Rest From the Days of Adversity

3 Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?
4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?
5 They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.
7 Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.
8 Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?
9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?
10 He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?
11 The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law;
13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked. Psalm 94:3-13 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

To play with things void of the knowledge of God, is like a child playing with fire. It is far better to prevent the injury than it is to go find treatment after having been burned. We have the freedom to watch anything we like, but not everything we can feed the mind with is nutritious. The slothful child refuses to redeem the time, resting without being tired, and vainly going from one entertainment fix to the next. Enough of such childish things! We all have the need for our hearts to be filled with the love of God, our minds to be fixed with faith in God, and our hands to be diligent as we work toward the hope of our eternal reward in Christ Jesus. The fear of the Lord is a precious gift. To understand it, pray for a revelation of the holiness of God. Pray unceasingly, believe whole-heartedly, and He will keep you enduring joyfully through all the uncertainties of this perishing world. 

Question

How do we put away childish things?

Answer

Consider the end of every choice as to whether it draws you closer to God or pushes you further away (Proverbs 9:10; Ephesians 4:17-18). There are many activities of this world that are believed to be harmless, but they are actually sugar-coated poison pills of folly (Proverbs 7:4-27; Isaiah 65:11-12; Psalm 10:4; Matthew 3:1-12). You will know them by their fruit (Matthew 7:16-20). Learn from the Lord and take no backward step (Joshua 1:8-9; Isaiah 54:13; John 6:45; Matthew 11:27-30). Remember Lot’s wife (Psalm 85:8; 1 Corinthians 13:11-13; 1 Corinthians 16:13-14; Joshua3:9-10; Jude 1:24-25). 

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant that all of us may be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Left Up Your Heads

1 The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.
7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah. Psalm 24 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

There will be mornings when you wake up feeling like an ugly duckling still in its shell. So what? Nowhere in the Bible does it say we should let our feelings rule us. Quite the opposite. The Bible commands us to walk by faith, not by sight. This beautiful truth will set the swan within you free. In the beginning, the spiritual baby duck has a faith that needs to seek and strive, but it can often seem like there is little progress. Continue wrestling and keep pecking until you breakthrough! Cast down every doubt and uncertainty. Counter with praise and thanksgiving for the goodness and faithfulness of God. Hold on to the knowledge that God means to bless you and keep praising until God grants the assurance of faith that allows your soul to rest with a confident expectation that He has granted the blessing. And then look to Him, even in the mist of contrary winds and the utter darkness of this world swirling all around you, to perform that which He has promised. Have faith in God, trust Him, and He will never fail you. Joyous is the day when at last we are brought to the full assurance that we can trust God to fulfill His every promise.

Question

How do we get the assurance of faith?

Answer

The hinderance is completely on our side (Hebrews 10:22), God is more willing to grant us the full assurance of both His present and future salvation than we are willing to receive it (Romans 8:32; Isaiah 65:2; James 4:1-3). The assurance comes from right motives (Proverbs 16:3), and fighting through the shell of this flesh-oriented world in which we live (Romans 12:1-3; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews 10:35-36), which is the necessary testing of our faith (1 Peter 4:12; James 1:2-4). Fight back with affirming your complete trust in your Redeemer in the mist of every storm of doubt (Galatians 2:20). The good fight of faith is won only by steadfastly holding on to the fact that without Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5), and thereby choosing to rely on God alone (Matthew 11:25-30, 16:24-25; 2 Peter 1:2-4). When we accept our weakness (Psalm 115:1) and experientially learn to have no confidence in our own natural strength (Philippians 3:1-3), then can God grant us the assurance of faith that makes us strong (Philippians 3:4-8; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Habakkuk 3:17-19; Jude 1:21-25).

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant that all of us may be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

God the Rock of My Salvation

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Psalm 1 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Action and intent are always parts of the same tree. The action being the fruit and the intent being the root. The tree is planted in the soil created by the desires of the heart. The Word of God is the seed, but a hard unbelieving heart will produce only the rotten fruit and weeds of this present world. This is true regardless of whether we believe it to be so or not. The love of God (with no other preference before Him) is the condition, the proof, and the reward all in one. Try it and see for yourself. Give Jesus all, and you will get all in return. Let all the intentions of the heart be pure. Let the redeemed of the Lord thirst for the living God and joyfully say, “come, Lord Jesus, come!

Question

What are the flaming darts of the wicked?

Answer

The flaming darts, which if left unchecked will set soul ablaze with coveting (wrong desires) or worry/doubt/fear, are suggestive thoughts based on the circumstances we see, the events we hear about, or the bodily sensations we feel (Romans 7:7; Matthew 4:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:7). What the mind accepts as true, the heart believes, and what the heart believes the body will manifest (Romans 1:16-32; 2 Corinthians 3:5-18). It is righteousness in the heart and the professing of truth with the mouth that sets the enemy fleeing from the fire (Romans 10:5-11; Revelation 11:3-5). Therefore, he who controls what the heart believes is like the captain directing the tiny rudder that controls the entire ship (James 3:3-4; Psalm 32:9-11; 1:1-2). Give not this power over you to the enemy (Ephesians 4:21-30). Therefore, submit yourself to God, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10-18; Hebrews 10:35-39; James 4:7; Romans 8:28-39; Ephesians 3:14-21).

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant that all of us may be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.