Psalm 42:1 – “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.”  ESV

This is the daily cry of my heart.  A cry I am sensing all over this land.  It is a cry and a deep desire of many believers to have a deeper relationship with God and more of God.  There is a longing for a deeper intimacy with God through the Holy Spirit.  Unfortunately, sometimes it is a cry that has no commitment.  It is a superficial expression of a desire, but for those who have that deep longing, it can be a reality.

Having more of God and being closer to God is not something that only the select of the elect can attain.  It is available to every Child of God.  God wants everybody to come to the river and drink.  Everyone can have as much of God and His Spirit as they desire.  There are no limitations.  That River will Never Run Dry!

Isaiah 55:1 – “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the water, and you who have no money, come, buy, and eat.  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!”

Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

There is a river flowing from the Throne and Heart of God and it is a never-ending river.  It will never run dry.  It is a river with a plenteous supply.  A river that completely satisfies the longing soul.  In the natural, a river at flood stage purifies that river.  It sweeps away the debris that has collected and is a sort of purification.  When the river of God is a flood in our hearts we are purified, and all the debris of worldliness is swept away!

The bottom line, spiritually is, “Our appetites determine our spiritual condition.”  We eat and drink what we want because we want it.  If we desire something bad enough, we will struggle to obtain it, sacrifice to achieve it, and go to great lengths to apprehend it.  It is exactly the same in the things of God.  If we want more of God, we will press in until we have more of God.  The hesitancy is not on God’s side of the equation but ours.  If we become hungry and thirsty, we will be satisfied.

There are some conditions or requirements to receiving the Spirit and Power of the LORD in our lives to the full.  Remember when Jesus stood at the feast and cried out the words of John 7:37-39?  He said, “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” ³⁹ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

• Condition Number One – We Must Be Thirsty.

That means to have an ardent, eager, famishing, keen, and all-consuming craving, and passion of the soul for a complete union with God and with the fullness of His Holy Spirit.

Psalm 42:2 – “My soul thirst for God, for the Living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”

Psalm 63:1 – “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You: my soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs of you in a dry thirsty land where no water is.”

Psalm 143:6 – “I stretch forth my hands unto You; my soul thirsts after you, as in a thirsty land.”

Isaiah 41:17 – “When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue fails for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.  I will open rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.”

Isaiah 44:3 – “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My Spirit upon your seed and My blessings upon your offspring.”

The Bible makes it clear that if we will, seek we will find.  If we are thirsty, really thirsty, He will give us the refreshing water of life to drink.  Elisha had that thirst in 2 Kings 2.  He followed Elijah to Gilgal, then to Bethel, then to the Jordan.  He refused to be denied or to accept delay.  He pressed into a Double Portion Anointing.  The prophet Joel declared that God would pour out His Spirit upon “All Flesh.”  That means you and me if we will come to the water to drink.

I want to press into this more but will pause here until the next devotional.

Have a wonderful day in the refreshing of the LORD!

Matthew 28:1-8 – “Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.

5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”

8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.” NKJV

If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then our Hope is vain, and our faith is based on a corpse and is a fraud.  The Pharisees attempted to spin the spin that the disciples had stolen His body to perpetuate what they deemed a myth.  They were blind leaders of the blind and could not see the signs, truths, or hear the Messianic Message that Jesus brought to them. 

Throughout the centuries since that event early in the first century the atheist, agnostics, skeptics, doubters, and revilers have sought to perpetuate the lie of the Sanhedrin that Jesus did not rise from the dead and that the resurrection is a fabrication.  If they are right, then our Hope is destroyed and there is no eternal future for us and death is final, making this life all that matters.  That is a recipe for the vilest exhibitions of lasciviousness and corruption one could imagine.  That would cast off all restraint and everyone would truly be a law unto themselves making society truly the survival of the fittest or most devious.

But Jesus did Rise from the Dead and is now Ascended to the Right Hand of the Throne of God!  He is there making intercession for us just as the Scriptures have declared!  He has gone to prepare a place for us and coming back for us so that where He is we can be Forever! 

