Category: guidance

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Psalms 42:7 NIV
[7] Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
Growing up in BC I developed a passion for water. Streams, the ocean, waterfalls, rivers, crystal clear lakes. I was always known for being wet. For spending my time in the water. Fully dressed I would run into the water, just happy to be near it. Something about it drew me in. It still does. My college days in Castlegar BC I got into the habit of just having my swim suit with me, because I knew there would be sparkling water and I wouldn’t be able to keep out of it.
God is supposed to be like that for us. A constant draw to be with Him. Closer to Him. Deeper into His presence. As the Psalmist says earlier in this chapter, “when can I go and be with God?” We are meant to hunger after Him in that way. Unable to be far from Him because we desire His presence.
We are supposed to be drawn to Him like a wild animal is drawn to water.
Are we though?  When we the last time you desired above all else to be near God?

Take away:

We are supposed to desire God. To walk away drenched by His spirit. But we settle for shallow water,  ankle deep only. 
Dive in instead. Be lost to the current of His peace and grace. Don’t settle for the shore. Get wet!
Seek Him with passion and love.

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Psalms 40:4 NIV
[4] Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

False gods show up in the most unlikely forms. I discovered during my college days that studying was a false god. I thought I would always succeed if I studied hard enough. I was relentless in studying, panicking if I did not meet my self proclaimed quota. I needed to be reminded that my success and strength come only from God. When I would put my notes away and rest I was honoring Him and acknowledging that He was the one who controlled every outcome.

We rely so heavily on things that are finite. We rely on people, technology, stuff, books. Yet all these things can have errors. The only one who is all knowing and all powerful is God. You really do not want anyone or anything to be placed before Him. Idols are not just offensive to God, they’re also useless. They take up time and thought and give you nothing in return. Trust Jesus. He’s got the answers.

Take away:

False gods and idols show up in the most unexpected places. They take our energy and time and run us down.
We must focus on Jesus instead. Spending time with Him gives us energy, strength, and the ability to keep going.
Watch out for the pit traps in your life, before you fall so deep you can’t get out.

Psalms 38:21 NIV[21]  Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God.
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Psalms 38:21 NIV[21]  Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God.

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Psalms 38:21 NIV
[21]  Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God.
There is nothing worse than being forsaken by God. Without Him there is nothing. Yet only one has ever been left by Him, and that one was Jesus. That day on the cross, in the worst suffering a person can endure, Jesus was left to die alone. Our sins. The one you had ten seconds ago, the sin you will have ten years from now, all of it was on Jesus that day and because of that He was forsaken by God. His Father had to turn His face away.
We sometimes feel so pained by life that we wonder what we have done to cause God to leave us. Possibly because that’s easier than thinking that God could possibly let us go through this.
Sometimes bad things happen because the world is broken and God permits them because He has a reason we do not and will not understand. Most things God protects us from though. There are battles for our lives happening ever day without us even knowing it. That thought doesn’t make the pain easier, but maybe it help to make the love of God clearer.

Take away:

God is stronger than the devil, but that does not mean that He is not sometimes delayed from saving us by him. Remember when the demon of Persia way laid the angel of Lord when he was coming tl rescue God’s anointed? It can happen.
When bad things come don’t blame God. Turn to Him. Pray even if you feel cold. Even if you have no answer and never will. Even if your faith is shattered. Keep seeking Him. He will pull you through.

Psalms 37:35 NIV[35] I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
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Psalms 37:35 NIV[35] I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,

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Psalms 37:35 NIV
[35] I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
I wonder of David was thinking of himself when he wrote this. He says he saw this man but he withered away and could not be found even though David looked for him. Perhaps he was thinking of a part of himself which he repented of. Perhaps not.
But it is a good point. Sometimes our former selves did better in this world then our Christian, God following selves.
There may have been better chances for promotion. You may have had more friends. Yet, when you chose Jesus, you died to that person who would fit in those groups. Choosing to leave all past behind you and seek Jesus instead.
We think of the verse about not being upset when the wicked prosper over us, as being about others, but what about who we were before letting Jesus change us. Sometimes we get upset when we think of how well the old us did in this life. Some days we may think unfair that following Jesus better means leaving things behind. But who God is, how He loves us, the way He provides, He is so much greater than anything you could have without Him.

Take away:

The verse above also leads on to say how David sought for the wicked man but could not find him.
When we die to the old us, that person us gone! We may seek them out, but we are better off if we don’t find them.

Psalms 35:14 NIV[14] I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother.
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Psalms 35:14 NIV[14] I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother.

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Psalms 35:14 NIV
[14] I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother.
David was never shy about calling for the destruction of his enemies. Yet at the same time he knew his position and God’s. He would call for God to bring them to justice and to destroy them, but he himself treated them as he felt God would want them treated. Now we aren’t speaking of war times or when he fighting to protect his kingdom, we are talking about personal attacks against him. Did David ask God that he would bring to ruin those who spoke maliciously against him? Yes. But then he reminds people that this is God’s job and that he treated those who were against him as a friend. I chose this verse out of the rest in this chapter because I am a ‘rain down fire from Heaven’ person. I would rather see my enemies destroyed before me and be able to walk away satisfied. Which of course is not what God wants.
Instead of seeking justice for myself I have to remember that justice is God’s department, and that I need to heap burning coals of love on those I want to bury in my flower bed, instead of hating them. Which is not fun and really, really hard. But that is what we are called to do. It makes me feel like the people in the beginning of that older sitcom show. “I can change, if I have to, I guess.”
Loving your enemies is really hard, and feel unfair, But God will strengthen you to do so.

