20 March 2011
Psalm 91:10
24/03/11 12:07 Filed in: Bible Teaching | Psalms
Then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
This harm that this verse is referring to is evil. Directly translated it means to spoil by breaking to pieces or to make good for nothing.
Jesus when He taught His disciples to pray said to pray that we would be delivered from the evil one or from evil. There is one that is behind evil and that is the devil, the accuser of the brethren, the father of lies. If he could he would break you into pieces and render you good for nothing!
However, we have been given a promise that we will be delivered from evil. We have been given authority to overcome. Ephesians 6:11 states that we have been given armour so that we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes. Paul clearly states that we aren’t in a war with people. There is something higher going on and it involves the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms.
Because this is what is happening all about you or above you or for you we need to take hold of the provision of God and put on our armour. How do you go about putting on something that is invisible? That comes from the understanding of what each piece represents, not going through some motions of figuratively putting something on.
A belt is used to hold a garment up so it doesn’t fall around your ankles and trip you up. When we know truth, it sets us free from the trap of lies. The enemy is the father of lies and when we believe a lie we are imprisoned. However, when we have revelation of truth, we are set free from the lie. It is important to keep the belt securely notched so we don’t get tripped up believing a lie. When we know the truth, we can stand on it like a rock under our feet.
The breastplate of righteousness needs to be in place. Our righteousness is in Jesus Christ. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Not because of the great things we do or don’t do but because of Him. It is so important to know this as a reality as the enemy will always question your righteousness.
Your feet fitted with a good pair of hiking boots – the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. The gospel is good news! We have been reconciled with our Father and now we have been given the same ministry: the ministry of reconciliation. Jesus died for us all that we might have a loving relationship through him with the Father. This ministry is one of love. Be ready to share the love of God for God is love.
In addition to this the writer of Ephesians says take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. It is your faith that will quench the flames and break the arrows that are flung at you. Your faith is like a fire extinguisher to the devil’s plans. They may come blazing at you but your faith in God Almighty will be a shield about you. With God all things are possible. Mark 11:22 says have faith in God. When we trust Him, He is our shield; our protection and no evil can make us “good for nothing”!
Put salvation on your head as a helmet. Your mind is the battlefield. We constantly need to renew our minds with what that salvation entails; healing, deliverance, wholeness, completeness and eternal life.
The sword of the spirit is the word of God and with it comes the ability to wield it. A sword is of no effect if left in its sheath. But the word is alive and active, sharp and powerful, we need to draw it out letting it flow from our mouths. Jesus said ‘it is written’ to the devil, overcoming him. We too can rest in all the armour that has been provided for us knowing we will be delivered from all evil.
This harm that this verse is referring to is evil. Directly translated it means to spoil by breaking to pieces or to make good for nothing.
Jesus when He taught His disciples to pray said to pray that we would be delivered from the evil one or from evil. There is one that is behind evil and that is the devil, the accuser of the brethren, the father of lies. If he could he would break you into pieces and render you good for nothing!
However, we have been given a promise that we will be delivered from evil. We have been given authority to overcome. Ephesians 6:11 states that we have been given armour so that we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes. Paul clearly states that we aren’t in a war with people. There is something higher going on and it involves the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms.
Because this is what is happening all about you or above you or for you we need to take hold of the provision of God and put on our armour. How do you go about putting on something that is invisible? That comes from the understanding of what each piece represents, not going through some motions of figuratively putting something on.
A belt is used to hold a garment up so it doesn’t fall around your ankles and trip you up. When we know truth, it sets us free from the trap of lies. The enemy is the father of lies and when we believe a lie we are imprisoned. However, when we have revelation of truth, we are set free from the lie. It is important to keep the belt securely notched so we don’t get tripped up believing a lie. When we know the truth, we can stand on it like a rock under our feet.
The breastplate of righteousness needs to be in place. Our righteousness is in Jesus Christ. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Not because of the great things we do or don’t do but because of Him. It is so important to know this as a reality as the enemy will always question your righteousness.
Your feet fitted with a good pair of hiking boots – the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. The gospel is good news! We have been reconciled with our Father and now we have been given the same ministry: the ministry of reconciliation. Jesus died for us all that we might have a loving relationship through him with the Father. This ministry is one of love. Be ready to share the love of God for God is love.