Why am I confident that He is Risen?  I did not see Him rise from the dead, for that was two-thousand years ago.  The disciples who saw Him were so filled with delusion they hallucinated and dreamed what they hoped was reality?  How about the five hundred who saw Him before His ascension, was that Mass Hallucination?  How about the numerous others who saw Him, talked to Him, witnessed Him being alive, was that strong delusion and mind-control by His followers? 

Believing that would take an incredible amount of faith in coincidence and the power of suggestion on a mass scale.  It would be akin to believing that books like “Pilgrim’s Progress” were the result of a person standing in a railroad car full of printer’s type with a shovel and hurling shovel after shovel full of type over the side and each letter aligning itself into that manuscript. 

I believe in the Resurrection of Jesus because of the biblical report and other historic writings of that and subsequent eras.  But an even larger reason that I Believe is that I have received Him into my heart by the new birth. 

I shall never forget that faithful night in my sister’s home in Palestine, Texas on a Saturday night after midnight.  I had been fishing and, amazingly, I was sober.  My normal pattern would have been to become inebriated.  God chose that moment in time when I was completely sober to deal with my condition. 

There were some people from Westside Assembly of God where Henry Vincent was the pastor who had been witnessing to me. They prayed for me and loved me despite my rudeness and meanness.  When I came in that night, there was a note from my sister for me to read Proverbs 3:5-6.  One of the families had sent that message to me. 

I cannot explain why I even bothered, for that was not the norm for me, at that time.  I had no Bible, so I searched for a Bible in my sister’s house and found one.  I took it to the kitchen table and opened the Bible searching for Proverbs.  It was as I read the words of that passage that I realized I had been trusting myself and my understanding.  I had become convinced that I was a sinner and going to hell and nothing could be done about it. 

As I read those words a light came on inside my heart and head and I asked God to forgive me, and He did!  I was changed and even without telling others what had happened people knew there was a change.  I was Born Again!  So, do I believe in the Resurrection?  My Transformation allows me to declare emphatically YES, I BELIEVE!

HE IS RISEN!  Today we celebrate His Life and from the Cross, we realize that we too, can enter into His Life.  He paid the debt we could never pay, and His Resurrection signifies the deal is sealed.  IT IS FINISHED!  Nothing we can do will transform us but what He has done does.  It is not by works but by Grace that we are Saved.  He now calls, “Come unto Me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.”  He calls, “Come unto me and I will in no way cast you out or refuse you.”  He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  He is the Door to Salvation, and HE IS ALIVE!

God, bless you as you celebrate HIS LIFE and the LIFE, He has brought to each of us!   HAPPY RESURRECTION CELEBRATION!  HE IS RISEN!  HE IS ALIVE!  HALLELUJAH!

Psalm 34

Last time we considered the need to Focus on God’s Person.  Today I want us to move to the next consideration.

• We Must Focus On God’s Protection.

In verse seven we find, “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them.”   The word encamps is a word used to describe an abode or a siege.  The word delivers means to equip for a fight and strengthen. 

Remember the encounter with Elisha and his servant in 2 Kings 16:14-18 where the prophet told his servant, “there are more with us than with them.”  The hills were filled with powerful angelic hosts to protect the prophet and his servant.  In 2 Chronicles 16:9, we discover, “…the eyes of the LORD run to and fro through the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are wholly His.”  The image is that God is waiting and looking for a chance to bless His followers.

Psalm 125:2 – “As the mountains are around Jerusalem, so ADONAI is all around His people both now and forever.”

The blood covering cannot be penetrated from the outside.  The devil cannot cross the bloodline and come in.  We have to go outside where he is.  That is a place we should never allow ourselves to go.  In 1 Peter 5:8 we are encouraged and warned, “Stay alert!  Watch out!  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, searching for someone to devour.”  He cannot devour us as long as we are in Christ. 

Remember the childhood game of “May I”?  The answer to the devil is NO, You May Not!

