Friday, March 29, 2013

Renewed Youth

Scripture:

Psalm 103:5  "He fills my life with good things.  My youth is renewed like the eagle's".

Observation:

In this Psalm, David is desiring to praise the Lord with everything he has.  He realizes that every good thing in his life came from the Lord and not from the work of his own hands.  David had lots of "good things", but he knew where they all came from.  He had many skills, but he knew where they came from.  He also accredited God with renewing his youth like the eagle.  He attributes every good thing in his life to the Lord instead of to himself or anything else.

Application:

God blesses those who fully trust in Him and who lean upon Him continually.  He wants us to be in the position where we realize that nothing good that we have comes from ourselves and that every good thing in our lives comes from Him.  When we come into that place, we can also expect our youth to be renewed like the eagle's.  He is God and He can reverse the aging process if he desires.  I want to look and feel young till the day He takes me away.

Prayer:

Father, You have filled my life with good things.  You are an amazing provider!  I have never been in a situation that you have not rescued me from somehow.  You are incredible and I want to praise you with all my heart.  You are worthy of all my praise.  You have provided for every need in my life.  Teach me to trust you more and not to lean on my own understanding.  When I am stressed out about life, help me to trust You more.  Renew my youth and let me feel young again.

Yours Forever,
Jeff

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Joy Comes From a Right Heart

Scripture:

Psalm 97:11  "Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right".

Observation:

The Psalmist is talking about how God blesses the godly and judges unrighteousness.  From this passage I see that when our heart is right, light from God shines on us and joy fills us.  The joy of the Lord is our strength.  Therefore, if I keep my heart right before God, joy will come to me which will also give me strength.  My strength is directly proportional to my heart being right with God.

Application:

Recently I have been noticing people's eyes.  You can tell a lot about someone by looking at their eyes.  Some people's eyes are full of light and life, others are dim with care and concern.  We need to continually be seeking the Lord and keeping our heart right before Him.  As we do, He will shine His light on us and give us joy, which in turn will strengthen us.  Real life begins with getting our heart right with the Lord.

Prayer:

Father, search my heart and help me keep it right before You.  It is You that I serve.  You are the reason I do what I do.  Teach me to walk a balanced life with a right heart.  I need You Lord to help me today.  I want your light in my eyes and your joy in my heart again.  Forgive me for allowing myself to get so busy that I don't have time to really hear Your voice.  I need You more than life itself.

Yours,
Jeff

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Renewed Hope and Cheer

Scripture:

Psalm 94:19 "When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer".

Observation:

The Psalmist is talking about God's unfailing love for us and how God always rescues us when we are in trouble.  Here he says that when doubts filled his mind, that God's comfort gave him renewed hope and cheer.  He is really speaking about God's comfort.  It is the comfort of God that gave him new hope and cheer.  God always comforts those who are hurting, when they look to Him.

Application:

In order to stay renewed in hope and cheer, we must learn to seek out God's comfort.  The only way to experience His comfort is to spend time in His presence.  We must look to God first instead of every other solution.  He is the source of comfort, which will provide hope and cheer.  The other thing I see here is that the author was not afraid to say he was filled with doubts at times.  Everyone has their doubts here and there, but real men of God remain in His presence until comfort comes from Him.

Prayer:

Lord, I have been stressed out a lot lately and I need Your comfort.  I want to have time in Your presence, but my time seems to go so many places.  Thank You for this week of Spring Break where I can rest some slow down a little bit.  I feel like I have been in a sprint for too long.  I need You more now than ever before.

Your Son,

Jeff

Friday, March 22, 2013

The Lord will Withhold No Good Thing

Scripture:

Psalm 84:11  "For the Lord God is our sun and shield.  He gives us grace and glory.  The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right".

Observation:

This Psalm is an encouraging word after many Psalms that talk about the enemy taking over and destroying them it is good to see one that lifts up the name of the Lord and speaks good thing of Him.  From this verse I see that God loves to bless His children who are truly following in His ways.  He will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. 

