Peter, Cornelius, and ALL People (Part 1) – 5-29-23

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36 NKJV

RELATIONSHIP:

In the beginning, God created everything, and you and me. He visited us in the garden and had a personal relationship with us, a friendship with mankind. The curse of sin, which has a price tag of death, came upon the earth thanks to the devil’s trickery and changed everything. Although nothing can separate man from the love of God, sin does physically separate us from God. God created us to commune with Him and the enemy knew sin would destroy that bond. So, God created hell to punish the devil and his demons. The enemy knows it is his punishment, but he plans to take as many humans with him as possible to continue to hurt God. Because God created heaven where he can be reunited with people. Well, people needed help to overcome the enemy so God sent laws and formulas for worship and sacrifice that should point people into a position of acting in love. And the enemy attacked it over time and twisted it until it became punitive. But God so loved us that He then sent His only son, Jesus, to break the curse of sin over mankind by bringing it down into the grave, paying the required price for it, and then conquering it by rising again! Jesus ascended to heaven after 40 days. So that we know through Him we can access a relationship with The Father. God made a way to reconcile with mankind and commune and have fellowship with them again! This is GOOD NEWS.

God also created us with free will. Just as we do not want to be married or in a relationship with someone who is forced and manipulated to be in the relationship (we do not want a partner who is chained and a prisoner to us), God also wants us to freely choose Him. Or we can choose to believe the devil’s lies and go to the devil’s punishment – hell. It is our choice.

I know this sounds like a children’s story. It is simple, moral, and almost imaginative. God made it simple so that even children can believe and be saved from the wrath to come. God wishes that no one parishes. He wants us to at least give a relationship with Him an honest try – and see that He is good. He says you will find Him if you repent and seek Him!

Now imagine if you will what it could be like to have your best friend be the creator of the universe, all-knowing, all-powerful, having all wealth, and super generous – not like a genie in a bottle granting wishes, but a friend with mutual respect and trust and love, who is willing to use His resources to help you. He is willing to talk to you can since he can see ahead, he can prepare you, position you, and protect you from all the craziness in this world. Oh, and all that crazy? It is the enemy knowing his time is short and working very hard to destroy people and distract them from being reunited with God.

It feels like just yesterday, I was crying laying on my floor, exhausted from trying to fix the mess I made. My sin and poor choices caused broken hearts and broken friendships and broken families and despair and death… yes, I made a huge mess of my life. As I lay there with no way I could fix anything, nor could I go on like that – God reached out to me and made me feel like He still loved me and was ready to help me through it. I had tried God before and it did not seem to work out the way I expected, how could He help me this time? As I thought I realized the last time I treated Him like a genie in a lamp and not as a loving and kind Father and Friend. So I looked up and shook my fists and said – fine! Ok! I surrender! I give up and will do things your way! Things can’t get any worse. BUT!! You MUST be a real God. You MUST be whom the Bible says you are! You must be an ever-present help! You MUST be the: I AM! You MUST be the God of fire shut up in my bones! I expect to see the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, demons cast out, and addiction destroyed in people’s lives starting with mine!!! I expect life and relationship!

It is now years later and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, HE IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS! I have seen miracles. I have heard His voice. I have experienced Him personally. Oh, and I have to also put in the work because relationships go both ways. Not works like doing good things to earn heaven – that is NOT how this works. I have to put the work into the relationship, you know like talking to Him (because He talks back), spending time with Him (because we both enjoy being in each other’s presence), reading His word (I love learning about his stories and getting to know Him, He already knows me and this is how I can learn of Him), and worshiping Him (because He is faithful and just and worthy!) You know putting the work in as in keeping up on my side of the relationship.

In this world of lies – this simple truth is hard to understand. We can have a relationship with the Father through Jesus in the Holy Spirit.

Do you want to know the truth? Be able to discern lies? Know how to figure it all out in these confusing times and have peace? The Bible says Jesus is the truth. I have experienced it and it has changed my life. I was a whirlwind of sin, promiscuity, drug and alcohol use and so much more. I was lost and I could not find my way, or find a truth, I numbed it with bad choices. Then I found Jesus, and truth while lying on my floor crying that day. He challenged me to accept Him, trust Him and follow Him and I challenged Him to be who He says He is – I found peace and deliverance from sin.

If you want a relationship with God without truth you will get the counterfeit, hypocritical Christianity that has kept some of you away for too long. You need truth and a relationship. You need to be honest with yourself and God (including honest repentance) and the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth to you. It becomes the two-way, interaction that your relationship with God is built on. This is why Jesus is called the truth because he is our only way to the Father.

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 NIV

Here is a prayer for you to pray:

Jesus, I believe you are the way, the truth, the life, and the only way to the Father. I believe you are the son of God, you came to Earth and lived. That you died on the cross as a sacrifice for my sins and rose again so that I may be saved from my sins and be able to get to know you. I declare: Jesus, you are Lord!

Therefore, I confess that I am a sinner and I ask that you forgive me of my sins and come into my life. Help me to turn away from my sins and transform me into what you have lovingly created me to be. Help me, through a real personal relationship, to grow and accept your will for my life – that I may live in your blessings. Please walk with me, and talk with me – I accept a relationship with you and with our Father God, through you. In the name of Jesus, I pray ~ Amen

If you have said this life-changing prayer and want a relationship with God, please reach out to me. You can reach me in the comment section here (comments need approvals so you can use it as an email to me and I will not publish/approve it), or you can PM me on Facebook or DM me on Instagram. I do not always have instant access to my accounts, but I will respond when I check them. I would like to follow up and let you know the next steps to forming a healthy relationship.

BIBLE READING:

Dear Heavenly Father – Please give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of who you are, who Jesus is, and who the Holy Spirit is. Open the eyes of our understanding, please, so we may know the hope of our calling and the vast sovereignty and power of the grace of the cross. Please do not let us miss out on what you want and need from us today. Lord, I pray that your Word prepares us and not scares us! We forbid the works and influences of fear over your Word and our sound mind. And please keep us, bless us, shine your face upon us, pour your grace over us, and give us peace! And we pray for the peace of Jerusalem! Thank you! – In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen

Today’s reading is found in the Book of Acts, chapter 10, at verse 32 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

Cornelius Sends a Delegation

10 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian ^[^a^]Regiment, ²a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave ^[^b^]alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. ³About ^[^c^]the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

⁴And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?”

So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. ⁵Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. ⁶He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He^[^d^] will tell you what you must do.” ⁷And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. ⁸So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Peter’s Vision

⁹The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about ^[^e^]the sixth hour. ¹⁰Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance ¹¹and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. ¹²In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. ¹³And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

¹⁴But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

¹⁵And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has ^[^f^]cleansed you must not call common.” ¹⁶This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

Summoned to Caesarea

¹⁷Now while Peter ^[^g^]wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate. ¹⁸And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.

¹⁹While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. ²⁰Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”

²¹Then Peter went down to the men ^[^h^]who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”

²²And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.” ²³Then he invited them in and lodged them.

On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

Peter Meets Cornelius

²⁴And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. ²⁶But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.” ²⁷And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. ²⁸Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. ²⁹Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?”

³⁰So Cornelius said, ^[ⁱ^]“Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, ³¹and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your ^[^j^]alms are remembered in the sight of God. ³²Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. ^[^k^]When he comes, he will speak to you.’ ³³So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”

Preaching to Cornelius’ Household

³⁴Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. ³⁵But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. ³⁶The word which God sent to the ^[^l^]children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— ³⁷that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: ³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. ³⁹And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom ^[^m^]they killed by hanging on a tree. ⁴⁰Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, ⁴¹not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. ⁴²And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission^[ⁿ^] of sins.”

The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. ⁴⁵And ^[^o^]those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. ⁴⁶For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

Then Peter answered, ⁴⁷“Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

Acts 10:1-48 NKJV

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

“But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.” Luke 9:55-56 KJV

BIBLE DISCUSSION:

Welcome back and I hope you had a fantastic weekend. Here in the USA, we are observing Memorial Day: it is a day of remembrance for the brave soldiers who fought for our freedom but lost their lives in battle. We also honor those who served but have passed away since their time in service. It is a time to celebrate this great land, and what it took to build it. In my household, we take a moment to pay our respects to these heroes.

Unfortunately, it is now more commonly celebrated as the kick-off to summer. Families gather and have picnics. Everyone takes a day off of work – everyone except retail stores that have amazing sales to try to compete for the paychecks of all these Americans who have a day off and are feeling good as summer kick’s off. But in my house, we honor those who went before us paying the bill for the cost of freedom.

First-century Rome was a lot like America, modern America. It lacked a strong moral compass and Peter and Paul would be sentenced to death by the corrupt, and evil man Nero, who was the personification of the modern extreme liberal party line here in the USA.

I am sure in the disciples’ mind, Jesus (the Jewish Savior) coming to save only the Jews made ALL the more sense as so many of the Gentiles were pig-eating pagans, sacrificing children, and having sex in their temples. Jesus could not love people who were not His children and were so evil – right? Besides, these people could not know and love God, right???

