THE LORD KNOWS

 

THE LORD KNOWS

Is. 29:15 Destruction is certain for those who try to hide their plans from the LORD, who try to keep him in the dark concerning what they do! “The LORD can’t see us,” you say to yourselves. “He doesn’t know what is going on!” NLT

Go ahead and try it. Try and hide what you are doing or plan to do from the Lord. It cannot be done. The Lord somehow knows all about every detail of our living. He knows what we are doing and even why we do it. He knows what is on our minds. It is impossible to hide anything from the Lord.

If you are doing things you know you shouldn’t be doing and think that you are getting away with it, think again. The only thing you are accomplishing by not being upfront about your activities before the Lord is certain destruction. When you do evil you are not harming anyone but yourself. Trying to hide or cover-up evil destroys the soul.

As much as you might want to believe that God is in the dark and does not know what you are doing with your life, it simply is not so. God is light and His light penetrates the darkest soul. He knows all there is to know about you and there is nowhere to hide from His gaze. He knows and holds you responsible for what you do and accountable for it.

In order to protect yourself from self-destruction, live openly before the Lord. Be honest about what you are doing. Tell the Lord what you are doing. It benefits you, not the Lord. He already knows what you are doing. Your activities affect your heart, not His. Honesty is the only policy that works with the Lord. Confess any sin or sinful thoughts you may have. Seek the Lord’s forgiveness. And, with His help, strive to change your behavior so that you don’t get yourself in a similar mess down the road.

Develop a plan to stay out of sin’s path and work the plan. If you don’t work to help yourself, you will lose the battle for your soul. The Lord rewards those who are faithful to Him so work hard at keeping your soul healthy and holy before Him. You can do it. The question is, “Will you do it?”

REAL FAITH

 

REAL FAITH

Is. 29:13 And so the LORD says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. And their worship of me amounts to nothing more than human laws learned by rote.” NLT

This verse speaks of a matter that is close to my heart. So many people say that they are children of God, but their lives say otherwise. They may grace our churches on a regular basis and even be leaders in the church. They may be occasional church goers, or they may never go to church. They may call themselves Christian without any real understanding of what that really means from a Biblical perspective. They may even deny basic Biblical teachings and the Bible itself as the written Word of God.

Many who gather for worship on a regular basis go through the motions of worship without ever really worshiping the Lord. They may say the right things without their hearts being in it. They may make a lot of noise and get emotionally wound up without being passionate about the Lord deep in their souls. They may be good at preaching and teaching the Word without the Word ever really getting a hold of their hearts and changing them.

The Lord declares that such people are not His children. There is a difference between proclaiming truth and living truth. Many grow up in the church and never leave the church who have never had a life-changing experience with the Lord. They assimilate the truth of the Gospel without dealing with their sinful souls before God. They may be very good people who are respected highly in the church, but they are lost.

We must carefully examine our souls and make sure that we have not fallen into the faith instead of embracing it. We are not children of God unless we are convicted of our sins, confess them, and repent. There are no back doors into heaven. Jesus is the only way. He died to take away our sins, not to cover them up. We try often to cover them up with our goodness, but it never will work. Salvation is not ours just because we claim it to be so. What we say does not get us into heaven. Only Jesus can make our hearts righteous and holy before God.

Do you know for certain that you are the child of God that you claim to be? Have you opened up your heart to Jesus and let Him in to purify it and change you forever? If you have, it will be obvious in the way you live and in the peace that governs your soul.

JESUS, OUR CORNERSTONE

 

JESUS, OUR CORNERSTONE

Is. 28:16 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says, “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem. It is firm, a tested and precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never run away again.” NLT

Notice that this is something that God has done. No man can lay down a foundation that is trustworthy enough to build his life on. Any attempts to do so will not stand the test of time. One’s life will crumble and fall apart as it faces the many storms of life. Jesus is the foundation stone that Isaiah spoke about. He is firm, a foundation that never moves or crumbles. We can put our trust in Him knowing that He will always be steadfast and true.

Jesus has been tested. Scripture tells us that He was tempted in all points just like we are and yet He did not sin. He had many opportunities, but His love for God and connection to God was so strong that He never wavered in His rejection of sin’s opportunities. I do wonder whether or not if we were to love the Lord more if we would not sin as much. Is our connection to God so real and strong that we are able to say no to sin? It should be a challenge to us to do all that we can do to make our connection to the Lord as strong as we possibly can so we will have the willpower to resist temptations. I know I have found that I am the weakest in resisting temptation when I am weakest in my prayer and devotional life.

Jesus is our precious cornerstone. Everything in a building is built around its cornerstone. If the cornerstone is bad, the structure of the building will be weak and eventually crumble. Much care has to be given to make sure the cornerstone is what it should be. The same thing holds true in our relationship with the Lord. Our spiritual stability and longevity depend on how much we allow ourselves to be built on Christ. He is crucial to our life with God and there can be no compromising our connection to Him.

It is safe to build your life on Christ. In fact, as the old hymn put it, “all other ground is sinking sand.” If you try to build your life on anything else, you will make a mess of your life. Only in Christ are we able to handle whatever comes our way in a way that pleases God.

All who believe in Him find a safe haven in which to stand. They no longer have need to run and hide. They no longer have to chase after things to satisfy. In Christ alone, do we find what our souls need. In His life, we find peace and contentment. In Him, we find a life worth living for.

TRUST IN GOD OUR ROCK

 

TRUST IN GOD OUR ROCK

Is. 26:4 Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock. NLT

Trust is not something we can do when it’s convenient or easy for us to do. We must trust in the Lord always. No matter how impossible or difficult it may seem to be, we must trust in the Lord. We are prone to trust in our own judgment or the advice of others before we trust the Lord. So much of the decisions we make in life do not flow from trusting in the Lord. We may trust Him with the big things, but when it comes to the little things, we are more apt to handle them ourselves.

