God is Our Help

Today we’re meditating upon the truth that God is our very present help at ALL times, but especially in the times of trouble.

God is our refuge and strength, a help always near in times of great trouble. (Ps 46:1 CEB)

In my distress I called on the Lord, and cried for help to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry for help came before Him to His ears. (Ps 18:6 MEV)

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Ps 121:2 NIV)

Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. (Ps 124:8 NKJV)

I am the Lord your God. I am holding your hand, so don’t be afraid. I am here to help you. (Isa 41:13 CEV)

As these passages from the Scriptures remind us, God is not only our refuge and strength, but He is the One who helps us.

Whenever we are in trouble, pain or distress, the Lord wants us to turn to Him for help and for deliverance. Who better to help us than the very One who created the heaven and the earth? Because the Lord is holding our hand, we need never be afraid. We can be assured that He is ever with us to help us, deliver us, and to save us. Glory be to God most High!

Don’t Criticize Yourself

Most of us don’t realize that as followers of Jesus Christ, we should not criticize ourselves or even think negative things about ourselves! Does that surprise you?

This is a lesson the Lord had to teach me, and one that He also needs to remind me of from time to time. It’s a favorite tool of the enemy to get us thinking disapproving things of ourselves, but we must not do it.

Here are some of the Scriptural reasons to help us to understand the deep, spiritual importance of this:

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Gen 1:27 NIV)

Every human being on earth, whether Christian or not, has been created in the image of God. Since that is true, EVERYONE deserves to be treated with respect—including ourselves!

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. (Ps 139:14 ESV)

Since, each human being was given life by the Lord, each individual is a wonderful work of the Lord. We would never contemplate criticizing one of God’s works, would we? Then why do we think it’s okay to think pessimistic thoughts about ourselves?

. . . everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made. (Isa 43:7 NASB)

We have each been created to bring God glory. Our thoughts are much better ordered and employed to meditate upon God and to think worshipful thoughts about Him. Also, it is productive to think of ways to bring Him glory and honor.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (1 Cor 6:19 NKJV)

We, as believers, do not belong to ourselves but we belong to God. Each Christian is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Just think about the enormity of that honor.

. . . and to clothe yourselves with the new nature, which was created according to God’s image in righteousness and true holiness. (Eph 4:24 ISV)

Our ‘new nature’ since salvation is the one that has ‘put on Christ.’ (Rom 13:14; Gal 3:27) Our born-again spirit was sealed by God in righteousness and true holiness. There is nothing within us that we are able to criticize because we belong to God. Glory to God!

Meditate upon how very important you are to the Lord, and the fact that you belong to Him. God is with you. Rejoice in His truth!

Joy & Safety

This may seem like a quirky combination to write about, but I hope that you’ll take time to study this along with me.

Not only does the Lord want us to be filled with joy, but He also wants us to know that we are safe and secure thanks to Him.

You have put joy in my heart, more than when their grain and new wine are abundant.
⁸In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, Lord, have me dwell in safety. (Ps 4:7-8 NASB)

This Bible passage above acknowledges that the Lord has placed joy in our hearts. He is the author of joy! Also, it talks about our sleeping peacefully because the Lord causes us to live in safety. What wonderful blessings!

For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done. (Ps 92:4 NIV)

We may rejoice and have joy because of God’s righteous and upright acts.

When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. (Pro 3:24 NKJV)

This verse again speaks about our sleep being sweet and peaceful because our faith in God allows us to be free of fear. Glory to God!

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me. (Ps 3:5 RSV)

Even our ability to awaken on any given morning is because the Lord sustains our very life. Think about that!

I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. ⁹Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. (Ps 16:8-9 ESV)

In this Psalm, David is discussing the fact that he was aware of God’s presence with him at all times. David felt God’s face before him, and God’s presence at his side. As a result, it filled David with joy and rejoicing. This also made him feel secure (protected, sheltered, and safe). We are just as beloved by God as David was. God’s presence is always with us, and His Spirit dwells within each and every one of us. We are His temple. (1 Cor 6:19 NKJV) Hallelujah!

An Everlasting Covenant

Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. (Ezek 37:26 NKJV)

From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained. (Jer 30:19 NIV)

For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. (Zech 2:5 KJV)

A covenant is an agreement, pledge, bond, or contract. The Bible reminds us that God cannot lie (Tit 1:2) and that His Word is tested and true. (Ps 119:140, 142)

God’s promises to His people, based upon the passages above, are that:

He will establish us;
He multiplies us;
He gives us His peace;
He lives within us;
He will bring us honor;
He guarantees that we won’t be disdained;
He protects us as a wall of fire; and
He is the glory within us.

He will establish us by confirming that our faith us genuine and that our relationship with Him is legitimate.

He multiplies us by adding other believers to our numbers, and by giving us literal children of our own, as well as spiritual children whom we parent as spiritual mentors.

He gives us peace that passes understanding (Phil 4:7) because He is the Prince of Peace. (Isa 9:6)

He lives with every believer because we are individually (and collectively) the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor 6:19)

How does God bring honor to any believer? Some of the ways He will honor us is by hearing and answering our prayers for other people. When we lead people to accept Jesus as their own personal Savior, we are being honored by God. When God performs signs and wonders in response to our prayers for someone, he is honoring us. He is responding to the genuine faith that we are using by praying on behalf of other people. Hallelujah!

The final three promises are that we won’t be disdained; that He protects us; and that His glory is within each of us. These are things that we have to simply trust Him to perform. We don’t need to do anything about them; we just need to continue in our relationship with Jesus Christ and keep on serving our Savior, who is a Covenant-Keeping God. Glory to God!

