"Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: 'I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.'"  Isaiah 48: 17

Read that verse again.......No really, go ahead and do it, I'll wait...........
Do you think God wanted them to know who He is?  You think He is wanting to get their attention as to who is speaking to them?
He used 4 different expressions to say who He is! 
1) The Lord, Jehovah, the National name of God for His people, meaning Eternal
2) Redeemer, meaning 'next of kin', 'to purchase or ransom', 
3)The Holy One of Israel, The Sanctuary
4) God, Elohim, the Supreme God
Put it together, God is reminding His people that He is their eternal God who redeemed them from Egypt, so that He, the Supreme God can be their Sanctuary, their dwelling place.  What does God have to do to get your attention?  Remember as a child, when your parents wanted to get your attention, they would call you by your full name!  Instead of God calling you by your full name, He calls us by His name, reminding us exactly who He is.  He is the Eternal God of the Universe, who purchased us by the shed blood of His son Jesus, so that you and I can find our security and rest in the Only Supreme Authority of the Created Universe.  He reminds us who He is so that we will listen as He directs us in the way we should go!  Is God trying to get your attention?  Reflect on the many different ways God has shown Himself in your life the past couple of weeks. 
Now, pause, and take time to reflect and listen to Him......No, really, go ahead and do it.............
​He's waiting!

              "I will never forget your precepts, for by them You have given me life" 
Psalm 119:93

I want to invite you to read the entire chapter of Psalm 119, yes all 176 verses, and see what this tremendous chapter has to say about the Word of God, and what our response it to be to His Word!  I don't have time or space to give a detailed description, so I invite you to read it for yourself.  The chapter uses words like precepts, statutes, commandments, law and testimonies to describe the Word of God.  This morning, in my personal Bible reading time, this chapter was part of my reading plan, and now, the verse above is the Verse of the Day on my Bible app!  What is God trying to tell me?  Yes, I need to be in His Word more and more!  For me, it's easy to spend time in the Word, I do it every day.  But, in confession, sometimes it's just for sermon preparation and not in personal mediation!  Or, I am spending time reading what others say about the Bible rather than reading the Bible itself!  The words of Psalm 119: 93, and the entire chapter, challenge me.  They challenge me to remember that life is found in the Word of God.  Remember, that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.  Hope is found in the Word of God.  Power is found in the Word of God.  Truth is found in the Word of God.  Strength against temptation is found in the Word of God.  Deliverance is found in the Word of God.  Do you need any of these?  How about this, "Thy Word I have hid in my heart that I may not sin against Thee". This, if for no other reason is cause for us to never forget the Word of God!

"Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men, who have purposed to make my steps stumble." Psalm 140:4

I messed up this morning, but God had a word for me.  In my Bible daily reading, I read the wrong Scripture.  I jumped way ahead by accident and read the Scripture assigned to another day.  But, God knew just what I needed, and gave me the verse I have quoted above.  I have sensed for a couple of days now that Satan is bringing attack against our church and it's members.  Sickness, job situations, busyness, distraction, anxiety, frustrations, etc....  Attacks that hinder our worship and growth as individuals and a church.  Attacks that discourage us, and cause us to question.  Attacks that take our focus off of the main thing, and that is Jesus.  As I read this verse this morning I realized, even though it was meant for a different day, God meant for me to read it today! 

Maybe it's a word for you as well.  As you read it, realize that the "hands of the wicked" and "violent men" are the works of Satan.  His purpose?  To make you and I stumble.  To cause you and I to get frustrated and off-center from God.  When that happens, we allow the frustrations and distractions to lead us into making hasty decisions and cause us to get discouraged in our circumstances.  So, my prayer for myself today is: "Keep me, O Lord".  I invite you to read this chapter and see David's request.  It wasn't just "keep me", it is "Deliver me" (vs. 1), "Preserve me" (vs. 1), "Hear the voice of my supplication" (vs. 6), and more.  In the end, David has confidence that Satan's attacks of discouragement, frustration, and anxiety will not thwart God's power in the life of His children.  "I Know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the poor.  Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in your presence" (vs. 12-13).  Attacks will come, but you must not flinch!  Instead, know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted!  To God be the Glory!!!!!!

"Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil"  Ephesians 4:26-27

Aren't you glad God gives us some freedom to be angry!  I am so thankful for that addendum God put on that verse, "and do not sin". I must confess, there are times I have been angry.  When I have to clean up after my dog because she has gotten into the garbage while we have been gone, and we find trash all over the kitchen and living room, I've been angry!  When my car has a flat tire and I have to spend all day in Knoxville at the most inopportune times, I have been angry.  When someone has said or done something that has upset my wife or kids, I have been angry.  When Satan has sent discouragement and strife into the life of my church family, I have been angry.  When I see and hear the name of my Savior being misused and trampled, I get angry.  On and on I could go.  Anger is not a sin, it's what you allow it to do to you and what you do with it that determines the outcome.  If you allow anger to fester and boil over.  If you allow your anger toward an individual to hinder forgiveness.  If you dwell on events that, with every thought, bring you to a rage.  If you allow strife and discouragement to win over joy and peace. These and other attitudes reflect sin.  How do we control what anger does for us?  God's Word tells us in the previous verses.  "that you put off, concerning the former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your MIND, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."  That's the answer, just as we looked at Sunday. What we do with anger is a matter of the mind!  You don't give Satan a foothold with your anger!  In Christ, you and I are new a new creation.  Old things, past anger, present hostility is given over the Mind of Christ established in the life of a believer.  So, it's a good thing I have put my faith in Jesus Christ and surrendered my heart and mind to Him.  Otherwise, I have a dog I am willing to give away!!!!!

Oswald Chambers has said, “The path of peace for us is to hand ourselves over to God and ask Him to search us, not what we think we are, or what other people think we are, or what we persuade ourselves we are or would like to be, but, ‘Search me out, O God, explore me as I really am in Thy sight.”
 
That is a very bold request, a very daring request!  Do we dare ask God to search us?  Do we dare invite God to invade our lives, our heart, our very being?  Not that He doesn’t already know, but the truth is many times we want to ignore that reality!  We put on a façade for others to see.  We fool ourselves into believing everything is fine within because we compare ourselves to others.  “Well, I’m not as bad as that person”, or “Look at what they are doing, I would never participate in such activities”.  One of my favorite attitudes happens in church, when those who are in attendance dismiss their own need, but gladly point out the needs of others.  It looks something like this: “Well, I sure am glad so-and-so is here at church, they sure do need to hear this message”.   When you and I present these attitudes for others to observe, over time, we convince ourselves it is who we really are, and often times forget that God knows the truth about us! 
 
Instead, let us practice what Oswald Chambers challenges us to do, and what King David dared to pray in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  It is bold, and it is daring, but it is greatly needed.  With self-evaluation, comes self-realization.  When you dare to ask God to examine your heart, be prepared for conviction and need for repentance.   I have often said, when you pray a daring prayer, be ready for an answer!  You may not like what God reveals, you may not like the conviction that comes, but when you confess, and repent of what is revealed, you will find a Heavenly Father, ready to forgive and eager to lead you in the way everlasting! 
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