Out of all the verses found throughout God’s Word, few have been more inspiring than Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”  It’s not that we ourselves have any strength worth mentioning, but rather that the source of our strength, Jesus Christ, is omnipotent and empowers us to be “…more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” (Romans 8:37) When we rely on God to give us the victory, we have all the power in the world backing us up.

“...and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the LORD God of their fathers.”

                      -2 Chronicles 13:18

When Abijah went to war against Jeroboam in 2 Chronicles 13, anybody would’ve told you he was bound for defeat. His adversary had an army twice the size of his own (v. 3), and even then they fell into an ambush and found themselves surrounded by the enemy. They were outnumbered, outwitted, and, by all indications, going to lose and lose miserably. Yet because they relied on God and made Him the captain of their army (v. 12), they were victorious in their battle and walked away with a renewed understanding of what it really means to trust God. After all, if we can trust Him with our eternity, shouldn’t we be able to trust Him with our today?

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”

         -Psalm 121:1

Perhaps you, just like Abijah, are fighting for what seems to be a lost cause. When you look around, all you see is the enemy, and it seems obvious that you are outnumbered. If so, be reminded of the words of Elisha when he found himself is a similar situation in 2 Kings: “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” (2 Kings 6:16) It turned out they weren’t outnumbered at all. In fact, heaven’s angels were surrounding them and ready to help win the battle, and they’ll help you win yours too.

“For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

             -Malachi 3:6

When I look back over the course of my 17 years on this earth, I realize there have been very few things in my life that have remained constant. People I thought I could count on have wavered, and things I assumed would always be there were taken away. In some of those cases the hurt came as a result of being done wrong by a friend or family member, and at other times it was really my own fault for building my hopes on an unsteady foundation and putting faith in something that couldn’t possibly meet my expectations. At any rate, I’ve learned from experience that Jesus Christ is the only One Who never changes, and that any foundation other than Him truly is sinking sand (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

              -Hebrews 13:8

In spite of our ever-changing surroundings, God uses those things to give us a clearer picture of His own steadfastness. Scriptures like these give us the assurance that, if God answered our prayers yesterday, then He will answer them again today. They give us hope that the very God of peace (1 Thessalonians 5:23) Who brought us through yesterday’s heartaches will bring us through today’s trials, and that if He was a miracle-worker 2,000 years ago then He most certainly is today. Even when humanity’s perception of Him changes, the Lord remains “…the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.” As James wrote in James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

“I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for He is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall be even unto the end.”

            -Daniel 6:26

Whatever you are going through today – whether the mountain is under your feet or in front of your face – be reminded that God is the only One truly worthy of our full faith and devotion. People will let you down and circumstances will disappoint you, but God remains faithful from everlasting to everlasting. His truth endureth to all generations (Psalm 103:17; Psalm 100:5).

Memorizing Scripture, as most of you have already seen in my profile, is one of my favorite ways to spend time. I’ve blogged about it on several occasions in the past, and yet I don’t think I’ve ever given you the full story of how I began hiding God’s Word in my heart in the first place. Contrary to what you would suspect, I wasn’t forced to memorize by my parents, asked to by my Sunday School teacher, or even preached at by my pastor. In all reality, my love for memorizing Scripture began a little less than three years ago when I sat down to read the book  A Call to Die by David Nasser. Let me tell you about it:

Having grown up in church, I was more than familiar with verses like Psalm 119:11 and Hebrews 4:12. I knew those words were undeniably referring to the power of God’s Word and the importance of memorizing it, but I still never recognized the necessity of doing so myself. Whenever the subject was brought up by a friend or family member, I would say what everybody else who wants to avoid memorizing Scripture says and rattle off something like, “Oh, I just don’t have a good memory like you do. I can’t memorize Scripture; it’s too hard.” What didn’t make sense about this excuse is that I’d never actually tried to memorize in the first place, and yet somehow knew I would be unable to. I guess because I couldn’t recite from memory the Scriptures I’d read during my devotions that night, I assumed I had a bad memory and shouldn’t try to burden it too heavily with something as “archaic” as the Bible.

Anyway, one night I sat down to read the first devotional in A Call to Die and my safe-haven of excuses began to slowly crumble. He wrote,

“I hear people whine, “I can’t memorize verses from the Bible. It’s too hard!” That’s ridiculous. These same people know every song on their favorite CD, and I know a couple of guys who can recite the entire dialogue from The Three Amigos word for word! The first thing I want you to realize is: yes, you can memorize verses from the Bible!”

These words helped me to realize that I actually had a much better memory than I was willing to admit; I simply wasn’t willing to utilize it for the glory of God. Not only did I know every word of every song on my favorite CD, but I knew the lyrics to pretty much every Third Day song ever recorded. This realization helped me to see that, if I could devote so much time and energy to memorizing song lyrics about God, I could at least memorize the words of God which were far more significant and far more eternal than anything else on this earth.

