The Lord Will Keep You

27  Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. Psalm 37:27-33 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

The three amigos of the normal Christian soul please God with what we think, what we say, and what we do. What we think provides the substance for what we believe. What we say gives expression to what we think, and what we do is the physical representation of what we think and what we believe. What we think, what we say, and what we do are the gatekeepers of the heart. It is for this reason God has graciously given us the Spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind. (Psalm 84; Isaiah 55:7-9; Luke 17:20-21; Luke 12:32; Ephesians 1:5-9; Colossians 1:26-27; 2 Timothy 1:7; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 3:1-3; 2 Genesis 4:7; Corinthians 6:17-18; Ezekiel 36:26-27; Jeremiah 29:11-13; Matthew 28:18; Proverbs 4:23; John 15:16; Matthew 28:19-20)

The Faithfulness of the Lord is All Around Us

8 O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?
9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
10 Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.
11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.
12 The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.
13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face. Psalm 89:8-14 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Everything God commands He does or provides. We are to put our hand to the plow, fix our eyes on Jesus, and eagerly expect a bountiful harvest from the precious promises of God. Take no backward step. Don’t turn around to longingly gaze at the vanities left behind. Break up the hard ground. Plant the precious seed. Through the sunshine and the rain comes the harvest. (Romans 8:32; Matthew 7:11; 2 Peter 1:3-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; Luke 9:61-62; Luke 17:32-33; Genesis 19:15-26; 1 Peter 4:3; Mark 8:36; Hebrews 12:1-2; James 5:7; Hosea 10:12; Luke 8:5-15; Malachi 3:1; Hebrews 10:36, Hebrews 11:32-40, 11:1-6; Ephesians 3:14-21)

The Joy of the Lord Is Our Strength

98 O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
2 The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
5 Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
6 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.
7 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
9 Before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity. Psalm 98 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Things look different from afar than they do closer up. To know better requires drawing close enough to see the finer details. God bids each of us to draw near and know Him. To know about salvation is to see Jesus Christ from afar. To know the Lord intimately requires the working out of salvation with true humility and deepest respect. For two to walk together they must agree. God is holy, therefore we must be willing to be made so if we are to draw near. Jesus Christ lives! Expect to be changed as you come to know Him better, and expect real help from the Holy Spirit as you do. When one asks Christ to be Lord of his or her life, drawing near with a consistent focus over time to the written word of God is necessary for spiritual growth. Consistent focus over time is the fundamental requirement of paying attention for worshiping in spirit and truth. We don’t need to rely on our own strength to do this. Our part is to be willing, and the promise is that God will make us so. (Leviticus 19:2; Matthew 23:37; Psalm 32:9; James 4:8; Luke 6:46; Joshua 1:8; Jeremiah 29:13; Psalm 1; Philippians 3:4-16; Amos 3:3; 2 Corinthians 3:18; John 4:23-24, 14:31; Philippians 2:12-13; Revelation 22:6-21)

Happy Are Those Who Delight In the Word the Lord

9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
12 Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes.
13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.
16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. Psalm 119:9-16 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Guard the affections of the heart by turning from evil, praying for grace, and working for good. The double portion of the Spirit of God, that is Christ in us and we in Him, is now available to all through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. It is God who works in you. Choose to believe that He will do just as His word promises. Be quick to dismiss what you see and feel that appear to stand against the knowledge of God as the mere temporary things that they are in truth. Physical realities determined by our natural senses will always change with the shifting sand through the hourglass. Better to put your trust in the word of God and build your house on the only rock-solid foundation of Jesus Christ. That which God has spoken does not change and will always stand. (Numbers 11:29; 2 Kings 2:9; Luke 4:14-21; Colossians 1:26-28; 1 John 5:20; 1 Corinthians 3:5-17; James 1:21-25; Matthew 7:16-27; 2 Corinthians 6:1-10; Romans 8:31-39; John 6:28-29, 14:12, 1:1; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; John 17:17; Revelation 22:17; Philippians 4:13; John 15:3-11; Ephesians 3:14-21)

Surely all who can say “Amen” to this shall be blessed.

Trust In the Lord

37 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. Psalm 37:1-7, 23-24 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

The body is magnificently efficient and its only priority is to ensure its survival. The self must learn to work with the body, otherwise it will struggle against the body and lose. This is why so many people fail to lose weight, because the body doesn’t care what we want. It only reacts to what we do. Working with the body to lose weight requires denying the animal like desire of the flesh to eat an overabundance of sugar, fat, and salt. Do this, and over time the body will react by getting leaner. Don’t do this, and in time the body will only get fatter. Either way we consistently go, the body always reacts with ruthless efficiency. How then can we overcome this natural desire to eat all easy to get, very cheap, and super delicious things that we want? God spoke the answer more than 2,000 years ago for all who are willing to come to the light. Our Lord and God commands us, “deny self, pick up your cross, and follow me.” Self-denial is not as much about giving something up as it is about gaining the opportunity to have something better. Denying self is the turning away from lessor things for the purpose of achieving something greater. The “picking up of our cross” is the way. It is the dying to the bondage to the desires of the flesh, and becoming alive with spiritual affections set on the things above. Hard to describe, but easy to do if we just follow Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. (Psalm 69:22; 2 Corinthians 6:17; Colossians 3:2; Luke 9:23; Luke 6:46; Romans 7:24, 8:3-13; Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:11-14; Hebrews 11:6; Galatians 5:16-17; Romans 14:23; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 5:6-11)

Read, lift your heart to God, and pray.