What we must understand is that trust is a way of life for the redeemed. If we truly believe what we say we believe about God, we will trust Him in all things. We say that God is trustworthy because He is absolute perfection in all things good and holy. We say that He is all knowing and understanding. We say that He is incapable of wrong judgments. We say that He is all powerful, able to supply whatever we may need. We say that He is love and will always do what is best for us. We say that He has a plan for our lives and is moment-by-moment working it out in our lives for our good. We say these things and claim to believe them but fail to turn to Him and trust Him for many things in our lives.

We must be honest about ourselves and admit that we are not always the most reliable people to trust. We don’t have a good handle on many things. We are too emotionally attached to be objective in many things. Our judgment is often clouded by our emotions. We are short-sighted and do not see the bigger picture. We like to think that we are so wise, but we are not. We need the Lord’s perspective on things in order for us to make good decisions in life.

Dear friend, if you find yourself not trusting the Lord always, please reconsider what you are doing. The Lord is our eternal Rock. He alone can be trusted to never fail. He alone is able to help you come out on top. He alone is unwavering and true to His Word. You can and must believe what He promises if you are going to live life in Christ. You will overcome all things and have peace always if you trust in the Lord to help you in all things big and small.

Don’t waver in this. Trust the Lord always in all things for He is our Rock and salvation.

STAYED ON JEHOVAH

 

STAYED ON JEHOVAH

Is. 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you! NLT

This is not a maybe promise! God say He WILL keep in perfect peace all who trust in Him. Perfect peace is the absolute knowledge that God is real in the heart. It is knowing that we have held nothing back from Him, that we have confessed all of our sins. It is knowing that God is in control and will never fail to be with us or let us down. It is knowing that the desire of the heart is that God’s will be done and not our own. It is knowing that God is able and putting all of our trust in Him. It is knowing that God is eternally the same and can never change.

Perfect peace comes to those who trust in the Lord with all their heart, mind and soul. It happens when we cease to doubt God, when we believe in His absolute goodness and holiness to the point where we know that He always acts on our behalf out of love and for our good.

Perfect peace comes to those who fix their thoughts on Him. There is so much to occupy our minds with. We are constantly being bombarded with things to think about. Since the world is for now Satan’s playground, it stands to reason that much of what we are exposed to is evil. It takes a disciplined mind to not focus on evil. A mind fixed on the Lord consistently and regularly feeds on godly things. There is much time spent in God’s Word and prayer. There is time spent surrounded by godly people. There is time spent seeing the world through God’s eyes. We train our minds to think of the world as a place of pain and not pleasure. A trained mind understands the lostness of the world and how precious it is to not be lost anymore.

Perfect peace is being able to rest in the knowledge that all is well with our souls. It is keeping our souls pure before God by confessing our sins and striving to live life by Christ’s righteousness in us. It is a heart fully surrendered to the lordship of Christ over us.

GOD'S PERFECT PEACE

 

GOD’S PERFECT PEACE

Is. 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you. NLT

The only way to really have peace in your soul is to trust in the Lord explicitly. There is no room for mistrust in the Lord. We take God for what He says and without reservation believe it. Understanding everything He says is not the issue. We believe God because it is God who has spoken. Trusting in God’s character is absolutely non-negotiable if we desire peace with Him. Peace comes when we by faith stand on the firm foundation of who God reveals himself to be, the “I AM” of life in all His glory. He is Absolute Perfection in all that is good and holy.

Peace is the result of our fixation on Him. When the Lord dominates our thinking, it soothes the soul. When our thinking is constantly being influenced by Him, we are able to live stress free. The more the Lord overshadows our lives, the better we are able to cope with life. Stress will still come, but when it does and we fix our thoughts on the Lord and His Word, stress loses its grip on us.

If peace eludes you, I challenge you to redirect your thoughts. Discipline yourself to think on the Lord and His Word. Let the wonder and glory of God captivate your thoughts. Learn to dwell on Him and not those things which stress you out. Spend more time in the Word and in prayer. Take the time to wait before the Lord without any agenda other than to have fellowship with Him. Learn to approach Him with praise and thanksgiving. If you do these things, you will certainly find the peace of soul you need and long for.

 

HE IS ALL I NEED

Is. 9:6-7 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the LORD Almighty will guarantee this! NLT

Do not read through these verses too quickly. Pause and think and then let them sink deep into your mind and soul. Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor. There is no one who can help you to understand yourself and life like Jesus can. No one knows you better than Jesus does. He knows how to guide you into truth in a way that you understand best. Earthly counselors are helpful, but they are limited in what they can do. Let Jesus help you and see for yourself how wonderful of a counselor He really is.

Jesus is our Mighty God. There is no power or authority on earth that can compare. All things were made by Him and for Him. There is no limit to what the Lord can do for you, and no one and nothing can keep Him from doing what He desires to do.

Jesus is our Everlasting Father. He always has been and always will be our Father.

Jesus is our Prince of Peace. There is no real peace except that which flows from our Lord. Peace from Christ is that calm assurance that all is well between us and God. It is knowing that when we die, we will be with our Lord in heaven for all of eternity.

The kingdom of God is ever growing, and it cannot be stopped. No power or authority on earth is able to silence the Gospel message. The Lord’s reign is eternal and He himself will make sure that it is. The Lord guarantees that you are safe in His hands! Trust in Him and He will see you through whatever life may bring your way until He calls you home.

