What are the Works of God?


Psalm 111:7 – “The works of His hands are truth and justice.” 

I find that text to be fascinating.  As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word, a theme began to unravel in the Psalms.

Psalm 111:2 states, “Great are the works of the LORD; they are Studied by all who delight in them.”   That is captivating.  We are to Study the Works of God.   Do we do that?  Do we even know what the works of God are?

Our text, Psalm 111:7, says, “The works of His hands are truth and justice.”  Tap the Brakes for a second.  Aren’t the works the miracles, signs, and wonders?   Yes, they are included, but it says they are “Truth and Justice.”  That moves it from acts of power to the whole of life.

Psalm 115:16 – “The heavens are the heavens of the LORD; But the earth He Has Given to the sons of men.”   God’s ways are truth and justice, and we are to study them.   Additionally, He tells us that the earth is ours; we reign over the earth.   The question is, “How are we to do that?”  The simplistic answer is “In truth and justice.”   That means that we have a commission (assignment) and authority.

Psalm 118:6 – “The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?”

The implication is that no man can do more to the Covenant person than God allows.  It also indicates that even if he does evil to us, there is no reason to fret because We Are Kept!   Why?  Because God is for us.

Psalm 118:17 – “I Shall not die, but live, AND tell of the works of God (Truth & Justice).

Psalm 119:71 – “It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may LEARN Thy Statutes.”

  • We learn God’s Heart as we study God’s ways (Truth & Justice).
  • As we learn God’s heart, we are no longer fearful of man because we Know God.  
  • As we endure trials, we rejoice because we Know God’s Heart and Know that He Never forsakes but Always keeps His own.

Psalm 119:89 – “Forever, O LORD, Thy Word is settled in heaven.”

No matter what we face, we face it knowing God’s Truth & Justice are watching over us.  We live without fear and with the expectation that God’s Ways Will Guard, Guide, and Empower us.

We have authority on earth, which means whatever we face, in Jesus, we have authority.   Therefore, exercise it!    Speak to your problem in Jesus’ name and expect it to align with His ways.  God revealed His Ways to Moses and His Acts to the children of Israel.  In the sense of Trust and Obedience, be a Moses.

Have a Great Day in Jesus!

If We Sow Surrender, We Reap Trust


Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.  Acknowledge him in all your ways, And he will make your paths straight.

Today, some questions have been echoing in my heart and mind.  Those Questions:

  • Who or what are you trusting in?
  • What is your focus, your dream, or mine? 
  • What are you linking your future to: your wish or Me?

As I contemplated those questions, I began to ask myself, “Do I trust God in and with everything?” 

Proverbs 12:11 – “He who tills the land will have plenty of bread, but he who pursues vain things lacks sense.”

The Holy Spirit quickened my heart to realize that tilling the land was not just farming but pursuing God’s purposes and fulfilling my assignment. One translation renders the last part as pursuing fantasies.

God has asked me to Trust Him in Everything!   In many places in Scripture, He has promised to provide all we need and even give us the desires of our hearts.

The Lord challenged me in a couple of areas (private), revealing that my longing was not Trust but chasing my own creation or pathway to the fulfillment of a dream.  If I want God’s fullness, He asks for Complete Trust.

Proverbs 12:14 –“A man will be satisfied with the good fruit of his Words, and the deeds of a man’s hands will return to him.” 

We reap what we sow.  If we sow complete surrender and trust, we reap the rewards.  I desire to be wholly God’s with Nothing elevated to equality with God.   I pray that He continues transforming my heart and mind so that He is my focus and source. 

My Hope is in Him, and I know He is incapable of failure.  I want to live (in plenty or poverty) with no sense of lack in any area of my life.  He Is My Life!

This is what He is saying to me at this time.  If it resonates with you, great; if not, pray for me as I pursue His purposes wholeheartedly.

I pray that your day will be filled with His person, power, peace, and provision!

Writing the Book of Our Lives


John 18:36-38 Jesus replied, “My Kingdom is not from this world.  If my Kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. But as it is, my Kingdom is not from here.” 37 Then Pilate said, “So you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king.  For this reason, I was born, and for this reason, I came into the world—to testify to the Truth.  Everyone who belongs to the Truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate asked, “What is truth?”   When he had said this, he went back outside to the Jewish leaders and announced, “I find no basis for an accusation against him.”

Today, I was challenged by John 18-21 about Jesus, man, and religion. It began with Pilate’s question in John 18:38, “What Is Truth?”  Regardless of why Pilate asked it, it is the key question for us—not what is Truth as we perceive it, but what is Truth!

When Pilate tried repeatedly to release Jesus, the Jews said, “We have no King but Caesar.”  Religion’s God is tradition and their doctrinal tenets.    Pilate’s response to the challenge about the inscription above Jesus KING OF THE JEWS was, “What I Have Written, I Have Written.”  You and I are the authors of the Book of Our Lives on Earth, and What we write is written.   It cannot be edited but by the Blood of Jesus.

