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Devotions

A Permanent Residence

by TerryLema

There was a post on Facebook recently asking people how many places they had lived. I knew I had lived in a lot of places, but when I started counting them up from my childhood, I was surprised to find they numbered 30. At almost 75 years old, that means I have moved every 2.5 years to a new residence.

Maybe that is why those first verses in Psalm 91 mean so much to me.

“The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” [vss1-2 HCSB]

Look at that wonderful word, “dwells.” It means “to take up a permanent residence in.”

We have a place of refuge that is permanent. We have a fortress that we never have to leave. It is found in the best place ever.

It is in the shadow of the ALMIGHTY, (SHADDAI), the all-sufficient God who is more than adequate for every situation, trial, and circumstance.

When I am in that place, I am under the protection of the MOST HIGH, (ELYON), the name found first in Genesis 14:18-20. He is higher than the kings of the earth and the false gods of the nations.

While in this place my refuge/fortress is my LORD (JEHOVAH, YAHWEH), the covenant-making God who is faithful to His promises.

I can trust completely in my GOD (ELOHIM), the powerful God whose greatness and glory surpass anything we can imagine.

I may have lived in 30 places here on earth, but my permanent dwelling is in my relationship and fellowship in Christ Jesus where I am invited into the very Holy of Holies to live a life of worship and communion, obedience, service, and love.

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God’s Promises

by TerryLema

Fear is all around us. We see it promoted every day in the media, by our politicians, in social media and in books, movies, videos. The world, the devil, even our own flesh in its rebellion want to keep us immobilized by fear. When the “spirit of fear” enters our life, it seeks to steal, kill, and destroy our spiritual growth and life.

To overcome it, we must instead replace it with the “Fear of the LORD.” That requires us to know God and His attributes. It requires us to reinforce the promises God has given us for our life. Sometimes that means going over them again and again until they take root in our heart and drive out all doubt.

Psalm 91 is our 911 Song. It teaches us that God is our refuge, strength, fortress, protector. It tells us all the things God protects us from (verses 5-10) and how we are victorious in Him (verse 13).

In addition, Psalm 91(1) gives us eight promises of protection.  Read verses 14-16 and as you do, make them personal.

“I will rescue you…” (God will rescue us and give us a way of escape)

“I will protect you…” (God will protect us; He will set us in the cleft of the rock)

“I will answer you…” (He will hear our prayers and He will answer us with His goodness)

“I will be with you in trouble…” (He will never leave us nor forsake us, no matter the distress)

“I will deliver you…” (He will deliver us from all the darts and attacks against us by the enemy)

“I will honor you…” (He will make us to sit in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus)

“I will satisfy you with long life…” (He will take us into His presence for all eternity)

“I will show you my salvation…” (He will grant us freedom from sin, shame, guilt and one day will wipe away every tear, take away all pain, and banish death to eternal hell)

If we focus on those eight promises, we will learn that we can trust in God and not be afraid of the enemy of our soul, the world or even our own rebellious nature.

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Psalm 911!

by TerryLema

Last Sunday’s message was on the Three Musketeers. Not Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, the swashbuckling heroes of the novel written by Alexandre Dumas, but that evil “All for One and One for All” trio sent by the enemy of our soul to plague us, Anxiety, Worry and Fear.

One of the points in my message was a month-long emphasis on Psalm 91 to combat fear.  Today I will urge the congregation to read it daily, focus on its points, and even pray through it.

As I was typing Psalm 91 into my PowerPoint notes, I accidentally typed in Psalm 911. As I looked at my “mistake,” I realized it was not a mistake at all. Psalm 91 is truly our spiritual 911 Song.

Psalm 91:1: “The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.” [HCSB]

Psalm 91(1) is a reminder that we are never alone. It matters not the affliction or darkness or troubles that we may see around us. It matters that God is with us in them all.

We do not need to fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day. (Verse 5)

We do not need to fear plague or pestilence. (Verse 6)

No matter how many fall around us, we are safe in God’s fortress. (Verse 7-10)

Even more than protection, as wonderful as that is, is the victory we find in God.  “You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the young lion and the serpent.” (Verse 13)

Read Psalm 91 today. Tomorrow we will note the eight awesome promises found in the concluding verses.

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“Who is a God Like You?”

by TerryLema

“Who is a GOD like You?” [Micah 7:18]

That question is the theme of the prophet Micah, whose name means “Who is like YAHWEH.”

The answer is the starting point, the working principle, and the ending point of Micah’s theology. Micah seeks to show the incomparable God – that there is no one like YAHWEH in His power, holiness, wisdom, or matchless grace. YAHWEH is uniquely glorious, yet holy and loving. He is the Sovereign “Lord of All the Earth.” [4:13]

The Book of Micah is interesting in that it presents a God who is sovereign in power to judge people, as well as repeating that YAHWEH is sovereign in His mercy and grace.