Thinking of America – still, the majority of Americans consider themselves to be “Christian” although less than 20% admit to daily reading, studying, praying, and walking WITH God. Of the majority that believe they are Christians, they also believe that if there is a heaven they will go there and that they are fine. With this level of stiff-necked hardened hearts – is there hope? We are told in the Bible that IF we humble ourselves and repent, God will heal our land. Many are praying for the healing of the land but even fewer are repenting and humbling themselves and they are typically the ones who live a lifestyle of humility and repentance.

I saw an elder of a church sleeping through a church service today. While the pastor preached that it is high time to wake up and have a revival and a demoniac struggled not to manifest in the back corner, frothing at the mouth and breathing heavily, and growling. I am not sure anyone in the room noticed the sleeping elder, the fiery preacher, or the demoniac. I thought it was a fitting picture of the state of the church. Even though most pastors are not on fire, it would seem that even if they are the people sleep through it.
And I grieve that the demoniac was so tormented and left there without deliverance.

Lately, I see more and more who are NOT awake, and not alive – when I really thought the church was waking and the remnant was growing.

It reminds me of Sodom and Gomorrah. God told Abraham He was going to judge those cities and Abraham negotiated with God. In Genesis 18:16-33, Abraham says will you destroy it if you find 50? How about 45? 30? 20? 10? God did not find 10 righteous.

Well, God HAS found a few righteous in America!! And in the first century Roman Empire, God found a few righteous!

“¹There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, ²a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.”

Without a church, without leadership, without any understanding – Somewhere Cornelius heard a rumor of Jesus, and Cornelius believed and told his family. No one told him Jesus was not for him. He prayed and Jesus seemed to receive him – he and his family were not only believers but transformed by grace into fruit bearers. We know this because in Roman culture selfishness and hoarding were a signs of a higher class and was a coveted manner. Yet contrary to culture is this higher class citizen, behaving generously. There is no explanation for that, other than a miraculous touch from God. Do not under estimate the value of greed in Roman society.

But to circle back around on this Memorial Day – thinking of America and how we committed to God in a sanctified way, with honoring Him in the creation and birth of this nation, and how many died to save it… and how now it is much like the society Cornelius lived it. Yet there are some of us out here serving God with great risk and standing in the God given authority – because quite frankly no one is stopping us, like Cornelius. (No one can stop the work of the Lord. (Except your disobedience.)

“³About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”
^4aAnd when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?”

HOLD UP – you see this? Cornelius knew who he served well enough to know the authority of the angels!

“^4bSo he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. ⁵Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. ⁶He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. Hewill tell you what you must do.”

This is SO like God. He gives you a detailed message and you obey and you expect the outcome will be that God would have told the other person the same thing. But the other person is not on the same page because God told them something different or nothing at all? I have experienced this a few times. God gets us all together and makes us figure it out.

“⁷And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. ⁸So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.”

We have no need in America to send for a Peter – we already have many who understand and preach the truth. And we need EVERY ONE who is awake to start preaching the message of repentance and humility before God. People do not know how bad it is about to get, and the only way we will survive is to truth God with ALL our heart, soul and mind!

Today as we honor warriors who gave their lives in the name of freedom, I make a call for warriors all over this globe, to decide that they are willing to die in the Name of Jesus for true freedom:

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36 NKJV

Brothers and sisters – we are in a war. The hour is late.

“²⁴Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:24-26

Please join us tomorrow as we continue to “go” through the book of Acts.

Let me remind you that I am participating in a call for fasting in June, for the United States of America. You do not need to be an American to pray for this country. It is in dire need of God to intervene as it has become so corrupt. If you’d like to join the fast, get more information on it, or just support it and you have Facebook, just go to: https://www.facebook.com/PrayerFastForTheUSA

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Are you interested in learning more about fasting? Join the Facebook group, designed to be interactive and give you all the Bible verses on fasting, all the types of fasting, and how to fast! In the group are specialists to help us along the way, like the creator of The Fasting Protocol (fasting for health and weight loss; which is part of fasting and important to know about – He can also speak to fasting in a healthy manner). Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/509149707741862

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Thank you for reading in 2023 – a Year of Grace and Provision
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace. Walk in wisdom.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

28 May 202327 May 2023

WEEKEND READING – 5-28-23

“Save me, O God, by Your name, And vindicate me by Your strength. Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers have risen up against me, And oppressors have sought after my life; They have not set God before them. Selah” Psalms 54:1-3 NKJV

RELATIONSHIP:

It feels like just yesterday, I was crying laying on my floor, exhausted from trying to fix the mess I made. My sin and poor choices caused broken hearts and broken friendships and broken families and despair and death… yes, I made a huge mess of my life. As I lay there with no way I could fix anything, nor could I go on like that – God reached out to me and made me feel like He still loved me and was ready to help me through it. I had tried God before and it did not seem to work out the way I expected, how could He help me this time? As I thought I realized the last time I treated Him like a genie in a lamp and not as a loving and kind Father and Friend. So I looked up and shook my fists and said – fine! Ok! I surrender! I give up and will do things your way! Things can’t get any worse. BUT!! You MUST be a real God. You MUST be who the Bible says you are! You must be an ever-present help! You MUST be the I AM! You MUST be the God of fire shut up in my bones! I expect to see the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, demons cast out, and addiction destroyed in people’s lives starting with mine!!! I expect life and relationship!

In this world of lies – this simple truth is hard to understand. We can have a relationship with the Father through Jesus in the Holy Spirit.

Here is a prayer for you to pray:

Therefore, I confess that I am a sinner and I ask that you forgive me of my sins and come into my life. Help me to turn away from my sins and transform me into what you have lovingly created me to be. Help me through a real personal relationship grow and accept your will for my life – that I may live in your blessings. Please walk with me, and talk with me – I accept a relationship with you and with our Father God, through you. In the name of Jesus, I pray ~ Amen

If you have said this life-changing prayer and really want a relationship with God, please reach out to me. You can reach me in the comment section here (comments need approvals so you can use it as an email to me and I will not publish / approve it), or you can PM me on Facebook or DM me on Instagram. I do not always have instant access to my accounts, but I will respond when I check them. I would like to follow up and let you know the next steps to forming a healthy relationship.

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is the Book of Psalms chapters 52-56 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

The End of the Wicked and the Peace of the Godly

To the Chief Musician. A ^[a]Contemplation of David when Doeg the Edomite went and told Saul, and said to him, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.”

52 Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?
The goodness of God endures continually.
²Your tongue devises destruction,
Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
³You love evil more than good,
Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah
⁴You love all devouring words,
You deceitful tongue.

⁵God shall likewise destroy you forever;
He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place,
And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
⁶The righteous also shall see and fear,
And shall laugh at him, saying,
⁷“Here is the man who did not make God his strength,
But trusted in the abundance of his riches,
And strengthened himself in his ^[b]wickedness.”

⁸But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
⁹I will praise You forever,
Because You have done it;
And in the presence of Your saints
I will wait on Your name, for it ^[c]is good.

Folly of the Godless, and the Restoration of Israel

To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath.” A ^[d]Contemplation of David.

53 The fool has said in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity;
There is none who does good.

²God looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
³Every one of them has turned aside;
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.

⁴Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call upon God?
⁵There they are in great fear
Where no fear was,
For God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you;
You have put them to shame,
Because God has despised them.

⁶Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When God brings back ^[e]the captivity of His people,
Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

Answered Prayer for Deliverance from Adversaries

To the Chief Musician. With ^[f]stringed instruments. A ^[g]Contemplation of David when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, “Is David not hiding with us?”

54 Save me, O God, by Your name,
And vindicate me by Your strength.
²Hear my prayer, O God;
Give ear to the words of my mouth.
³For strangers have risen up against me,
And oppressors have sought after my life;
They have not set God before them. Selah

⁴Behold, God is my helper;
The Lord is with those who ^[h]uphold my life.
⁵He will repay my enemies for their evil.
^[i]Cut them off in Your ^[j]truth.

⁶I will freely sacrifice to You;
I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.
⁷For He has delivered me out of all trouble;
And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.

Trust in God Concerning the Treachery of Friends

To the Chief Musician. With ^[k]stringed instruments. A ^[l]Contemplation of David.

55 Give ear to my prayer, O God,
And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
²Attend to me, and hear me;
I am^[m] restless in my complaint, and moan noisily,
³Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the oppression of the wicked;
For they bring down trouble upon me,
And in wrath they hate me.

⁴My heart is severely pained within me,
And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
⁵Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me,
And horror has overwhelmed me.
⁶So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
⁷Indeed, I would wander far off,
And remain in the wilderness. Selah
⁸I would hasten my escape
From the windy storm and tempest.”

⁹Destroy, O Lord, and divide their ^[n]tongues,
For I have seen violence and strife in the city.
¹⁰Day and night they go around it on its walls;
Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it.
¹¹Destruction is in its midst;
Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.

¹²For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
Then I could bear it.
Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me;
Then I could hide from him.
¹³But it was you, a man my equal,
My companion and my acquaintance.
¹⁴We took sweet counsel together,
And walked to the house of God in the throng.

¹⁵Let death seize them;
Let them go down alive into ^[o]hell,
For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.