The passionate commitment of the Lord to us is our guarantee that we will make it home. He will not ever let us out of His sight or watchful care. He will always be with us to provide all that we need for healthy souls. He is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. He is all I need. How about you?

WHO JESUS IS

 

WHO JESUS IS

Is. 9:6-7 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. NLT

A great deal has been said and written about these titles for Jesus over the years. Little can be added to it, but I do want us to linger for a moment and reflect again on them. It is good for us to not only think about our Lord, but then to visualize ways in which we know these things are true in our lives.

He is our Wonderful Counselor. He is all-knowing and full of compassion. He does not leave us in the dark on how we ought to be living. He is not insensitive to us and lovingly instructs and guides us in the ways we should go. The Lord is the way and will never advise us to go a different way other than the way that leads us to heaven and a deeper walk with God. Imagine the problems we would have if He were to hide the way from us and demand that we in our own wisdom find it. Instead, He makes himself known to us and instructs us how to know Him in His goodness, righteousness, and holiness.

He is our Mighty God. He is able. There is no need of life we will ever have that He is not able to handle. There is no sin that He is not able to forgive. There is no battle He is not able to win. There is no crisis of life that He is not able to see us through. There is no limitation in His power, love, wisdom, grace, mercy, and ability to make us into a holy people, a people after His own heart.

He is our Everlasting Father. There is no end to His fatherly love and care for us. There is no end to His desire to do good for us. There is no end to His protective care over us. There is no end to His working in our lives to make us fit for heaven.

He is our Prince of Peace. He is the crowning glory of peace. He alone is able to give us peace that satisfies our souls. He alone is able to give us the calm confidence we need to weather the storms of life. There is no real peace apart from Him.

There is so much more that could be said about our Lord. I have not even scratched the surface of just how wonderful He is. Linger for a moment at His feet and think about these things. Feast on the Mighty God we serve. He is such a Wonderful Counselor as He leads us through our life journey. He watches over us at all times and forever shall be our Father in heaven. He is our Prince of Peace amidst the storms of life. God has given us everything we need in life.

HE TOUCHED ME!

 

HE TOUCHED ME!

Is. 6:6 -8 Then one of the seraphim flew over to the altar, and he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” NLT

The proper response to being near to God is repentance. The closer we get to God, the more we should recognize our sinfulness and need for Christ. We should approach God with fear and trembling because we know we are not worthy. We are not able to withstand His holiness. We can only approach Him in Christ. Only the righteous and holy heart of Christ is acceptable to God. Only Christ is good enough. We are made right with God only when we are touched by the Master’s hand. Only Jesus can take away our sin, our guilt, and our shame.

We are invited to come boldly before the throne of God, but we dare not accept the invitation without Christ as our Savior, mediator, advocate, and Lord. We must stay connected with Christ in order for us to have an audience with God.

How connected are you with Christ today? Are you staying in the Word like you ought? Are you meditating on it first and foremost for your soul’s sake? Are you taking the time to pray like you ought for your soul’s sake? Are you feeding your mind on those things that build up your soul instead of tearing it down?

You will never have a proper understanding of God in His holiness until you have a proper understanding of what it means for you to live in Christ and for Christ to live in you. Can you honestly say, “He touched me!” and mean it from your heart today?

SEEING THE LORD

 

SEEING THE LORD

Is. 6:5 Then I said, “My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

Does it affect you when you enter the presence of the Lord? Do you sense who you are as you draw near to Him? Think about it for a moment. It is a good thing for us to see ourselves as we really are, sinners. It is good for us to approach God with fear and trembling because of our sin. Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the Lord Almighty. He is perfect love and holiness. He is so pure and holy that no sin is found in Him. There is absolutely no hint of sin anywhere near Him, not even a trace. He is absolutely holy and sits in judgment over all that which is unholy. He who e is over and above all is before me! How can I, a sinful man, dare even think of drawing near to HIM? No wonder Isaiah was overwhelmed at the thought of it. He had seen the Lord in all his splendor and holiness! “I am ruined! I am undone! I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!”

Yet, the amazing thing is that the Lord does indeed let us see Him. He came to earth, became flesh, dwelt for a while amongst us, died on the cross for our sins, and makes all who receive Him holy and acceptable to God so we can br near to the heart of God. He invites us to draw near to Him. He wants to be near to us. He willingly gets rid of the sin of all who want to draw near so that we can and still live. He forgives all who humble themselves before Him and ask for His forgiveness! He makes us pure so that we can be near to Him and yet not die.

Are you able to see the King, the Lord Almighty, and yet not die?

SIN STRUCK

 

SIN STRUCK

Is. 6:5 Then I said, “My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!” NLT

Oh, but that we all would have the same spirit that Isaiah had! When was the last time you were so overwhelmed by your sinfulness that you were driven to cry out in mercy to God for He is holy?

We just don’t see ourselves as we should in light of God’s holiness. God makes himself known to us and we consider it no big deal. We take for granted His love and favor. We know He is holy, but we are not too fazed by it. We know we sin, but it doesn’t bother us all that much. We don’t have a big problem with all the evil around us. We accept it as just a part of life and go on our merry way. Is it any wonder that God seems so far away from us?

We need to have an awareness of our sinfulness. We need to understand that God is holy and that sin affects our ability to have fellowship with God. We need to recognize our need to repent and be made holy before God. We will not see God move in us or in the church unless we first deal with sin. We have become sin tolerant, and it keeps us away from God’s heart. In order for us to become a people after God’s own heart, we must first confess our sins and repent. We must commit ourselves to lives of holiness and quit accommodating sin in our lives.

