Simple Thoughts On Promises

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Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. (Isaiah 65:24)

The prophet Isaiah prophesying about the Millenial reign of Christ gives this promise to his people living then. Of course there are many who do not believe in the Millenial reign of Christ after the second coming, but that's not the issue here.
The verse that we have above is so marvellous. Can the Lord answer us now in this way? Of course he can. He answered Eleazer's prayer for bringing a woman who was to be Isaac's wife.

Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too' - let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master." Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor. (Genesis 24:12-15)

Notice the phrase "Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came..."

That was an instant answer to prayer. No waiting period. How great it would be if God answered all our prayers like that. But many a time we have to wait. Yet, we should be always in the "expectant attitude."
He can answer you before you finish praying. Even today.

So, let your prayers for immediate needs be with such faith that you expect God to do a miracle even while you are praying. God bless.
 
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Don't you know that the LORD, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt? (2 Chronicles 13:5)

Holding on to the promises of God. That is of greatest importance in our lives. This chapter from the Bible concerns a war between Israel and Judah. Though they were one kingdom at the start, because of Solomon's disobedience, God partitioned the kingdom later on and different kings ruled Israel and Judah.

Here in this chapter, Abijah, grandson of Solomon is king of Judah and Jeroboam is king of Israel. Abijah and Jeroboam are at war. Jeroboam has an army of 8 lac soldiers and Abijah 4 lacs.

Despite the great difference in the strengths of the army, Abijah holds on to the promises of God and abides by the Law of Moses. Jeroboam meanwhile has instituted his own worship and priests.

Listen to what Abijah tells Jeroboam,
"And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the LORD, which is in the hands of David's descendants. You are indeed a vast army and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods.
But didn't you drive out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what are not gods. "As for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the LORD are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. Every morning and evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the LORD our God. But you have forsaken him. God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. Men of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed." (2 Chronicles 13:8-12)

Abijah was confident though his army was only half the size of Jeroboam. Notable are the statements- God is with us; he is our leader. Men of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.

Meanwhile Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah, the ambush was behind them. Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out to the LORD. The priests blew their trumpets and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands.

There are Christians who are only name sake Christians. They are like Jeroboam. They have God's Word but don't live according to it. They have instituted their own ways of worship. They try to intimidate true believer's but they will never win because God will fight for his children like he did for Abijah in this war.

Are you holding onto the promises of God and living according to his Word? The enemy will not win. That's for sure.
 
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'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty." (Haggai 2:9)

Though all believer's are called to be witnesses of Jesus Christ and his kingdom, some are called to the ministry. The 5 fold ministry as detailed in Ephesians Ch. 4 is this:
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (Ephesians 4:11, 12)

So what's your calling? And what are you doing about it?

Among the people who returned from the Babylonian exile were Joshua the high priest, Zerubabel the governor and the prophet Haggai..
The Israelites and the above mentioned leaders set about building their own houses after coming back from Babylon. They ignored building the temple of the Lord. Then the Lord spoke through Haggai the prophet that they should build the temple first.

Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD. So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God, (Haggai 1:12, 14)

Are you going about your own business ignoring the Lord's calling upon your life? Give God precedence and it will bring about a great change in your life. You will not suffer what the Israelites who came back from the exile suffered. This was what God had to tell them:
You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." (Haggai 1:6)

When they obeyed the voice of the Lord and started building the temple of the Lord, this was the promise that God gave them,
'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty." (Haggai 2:9)

Zerubbabel, Joshua & Haggai obeyed God and did the Lord's bidding. Won't you?
 
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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)

The people of this world consider the rich and the famous as blessed. But that is not true blessedness. If your transgressions are forgiven and your sins are covered, you are truly blessed. A person in whom God does not find any deceit is truly blessed.

Look at Nathanael. Nathanael is another name for Barthelomew, one of Jesus' 12 disciples.
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." (John 1:47, 48)

How great if Jesus can say that about each one of us. Jesus plainly said that he did not see any deceit in this man. How wonderful. Nathanael was stunned. How could this man who was seeing him for the first time declare this? Jesus told him that he had seen him meditating on God's Word sitting in the shade of the fig tree.

