Psalm 103:5  – “I trust in the LORD, my soul waits for His word.”

Today, as I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God, a thought that challenged me filled my mind.   It originated from the translation of Aramaic to English in Psalm 130:5. The KJV renders it, “In His Word do I hope.”

The Holy Spirit tugged at my heart about waiting and especially waiting “for” not just “on” God’s Word.   Waiting is not something most of us do well.   We live in a microwave, instant-everything world. We want it immediately, if not sooner.

Psam 119:38 – “Strengthen Thy Word unto Thy servant, who is devoted to Thee.”    How do you strengthen the Word of God?   Hebrews 4:12 makes that seem implausible because of the incredibleness of the Word of God.   If we understand “strengthen” to be to increase its importance, it becomes powerful.

Psalm 119:82 – “My eyes WAIT for Thy Word…”

Psalm 119:105 – “Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Psalm 119:140 – “Thy Word is very pure…”

Psalm 119:160 – “The foundation of Thy Word is truth…”

I wonder how often we confuse what we want God to say with what He actually says.   Then we wait “on” for the fulfillment of what we hope He said, repeating it enough we believe He said it rather than waiting “for” the Word.

When we think we have heard God, we need to examine that Word (test it).  Is it in Harmony with the written Word of God?   Is it in Harmony with the revealed nature and character of God?  Does it move us to deeper submission to Him?  If it contains a promise, prophecy, or provision, what is its objective?  Is there any room in it for selfishness and being focused on self? Is it 100% kingdom-focused?

It is easy to be deceived into believing that what we hope for is what God is saying and then waste our valuable time waiting “on” its fulfillment.   If God did not say it, He won’t provide it.   We may alter our lives waiting “on” it rather than waiting “for” His Word.   There must be no hint of self in the perceived Word.   We must empty ourselves of self so that we can receive His Word, no matter what that Word is.

I’m waiting “for” and hoping “in” His Word.   I desire His Word to be strengthened in and to me. I long for the Word to illuminate my pathway and expose all the lurking dangers.   I know that God’s Word is pure and will always penetrate to the foundations of my heart.

Each Word that we believe we have received must be tested by the Word and Spirit of God, and our hearts examined.   Waiting “on” the Word God did not give prevents us from being aware of the need to wait “for” the Word of God. Waiting on false hope hinders our growth and opens us to deception.

Remember Psalm 119:140 – “Thy Word is very pure…”    It always moves us toward transformation, not selfish gratification.   Lord, send your Word and countermand all words You have not sent.   Expose the lies we have believed and enable us to patiently listen “for” Your Word, then embrace and act upon it.

Father, help us to divest ourselves of self in our prayers and surrender fully to You, even if it is not what we wanted You to say!

2 Timothy 3:1-5 –   “ But understand this, that in the last days difficult times will come. ² For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to what is good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God. ⁵ They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power. So, avoid people like these.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, I was impressed with the lateness of the hour on God’s timetable.   I sense the urgency of the hour and see the diligent attempt of the devil to distract and sidetrack God’s laborers.   I sense the longing of God for the harvest and the culmination of our salvation.   Time is short, and the church and world are largely distracted.  We are more moved by the events in the world than the stirring in the heavens.

Paul warned Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 of the conditions of the Last Days. One of the signs would be inordinate self-love, selfishness, greed, overpowering hate, and faux religion.   There would be churches going through the motions, thinking they were godly and pleasing God, but empty and impotent spiritually.  The lost would not be touched, and the believers would not grow spiritually.

In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, he prophesied that in the Last Days, there would be a rejection of the Gospel in favor of a more humanistic and flesh-serving Gospel.

 The Bible makes it clear that God requires those who would enter into His kingdom to be holy and live in righteousness.   But the Last Days people will find that too confining and demanding, requiring discipline, and creating a faux Gospel that appeals to the flesh and gives false security.

There is an increasing acceptability today for man-made doctrines that eliminate hell and make every lifestyle acceptable.   They insist that since God is love, love would not punish but would accept everyone, no matter what.   God is love.    That is an undeniable fact!   He is also just, and nothing unholy can abide in His presence.