Application:

We have a phrase in this passage that is the key phrase.  "from those who do what is right" are strong words that define who God deals with in His blessing.  Many times we love to quote the promises of God, but promises usually have conditions.  This condition is that we do what is right.  When we become the people who do what is right, God will come through on His end of the promise and will withhold no good thing from us.  We must also realize that a "good thing" to us may not be a "good thing" to the Lord.  His will above ours always

Prayer:

Lord, You are amazing and your promises are true.  Thank you for not withholding good things from my life.  Help me to keep up my end of the promise by doing what is right in your eyes.  Show me areas of my life that need to change and help me to change them.  Shape me Lord into someone You can bless.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Thursday, March 21, 2013

That My People Would Listen to Me

Scripture:

Psalm 81:13 "Oh, that my people would listen to Me!  Oh, that Israel would follow Me, walking in My paths".

Observation:

God is speaking in this Psalm through the Psalmist.  He is longing for His people to listen to Him, follow Him and walk in His paths.  God wants His people to and trust Him desperately.  He wants his people to know that He is awesome and can do anything they need.  He is like a father to us who sincerely wants us to listen to Him because He knows what 's best for our lives.  He knows where each path leads and wants us to walk on His path.

Application:

We must listen to God like He is truly God and has all the answers to life.  If He is an all-knowing, all-powerful God, then we should be pursuing Him every day dilligently.  We are good at figuring out our own paths, which usually lead to trouble.  God wants us to trust Him enough to listen for His voice.  His purpose: our blessing!  He wants to bless our lives, but we must pursue Him and His ways above our own.

Prayer:

Father, I want to know You more today than I did yesterday.  Help me today to stay in line with you and to listen to Your voice.  Show me the way and I will do my best to walk in it. 

Yours,

Jeff

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Each Generation

Scripture:

Psalm 78:7  "So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands".

Observation:

In this Psalm, Asaph is recounting all the wonderful and powerful things the Lord had done in the history of his people.  When he gets to this point, he begins to talk about handing off this faith to the next generation.  He shows the importance of teaching, proclaiming and showing our children the awesome faithfulness of our God.  He says each generation should set its hope anew on God.  In other words, each generation needs to experience God in a real way, or He will become like a fable or good story.

Application:

I have said many times that Christianity is only one generation from extinction.  Each generation needs to see and experience a move of God that will solidify their faith.  It is one thing to have your parents tell you about what great things God did in their generation, but if our children don't see anything happen in their generation, faith diminishes and those become just good stories.  I believe this generation coming up right now needs an encounter with God that will solidify their faith in Him and show them how real He is.  May we proclaim and demonstrate His power to the next generation and train up a people who know Him for the future of the faith.

Prayer:

Lord, help me be in touch with the next generation.  Help me lead them into an encounter with You that will solidify their faith in You.  Help me not just talk about what you did, but to demonstrate what You do so that they can grasp it and give it to the next generation.  Arise oh Lord!  Demonstrate Your power for my children that they may see your glory!

Yours Forever,
Jeff

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Power Increase

Scripture:

Psalm 75:10  "For God says, 'I will break the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly'".

Observation:

The Psalmist is once again complaining about the injustice in God because the people who are not serving Him are becoming wealthier and wealthier.  He sees that those serving God seem to be doing worse in life than those not serving God.  God responds to him and tells him hold on because their day is coming and so it the day of the righteous.  God will increase the power of the godly and break the strength of the wicked, just maybe not when we would like Him to.

Application:

God is a just God and we must learn to trust Him with our lives.  Judgment will come to those who hurt us, put us down, etc., but it may not come when we would like it to.  Patience is huge in the Christian life and we must not grow weary while doing good.  God is faithful and His promises are true, we just need to learn to wait patiently.  Some of His promises may not happen in this life and may await us in heaven, but that is okay as well because we are on this earth for 70-80 years, but heaven will be for eternity.  He will increase the power of  the godly!  It is coming...we must wait for it and serve Him strongly while we wait.

