.  Renew a resolute spirit within me.  ¹¹ Do not reject me.  Do not take your Holy Spirit away from me.  ¹² Let me again experience the joy of your deliverance.  Sustain me by giving me the desire to obey.  ¹³ Then I will teach rebels your merciful  ways,
and sinners will turn to you.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, the thought impressed upon my heart was Trust.  Trust and faith are cousins.  It is impossible to have faith without trust, and if we trust, we have faith.  They are two legs of a three-legged stool.  The third leg is obedience!  There are other elements, but that trichotomy is indispensable in fulfilling the purposes of God.

Psalm 51:10-13, the Psalmist prays a unique prayer worthy of daily inclusion in our lives.  He asked for a supernatural work in him that would transform his heart.  From that place of a transformed heart, he asked for a resolute (reliable) spirit.  

In that state of purity and dependability, he prayed for acceptance and the needed anointing (take not Your Holy Spirit from me). He knew that in that condition or state of spiritual transformation, he could receive full deliverance, producing an overflow of infectious joy, enabling him to teach others and reap the harvest.  His prayer was not only internal but external. The Lost Souls were on his mind. That is to have a Kingdom mentality.

We face life’s uncertainty with certainty when God is our refuge.  Psalm 56 is powerfully encouraging and revealing.  Fear attacks everyone, but (v 3) gives the path to victory. “When I am afraid, I trust You.”  We make the choice to trust God!

In (vv 8-13), we have a revelation that should calm every fear and banish every doubt, as well as destroy all self-pity.

• God keeps a record of every moment of sorrow and suffering.
• God keeps every tear we cry and records them. Nothing has escaped His notice.
• God is on our side, not that He is choosing sides, but in our struggle against the forces of darkness, God chooses us!
• If we choose God and trust Him, fear has no place to dwell. We Trust God.
• God keeps us from stumbling. The purpose is so that we can enjoy life through serving God.

Psalm 59:9-10 is my anchor. “You are my source of strength. I will wait (trust) for you. For (because) God is my refuge. The God who loves me will help me; God will enable me to triumph over my enemies.”

I choose to trust God!  I am confident that He knows, sees, hears, and will help! What He has done in me will enable me to maintain a right attitude in Everything!

Look out, devil, here we come triumphant!

Psalm 39:1 – “I have decided, I will watch what I say and make sure I do not sin with my tongue.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I was challenged and inspired on many levels.  The heart, mouth, and mind are all tools for God to use or are playgrounds of the prince of darkness.   How we live, think, and talk matters.   I do not believe that all sickness is because of a particular sin. However, I do believe that sickness exists because of sin.

Additionally, we create problems for ourselves and open doors for darkness via our mouths.   Psalm 39:1: “I have decided, I will watch what I say and make sure I do not sin with my tongue.”   Words are expressions of thoughts, and thoughts are the mirror of the condition of the heart.  What we say matters! Our words build up or tear down, beginning in us!  We talk ourselves out of faith as readily as we talk ourselves into it.

How do we get God’s Filter on our tongue?   We surrender it to Him. We place it on the altar. We place it on the Cross.   Jesus’ words are Spirit and Life. They are the True Bread of Life.

John 8:31-36 provides a powerful revelation.   Jesus said IF…”If you continue (abiding presence) to follow (obey, embrace, and implement) My teaching, you are really My disciples AND (don’t overlook the conjunction) you will KNOW (become intimate with) the Truth, and the Truth (you hear, know, and abide in) will set you free.”

How Free are We? How do we know if we are truly Free?  We need to examine our filter – what do we think, say, and do?   What comes out of us in word and deed is the direct result of what is in us and who controls us.

If our tree is producing bad fruit, we are not abiding; we are visiting occasionally. If our stream is not sweet water, we know that the source (heart) has been corrupted.

I’m not talking about a Freudian slip of the tongue, but a lifestyle. John 8:34-35 gives us the answer to our condition. “Everyone who practices (has a recurrent history) sin is a slave of sin.”    The heart, mind, and mouth are a mirror of life.  We may guard words and battle thoughts by willpower, but the heart is either pure or corrupt and can only be transformed by God. The heart is reflected in our words and thoughts.

Psalm 42:1-2 is my cry for me and everyone: longing for God and longing for residence in His presence.  Corruption cannot live in His presence.

Lord, examine and evaluate me, and help me to examine myself. If there is anything impure in me, PURGE ME!

Psalm 31:1-3 – “In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter.  Never let me be humiliated.  Vindicate me by rescuing me.  ² Listen to me.  Quickly deliver me. Be my protector and refuge, a stronghold where I can be safe.  ³ For you are my high ridge and my stronghold; for the sake of your own reputation you lead me and guide me.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, the idea of Life filled my consciousness.  What is Life? If it is not more than existence, it is of little value.   The Psalmist in Psalm 31 reveals ‘The Process’ of entering and embracing Life.

First, take shelter in God.   Shelter?  That is the place of protection, but it is also the place of provision, training, restoration, renewal, and release.  We fail to access all God is and live dual existences (Flesh and Spirit). That is not God’s Way nor Abundant Life.  We remain bound by our understanding and fail to embrace His Liberty!

He recognizes God as his ‘High Ridge’.  A vantage point where the whole valley (Life) can be seen.  We see the purpose and plan from that lofty place. From there, we can defeat the things that hold us back from fullness.