We may never see God in the same way that Isaiah saw Him, but we can know Him as Isaiah knew Him. We can take our sinfulness seriously and seek the face of God. We can focus on God’s holiness and see ourselves in light of it. We must quit comparing ourselves with others and considering ourselves good in comparison. In light of God’s holiness, no one is good or good enough. We are all sinners and desperately need Christ in control of our hearts, for He is our holiness before God.

Dear friend, fall prostrate at Jesus’ feet today. Admit your sin and confess them before God. Ask Jesus to keep you aware of your sin and your need for Him. Don’t play games with your soul. Unless Jesus is your Lord, you will lose your battle with sin. Surrender yourself to Him and He will wash away your sin and make your heart pure before God.

SING TO THE LORD

 

SING TO THE LORD

Is. 6:4 The glorious singing shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke. NLT

When was the last time you were in a service where the singing was so vibrant and Spirit-moved that it “shook the Temple to its foundations?” Have you given much thought to how you sing in church? Do you sing from your heart, or your head? Do you sing out of a heart full of praise and thanksgiving, or a heart full of pain and sorrow? Do you sing because you want to join in and worship the Lord or you want to join in because that is what you are expected to do? Do you direct your singing to those around you, or to the Lord?

How do you define singing anyhow? Is it not making a joyful noise unto the Lord from the heart? Whether or not you are on or off key is not important to God. What comes out of your heart is. What makes a noise joyful is a heart that is joyful because of the Lord in it. A joyful heart is one which knows the intimacy of the Lord’s presence and swells up in praise because of Him. A joyful heart is a heart that is prepared beforehand to sing His praises because they have already been with Jesus.

When souls gather together and join their hearts together in praise and worship, the singing is such that it will shake the Temple foundation and fill the sanctuary with smoke—the very presence of God himself.

If you are tone deaf like I am, sing unto the Lord. If it is a problem for those around you, perhaps they need to consider whether or not they are singing unto the Lord. We need to encourage one another to sing from our hearts unto the Lord, not hinder one another. A loving heart full of praise is pleasing unto the Lord.

Let all who have a song to sing, sing from their heart unto the Lord this very day. Worship is not confined to an allotted time set aside on a Saturday or Sunday. True worship happens daily as we live out our lives in Christ.

NEAR TO THE HEART OF GOD

 

NEAR TO THE HEART OF GOD

Is. 6:3-4 In a great chorus they sang, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” The glorious singing shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke. NLT

One of the songs of heaven that the angels and heaven’s choir continuously sings is holiness unto to the Lord. Scripture doesn’t tell us about any other songs being sung before God, but we are told that holiness is declared in choruses of praise. It is such a glorious song that it shook the very foundation of the Temple. Have you ever been in a worship service that was so overwhelmed by the presence of God that it shook to the core the place of worship?

Maybe a better question would be, “Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the presence of God that all you could do was declare His holiness in praise? Branded deep in my soul is an experience I had as a little boy. I grew up in a conservative Wesleyan church where there was an elderly saint, Brother Shaffer. I can still see him today as if had happened yesterday. Brother Shaffer would so feel the presence of God in worship that he would stand up and start walking down the aisles of the church with his hands raised to heaven and say over and over again, “Glory, Glory, Glory!” He would walk around the church and then sit back down, and I would know even as a young lad that I was in the presence of God.

Rarely have I had such an experience since. I have been where God has moved in our midst in a very precious and special way, but it is not the norm. Now, I am not talking about those times in which we generate excitement within ourselves. We can easily become excited without it being because God is in our midst. When the Lord is in our midst, we know it deep within our souls.

I wonder if we were to live closer to the heart of God if maybe the Lord would visit us more often in worship. Can we really say that we are living close to God? We cannot be close to God without being holy in heart. We must be students of the Word and have regular visits with God in our prayer closets. We must be actively taking our faith out into the world and doing what we can do for the glory of Christ.

When we draw near to God, we become captivated by the presence and holiness of God. We see ourselves as we are, in great need of Him in our lives. When we become holy in heart as He is holy, great things will happen in our lives and through our lives. Holiness is the greatest need of the church today.

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY

 

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY

Is. 6:3 In a great chorus they sang, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” NLT

We sing it, but do we grasp it? “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord, God Almighty!” What does it mean to proclaim that God is holy? Holiness is an absence of sin. When we ascribe to God holiness, we are declaring that there is absolutely no sin at all in Him or in His presence. We are declaring that He is absolutely perfect in character and incapable of anything but perfection in thought and action. He is holy. He is unaffected by sin because no sin is anywhere near Him. He is always right and never wavering in His ability to act in character. He is holy.

We declare Him holy knowing full well that we are not. We know that we can’t be holy on our own. There is nothing in us to declare holy. We become holy only to the extent we are connected to God. The more we live in Christ, through Christ, for Christ, the more holy we become in who we are. We declare Him holy and declare our need for Him to make us holy.

All of heaven and earth declare His glory. God has left His fingerprint on everything He has made for all to see Him in His glory. You cannot escape God’s witness. No one can claim they had no knowledge of God when His glory is evident wherever they may turn.

No one will stand before God and be able to claim they never knew He existed. Every knee will bow before Him and declare He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The glory of God can be seen everywhere. Open your eyes and behold Him, bow your heart before Him, and let Him be your Savior and Lord today.

GOD IN HIS GLORY

 

GOD IN HIS GLORY

Is. 6:1,2 In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the LORD. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Hovering around him were mighty seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with the remaining two they flew. NLT

This portion of God’s Word has always ministered to me. We catch a little visual glimpse of God in His glory. Although we can never fully imagine what it is like to be in the presence of God while we are in the flesh, we can get enough of an idea to whet our appetites and cause us to bow before Him in reverence.