From this time forward, there will be an increase in flesh focus in the church, and thousands, if not millions, will participate in attacking those who teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ that requires dying to self. It may appear that the faux Gospel is succeeding, but when the shaking begins and the chaos is unleashed, many of those formerly deceived will turn to the truth.

We must prepare for the harvest.   Every follower of Jesus who rejects the flesh Gospel will be a harvester and be required to teach others the way of life.  Every follower of the truth will be called upon to become a spiritual father or mother to those seeking the truth.   The church services will be transformed from the norm of today into a time of testimony, reporting, and strategy.

Pastors will be transformed into a more apostolic role, and the believers will again take the Gospel to the marketplace.   They will pray, study, and witness with their words and lives.   Some will become martyrs for their faith. Harvest time requires laborers, and the fruit of the harvest will have to be processed (taught and equipped).

The time is short, and the urgency is permeating the atmosphere.   The call of the Spirit of God is to prepare our hearts for service!  There can be no more casual part-time Christianity.  The time has come to get out of the boat and walk in the water.  We will give what we have; the question is, what do we have to give?  Prepare for harvest!

Fasten your seat belts; the ride is about to get exciting!   Lord help us to be ready and be involved in the Last Day’s Harvest!

Psalm 103:1-5 – “Bless the Lord, O my soul,  and all that is within me,     bless his holy name!  ² Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, ³ who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your  diseases, ⁴ who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, ⁵ who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, I was drawn to Psalm 103.   Most of the time, we focus on the first five verses.  They are powerful, but only part of the message of the Holy Spirit as He inspired the Psalmist.

Our day should begin and continue to be filled with Praise and Thanksgiving to God.  We should continually remind ourselves of His benefits (blessings).   One of the greatest is FORGIVENESS and HEALING.   The word “all” describes the extent of that forgiveness and healing.

We should continually rehearse in our hearts and minds the reality of what we were and His redemptive work of Grace.   We should remember God’s daily provisions of material and spiritual things that we need and why He gives them to us.   Notice verse 5 – “Who satisfies your mouth with good things, SO THAT your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”   I suggest that the satisfied mouth include what goes in it and what comes out of it.  Natural and Spiritual.

In verse 7, we are given a truth that should be a goal.  “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.”   We should yearn to KNOW Him, not just observe what He does.

In verse 12, we learn the totality of God’s forgiveness.  “As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Wholly and forever gone.   A beautiful explanation is found in verse 14, “For He knows whereof we are made; He remembers that we are dust (mortal).”  In verse 17, the incredible long-suffering patience of God is revealed.  It is from everlasting to everlasting.

God’s immeasurable love, mercy, grace, patience, and provision are ample reasons to BLESS HIM at all times.   This God, the Creator of all things, loves us that much.   How dare we not love Him with our whole being?   How dare we insult the love and mercy of God with any measure of ingratitude?

“For God so loved the world (mankind included) that He gave His only begotten Son, SO THAT whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Let us remind ourselves daily, and even hourly, of His benefits (blessings).   Do not let the devil or anyone steal your joy and dampen your gratitude!  I urge you to read and meditate on Psalm 103.  It can give you a new level of understanding and confidence that will be needed for the remainder of the year 2025.

Lord, help us to appreciate Who You are and become Who You say we are!

Psalm 90:12 – “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, Psalms 90-92 resonated deeply with my heart.   A central theme in them is that God has a dwelling place that we can access and live in NOW!    Now is the key.   We will, one day, be in heaven, but there is a place in the Spirit that we can access NOW!

In Psalm 90:12, we are asked to be mindful of our mortality and the brevity of earthly life.   Why?   It is to motivate us to apply our hearts to wisdom.   We are told that the beginning of wisdom is the reverential fear of God.

Psalm 91 serves as a guidebook of life for the child of God.   It, too, begins with the focus on that non-earthly dwelling place in God that believers can access NOW!

Living in the consciousness of God encourages and empowers us.  In that condition and from that presence, we know and declare that God is our refuge, fortress, and God.  We know, declare, and expect deliverance from demonic entrapment.  We are confident because, in that dwelling place, God covers us with His truth and power that banishes fear.  Remember, there is no fear in love.