After the resurrection, Mary came to the empty tomb, and the question by the angels Jesus was, “Why Are You Weeping?”   They knew the answer; it was because of her pain in losing Him.   It was a failure to truly see that His death was not permanent.  It was rooted in temporal thinking.

Here is the Eternal Truth – He had to die so we could live.   Because of His death and resurrection, death is not death for the Believer. 

The Angels wanted to shift her focus from what she perceived to be her loss to the Truth, which reveals what she gained. 

  • Life is to be lived with eternity in view.
  • Life is to be lived with God’s purpose in view.
  • Life is to be lived knowing that death is temporary.

We have a great cloud of witnesses who have preceded us, and they are not dead but alive in Him and with Him.  Those witnesses and Jesus provide the inspiration to Live Life to the Fullest.

  • The fields are ready for harvest.  
  • We have an assignment.  
  • Only as we allow our focus to become Him, and the Kingdom can we answer the question “What is Truth?” and write our Book rightly.   

He is Alive!  Those who have preceded us are alive, and we need to live!    I want the Book of My Life to Glorify Him.   I want no part of my life to be withheld from Him.   Caesar is not my King; Jesus is!

I pray that we will see Him and what He has done and let Him live in us and through us.  Then, our weeping will be for the lost, not for ourselves.   Today is a day of Victory for the Believer!

Have a wonderful day as you write the Book of your life with Jesus!

Idols of the Heart


Acts 7:39-40 –Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him, but pushed him aside and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, 40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go in front of us, for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt—we do not know what has happened to him!”

As I prayed, I pondered, and as I read Acts 7, several things quickened to my heart.   Stephen’s detailing of Israel’s history is powerful and a virtual goldmine of revelatory and life-altering truths.

  • Joseph’s total healing of hurt and abandonment resonates powerfully.  

His healing was directly connected to his understanding of Covenant and the vision God had birthed in him.  God’s promises, coupled with God’s vision birthed in us, enable us to withstand Anything!

  • Moses is another example of God’s incredible love and mercy, as well as His power.

Moses was highly educated, trained, and capable, but he presumed upon God’s timing and attempted to do it his way.   He failed, but after he was humbled, God used him to deliver Israel, the original purpose fulfilled 40 years later.

The people of Israel received God’s deliverance with joy Until they faced difficulties, and then they returned to Egypt In Their Hearts.  (Acts 7:39)

They returned to a state of selfishness and idolatry.   (Acts 7:43) They took the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of Rompha with them.

In the midst of God’s presence, they clung to the idols of their hearts.    The question for us today is, What Idols of the Heart do we worship?

Are we Totally devoted to and Totally dependent upon God?   If we are looking for Anything to be our provision other than Him, it is an idol of the heart.   God “is” Our Provision.   God “is” our help.  God “is” our hope.  He Never Fails and is Incapable of telling a lie.

His Word Never Fails.  Can we, like Joseph, walk in adversity and rejection and be Whole?   Can we, like Moses, empty ourselves to the point that we live Totally dependent upon God?  Can we, like Stephen, become so focused on God and the Kingdom that even if we are murdered for our faith, see Jesus, and forgive?

What our hearts are full of determines how we view life, others, God, and live.   Matthew 6:33 – Jesus first, second, third, and totally is my desire.  In that state, we can Become Who God says we Are.

Victory is ours today if we will remove the Idols of our Hearts!

Prayer – Effectual or Expected


James 5:16 – “…the effectual (effective) FERVENT prayer of a righteous person can accomplish much.”

As I prayed, pondered, read, and meditated upon the Word, the LORD, and Life, something in Acts 12 captured my thoughts, challenged my heart, and inspired me.

Capture this scene in your mind: Peter was in prison, awaiting execution.  His peace allowed him to sleep in the middle of his personal storm.  That is powerful.  The church was praying fervently for him.   The angel hit him in the side to wake him up and lead him out of prison.  Peter thought he was dreaming until he was on the street.   This was a powerful visitation but without Expectation.

He went to John Mark’s house, and Rhoda heard and recognized his voice (Revelation), but in her jubilation of her Revelation, she did not open the door.  (How many people today see or hear something but fail to open the door?)  She told the others her Revelation, and they said, “You are out of your mind!”  (Typical religious response).

But Peter kept knocking (Revelation does not go away).  Finally, they opened the door and were amazed.   Think about that!   They had been praying Fervently but without Expectation.

How often do we pray Fervently and Earnestly but without genuine Expectation?   How often are the promises of God theoretical to us but devoid of real Expectation that they will become present realities?

James 5:16 – “…the effectual (effective) FERVENT prayer of a righteous person can accomplish much.”

Effectual or Effective Prayer – is based on Faith and filled with Expectation.  When Revelation comes, open the door.  When a need is prayed about, be fervent and have Expectation.  God does not fail and will honor our confidence in His honesty.

The question is, “What do you need?”    First, ask Him His purpose.  Then, pray with fervency and with Expectation.    Don’t just report the Revelation.  Open the door to its fulfillment.   If we pray effectively and fervently (with seriousness and urgency) coupled with Expectation, God will move!

Have a wonderful day in Jesus, and pray with expectancy!