how are we going to make it?
Chapter 2
HOW ARE WE GOING TO MAKE IT?
When the LORD told me that judgment was coming, my heart caught. I was not ready, and I knew the church was not
ready. I could see no way that any of us would survive what I just saw and what I just heard. I cried out, "God, how are we going to make it?" Instantly four scriptures entered my heart. I memorized them. I spoke them. But I did not understand them until just the last year or two. The scriptures He gave me were these:
. 1 "SeekfirsttheKingdomofGodandHisrighteousness,andall these things will be added unto you." Matthew 6:33
. 2 "Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith." Hebrews 12:2
. 3 "Above all else guard your heart for out of it flows the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23
. 4 "In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18
It was only as I read the scriptures and the surrounding verses that God began to reveal His good plan to me. This strategy guarantees our success. This has now become my default re- sponse to every situation. I believe that if we follow these four
verses, there is nothing that can touch us. “My enemies will retreat when I call to You for help. This I know: God is on my side! I praise God for what He has promised; yes, I praise the LORD for what He has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 56:9-11) It is our heart the enemy is after, but if we follow these four verses, our heart will remain safe in the hands of the One who made us.
SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU!
When I first saw this I said, "OK, no matter what happens, I will seek God." I understood nothing of what that
meant. Then God opened up the scriptures around this verse. Starting in verse 19 of Matthew 6: "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal." So it is talking about money? Don't store it up on earth? What! No savings? No 401K? No retirement? Then it said, "Store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there will the desires of your heart be also." Oh my goodness! Wherever we are putting our money is our idol. It is where the desires of our heart lie. Wow! Is the desire of our heart retirement? Is it a new home, a new car, a new body? This is food for thought. But it was the next verse that made the most impact on my life. It says:
"Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness." Light? Darkness? What does this mean? Then I looked, and this verse is sandwiched between two scriptures talking about money. It clicked. If our eye is on money, our whole body is filled with darkness. We don't know where we are going. We stumble. We fall. BUT if our eye is on Jesus, our body is full of light. We know where we are going, and we know how to get there.
Oh my goodness. I realized that all of my life my eye has been on money. How do we make it? How do we keep it? What do we do with it? All along I thought I was looking at God, but I wasn't, I was looking at money. I was in darkness! Then look at what the rest of the verse says, "And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!" Oh my! I thought I had light, but it was actually darkness. I had to reevaluate everything I was doing. I looked at our missions group. Did we do missions, or did we "fund raise?” When I saw that the brunt of all we did was fund raise, I stopped doing it. Instead, I put my hand in my pocket and pulled out money. I looked at every part of my life asking this question, "Is my eye on money?" If it was, I shifted my gaze. That didn't mean that I quit working. I didn't. In fact, I think I worked harder. I just stopped thinking about money. I stopped planning what I was going to do with it. I stopped trying to get farther and farther ahead. I no longer cared. And the money I had in my pocket felt different. It felt like money I could use to build the King- dom. It was at this point that God began opening my eyes to the needs of people and to the Kingdom’s work. Life is not about the things we have. It is not about keeping up with the Joneses. It is not about vacations or cars. It is not about a nice home. It is about people and the real needs of people. It is about God and His Kingdom. I realized that I am “laying up treasures in heaven” when I seek God first to find out what He wants to do with His money. When this verse reached my heart, I shifted my gaze. I no longer thought about money and what I could get with that money - I now have my eyes on my Father. The money belongs to Him anyway.
Then, the next verse says, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." It is impossible to serve both. Think about that. It is impossible to serve God and money. Most of us have come to think that money is what is going to save us. It will not. In fact, James 2:5 says, “Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith?” Then in 5:1-5 James says, “Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment. For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The wages you held back cry out against you. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.”
All my life I had a wrong understanding about money. I always thought it was a blessing. It is not. In fact, there are many scriptures just like the one above that warn about the many traps that are set for us if we love money. We have to let go of our love for and our dependence on money. But, that’s easier said than done, and it can only happen if we shift our gaze and set our eyes and our heart’s affections upon Jesus. Once we do this, the rest of the passage in Matthew 6 makes sense.
"That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life - whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don't worry about these things saying, "What will we eat?" "What will we wear?" These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."
Wow! The first scripture God gave me was for our PROVI- SION. When we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, He is going to take care of all of our needs. How? I don’t know. He has unlimited resources. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He causes ravens to bring bread and manna to fall from heaven. He makes a fish spit up coins. He causes food to multiply to feed the multitude. He is God. He is able. We just have to keep our eyes on Him. If we are looking anywhere else, we won't have our needs met in the coming days.
FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS!
The next scripture God gave me is found in Hebrews. "Fix your eyes on Jesus!" This is a continuation of what God is saying in Matthew 6. Where are our eyes? This is huge! If our eyes are on anything other than Jesus, we are going the wrong way. If we are looking at a person or a circumstance or a government or a job or insurance or money or retirement, we have set up an idol in our heart, and we have set before us that which causes us to stumble into iniquity. We are headed toward destruction.