In addition to this the writer of Ephesians says take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. It is your faith that will quench the flames and break the arrows that are flung at you. Your faith is like a fire extinguisher to the devil’s plans. They may come blazing at you but your faith in God Almighty will be a shield about you. With God all things are possible. Mark 11:22 says have faith in God. When we trust Him, He is our shield; our protection and no evil can make us “good for nothing”!
Put salvation on your head as a helmet. Your mind is the battlefield. We constantly need to renew our minds with what that salvation entails; healing, deliverance, wholeness, completeness and eternal life.
The sword of the spirit is the word of God and with it comes the ability to wield it. A sword is of no effect if left in its sheath. But the word is alive and active, sharp and powerful, we need to draw it out letting it flow from our mouths. Jesus said ‘it is written’ to the devil, overcoming him. We too can rest in all the armour that has been provided for us knowing we will be delivered from all evil.
Psalm 91:9
21/03/11 13:43 Filed in: Bible Teaching | Psalms
If you make the Most High your dwelling – even the Lord, who is my refuge -
I like the wording of the King James Bible best for this verse. It states because you made – not if you make but because you made. There is no condition here. It is saying that He will be your cause. You fight for a cause if you believe in it. Well, the Lord says, ‘you are worth fighting for’. You have a place in Him that is sure and secure.
Most High is a name for God that is first mentioned in Gen. 14:19, 20. In this passage Abram along with 318 men go after the army of four kings that defeated five. These kings took Abram’s nephew, Lot, and his possessions and carried him off. When Abram heard, he went to rescue his kin! There was tenacity in his spirit that rose up and said, “No way! You are not having what is mine.” And he defeated them and recovered Lot and all his possessions. At this point he meets Melchizedek, King of Salem, and Mel blesses him using God Most High – Jehovah Elyon. This literally means Supreme God or Most Loved God.
In verse 19 of Genesis 14 the God Most High is the possessor of heaven and earth. The earth is the Lord’s and all that’s in it. All belongs to Him and was created by Him. So now we praise Him because He is most loved!
In verse 20 Melchizedek says blessed be God Most High who delivered your enemies into your hand. God is the one who fights our battles and delivers the victories. When you think of the odds of 319 men against four kings and their armies, it is astounding! But if God be for us, who can be against us! There is nothing too big for our supreme God. It is He that gives the victory and fights the battles.
Because He, the supreme God, is our dwelling place we can rest and praise Him who our victory.
I like the wording of the King James Bible best for this verse. It states because you made – not if you make but because you made. There is no condition here. It is saying that He will be your cause. You fight for a cause if you believe in it. Well, the Lord says, ‘you are worth fighting for’. You have a place in Him that is sure and secure.
Most High is a name for God that is first mentioned in Gen. 14:19, 20. In this passage Abram along with 318 men go after the army of four kings that defeated five. These kings took Abram’s nephew, Lot, and his possessions and carried him off. When Abram heard, he went to rescue his kin! There was tenacity in his spirit that rose up and said, “No way! You are not having what is mine.” And he defeated them and recovered Lot and all his possessions. At this point he meets Melchizedek, King of Salem, and Mel blesses him using God Most High – Jehovah Elyon. This literally means Supreme God or Most Loved God.
In verse 19 of Genesis 14 the God Most High is the possessor of heaven and earth. The earth is the Lord’s and all that’s in it. All belongs to Him and was created by Him. So now we praise Him because He is most loved!
In verse 20 Melchizedek says blessed be God Most High who delivered your enemies into your hand. God is the one who fights our battles and delivers the victories. When you think of the odds of 319 men against four kings and their armies, it is astounding! But if God be for us, who can be against us! There is nothing too big for our supreme God. It is He that gives the victory and fights the battles.
Because He, the supreme God, is our dwelling place we can rest and praise Him who our victory.
Jim's Psalm
20/03/11 14:29 Filed in: Psalms
Psalms is an interesting book of the bible. It is laced with some amazing spiritual truths and insights into God. I have generally read it and thought what is he on about? I thought David was a man after God's own heart. Where's his faith? Why all this moaning? We aren't supposed to moan, are we? We aren't supposed to question God or His goodness or His relationship to us, are we? Yet here is example after example of David and other authors calling out to God in despair. They started writing with a sense of desperation and discouragement but always end praising God and rejoicing in His goodness.