¹⁶As for me, I will call upon God,
And the Lord shall save me.
¹⁷Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
¹⁸He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,
For there were many against me.
¹⁹God will hear, and afflict them,
Even He who abides from of old. Selah
Because they do not change,
Therefore they do not fear God.

²⁰He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him;
He has broken his ^[p]covenant.
²¹The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
But war was in his heart;
His words were softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn swords.

²²Cast your burden on the Lord,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be ^[q]moved.

²³But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction;
Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days;
But I will trust in You.

Prayer for Relief from Tormentors

To the Chief Musician. Set to ^[r]“The Silent Dove in Distant Lands.” A Michtam of David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.

56 Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up;
Fighting all day he oppresses me.
²My enemies would hound me all day,
For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.

³Whenever I am afraid,
I will trust in You.
⁴In God (I will praise His word),
In God I have put my trust;
I will not fear.
What can flesh do to me?

⁵All day they twist my words;
All their thoughts are against me for evil.
⁶They gather together,
They hide, they mark my steps,
When they lie in wait for my life.
⁷Shall they escape by iniquity?
In anger cast down the peoples, O God!

⁸You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book?
⁹When I cry out to You,
Then my enemies will turn back;
This I know, because God is for me.
¹⁰In God (I will praise His word),
In the Lord (I will praise His word),
¹¹In God I have put my trust;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

¹²Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God;
I will render praises to You,
¹³For You have delivered my soul from death.
Have You not kept my feet from falling,
That I may walk before God
In the light of the living?

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

***

27 May 202327 May 2023

WEEKEND READING – 5-27-23

“Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.” Psalms 47:1-2 NKJV

RELATIONSHIP:

It feels like just yesterday, I was crying laying on my floor, exhausted from trying to fix the mess I made. My sin and poor choices caused broken hearts and broken friendships and broken families and despair and death… yes, I made a huge mess of my life. As I lay there with no way I could fix anything, nor could I go on like that – God reached out to me and made me feel like He still loved me and was ready to help me through it. I had tried God before and it did not seem to work out the way I expected, how could He help me this time? As I thought I realized the last time I treated Him like a genie in a lamp and not as a loving and kind Father and Friend. So I looked up and shook my fists and said – fine! Ok! I surrender! I give up and will do things your way! Things can’t get any worse. BUT!! You MUST be a real God. You MUST be who the Bible says you are! You must be an ever-present help! You MUST be the I AM! You MUST be the God of fire shut up in my bones! I expect to see the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, demons cast out, and addiction destroyed in people’s lives starting with mine!!! I expect life and relationship!

In this world of lies – this simple truth is hard to understand. We can have a relationship with the Father through Jesus in the Holy Spirit.

Here is a prayer for you to pray:

Therefore, I confess that I am a sinner and I ask that you forgive me of my sins and come into my life. Help me to turn away from my sins and transform me into what you have lovingly created me to be. Help me through a real personal relationship grow and accept your will for my life – that I may live in your blessings. Please walk with me, and talk with me – I accept a relationship with you and with our Father God, through you. In the name of Jesus, I pray ~ Amen

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is the Book of Psalms chapters 47-51 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

Praise to God, the Ruler of the Earth

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

47 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
²For the Lord Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth.
³He will subdue the peoples under us,
And the nations under our feet.
⁴He will choose our inheritance for us,
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah

⁵God has gone up with a shout,
The Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
⁶Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
⁷For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding.

⁸God reigns over the nations;
God sits on His holy throne.
⁹The princes of the people have gathered together,
The people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted.

The Glory of God in Zion

A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

48 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
In the city of our God,
In His holy mountain.
²Beautiful in ^[a]elevation,
The joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north,
The city of the great King.
³God is in her palaces;
He is known as her refuge.

⁴For behold, the kings assembled,
They passed by together.
⁵They saw it, and so they marveled;
They were troubled, they hastened away.
⁶Fear took hold of them there,
And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs,
⁷As when You break the ships of Tarshish
With an east wind.

⁸As we have heard,
So we have seen
In the city of the Lord of hosts,
In the city of our God:
God will establish it forever. Selah

⁹We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness,
In the midst of Your temple.
¹⁰According to Your name, O God,
So is Your praise to the ends of the earth;
Your right hand is full of righteousness.
¹¹Let Mount Zion rejoice,
Let the daughters of Judah be glad,
Because of Your judgments.

¹²Walk about Zion,
And go all around her.
Count her towers;
¹³Mark well her bulwarks;
Consider her palaces;
That you may tell it to the generation following.
¹⁴For this is God,
Our God forever and ever;
He will be our guide
^[b]Even to death.

The Confidence of the Foolish

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

49 Hear this, all peoples;
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
²Both low and high,
Rich and poor together.
³My mouth shall speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.
⁴I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will disclose my ^[c]dark saying on the harp.

⁵Why should I fear in the days of evil,
When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
⁶Those who trust in their wealth
And boast in the multitude of their riches,
⁷None of them can by any means redeem his brother,
Nor give to God a ransom for him—
⁸For the redemption of their souls is costly,
And it shall cease forever—
⁹That he should continue to live eternally,
And not ^[d]see the Pit.

¹⁰For he sees wise men die;
Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish,
And leave their wealth to others.
¹¹^[e]Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever,
Their dwelling places to all generations;
They call their lands after their own names.
¹²Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not ^[f]remain;
He is like the beasts that perish.

¹³This is the way of those who are foolish,
And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah
¹⁴Like sheep they are laid in the grave;
Death shall feed on them;
The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning;
And their beauty shall be consumed in ^[g]the grave, far from their dwelling.
¹⁵But God will redeem my soul from the power of ^[h]the grave,
For He shall receive me. Selah

¹⁶Do not be afraid when one becomes rich,
When the glory of his house is increased;
¹⁷For when he dies he shall carry nothing away;
His glory shall not descend after him.
¹⁸Though while he lives he blesses himself
(For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),
¹⁹He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
They shall never see light.^[i]
²⁰A man who is in honor, yet does not understand,
Is like the beasts that perish.

God the Righteous Judge

A Psalm of Asaph.

50 The Mighty One, God the Lord,
Has spoken and called the earth
From the rising of the sun to its going down.
²Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God will shine forth.
³Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent;
A fire shall devour before Him,
And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.

⁴He shall call to the heavens from above,
And to the earth, that He may judge His people:
⁵“Gather My saints together to Me,
Those who have ^[j]made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
⁶Let the heavens declare His righteousness,
For God Himself is Judge. Selah

⁷“Hear, O My people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you;
I am God, your God!
⁸I will not ^[k]rebuke you for your sacrifices
Or your burnt offerings,
Which are continually before Me.
⁹I will not take a bull from your house,
Nor goats out of your folds.
¹⁰For every beast of the forest is Mine,
And the cattle on a thousand hills.
¹¹I know all the birds of the mountains,
And the wild beasts of the field are Mine.

¹²“If I were hungry, I would not tell you;
For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.
¹³Will I eat the flesh of bulls,
Or drink the blood of goats?
¹⁴Offer to God thanksgiving,
And pay your vows to the Most High.
¹⁵Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”

¹⁶But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to declare My statutes,
Or take My covenant in your mouth,
¹⁷Seeing you hate instruction
And cast My words behind you?
¹⁸When you saw a thief, you consented^[l] with him,
And have been a partaker with adulterers.
¹⁹You give your mouth to evil,
And your tongue frames deceit.
²⁰You sit and speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
²¹These things you have done, and I kept silent;
You thought that I was altogether like you;
But I will rebuke you,
And set them in order before your eyes.

²²“Now consider this, you who forget God,
Lest I tear you in pieces,
And there be none to deliver:
²³Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;
And to him who orders his conduct aright
I will show the salvation of God.”

A Prayer of Repentance

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

51 Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.

³For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
⁴Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just ^[m]when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.

⁵Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
⁶Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
⁹Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
¹³Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.

¹⁴Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
¹⁵O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
¹⁶For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.

¹⁸Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
¹⁹Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,
With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

***

26 May 202325 May 2023

Jesus Came for the Gentiles Too – 5-26-23

“About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” Acts 10:3 NKJV

RELATIONSHIP:

In this world of lies – this simple truth is hard to understand. We can have a relationship with the Father through Jesus in the Holy Spirit.

Here is a prayer for you to pray:

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is found in the Book of Acts, chapter 10, at verse 1 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

Cornelius Sends a Delegation

10 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian ^[^a^]Regiment, ²a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave ^[^b^]alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. ³About ^[^c^]the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

⁴And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?”

So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. ⁵Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. ⁶He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He^[^d^] will tell you what you must do.” ⁷And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. ⁸So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Peter’s Vision

⁹The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about ^[^e^]the sixth hour. ¹⁰Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance ¹¹and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. ¹²In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. ¹³And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

¹⁴But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

¹⁵And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has ^[^f^]cleansed you must not call common.” ¹⁶This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

Summoned to Caesarea

¹⁷Now while Peter ^[^g^]wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate. ¹⁸And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.