In that place, we live in God’s divine protection, seeing the destruction but living in the midst of it, untouched.  It is a place of health and healing.  It is a place of angelic protection.  Angels are ministers of help!  Their assignment is protection and guidance.

In Psalm 92, the people who abide in God have a unique promise.  Verses 12-15 serve as a redescription and reminder of the person described in Psalm 1.   They flourish like the Palm tree.  Those planted (a key) in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of God.  They will win their cases of judgment against evil.  They will enforce the victory of Jesus.  They will be productive and fruitful even in their twilight years.  They will be examples and testimonies of God’s mercy, love, justice, power, and purity.

Young or old, if we search out and dwell in God, making Him our abode, these promises and provisions are ours!  The key is to seek Him and abide in Him.  Bloom where you are planted in the Garden of God’s choosing.  We are living stones that must surrender our wills to His.  We are building blocks in God’s house.  We are the Body of Christ, the Family of God, and His warriors.  We have His presence and promise filled with provisions and power to overcome any problem.

Psalm 91:16 – “With long life will I satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”

We have no excuse not to flourish!   We have His presence, promise, and power.   We can run through a troop and leap over a wall.  From abiding in Him and His Word abiding in us, we can live victoriously, setting captives free and living free!  The key is dwelling or abiding in Him.  Total surrender!

Lord, help us to live in the NOW and be who You have created us to be NOW!

Psalm 78:36-37 – “But they flattered him with their mouths;  they lied to him with their tongues.  ³⁷ Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, the requirement of surrender and commitment filled my thoughts.  As I pondered those thoughts, I heard in my heart, “Do I have your whole heart and complete loyalty?”   I was taken aback by that thought, and as my pattern is, I didn’t answer; I waited.

Evil is prevalent in today’s world.   Many believers are under siege and struggling to keep their heads above the waters of life.  The church often seems powerless and appears more like a business than an army.   Where is the power?   Where are the all-night intercessory prayer meetings?   Where is the power of the early church?  It was a church where the deacons preached and worked miracles.   The LORD confirmed His Word with signs and wonders.    Where is that today?

As I mused on those thoughts, I found myself reading Psalm 77.   In his distress, the Psalmist prayed through the night, overwhelmed.   In verse 6, “I meditated far into the night; I communed with my own heart; I have examined my soul…”

In Psalm 78, he revealed the condition of the people and why the power was missing.  In verses 36-37, “Nevertheless, they loved Him with their mouths and lied to Him with their tongues.  37 For their hearts were not right with Him, neither were they steadfast in His Covenant.”

Does God have our whole heart?  What do we do in times of stress, distress, or ease?   Do we pray or complain, or pray and complain at the same time?   Do we beg for help?   Rather than looking inward, we strategize as to how to alleviate the problem.

If God has the whole heart, the heart knows that He is the source and presses into God’s provision.  If God has our whole heart and commitment, expectation is present, even at the forefront.  If God has the whole heart, He is first in everything.

In a church where God is LORD, “expectation” thrives!   In the early church and in the life of Jesus, they frequently spent the night interceding.  A prime example was Jesus’ explanation of why the disciples could not set the lad free from demonic activity.  He said, “This kind only goes out by fasting and prayer.”   Additionally, when Peter was awaiting execution, the church prayed fervently throughout the night.  The pattern was they prayed UNTIL.

If God has the whole heart, the flesh is rendered powerless and takes a back seat.

What will bring the harvest, revival, restoration, and renewal is Wholehearted Commitment!    It is Total Surrender.   It is dying to self (all of self).   When the world sees the church (leadership and members) living in expectation and enforcing the victory of Calvary, they will seek out the Church and, thereby, the LORD.

What is our reaction when we are confronted with situations that require the supernatural?  Do we expect God to use us, “These signs shall follow them that believe…” Or do we hand it over to the professionals (ministers)?  We are a kingdom of priests.  We are more than conquerors.  Nothing is impossible to the one who believes.

Does God have our whole heart?   The answer is revealed in our response.  I desire to be an example of a life wholly submitted and committed to God.

May the LORD help us to surrender our whole hearts to Him and manifest Him in this present world!