My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body. Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. (Proverbs 4:20-23)

King Solomon tells us how:

• Fill your mind with truth
• Hide truth in your heart
• Be always on guard against the lies of the enemy

Consistent with King Solomon’s words, Paul writes in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

While we are all subject to wandering minds and wrong thoughts, these passages clearly teach us that we have the power to control how and what we think. Amen?

Do not enter the path of the wicked And do not proceed in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not pass by it; Turn away from it and pass on. (Proverbs 4:14-15)

We are surrounded by the evils of this world. As we “live in the world” it is pretty much impossible to avoid seeing things we wish we didn’t see. I am reminded of the little Sunday School song we used to sing: “be careful little eyes what you see”.

Many, if not most of us, are not as diligent as we could and should be of the things we expose ourselves to. We can’t avoid every dark thing but Solomon teaches that there are some specific yet simple ways we can guard ourselves from much of the evil we see.

• Avoid wicked places
• Turn away from evil situations
• Separate yourself from wicked people

As you think about your typical day, how diligent are you in following the counsel of Solomon?

Why is it important to protect ourselves as much as possible? What we see becomes thoughts, what we think becomes words, what we say becomes actions, and if we aren’t on our guard, our actions become our habits. I like the way James explains it:

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:13-15)

Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding, For I give you sound teaching; Do not abandon my instruction. When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother, Then he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live; Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. “Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you. “The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding. “Prize her, and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her. “She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty.” Hear, my son, and accept my sayings And the years of your life will be many. I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths. When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; And if you run, you will not stumble. Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life. (Proverbs 4:1-13)

We know that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (Prov. 1:7). The Lord wants to give us wisdom. He wants us to not only know Him, but to have understanding of His person.

• We know that we must be open to wise instruction if we are to have insight
• We must seek out follow sound teaching
• Wisdom is our protector
• Wisdom honors those who embrace her with grace and beauty
• We know that we must be obedient to God’s word to have a victorious life

Wisdom and understanding come only from the Lord. It is a gift He wants to give us because it is through wisdom and understanding that we come to know His character. The more we know Him, the deeper our love for Him will grow and the greater our fear and awe will be; and He will be glorified!

The holiday shopping season is kicking off even earlier this year! What better way to show your friends and family that you care than by sharing God’s word with them? If you want to give original gifts this year but aren’t sure where to start you are in the right place!

Offer expires November 11th

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His. (Hebrews 4:9-10)

This is such a busy time. The holidays are just around the corner, the time of year when our already busy lives quickly become hectic. get tired just thinking about it. I am reminded of an old TV commercial with the tag line “Calgon take me away” and I’m saying yes, yes, yes!

We seem to be a generation who believe we’ve always got to be busy at something; it’s almost an attitude. So much to do, so little time, so many people depending on us. We know we need to slow down, but who do we say “no” to?

God knows His daughters so well. Knowing we would behave this way, He arranged a retreat for us. A way beyond anything Calgon could ever hope to deliver. It is the promise of Sabbath Rest. In the powerful verses of Hebrews 4:9-10, God invites us to enter His rest. (The Greek word for enter is eiserchomai (ice-er’-khom-ahee) it means to arise, come into, to enter in, go in through). Isn’t that wonderful?!!!God wants us to arise and come in to Him. He wants us to come into His presence where we will find rest and peace.

I don’t know about you my dear Sisters, but I think I’ll take God up on His invitation. Before I get worn down by all the activity and stresses of life, I think I’ll take a few moments each day and step into the Sabbath Rest that God has for me. Won’t you join me?

Yet I will rejoice in Jehovah, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength; And he maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, And will make me to walk upon my high places. (Habakkuk 3:18-19)

These verses are part of a section titled “A Hymn of Faith.” As I read the words of this scripture, I feel proud that I can claim them as my own testimony faith. Do I rejoice in the Lord? Of course I do! Do I take joy in the God of my salvation? You bet! I believe that God is my strength, that He makes me sure footed and makes me walk on the high places. So, I guess by faith is in pretty good shape, pretty solid.