¹⁹While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. ²⁰Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”

²¹Then Peter went down to the men ^[^h^]who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”

²²And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.” ²³Then he invited them in and lodged them.

On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

Peter Meets Cornelius

²⁴And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. ²⁶But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.” ²⁷And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. ²⁸Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. ²⁹Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?”

³⁰So Cornelius said, ^[ⁱ^]“Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, ³¹and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your ^[^j^]alms are remembered in the sight of God. ³²Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. ^[^k^]When he comes, he will speak to you.’ ³³So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”

Preaching to Cornelius’ Household

³⁴Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. ³⁵But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. ³⁶The word which God sent to the ^[^l^]children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— ³⁷that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: ³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. ³⁹And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom ^[^m^]they killed by hanging on a tree. ⁴⁰Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, ⁴¹not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. ⁴²And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission^[ⁿ^] of sins.”

The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. ⁴⁵And ^[^o^]those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. ⁴⁶For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

Then Peter answered, ⁴⁷“Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

Acts 10:1-48 NKJV

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

BIBLE DISCUSSION:

Today we have a long reading. We’ll dig into it more next week. But please make sure you read it through. This is one of the most important chapters in the Bible, second to the work of the cross.

You see Jesus told the disciples to go ye therefore into ALL nations. However, Jesus was the Jew’s Messiah and salvation was only for the Jews, up to this point. Well, Jesus kept saying it was for the Jews first.

In hindsight, we can see how Jesus really was here for ALL mankind and how Gentiles were incorporated into his ministry and life and one actually received healing – possibly a few more, but theologians have debated as to if they were Jews or Gentiles.

Let’s take a look.

First, we have the Centurion’s Servant.
First of all the centurion would have had to of been a Roman and not a Jew to hold that title. There were Jews who were also Romans, like Paul. So it is possible for one to rise up in the ranks, but it was very unlikely and they’d have to forsake Jewish custom and law. But, note that it was not the centurion who needed healing, but his servant.

There were many ways a Jew or anyone could become a servant to a Roman official. If was a means of paying off debt, it was an opportunity for a better life for a poor person, it could be a punishment for a crime, and many other reasons. In Roman society, a man could make his mistress a servant and even marry her as a servant even though he may already be married. And children of that relationship would also be servants. The truth is we really do not know if the Centurion’s servant was a Jew or gentile.

Many speculate that since he came for the Jews, the servant was a Jew. Here you can read and decide for yourself:

“⁵Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, ⁶saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”
⁷And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
⁸The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
¹⁰When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! ¹¹And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. ¹²But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” ¹³Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.” Matthew 8:5-13

The next healing that is questioned is the demoniac (or two demoniacs, depending on which gospel you read). You see it was in a gentile area of the Gergesenes. You may recall they had a terrible storm by sea and the disciples thought they were taken off course by accident. It was a nightmare scenario that lead to another nightmare scenario – because they land ashore in Gentile territory (and Gentiles are unclean) next to a cemetery (and the dead are unclean) and then encounter demoniacs (also unclean). To make things worse some versions of the gospel say the demoniac was a self-cutter and had open wounds and bloody scabs which were also unclean. BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE!!! The local economy was to raise pigs which are also unclean and just so happen to be grazing there next to the cemetery!

This was a nightmare to a Jew! And so some theologians speculate that the demoniac(s) could not have been Jews, while others speculate that they were possessed, so why would they care if they were in the nightmare, they were already in a nightmare inside themselves.

Here is the story according to Matthew, for you to read and decide if these men were Jews or not:

“²⁸When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. ²⁹And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
³⁰Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. ³¹So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.”
³²And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.
³³Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. ³⁴And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.” Matthew 8:28-34

In neither of those two scenarios did Jesus pause before healing or delivering. In both, He straight away performed the miracle. And both of these happened before this third example.

This next example is the ONLY one where we know for certain that the mother and child were Gentiles. Jesus paused. Actually, He turned the mother away saying he would not do the miracle because miracles were the children’s bread. The mother’s faith gets Jesus’s attention and He performs the miracle. Making her the only documented healing of a gentile.

Take a read-through for yourself:

“²¹Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²²And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
²³But He answered her not a word.
And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”
²⁴But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
²⁵Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
²⁶But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”
²⁷And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
²⁸Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” Matthew 15:21-28

So up to this point, the Messiah and salvation were ONLY for the Jews – and healings and miracles were mostly for the Jews. Therefore the passage we read today, where Cornelius’ household is able to be saved is amazing. This was a new and fresh revelation! But in hindsight, throughout the scriptures, you can see where gentiles have always been welcomed in and were even in Jesus’s bloodline.

Today’s passage was the turning point and missionary journeys took on a whole new turn.

It was at this point in history that they started to learn that Gentiles all over were already being converted by believing when they heard the gospel message. The Ethiopian Treasurer spread the gospel down into Africa and many were saved and the news was finally coming back to them. And when Paul went on his missionary journeys he met many believers. The word of the gospel spread faster than those disciples! The same ones who were told to GO Ye Therefore – yeah… now that gentiles are included and after having been scattered by Stephen’s death – now they will finally GO!!! And they will go into all the earth and will make such a huge impact that 2000 plus years later I am here studying it and you are on the internet seeking it!

Please join us tomorrow as we continue to “go” through the book of Acts.

***

25 May 202325 May 2023

Peter Raises the Dead! – 5-25-23

“And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord.” Acts 9:42 NKJV

RELATIONSHIP:

In this world of lies – this simple truth is hard to understand. We can have a relationship with the Father through Jesus in the Holy Spirit.

Here is a prayer for you to pray:

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is found in the Book of Acts, chapter 9, at verse 32 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

Aeneas Healed

³²Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda. ³³There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. ³⁴And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately. ³⁵So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

Dorcas Restored to Life

³⁶At Joppa there was a certain disciple named ^[i]Tabitha, which is translated ^[j]Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. ³⁷But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. ³⁸And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. ³⁹Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. ⁴⁰But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. ⁴¹Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. ⁴²And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord. ⁴³So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.

Acts 9:32-43 NKJV

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

BIBLE DISCUSSION:

Well, now the church has a period of relative peace and prosperity. I suppose it is important to note that just because Paul stopped threatening the church did not mean no one was threatening and persecuting them. They had peace regardless of the chaotic battle that raged against them they had prosperity regardless of how many cursed them and wished destruction upon them.

But the author, Luke, focuses now on the fact that Peter was very much the leader of the church. This is an important point for both history and the intention of the book. Luke documented the Acts of the Apostles leading into the acts of Paul because this book was written as part of Paul’s defense and to show that Paul was not the ring leader of this movement. Historically it is important so we see the prophecy spoken by Jesus that Peter would be the leader of the church, is indeed fulfilled.

Peter seems to have had a healing and deliverance ministry that was unmatched – Jesus not only appointed him the leader but gave him what seems to be the largest portion of “works” or “signs and wonders”. While we can say John had the largest portion of revelation and Philip the gift of going. They each had their own gifting and anointing that make them each a vital part of the whole.

“³²Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda. ³³There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. ³⁴And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately. ³⁵So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.”

You know if I came to you and said Christ Jesus heals you, your say, “I hope so. I’ll let you know what the doctor says tomorrow.”
Aeneas said, OK. Then got up and made his bed.

I am not by any means blaming all people who have prayed for healing, for not being healed due to their faith. But I cannot think of anyone faithless person that Jesus healed. I have the authority to speak it over you and if I do – you better believe it. Because Jesus makes it happen according to your faith.
Now, some people pray in doubt – so if you asked me to pray and I did just to appease you, but I never believed this stuff – then it would be my fault you are not healed. See both the praying person and the receiving person must believe.

It may not be you if you are laying hands on the sick and they are not recovering. You can always tell when the spirit moved out of you and is not received by the other person. It always feels like hitting a brick wall.

“³⁶At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did.”

Here is another example of Jews having a name among the Hebrews and another name among the Gentiles. And it is disrespectful for Gentiles, such as the author of this book, to call a Jew by their Hebrew name. So Luke uses her Gentile Name – but had to include the Hebrew name because she is mostly known by it.

“³⁷But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. ³⁸And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. ³⁹Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.”

You and I are not Peter and we do not have the anointing to lead the first church. But we do have the anointing and authority to cast out demons and heal the sick. But what about bringing the dead back to life? Jesus only did it for a child, Lazarus, and Himself. But He said we will do greater things than He did. Can we bring the dead back to life?

If so, who? My dear friend lost her son recently, can he be brought back? Actually, I thought about this at length and even talked with God about it. I do not believe it is God’s will to bring this young man back. But when and who and can we? I remember hearing a tiny old lady speaking at a conference about praying the dead back to life and she said she has prayed many back to life. She went on to say that the cremated dead takes the longest because God has to put all the pieces back together. She told us to remember it takes nine months to put it together the first time. Then she said that the dead dry bones of the modern church are the hardest to bring back to life and that she is seldom successful with them. But in third-world countries, she is blessed with all the signs and wonders. I never forgot her stories. Even then I asked God is it true? Can we pray them back to life and under what circumstances? For what purpose? So many questions.