God sees and knows everything about us. He knows exactly how much guile there is in each one of us. We cannot hide anything from him.
Look at this verse.
The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns. (2 Kings 17:9)

Secretly...and that too against the Lord...How foolish. They were only deceiving themselves. Let it not be so in our lives and may the Lord help each one of us to be without deceit in our spirit. That will bring us a state of true blessedness. Praise the Lord.
 
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Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. (Genesis 8:20, 21)

God's promise of not to destroy all living creatures again has stood the test of time and has been true to this day.
One family of 8 survived the flood because God found one man to be righteous in that generation. The Bible says, "Noah walked with God."

When everyone around is going astray don't take that as a clue that everything is lost. The Lord's eyes are on them whose hearts are committed to him.

The prophet Elijah thought that he was the only righteous man in all Israel. In his self righteous attitude he told God twice the following things:
"I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." (1 Kings 19:10)

God corrected him by telling him that:
Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. (1 Kings 19:18)

Perhaps you may think that you are the only one left whose doctrines are all right. Good for you, but God has seen many more hearts that are living for him though their doctrines may not be perfect.

Come to think of it, all the 7 people in the ark besides Noah perhaps were not righteous as him, yet God did not forsake them. Your spouse or children or parents may not be as spiritual as you are, yet God doesn't condemn them. So have a heart that can accomodate those who are of the faith, but not as strong as you are.

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. (Romans 15:1)

Praise the Lord.
 
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"For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. (Isaiah 54:7)

Abandoned by all. Abandoned by God too. Whatever be the cause. It must have been a terrible experience. You must have wished to die but that too didn't happen. The pain and the gall. Job experienced it in his life. He lamented:
"Even today my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning. If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling! I would state my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would find out what he would answer me, and consider what he would say. Would he oppose me with great power? No, he would not press charges against me. There an upright man could present his case before him, and I would be delivered forever from my judge. "But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. (Job 23:2-10)

Experiencing the horrible torments in life, Job felt that God had abandoned him. Job wanted to argue with God. He wanted to know what God would answer him. The only problem was that he couldn't find God, neither in the east or in the west, nor in the north or in the south.

But God had not abandoned Job. He was always near; watching.
Are you in a desperate situation these days? Perhaps you feel like God has abandoned you. Take heart. God says, ""For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. (Isaiah 54:7)

Israel felt abandoned by God because they were punished for their sins. They despaired. But God restored them in his time. God will restore you too. Be strong and courageous. God bless.
 
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They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings - and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers." (Revelation 17:14)

The above is a prophecy regarding a future war between the Antichrist and his allies against Jesus. As John writes victory is sure because Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
Jesus is always the victor.
Satan thought he was winning a great victory when he got some men inspired by him to crucify Jesus. Alas, that was his greatest mistake.
The Bible says,
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:15)

When satan thought Jesus was losing while being crucified, he himself actually was being crushed. The prophecy of Genesis Ch.3 was being fulfilled.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15)

Regarding the Antichrist who will be satan's chief weapon in the Tribulation period, the Bible says,
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. (2 Thessalonians 2:8)

Finally will come the doom of satan as is outlined in Revelation Ch. 20.
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)

Praise God. Jesus is always the victor, now and forever. If you are a believer, here's a promise for you from Jesus himself:
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Revelation 3:21)
 
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And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? (Luke 18:7)

Do you feel God will keep putting you off all the time? Do you feel that your prayers are not going to be answered? Now, wait a moment. Read the above promise.
God says he will answer you because he is a just God.

The situation that you are facing now has been faced by many believers who cried out in their distresses to the Lord. Here are a few testimonies and pleas:
I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. (Psalm 6:6)
My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" (Psalm 42:3)
Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll - are they not in your record? (Psalm 56:8)

The good news of course is that:
Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. (Psalm 126:5)

God says he will bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night.

