The Lord is My Strength and My Defense

8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord will I destroy them.
11 They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
12 They compassed me about like bees: they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
13 Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. Psalm 118:8-16 (KJV)

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into His Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

The Morning Inspiration

First seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness in all things. Stay on the narrow way that leads to eternal life. Keep to the fundamentals of good health, and fitness will improve steadily. Put away all that weakens and fight the good fight of the faith against the inner tempter. Practice denying self rather than giving into the inner tempter and its emotionally charged appeals to gratify self. Pick up your cross daily by refusing to live by the burger kingdom’s maxim to do things your own way. Follow Jesus by doing all to the glory of God, and all that is necessary will be added to you.

Truth is a fact that is known to be right. Things are not true because they are written in the Bible, they are written in the Bible because they are known to be true. “I feel this” or “I feel that”  may or may not be valid, as feelings are not facts. Feelings are just the brain’s best guess of what’s true based off the facts that it sees. To walk by sight means to ascribe truth based on the brain’s best guess of the proper interpretation of the facts. To walk by faith on the other hand, is to ascribe truth base on trust in God. The opposite of a fact is a falsehood, but there is an even more important truth to understand here. This more important understanding has to do with facts that contradict the word of God. Such facts, no matter how real they look and feel in this present physical world, are only what Jonah called “lying vanities” (Johan 2:8). Glory to God is all that can be said when this understanding is granted. Blessed rest for the soul. 

Today’s Question to Consider

What feelings based lying vanities trouble us most?

My Heart Rejoices in His Salvation

13 How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
4 Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.
6 I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 13 (KJV)

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into His Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

The Morning Inspiration

Happiness doesn’t come from ease, and from luxury it will fly away. Enjoyment just leaks out of pleasure like an old tire on a broken down car leaks out air. If we only eat what tastes good, and only do what feels easy, what more do we do than those who rot on the couch like a potato in front of the TV? This is why youth is wasted on the young, because with such vanities they waste so much of their time. God has not called us to be like rotting couch potatoes. He has called us to be conformed to the image our Lord and Master Jesus Christ. That is our God-given destiny. He has set us on His narrow path. His grace is sufficient to make our faith firm. Refuse all that would pull you off into the ditches on the left and right sides of the way of righteousness. Fix your eyes on Jesus and walk with your right hand in His. Joy may be sowed with tears, yet the morning will come with rejoicing in the Lord for the bountiful harvest.

Today’s Question to Consider

If life were a stream, there would only be two types of fish…the quick and the dead. How can we tell them apart?

O God of Our Salvation

65 Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.
2 O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
3 Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.
4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea: Psalm 65:1-5 (KJV)

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into His Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

The Morning Inspiration

God is able to heal by miracle or by pill. To expect a miracle when ordinary means of grace have already been given is to tempt God. When you have a headache, don’t pray for it to be miraculously relieved when God has already given you have a bottle of aspirin in your hand. Give thanks for the aspirin, bless it in the name of the Lord, and then take the proper dose knowing that it is just the means by which the Lord heals you. Blessed is the one who is able to see the invisible hand of God in all things. From everlasting to everlasting, God is good. Let this be the bedrock of your faith and trust in the Lord. Do what good you can with what you have right now, and every day you will be walking in your calling. It’s not fancy, but it works when you do believe.

Today’s Question to Consider

Do you believe God is able and willing to heal you?

Sing of the Steadfast Love of the Lord

89 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.
5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?
7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
8 O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? Psalm 89:1-8 (KJV)

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into His Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

The Morning Inspiration

When light enters, darkness must go. It is impossible to be filled with both gratitude and pride at the same time; to be filled with both gratefulness and bitterness in the same inhale; or to be filled with both thankfulness and depression with the same exhale. Remembering who God is, remembering who you are in Christ, and counting your blessings always brings light. Who is like our God? He has declared the end from before the beginning. All things are in His hand from the smallest subatomic particles to the furthest unknown cosmic phenomena. From everlasting to everlasting, God is much bigger than the universe. He is God the Most High and we are His children. We are loved by God with the same love the Father has for the Son. Such knowledge by itself is incredible. Still, there is more. We have been given all spiritual blessings through the blood of Jesus Christ. Set your hope on God alone in both times of plenty and times of need. There is no enemy that can withstand Him, no storm that is able to continue raging when He commands it to be still. The mind of the child of God is thus weaned by remembering the goodness of God and His love for us. We may not be able to stop the birds from flying above us, but we certainly don’t have to let them build a nest on top of our head. Fully expect to chase away every ugly bird of fear, anxiety, and doubt by faith in God. And the peace of God that surpasses understand will rule in your heart. This is how our elders received a good report.

Today’s Question to Consider

What did 1^st century Christians have that our current generation needs to regain?

He Has Shown the Wonders of His Unfailing Love

19 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!
20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city. Psalm 31:19-21 (KJV)

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

The Morning Inspiration

Fitness has two parts: things we need to do, and things we need to stop doing. Most everyone already knows which is which. The universal human condition is not so much a lack of the knowledge of what is right, as it is a lack of the ability to do what is known to be right. Now if we don’t do what we know to be right, that is sin. To be free from this invisible bondage of sin requires a power higher than self. Attempting to be free of sin by self-effort is like attempting to put out a fire with gasoline. This a tried to do for more than 20 years, but the natural outcome of self-help is the vanity of running around with clothes on fire. Surrendering all to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is the better way. Both the will and the wisdom that enables us to choose Jesus Christ are gifts from Almighty God. The will of our Father in heaven is to give us the kingdom wherein we are taken up into the divine love shared between the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This precious gift is ours if we only will to receive it. God is waiting to enable us to love Him with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul, and all our strength. This in turn produces the fruit of the Spirit causing us to love our neighbor as we love ourself. This divine love causes other fruits of the Spirit, joy, peace, gentleness, and patience are also seen and experienced in abundance. All that is in the world tends to be over-hyped, but there are no limits in God. It is impossible to even comprehend all the goodness that is God. Woe to the one who refuses the love of God, sad is the one who lingers, and tragic is the one who turns back. Ask the Lord to search your heart to make known to you any wrong in what you eat, what you do, or what you think. Then confess, repent, and believe for the sanctification by the Spirit promised before the foundation of the world to all who believe. Do not fear the consequences. That is only the last ditch effort of the enemy of our soul trying to turn us away from destruction. Trust in God. Come what may, hold firmly to the assurance of faith that His staff and His rod will take care of you. Be courageous and rest under the mighty hand of God. Walk in the newness of life provided by the grace of Jesus Christ to the glory of our Heavenly Father.

Today’s Question to Consider

Many saints throughout the ages have walked this path before us. Who encourages you the most by his or her example?