And the truth is, it doesn’t matter what MY thoughts on the subject are, nor do your thoughts matter. The only thing that matters is that the Bible says it, I believe it and that settles it – and God will work on my mind (and yours too if you let Him) to figure out all the details.

“⁴⁰But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.”

Peter did as Jesus did for the little girl. So I am guessing that is the formula – kick everyone out and pray. We do not know what Jesus prayed. We do not know what Peter prayed. I suppose it is good – because we would have everyone trying to wake the dead using those prayers. I am certain that if I was ever called to – The words for that prayer would come to me. I am also certain I would start with – Hey God, this is so cool – are we going to do this?! Are you ready? Because I am nervous excited and not sure! Lol

“⁴¹Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. ⁴²And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord. ⁴³So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.”

God did it for His glory and so through it, many would come to believe. Peter stayed on to make sure they had a firm foundation. I am sure He baptized them and laid hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit.

Paul was in the waiting and there is Peter raising the dead! I know people who are watching the rise of new prophetic voices and waves of mini-revivals popping up around the USA right now and they feel left out. They feel left behind. God has them in some waiting room. I am also in a waiting room of sorts. God is teaching me, much like Jesus came and taught Paul.
And what is difficult is many trustworthy voices are saying this is the time to step forth and the waiting is over. But other trustworthy voices are saying we are back into a building and waiting phase. While waiting – build, learn, and grow! The truth is – for Peter, it was a stepping out, and for Paul, it was a wait. And it is the same with us. Some of us are charging ahead and doing amazing miracles while others are sitting here waiting. Trust God, not man. Trust Him if you are a Peter or if you are a Paul in this season.

Please join us tomorrow as we continue to “go” through the book of Acts.

***

24 May 202323 May 2023

Paul’s Second Chance with the Church in Jerusalem – 5-24-23

“But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.” Acts 9:27 NKJV

RELATIONSHIP:

It feels like just yesterday, I was crying laying on my floor, exhausted from trying to fix the mess I made. My sin and poor choices caused broken hearts and broken friendships and broken families and despair and death… yes, I made a huge mess of my life. As I lay there with no way I could fix anything, nor could I go on like that – God reached out to me and made me feel like He still loved me and was ready to help me through it. I had tried God before and it did not seem to work out the way I expected, how could He help me this time? As I thought I realized the last time I treated Him like a genie in a lamp and not as a loving and kind Father and Friend. So I looked up and shook my fists and said – fine! Ok! I surrender! I give up and will do things your way! Things can’t get any worse. BUT!! You MUST be a real God. You MUST be who the Bible says you are! You must be an ever-present help! You MUST be the: I AM! You MUST be the God of fire shut up in my bones! I expect to see the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, demons cast out, and addiction destroyed in people’s lives starting with mine!!! I expect life and relationship!

In this world of lies – this simple truth is hard to understand. We can have a relationship with the Father through Jesus in the Holy Spirit.

Here is a prayer for you to pray:

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is found in the Book of Acts, chapter 9, at verse 23 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

Saul Escapes Death

²³Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. ²⁴But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. ²⁵Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.

Saul at Jerusalem

²⁶And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. ²⁷But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. ²⁸So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. ²⁹And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists,^[f] but they attempted to kill him. ³⁰When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.

The Church Prospers

³¹Then the ^[g]churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified.^[h] And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

Acts 9:23-31 NKJV

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

BIBLE DISCUSSION:

While I am all for new believers joining the team and witnessing and speaking out for Jesus – let me be clear, I never said to hand them the reigns of a ministry or to have them lead. Way too many church leaders fall because they were promoted too soon. Paul’s conversion and life are exaggerated examples because his conversion was so dramatic. However, MANY people’s conversions are just as dynamic but are quickly quenched by the modern church. We must be careful to NOT get in God’s way while taking a new convert under our wings to disciple them. People need intensive training, they need answers, and they need the power of God quickly at first and we must be able to meet that need.

Paul was a difficult case. He already knew all the old scriptures. He already held the keys. He really just needed to get to know Jesus. But before anyone could even step in a disciple him, he had enraged the murderous Pharisees and was hiding while making a plan to escape.

“²³Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. ²⁴But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. ²⁵Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.”

God gave him a support system that could find out about the plot and help him escape. Luckily for Paul, he was not a tall man and not a stocky or muscular man. So he could fit into a basket.

Now, wouldn’t you think a basket being lowered down a wall might be noticeable? It would be if it was not a normal thing. But how did the people in the markets stay stocked? The area was too crowded for wagons. Archeologists have found carts, but this is the Roman Empire and products were transported on huge wagons in massive quantities. And that would also be loud and disturb the people. So they developed a place that functioned as a loading dock. A place in the city where produce from farms and products could be loaded into the city at night. It is believed that wagons would show up at this spot and people would pull in the baskets of merchandise and then lower out the empty baskets or baskets full of exports. Then they could be brought into the markets by smaller carts. That night Paul became an export and out in the basket unnoticed he went.

Where would Paul go? Paul was from Tarsus but his home was in Jerusalem. And Jerusalem was the main core group of believers. So…

“²⁶And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple.”

I cannot say I blame the believers. Paul made it to Jerusalem just after the rumors of his conversion arrived there and no witnesses had arrived yet. The devil eventually figured out it is a brilliant plan to send his followers into churches masquerading as believers – But up to this point, he had not seemed to have thought about it.

But I am sure if Paul was trying to trick the believers in order to infiltrate, He would not send himself in.

New believers do not always have someone to stand up for them, to be on their team. Let us remember that. But also let us pray for discernment. You see it is the spirit of the Lord in us that will recognize the spirit of the Lord in them.

“²⁷But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. ²⁸So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out.”

Barnabas was believed to have been a huge man in stature and heart – his generosity helped promote him in ministry and he was well respected. Barnabas stood up for Paul. This began their friendship. And they must have been quite the pair a huge man with a tiny man. And this would not be the last time Barnabas has to defend Paul.

“²⁹And he [Paul] spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him.”

Many say Paul’s ministry doesn’t being for another 3 years or so, and already he has had to run for his life twice.

“³⁰When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.”

Paul’s ministry will be compelled by his flights from angry mobs and other threats on his life. Paul was always escaping.

It is important to know that some early Christians also had to flee for their lives and some were caught and killed. But not all. There were many who lived lives that seemed unthreatened. The amount of threat on your life IS NOT in proportion to the anointing on your life. Meaning Peter was not LESS anointed than Paul. And John who got away without being martyred was not by any means the least anointed.

In modern churches, we often say people are under attack because they are over the target. Which is sometimes true. But a stealthy approach to a target will not produce a counterattack – in the physical or spiritual. The amount of warfare you are under is NOT a gauge of your spirituality or if you are or are not in God’s plan. This has to be said because it is one of the toxins being spread through the church and it is flat-out wrong. People will wander into the enemy’s camp just to keep the warfare on them even when it is God’s time for them to rest. Let us not glorify the attacks, but instead glorify God!

That being said – let us talk a little about the consequences to our actions, free will, and why Paul was almost always being chased by some murderous mob. God gave us the why in the scriptures. He told Ananias. So let’s back up to verses 15 & 16 from the other day:
“¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. ¹⁶For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
Paul chased the Christians – Paul was the leader of the murderous mobs that ripped apart families and even took women and children captive. Paul knew the Ten Commandments and knew he should not kill, yet Paul ordered Stephen’s death and watched as Stephen prayed for him. Paul is responsible for those crimes and in the law of God there are consequences and justice served. Now, God knew Paul was to inherit a great reward in heaven for all the good he did, and Paul repented so he cannot inherit wrath. Instead, he reaped what he sowed. He sowed chasing and threatening lives and he reaped being chased and having his life threatened.

Listen, I know we all love to think we can come back to God and have him take away the consequences of our actions. I remember when my son was little, and I told him to stop playing with his food or he could not join us for dessert. (I did not want him to be sticky and we were not someplace where I could easily wash him up.) He did not stop. He also did not get dessert. He cried and said, but I said I was sorry!!! He only repented in order to get out of the consequences of his actions.
Jesus still loves us and it does not change the fact that we reap what we sow and that we can be cleansed from crime and still have to do the time. The punishment, aka eternal damnation, is removed from us – but earthly consequences remain.

Now, Paul is still a great example of new believers who will inevitably anger the religious spirit with their zeal and fresh anointing. But MOST new believers will not be running for their lives and not all who run for their lives are suffering consequences for past sins.

Once Paul left…

“³¹Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.”

Luke is showing the passage of time. There was a period of peace. Now Luke will tell us about the things the Lord did through Peter during this time because Paul did not do anything to further the kingdom during this time – so it seemed.

Most theologians believe Paul went home to Tarsus and was also kicked out of the city – so he lived in the wilderness around the city. Paul refers to a period of time when Jesus Himself came and taught him. Some say that it all happened during the three blind days in Damascus and others say that it all happened during these almost three years in the wilderness and in and out of his home city – where he could read the old scriptures and have the revelations and be taught by Jesus and prepared for ministry.