I suspect that most of you would read these verses and join me as I proclaim “amen and praise the Lord”. But, to borrow a phrase from Paul Harvey, we have “the rest of the story”; or should I say “the first of the story?” We need to back up just a bit, back to verse 17. You see, Habakkuk begins his Hymn with these word – “For though the fig-tree shall not flourish, Neither shall fruit be in the vines; The labor of the olive shall fail, And the fields shall yield no food; The flock shall be cut off from the fold, And there shall be no herd in the stalls:”

Hmmm. If we include verse 17, can we still claim this passage as our testimony? Do we indeed praise the LORD when there is no fruit on our vines, no food in our fields? How about when we get a bad report from the doctor or a pink slip from our boss? What if our marriage is struggling or our child is rebelling? During those hard days and dark nights, do we find our joy in the God of our salvation? Do we then proudly proclaim “I will rejoice in the LORD”? If we’re honest with ourselves, probably not. However, rejoice is just what God wants us to do. When we’re living in verse 17 and struggling to believe verse 18 God asks us to trust Him to fulfill verse 19.

The LORD wants us to learn that our joy doesn’t come from our blessings, our joy IS our blessing. As we enter into this season of Thanksgiving and as we focus on the many blessings God has bestowed upon our lives, let us remember that even if all that we give thanks for were to be taken away, we still have cause to rejoice. He is I AM and no matter what comes against us – God is able. He is our strength. He has planted our feet on the Solid Rock of Calvary and because of Him, you and I can freely say “Amen and Praise The Lord!”

[The Lord Jesus Christ] who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Galatians 1:4-5)

Throughout the letter to the Galatians, Paul testifies to the Person of Jesus. His sacrifice on the cross that gives freedom, redemption, justification, promise, hope. Jesus the giver of eternal life.

When our faith is challenged, our instinct is to fight back; we take it personal. So often our responses only serve to strengthen the argument rather than deflate it. We tend to make it about us and it quickly becomes a no-win situation.

How do you respond? Do you get defensive, do you retaliate in anger or do you speak the truth in (genuine) love?

Time and again Paul had to deal with false teachers whose only aim was to discredit his ministry and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether out of greed, hunger for power or zealousness, then as it is today, there were those seeking to wipe out the name of Jesus. I wonder, if we are unable to overcome hateful words, what will become of us when faced with severe persecution? I’ve thought about this often, questioning what I would do if given the choice to deny Jesus or face torture or death. I know that I am weak and in my own strength, I can’t see how I would be able to stand up against such brutality. But here is the hope and assurance that I have: “And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:11-12)

I am reminded of the story of Stephen, the first Christian martyr: They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:59-60)

Oh to have strength of faith like Stephen, to pray for our enemies even as they are throwing stones at us.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:6-7)

The false teachers Paul is warning about not only challenged the truth of the gospel, they challenged Paul himself – his character, reputation and authority. Paul had no choice but to offer a defense.

If you’ve been a Christian for very long I suspect that you have experienced at least some of what Paul was going through. As Christians it seems like we are forever called to defend our faith.

• Confrontations: “why would I want to go to church, it’s full of hypocrites”?
• Allegations: “How can you do…. and call yourself a Christian”?
• Accusations: “If your God is so good, why does He let….”?

Sadly, these kinds of attacks not only come at us from the outside, too many times they come from within our own body of believers – just as in Paul’s day. How do we handle such adversity, especially when it comes from within? How do we overcome the lies and distortions? How do we defend our faith?

This is where we can learn from the Apostle Paul.

Paul defends by his testimony: No sugar-coating here. Paul freely confesses his former life. He admits how he persecuted the church of God even to the point of trying to destroy it. But you will note that his testimony in no way glorifies his former life, to the contrary, it points directly to the grace of Christ. Paul doesn’t profess any self-achievement; nowhere does he say “this is what I did” rather his testimony is what Christ did!

Can you say the same for your own testimony? Is your testimony more about you and your own actions or is it about the grace of Jesus?

Paul defends by the Gospel: The gospel of grace. The gospel of freedom. The gospel of justification. The Good News! Jesus said in John 8:32 “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” We need not give human defense, God’s word is its own defense. His word is truth and it is all that is needed.

When confronted with doubters, judgmentalism, or even blasphemers, do you respond with human defenses or do you allow God’s truth to speak for itself?

