July 31, 2012

"When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer."  Psalm 32:3-4

Forgiveness is such a good thing because sinfulness is such a bad thing.

You can almost feel the pain as you read these verses. His bones feel "wasted away".

He "groans" all day long. I am guessing he groaned most of the night as well.

The hand of God rests "heavy" on him because of his sin. His sin was crushing the life out of him like having a elephant perched on his chest.

Because of the guilt and remorse over his sin, his "strength" had ebbed away and left him weak as a puppy.

I know those awful feelings of guilt and shame that suck the hope out of me. You do too!

There have been  a few times in my life when I lived under the terrible tyranny of my sins. I felt guilty because I was! And I felt so shameful and condemned I could hardly walk. My legs felt like lead and my heart like concrete. While I didn't groan audibly my spirit was screaming out for some relief.

My last thought at night was about my sin and upon awaking the next morning my despair was waiting to torment me for another day.

Separated from God by my sin, hope was waning and life held no joy.

I tried to rationalize my sin away but the guilt remained.

When I compared myself with others I judged more sinful than myself, I despised us both.

Sin is so terrible and debilatating I could hardly bear it any longer. If only I could find relief!

The pleasure of sin lasts for moments. The pain of sin endures for months. The scars of sin can last a lifetime.

To know the blessing of forgiveness you must have known the bondage of sin.

Forgiveness is great because sin is so bad.

July 30, 2012

^"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit." Psalm 32:1-2

This is a GREAT Psalm!

Why?

Because it reminds you that you can live life in "3-B"!

Shouldn't that be "3-D"?

No, it is "3-B", as in "three times blessed"!

How so?

Look at those first two verses of Psalm 32. Blessed is he whose:

1) "transgressions are forgiven"

2) "sins are covered"

3) "sin the Lord does not count against him"

Doesn't that sound good?!

Let me make it sound even better!

Transgressions refer to the deliberate disobedience of a known law of the God. It is severe because it involves a willful sin against God.

Sins involve doing what I want without considering what God wants. It means satisfying the flesh at the peril of the spirit.

The other reference to sin denotes an act committed in a moment of anger or passion. It is something done thoughtlessly that hurts you, others and God.

Some believe that this Psalm was written in regard to David's terrible sin with Bathsheba and against her noble husband, Uriah. In committing those despicable acts he sinned willfully, he sinned selfishly and he sinned in a moment of unchecked passion.

Imagine the shame and guilt that came as a result of those heinous acts. His remorse is evident in the 51st Psalm as well as in this one.

No wonder David rejoiced in the "3-B" grace he received from his God. Imagine the joy of having his transgressions forgiven, his sin covered and his sin not counted against him!

He lived life in "3-B"!

What about you? Are you living in "3-B"?

July 29, 2012

"Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident." Psalm 27:3

Fear is the flipside of faith. Therefore, if you can do fear you have what it takes to do faith!

The difference between fear and faith is your focus.

David, the Psalmist, refused to give into his fears. Since he chose not to fear what was left for him?

FAITH! The HOLY fear!

Rather than focus on the advancing army of King Saul and fret over the harm that could befall him, he chose to be confident in the Lord!

He wasn't delusional nor was he psyching himself up with happy talk. He looked at what was against him and he looked at Who was for him and decided he had nothing to fear.

As the great verse in Romans 8 declares,  ^"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (8:31)

What WILL you say?

Is God for you?

Is God Who He says He is? Does He honor His Word?

Then what is there to fear?

Fear is the weapon of the enemy. If he can cause you to fear he can keep you from focusing on faith. But God gave you His Word and God sent His Son to defeat the enemy and deliver you from fear.

Death is the other weapon the enemy tries to use against you to get you to fear. But again, God defeated death when His Son, Jesus, died on the cross and arose on the third day! Death is conquered so why would you fear it?

As a person of faith and follower of Christ, you have been given abundant life (John 10:10) and eternal life (John 3:16). Therefore, you can live in faith above your fears and the your last moment in this life becomes the first moment of your REAL life in eternity!

So, what are you afraid of?

If you can believe in the things that cause you to fear then you have what it takes to believe the things of faith! And, if you can have faith part of the time you can have it all the time!

July 27, 2012

"Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:10-14

Fighting fear is a full-time effort. If you don't get the best of it you can be sure it will get you.

We have been drawing from Psalm 27 to learn from the Shepard King how he learned to overcome fear. Through the first two-thirds of chapter I have drawn from his wisdom to show you:

To Find Your Place in Him, Vv. 1-6 - He Offers Protection

Seek His Face, Vv. 7-9 - He Offers His Presence

In this final third of the Psalm we are told to Rest in His Grace!

Actually, the fact is His protection and His presence ARE part of His grace as well.

One of the fears that haunts the human heart is the fear of not belonging. But you are promised that God will make sure you will always belong to Him. He will always receive you into His grace!

Even in the rare circumstance that a parent would forsake you. Or, in the even more rare situation that BOTH parents would dessert you - God will receive you into His grace.

When you rest in the blessings of His grace you never need to fear not belonging. You will know you belong to Him!

Another fear that dogs many people is the fear of not being good enough.

If you trust in your own moral goodness or your good works to secure your place in eternity, how do you know for sure that you are good enough or how can you be sure you have done enough good things to outweigh the bad?

