Tag: Faith

Try Him for Yourself!

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“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Psalm 34:8

Experience is everything.  Many people can talk about knowing God from an external point of view, but they don’t know Him for themselves deep on the inside.  They haven’t experienced the depths of intimacy involved in being in a real relationship with God (for more encouragement see my article, The God We Feel).

David had experience with God.  Before he ever faced Goliath (1 Samuel 17), and even before he was on Saul’s radar, who now counted him as an enemy and was in the process of hunting him down, causing David to flee for his life, act like a madman, and hide (see 1 Samuel 21), he had encounters that let him know that God was there for him.  There was even a time when he faced a bear and lion and came out victorious (1 Samuel 17:34-35).

God, Himself called David “a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will,” (Acts 13:22) because of his walk with Him.  David was not a stranger to God.  He was a frequent worshipper, a frequent prayer-er, and frequently inclined to look to God, do what He said, walk with Him, and guide his life by His holy standards.

David knows what it’s like to get hooked up with God and let that hookup be your life foundation.  With that, he calls others to reach out and try Him for themselves.  Don’t let this moment or day go by without knowing and experiencing God on that same personal level David did.  He encouraged them to, “Taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him” (compare 1 Peter 2:3).

God is good (see Psalm 100:5; Nahum 1:7; Matthew 19:17) and God does good (see Psalm 119:64; Genesis 1)!  God cannot separate Himself from who He is and what He does.  And, David wants people to know it, taste it, and experience it for themselves!

Those who put God at the focal center of their lives and decisions, those who recognize the sovereignty of God over all, will be supplied by Him.  God provides for His people.  God cares for His people.  “He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them,” (Psalm 145:19; see also Psalm 23:1; Proverbs 10:24).

David has experienced the hand of God’s care over and over again, and he assures others they can too if they follow Him.

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From the Inside Out

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No matter how good we look on the outside, or how well we can talk, or how much we have acquired, if our hearts and minds are not right, it is all in vain. Father God, I want to be right from the inside out. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me,” Galatians 2:20.

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This Was God’s Doing! | God is the Creator of All

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“For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water.” 2 Peter 3:5

We all have a choice in what we choose to believe or not.  God is not going to arm-wrestle someone into faith.  God has blessed every human being with free will.  With that, they choose to follow Him or not.

“Willingly,” as stated above, implies that truth or no truth, those being referenced will not comply.  Their minds are made up to purposely follow their own ideas, their own beliefs, the dictates of their own heart, and a life of sin.  Their ignorance will not allow them to believe in the order of Creation as it was written in the Bible.  For too long man has opposed God’s grand truth and has tried to whittle it down to his own finite theories and ideas on how the world came to be.

But we read in Scripture, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).  All of creation begins with God:  “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).

Before God stepped in there was just chaos.  He is the one “who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain” (Psalm 104:2).  Can a man even fathom catching one star that falls from the sky, let alone stretching out the “heavens” with galaxy upon galaxy and universe upon universe?

God can.

In the beginning, all He had to do was speak a word and creation obeyed and came into existence.  All that is in the sky, that looks like a cosmic “curtain” twinkling above our heads is because God is the one who made it to be so.

Peter addressed this truth in a rebuttal against the voice of scoffers and those who refuse to believe that by the very “word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water.”  

This was God’s doing, he insisted!   Nothing that we see in this world today existed, nor did it evolve from some microscopic species.  But on the third day of creation, referencing Peter’s point above, God said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together in one place, and let dry land appear: and it was so.  And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering of together of the waters called he seas: and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:9-10).

Although the order of creation is apparent and evident some still choose to disbelieve and remain ignorant.  But, the apostle Paul comes in and says this doesn’t excuse them.  “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse,” (Romans 1:20).

In the book of Genesis, we read the day-by-day detailed account of the story of Creation. All life begins and ends with God.  Acts 17:24, 28 says, “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands . . . For in him we live, and move, and have our being.”  He has the power to give breath (Genesis 2:7) and He has the power to take away breath (Psalm 104:29).

All of creation, man and beast, land, and those things that are in the sea and sky, are here because God made it so.  Many may try to refute this truth and remain ignorant of the fact, but this was God’s doing and His creative credit cannot be attributed to any other, nor can it be ignored.

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Everything you need . . .

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As we are walking this day, we are walking in His might. We are moving according to God working in us and through us. Even if we feel like we don’t have it all together or are not strong enough, we are leaning on His strength. Everything that you need to help you in the fight and made it through can be found in the power and strength of our God. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Ephesians 6:10

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Jesus didn’t go to the cross for you to enter this day . . .

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Jesus didn’t go to the cross for you to enter this day with anything less than the confidence of life He secured for you. He said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

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When Little Means a Lot!

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There are few places in life where it seems anything associated with the word little is appreciated.  And while our culture and this world tend to only see the big things, the grand, the outlandishly oversized as important to regard, the Bible continually teaches us that those things that we consider to be little, mean so much more.