• We Must Focus on God’s Provision.

In verse fifteen we discover, “The eyes of Adonai are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry.”  Then in verse nineteen we are reminded, “Many are the distresses of the righteous, but ADONAI delivers him out of them all.” 

We must never forget that even the righteous suffer difficulties and God not only protects us but provides for us.  We find ourselves needing, purging to enter into His purity.  We find ourselves needing pruning which seems like chastening to keep us focused on Him.  We need to be refined and the dross of worldliness removed from us making us Holy as He is Holy. 

In Acts 14:22 we are warned that we will go through much tribulation as we enter into the Kingdom of God.  We must, like the captain of our salvation be made perfect and that is sometimes through suffering.  (Hebrews 2:10).  We must never forget that even though distresses come, “The LORD delivers out of them all.”

The words of James 1:2 need to be etched deeply in our hearts and minds, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.”  Why?  Read the rest of the passage and you discover that tested faith produces endurance, endurance’s perfect work is maturity and wholeness.  We are to rejoice in Victory and the Victor!

Therefore, it is needful that we remind ourselves that God is our source, not man.  We need to remember that God has committed Himself by His Word and Character to be our Protector.  We need to refresh in our minds that He has made Promises and Provisions for our spiritual maturity, our daily needs, and our every care. 

Jesus promised to never leave nor forsake us.  We belong to God.  We are the sheep of His pasture.  We are overcomers through Jesus and the Power of the Holy Spirit.  We have the authority and ability to resist the devil and as we walk in Christ and faith, the devil must obey. 

Remember that we have angels camping around us.  Jesus’ blood surrounds us.  God’s Spirit empowers us.  All of heaven supports us.  God’s resources are open and available to us.  So, who is going to stop you?  Certainly not a defeated fallen angel called the devil.  God is greater than any problem we have and truthfully the purpose of trials or the side benefit of trials is to make us strong. 

Hold the encouragement of verse four in your heart – “I sought ADONAI, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.”  Whatever you need God has.  He is I AM, the God who is more than enough!

God bless you as you embark on a course of victory this day!

Psalms 27-28

Some live in fear of failure and destine themselves to fail.  Some live in fear of the devil and are overcome by him.  Some live in the fear of death, and never learn to live and embrace life.  Fear is one of the biggest obstacles the Child of God has to overcome to live the victorious abundant life Jesus came to bring. 

Fear is one of the most effective tools of the enemy of our souls in impeding the progress of the believer.  If the devil can cause a believer to become fearful and dominated by that trepidation, he is able to dominate that person negatively.  He robs them of their victory and often their joy and eventually may even steal their soul.

In Revelation 21:8 we read that the fearful lead the group to destruction and eternity in hell.  The fearful are timid and faithless.  They live in torment all their days because they are fearful of everything and anything.

The question I pose is – “Why is Fear so bad?”  One of the first things that come to mind is that fear is bad because it is an expression of doubt.  Doubt prevents us from trusting God and His Promises and causes the fearful to draw back.  Fear plants the seeds of doubt – Doubting God’s ability to fulfill His promise and purposes.  Fear leads to doubting the trustworthiness of God and His Word.  Fear produces the fruit of doubting the honesty of God.  Fear is destructive!

Fear leads to doubting the reality and completeness of the Victory of Jesus over the devil at the Cross and in the Resurrection.  Fear attributes more power to the devil than to God.  Fear has torment and the fearful person is paralyzed and becomes inactive because they are afraid.

The wonderful truth of God’s Word is that one of the promises of God is deliverance from fear.  In Romans 14:23b we read, “And whatever is not of faith is sin.”  Fear is the opposite of faith.  It is not the heritage of the Children of God.  Faith is our heritage.  We are to have No Fear!

There is no reason for the Child of God to live in fear. 

