Psalm 121:1-2 – “I look up toward the hills.  From where does my help come?  ² My help comes from the Lord,  the Creator of heaven and earth.”

I pray that God will inspire you to move forward in Him, and just as the apostle Paul, learn to be content in the state we find ourselves in, exhibiting Learned Trust.

As I prayed, pondered, and read the Word of God today, I was impressed to consider the matter of faith.  Even more directly, mountain-moving, miracle-working faith.  We see it occasionally but infrequently. What we often see is faith in faith rather than faith that yields results.

I have been in situations and known others who experienced similar sentiments where I was so exhausted and exasperated that I finally cried, “God, I am at my wits’ end. I am just going to crawl up into our arms until this is over. I’m done! I am devoid of faith to get the job done.”   In each of those few times, God has come through, ignored my condition, and granted me the miracle.

Finally, the Holy Spirit got through my thick skull and helped me see that I was quoting scripture, giving myself ‘self-talk’, trying to manifest faith.  I was not believing, I was trying to believe!  When I came to the end of myself and lost all confidence in my ability to make it happen by faith, It Happened!

It would behoove us to realize that if we are in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, we cannot fix it!  If we are in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, we may not understand it.  If we are in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, we may become fearful and even angry.  But In the Valley He Restores Our Souls!

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” NASB

Are you in the Valley?  Look up because true help is coming from the mountains of God (Psalm 121:1-2).  In the Valley, we often feel deserted, forsaken, unloved, and that God no longer cares for us.  But it is “in” the Valley that He restores our souls!

Look up, redemption is drawing near! Look up, our King is coming!  Look up, victory rides on the wings of the wind! Look up, you are a child of the King! Look up, be like Stephen when they were stoning him.  He said, “I see Jesus!”  If we see Him, the Valley becomes a Super-Highway to Victory!

LORD, help us to see Jesus!

Colossians 1:9-14 – “For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill^[ you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects—bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully ¹² giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. ¹³ He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, the incredibleness and detail of God filled my thoughts.    

In Genesis 7:1 (NASB), God told Noah, “In you alone, I have seen to be righteous in this time.”   It was not “at” but “in” or during this time (age).  In contrast to the corruption and hybridization of humanity, Noah was pure. He was God’s vehicle to preserve the Messianic line.

Genesis 8:1, “But God remembered Noah…” Remembered here does not refer to something that had been forgotten, but to something held in the forefront of the mind for the purpose of action.

God’s promise (covenant) to Abram (Genesis 12) was sevenfold.  Be a great nation, have a great name, be a blessing, bless those who bless Abram, curse those who curse Abram, and “in” him all the families of the Earth will be blessed.

Now take those promises and step into Paul’s revelation in Colossians, and we see God’s incredibleness and attention to detail.   Nothing is missing in the work of the Cross.  Colossians 1:9-14 informs us that we are filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual understanding and wisdom, So That.   The “so that” is critical.  It expresses the reason and the need to be fully invested in Jesus and saturated with His Spirit and Word.

It is our enablement to live a life that is worthy of the name Christian. It enables us to bear fruit and increase in our knowledge of Him.  We draw strength from and live with the power of God manifest in us. Colossians 2 is indispensable for the believer.  The Cross is our assurance!

Colossians 3 gives us the pathway to peace and total victory.  “If” we have been raised up (born again), “then” in order to thrive, we must make God the top pursuit of our lives. Our actions (verse 2) – we set, focus, and fix our minds on Jesus.  We consider (KJV – mortify) our earthly bodies dead to… immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed. Failure invokes God’s wrath. Our action (verse 8 – put aside – anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive (hurtful & vulgar) speech.   In verse 10, we are directed to put on (embrace and practice) being New, renewed in true knowledge.

In verses 14-17, we find the fruit of God’s incredibleness and attention to detail.  We are to put on Love like a garment.  We are to let (allow or cooperate) with the Peace of Christ and the Word of God to dwell in us richly.

If we are focused on God, saturated with His Word, and overflowing with His Spirit, we will not only survive but thrive.  We will not only overcome but set captives free. We will become witnesses for Jesus with our lives.

God has provided for us to enjoy His fullness, but we must participate in His process.  If we continue living as the world does, motivated by the same passions, we will not thrive.  We are to be rooted in Him as we become built up and established in our faith.

We can’t live like we did before our conversion and have His peace and favor. If we are changed on the inside, the external will evidence it.