For instance, Psalm 37:16 lets us know, “A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.”  It’s all a matter of where value is placed.  The values that the righteous man has within him because of his relationship with God far exceed the value of things, stuff, and money many wicked together can possess.  Jesus said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasure upon earth . . . but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven . . .” (Mt. 6:19-20).  Little possessions may not account for much here, but a heart rich in Jesus is worth so much more, here, and in heaven.

Another thing our culture celebrates is the idea of success, especially what appears to be an instant or overnight success.  In an age where clicks to like can boost an “influencer’s” reputation or clout, it Is not hard to imagine the rise of some to happen so quickly.  And yet, the Bible asks this in Zechariah: “For who hath despised the day of small things?” (4:10).

All success is not bad.  In fact, we are encouraged many times in the Bible to work, work hard, and put in full effort.  But what is bad is the worship of success and the comparison trap it can bring.  The groundwork of what God wants to do in your life is going to need an awesome foundation, and any good foundation takes time to build.

Clicks, likes, and human recognition may not have you shooting ahead fast as lightning, but your progress in God, your progress in what and how He is leading you to build, is worth so much more, even if it takes a little bit longer.

A little in God’s kingdom can do mighty works.  And the Bible teaches us “if ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed” (Lk. 17:6; Mt. 17:20, and 21:21), you can do amazing things.  It’s not always about increasing, as the disciples once asked (Lk. 17:5), it’s about working with what you presently possess.  And if what you presently possess is not much, God can multiply that if you just will use your little bit.

With God, size doesn’t matter, but source does.  If you look at what you have and you depend on that as your source, that is not faith – God’s not interested in that.  But if He’s your authentic, true-enough source; if it is to Him you are raising your eyes to heaven, with your two fish and five little loaves (Mt. 14:17-19) – now, that kind of reliant faith is something He can work with.

Friends, I have only touched the tip of the iceberg here to teach you that with God, a little means a whole lot.  But I hope it’s enough to encourage you to stop comparing where you are with another’s progress.  Don’t let discouraging thoughts discount the value in you.  You are important.   What you have is important, no matter how any other views it, even if it appears to only be a little.

“There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:

The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;

The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;

The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;

The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.” Proverbs 30:24-28

Little things can make a big difference.

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Many hearts are in need . . .

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Father God, we are praying for people everywhere. There are many hearts in need right now. There are many struggles that our friends, family, and saints are dealing with. We are praying today for a touch from You. We are praying that You would step in and meet their needs in the way that only You can. We are praying for peace and comfort to saturate the atmosphere of hearts, homes, and lives. We know that there is nothing that is impossible for You, O God, and we lean and trust in Your mighty power and Your outstretched arms to heal and deliver. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, AMEN!

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Our help is in the name of the LORD!

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“Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 124:8

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He Knows Your Walking!

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“He knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.” Deuteronomy 2:7

He knows your walking.  Every step you take has His attention.  The wilderness comes with many perils.  The wilderness can be a place of lack, yet God reminds His people, “thou hast lacked nothing,” Deut. 2:7.

What wilderness are you in right now?  Our God knows.  Does your desert place bring tears?  Is companionship missing in your world?  Nothing is hidden from the eyes of our Father.  The steps you take in this weary land are marked with His supreme knowledge.

When Moses rehearsed their traveling through this land, he reminded them of the good times and the bad – and yet, through it all, God saw their walking.  As His beloved, He knew where they were and what they were dealing with.

The same can be said for each of us.  God sees the paths we take.  He sees the trudging through the murky times.  He sees the hard roads traveled.  He recognizes that every trip is not a time of prancing through the peaceful meadows, but there are hills to climb, some slippery, some steep.  He recognizes the sweat and the effort it takes to keep going.  He sees every choice, every footfall.

My friends,  some days when we walk it seems we are walking through a river of tears, walking in waters too deep with currents that are too strong.  But the encouragement for our souls is it is not lost on our God and no step we take is wasted.  Every step in the right direction, regardless of how hard it may be, will lead to our place of promise.

Some days it may seem that we are walking in circles – not sure what we are doing or where we are going.  But while we are walking, we can walk with hope.  We can walk in faith (yes, even if you can’t feel it, we can still step out in faith by just moving forward).  We can walk in the confidence in the victory that lay ahead for us.

In the unsure moments, the disappointing moments, and the hurting moments, He sees it all.

Knowing that God sees me walking through this great wilderness brings a special measure of comfort to my soul.  The wilderness may take its toll on you, and it may even make us question some things along the way – but, even then, and even there, our steps are known.  Our hearts can be filled with this great truth even in the wilderness.

My friends, we hold so much in us while we are walking through this wilderness.  We experience so much in this dry place.  Each of us has encountered a wilderness area we may be walking through, have walked through, or are about to walk through.  It is in this season of life, that the struggle from day to day can be overwhelming.  For some, you have walked so long and so far, that you may feel like you are lost in a desert.  But, no matter what stage of your walking, God still sees you.  His eyes have not left you and His heart is for you.

Copyright © Word For Life Says.com articles/lessons/worksheets may not be copied or redistributed without the express written permission of WordforLifeSays.com.  Please see the COPYRIGHT PAGE for more details.  Blessings to you.

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