• We do not live in fear because the LORD is our shepherd.  (Psalm 23)
• We do not live in fear, because the LORD is our light and our salvation.  (Psalm 27:1)
• We do not live in fear, because the LORD is always with us and will never forsake us.  (Isaiah 41:10 & Hebrews 13:5)
• We do not live in fear, because we have been Redeemed by the Sinless Blood of Jesus. (Isaiah 43:1)
• We do not live in fear, because we know and believe that it is the Father’s Good Pleasure to give us the Kingdom. (Luke 12:32)
• We do not live in fear, because there is no fear in LOVE.  (I John 4:18)
• We do not live in fear, because God’s perfect LOVE casts our fear.  (1 John 4:18)
• We do not live in fear, because the one who Fears is not made perfect in LOVE.  (1 John 4:18)

We are born-again believers, children of God, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Jesus.  We have nothing to fear because ‘Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.’  (1 John 4:4)

We are more than conquerors through Jesus as Romans 8:31-39 declares, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For your sake, we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Banish Fear from your hearts with the Help and Power of the Holy Spirit.  You do not have to allow fear to have a place to take root and grow so look to the LORD and rejoice because you are FREE!

God bless you as you enjoy this day of Freedom in Jesus!

Romans 8:32 – “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”  NASB

2 Peter 1:3 – “…His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” NASB

God’s vision is never cheap nor is it easy.  Tragically, I have witnessed well-meaning believers and churches receive the Vision of God and try to accomplish it as cheaply as possible and with as little stress, pressure, or controversy as possible. 

If we are going to Wage Spiritual Warfare and Pull-Down Strongholds, We need Power, the Power of God.  Deuteronomy 8:18 informs us that God gives us the power to ‘create wealth’ and we are told that the ‘wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just.’  God has plenty, He owns it all, for as the Psalmist declares, “The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof…”

But there is a Battle Ground that we must overcome and that is the Human Mind or the subconscious fleshly mind.  When we hear Truth all the old arguments surface, challenging and questioning that which we have not seen before.  Too often we have attempted to operate in Human Understanding to achieve the purposes of God and we produce an Ishmael rather than an Isaac. 

Leaning, trusting, or depending upon my own understanding prevented me from receiving forgiveness for a time and finally, the truth revealed in Proverbs 3:5-6 broke the chains and allowed me to receive freely and fully, His Salvation.  In Salvation, we find entrance into the Kingdom.  In Healing, we are fitted for service.  In God’s Prosperity, we are enabled to fulfill the call and finance the vision. 

I challenge you to rehearse in your mind and heart the Abrahamic Covenant as revealed in Genesis 12:1-3. When we recognize the scriptural directive for appropriating the Promise of God for Salvation, Healing, and Prosperity we can move into what God has for us powerfully.  God has a Plan of Finance and while I never want to make wealth the focal point of my message, we must have money or a medium of exchange in this world. 

In Malachi 3, we are told to bring the ‘whole tithe’ into God’s storehouse and the Promise is He will Open heaven for us and bless us as is revealed in Malachi 3, 2 Corinthians 8; 9:6-16; Luke 6:38; Ecclesiastes 11:1-4, and Proverbs 19:17. Regardless of your view of the tithe or tithing giving to God will never go unrewarded by God!

The Law of Multiplication can be applied to every dimension of life.  If we follow God’s directives completely, we will find that the Work of God never lacks and as in the illustration of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness in Exodus 36, the giving was so much the people had to be restrained from giving.  Imagine that problem in the Local Church!  God finances what He ordains and if we will be obedient to Him He will open heaven’s windows for us and bless us, spiritually, physically, and financially.

Many fail, to be charitable because their minds tell them that if they give away their money, they will not have enough for themselves.  Remember the Law of Harvest and the Law of Multiplication.  We reap WHAT we sow, we reap LATER than we sow, and we reap MORE than we sow.  If the need is God-caused it will also be God-funded.  It becomes a matter of mindset and trust. 

If we cannot trust God with our finances, we will find that we are unable to trust Him in virtually any area of our lives.  The Battle Ground we must overcome and the Stronghold we must pull down is the Human Fleshly Carnal Mind and bring every thought captive to the obedience of our Lord Jesus.