When that happens, you can join in with the psalmist and say:
Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.
For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living. (Psalm 116:7-9)
 
jeremiah7 said:
Simple Thoughts On Promises- 129

And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? (Luke 18:7)

Do you feel God will keep putting you off all the time? Do you feel that your prayers are not going to be answered? Now, wait a moment. Read the above promise.
God says he will answer you because he is a just God.

The situation that you are facing now has been faced by many believers who cried out in their distresses to the Lord. Here are a few testimonies and pleas:
I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. (Psalm 6:6)
My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" (Psalm 42:3)
Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll - are they not in your record? (Psalm 56:8)

The good news of course is that:
Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. (Psalm 126:5)

God says he will bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night.

When that happens, you can join in with the psalmist and say:
Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.
For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living. (Psalm 116:7-9)
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for posting this....my heart and soul needed it so much this morning.

Blessings, Cheri
 
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I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." (Mark 14:9)

The woman about whom this was said may not have believed this herself when Jesus said it, but it has been proved true. As Jesus said, many a time she has been the topic of discussion all over the world as it is in our devotional today.

The story went in this manner:While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly. "Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. (Mark 14:3-8)

She, in fact was expressing her love for this man who was the Savior of the world. It was an act of adoration. Notice, there were no words spoken between Jesus and her. Her faith in Jesus was being demonstrated in a very subtle manner.

What about our love for Jesus? Is it being demonstrated in a manner wherein the Lord is pleased?
The question that we have to ask ourselves is this:What's the motive behind all that we do for the Lord? Is it for personal glory or does everything ultimately lead to total glorification of the Lord?

Jesus knows how much we love him even though others may have no idea at all of how near/ how far we are to the Lord. Nothing is hidden from him.

Does the value of our actions equal to what this unknown woman did to Jesus? If yes, then what we have done and are doing has much worth in the Lord's eyes. It will be like a sweet smelling sacrifice in the eyes of the Lord. Even though you may be unknown while living here on earth, one day, Jesus will testify about you in the presence of the Father and the angels. Praise the Lord.
 
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Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Life can be depressing; living can often be tormenting; yet we live on; thanks to the God of hope, Jesus Christ.

Times can be confusing when one is suffering; what must be the cause? is it sin? is it satan? is it a new virus? The answers are often not prompt. Yet the small and still voice of the God of hope instills peace.

Jacob had a very traumatic experience when his sons cheated him by telling him that his loving son Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.
He lost all hope and lamented for several years after that.

Later during the famine Joseph insisted that the brothers bring Benjamin to Egypt while Simeon was held back. When Jacob heard this, he said,
"You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me." (Genesis 42:36)
"My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should befall him on the journey you are taking, then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow." (Genesis 42:38)

Jacob thought everything was lost for him, yet the God of hope did a great miracle in his life. 22 years after he had last seen his beloved son, Jacob was reunited with Joseph.

Times can be depressing, life can be tormenting; yet the God of hope doesn't forget us. He says,
As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you......." (Isaiah 66:13)
May you abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. God Bless.
 
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"Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" (John 11:39, 40)

We must always remember that God is able to do things beyond the limited thinkings of our brains. He is El Shaddai, the Almighty God.
The Word of God is peppered with numerous instances of how this All Powerful God did great miracles for his children. He has not changed. He's the same yesterday, today and forever.

What Martha said was not untrue. Logically thinking, she did not want Jesus to make a spectacle of himself and also she wanted to prevent ignominy coming to her family. What she thought was' "when Jesus couldn't do anything when my brother was alive, what could he possibly do now, that too after my brother's dead body has been in the cave for 4 days."

But the God of the Bible is one who split the Red Sea asunder, changed the bitter waters of Marah to sweet, tore apart the Jordan, gave manna to his children for around 40 years, destroyed enemies of Israel time and again, turned water into blood, turned water into wine, multiplied fish and loaves to feed multitudes, healed the sick, cleansed the lepers and did much much more and is even doing many things even today.