Philippians 1:27-28 – “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that—whether I come and see you or whether I remain absent—I should hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending side by side for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸ and by not being intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of their destruction, but of your salvation—a sign which is from God.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, a question arose in my heart and mind. “Are you?”

Okay, that demands explanation. “Are you what?”   The question arose out of Philippians 1.  Paul told the believers at Phillipi about his conflicting desire to go home to heaven and to continue to minister on Earth.  He said, “Because you need me, I’ll stay.”  Then he made an interesting and challenging statement in verse 27, “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel.”

That’s when I heard the question, “Are you?”   A question like that in my spirit demands consideration. It requires prayerful contemplation.   If we truly and honestly examine our lives, words, attitudes, and thoughts, is our life presenting an image that verifies and exemplifies the gospel of Jesus Christ?

• If the unbelievers see or hear us, will they see the gospel? 
• If we get angry and lash out, is that an example of conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel? 
• If we indulge or participate in activities that detract from Christ, is that an example of conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel?
• If we chase fantasies, which truthfully places more hope in the fantasy than Jesus, is that conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel?
• What about the words we speak, the thoughts we think, the prayers we pray, the desires we embrace?
• Are we conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel?

If not, will our profession, our attendance, and even our work in church offset our conduct otherwise?

It is a valid and sobering question. So, I ask you what I was asked, “Are you?”  I believe it is important to examine our conduct in Everything We Do honestly!

LORD, help us become all You have declared us to be!

Ephesians 3:1-5 – “Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children ² and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. ³ But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints. ⁴ Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting—all of which are out of character—but rather thanksgiving. ⁵ For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

We are in the Last of the Last Days.  I can say that because of what I see and sense, and because of biblical prophecy, and because of the timeline from Jesus until now.  Out of the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be established.  Things change, but God remains constant.

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, the thought of “our condition” filled my thoughts.  I often wonder how deceived we are. What do I mean?  Not about the truth of Jesus.  Not about a literal heaven and hell. I’m talking about “deception of condition.”

We justify our condition and that of others because we cannot bring ourselves to acknowledge the possibility that our condition is unacceptable to God.  After all, we profess Christ, go to church, and see ourselves as relatively good people.

Ephesians should be a frequent stop in our pursuit to know God.  Ephesians 5 is incredibly revealing.   I suggest a thorough study of verses 3-5.  Some live lives contrary to God’s Word and use language, manifest attitudes, practice things we know God abhors, and yet still believe we are spiritually okay. Are we?

Ephesians 5:17-21 should be required reading almost daily.  Not just reading but implementing the directives.  Are we saturated with the Holy Spirit, or are we filled with ourselves? What are we saturated with?

How do we become saturated with the Spirit of God?  How do we become so full of Jesus that He is seen in everything we say and do?  I recommend reading verses 19-21. I urge everyone to read Ephesians 4 and meditate on it.

Father, I give myself to You.  All of me.  I make no excuses, gloss over no sin, and confess my failures and my desire to be pure.  I choose to be obedient in Everything!  Purge me!  I know that may be painful and embarrassing, but You are more important than my pride or comfort.  Thank you. Amen.

May this prayer become your prayer!

Haggai 2:6-7 – “Moreover, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said: ‘In just a little while I will once again shake the sky and the earth, the sea and the dry ground. ⁷ I will also shake up all the nations, and they will offer their treasures; then I will fill this temple with glory.”

The light of God is shining!  The grace of God has come!  The judgment and the restoration of God are at hand!  We can be fearful if we focus on the wrong things.   Love holds us up in difficult times.  Therefore, be strengthened knowing that you are loved!

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, death and life were my focus.   In those thoughts flow realities of natural and spiritual life.  God is a Holy and just God who cannot ignore sin and corruption.  Therefore, judgment on individuals and nations is unavoidable.  A shaking is coming. (Haggai 2).

We can focus on death and destruction and be consumed with the law!  We can focus on Christ and the Cross and become, as Paul said in Galatians 6:14-15, that through Jesus, the world is crucified to me and I to it.  The transformation of the New Birth moves us from death to life!

This is not an effort to keep a set of rules, but having a subdued heart of submission.  In that mindset, we avoid the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). We pursue the things of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-26).

Galatians 5:24 needs to be embraced: “And those who belong to Christ have controlled their weaknesses and passions.”   Then in verse 25 – “Let us therefore live in (by and through) the Spirit and surrender to the Spirit.”

In Christ, the world (flesh) is crucified to me and I to it.  We are free in Jesus! We can now LIVE, truly LIVE!