God, bless you richly as you roll all your care upon Him and Trust Him today!

Psalms 23 – “A Psalm of David. Adonai is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake. 4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me: Your rod and Your staff comfort me. 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed my head with oil, my cup overflows. 6Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of Adonai forever.”  TLV

Let’s pick up where we left off yesterday where we saw that the Shepherd provides for His flock.  Now let’s move to another consideration of the ministry of God’s True Shepherd.

• The Shepherd Protects His Flock.

In verse four we discover that “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me: Your rod and Your staff comfort me.”  He protects against our enemies.  The shepherd in the natural protected the flock against, the wolf, bear, lion, thief, and more.  The shepherd banishes fear through His presence.  The sheep trust him completely with their lives.  Isaiah 26:3 reminds us that we are kept in Perfect Peace through Trust.

He protects the sheep with His life.  Jesus reminded his followers in Matthew 10:16 that He was sending them out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore, they needed the oversight of the Shepherd.  In Hebrews 13:5, He promised to never leave nor forsake us and in John 16:33 we are reminded that He has overcome the world!  He can be trusted.  He also protects through His Blood, and it is impossible to penetrate the Blood of Jesus from the outside.

• The Shepherd Leads His Flock.

He leads us beside the still waters.  He restores our weary souls and even our bodies. He leads in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.  The waters He brings us to are not the turbulent troubled waters of life but the still quiet waters of refreshing.  Remember, He stood and declared, “If any man thirsts let Him come to Me and drink.”  He gives peace in times of trouble.  He rebukes the wind and waves of life. (Mark 4:29).

He leads us through uncharted waters with absolute peace and assurance.  He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  He is the Door!  He leads us never drives us.  You can lead sheep, but you cannot drive them as you do cattle.

• The Shepherd Loves His Flock.

He loves them individually and loves them collectively as a flock. He makes every possible and needed preparation for their care and safety.  He does all to ensure that we are able to live for God and walk in His righteousness.  He wants us to enjoy the rich blessings and make heaven our eternal home. 

The shepherd always leads, he never just follows.  The question for each of us is, “Do we know the Shepherd?”  If not and even if we, do He wants to reveal Himself even more intimately to us.  Jesus calls – Come!  The LORD is MY Shepherd.  Insert your name in that phrase.  The LORD is Roy Beaird’s Shepherd!

Have a fantastic day as you walk with the Shepherd of God’s Flock!

Psalms 23 – “A Psalm of David. Adonai is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake. 4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me: Your rod and Your staff comfort me. 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed my head with oil, my cup overflows. 6Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of Adonai forever.”  TLV

Jesus contrasts the true shepherd without referring to Psalm 23 in Matthew 10:10 and in Matthew 20:28 where He informs us that He is giving His life a ransom for many.  That is the work of the true shepherd. 

When we consider the personal ministry of Jesus, we find that it is a virtually inexhaustible subject.  He came to be our Savior, Healer, and Guide through life.  He came to give His life so that we could live eternally in the presence of the Father.  But His personal ministry extends far beyond those things.

The personal ministry of our Lord goes far beyond what our minds can comprehend.  As we consider some of the aspects or dimensions of His ministry, we are able to see Him in a light that will help us to better serve Him and others.  The more we know Him the more we love Him and the sweeter He grows.  This consideration should inspire us, build our faith, and increase our confidence and trust in Him.  “He is a present help in the time of need.”

The declaration of David, himself a shepherd is powerful – The Lord Is My Shepherd!  But what does that mean to us personally and in our daily lives?  What does it say about Him?  What is a shepherd and what does he do?  Important questions for us to gain the needed understanding and embrace the offered victory in our lives.

• The Shepherd Provides For His Flock.

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.”  Because the LORD is my shepherd, I have no sense of lack.  I can lack nothing because He has everything, and the shepherd provides for the flock.  “He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.”  Whatever I need, in the quietness of His presence I find provision. 