David Nasser then outlined a list of ways to strategically hide the Word of God in your heart and mind. Amazingly enough, the list he made bears a striking resemblance to the list of ways a student might study for a test, or even simply memorize a phone number or address. The items included reading the material multiple times; writing it down; reciting with a partner, and meditating on the Scripture throughout your day. Compare these activities with the way you memorize the lyrics to your favorite song:

• First of all, you pressed the rewind button on your stereo several times.

• You looked up the lyrics on google, or repeated step one until this was unnecessary. In extreme cases, you may have even purchased a T-shirt to express your love for the artist who wrote it.

• Most importantly, you sung your new favorite song in the car, in the shower, and any other time you were a safe distance from any listening ears.

Basically, my point is that it doesn’t matter how much you love or hate the material, memorization requires genuine hard work. Obviously it helps if we are passionate about what we’re memorizing, and I think that’s why we rarely give a second thought to memorizing our best friends phone number or new song lyrics: we see the benefits of it, and thus pay the price and devote the time necessary to to do just that.

In Joshua 1:8, the Lord commanded Israel’s new leader to meditate in the law of the Lord continually. Memorizing Scripture allows us to do that and, what’s more, will bring a peace beyond comparison (Isaiah 26:3). It takes work, for sure, but is more than worth the benefits it brings us. We’re robbing ourselves of a great treasure if we allow the excuse of a having a poor memory to keep us from hiding God’s word in our heart. The fact is, even if your mind is like a sieve, the Scriptures will keep it pure as they flow through.

This might come as a surprise to you, but did you know that I’m actually mentioned in the Bible? It’s true. If you don’t believe me, just get our your copy, turn to the 15^th chapter of Luke, and you’ll see my story in big, red letters right there for all to see. I’m not at all proud of what It has to say about me, but I must admit it’s all very accurate.  The account of the prodigal son paints a perfect picture of my rebellion against God, and an even better picture of the redemption that followed 14 years down the line.

Of course, there’s a good possibility you might see yourself in Luke 15.  I would actually go so far as to say that you should see yourself in this story because, when it comes down to it, “All we like sheep have gone astray.” (Isaiah 53:6) Whether your past consists drug addiction and lies or Sunday School lessons and prayer, the fact remains that “…all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and no person is more in need of redemption than the other. We were all prodigals at one time and, without the mercy of our heavenly Father, would still be heavy laden under the bondage of sin (Matthew 11:28). In fact, I’m sure there are some of you out there who still need to answer the soft whisper of God’s voice urging you to come home.

“But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence…”

                -Deuteronomy 24:18

Somebody once said that, in order for us to realize who we are in Christ, we must first realize who we would be without Him. Too many times we get caught up in all that God is doing in our lives, or what we are expecting Him to do in the days ahead, that we forget the most significant blessing He’s ever granted us: our salvation. Our salvation is something that gives us forgiveness for yesterday, joy for today, and hope for tomorrow. It is priceless beyond words and should be cherished above all else, for it is this very salvation that allows us to say with Paul, “whether we live…or die, we are the Lord's.” (Romans 14:8) What could ever compete with that? If this assurance is yours, let me urge you to take a moment and quit worrying about all the distractions life has thrown your way and simply thank God for saving you. It’s the most deserved ‘thank you’ He could ever receive.

We are an incredibly blessed people. Despite the corruption we often see in our local and Federal government, the vast majority of us live in countries where religious freedom is granted to every citizen regardless of their race or creed, and face little persecution from those around us for what we believe in. In fact, my recent polls showed that 71% of the visitors to this site have more than 10 Bibles in their home and that most read It actively throughout their week. It would seem, based on these statistics, that we should be the most Godly generation ever to walk the face of the earth, and yet it appears we have allowed this abundance of spiritual blessings to water down our faith rather than strengthen it. In other words, instead of truly appreciating what God has given us, too often we take those things for granted and become complacent in our walk with God.

“…for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”

                    -Luke 12:48

The more God gives us, the more He expects in return. If He gives us free access to His Word, then we haven’t the slightest excuse not to memorize and obey it (Joshua 1:8). If He gives us freedom of speech, then we should be all the more willing to share the Gospel with others (Mark 16:15). If we are blessed with financial resources, then ministering to the poor and needy should come naturally (Proverbs 14:31). Unfortunately, many times we use our virtually unlimited access to the Bible as an excuse to leave it on the shelf, our freedom of speech to justify keeping our mouth shut, and financial resources as a means to cut ourselves off from the needy rather than reaching out to them. As sad as it may be, what was intended to draw us closer to God has actually pushed us further away from Him in many respects.

