Psalm 27

As I am memorizing this, my key verse is, "The Lord is the strength of my life." Any strength I have is all because of him. As that worship song goes---"Be the strength of my life, be the strength of my life." and "I am weak, but He is strong."

Amen!----Lisa

Psalm 27 (New International Version)

Psalm 27

Of David.

¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

² When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh, ^a]">[a]
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

³ Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

⁴ One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

⁵ For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

⁶ Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

⁷ Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.

⁸ My heart says of you, "Seek his ^b]">[b] face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.

⁹ Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.

¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.

¹¹ Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.

¹² Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.

¹³ I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

¹⁴ Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Words: Fail

I try to focus on words that build up, that encourage, that are hopeful, and giving.

But at the moment, the words in my heart are not so uplifting, encouraging, hopeful and giving.

But I don't want to write those words---it's as though if I did, I give them power. How's that verse go, "Whatever is pure, noble, trustworthy"----etc., ----meditate on these.

Set my mind on things above.

Where the heck do these "bad" words come from? They need to be put to death.

Word: Healing

In this verse, the Logos form of Word is used:

"When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick." Matthew 8:16

Word: Logos

3056. logos

---

a word (as embodying an idea), a statement, a speech

Original Word: λόγος

Transliteration: logos

Phonetic Spelling: (log'-os)

Short Definition: word

Word Origin

from legó

Definition

a word (as embodying an idea), a statement, a speech

NASB Word Usage

account (7), account* (1), accounting (2), accounts (2), answer (1), appearance (1), complaint (1), exhortation* (1), have to do (1), instruction (1), length* (1), matter (4), matters (1), message (10), news (3), preaching (1), question (2), reason (2), reasonable (1), remark (1), report (1), said (1), say (1), saying (4), sayings (1), speaker (1), speech (10), statement (18), story (1), talk (1), teaching (2), thing (2), things (1), utterance (2), what he says (1), what* (1), word (179), words (61).

The Word: Jesus

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

In Him was life and the life was the light of men.

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it"----John 1:1-5

The Word.

The Word was with God.

The Word was God.

Words: Deuteronomy

Did you know that the Hebrew title for Deuteronomy is "Devarim" which means "words" and comes from the Hebrew word "davar"?

"Davar" means a word, a speech; messages, a matter or a thing. Mainly used in the Old Testament, the phrase "the word of the Lord" is used repeatedly.

The first time we see "davar" in the OT is in Genesis 15:1

"After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."

We know that Jesus is the Word---so I will be exploring how "words" and "the word" are woven throughout the scriptures, both Old and New Testaments.

Awesome!------LL

Words Words Words

Words. Language. Communication.

They have power to build and the power to destroy.

They have power to heal and the power to hurt.

They have power to connect and the power to divide.

They have power for life and power for death.

But what are words? What is THE Word?

this is my new pondering.

Poured Out

"Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head."---Mark 14:3

I want to be like this woman. She took something of great value and poured it out as a sacrifice for her Lord. I re-read this passage this morning, and am pondering it. After I get back from the memorial, I will share my ponderings. --LL

More Fear

Fear, phobos (fob-oss): Strong's #5401: In classical Greek the word signified flight. Later it came to denote that which causes flight; hence, fear, terror, dread. In the NT phobos denotes both the fear of terror and the fear of reverence toward God. The English word "phobia" transliterates the Greek word.

I find it very strange that on the same day that I write about fears and my comfort zone, I am faced with a new fear that has me rattled.

There is a guy that I've been friends with for a very long time, and he has lots of problems. A couple of months ago, his behavior turned bizarre and he turned some of his frustration towards me. Mean text messages, angry voicemails, etc. Two weeks ago he shows up in my town. Shows up at a place I am out at with friends----some place I rarely go to, and it freaks me out that he'd be there when I had said nothing to anyone other than the friends I was with.

He started calling and texting every day. Nothing mean or weird, but it was all unwanted. I didn't return any of his calls or texts.

Then yesterday he texts that he's in town,---do I want to meet. I don't respond. Another text telling me where he's at. I don't respond. Another text saying he wants to see me tonight---so I finally tell him that I don't want to see him, but to have fun at the show he's going to. He replies "fine."

I go home scared. I don't know what mindset this guy is in. He is a drug user and drinker. His maturity level is age 17. I don't know how he'll behave, but based on his mean texts and voicemails earlier, I fear he's unstable.

So I call a friend to share this, but their phones go dead. I go to bed, grab my bible and start looking up verses on fear, on the Lord's protection, ----looking up anything that will calm my fears and anxieties. I spend time in prayer and fall asleep.

But my dreams are even worse. Every where I go in my dream, he's there taunting me. I dream that my car is ambushed. I dream I'm raped. I dream my house is torched. It's awful.

At 3 I start getting texts from him.

Finally I just get up at 5 exhausted.

This is supposed to be my devotional time.......where I turn my full attention to the Lord, be still, and know that He is God. My prayer this morning is for His help to cast all my cares upon Him.