In verse 5 we discover “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You have anointed my head with oil, my cup overflows.”  Wow!  This is a recognition that there are adversaries, but in the middle of the struggle, God our Shepherd provides a banquet table and the oil of anointing.  He provides food for the journey.  Nourishment for living!  We are blessed beyond measure because our Shepherd provides.

We see that in scripture in numerous passages.  The manna from heaven in the wilderness, the meal for the widow through the prophet Elijah, the 5,000 and 4,000 fed.  He is a provider.  No, he is our provider.  In Matthew 6:11, Jesus tells his followers to pray for daily bread.  In Matthew 4:3-4, when the devil tempted Jesus to make stones bread, Jesus responded, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

Our physical existence depends on our diet.  Therefore, it should not be a shock when we realize that our spiritual existence is dependent upon our spiritual diet.  The Word of God is our spiritual food.  Food that Jesus provides abundantly.  No wonder, He encouraged us to abide in Him and His word in us.

He also provides shelter for His flock.  He causes us to rest in green pastures with the assurance of His continued presence.  In Psalm 91 we discover that if we dwell in the presence of God, we will enjoy the protection of God.  He is our refuge and fortress, and we can walk confidently in His shadow.  Jesus made the plea and promise in Matthew 11:28 – “Come unto Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

He provides and He is more than enough.  I want to continue this in the next devotional but will pause here.

God bless you as you walk in Him!

Psalm 8

I encourage you to read the entire Psalm but will highlight Psalm 8:4-5 – “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon, and stars, which You established – what is man, that You are mindful of him?  And the son of man, that You care for him?”

The entire Book of Psalms is loaded with incredible truths and encouragements that excite the heart and explode into a new sense of spiritual power and comfort.  When we soak in the Psalms, we come away with a new awareness of Gods’ majesty.  Here in Psalm 8, David gives us a new touch of hope and a sense of security as children of God.

In verse one we read, “O LORD, our Lord, How majestic and glorious and excellent is Your name in all the earth!”  God is our sovereign LORD and Master!  In this verse, David draws attention to God’s Glory, Work, and Power.  Then in verse four, he draws a contrast between God and man. 

In comparison to God, man seems so insignificant, helpless, frail, and utterly useless.  In contrast to God’s glory, majesty, power, and perfection, man seems totally and hopelessly imperfect.  In contrast to God’s Creation, he asks, “What is man?”

It would be easy for us to feel the unworthiness of man to the extent that we begin to embrace our unworthiness, unimportance, worthlessness, and hopelessness without Him.  But, in God’s eyes, we are important and far more important than we think.  The one thing that everyone needs to know, in the face of trial, tribulation, or persecution is – We are Important to God!  We are important enough for Him to care for and provide for.  We are important enough for Him to allow Jesus to come and die for our sins!

So, I ask that you join me in a brief walk through the Scripture regarding the Worth of Man to God.

• Man is more valuable than all the creatures of the earth. 

In Genesis 1:26, we discover that man was given dominion over the creation.  That none but man became living souls.  That the animals became a source of food and clothing for man.  We have a special place in God’s scheme of things, and we have His breath of life in us making us Living Souls not just mammals.

• Man was created in the Image and Likeness of God; therefore, we are the reflection of God.

• He made us of greater value than the earth itself.

Matthew 16:26 – “For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

God ascribes unparalleled worth to man’s soul.  God knows every detail of man for we are fearfully and wonderfully made.  We are God’s reflection, or we are supposed to be for that is how we were created.

• Man is important enough for God to be willing for Jesus to Die for Us.

John 3:16 reflects God’s Love for Man.  Romans 5:8 reminds us, “But God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  That is incredible!  He provided redemption.  God’s love conceived and implemented the perfect plan of salvation.  By Grace, we are saved!

• Man is important enough for Jesus to return for Us.

In John 14 we have the incredible promise of Jesus that has the power to calm all our fears and doubts.  He is returning for those who wait for, walk after, and watch for Him.  When we consider His provisions, we may feel inferior, unimportant, insignificant, worthless, hopeless, and helpless But GOD Values you highly.  You are Worth the Blood of God.