His work has not stopped. Jesus once said,
"My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." (John 5:17)

He is still able do great miracles. Can you believe that?
Jesus Christ who spoke to Martha and said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" is still working and he says the same to you this day.

Jesus raised up dead Lazarus and proved that he is truly the resurrection and the life.

Remember, nothing is too hard for your Almighty God. He said,
"I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:27)
That's his own words and not mine. Praise the Lord.
 
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Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you, declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 41:14)

Have you ever felt insignificant? Not of much worth or any at all?
It happens sometimes to most believer's and to few believer's many a time. The title verse here speaks of worthlessness of Israel, God's own people. Jacob/Israel compared to a worm.

Bildad the Shuhite, one of Job's friends had this to say when Job suffered:
"Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven. Can his forces be numbered? Upon whom does his light not rise?
How then can a man be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure? If even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in his eyes, how much less man, who is but a maggot - a son of man, who is only a worm!" (Job 25:1-6)

....how much less man, who is but a maggot - a son of man, who is only a worm!........

Because of multiple pressing circumstances in life, some believer's consider their condition as that of Israel spoken of by God here i.e. little or insignificant.

What's the worth of a worm? Nothing, so as to say, yet the title verse speaks as if God even has a compassionate heart to a person who thinks he/she has no worth at all.

Israel lost all it's glory because of sins. They were in a hopeless situation; of little worth. Yet the Lord did not forsake them. He promised to help them.

And he will help you too. The Bible says,
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (Isaiah 40:29)

Always remember that you are in the safe arms of God Almighty even though you are passing through a troublesome period in your life.
He says,
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

Praise the Lord.
 
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Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:43)

Jesus stated this after telling his hearers a parable; in fact he spoke a series of parables on this occasion as he sat in a boat and the crowds stood on the shore. The parable that ended with the above statement was this:
Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'
"'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' "'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" (Matthew 13:24-30)

Jesus later explained the parable to his disciples:
"The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:37-42)

Jesus ended by saying...Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

No one can take away the honor that will be bestowed on the righteous in the end. The Bible says,
But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. (Malachi 4:2)

Shall we then wait for God's promises to be fulfilled?
May the Holy Spirit help us all. Praise the Lord.
 
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For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. (Psalm 48:14)

I guess one could not ask for a better guide in this earthly sojourn. But God does not guide anyone unless they choose to have a personal relationship with him.
Does he appear to be distant from you though you pray, sing and worship him? Try having a personal relationship with him like Father & Son or Father & Daughter.
The Bible says,
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - (John 1:12)

As a child of God you have the privilege to ask him to guide you in every aspect of your life. You will be guided by the Holy Spirit who is always in you and with you after you become a child of God.
After liberating the Israelites from Egyptian bondage God Almighty chose to be with them. The Bible says,
By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. (Exodus 13:21)

The same thing is mentioned in the book of Nehemiah:
"Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. (Nehemiah 9:19)

God has great compassion on you because you are his child. Whenever you call out "Father", he is there to hear you.
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, <"Abba,> Father." (Romans 8:15)

The psalmist Asaph sums up this matter in a wonderful way:
Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. (Psalm 73:23, 24)

Yes; we too as children of God can emphatically say,
For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. (Psalm 48:14)

Praise the Lord.
 
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Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. (Psalm 97:10)

Do you believe that? I mean the part of the verse above that says,
...."for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked."
All those escapes from accidents and sicknesses and terrifying situations. Do you think they all happened by chance?

Even when you did not know Christ, yet because you were chosen to be a part of his kingdom, God protected you. What's the proof? you may ask.

Here is something that the Lord had to say to King Cyrus who was a Gentile king, that of Persia.
"This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and will level the mountains ; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:1-6)

Notice these words...For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me....

Twice God says....though you do not acknowledge me...

You must remember that even when you had not acknowledged God, he was there to protect you and deliver you from the wicked one because you were chosen by him to be a part of his kingdom. Now that you have acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Savior, his promises have great value in your life. Hold on to his promises.

The Lord has this to say to you today:
Be strong and courageous....(Joshua 1:6,7,9)
God bless you.
 