Prayer:

Lord, give me strength today to wait for You to accomplish all your plans and purposes in my life.  I know I want to rush things, but this morning I slow down and ask you to work in my life at Your pace and not mine. I yield to You Almighty God.  Have Your way in me.  I am Yours eternally.

Your Son,

Jeff

Monday, March 18, 2013

Let me Proclaim Your Power

Scripture:

Psalm 71:18b "Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me".

Observation:

The psalmist is getting older and has one desire he wants to do before he leaves this planet.  He wants to proclaim God's power and mighty miracles to the next generation.  As he gets old and his strength is failing, he has one desire, to reach the next generation and show them the mighty power of God.

Application:

My hearts desire is to see the next generation experience the power of God.  Each generation seems to slip farther and farther from God and His ways.  I have always felt called to be a bridge between generations.  I want to demonstrate the power of God to this upcoming generation.  I want them to experience Him in ways that I have so they may know Him as the All-Powerful God.

Prayer:

Father, pour out your Spirit on this generation and let them see true revival.  Them them see You hand and power demonstrated in the earth.  Let me be a bridge between generations so they may know You.


Your Son,
Jeff

Friday, March 15, 2013

From God Alone

Scripture:

Psalm 62:7  "My victory and honor come from God alone.  He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me".

Observation:

David knew that, no matter how successful he was, his victory and honor came from God alone.  David lived a God-centered life.  It was God who received all the praise for David's mighty military victories.  It was God who defended him and protected him.  He knew where his help came from and that without God, he could not rule the country or have any victory at all.

Application:

Just as David lived a God-centered life, I also need to live a life that speaks volumes about God's goodness to my generation.  I want to see victories in my life that enable me to shout out the praises of God in my generation.  I want to live a life that makes God look awesome and causes his enemies to be jealous.  I want to live a life that honors God and exalts his name.

Prayer:

Lord, You are incredible and I want to lift up Your name.  I realize that any victories in my life have come from You.  You are my refuge and a rock in my life.  I want it to be more and more like this every day.  I want to make your name great in my generation.  I want to share the amazing stories of how God works in the lives of His people.  Help me to honor You in every possible way.

Yours Forever,
Jeff

Thursday, March 14, 2013

With God's Help

Scripture:

Psalm 60:12 "With God's help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes".

Observation:

David realized that the battle was the Lord's.  He knew deeply and was convinced that God would fight his battles.  Sometimes he wavered and questioned why God was allowing his enemies to prosper, but deep down he was convinced that God would see him through any situation that came up.  David had a mighty army, but he knew it was God's help that made them successful in battle.  He gave God, not his powerful troops, the credit for trampling down their foes.

Application:

Do I really believe that with God's help we will do mighty things?  Am I really convinced that I can defeat any enemy because God is with me?  Do I know that I know that God will rescue me?  If I did, I would not allow worry or fear into my life.  I need to grow in fully trusting God will defend me like He did David.  God is awesome and can be trusted.  I need to rely on Him more each day of my life.  I need to repeat in my mind over and over today, "With God's help we will do mighty things".

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You know where I am and what I'm going through.  You know my ups and downs.  You know I want to serve you diligently and with all my heart.  You know I want nothing more than to advance Your kingdom throughout the earth.  I do need a breakthrough financially and I continue to look at what I can do to pay for college, etc. when I am in debt.  You are my supply!  Please supply abundantly and get my family out of debt and into abundance.

Your Son,

Jeff

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

My Heart is Confident in You

Scripture:

Psalm 57:7  "My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident.  No wonder I can sing Your praises!"