The Lord was sitting on His throne. He is absolute in His existence, power, and authority. He fills up the place where He resides. He is surrounded by angelic beings who both minister to Him as they sing His praises and who honor Him in their worship and service.

I find it noteworthy that their faces were covered by their wings. I don’t want to make this say more than it does, but it makes me think. How much do we “cover our faces” when we worship the Lord? Do we have a sense of the majesty, glory, and holiness of God? When was the last time you approached God with fear and trembling? When was the last time you were unable to look upon God because of the sin in your heart? When was the last time you felt the need to turn away your gaze from Him because He is God?

I wonder; are we too God-friendly for our own good?

A VISION OF GOD

 

A VISION OF GOD

Is. 6:1 In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the LORD. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. NLT

If you were permitted to actually catch a glimpse of heaven, what would you expect to see? What would you expect to happen? We are given very little actual insight into heaven in the Scriptures. We are told that it is full of the glory of God, and that there is continuous praise going on. We are told that the angels are busy serving the Lord there. We are given a picture of heaven being a place of indescribable beauty, untainted by sin in any form. Heaven is so much more than what is revealed to us in the Scriptures

Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a throne. God is spirit, but He was recognizable to Isaiah. Isaiah had his spiritual eyes open and could see Him in a way that only the truly righteous in heart can see Him. If our hearts are right with God, we are able to see God on a much deeper level than what is normally known of God at first glance.

God revealed himself in human form at various times in history, so it’s not too hard to see and recognize God if we are seeing Him through the lens of our humanity. But, will we always need to see Him as we do now? In heaven we will have different bodies, different eyes. We will be able to see Him differently than we do now. We will see Him as He actually is, absolute holiness wrapped up in glory. We will see absolute perfection. We will see nothing but holy love. His presence will be such that it will fill all the space we are in. We will see the glory of God without end. We will see Him on His throne, and we will be drawn to Him on bended knee.

People who sit on thrones in this world are corrupted by sin. They embrace their power and authority and feast on it. They abuse their power for their own gain. But it is not that way with God. God on His throne is pure holiness. Everything He does is good and right. He always acts out of the context of perfection.

Isaiah was given a glimpse of God on His throne. There was a reason why God allowed him to see what he did. God had huge plans for Isaiah’s life. God was going to send him out into his world as a special ambassador for Him. Isaiah was going to become the voice of God for his day. Isaiah’s vision of God was going to forever change him.

God became flesh and dwelt for a while amongst us. He made himself known to us so that we can see Him and be changed by Him for His purposes. God has special plans for you and wants you to look upon Jesus. He wants to show you the way to God’s throne so that you might be saved and equipped to be His voice in your world. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away your sins. Do you see Him? Do you know His saving grace today? He is waiting for you. Turn to Him now. Today is the day of your salvation.

ALCOHOLIC DRINKING

 

ALCOHOLIC DRINKING

Is. 5:22 Destruction is certain for those who are heroes when it comes to drinking, who boast about all the liquor they can hold. NLT

I don’t know what your stand is on drinking, and I do not want to make an issue of whether or not it is okay to do it. What concerns me the most is our attitude about it. Drinking has become acceptable across most of society and the church. It doesn’t have the stigma it once did. The advertising world has done an excellent job in making it attractive and creating a desire in people to do it.

What most people do not want to think about is its effect on the body, mind and soul of man. Some try to warn people of the downside of drinking, but it usually falls on deaf ears. It is a proven medical fact that drinking takes a toll on the body. Prolonged drinking causes the body to malfunction. It affects the ability of the mind to think clearly and rationally. It causes the soul to distance itself from God.

Alcohol consumption easily can become a god to man. People begin to live for the next drink. It consumes their thinking and becomes their chosen way of unwinding from the stresses of living. It soon takes over a person’s life and creates a need for a drink in almost all social activities. It gets to the point where a person cannot function for long without a pick-me-up drink.

People have different tolerant levels for alcohol, and few are able to recognize and stay within their tolerance level. Drinking tends to dull the mind’s ability to know when the body has had enough. Drinking more alcohol than the body can safely handle causes all kinds of destruction. It destroys the body and mind and has an adverse effect on all who come in contact with the person who is drunk.

The Word of God declares that anything that is done in excess is sin. Many of the Proverbs speak about the dangers of alcoholic consumption. The issue that we must consider is whether or not it is okay to take the risk of what drinking might do to us in light of what the Word says and medical science backs up. Does God approve of our putting ourselves and others at risk when we drink? It is an issue each of us must decide before God.

NOT SO WISE

 

NOT SO WISE

Is. 5:21 Destruction is certain for those who think they are wise and consider themselves to be clever. NLT

There are a lot of people who think they know it all. They may be highly educated and like to flaunt the fact. They may be influential in their community or in their chosen profession. They may be rich and believe their wealth makes them wiser and more special than most. And, there are people who think they are wise who don’t fit into any of the categories above. Regardless, anyone who thinks he is wise and clever needs to know that pride leads to destruction.

Wisdom comes from God alone. True wisdom is the right application of God’s Word to daily living. It is the Spirit of God who makes us wise. He opens our eyes to see and understand God’s truth and directs us how to live it. Wise is he who humbly accepts what God teaches him with thanksgiving and thanks living. Wise is he who is not content with what God has taught him but seeks to learn more. Wise is he who understands that he never gets to the point where he can rest in his knowledge and understanding of Truth. Wise is he who knows who he is in God’s eyes and not his own.