The end of each psalm was my only solace. I was a good faith boy, taught to stand unwaveringly in my confession, maintaining my faith. Well, not that good a faith boy, as I rejected what seemed to me to be a form of legalism leading to constant self-condemnation for never being good enough. You know, Jesus did it all, so if it doesn't happen the way you prayed it's your fault. Back to working out my faith by my efforts! Seems to me the whole purpose of the law was to show us we weren't able to do it ourselves, so how did we end up back doing it ourselves again? This was simply my interpretation and understanding of what I thought was being taught. I had a deep need to please and win my father's approval so it was easy to lapse into that as a believer. But, one thing did stick, and that was never wavering in your confession, never verbalizing any doubt. So, the Psalms weren't really comforting to me.
In the summer there was a series at church on Psalms. One Sunday we were encouraged to write our own after being shown the basic structural breakdown of a psalm. Mine was clinically correct but definitely lacked something. Passion! That's right, no sense of despair, need, fear, crying out, longing, desiring, petitioning was expressed. It would not have comforted or consoled anyone at any time. In fact it probably would have put them into despair after reading it.
But yesterday I had an experience of the Psalms. Not one of David's but my own. My wife and I were talking about our situation. What do we do? As we talked about how we couldn't go forward and we couldn't go back and that there was absolutely no conceivable human solution I broke out into a psalm. I poured out my heart to God. I questioned His integrity and His faithfulness. I quoted His word to Him and told Him that our situation made Him look like a liar. I gushed out my despair and anguish while Bonnie watched me in amazement. But as I went along declaring what His word says about His character, His promise and most importantly His love for me I felt better. I felt hope and yes, even love. For hope does not disappoint and I was no longer disappointed! Love never fails.
What a wonderful relief! I know I have a friend in Jesus. Did anything change in our situation? No, the mountains did not shrink, nor did they go into the sea? I still am in the valley of the shadow of death but at this point I will fear no evil, for He is with me. Tomorrow? Hmm...I may be writing a new psalm but it will be full of passion and angst for that is where I know I can meet Him.
The end of each psalm was my only solace. I was a good faith boy, taught to stand unwaveringly in my confession, maintaining my faith. Well, not that good a faith boy, as I rejected what seemed to me to be a form of legalism leading to constant self-condemnation for never being good enough. You know, Jesus did it all, so if it doesn't happen the way you prayed it's your fault. Back to working out my faith by my efforts! Seems to me the whole purpose of the law was to show us we weren't able to do it ourselves, so how did we end up back doing it ourselves again? This was simply my interpretation and understanding of what I thought was being taught. I had a deep need to please and win my father's approval so it was easy to lapse into that as a believer. But, one thing did stick, and that was never wavering in your confession, never verbalizing any doubt. So, the Psalms weren't really comforting to me.
In the summer there was a series at church on Psalms. One Sunday we were encouraged to write our own after being shown the basic structural breakdown of a psalm. Mine was clinically correct but definitely lacked something. Passion! That's right, no sense of despair, need, fear, crying out, longing, desiring, petitioning was expressed. It would not have comforted or consoled anyone at any time. In fact it probably would have put them into despair after reading it.
But yesterday I had an experience of the Psalms. Not one of David's but my own. My wife and I were talking about our situation. What do we do? As we talked about how we couldn't go forward and we couldn't go back and that there was absolutely no conceivable human solution I broke out into a psalm. I poured out my heart to God. I questioned His integrity and His faithfulness. I quoted His word to Him and told Him that our situation made Him look like a liar. I gushed out my despair and anguish while Bonnie watched me in amazement. But as I went along declaring what His word says about His character, His promise and most importantly His love for me I felt better. I felt hope and yes, even love. For hope does not disappoint and I was no longer disappointed! Love never fails.
What a wonderful relief! I know I have a friend in Jesus. Did anything change in our situation? No, the mountains did not shrink, nor did they go into the sea? I still am in the valley of the shadow of death but at this point I will fear no evil, for He is with me. Tomorrow? Hmm...I may be writing a new psalm but it will be full of passion and angst for that is where I know I can meet Him.