But for now, Paul disappears from our reading and will reappear in a couple of chapters with big old Barnabas by his side. (We can also note that it is unknown if Barnabas stayed with and discipled Paul or if he brought Paul home and then went back to see how Paul was and brought him back.)

Please join us tomorrow as we continue to “go” through the book of Acts.

Let me remind you that I am participating in a call for fasting in June, for the United States of America. You do not need to be an American to pray for this country. It is in dire need of God to intervene as it has become so corrupt. If you’d like to join the fast, get more information on it or just support it and you have Facebook, just go to: https://www.facebook.com/PrayerFastForTheUSA

***

23 May 202322 May 2023

Zealous New Believers – 5-23-23

“Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.” Acts 9:20 NKJV

RELATIONSHIP:

It feels like just yesterday, I was crying laying on my floor, exhausted from trying to fix the mess I made. My sin and poor choices caused broken hearts and broken friendships and broken families and despair and death… yes, I made a huge mess of my life. As I lay there with no way I could fix anything, nor could I go on like that – God reached out to me and made me feel like He still loved me and was ready to help me through it. I had tried God before and it did not seem to work out the way I expected, how could He help me this time? As I thought I realized the last time I treated Him like a genie in a lamp and not as a loving and kind Father and Friend. So I looked up and shook my fists and said – fine! Ok! I surrender! I give up and will do things your way! Things can’t get any worse. BUT!! You MUST be a real God. You MUST be who the Bible says you are! You must be an ever-present help! You MUST be the: I AM! You MUST be the God of fire shut up in my bones! I expect to see the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, demons cast out, and addiction destroyed in people’s lives starting with mine!!! I expect life and relationship!

In this world of lies – this simple truth is hard to understand. We can have a relationship with the Father through Jesus in the Holy Spirit.

Here is a prayer for you to pray:

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is found in the Book of Acts, chapter 9, at verse 20 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

Saul Preaches Christ

²⁰Immediately he preached ^[e]the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

²¹Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”

²²But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

Saul Escapes Death

²³Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. ²⁴But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. ²⁵Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.

Acts 9:20-25 NKJV

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

BIBLE DISCUSSION:

If you have spent any time in Christian circles and modern churches you are bound to have adopted form stinkin thinkin and some corrupted ideals, maybe even doctrine. You were around so many people saying the same thing, you thought it was true. And you aren’t a Bible scholar and despite your reading and praying you missed the corruption. I know I am blessed to have 3 hours a day to study and dig in and I have the skill set to do so. I am sad that not everyone has that sort of time available. But I do think God gives it to some of us so we can do the work and teach others. (It certainly doesn’t take you three hours to read this and hopefully, most of you daily readers have learned to skip down here and only read this part.)

Many of you know my testimony of being raised in the church. And for a good period of time, it was an active church with signs and wonders. However, ALL churches over the last 100 years or so are a sleepy dull version of the activity of the church of Acts. Even with what seemed like a solid foundation, and because man is corruptible and will either raise everyone up to do better or will nurture complacency and let the church settle down into an apostate state, I slid away lost in the shuffle of a hurtful church split.

When I returned to God he taught me things from this passage I had never seen before, even with my good knowledge of the Bible. For a period of time, God and I knocked down every shaky part of my foundation and just built it up from scratch.

One such thing was the conversion of Saul.
First, he did not change his name. Like is a gentile and knows him by the Greek version of his name and as a literary tool, calls him Saul until the conversion just to show how much the man was changed.
Second, the “Road to Damascus Experience” is not some magical thing that happened only to Paul, because he was special. When we experience Jesus for the first time or when we encounter transformative grace for the first time – it is an experience and EVERY ONE OF US NEED that type of experience. I did not experience transformative grace until I returned to Christ. Many who are raised in the church are never taught to seek it. But seek the experience that changes you!

“²⁰Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.”

Third, do not bench a new believer! I have been to many churches that said we must “sit” before we can get involved and help. One church I went to said I must sit for 3 months. Another church said I had to sit for 6 months and then become a member and then wait another 6 months to join the starter team. The whole time they kept saying they needed someone with my skill set and I offered. But after years, I never made it out of the sitting phase.

“²¹Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”

By sitting, the fire and zeal are often robbed of believers along with the opportunity to grow and obtain strength. Not me, I was not robbed! God opened other doors and used me in other arenas and ministries and I was so busy I often did not notice I was not formally utilized in the church where I was planted. (Side note – this was not a problem and I had no problems with this church. God told me to go to another church and I did after prayer, seeking confirmations and seeking prayerful guidance from wise leaders and mentors. And it is also important to note my experiences were with 6 churches – simplified to get the story out easily. And every church change came with God sparking it, followed by deep prayer, confirmations, and godly counsel.)
One church told me I was too zealous! I get why many people think so. They followed up by saying that they will work that out of me. And my response was: NO YOU WON’T. (Which compelled me to look for another church immediately. That church I found fault in and will tell anyone they are false teachers and preach doctrines of devils – and I have verses to back it up.)
Another church told me, and I shared this one before, that I can’t go swinging my sword around all willy-nilly because someone would get hurt! Well, casual Christians will be casualties in this war.
In Galatians, it says the Word of God is our sword and John says that same Word is life to those who believe – so if my sword smites someone, they did not believe.
In stark contrast – at the church I was at Sunday the Pastor spoke of the sword and yelled: “USE IT!” then proceeded to act out what the body looks like pulling a sword from a sheath and standing in an offensive pose with it extended in front of him. The Pastor then exhorted his congregation to get on the offense! Start swinging! Swing everywhere, even willy-nilly, until you learn to swing it swiftly and concisely. (Not his words exactly; I added the “willy-nilly”; but that is what I got out of it!)

“²²But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.”

You see when we have an experience that is transformative, it compels us to zealously tell others of this amazing thing we’ve just experienced. And through telling others we learn and grow and most importantly, we increase in strength. Imagine if they benched Paul! They had ample reason to question the authenticity of his conversion. But Paul was to be one of those foolish things to confound the wise.

But Paul was bringing the believers unwanted attention, he was going to get himself and everyone else killed.

“²³Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. ²⁴But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him.”

But still, they found it better to please God than bow to fear of death. And they let Paul speak and then helped Paul escape.

“²⁵Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.”

After Paul’s conversion, he was NOT liked by everyone – especially those who used to like him and promoted him to a high place in the order of the Pharisees. This is something we also teach new believers incorrectly. We give them the impression that their new transformation will be accepted in the church. But the anointing of grace that new converts carry will convict the religious sect and those who have always done things a certain way. We should teach these zealots to just follow God and swing the sword willy-nilly! They may hit the wrong people, but if they are believers, those strikes will bring life! Yes, life that can revive dry bones – this is called revival!

Of course, revival also comes in other ways. And through those who refuse to let their zeal be quenched. Those who stubbornly hold onto their first love even if it means walking alone with Jesus – without everyone else.
We’ll see Paul started out lonely – but ended up surrounded by a loving supportive team which he spoke of more dearly than he spoke of his own family.

Have you lost your zeal and your first love? Have you been oppressed and quenched?

Have you never had an experience with Christ that transformed you and set you ablaze? Or maybe you have and it’s dried up?

Today is the day to get alone with God and simply say: I WANT THAT.
Do you? Do you really want it? Be prepared, because God is going to ask. Because it will compel you to speak out for Jesus and it will make you lose friends – even some from within the church.
If you really want it – ask Him for it. GOD, CAN YOU GIVE ME THAT LOVE AND FIRE FOR YOU? CAN YOU TRANSFORM ME INTO A NEW CREATURE?!
Well, next he is going to ask you to repent from all known sins and commit to rooting out all unknown sins and repenting from them. So, be prepared to answer when He asks.
And as you let His light shine within you and point out all that is wrong and that you need to work on – you will be transformed.

I did not realize while going through just how transformative it was – so do not expect fireworks and feelings. It was about a month later when a friend said to me, “Man, you just can’t shut up about Jesus!” And I realized at that point how much I was changed in the instant that I finally honestly spoke to God and honestly let him change me.

Today is a very good day for an honest talk with God!

Please join us tomorrow as we continue to “go” through the book of Acts.

***

22 May 202320 May 2023

Two Men Answering The Call, Will You? – 5-22-23

“Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”
And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” Acts 9:10 NKJV

RELATIONSHIP:

It feels like just yesterday, I was crying laying on my floor, exhausted from trying to fix the mess I made. My sin and poor choices caused broken hearts and broken friendships and broken families and despair and death… yes, I made a huge mess of my life. As I lay there with no way I could fix anything, nor could I go on like that – God reached out to me and made me feel like He still loved me and was ready to help me through it. I had tried God before and it did not seem to work out the way I expected, how could He help me this time? As I thought I realized the last time I treated Him like a genie in a lamp and not as a loving and kind Father and Friend. So I looked up and shook my fists and said – fine! Ok! I surrender! I give up and will do things your way! Things can’t get any worse. BUT!! You MUST be a real God. You MUST be who the Bible says you are! You must be an ever-present help! You MUST be the: I AM! You MUST be the God of fire shut up in my bones! I expect to see the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, demons cast out, and addiction destroyed in people’s lives starting with mine!!! I expect life and relationship!