Wisdom is the gift of God’s Son living in the heart. It is living in submission to Him. It is leaning not on one’s own understanding but learning from Him. It is understanding that only in Christ do we find the truth, way to God, and life itself. It is not wasting one’s life away chasing after what only Christ can give. It is not being satisfied with anything in life but life in Christ.

Don’t be a fool; be wise. Live your life in Christ and for Him alone.

WHAT GOD SAYS

 

WHAT GOD SAYS IS

Is. 5:20 Destruction is certain for those who say that evil is good and good is evil; that dark is light and light is dark; that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. NLT

Trying to say that sin is not sin is futile just like trying to say truth is not truth is futile. Saying doesn’t change it. God has declared it is so and so it is. What God says is absolute. There is no discussion or debate. We may not understand it, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is the way it is. We may convince ourselves that we know what God knows to be true, but when it comes down to it, only God knows the whole truth and how it all fits together. There is no misinformation given. Everything God has revealed to us makes sense and someday we will see the sense of it all. Until then, we trust Him.

We mess with God’s truth at our own risk. All who deny the truth and seek to live by other rules face a godless eternity in hell. Confusion plagues those who will not believe God. They have no clue as to who they are, why they are here, where they are going, and what life is all about. They walk in the darkness of their befuddled minds and live without hope and meaning.

Know that what God says is absolute truth from beginning to end. It is not up to us to decide whether or not it’s all truth or not. Any attempt to pick and choose from God’s Word what we want to believe is utter foolishness and sin. Apply to your life all that you know and can. What you don’t know, rest in the knowledge that it is true because God says it is so. Someday you will get it. Until then live by faith.

CONFUSED ABOUT SIN?

 

CONFUSED ABOUT SIN?

Is. 5:20 Destruction is certain for those who say that evil is good and good is evil; that dark is light and light is dark; that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. NLT

There is no confusion with what God says. People don’t always want to hear what God has to say, and they may try to make it say what it doesn’t say, but it doesn’t change what is. People have always tried to make evil good. Sin is the most lucrative business on earth. Sin is made out to be attractive and something to be desired. Sin is used extensively to “get ahead” in the world. It is the way the world operates. Sinful behavior is the norm. We are constantly bombarded with sin. It influences the way we think and live. Sin is not seen by the world as something evil, it is seen as something good and useful. God declares that evil is not good and those who say it is, are bound for destruction.

People also declare that good is evil. There is much opposition to those who stand strong on what God declares to be true and good. The world has very little tolerance for people who oppose what they do. The world has always fought vigorously to try and silence God’s goodness. They declare that good is bad. They oppose those who declare sinful behavior to be sin. They don’t want to be told that there is a godly standard to live by and to be held accountable for. The world will do everything it can to deny the fact that they can’t do what they want to do. In the world’s eyes, good is evil because it opposes what the world wants to do. God declares that those who oppose good and call it evil are bound for destruction.

When God speaks of destruction, He is not talking about annihilation as some declare He is. Destruction is spending eternity in hell. It is alienation from God. It is an inescapable sentence of being an outcast from God’s presence. Destruction is an eternity without hope. It is eternal torment and anguish of heart over blown opportunities to repent.

God will not be mocked. Truth will prevail. Evil is evil and good is good. It behooves us to educate ourselves about all that God declares is good so that we might live it. Many things that we think are good are not; they are evil. Ignorance is no excuse. God has given us His Word to educate us. We must be willing to listen and learn so that we can live lives that are pleasing and acceptable to God. God does not confuse us. He guides us into all truth and we had better pay attention. Destruction is certain for all who do not walk in the light of God’s revealed truth.

GOD CAN HELP YOU

 

GOD CAN HELP YOU

Is. 1:18 “Come now, let us argue this out,” says the LORD. “No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool.” NLT

I don’t know your heart. I don’t know what you may have done or are now doing. I don’t know if you have made a real mess of your life or not. You may think that you have really done something that is so awful that there is no longer any hope for you. You may think that even God won’t forgive you. If this is you, listen to what God says in today’s verse. There is nothing you have done or are now doing that is beyond the scope of God’s forgiveness. He is able, and willing, to clean up your act. He can take anything you have done and take it away from you. He can wash your heart clean, cleaner than a freshly fallen snow. Impossible? No, God is able to help you.

If you are tired of being you, let the Lord help you. Enough is enough. Only the Lord can help you with your sin problem. He is able to take care of all of your sins. All you have to do is be honest with yourself about it, confess what you have done before the Lord, ask Him to forgive you, and accept His forgiveness. He will take it from there. He will purify your soul and give you a new start in life. But when you do, you cannot hold anything back. You must give Him all of your sins and be willing to change so that you don’t continue in them.

Maybe you are reading this and you haven’t done anything drastically that has alienated you from God. The truth of the matter is that sin of any kind keeps us away from God. No matter how insignificant you may think your sin is, it is very significant to God. God is holy and no one who has unconfessed sin in their heart can get close to God. We must deal with sin before God. If we confess our sin, the Lord is faithful and just and He will forgive us, but we must confess our sins before the Lord will take them away.

Dear friend, admit it. You need to turn to the Lord today and confess sin. Don’t put it off. There is peace deep within the soul when our hearts are made pure by God. You will never know His peace until you do.

OUR SIN ISSUES

 

OUR SIN ISSUES

Is. 1:18 “Come now, let us argue this out,” says the LORD. “No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool.” NLT

A few things to ponder on today. One is that we all have sin issues. No one is excluded. Sin is failure to live a godlike life. To not have sin is to be God. Sin leaves a stain on our lives. Sin affects us whether we realize it or not. It influences the way we think and live. It influence how we think about God and our desires for Him. The stain of sin can be very deep. It can make it nearly impossible for us to find our way to God. It can so cloud our thinking and dull our spiritual senses that the voice of God can no longer be heard.