Fear and Living Outside the Comfort Zone

For the last year and a half, I have challenged myself to step outside of my comfort zone. It's not that I am a shy person, or scared to try new things, but somewhere over the last 10 years, I had lived my life between some very narrow lines. I had become afraid to step too far from my comfort zone of church, work, and family responsibility.

And this is not healthy fear,-----but rather it's the paralyzing fear that the enemy uses to keep us from being fully alive.

It's the fear that whispers, "Oooh---you're going to go back to your old habits," or "you've become too boring, they won't like you, " or "why would you want to do that?"

It's not like I was exactly in a comfort zone coma----I was living a full and productive, serving life----and I can see where the Lord used me in spite of my anxiety---but I wasn't fully alive!

So I am battling my fears. Fears of letting people know the real me. Fears of stepping out into the unknown. Fears of admitting I don't know everything. Fears of failing. Fears of saying what I really think. For the last year and a half---I have been using every weapon the Lord has provided me to fight my fears---and I've experienced victory!

The scriptures say a lot about fears and God repeatedly says "Do not be afraid":

Genesis 15:1 NIV

• [God's Covenant With Abram] After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."
  Read Genesis 15 | View in parallel | Compare Translations

• Genesis 21:17 NIV

  God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.
  Read Genesis 21 | View in parallel | Compare Translations

• Genesis 26:24 NIV

  That night the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham."
  Read Genesis 26 | View in parallel | Compare Translations

• Genesis 46:3 NIV

  "I am God, the God of your father," he said. "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.
  Read Genesis 46 | View in parallel | Compare Translations

• Exodus 14:13 NIV

  Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.
  Read Exodus 14 | View in parallel | Compare Translations

Isaiah 44:8 NIV

• Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."
  Read Isaiah 44 | View in parallel | Compare Translations

• Isaiah 54:4 NIV

  "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
  Read Isaiah 54 | View in parallel | Compare Translations

• Jeremiah 1:8 NIV

  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord.
  Read Jeremiah 1 | View in parallel | Compare Translations

Of course,---I love the story of Mary when the angel comes to her and says, "Do not be afraid".

So--- facing my fears, and stepping outside my comfort zone. This is my new fully alive-stepping out in faith---living life to the max self.

Amen-------Lisa

Foundation

This morning I feel a little shaky. Lots of questions running through my mind. Lots of uncertainty running rampant in my heart. The unknown, the unseen, and the unclear are ruling right now.

So what is a girl to do?

Remind myself that I have a sure foundation. My life is built on Christ, the cornerstone. Storms may come, but I will not be shaken. That cannot be taken from me.

It is true, for He is Truth.

Love vs. Like

I was really excited when I read this devotional this morning. It re-affirmed things that I've been reading, studying, and meditating on for quite awhile: About love being sacrificial, not something fleeting and rushing, about our own personal value in light of our position in Christ and the Father's love for us. This is the encouragement I needed to keep on keeping on! Have a fabulous Tuesday---in the Love from above, .....Lisa

Then & Now - Week of February 15

"The Day After Valentines Day"
Psalm 139

When I was a teen, Valentines Day was always bad. I hated it. If I had a girlfriend, there was the tough task of finding a gift that wasn't too over-the-top but wasn't cheap. And what if it was a new relationship and I wasn't sure where it was going? Yikes. You get flowers and get accused of coming on too strong and her father is mad at you. You don't get anything and you're a cad and her father is mad at you.

And those were the good years when I had a girlfriend. The years I was "single" Valentines Day represented something I didn't have—a significant other.

As I look back on my high-school and early college years—I realize that I wasted a lot of time agonizing over being loved. Actually it wasn't really love I was after. I was like.

Now that I'm a thirty-two-year old father of three, I realize love is much deeper and better than like. Like is a passing fancy. Like likes me when I'm the popular Senior who won an award and has all the teachers singing my praises. Like dumps when I do something stupid in front of the entire class and humiliate myself or I get in trouble for getting into a fight.

Love—love is deeper. True love is more than a fuzzy feeling, though the fuzzy feelings are part of it. I've been married seven years and I still get fuzzy feelings about Angela. So don't dismiss those altogether. But love is commitment. Love is being there when the other person is not at the top of their game. Love is the other person being there when you're not at the top of your game.

Jesus said it best. He said "Greater love has no man than this. That a man lays down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Love is sacrificial. It's putting aside your desires and your wants and needs and must-haves for the benefit of someone God has called you to serve.

This is a love that swims against our culture. It's a love you won't often see portrayed on the big screen. It's a love that takes longer than fifteen minutes to cultivate.

How do we move from like to love? We begin with Jesus, who went before us to the cross, demonstrating that laying-down kind of love. Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice for us, considering us His friends, even though we were sinners.

Jesus did this, because God the Father and God the Son so value you and me. Maybe this day after Valentine's you're not feeling so loved or even liked. I want to you read today's passage in Psalm 139 and realize that it has your name on it. Before the foundation of the world was laid, you were on God's mind and God had a plan in mind for you.

In other words, God doesn't just like you. God loves you.