In this world of lies – this simple truth is hard to understand. We can have a relationship with the Father through Jesus in the Holy Spirit.

Here is a prayer for you to pray:

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is found in the Book of Acts, chapter 9, at verse 1 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

¹⁰Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”

And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

¹¹So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. ¹²And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”

¹³Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much ^[b]harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children^[c] of Israel. ¹⁶For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

¹⁷And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord ^[d]Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

¹⁹So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

Acts 9:10-19 NKJV

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

BIBLE DISCUSSION:

Welcome back. I hope you had a fantastic weekend! I am sure you went to church or watched your favorite internet preacher (or both). Whichever the case, I am sure you were challenged to go ye therefore! Dared to say: Here am I, Lord. Send me.
Many people dream about being used by God to cast out demons, heal the sick, and speak in front of hundreds of people and have them all moved to tears! As we read through the Book of Acts we can clearly see the personal cost that must be paid for that kind of power – moreover, that it cannot be connected to if you even perceive it as power! But it is a side effect of a deep loving relationship with God. He loves you deeply and you love Him deeply. You love Him as much as He loved you. He laid down His life for you, will you lay down your life in love for Him? Oh yes – the cost of serving God.

There is no denying that certain things come with that level of love for God – like the signs and wonders. Oh, and he reveals things and talks with you which is the highest, best thing ever – yes, spending personal time with Him is the thing we should strive for above all else. And He promises that through you, He will do great things! So exciting!

“¹⁰Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”
And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

Ananias was one such believer. Ananias put in the work, had the personal relationship, knew the Lord’s voice and he was living his best life waiting for the big call! And when that call came, like Isaiah, like Samuel, like so many before him Ananias says “Here I am, Lord!”

“¹¹So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. ¹²And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”
¹³Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”

I LOVE THIS STORY and I LOVE Ananias! I bet Ananias was not the kind of guy to tell God things He already knows and probably not the kind of guy who says no to any of the assignments God gave him leading up to this point. And I am sure there were a few training sessions to prepare Ananias for this assignment. God knew He could trust Ananias.

And what I love so much is how real Ananias is with God. How he doesn’t mince words and definitely needs to make sure he heard God right on this one. This is like being told to go lay hands on Hitler, to heal him – not to lay hands to kill him!
OK, God! Here I am! Send me! – Oh wait, not there!

I know I personally have, in moments when I am enveloped in His love, poured myself out and said I am willing to do Your perfect will, send me, and make me your chosen vessel to bear Your name!!! It’s a dangerous prayer. Because what if He sends you someplace you do not want to go? What if He asks you to do something you do not want to do?

“¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the childrenof Israel. ¹⁶For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

Paul speaks about the suffering of the Christian more than anyone else (then again he wrote more letters than anyone else) and he experienced great sufferings. Ananias is lucky that his call is just to pray for Paul while Paul’s calling is to suffer. Are you willing to answer your call no matter what it is?

“¹⁷And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.”

Imagine that, actual scale-like things fell off his eyes. No one saw these scales until suddenly they fell off. That is God! That is cool! As we move into a time more like the early church, we are going to see things like that more and more. But please do not be a spectator only, jump in and say to God: Here I am!

“¹⁹So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.”

Let’s talk more about those spectators. The believers in Jerusalem got word about Paul’s conversion and they were spectators. While the believers in Damascus ended up accepting him and ministering to him and loving him. If Paul was converted in Jerusalem, he would have never received the love of Christ through those people – God had to get him out to Damascus where the believers were participators.

I am part of a team helping a pastor who has put out a call for prayer and fasting for the USA. I have shared it on our Facebook page. One of the things I do to make ends meet is to help manage social media for people – I am using those skills for this call. The page, according to Facebook’s data has been shown to over 1000 people and only 40 followed the page. Now, obviously, not everyone wants to fast – but they can follow to support a good cause, can’t they? As I looked at the numbers I realized – it is the very thing America has to repent from!! We watch, maybe we’ll click later, but we watch. We do not interact with posts, with services, with the needy, with missions – we give money and therefore fulfill our obligation – let the few do all the work.
Today’s reading is about two men answering really hard callings, but we cannot even click a button on the internet. It is a tough thing to do because someone might see that I liked it and ask me if I am one of those Christian Nationalists. You do not need to answer. You can ask them why they do not want to stand against evil and pray for our nation. You can say, like I say, I am proud to be a Christian, not ashamed of my Lord, and I am a patriot who loves our country. But first and foremost I am a Child of the King in His service in love for ALL people.

It just seems to fit here, as we talk about callings to show an example of exactly 1007 people who did not answer the call and decided to just watch instead.
What is also interesting to me is that the Facebook algorithm favors interaction. If people interact with a post, then Facebook shows more people. If people do not interact, then Facebook shows fewer people. People need to interact for a page like this to succeed (or for any business page including ours). The world understands and values interaction yet, it is usually the Christians who are sitting back, eating popcorn, and waiting to see. It is time to wake up and answer the call!

If you’d like to join the fast, get more information on it, or just support it and you have Facebook, just go to: https://www.facebook.com/PrayerFastForTheUSA

Please join us tomorrow as we continue to “go” through the book of Acts.

***

21 May 202319 May 2023

WEEKEND READING – 5-21-23

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” Psalms 42:1-2 NKJV

RELATIONSHIP:

It feels like just yesterday, I was crying laying on my floor, exhausted from trying to fix the mess I made. My sin and poor choices caused broken hearts and broken friendships and broken families and despair and death… yes, I made a huge mess of my life. As I lay there with no way I could fix anything, nor could I go on like that – God reached out to me and made me feel like He still loved me and was ready to help me through it. I had tried God before and it did not seem to work out the way I expected, how could He help me this time? As I thought I realized the last time I treated Him like a genie in a lamp and not as a loving and kind Father and Friend. So I looked up and shook my fists and said – fine! Ok! I surrender! I give up and will do things your way! Things can’t get any worse. BUT!! You MUST be a real God. You MUST be who the Bible says you are! You must be an ever-present help! You MUST be the I AM! You MUST be the God of fire shut up in my bones! I expect to see the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, demons cast out, and addiction destroyed in people’s lives starting with mine!!! I expect life and relationship!

In this world of lies – this simple truth is hard to understand. We can have a relationship with the Father through Jesus in the Holy Spirit.

Here is a prayer for you to pray:

Therefore, I confess that I am a sinner and I ask that you forgive me of my sins and come into my life. Help me to turn away from my sins and transform me into what you have lovingly created me to be. Help me through a real personal relationship grow and accept your will for my life – that I may live in your blessings. Please walk with me, and talk with me – I accept a relationship with you and with our Father God, through you. In the name of Jesus, I pray ~ Amen

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is the Book of Psalms chapters 42-46 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

Yearning for God in the Midst of Distresses
To the Chief Musician. A ^[a]Contemplation of the sons of Korah.

42 As the deer ^[b]pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
²My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and ^[c]appear before God?
³My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?”

⁴When I remember these things,
I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go with the multitude;
I went with them to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and praise,
With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

⁵Why are you ^[d]cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
^[e]For the help of His countenance.

⁶^[f]O my God, my soul is cast down within me;
Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From ^[g]the Hill Mizar.
⁷Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
⁸The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life.

⁹I will say to God my Rock,
“Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
¹⁰As with a ^[h]breaking of my bones,
My enemies ^[i]reproach me,
While they say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”

¹¹Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The ^[j]help of my countenance and my God.

Prayer to God in Time of Trouble

43 Vindicate me, O God,
And plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!
²For You are the God of my strength;
Why do You cast me off?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

³Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your holy hill
And to Your ^[k]tabernacle.
⁴Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy;
And on the harp I will praise You,
O God, my God.

⁵Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The ^[l]help of my countenance and my God.

Redemption Remembered in Present Dishonor

To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation^[m] of the sons of Korah.

44 We have heard with our ears, O God,
Our fathers have told us,
The deeds You did in their days,
In days of old:
²You drove out the ^[n]nations with Your hand,
But them You planted;
You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out.
³For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword,
Nor did their own arm save them;
But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance,
Because You favored them.

⁴You are my King, ^[o]O God;
^[p]Command victories for Jacob.
⁵Through You we will push down our enemies;
Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.
⁶For I will not trust in my bow,
Nor shall my sword save me.
⁷But You have saved us from our enemies,
And have put to shame those who hated us.
⁸In God we boast all day long,
And praise Your name forever. Selah

⁹But You have cast us off and put us to shame,
And You do not go out with our armies.
¹⁰You make us turn back from the enemy,
And those who hate us have taken ^[q]spoil for themselves.
¹¹You have given us up like sheep intended for food,
And have scattered us among the nations.
¹²You sell Your people for next to nothing,
And are not enriched by selling them.

¹³You make us a reproach to our neighbors,
A scorn and a derision to those all around us.
¹⁴You make us a byword among the nations,
A shaking of the head among the peoples.
¹⁵My dishonor is continually before me,
And the shame of my face has covered me,
¹⁶Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles,
Because of the enemy and the avenger.