Observation:

David wrote this Psalm about time when he was fleeing from king Saul and running for his life.  In the midst of being chased by a powerful king, he says, "My heart is confident in You, O God; my heart is confident".  Even in the worst situations, David still had confidence in God.  He knew God would rescue him every time.  He knew beyond any shadow of doubt, that God would come through for him.  He was a man of faith!

Application:

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things we don't see.  Faith places confidence in God, when you don't even see how He can do anything with the situation we are in.  Belief believes...faith knows and is confident!  Faith "believes that we receive" what we are asking for.  Faith is fully confident that God will take care of us, even when our enemies are chasing us down.  Faith can sing praises when nothing seems to be going right because our trust is in the Lord who we can depend on.

Prayer:

Father, increase my faith, trust, confidence in You.  Help me to trust You more each day.  I want to be able to say with David, "My heart is confident in you".  Help me to walk by faith and not by sight.  You are God and You know best what I need.  I trust You to work every detail of my life out and to take care of my family.

Yours,
Jeff

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Trusting God's Unfailing Love

Scripture:

Psalm 52:8 "But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God.  I will always trust in God's unfailing love."

Observation:

David says in this verse that he is like and olive tree that is thriving in the house of God and that he always trusts in God's unfailing love.  David trusted in God's love for him.  He knew that God loved him and would not allow anything bad or wrong to happen to him.  He had absolute confidence that God would take care of anything or anyone who came against him.  He knew that God's love would never fail him and that is the definition of faith.

Application:

Real faith says, "I trust in God's unfailing love".  Faith puts complete trust and reliance in God, knowing that He loves you and will not allow you to go through more than you can bear.  We need to live our lives fully and completely trusting that God loves us and will take care of us.  Trusting that He knows what is best for us and that we don't.

Prayer:

Lord, help me today to trust You more.  I give you my life and ask you to direct my steps, order my path and show me the way.  Give me strength to do what You put in my heart and grace to fulfill Your will for my life.

Yours,
Jeff

Monday, March 11, 2013

Wealth Doesn't Go With You

Scripture:

Psalm 49:16-17 "So don't be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid.  For when they die, they take nothing with them.  Their wealth will not follow them into the grave".

Observation:

The Psalmist speaks here of being envious of those who are rich in this world, yet not rich in God.  He tells us not to be upset when they get richer and richer because when they die, none of it can go with them into eternity with them. 

Application:

Sometimes, living in one of the wealthiest counties in America is not easy.  It's very easy to look around and think, "why are these people who don't love God being blessed, and we are struggling for all these years here?"  It is hard not to let jealousy and envy into my heart and I need a wake up call once in a while to show me what is really important and where and how I will spend eternity.  When our eyes are fixed on eternity, the things that concern us here on this earth come into proper view.  Nothing we gain in this life will follow us into the grave.  It is simply temporary stuff that will burn up one day anyway.

Prayer:

Lord, help me not to be jealous of those who are not pursuing You.  Help me to keep my eyes fixed on You and Your purposes for my life.  Show me each day what I need to do.  I want to live for eternity, yet your blessing here on earth would be nice as well.

Your Son,
Jeff

Friday, March 8, 2013

I Will Put My Hope in God

Scripture:

Psalm 42:11 "Why am I discouraged?  Why is my heart so sad?  I will put my hope in God!  I will praise Him again - my Savior and my God!"

Observation:

The Psalmist writes this verse and you hear a little of his conversation with himself.  David said he encouraged or strengthened himself in the Lord.  Here the descendants of Korah are writing and speaking to themselves in song.  They ask the question many of us are afraid to ask, "Why?"  "Why am I discouraged?"  "Why is my heart so sad?"  The Psalmist acknowledges the fact that He is sad and discouraged.  Sometimes I feel it is a lack of faith to speak out that I am discouraged or sad, but the Psalmist had no problem with it, and apparently neither did God.