For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. (2 Corinthians 1:20 NKJV)

FYI – IN THE BIBLE

• There is estimated to be somewhere between 3,000 and 9,000 promises
• There are more than 400 “I AM” statements
• There are seven Covenants between God and Man
• It is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18)

Promises to Keep

If you have lived any time at all, I feel safe in saying that at some point in your life, you have been on the receiving end of a broken promise. I know I have. Some broken promises are of little consequence – someone late for an appointment or cancelled a date. It’s annoying and sometimes hurts our feelings, but we go on relatively unscathed. But then, there are broken promises that cause deep scars, there’s no need to give you an example, you have your own story, your own painful memories. But, in spite of the pain, because we want to believe, we try to forgive and forget and find a way to trust again. It’s really kind of crazy how we take people at their word, even strangers, even though we have no foundation for doing so (politicians come immediately to mind).

Question. Do you BELIEVE God? I understand, there are times and situations when you feel God let you down; your job, relationships, illness, maybe even death of a loved one; I’m pretty sure we’ve all felt let down at some point. But God didn’t break His promises. He has never promised there wouldn’t be suffering. But, what God does promise, is that whatever we go through, He will go with us.

YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

LIFE IS FALLING APART

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.

YOU DON’T THINK YOU CAN GO ON

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

EVERYTHING IS GOING WRONG

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

YOU FEEL HOPELESS

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

(Psalms 23)

The Ultimate Promise

There is one more promise. It is a Promise fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled. A promise that encompasses and completes all of God’s promises:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

God’s chosen people waited 4,000 years for the promised Messiah, but because their necks were stiff, their minds were stubborn, and their hearts were prideful, they missed Him. They followed man instead of God. They put their focus on what they could do rather than on what God would do. They neglected the glory, the holiness and the requirements of God, and because of their neglect, they missed out on the greatest promise of all.

The Final Promise

They missed the Promise that encompasses, completes and perfects all of God’s promises:  The One who was the final blood sacrifice, the One who would deliver them from the penalty of their sin, the One who would give them life for eternity, the One who had the authority to say “It is finished”. The final promise of the God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament and He is called Jesus.  If only they had remembered, if only they had believed. How sad.  I pray none of us make the same mistake.  

I have no idea if you will be more willing to believe God. I’m not going to tell you that it’s easy to do because it requires sacrifice.  Believing God requires that you sacrifice your ways for His ways, your will for His will; even when you don’t want to.  Believing God requires total surrender.  Kind of like the trust exercises you used to play at parties; you know, where you fell back and trusted that someone would catch you, or put on a blindfold and trusted someone to lead you around and not let you bump into things or hurt yourself. Believing God requires commitment, you have to say “whatever God” and mean it, every time.  If you can do that, if you will do that, you will have a peace that you never imagined, it’s a promise.

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

For all intents and purposes, summer has passed, fall has arrived.  The lazy days of hanging out by the pool and Saturday afternoon barbecues are being replaced with football  practice, football games and football on TV.  The kids are back in school, some of you are learning the reality of “empty nests” as your children go off to college.  Recently I had a most strange experience.  I was sure there was a bit of a nip in the air.  I must have been imagining things, after all  it was 92 degrees!  But as I stopped to think about it, to let my senses take it in, there it was.  Something that couldn’t be explained but none the less very real.  I wasn’t sure how I felt about all that.  It’s been a good summer.  Lots of fun, time with family, vacation; I love summer.  At the same time though, I realized that there were other things to look forward to.  After all, Autumn is a wonderful time of year.  The beauty of God’s creation as the trees take on their color.  Finding comfort and warmth against the crisp morning air as I snuggle up in my worn out robe.  And, don’t forget getting back that hour of sleep that was lost back in the spring!

That’s how it is with life as we go from one season to another. Everything around us tells us that the current season is still with us, but from somewhere, in ways we can’t explain, we get those little signs – that sense from within that the season is about to change. Often, we don’t want to let go. We tend to keep looking back at what we’ve had, finding a sense of comfort in the familiar.

Most of us struggle with change don’t we? I think yes. Just as we look ahead to the change of seasons in nature, let us look ahead to the new seasons of life. And if we have days when we doubt – which we will, we need only turn to God’s word for assurance. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:”. The promise continues in verses 11-14: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil–this is God’s gift to man. I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.”

There are wonderful summertime memories behind us, yet if, like God’s creation, we will bend our will to His, there lies ahead a season of beauty, joy, comfort and of promise.