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

                             -1 Thessalonians 5:18

Throughout the days ahead, let each of us make a conscious effort to thank God for each and every blessing we receive from His hand. When you’re tempted to put off your Bible reading until later in the day, remember the tens of thousands of people who were willing to lay down their life just to advance Its message. When you’d rather sleep in than go to church, think of those in countries such as Africa and Asia who faithfully walk miles in each direction just to attend Sunday services. When it would be easier to shut up than speak up, recall the words of God in 1 Samuel 2:30, “…them that honour me I will honour.” When we start taking note of the countless blessings that come our way every single day, sitting back and doing nothing for the Kingdom of God will hardly be possible. After all, thankfulness is the perfect cure for complacency. 

If you are a Christian, then it should already be part of your everyday life to actively and intentionally pursue wisdom. Unlike certain other virtues named throughout the Word of God, wisdom is one of those things you can spend a lifetime working on and still be left with progress yet to be made at the end of the day. Why is this? To put it in just a few words, wisdom is not perfectible. There will never be a time in your life when you can sit down, kick back, and relax, knowing you are perfectly wise with nothing yet to be learned. For a person to even think they’ve arrived at this place is a sign of pride and foolishness, not wisdom and godliness.

“Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.”

                                                              -Proverbs 9:9

Rather than glorying in our spirituality or perceived wisdom, God instructs us in Jeremiah 9:23-24 to glory in the simple truth that we know Him as our Lord and Savior. The fact is, even the wisest of Christians are fools when they contrast their limited understanding of things to the immense wisdom of Almighty God. At the end of the day there will always be more knowledge to attain and apply to our life which, in itself, is the very definition of Godly wisdom: the practical application of knowledge. When we begin to understand that wisdom requires knowledge and that there is always an abundance of knowledge yet to be learned, we will finally begin to comprehend the fact that God is the only one Who is truly wise, and that His wisdom stretches far beyond the capacities of our frail, human minds.

“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof?”

                      -Job 38:4-6

When Job began to question the way God worked because it contradicted what he thought should be happening, the Lord quickly reminded him that he didn’t know as much as he thought he did. He was shown that many questions are answerable only by God Himself and that we are foolish to try and understand every aspect of the way He works. In reality, true wisdom requires us forfeiting the idea that we will ever understand everything and humbly seeking whatever wisdom God may grant us. As it was written in James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.” Without a doubt, those who ask shall receive; those who seek will find; and those who knock will be welcomed in (Matthew 7:7).

In Isaiah 64:6 we are reminded that, “…we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf.”  Those are powerful words and should completely obliterate any pride that might otherwise take root in our lives, and yet oftentimes we forget the significance of what this verse is telling us. It is only when we come to the humbling realization that our own righteousness is as a filthy rag in contrast to God’s that the words of David in Psalm 8:4 can really take on their full meaning: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?”

“Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

              -Isaiah 6:5

Most people consider themselves to be decent and moral individuals, and, judging by the world’s standards, perhaps they are. If we compare ourselves to men like Adolf Hitler or even the neighbor across the street, it’s easy to feel proud of our accomplishments and perceived morality; yet when we examine ourselves in the light of God’s absolute holiness, we can do nothing less than echo Isaiah’s words, “Woe is me! For I am undone…for mine eyes have the seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

              -Isaiah 1:18

Not only is God holy; He is eternally holy. He has always been and will forever be without fault. Those without Christ, on the other hand, “…grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.” (Isaiah 59:10) Even those with Christ are nothing more than members of a fallen race, made to “sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” through grace and grace alone (Ephesians 2:6, 8), so that no flesh should glory in His presence (1 Corinthians 1:28, 29). It’s not that we’re innocent; we’re simply forgiven. Let us never be so deceived to believe that it’s the other way around.

Do you wonder why you have to
Feel the things that hurt you
If there’s a God Who loves you where is He now

Maybe there are things you can’t see
And all those things are happening
To bring a better ending
Someday somehow you’ll see, you’ll see

Would you dare would you dare to believe
That you still have a reason to sing
Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It can’t compare to the joy that’s coming
So hold on you gotta wait for the light
Press on and just fight the good fight
Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It’s just the dark before the morning

My friend you know how this all ends
You know where you’re going
You just don’t know how you’ll get there

So say a prayer
And hold on cause there’s good for those who love God
But life is not a snapshot
It might take a little time but you’ll see the bigger picture

Once you feel the weight of glory
All your pain will fade to memory
It’s just the hurt before the healing
Oh the pain that you’ve been feeling
It’s just the dark before the morning*

*Song by Josh Wilson

We all worship something. Whether you’re a Christian, an atheist, or anything in between, you have a god somewhere in your life that you, though perhaps indirectly, are worshipping. How do you identify what that is? Simply ask yourself this question: “On a day-to-day basis, where do I seek shelter? Where to I look for comfort, happiness, and fulfillment?” You answer is your god.