Application:

We need to be real with God.  It doesn't bother Him when we say we are scared, frustrated, discouraged, upset, etc.  He who designed and made us knows us best.  He already knows how and what we are feeling so we shouldn't have a problem being real with Him and crying out what is really in our heart.  The Psalmists were people who walked with God and were totally honest with Him.  I need to be more honest with God about what I feel.

Prayer:

Father, help me to be more real with You.  Teach me to vent my frustrations to You.  Teach me to cast my care on You because You care for me.  Thank you for showing me this today.  I love You and want to spend some time with You today.

Yours,
Jeff

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Every Detail

Scripture:

Psalm 37:23 "The Lord directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives".

Observation:

In this passage, David speaks of how much God loves us.  It says that He cares enough to direct our steps when we are godly.  It goes on to say that He delights in every detail of our lives.  This amazes me.  God is concerned about the littlest details of our lives.  He delights in knowing the little details.  He is incredible!

Application:

We often think of God as too busy to bother with the little stuff.  We act like He is not interested in the little things, but He is.   He delights in every detail of our lives.  Many times we act like we don't want to bother God with little requests, but He delights in our lives and wants us to talk to Him about the little details.  He cares about whatever we care about.  If it bothers us, it bothers Him.  When we realize this, it should change our prayers lives.

Prayer:

Father, help me to believe Your Word and let it sink down deep into my life.  Teach me to trust You more and to talk about the little details with You.  You are my father and I know that the details matter to You.  Thank You for caring so deeply about my life.

Yours,
Jeff

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

God's GPS System

Scripture:

Psalm 32:8 "The Lord says, 'I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you'".

Observation:

David is a man who has his ups and downs, yet honestly pursues the Lord with all his heart.  David is a God-seeker!  In this passage the Lord speaks to him and tells him that the Lord would guide him along the best pathway for you life and advise and watch over him.  God knows best where we should be at what time and what is coming up in our near future and He is the best one to guide us.

Application:

God wants to guide His people as we pursue Him and His plans for our lives.  When we get off track, the divine GPS should whisper, "re-routing" or "re-calculating".  If we are open to Him and desire to follow Him, He will lead us along, not just any path, but "the best pathway" for our lives.  We should hear His voice telling us to change directions, take this job, don't live here, apply there, serve in this church, go to that person's house.  He wants to direct our lives and He is extremely good at it.  Our only problem is that we like to be in control of our own destiny and not leave that to God.  He knows the best path and we must seek Him to find it.

Prayer:

Father lead me today into the best path for my life.  Advise me and watch over me.  Help me not to make mistakes today because I didn't listen to Your voice.  Guide me today by Your voice and don't let me get off track.  Open my ears to hear you and strengthen my heart to say yes and to follow You wherever you lead.

Yours,

Jeff

Friday, March 1, 2013

Confidence in the Lord

Scripture:

Psalm 20:6 "Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed king.  He will answer him from His holy heaven and rescue him by His great power".

Observation:

In this verse I see such confidence and trust in the Lord from David.  I love the words "I know".  David was totally convinced that the Lord would rescue him.  He was convinced that God would answer him from heaven and rescue him by His great power.  He didn't say "I hope" the Lord will rescue me.  He used the strong words "I know".  These are words of true faith and trust in the Lord.

Application:

I have always tested high in the faith section when I take spiritual gifts tests, but I can't say that I have the confidence that David had.  I want to move from "believing God can" to "knowing God will".  There is a huge difference and I believe this is the kind of faith that moves the hand of God.  I feel like I need to make the change of mind from "believing God can" to "knowing God will".  Sometimes when we step out in faith and proclaim things that later don't come to pass, we become hesitant to speak out again the things God is putting in our hearts.  I feel God pulling me back to speaking forth in bold declaration what He will do.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to walk like David walked, in total and complete confidence that You will rescue him no matter what is happening around him.  I want that confidence in my life at a new and higher level.  I do know that you hear me when I cry out to You, but I want to be more confident you will come through every time.  Help me to walk by faith and not by sight.

Yours,
Jeff