Therefore, what have we to fear if God is for us?  Why should we worry and fret for God is able?  Remember who God says you are – Royalty, Kings, and Priests unto Him, His children.  He cares for you and me.

Matthew 10:28-31 – “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be afraid of Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two little sparrows sold for a copper coin? And yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered [for the Father is sovereign and has complete knowledge]. 31So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

Remember, you are an heir of God!  Refuse the lie of the devil and come forth to the newness of life that Jesus brought to us.  Remember, you are important to God!  Praise Him for His love and truth.  Seek His assistance in resisting the lies of the devil.  Petition His throne for the desires of your heart.  If you are born-again, you are the King’s kids.  If you are not saved, then Jesus calls, “come unto Me.”  You can take all your cares to the LORD for He cares for you.  His eyes run to and fro through the whole earth looking for the opportunity to bless you. 

God bless you as you live in the awareness that you are Important to God!

Job 13:4 – “You, however, smear me with lies; you are worthless doctors—all of you!”

I would suggest that, in some measure, we have all been confronted with something similar.  We may have received this type of medicine and maybe even be guilty of dispensing it.  It is much easier to give than receive.  Job’s statement had nothing to do with the medical profession but was directed at the moral and spiritual aspects.

Job was weighed down under the heavy load of oppression and needed someone to lift him up. Rather his friends did what is common to man and viewed his plight as punishment by God.  He must have done something wrong to have incurred this type of disaster.  It must be the judgment of God. 

His losses were beyond any nightmare man could dream.  His problems were greater than any hypochondriac could concoct.  The only answer for this much suffering and misfortune must be God’s Anger and Judgment. 

His comforters became his accusers.  They reasoned that he had to be under judgment and therefore it was incumbent upon them to make him see his sin.  They hurled every insult and charge against him they could imagine.  Their words were like sour grapes and spoiled food.  His comforters became his tormentors. 

Proverbs 17:22 – “A merry heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.”

Proverbs 15:13 – “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

Nehemiah 8:10 – “…the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

One of our responsibilities as fellow members of the Body of Christ is to help others.  We are to seek to win the lost and if we see a brother or sister in trouble, we are to help them.  We are to seek to restore not seek to destroy. 

To fulfill that purpose and live a victorious life and help others endure trials we must have the Joy of the Lord.  To have and maintain the Joy of the Lord we must take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  We must gird up the loins of our minds and be renewed in our minds.  (Romans 12:2). 

It is vital that we are careful what we allow to enter through the gate of our minds and enter our thoughts.  Philippians 4:8 advises, no directs that we are to focus on truth, honesty, justice, purity, loveliness, virtue, good reports, and praise.  If we dwell on the negative, we will encounter depression, defeat, and destruction. 

If we are to be physicians of value to others, we must learn to submit to God and resist the devil.  We are to give no place to the devil and shun the very appearance of evil.  We need to realize that we affect others by our words, deed, and even our moods.

If we are to become physicians of value we must live in compliance with God’s Word in our physical, financial, emotional, and moral lives.  If we live in a state of constant complaining, we will be about as desirable as a black eye and will deter others’ faith.  We become a stumbling block. 

Conversely, a life of expressed Joy and Obedience to God will be magnetic, contagious, encouraging, and persuading.  It will enable us to change things for good spiritually and encourage others to trust God fully.

We can make an impact through our prayer life.  We can make a positive impact in our daily life of demonstrated confidence and obedience no matter what.  We can make a positive impact by allowing the Joy of the Lord that is in our hearts to be expressed.

We are all physicians in life.  Not medical doctors but either physicians of value or physicians of no value.  Like the old Brylcreem commercials of yesteryear, “A little dab’ll do ya.”  A little Joy will spread like wildfire and encourage even the most downtrodden heart.  Be one who spreads Joy, not Gloom.

God bless you and I pray you to have a fantastic day in Jesus!