I have known great loss of heart.  I have known the unbearable pain of loss. It consumed me until I was able to climb to that ‘High Ridge’.   I saw God’s plan and purpose and saw my role continuing, so I could live and touch lives so they could be restored to Life. In that I rejoice!

The Psalmist acknowledged his pain but shifted his focus from his pain to God’s purpose and declared in (v 14): “But I trust in You, O LORD! I declare, You are my God! You determine my DESTINY.”  We have a Destiny (assignment), and that can only be fulfilled in total surrender of EVERYTHING, including our emotions and pain, to God.

Psalm 37 is liberating if we can receive it. It’s about focus and perspective. (v 5) – “Commit your FUTURE to the LORD. Trust in Him, and He will act on your behalf.”   If we cling to anything, we are unable to commit everything to God.    By committing everything, we receive the Mind of Christ, enabling us to treasure the treasurable and embrace our purpose.

John the Baptist said in John 3:30: “Jesus must become more important while I become less important.” Unless I come to the place where I truly give EVERYTHING to God, I remain more important and Jesus less important in my life.

Father, forgive me for doing that in ANYTHING! I truly want to surrender ALL to You! Let me be like David; he fulfilled God’s purposes (in total surrender) in his generation, and then he died. I want to live to the second I have fulfilled God’s purposes in my life! I must climb to the ‘High Ridge’ of God to see that.

LORD, I give you my whole self. Do with me as you please and help me to LIVE, not just survive!

Psalm 18:1-6 – “He said: “I love you, Lord, my source of strength!  ² The Lord is my high ridge, my stronghold, my deliverer.  My God is my rocky summit where I take shelter, my shield, the horn that saves me, and my refuge.   ³ I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I was delivered from my enemies.  ⁴ The waves of death engulfed me, the currents of chaos overwhelmed me.  ⁵ The ropes of Sheol tightened around me,  the snares of death trapped me.  ⁶ In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried out to my God.  From his heavenly temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I was reminded of our only reliable source of strength and guidance. Psalm 18:1-6 is revelatory.  Our real, reliable source of strength is GOD.

We tend to try to do it ourselves until, in utter desperation, life overwhelms us and we can’t fix it. Then, in distress, we call out – “HELP!” God, in His mercy, hears and responds.  In (v 29), because of our total reliance on God, we find the courage and strength to charge any enemy and are empowered to leap over problems as if they did not exist.

In (v 36), a revelation is offered. “You widen my path: my feet do not slip.” Let this picture unfold in your mind.   When God opens a path for us, a forest trail becomes like a superhighway, and we travel confidently.

Psalm 23 offers 12 specific benefits that ensure the condition of “No Lack.” If Jesus is our Shepherd (LORD), these things come with the territory.

• Food (lush green pastures).
• Water (refreshing streams).
• Stamina (He restores my strength).
• Guidance (right paths).
• Hope (walk through darkest valleys; He is there).
• Protection (fear no danger; Psalm 91).
• Grace. (Reassurance).
• Abundant Life (feast in the midst of adversaries).
• Anointing (refresh my head with oil).
• Presence (Surely goodness & mercy shall follow me perpetually).
• Promise (I will live in the LORD’S house for the rest of my life.)

What is in the LORD’S House?  The LORD! All Things! No lack!  That covers every dimension and aspect of life. No Lack!

Psalm 24:1 then becomes our foundation upon which our confidence grows and flows. “The LORD owns the earth, and all it contains, the world and all who live in it.”  If we see the truth and present reality of Psalm 23 and 24:1, nothing can hinder us! We become Overcomers!

LORD, help us to find and navigate the Superhighway of Life!

Psalm 7:1 – “O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter.  Deliver me from all who chase me. Rescue me!”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I was reminded of what I needed to remember.   As Psalm 7:1 expresses, sometimes the appropriate prayer is “HELP!”    Sometimes, our only solution is to take shelter in God and make a plea for rescue! “LORD, I’m in a hard place and can’t fix it, HELP!”

We can confidently pray that prayer because, as (v 10) declares, “The Exalted God is my shield, the one who delivers the morally upright.”   That declaration embodies several things.

• Our hope of help is rooted in relationships.
• Our hope of help is based on God’s ability, not ours.
• Our hope of help is anchored on TRUST.

Sometimes, as we muddle through life, we wonder, “God, why would You even care about humanity?”   There is nothing good in us outside You.  We are ungrateful and disobedient.  Then, Psalm 8:10 gives revelation. “O LORD, our Lord, how magnificent is Your reputation (name) throughout the earth!” Our design and our purpose are to manifest God!  Our lives, lived in grace, are testimonials of God’s character.

Psalm 15 is challenging and encouraging.  Who can live in the perpetual presence of the LORD?  Who can have continual access to the Throne of Grace? Then (vv 2-5) lists the character traits of the person God accepts.

• The Blameless.
• The Honest.
• The Righteous.
• The Peaceable.
• The Kind.
• The Holy.
• The Covenant-Minded.
• The Promise Keepers.

These traits open heaven’s portals.  Those are not acts to earn, but evidence of the heart.  Those traits exude from a totally surrendered heart.  You don’t have to force them; they come naturally out of the overflow of love in the heart.

We must guard against being like those invited in of Luke 14.  We must not allow self-interest to become more important than God. We must not let career or the pursuit of economic or social status to become more important than God. We must not let our carnal desires overpower our desire for God.

If God holds our whole heart, we have all we need.