Crucify the Earthly Nature

Today’s topic is the earthly nature of man with its passions and desires. The Bible urges us to put to death the deeds of the body.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. (Col 3:5 NIV)

For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Rom 8:13)

And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Gal 5:24)

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and temporary residents in the world, to abstain from the desires of the sinful flesh, which war against your soul. (1 Pet 2:11 EHV)

Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. (1 Cor 6:18)

Why do you think the Scriptures urge us in so many passages of the Bible to:

Put to death the earthly nature;
Put to the death the deeds of the body;
Crucify the flesh;
Abstain from desires of the sinful flesh; and to
Flee sexual immortality?

1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Peter 2 state very clearly the reasons why we should obey the Bible:

Because the desires of the flesh war against our own souls; and
The one who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

When we allow the lusts of the flesh to govern our actions, then we sin against our very own bodies. How? Because our bodies have become the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor 6:19-20) This type of sin is an offense to our temple and the Holy Guest living within it.

We belong to God, and our individual bodies belong to God. We have chosen to follow Jesus of our own, free will; it hasn’t been forced upon us.

The Lord has sealed each believer and given us the Holy Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (2 Cor 1:22)

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Eph 4:30)

We are urged by the Word of God to live a righteous and holy life by the empowering grace of God. (See Rom 12:1; 1 Pet 1:15-16) Since the Lord has given us His gift of grace, we are enabled to live obedient, holy lives. He has given us victory through Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 15:57) Let us celebrate God’s goodness and mercy!

We are called, as followers of Jesus Christ and children of God to glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits. God bless you!

The Kingdom of God

Jesus told us that the kingdom of God has come upon us, and that the kingdom is within each and every believer. Let’s look at the Scriptures.

But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Mt 12:28 NIV)

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit . . . (Rom 14:17 NIV)

Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; ²¹nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Lk 17:20-21)

He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. (Lk 9:2)

‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ (Lk 10:11)

The Kingdom of God arrived on earth in the person of Jesus, and was established in the hearts of all believers when Jesus imparted the Holy Spirit to His disciples. This is described for us in Acts 2:1-5.

Since then, all who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord have also received the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. We are told in the Word of God that we are the very temple (house, dwelling) of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor 6:19) Glory to God!

The gift of the Holy Spirit is referred to in Scriptures as:

The promise of the Father (Lk 24:49; Ac 1:4)
The Helper (Joh 14:26; 16:7-16)
The Spirit of Truth (Joh 14:16-17; 15:26)
The Breath of the Almighty (Job 33:4)
Advocate (Joh 14:16 NIV; 1 Joh 2:1)
The Eternal Spirit (Heb 9:14)
Lord (2 Cor 3:17)
Intercessor (Rom 8:26-27)
Teacher (Joh 14:26)
Spirit of the Living God (2 Cor 3:3)
Spirit of Glory (1 Pet 4:14)

We are temples of the Living God. We are highly blessed and favored, and we need to meditate upon that truth more frequently. It’s almost too monumental of a concept to grasp with our human intellect. The Kingdom of God dwells within you and me! Rejoice!

Render to God the Things That Are His

When they had come, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.” So they brought it. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at Him. (Mk 12:14-17, emphasis added)

The chief priests and scribes heard Jesus teaching the people, and they decided that they wanted to test Him. They wanted to trick Him into saying something publicly for which He could get into a lot of trouble. But Jesus answered them with the wisdom that He received from God. The crowd marveled at His answer, and the chief priests and scribes were silenced.

When Jesus asks whose image and inscription were on the coin, they answered correctly, “Caesar’s.” Genesis 1:26 tells us that mankind was made in the image and likeness of God. Believers also have the inscription of God’s law written within them. (Ex 13:9; Isa 44:5; Jer 31:33)

WE have God’s image and inscription written upon us, as believers, so we should desire to give ourselves to Him. We are obligated to pay taxes, but we owe our very lives and all that we are and all that we have to God. Our duty to God will always surpass our duty to the government. Why? Because when we were born again we were “conformed to the image of His Son.” (Ro 8:29)

Another thing that is due the Lord is a tithe of our income to support the preaching and teaching of the Gospel. In Bible times, the Hebrews also were expected to give tithes to their priests, because the tribe of Levi had not been given an inheritance in the Promised Land. So they relied upon the Hebrews for their livelihood.

. . . because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Ro 1:21, emphasis added)

One of the major things that we owe to God is to glorify Him. Even our very bodies belong to God!

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Co 6:19-20)

We should rejoice in our God, in our salvation, and in our blessings. For these reasons, alone, let us thankfully give the Lord all of our praise and worship continuously.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ . . . (Phil 3:20) In the end, we are citizens of Heaven—our eternal home.

Out of the Mouth

Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth [words], this defiles a man. (Mt 15:11 NKJV – parenthesized word added)

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. (Mt 15:18)

If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. (1 Cor 3:17)

The definition of defile is: spoil, sully, impair, debase, or degrade; to desecrate or profane something sacred. The words that come out of our mouths are capable of defiling us!

From the verses quoted above, we understand that our words can displease God, because we are His holy, sacred temple. He never wants us to speak words which would degrade us. Words are the heart’s reaction or response to people or circumstances. He wants us to respond to all things as He would—with love and mercy.

Jesus is our example in all things. (1 Pet 2:21-24; Jo 13:13-16) He has called us to follow Him, as He leads and shepherds us.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good . . . (Lk 6:45a KJV) Let us encourage ourselves to speak forth only words which are good and edifying—which bring glory to God and blessings to mankind.

decidingvoteblog

You are the Deciding Vote! In your life, you can make decisions that will help you and bless you.

Tag: temple