Archive | November 2014

Psalms 5

Nov26

Good morning y’all. Today we are in chapter 5 of Psalms.

Apologies in advance for todays blog. It’s pretty rushed and not the usual style of disecting the chapters :). Woke up pretty late despite the fact my alarm went off….one of those mornings !!!

I pray you are blessed and the holyspirit ministers to you as you read. Amen

1) David is praying to God and asking God to hear him. He offered his prayer using different methods – speaking, sighing and crying. 
Prayer is communication between you and God. There is no fast rule for it. I believe it’s whatever works for you. The key thing is make sure you are communing with God with a sincere heart.

2) Not only does he pray but he also waits in expectation. He had assurance that God will hear and answer his request. Are we expectant after we have prayed?

3) He highlights God’s hatred of evil/sin. No one who practices evil or sin will be able to come into God’s presence. God is a holy God.

4 ) He realises that he is able to come into God’s presence not because of how good he is or the fact that he doesn’t have any evil in him but only by God’s mercy. Humility and reverence for God.

5) He asks God for guidance and direction for the day. It is evident here that David understood the fact that if he was going to make it through the days challenges, he needed to seek Gods guidance and direction at the start of the day.
We also need to do the same. We need to get to a point where we fully understand and realise our need for God. Without Him we can do nothing. Let’s stop relying on our limited strength and fooling ourselves that we don’t need God. If David, a strong man by all accounts could humble himself and realise his need for God’s help, then how much more us.

6) He tells of the punishment that awaits the wicked ones.

7) He tells us what joy and blessing await those who trust in God. We have unlimited joy and we are surrounded as a shield by God’s favour. Hallelujah!

Prayer
Dear Lord we thank you for today. We thank you for the assurance we have that every time we call on you, you always hear and answer us. Thank you for your mercy over our lives, for we know that it’s only by your mercy that we are still standing today. We ask that you direct and guide us today; that you will lead us in the path and way we ought to go. We thank you for your joy which is our strength. We thank you for your favour which surrounds us as a shield. Thank you Lord. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Thank you for joining today.

Have a blessed day communing with the KING 🙂

***With God all things are possible***

Psalms 4

Nov25

Good morning y’all. Today we are in Psalms 4. In this chapter we see David petition God to answer him when he calls, he declares God is the one who makes him innocent, asks God to deliver him and have mercy on him.

Be blessed 🙂

Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. How long will you people ruin my reputation? How long will you make groundless accusations? How long will you continue your lies? Interlude You can be sure of this: The lord set apart the godly for himself. The lord will answer when I call to him. Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. Interlude Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the lord . Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, lord . You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O  lord , will keep me safe. (Psalms 4:1-8 NLT)

David was petitioning God to answer him when he calls. He declared that God is the only one who declares him innocent; that is, God is the only true Judge. He was troubled and distressed; he needed relief. He was being attacked and accused for something he didnt do (verse 2 suggests this).

David knew and understood that God was the only one who could deliver him from all these trouble and he also had faith that when he calls out to God in prayer, God will answer him. In his distress, he didnt turn to man rather he turned to God. He wasn’t moaning or complaining rather he turned his fears, worries and concerns into prayers and directed them to the One he knows has the power to change things – The Almighty God.

In verse 4, he is advising not to sin by letting anger control us. Here he is saying better to keep quiet and let God fight for us as opposed to letting the flesh control us and lead us to sin.

Verse 5 tells me that we can offer sacrifice to God in the wrong spirit. We need to check our motives. To the natural man, it might seem our offering is an acceptable sacrifice but to God it might not be because of the intent behind it. This reminds me of Cain and Abel in Genesis chapter 4. Both gave an offering to God; one was accepted and the other rejected.  Bible says man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

The second part of verse 5 says ‘trust the Lord’. Its easy to say we trust God but the real proof is how we react when we are going through trials. Do we relax knowing God is in control or do we run helter skelter from one place to another looking for solution to the problem; relying on man for help? Psalm 118:8 tells us its better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.

Be encouraged today if you are in a similar situation to David. God is still on the throne! He is still in the business of listening and answering His children :). Phillipians 4:6-7 says:
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.(Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)

Whatever it is, take it to God in prayer. He is always ready to listen and answer us. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Its not about how we feel, its about the truth – God is near to us and He hears when we call. Jeremiah 29:12 – 14a says:
In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the lord. (Jeremiah 29:12-14a NLT)

P – Prayer:
Dear Lord we thank you for today. Thank you for the reassurance that when we call you always hear us. Lord we ask for grace to trust you more and bring our worries and concerns to you in prayer. We ask that you help us keep our motives pure at all times. Fill us with your peace and help us to remember you are God and can never fail or loose a battle. Thank you Lord, we love you. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Thank you for joining today.

Have a blessed day and remember God is near to you. Always ready to listen and answer you 🙂

***With God all things are possible***