A lot of people try to separate God’s holiness and His love. They think that a God who is loving cannot also be a righteous judge. But God’s holiness governs everything … His love is a holy love.

The other truth we find in the Book of Micah is the foundational truth that it is the responsibility of all people to live holy lives and to worship God. We are responsible to Him for how we treat others with justice, mercy and in righteousness. Those who do so will experience the grace, love, and mercy of God. Those who fail to worship God and fail to treat others as He demands will experience His displeasure, and ultimately apart from repentance, His judgment.

There is another wonderful truth in Micah alongside God’s Sovereignty and man’s responsibility—that truth is that God is sending His Messiah, His Son, to come and shepherd His people.

“Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; One [Christ Jesus] will come from you to be ruler over Israel for Me. His origin is from antiquity, from eternity.” [5:2 HCSB]

“Who is a GOD like You?” I know of no other. Amen

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The Dark Ages

by TerryLema

We have probably all heard the term, “The Dark Ages.” We may have even studied it in history. There is some debate about the exact time frame and the exact meaning or who even coined the phrase.

I hear a lot today about our world getting darker and darker. “They” say it as if darkness is something new. I beg to differ.  This world has been dark for generations, ever since the first generation caved to the temptation of the enemy in the Garden and doubted God and His Word.  Sin and death entered, and the world became a hostile, dark, ugly realm.

We know it was so dark in the days of Noah that God even regretted creating mankind. [Genesis 6:5-6]

It was dark in the days of Moses when Pharaoh oppressed the people of God with slavery and heavy burdens.

It was dark in the days of Jeremiah when God’s people were so occupied with idols that He had to send them into captivity to get their attention.

It was dark in the 400 years after Malachi prophesied leading up to birth of Jesus recorded in the Gospels.

Then Christ came, and light entered those who placed their trust in Him. But still, the unbelieving world was dark. And as Paul told Timothy in his second letter, perilous times will come in the last days. [2 Timothy 3]

Darkness reigns in this world until Christ Jesus, the Light of the World, comes and banishes sin and death into eternal oblivion. The Dark Ages began in the Garden, but their reign is coming to an end. Christ Jesus, the King of Kings and LORD of Lords defeated them at the cross and will abolish them eternally when this world’s kingdom becomes the Kingdom of our God and King. [Revelation 12:10]

Our Father …Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Amen

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The Shadow Knows!

by TerryLema

“The Shadow,” which originated under the title “Detective Story” was one of the most popular radio shows in history. The show went on the air in 1930 and ran until 1954.

It opened with the line “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!“ It immediately captivated listeners. The eerie voice known as The Shadow that uttered those words became so popular to listeners that the narrator became the star of the old-time mystery radio series.

“The Shadow” may think it knows “what evil lurks in the heart of men,” (and that may have scared some people), but the truth is that God alone knows “what evil lurks in the heart of men,” (and that should put “The Fear of the LORD” in all of us!)

Jesus reminded the Pharisees in Luke 16:14-15 that “God knows your hearts.”

“The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and scoffing at Him.  And He told them: ‘You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly admired by people is revolting in God’s sight.’”

Jesus had been teaching about the dangers in the love of money through the Parable of the Dishonest Manager (vs 1-13). The Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day were “scoffing at Him.”

The word for “scoffing” is ekmuktérizó and it is a rather disgusting word. It means “to blow the nose,” to sneer, scoff, scornfully reject, like expelling mucus out of the nose. In our vernacular it would be to “blow someone off.”

People read us from the outside. The Pharisees were counting on that. They were reveling in their reputation as strict adherers to the law and men’s rules. They counted on being admired by people.

God, however, reads the inside. It is not about our reputation; it is about the purity of our hearts. And that should keep us striving to please Him!

 

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Drift Away

by TerryLema

I was reading in Hebrews 1 recently where the author gave his argument that Christ is supremely better than angels because He is the Son of God.  He will go on to a second argument that further proves Christ’s superiority, but before he does, he pauses to inject the first of a number of solemn warnings that are found in this letter.

It is a warning against drifting away from the message of the Gospel, and it begins Chapter 2. “We must, therefore, pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.” [vs 1 HCSB]

Those who hear the Gospel are to give serious attention to it. The verb for “pay even more attention” means not only to turn our minds to something, but also to act upon what we see. Inaction in spiritual truths can prove a fatal mistake.