Sar Shalom

I often like to end my emails to friends with the phrase "Shalom". I do this because I consider this my best wish/prayer for them-----that they may have Peace. When I came across this devotional, it spoke to me because it described in more detail this peace that I love---this Lord that I love. What a beautiful way to start off my day off today----with a heart, soul, and body at peace! Shalom!-----Lisala

Praying the Names of God - February 15

Names of Jesus Week Eight, Day One

The Name
Who hasn't longed for peace, living in a world that is so often full of strife? The Hebrew word for peace, however, means much more than the absence of conflict or the end of turmoil. Shalom conveys not only a sense of tranquility but also of wholeness and completion. To enjoy shalom is to enjoy health, satisfaction, success, safety, well-being, and prosperity. Though the New Testament does not directly call Jesus the Prince of Peace, this title from Isaiah has traditionally been associated with him as the One who brings peace to the world. Furthermore, Paul assured the Ephesian Christians saying of Jesus, "He himself is our peace" (Ephesians 2:14). When you pray to Sar Shalom, you are praying to the One who is the source of all peace. To live in peace is to live in his presence.

Key Scripture
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

***

Monday
His Name Revealed

The people
walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned. . . .
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
Isaiah 9:2, 6 - 7

His [John's] father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. . . .

"And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." Luke 1:67, 76 - 79

Jesus, my life was in chaos until you entered it. Thank you for the forgiveness that brought me peace. Deepen my sense of your presence by keeping me close to you. Teach me to become a peacemaker — loving justice, doing right, and leading others along the path of peace.

Understanding the Name

Though the Hebrew title Sar Shalom (SAR sha-LOME) does not appear in the New Testament, Zechariah calls it to mind with words that echo Isaiah 9. Both passages speak of a people living in darkness and in the shadow of death. And both speak of a child who will bring peace to God's people.

Shortly after Christ was born, we hear angels proclaiming: "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests" (Luke 2:14).

In Greek the word for peace is eirene. Like the Hebrew concept of shalom, the New Testament portrays peace as much more than the absence of conflict. Mark's Gospel, for instance, links healing and peace by capturing Jesus' words to a woman he has just healed. He tells her to "go in peace" (Mark 5:34). The New Testament further develops our understanding of peace by revealing Jesus as the source of all peace. Though we were alienated from God because of our sins, Jesus reconciled us, making peace through his blood. Peace with God produces peace with others and peace within ourselves. When Christ's kingdom is fully established, all strife will cease, and those who belong to him will enjoy forever the fullness of peace — health, wholeness, well-being, tranquility, satisfaction, safety, prosperity, and perfect contentment.

Studying the Name

1. What does the word "peace" mean to you? How does this differ from the biblical idea of shalom?
2. Why is the "Prince of Peace" a fitting title for Jesus? Can you think of incidents in his life that display his peace?
3. What do you think it means to walk in "the path of peace"?
4. Ask yourself whether you are experiencing Christ's peace in your life. How can you participate more deeply in his peace?

Daily Bread

For a really long time, I have wrestled with how far ahead I should plan for. I am a planner by nature----I like knowing where I'm going, when I'm going, and how I should be going about things. But way back when I re-committed my life to Christ, the Lord started doing a work in my heart about all this "planning". I no longer had a 5 year plan let alone a 5 day plan. At the time I was raising my son alone and the Lord was teaching me to trust Him. He was showing me that He would guide me, provide for me, and that was sufficient.

My son is gone, and yet the song is the same. "Give us this day our daily bread." I will continue to seek that which is the bread of life, be thankful for my portion, and let tomorrow come in its due time.---Agape

Morning and Evening 2/14 AM

February 14

Morning ...

2 Kings 25:30
And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.

Jehoiachin was not sent away from the king's palace with a store to last him for months, but his provision was given him as a daily pension. Herein he well pictures the happy position of all the Lord's people. A daily portion is all that a man really wants. We do not need tomorrow's supplies; that day has not yet dawned, and its wants are as yet unborn. The thirst which we may suffer in the month of June does not need to be quenched in February, for we do not feel it yet; if we have enough for each day as the days arrive we shall never know want. Sufficient for the day is all that we can enjoy. We cannot eat or drink or wear more than the day's supply of food and raiment; the surplus gives us the care of storing it, and the anxiety of watching against a thief. One staff aids a traveller, but a bundle of staves is a heavy burden. Enough is not only as good as a feast, but is all that the veriest glutton can truly enjoy. This is all that we should expect; a craving for more than this is ungrateful. When our Father does not give us more, we should be content with his daily allowance. Jehoiachin's case is ours, we have a sure portion, a portion given us of the king, a gracious portion, and a perpetual portion. Here is surely ground for thankfulness. Beloved Christian reader, in matters of grace you need a daily supply. You have no store of strength. Day by day must you seek help from above. It is a very sweet assurance that a daily portion is provided for you. In the word, through the ministry, by meditation, in prayer, and waiting upon God you shall receive renewed strength. In Jesus all needful things are laid up for you. Then enjoy your continual allowance. Never go hungry while the daily bread of grace is on the table of mercy.