Psalm 73:1-5 – “Certainly God is good to Israel, and to those whose motives are pure.  ² But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my feet almost slid out from under me.  ³ For I envied those who are proud, as I observed the prosperity of the wicked.  ⁴ For they suffer no pain; their bodies are strong and well fed.  ⁵ They are immune to the trouble common to men; they do not suffer as other men do.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, my spirit was challenged.   Comparisons are seldom good, but the Holy Spirit seemed to direct me to compare myself and today’s Christian community to those of the Bible.   As I reflected on that comparison, I felt remorse and shame.   I felt woefully deficient.

Psalm 73 is worthy of careful examination and is a catalyst to propel us into a deeper pursuit of God.   The Psalmist was disheartened.   He was looking at what he thought was inequity regarding the godly and the ungodly.

He begins with a truth, then plunges into darkness before coming back to the light. (v 1) – God is good to Israel & all who have pure motives.   Even with that knowledge foundation, he let his interpretation of God’s dealings with people bring him into despair.  Envy crept in as his eyes and mind ruled him. (v 3).

He even began to question God’s integrity (v 11) – “Is the Most High aware of what goes on?”   The devil was at work powerfully in his mind. As a result, he concluded that godliness was a waste of time; after all, look at the way the ungodly live and get away with it. Why try?

Then (v 17) – “I entered the precincts of God’s temple and understood (the light came on) the destiny of the wicked.” (Pay Day Someday).  His enlightenment filled his heart with hope and contentment. He declared in (v 26): “My flesh and my heart may grow weak, but God ALWAYS protects my heart and gives me STABILITY.”    Hallelujah!

There is a danger in becoming ritualistically religious, and through that, self-righteousness reveals itself.   One statement by the Jewish leaders, contending for Jesus to be crucified, screams of the power of religion.   John 19:15 – “We have no king but Caesar.”   They made the government higher than God.   They did this to preserve their religious system.

The Early Church had some characteristics not always seen today.  Who they were defined, what they did, and the results they enjoyed.

• They were filled with the Holy Spirit (The Promise of the Father).

That was the expected norm and the identifier of Salvation.

• They were Covenant-minded. (Acts 1:14).

Many make this a system of Socialism because they think with human reason and fail to grasp the concept of Covenant. This was Covenant in action – what is mine is yours, and yours is mine. I defend you with my life.

• They practiced Discipleship. Acts 2:42 – “They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching (Discipleship and Equipping for the work of ministry), and to fellowship (bonding and being formed), to the breaking of bread (shared meals & communion), and to prayer (corporate and individual).

How does that compare to today?   They did this Daily (Acts 2:46-47), and we find it hard to make 1 or 2 gatherings per week.

• They were all witnesses, but today we have many who insist Faith is a private matter and are silent.

How much value do we place on souls?  How real is hell to us?  How real is Jesus to us?   I suggest we reconsider what Jesus asked Peter just before He went to heaven in John 21. “Do you love Me?”    The question is “How Much?”

How much is revealed by how we live, what we do, and what is chief in our lives.  We insist that there is not enough time, but don’t we find time for what we desire?

If God is my consuming passion and His Kingdom my driving purpose, nothing can stop me from pursuing His purposes.

Psalm 62:1-2 – “For God alone I patiently wait; he is the one who delivers me.  ² He alone is my protector and deliverer.  He is my refuge; I will not be upended.”

We have all heard or said about something, “Worth waiting for.”   But when it comes to God and developing a relationship, we don’t want to wait and often do not wait.  We have adopted and are driven by an inner compulsion to act or do. Waiting is anathema to us!

Psalm 62:1-2 – “For God alone I patiently wait…”   Most don’t.   We may wait, but certainly not patiently.   We live hurried lives of doing when God seeks our hearts and trust.   Our deadlines are not His!   God is God; that means any delay is purposeful, and His work is powerful IF we embrace the principles He presents.   It may be part of the pruning process (John 15).

Psalm 63:1-3 describes the person who is totally consumed with God.  His presence is the consuming passion of their hearts. They do not long for answers, but HIM!   His presence (which reveals His love) is more desired than life itself. Most are clamoring for more in life rather than more life!

Psalm 68:3 stopped me in my tracks. “But the godly are happy; they rejoice before God and are OVERCOME with joy.”  Overcome with joy?  Jesus said in John 16, referring to this, that our Joy would be full or complete.   Our impatience is never more realized than when we find ourselves in a desperate situation.

Psalm 69:1-3 describes a condition that many have known and may now be struggling with.

• The water (trouble) has reached our necks.
• We are sinking and being overwhelmed.
• The recurrent attacks are overpowering us.
• We are exhausted (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually)

from yelling at God, asking for help.

We frustrate ourselves by begging for help when God says in Matthew 6:33, “Seek FIRST God!”   In His presence is peace, power, and provision. God’s desire is expressed in Jesus’ words in John 14-16.

• Seek Him, not our preconceived answers.
• Become one with Him through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

According to John 16:3, the Holy Spirit is our ear to the Throne Room of Heaven.  The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit enables us to see and hear what Heaven is saying and doing.

Wait on the LORD!    Wait in the LORD!   Wait with the LORD!   If we have God, stuff takes care of itself.  If we have God, we have an inner knowing (GPS) that guides us.   If we have God, stress has no lodging place, and we can live! Most strive to survive rather than thrive, being alive in God.

Make God your goal; He is worth waiting for!   Stop stressing; you are not in control!  If God is not the consuming passion, then problems, needs, and desires control us.   If He is, God becomes bigger than any need, and peace wraps us like a warm blanket on a cold night.

LORD, You are worth waiting for; teach us to wait!

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!