Simple Thoughts On Promises- 137

Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29)

Do you believe that Jesus is with you, to be specific, near you, as you read this devotional? You can't see him yet you believe he is with you? Wonderful! Jesus says you are blessed if you believe that.

Many a time, we feel Jesus is so very far away especially when we are suffering. We feel he doesn't seem to care even though we pray with faith. He just keeps quiet. We often wonder why he does that?

His divine purposes are often difficult to understand. But his assurance is that he is with us, that's why one of his names is "Immanuel" meaning God with us.

So what's the agenda of sleeping calmly in the boat when his disciples' knees are knocking because of a furious storm? Or that special appearance walking on the waters, one dark and windy night when his disciples had lost all hopes and were seeing ghosts?

Why can't life be easy? the disciples must have thought sometimes. But perhaps they did not then comprehend that he was shaping them up for greater things.

Moses was put in God's school of training for quite a while- around 40 years and just when he thought that life was all settled- good wife, 2 boys, good father-in-law, lot of sheep...God thought it was time for a new job for Moses. The hottest job in the middle east, so as to say...and Moses didn't want it... But God had his way..

He's going to lead you through some wonderful ways. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised....You believe in him though you do not see him..you believe his Words; Jesus says "You are blessed."
 
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Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared. (Proverbs 3:25,26)

What's our confidence? The things that we boast about is where our confidence lies. People of the world boast about things of the world. But what about the believer? The Apostle Paul has a few things to say to us regarding this:

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)

And if the Lord is our confidence, the promise given above is for us. The promise exhorts us not to fear sudden disaster or the ruin that overtakes the wicked. The Lord will keep our foot from being snared.

Psalms 91 and 124 speak of the fowler's snare:
Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. (Psalm 91:3)
We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler's snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. (Psalm 124:7)

Psalm 91:3 speaks of how God saves those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High and Psalm 124:7 speaks of deliverance for the one on whose side the Lord is.

If your confidence is in the Lord, he will save and deliver you too.
God bless.
 
Simple Thoughts On Promises- 139

The LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place." (Judges 7:7)

7th book of the Bible, 7th Chapter, 7th verse...Wonderful Promise to Gideon.

The size of the armies of the enemy was astounding:
The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore. (Judges 7:12)

Gideon set out with 32,000 men to fight the Midianites and the Amalekites. God told Gideon to ask all who were fearful to go home. 22,000 went back, 10,000 were left. Perhaps Gideon was satisfied that atleast 10,000 were left to fight against the enemy. But God had other plans. He told Gideon,
"There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go; but if I say, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go." So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, "Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink." Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. (Judges 7:4-6)

And then came the promise--With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.

300 against a vast army. No, not 300. 300+ God Almighty. And then immediately the ratios change. 300 becomes 300+ omnipotence.
And no kind of permutations and combinations of the enemy can stand against the army of God.

Do you feel that your strength is little while fighting the evil forces arrayed against you? Remember that Jesus is with you. He's the one who disarmed the powers and authorities and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:15)

300+ God Almighty proved to be too much for the Midianites and Amalekites. God gave a great victory to Gideon and the Israelites.

You, as a child of God are not alone in your war against satanic foes. It's (you+ God Almighty) against satan. So the battle becomes the Lord's and the victory is yours.

Glory! Hallelujah!
 
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By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. (1 Corinthians 6:14)

As one reads of Apostle Paul making this statement, it is evident that he is convinced of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and also that those who believe in the sin-atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and live according to God's Word will likewise be resurrected by the power of God.

What wonderful hope that instills in the life of a believer in Jesus Christ!

With so many daunting problems to be faced each day while living in this world, the Word of God brings hope and assurance for them who believe in the Lord.

The Bible says,
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

The fleshly body will see decay some day when the blood stops flowing, the breath is no more taken and someone declares 'one' brain dead. Yet, the spirit and soul live on and for the believer there's a promise that will be fulfilled- they will receive an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

What a blessed hope. Praise the Lord.
 
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