Yet, no matter how much we sin God can help us. God can clean up the messiest soul. He can make the dirtiest sinner white as the purest snow. No matter how horrible the sin may be, Jesus can forgive it and make it go away. There is no one beyond the reach of God’s grace. No one. Sin sucks the life out of the soul, but Jesus can breathe into it eternal life. Sin pulls us away from God and causes us to suffocate to death. Jesus connects us to God that we might live.

Jesus is in the business of doing that which is impossible for man to do. He saves our souls. He cleans up our messes and makes us into children of God. Don’t believe the lie that Jesus can’t help you. He is able to help anyone who comes to Him for the forgiveness of their sin. He wants to help you today. What sin issue do you need help with today?

YOU CAN BE FORGIVEN

 

YOU CAN BE FORGIVEN!

Is. 1:18 “Come now, let us argue this out,” says the LORD. “No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool.” NLT

This is one of the greatest verses in all of Scripture. It gives us hope and cause to rejoice. No matter how badly we may have sinned, the Lord is able to take that sin from us and make our hearts pure. The Lord is able to change the soul from one that is darkened and ugly by sin and make it whiter than the purest snow. In place of darkness, He gives us light. In place of guilt and shame, He gives us peace and joy.

No matter what we have done, it can be forgiven by Christ. There is no sin beyond the reach of saving grace. We can’t undo what we have done, but in Christ we can gain victory over it. We don’t have to be enslaved by sin. We can have hearts of righteousness. We can know that our sins are taken away from us to be remembered no more.

If you have said or done something and you simply cannot forgive yourself for it, Christ can forgive you. He can take the pain away. He can take away the guilt and shame. No matter what it is, Jesus can help you. Confess your sin right now to Him and ask Him to forgive you. He will do it! Stand on the guarantee of God’s promise that you are forgiven. Claim the fresh start He declares for you. Your sins are forgiven, and your heart is whiter than snow. In His eyes you are no longer a victim of sin. You are no longer an enemy of God. You are His child. The past is forgotten, and you are a new creation in Christ.

Don’t ever buy into the lie of Satan that you are beyond the reach of Christ’s forgiveness. Don’t let him tell you that you are not a child of God because of your past. Stand on the Word of God that declares you are forgiven and on your way to heaven.

EXCLUSIVE LOVE

 

EXCLUSIVE LOVE

Song of Songs 4:12 “You are like a private garden, my treasure, my bride! You are like a spring that no one else can drink from, a fountain of my own. NLT

Even though he didn’t always practice it, Solomon understood the concept of exclusive love within marriage. For a married couple, one’s spouse is the only object of his affections. There is a commitment to one’s spouse that excludes anyone else from their relationship.

Marriage is a covenant relationship between a husband and his wife before God. There are gates put up where no one can pass through. There is no one else allowed in their hearts or marriage. A husband is exclusively his wife’s, and his wife is exclusively his. No one else is allowed to get close enough to be a threat to their marriage.

When a couple sees their relationship as being exclusive, there is no looking on the other side of the fence and pining for someone else. There is no entertaining and feasting on the attention of others. There is no reason for mistrust to rear its ugly head. There is no insecurity during those times when intimacy does not happen.

When God created man and woman and brought them together and they became one, He knew exactly what He was doing; He knew that it was exactly what both the man and woman needed in order to live life at its best. What a wonderful gift of love marriage is from our Heavenly Father. Don’t mess it up. Love your spouse exclusively and only let your spouse be the one who loves you.

UNTIL THE TIME IS RIGHT

 

UNTIL THE TIME IS RIGHT

Song of Songs 3:5 “Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the swift gazelles and the deer of the wild, not to awaken love until the time is right.” NLT

The world has no restraints on “love.” Most people do not care about waiting for marriage to express their physical desires for someone. Most people let their passions dictate their behavior. The idea of self-control before marriage is deemed to be unnecessary, unrealistic, and even unacceptable by many. We live in a very physically orientated world.

Yet, God clearly sets boundaries for our moral behavior. He tells us that intimacy should be reserved for marriage. He declares that sex outside of the context of the marriage of a man and woman is sin. God created us with our passions for the mutual benefit and enjoyment of a married couple for life. Sex seals the covenant of love between a husband and wife and makes them as one in God’s eyes.

Wise are those who do not “awaken love until the time is right.” Wise are those who care enough about each other that they set clear moral boundaries that they will not cross to help minimize their passions. Wise is the couple who strives to keep themselves pure by avoiding those things and situations that would arouse them. Wise is the couple who keeps their eyes fixed on Jesus so that He can help them keep their passions under control until the time is right.

There is no greater expression of love than intimacy in marriage. When done within marriage and within the boundaries of God’s moral laws, there is no guilt, shame or regrets with sex. Don’t rob yourself of the best of what God has for you by tarnishing it and yourself before or outside of marriage.

THE OBJECT OF YOUR HEART'S LOVE

 

THE OBJECT OF YOUR HEART’S LOVE

Song of Songs 2:1 “I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley.” NLT

One of the “Goldie oldie’s” of church hymnals is, The Lily of the Valley. I also remember as a kid singing about the sweet Rose of Sharon. Both songs speak of Christ, the Lord of life. The songwriters express praise to our God for Jesus. Jesus is lifted up far above all else. He is the exalted one, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. “He is the bright and morning star, the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.” It is always good to focus our eyes on the Lord and appreciate who He is to our souls.