Better than fine Gold

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. Psalm 19:7-11 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Love is a many splendid thing. Love is the ultimate motivator. The love of parents, the love of children, the love of family, the love of friends, and the love of God are the common needs of every heart. Such loves constrain us, define us, and sustain us. Without any of these essential loves we are forced to substitute lesser things. Set an idol on the throne of the heart and the whole life will suffer desolation from the abomination. No amount of money, sex, drugs, or any other flavor of rock and roll will make up for a lack of love for and from God and other people. The will to love others is like a power switch that completes the circuit. The boundaries of the narrow way are easily identified by the love.  Choose to make God your first love and it will flow out through you to others. (Matthew 22:36-40; Jeremiah 17:10; Matthew 6:19-24; Colossians 3:2-7; Hebrews 13:5; 1 John 2:16; Ecclesiastes 5:10; Luke 12:15; 1 Timothy 6:6-10; 2 Timothy 3:1-7; Matthew 24:15; Luke 12:16-21; Psalm 100:4, 92:1-2, 18:1-3; 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 Peter 4:7-10; 1 Corinthians 13:13; 1 John 5:20-21)

This Is the Day the Lord Has Made

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord:
20 This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
23 This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:19-24 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Integrity is consistency between what we believe and what we do. By design we are created to be true to self and others. Two ways we can miss the integrity mark. First, we can confess we believe one thing and in practice do quite another. Second, we can believe what is not true, therefore what we do ends up being equally wrong with the follow-through. The first is a hypocrite. The second is either ignorant of the truth or willfully wicked. Hypocrisy must be guarded against and ignorance must be eliminated. Happy is the person who knows the truth and does it. Faith takes hold of the out stretched hand of God with its right hand. This putting our hand in God’s doesn’t depend on our reach or the strength of our grip. Being a believer requires our knowledge of the truth and a willingness to trust Almighty God to grasp and hold on to us. (Proverbs 4:23 ; Habakkuk 3:17-18; Job 2:9-10, 13:15-16; Romans 2:21-24; Matthew 24:50-51; Hebrews 6:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, 3:5; Romans 14:22; James 1:2-4; James 5:10-11; Hebrews 10:23; Isaiah 41:13; Psalm 32:8-9; Mark 9:24; Ephesians 3:20-21)

Bearing Fruit Takes Time

12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
15 To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. Psalm 92:12-15 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Get unstuck. Change doesn’t come from things remaining the same. Something must change for things to be different. Go back to the basics and then be willing to try something new. The longer it takes to start moving in the right direction, the longer it will take to reach the destination. It’s normal to take some hits when you’re in a fight, and only drunks and fools feel good when taking licks. It is just as normal to sometimes get hit with bad feelings in the good fight of the faith. Complaining, grumbling, and fault-finding can only lead us to where we don’t want to go. When the mind is occupied with its own bad feelings, it effectively pushes us out of the peace of God. It is in thanksgiving rather than complaining, praise rather than grumbling, and prayer rather than fault-finding which keeps us in the peace of God that surpasses understanding. All circumstances are temporary and God is in control of all things. When you know that God is faithful, all difficulties can joyfully be accepted as an opportunity to exercise faith in God. You will see the glory of God if you are willing to believe. Faith in God changes what cannot be changed otherwise. (Deuteronomy 2:1-3; Matthew 23:37; Proverbs 31:1-2, 10:16-26, 26:14, 23:29-35, 31:3; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Timothy 6:12; James 1:2-8; Matthew 17:21; Ephesians 6:10-12; Colossians 3:2; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6; Ephesians 6:13-18; 1 Peter 5:6-10; Philippians 4:8-9; John 14:13; 1 Peter 5:11)

Be Prosperous, Happy, and Free

5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:
6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:
7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth the prisoners:
8 The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord loveth the righteous:
9 The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
10 The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord. Psalm 146:5-10 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

There are beautiful women, there are rich men, there are smart women, and there are powerful men. The prosperous soul will be happier than them all. A prosperous soul is adorned with the beatitudes, is rich in good works, is wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove, full of the fruit of the Spirit, happy with much or little, and totally given up to trust in the love of God. Build up the soul in the love of God to be prosperous, happy, and free. (Proverbs 11:22, 23:1-3; 1 Timothy 6:17-19; Proverbs 10:22; 1 Timothy 6:10; Proverbs 6:23-26; Revelation 2:18-29; Galatians 5:19-26; 3 John 2; 1 Peter 3:3-4; Matthew 5:1-16; 2 Corinthians 3:5; Matthew 10:16; Romans 8:35-39; Isaiah 28:10; 2 Peter 1:3-11; 2 Timothy 4:1-4; Jude 1:20-25)