The writer tells us that the danger of failing to pay attention and failing to act is that we might “drift away.” This is the only time this Greek word is used. It is a vivid picture for a person who lets himself or herself drift or slip away from the refuge of the Gospel.

We know that in our culture there are many who ridicule and oppose the Good News found in Christ Jesus (the Gospel). And they are not afraid to say so and back up their opposition with action. The Bible is clear that they will suffer loss. But we don’t need to violently oppose the Gospel to suffer loss, we need only drift away from it. Verse 3 asks a vital question, one that we must answer:  “how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”

There is no escape if we neglect the salvation God has provided through His Son. We must be careful to pay attention to all of Scripture, so that might not let the Good News slip through our fingers.

 

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Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid!

by TerryLema

“Be afraid, be very afraid!” is a quotation usually attributed to the 1986 horror film The Fly, written by the Canadian David Cronenberg, and starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis.

Hollywood and many book authors like to make us afraid. It is all supposed to be in fun. But the enemy of our soul is not aiming for fun when he sends fear our way.

His fear is designed to make us unstable, unreliable, and uncertain about everything. It is designed to hold our thoughts captive. It is designed to make us forget God’s promises and replace them with doubt and worry and anxiety.  His fear seeks to immobilize us, and its goal is to steal and destroy our spiritual growth and kill our spiritual life.

Paul tells us that the fear the enemy sends our way is more than emotion.  It is a spirit.  “For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.” [2 Timothy 1:7 HCSB]

One of the primary ways to overcome the “spirit of fear” sent by the enemy is to replace it with the “Fear of the LORD.”

While that sounds strange—to replace fear with Fear—it is effective and true. The key to overcoming fear is total and complete trust in God. It is faith and trust that come from knowing Him and knowing that He is Good. The “Fear of the LORD” is a reverential awe of God and a respect for His power and glory, as well as His wrath and anger. It grows in us as we grow in knowing Him.

It is a total acknowledgement of all that God is and all that He does – and CAN do!  It is bowing down to Him in respect and reverence knowing that He is all-powerful and nothing man (or the devil) can do to us can overpower our God.

Psalm 56:11: “In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me”

Isaiah 41:10: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.”

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More Than Enough

by TerryLema

I started reading in Romans 15 this morning. It begins with an exhortation about bearing other’s burdens. Paul than turns his attention to Jews and Gentiles glorifying God together in the faith. As I was reading along, I got stuck on Paul’s prayer in verse 13. (I was reading in my new favorite translation, the Holman Christian Standard Bible.)

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” 

Where I got stuck was on that phrase, “overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” The New King James translates that as “abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

The Greek word for abound or overflow is perisseuó. It means to be over and above, to abound, to exceed the ordinary, to go beyond the expected measure.

Paul prayed that his readers in Rome would not just have enough hope to get by but would go over and above what might be expected.

My interpretation of that prayer is that when we place our faith in the wonderful God of Hope, He will fill us with a joy and peace by the power of His Indwelling Spirit. We get so filled that we begin to spill out hope over everyone we meet.

That prayer is so important in our time as we live in a day characterized by hopelessness. So much going on around us saps us of hope on a regular basis. We are bombarded with accounts of death and devastation, economic and medical challenges, dueling politicians and fallen heroes. It is difficult to not let the “bad news” overpower hope.

But for the person who placed their faith and trust in the God of Hope, we are to abound in it – to have so much of it we have plenty to share.  Who can you share your hope with today?

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A little light please!

by TerryLema

Part of me has always wished I could see just a little farther down the road. I do not need to know everything (although I tell myself often that I might!), but maybe just some warning about the difficulties ahead or the trials or the losses or the ….   Well, yes, I guess I do want to see a lot farther down the road and know everything.

I tell myself that is because I do not like surprises, especially the unpleasant ones. And I prefer to always be prepared and organized. I am a planner. I want things nice and tidy.

Nice and tidy, however, seldom describes life. Unruly and chaotic are often more apt descriptions. Maybe if I just knew a little more, I could keep the unruly and chaotic to a minimum.

God, however, seems to disagree with me. He does not show me what tomorrow holds. Maybe because of that passage in Matthew 6: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” [vs 34 HCSB]

My LORD, however, does light my path in other ways. He promises in that great Psalm 119 that “[His] word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” [vs105 HCSB]

As I set out each day, His Word lights the darkness in front of me. He provides assurances, promises, warnings and instruction in His Word. I know that no matter what is in front of me, He is my protection and security. And I know that whatever might try to sneak up behind me, He is there also!

Isaiah 58:8: “Your righteousness [Christ Jesus] will go before you, and the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard.” [HCSB]

Amen & Amen! Thank you, LORD!

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