Here is great news for those plagued by that fear! The grace of God removes it!

How?

Grace means that God provided for your moral goodness and accomplished the good work when He sent His Son, Jesus, to the cross. Upon the cross, Jesus atoned for all your sins and immoral behavior by dying for your sins. And He did the good work of become the sacrifice to atone for your sins. So, when you receive His grace and rest in it, you need not fear any more! As you remain in His grace you can rest in the knowledge that everything He has is yours and everything He is will be developed in you!

The grace of God in Jesus Christ provides all you need to live in right relationship with God and to live out His righteousness every day!

Are you hiding in His righteousness or are you still trying to earn it?

Do you face eternity without fear?

If you have fear you are probably not resting in His grace.

July 25, 2012

"The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1

Could it be possible that the faith that overcomes fear is based on a greater fear?

These Scriptures seems to imply that:

"But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you." I Samuel 12:24

"And he said to man, ‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’” Job 28:28

"Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling." Psalm 2:11

"I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears."  Psalm 34:4-5

"Should you not fear me?” declares the LORD. “Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it."  Jeremiah 5:22

If you want to be free from fear of the things around you simply have a greater fear of God within you. Fear disobeying Him more that you fear rejection or persecution from those who oppose you. Fear displeasing Him more than you fear displeasing men.

I experienced this when I was preparing to take my first mission trip abroad. For several months prior to leaving for Zambia, Africa I was overwhelmed by a haunting fear of flying over the ocean. I had nightmares and night sweats nearly every night.

As the time to leave drew nearer I found myself thinking convenient ways to back out of going. But since I was leading the trip, I knew that would not be acceptable. So, I knew I had to deal with it and I made it a matter of prayer. As I prayed and sought God He revealed to me that I was being opposed by the enemy and that I was fearing the enemy more than I feared Him. When I repented to Him and confessed my fear, He drew me close to Him and took away my fear. Suddenly I had more fear of displeasing God than any of my personal fears. The holy fear within my gave me courage and I flew to Africa and back without anxiety.

In fact, I have been there and back a second time!

Every great hero of the Bible - Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, and even Jesus - were able to appear fearless in the face of great opposition because they feared God more than anything else.

Do you fear God more than you fear man?

Is there something you fear that is keeping your from obeying God?

July 24, 2012

"The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,  to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord." Psalm 27:1-6

Prior to Thursday night a movie theater was a safe place to go escape your fears and your worries for a few hours.

In the midst of trying to escape their fears they found themselves terrorized by a crazed gunman. As the bullets were flying the movie-goers were diving for a place of safety. Some found it and some didn't.

Stories of bravery and heroism are emerging from that awful tragedy. Several of those who died put themselves in front of their friends and took the bullets instead. They became the safe place for the people they saved.

When you are surrounded by danger and fear seizes you, what do you look for? A safe place!

That is what this section of Psalm 27 is about, where to find a safe place. David, knew where to find a safe place.

He tells you where that safe place is - and Who it is - so you can find that place, too.

Not only is it a place of protection it is a Person! It is the Lord, your light and your salvation. He is your stronghold and He is your dwelling place!

When you build your faith on the foundation of knowing you have a place in Him, you can begin to overcome your fear.

Do you have a place in Him?

Would you find that place?

July 23, 2012

".... my heart will not fear...." Psalm 27:3

Faith and fear are alternate realities. Each can feel very real but the one that is the most real to you will determine your state of mind.

Faith understands that life is out of your control BUT you have placed it in God's control. That reality will bring courage and confidence in the face of fearful circumstances.

Fear is a result of knowing life is out of your control and you are at the mercy of the adverse circumstances.

In this Psalm we are inspired by the demonstration of a faith that supersedes fear. There is much to be learned about how to have faith in the presence of fearful situations.

To overcome fear, don't focus on the fears but work on strengthening your faith. Like David testifies in this Psalm, faith is built on several solid and significant realities.

He found his place, Vv. 1-6

In fearful times you need a safe place to hide. The Psalmist found that:

"The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid? " - V. 1b

"One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,"  V. 4

"For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock." V. 5

Do you have a safe place to hide in fearful times? Have you found a place where you can escape your fears?

You can flee to the same place of safety where David found protection.

He sought His face, Vv. 7-9

Faith becomes more real when you have a protected place to flee from fear.

Also, faith seems more real that fear when you are in God's presence. David sought God's presence when fearful circumstances came his way.

My heart says of you, “Seek his face! ”Your face, Lord, I will seek.  Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper.  Vv. 8-9

Do you live in God's presence?

If you are overcome with fear, you may need to seek His face.

He rested in His grace, Vv. 10-14

Fear can be debilitating and it is exhausting. It will drain you of all your hope and sap your strength and leave you in despair.

David found a place of rest from his fears. Along with God's protection and God's presence he found God's provision!

He learned to rest in God's grace.

"Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me breathing out violence.  I am still confident of this. I will see the goodness of the Lord  in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Vv. 10-14

Do you know the grace of God? Have you received His gracious provision for you?

If you will build your faith on these three foundations, you will find your faith rising in times that used to create overwhelming fear.

The protection of His Place!

The Presence of His Face!

The Provision of His Grace!