Just like this young woman was declaring that she was the object of her lover’s heart, Jesus is the object of our hearts of love. She was zeroed in on her lover (Solomon). All that she could think about was him. She longed to be with him and throughout this book of love, we discover how beautiful love can really be. So it should be with us with Jesus.

Are you in love with Jesus? Do you long to be near Him? Does He set your soul on fire? Do you do whatever you can do to be with Him? If you are like most, probably not. Why? What has happened to draw you away from the Lord? What has taken away your desire to be near Him, to be bathed in His love?

Whatever it is, why not change what is and return to your first love? Ask the Lord to give you a love bath. Ask Him to wash away the grime and dirt so that you can feel fresh and pure once again. Reset your priorities and make Jesus your life. Reacquaint yourself with Him. Look for Him in His Word and in your prayer closet. Don’t make excuses; just do it. You have the time for what really matters to you. Only Jesus is worthy of being number one in your life.

DON'T LOOK DOWN ON ME

 

DON’T LOOK DOWN ON ME

Song of Songs 1:6a “Don’t look down on me, you fair city girls, just because my complexion is so dark..” NLT

We do it, don’t we? We look down on others who are different than we are. We know better, but we struggle with not doing it. For some reason we profile a person based on their appearances. We shy away from those who look different and maybe even shun them.

I am reminded of what God told Samuel when he was looking for the one God was going to raise up to replace Saul as king. Samuel knew that the next king was going to be from Jesse’s family. He assumed it would be the oldest son, but it wasn’t. One by one a son of Jesse was brought before Samuel and God told him that it wasn’t him. After looking at seven sons of Jesse, Samuel asked if that was all of his sons because by this time Samuel was confused since none of the sons were chosen by God. Finally, the youngest son, David, was brought before Samuel and God told him he was the one.

God told Samuel that he wasn’t seeing what He saw. Man looks on the outside and passes judgment; God looks on the inside and passes judgment.

Many friendships are lost, and many qualified people are passed over simply because they look different. Shame on us!! Don’t be so quick to dismiss someone because of how they may look. Take the time and put forth the effort to get to know the person’s heart. Ask the Lord for discernment in the process and you will perhaps discover someone very special in your life, someone who will prove to be a true-blue friend for life.

LIVING IN CHRIST

 

LIVING IN CHRIST

Eccl. 12:13,14 Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. NLT

Solomon had spent a lot of time thinking about life and its meaning. He had the opportunity and resources to look into just about everything that is common to man. He looked for purpose and meaning in what man does in life and came up empty time and time again. He discovered that there is no lasting purpose or satisfaction in anything people did with their lives.

At the end of his search, Solomon turned his thoughts to the eternal. He declared that what really life was all about was to fear God and obey Him. He declared that it is the duty of every person to do it. Much has been declared about what it means to fear God.

To fear God is to have a deep respect for who God is in His holiness and what He does for those who sin against Him. It is having a healthy sense of God’s judgment. It is living with the knowledge that God hates sin and will not tolerate it in His presence. It is respecting the reality of hell as a place of eternal tormenting suffering for those who reject Christ and live in sin. It is understanding that we are not able to draw near to God because of our sin. A healthy fear of God drives us to Christ who alone can make us holy before God.

We don’t like to think about it much, but God will judge us for everything we do. Every hidden thing we have done, good or bad, will be exposed before Him. God sees what no one else sees. He knows all that we do and even why we do it. We don’t like to think about it. God knows everything we do or think about, good or bad. No one always thinks about good things or always does good things. All of us are guilty of sin. No matter how hard we try, we can’t get away from God’s knowing eye. Such knowledge should cause us to fear what awaits us when we face God.

Only those who are living in Christ will be able to stand before God. Jesus is our holiness, our righteousness before God. He is the only one who can keep us from being subject to the wrath of God. God will bring wrath upon all in whom He finds sin. When sin is exposed, it will be dealt with. Hell has been prepared for those in whom sin is found. When God looks at the soul who is living in Christ, He sees not sin; He sees the righteousness of Christ. He will never look beyond the righteousness of Christ. Thus, for those who live in Christ, our sins are as if they never were. Our only hope is to fear God and obey Him, which means we live in Christ and let Him be our Savior and Lord.

FEAR AND OBEY GOD

 

FEAR AND OBEY GOD

Eccl. 12:13,14 Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. NLT

Solomon had looked at life. He observed how futile life really is. He sought meaning and purpose for our existence through our life experiences and came up empty-handed. When he was all done looking, he came to the conclusion that in order for life to have any meaning at all, it must be rooted in our relationship with God.

Solomon is widely known for his wisdom. In his day, people from all over the world came to listen to him. He recorded his thoughts and God preserved them for all the generations to follow. We continue to benefit from his wisdom as we strive to live the life of faith. He was very observant about life and faith. So, when he narrows down all that he understood about life into a couple of sentences, it is wise for us to take note.

Solomon declares that the most important thing we can do in life is to fear God and obey His commands. Fear involves respect. We must respect God in His holiness. We must always be mindful of the character and nature of God. Our awareness of God compels us to obey Him. We obey Him because we know the character of God and realize that whatever God tells us to do it is because He loves us and desires to make us holy. He declares that without holiness no one will see Him, let alone be with Him. Wisdom would teach us that we must have proper respect for God in His holiness.

The Lord does not want us to face Him without being holy in character. He knows that on Judgment Day everything in our hearts will be exposed for Him to see, and if we are not holy, we must spend eternity in hell. He will see every secret thing. He will see all the goodness of our hearts and all the evil. He will know not only what is there, but why it is there. He will know our motives and whether or not we strive to live in Christ or not. He will know if we live for Christ out of duty or love. Nothing will be hidden from Him.

There is nothing more important in life than this: to fear God and obey Him.