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

                -Joshua 24:15

As foolish as it would be for us to serve anyone but the Lord, it’s a choice God has nevertheless left us the option of making. We can serve anything or anyone we want, for God has given each of us a freewill to make that decision. Joshua’s words, though spoken to the Israelites, apply just as much to us today as they did to Israel then: “choose you this day whom ye will serve.” His own, personal choice was made clear with the famous words, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

                         -Revelation 3:15-16

God would rather us not serve Him at all than to do so half-heartedly. In reality, though that lack of commitment may not seem like much at any given moment, it will manifest itself at crucial times in your life that give clear evidence of your spiritual condition. You might seem “committed” when surrounded by your Christian friends, but are you committed when peer pressure strikes or witnessing opportunities come your way? As it was said by C.S. Lewis, “The virtue of courage is a prerequisite for the practice of all other virtues; otherwise one is virtuous only when virtue has no cost.”

Where do you seek shelter from day-to-day? At you computer desk? At your school, or the town square? If so, know that those things provide a temporary and incomplete satisfaction. Only those who find shelter under the shadow of God’s wings are fully protected (Psalm 17:8).

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

              -John 13:34

When Jesus came, He completely redefined the essence of true obedience to God’s Word. In Old Testament times people thought it was enough to simply abide by the letter of the law while pretty much ignoring Its spiritual implications, and yet we are reminded numerous times throughout the four Gospels alone that our God wants more than just an outward show of religion; He wants inward commitment and devotion that goes far beyond the outward aspect of things (Mark 12:30).

As Paul reminded us in Romans 13:10, “…love is the fulfilling of the law.” He explained that none of the commandments we find in Scripture would ever be broken if we would simply love our neighbor as ourself, for “love worketh no ill to his neighbour.”  Unlike many of us today who tend to focus solely on outward evidences of inward sin, Jesus and Paul both sought to treat the problem once and for all by removing the cause of the undesired effect. They recognized that sins such as adultery, murder, lying, and revenge all begin in the heart and that, like a weed, they would continue to spring back up until being plucked out by the roots.

“This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”

        -John 15:12

Notice here that Jesus didn’t just ask us to get along, or to try and be nice to each other; no, He said plainly that we must love one another. Learning to put the needs of others before our own, though often difficult to emulate, is a sign of true and undefiled Christianity (James 1:27; Romans 12:10), and is perhaps the greatest testimony we can give of our faith in Christ. It shows the world that we’re serious about serving God, and do so for more than just personal gain. It is then, as Christ said, that the world can know with certainty that we are His (John 13:35).

“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”

            -Philippians 2:3

When we come to the place of loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, people are going to notice. When we intentionally sacrifice our own agenda for His, our priorities for His purpose, and think of others before worrying about ourselves, the world around us will see that there is indeed something special about us. More importantly than that, they will see that there is something special about Jesus. After all, if God is love (1 John 4:8), doesn’t it make sense that His followers should be known for expressing it?

Who doesn’t like to win free stuff? If you’re anything like me, then you probably find it difficult to pass up a good giveaway when you see one, right? If so, then you’re going to love the new contest I have going over at my photography blog, Dakota’s Nature Photos. Unlike most giveaways you’ll find on the web, everybody who participates is a guaranteed winner and will get to pick between 4 unique prizes! Want to find out how you can win? Click on over and find out!

“And if Thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray Thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in Thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.”

                    -Numbers 11:15

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;”

                         -Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”

              -Philippians 4:4

“And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.”

                          -1 Chronicles 21:13

The other night as I was reading in the Old Testament, I came across this verse in 1 Chronicles that I just couldn’t seem to get over. Israelites were dying by the thousands as a result of David’s rebellion against the Lord, and he knew very well that it was his own fault. His plea, however, was not one of anger or bitterness; it was one of true humility and repentance as he asked that, if he must fall, he could do so on God’s mercy. He recognized that the only safe place to land was in God’s own hand.

Anyway, last night I wrote this song based on this passage of Scripture and what God has been teaching me through it. I don’t write music too often, but when you put a guitar in my hand and a Scripture in my heart you never know what might happen. I hope you like it.

 

You lift me up when I am cast down

You bring me peace when none can be found;

You satisfy my soul with Your love

I’m falling on You, Your grace is enough

Your grace is enough

 

When the shadows hide the sun

When I cannot see and I don’t feel Your love

When the peace I know departs from my soul

I will trust in You, and Lord I won’t let You go

Lord I will never let you go

 

When I fall I’ll fall on You God

When I stand I’ll stand with You God

When I trust I’ll trust in You God

When I fear I will fear you God*

*Words and music © 2011 – Dakota L.