¹⁷All this has come upon us;
But we have not forgotten You,
Nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant.
¹⁸Our heart has not turned back,
Nor have our steps departed from Your way;
¹⁹But You have severely broken us in the place of jackals,
And covered us with the shadow of death.

²⁰If we had forgotten the name of our God,
Or stretched^[r] out our hands to a foreign god,
²¹Would not God search this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
²²Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

²³Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord?
Arise! Do not cast us off forever.
²⁴Why do You hide Your face,
And forget our affliction and our oppression?
²⁵For our soul is bowed down to the ^[s]dust;
Our body clings to the ground.
²⁶Arise for our help,
And redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.

The Glories of the Messiah and His Bride

To the Chief Musician. Set to ^[t]“The Lilies.” A ^[u]Contemplation of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love.

45 My heart is overflowing with a good theme;
I recite my composition concerning the King;
My tongue is the pen of a ^[v]ready writer.

²You are fairer than the sons of men;
Grace is poured upon Your lips;
Therefore God has blessed You forever.
³^[w]Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One,
With Your glory and Your majesty.
⁴And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness;
And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.
⁵Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies;
The peoples fall under You.

⁶Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
⁷You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.
⁸All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia,
Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad.
⁹Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women;
At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.

¹⁰Listen, O daughter,
Consider and incline your ear;
Forget your own people also, and your father’s house;
¹¹So the King will greatly desire your beauty;
Because He is your Lord, worship Him.
¹²And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift;
The rich among the people will seek your favor.

¹³The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace;
Her clothing is woven with gold.
¹⁴She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors;
The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You.
¹⁵With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought;
They shall enter the King’s palace.

¹⁶Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons,
Whom You shall make princes in all the earth.
¹⁷I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations;
Therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.

God the Refuge of His People and Conqueror of the Nations

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song for Alamoth.

46 God is our refuge and strength,
A^[x] very present help in trouble.
²Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the ^[y]midst of the sea;
³Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

⁴There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the ^[z]tabernacle of the Most High.
⁵God is in the midst of her, she shall not be ^[aa]moved;
God shall help her, just ^[ab]at the break of dawn.
⁶The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

⁷The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

⁸Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
⁹He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.

¹⁰Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

¹¹The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

***

20 May 202319 May 2023

WEEKEND READING – 5-20-23

“Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast.” Psalms 36:5-6 NKJV

RELATIONSHIP:

It feels like just yesterday, I was crying laying on my floor, exhausted from trying to fix the mess I made. My sin and poor choices caused broken hearts and broken friendships and broken families and despair and death… yes, I made a huge mess of my life. As I lay there with no way I could fix anything, nor could I go on like that – God reached out to me and made me feel like He still loved me and was ready to help me through it. I had tried God before and it did not seem to work out the way I expected, how could He help me this time? As I thought I realized the last time I treated Him like a genie in a lamp and not as a loving and kind Father and Friend. So I looked up and shook my fists and said – fine! Ok! I surrender! I give up and will do things your way! Things can’t get any worse. BUT!! You MUST be a real God. You MUST be who the Bible says you are! You must be an ever-present help! You MUST be the I AM! You MUST be the God of fire shut up in my bones! I expect to see the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, demons cast out, and addiction destroyed in people’s lives starting with mine!!! I expect life and relationship!

In this world of lies – this simple truth is hard to understand. We can have a relationship with the Father through Jesus in the Holy Spirit.

Here is a prayer for you to pray:

Therefore, I confess that I am a sinner and I ask that you forgive me of my sins and come into my life. Help me to turn away from my sins and transform me into what you have lovingly created me to be. Help me through a real personal relationship grow and accept your will for my life – that I may live in your blessings. Please walk with me, and talk with me – I accept a relationship with you and with our Father God, through you. In the name of Jesus, I pray ~ Amen

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is the Book of Psalms chapters 36-41 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

Man’s Wickedness and God’s Perfections

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.

36 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
²For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
³The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
⁴He devises wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself in a way that is not good;
He does not ^[a]abhor evil.

⁵Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
⁶Your righteousness is like the ^[b]great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

⁷How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
⁸They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
⁹For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.

¹⁰Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
¹¹Let not the foot of pride come against me,
And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.
¹²There the workers of iniquity have fallen;
They have been cast down and are not able to rise.

The Heritage of the Righteous and the Calamity of the Wicked

A Psalm of David.

37 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
²For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.

³Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
⁴Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

⁵Commit^[c] your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
⁶He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.

⁷Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
⁸Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.

⁹For evildoers shall be ^[d]cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth.
¹⁰For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
¹¹But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

¹²The wicked plots against the just,
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
¹³The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.
¹⁴The wicked have drawn the sword
And have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay those who are of upright conduct.
¹⁵Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.

¹⁶A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
¹⁷For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the Lord upholds the righteous.

¹⁸The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
¹⁹They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
²⁰But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.

²¹The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
²²For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be ^[e]cut off.

²³The steps of a good man are ^[f]ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
²⁴Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.

²⁵I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
²⁶He is ^[g]ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.

²⁷Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
²⁸For the Lord loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
²⁹The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.

³⁰The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
³¹The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall ^[h]slide.

³²The wicked watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
³³The Lord will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.

³⁴Wait on the Lord,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
³⁵I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.
³⁶Yet ^[i]he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.

³⁷Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
For the future of that man is peace.
³⁸But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.

³⁹But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength in the time of trouble.
⁴⁰And the Lord shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them,
Because they trust in Him.

Prayer in Time of Chastening

A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance.

38 O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
²For Your arrows pierce me deeply,
And Your hand presses me down.

³There is no soundness in my flesh
Because of Your anger,
Nor any health in my bones
Because of my sin.
⁴For my iniquities have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
⁵My wounds are foul and festering
Because of my foolishness.

⁶I am ^[j]troubled, I am bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
⁷For my loins are full of inflammation,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
⁸I am feeble and severely broken;
I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.

⁹Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
¹⁰My heart pants, my strength fails me;
As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.

¹¹My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague,
And my relatives stand afar off.
¹²Those also who seek my life lay snares for me;
Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction,
And plan deception all the day long.

¹³But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.
¹⁴Thus I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth is no response.

¹⁵For ^[k]in You, O Lord, I hope;
You will ^[l]hear, O Lord my God.
¹⁶For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me,
Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.”

¹⁷For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
¹⁸For I will declare my iniquity;
I will be in ^[m]anguish over my sin.
¹⁹But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong;
And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.
²⁰Those also who render evil for good,
They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.

²¹Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, be not far from me!
²²Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!

Prayer for Wisdom and Forgiveness

To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

39 I said, “I will guard my ways,
Lest I sin with my tongue;
I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle,
While the wicked are before me.”
²I was mute with silence,
I held my peace even from good;
And my sorrow was stirred up.
³My heart was hot within me;
While I was ^[n]musing, the fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue:

⁴“Lord, make me to know my end,
And what is the measure of my days,
That I may know how frail I am.
⁵Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my age is as nothing before You;
Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah
⁶Surely every man walks about like a shadow;
Surely they ^[o]busy themselves in vain;
He heaps up riches,
And does not know who will gather them.

⁷“And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You.
⁸Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Do not make me the reproach of the foolish.
⁹I was mute, I did not open my mouth,
Because it was You who did it.
¹⁰Remove Your plague from me;
I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.
¹¹When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity,
You make his beauty melt away like a moth;
Surely every man is vapor. Selah

¹²“Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And give ear to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears;
For I am a stranger with You,
A sojourner, as all my fathers were.
¹³Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength,
Before I go away and am no more.”

Faith Persevering in Trial

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

40 I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
²He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
³He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.

⁴Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
⁵Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.

⁶Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
⁷Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
⁸I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.”

⁹I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness
In the great assembly;
Indeed, I do not restrain my lips,
O Lord, You Yourself know.
¹⁰I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth
From the great assembly.

¹¹Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord;
Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.
¹²For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head;
Therefore my heart fails me.

¹³Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me!
¹⁴Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion
Who seek to destroy my ^[p]life;
Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor
Who wish me evil.
¹⁵Let them be confounded because of their shame,
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”

¹⁶Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let such as love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
¹⁷But I am poor and needy;
Yet the Lord thinks upon me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.

The Blessing and Suffering of the Godly

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

41 Blessed is he who considers the ^[q]poor;
The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
²The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive,
And he will be blessed on the earth;
You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.
³The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness;
You will ^[r]sustain him on his sickbed.

⁴I said, “Lord, be merciful to me;
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”
⁵My enemies speak evil of me:
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
⁶And if he comes to see me, he speaks ^[s]lies;
His heart gathers iniquity to itself;
When he goes out, he tells it.

⁷All who hate me whisper together against me;
Against me they ^[t]devise my hurt.
⁸“An^[u] evil disease,” they say, “clings to him.
And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more.”
⁹Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has ^[v]lifted up his heel against me.

¹⁰But You, O Lord, be merciful to me, and raise me up,
That I may repay them.
¹¹By this I know that You are well pleased with me,
Because my enemy does not triumph over me.
¹²As for me, You uphold me in my integrity,
And set me before Your face forever.

¹³Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.