Take away:

No one ever said that loving your enemies would be easy, but God makes it possible. Hopefully through how you treat them, they will change.

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Psalms 33:18 NIV
[18] But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
God cares for His people.
Read that again.
We hear and repeat those words so often that we forget the meaning. God Himself, care for you.
He watches us and keeps us safe. Even in times of trouble and terror God has us in His hands. Our hope is in the fact that God loves us and will take care of our needs. In truth, and this is hard, God does not always care for our wants. Sometimes He gives us what we want as a gift of love from a Father to a child, but we often we lose faith in Him on the times when He does not give us our wants and we forget the times when He has provided our needs.
I was reminded recently that we can build an alter to God even in the valley. That was really encouraging because I have felt like I am in the valley for a few days now. It’s a “why God?” Instead of a, “but God!” Moment. Then a friend said how she was marking down her blessings because she had seen how much she has, this was after spending two days in emergency not able to get in. But she lives like that. No eyes on the dark clouds, only on the ways to dance in the rain. God has permitted her to go through so much and yet every morning she takes special time to praise Him. I lack so much compared to her. To feel blessed in the middle of your stress may sound like a bumper sticker but it’s a good way to live. God has got you! He has a plan! You may never know why you spent this time in the valley, but God has a reason.

Take away:

Just because you are down does not mean that God has left you. Look around, you will see Him there reaching out His hand. Sometimes God speaks in the sunshine on a day that was supposed to rain. Sometimes He speaks through the laughter, in a time that should have brought pain. Sometimes He speaks in the “caught it just in time,” when you would rather it had not happened at all.
Sometimes the blessings are wrapped like a sugar coating on a pill. Something sweet to take a sting out of the bitter. But God will remind you He is there, you just have to look around.

Psalms 20:1 NIV[1] May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
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Psalms 20:1 NIV[1] May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

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Psalms 20:1 NIV
[1] May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
We fall into distress easily. We’re people, it’s natural. But do we remember that God is on our side? When we fall into distress/anxiety/fear/meltdowns, may the Lord answer us. Let us remember to go to Him.

Take away:

Life happens, and it can be terrible, but God is still with us. He alone will save us and protect us.
Life happens, but we are not al

Psalms 19:12 NIV[12] But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
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Psalms 19:12 NIV[12] But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.

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Psalms 19:12 NIV
[12] But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
We all have hidden faults and errors. Pride, arrogance, anger, complaining, it goes on and on. Sometimes we even have faults and sins we do without thinking of it. Not a willful sin, but a sin that has crept into our lives and personalities in some cases. There are many great things about God, but one of them is that He does not just search the depth of our hearts to judge what’s there, He also brings to our attention what’s going on inside that might be wrong. Best of all, He forgives us. We do not even have to be specific, look at the simplicity of David’s prayer; God hears that, knows what you are talking about and forgives. He’s amazing!

Take away:

God searches our hearts and knows the depth, but He doesn’t just sit back and be judge of our mess, He comes to us and helps us see it and clean it up!

Psalms 17:8 NIV[8] Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings
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Psalms 17:8 NIV[8] Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings

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Psalms 17:8 NIV
[8] Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings
Soak that in. We are the apple of God’s eye and He hides us in the shadow of His wings.
Who in your life is the apple of your eye? Who means more to you than anything on this earth? What would you do to protect them? What would you give up?
Jesus gave up Himself. Nothing could satisfy the need for sacrifice for the amount of sins we people held, so Jesus gave up Himself. That’s how much we mean to Him.
In the world we live in, seeing all this darkness spread and grow around us it is easy to feel frightened, angry, and sad. Yet Jesus covers us with His presence. When we remember how much we mean to Him it helps us to feel safe because we know we are loved.

Take away:

We are so important to God that He gave up His son for us.
We are so important to Jesus that He have up Himself for us.
How important to us Is God? Are we willing to give up our lives for Him?

Psalms 16:6 NIV[6] The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
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Psalms 16:6 NIV[6] The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

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Psalms 16:6 NIV
[6] The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
This poem of David is known as a Miktam, which most likely means precious. David made God his precious hiding place and rejoiced in His protection. God surrounds us with His presence and in Him we are safe. Nothing can cross the boundary line that God sets and this is such a precious thing to know. I know that here David is most likely referring to the boundaries that dictate a person’s property due to the mention of a delightful inheritance from the Lord; however I wish to think of the type of boundaries I mentioned earlier.
This past year we built a fence for my dog on our farm. It’s a nice large area right out the front door of our house. It holds a boundary. Due to the fence, I can let him go and run and play and am not worried about the foxes and coyotes because they cannot cross the boundary line.
God sets a boundary line for us. He promises to protect us from more than we can handle, which means despite all we go through in our lives there are things far worse that have been stopped at that boundary line. I can imagine a shining fence surging with power all around me as I rest, many thing prowl outside it but do not dare even coming close, and I am safe. It’s a pleasant thought.

Take away:

The boundary lines of our inheritance from God are wide and vast! Truly a blessing to be joyful in thinking on. His boundary lines of protection for us are also something to take joy in. They are strong and unending, nothing can reach over or under and we are safe in Him.