So Hebrews 12 starts out: "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
God wants us to get rid of all the baggage, look at Jesus, and run the race with endurance. He started this race. He knows how to run it. First, we have to get rid of the weight, those things that are heavy. Debt? Relationships? Attitudes? We have to ask God what it is that weighs us down, and then ask Him what He wants us to do to get rid of it. Sometimes all it takes is an attitude adjustment. Sometimes we have to let go of relationships that are unhealthy. God says, “Mark those who cause division and stay away.” (Romans 16:17) Sometimes we have to get rid of the stuff in our lives. We have to let go of whatever it is that weighs us down. Then, we have to get rid of THE sin that so easily besets us. I never knew what this meant until I saw a passage in Jeremiah 17.
“The sin of Judah is inscribed with an iron chisel - engraved with a diamond point on their stony hearts and on the corners of their altars. Even their children go to worship at their pagan altars and Ashram poles be- neath every green tree and on every high hill.” (Jeremiah 17:1-2) So what is the sin that is inscribed with an iron chisel on stony hearts? “This is what the LORD says: ‘Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.’” (Jeremiah 17:5-6)
This passage cuts deep. Our sin is that we trust in humans and in human strength. Oh my! We are Americans. We have been taught from birth to get-it-done. We work hard to succeed, to be the best. We are trusting in ourselves and our strength to provide and sustain us. Others of us are trusting in insurance or retirement or parents or the government to take care of us. We are cursed with a curse. When we do this, God says, “I will hand over My holy mountain - along with all your wealth and treasures and your pagan shrines - as plunder to your enemies, for sin runs rampant in your land. The wonderful possession I have reserved for you will slip from your hands. I will tell your enemies to take you as captives to a foreign land. For My anger blazes like a fire that will burn forever.” (Jeremiah 17:3- 4)
Our sin is that we trust in humans and in human strength, but our righteousness is that we trust in God. “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8) So how do we do this? How do we shift our trust from our own strength to His? “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) We shift our gaze to Jesus. He is the One who is able. He is the One who leads us and guides us. He is the One who gives us wisdom and strength, but it is His wisdom and His strength. Somehow along the way, we find that we really are not all that smart or that strong or that
talented. It was grace all along that prospered us. Now we can understand and delight in the fact that it is not us, but God in us, that accomplishes anything. It takes a load off.
Then look at what is written next: "For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls." It sounds like the coming days are going to be toilsome and discouraging. It sounds like people are not going to like us very much. We are going to have to fight the enemy of our souls - self interest. It is not always going to be easy, but God said, "You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons: 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." Chastening. Scourging. It does not sound pleasant, does it? But really it is. We are being conformed into His image. We are being transformed from glory to glory. We are being trained to believe and trust in the One True King! We are becoming SONS OF GOD! Can you see how important this is?
My whole life I have looked at: money, the future, my kids, my husband, our business, a house, competition, winning. I
thought I was following Jesus, but I was following self - what I wanted. Now I have shifted my gaze. Does that mean that I don't care about my husband, my kids, my grandkids, and my house? No. It means that these things are not my focus. My eyes are not upon them. My eyes are upon Jesus! I love my family. I enjoy my house. But I am headed toward Jesus. If any of my family follows, I am delighted. If they don't, I fix my eyes straight ahead because I know the promises God has given me for them all. All my children shall be taught of the LORD and great shall be the peace of my children! (Isaiah 54:13) I believe that God is faithful to keep His promises. He is forever looking over His word to perform it, and He will perform it in my life and in my family. So, I fix my eyes on Jesus, and I delight in His Word. I look to God to perform that which He promised, so I relax and enjoy, because I know that all things work together for good to them who love God and who are called according to His purpose, because we are being conformed into His image. (Romans 8:28) So in all things, I give thanks.
Does that mean all things are going according to my plan? No. It means I trust God. My eyes are on Jesus, not circumstances. I know He is in control, and He has my back. Now, in the coming days things are going to get very hard. It is written, terror will fill the whole earth. “The sinners in Jerusalem shake with fear. Terror seizes the godless. ‘Who can survive this devouring fire?’ they cry. ‘Who can survive this all-consuming fire?’” (Isaiah 33:14) And “Babylon is fallen - that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal.” (Revelation 18:2)
Bad things are going to happen everywhere, but God will see us through it. It will only happen as we "Fix our eyes on Jesus!" He
started this, and He will finish it. He has to. We can’t.
ABOVE ALL ELSE GUARD YOUR HEART FOR OUT OF IT FLOWS THE ISSUES OF LIFE!
The next scripture God gave me is found in Proverbs 4:23. It is hard to write about this topic without telling you the story of the "Parable of the Raccoon.” You may want to flip over to the next chapter OUR WARFARE. This chapter starts out with the parable, and it will give you understanding about the battle that is going on inside of us. There are enemies inside our heart that we have to get out. Once we get them out, we have to guard our heart so that none of them will re-enter. "Above all else guard your heart for out of it flows the issues of life!"
The battle we fight is in what we believe. "Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness." EVERYTHING IS ABOUT WHAT WE BELIEVE. If we believe the truth, we are righteous. If we believe a lie, we are unrighteous, wicked, sinful. The problem is that the enemy has told us lies our entire life. It is hard for us to know what is the truth and what is a lie, because when we hear something long enough, we believe it. But there is a scripture in Isaiah 32:17-19 that changed my life forever. It says, "The work of righteousness will be peace, the effect of righteousness will be quiet assurance. My people will dwell in secure dwellings and in quiet resting places though hail comes down on the forest and the city is brought low in humiliation." Oh my goodness! We can tell if we are believing the truth because our heart will have peace! If our heart does not have peace, we are believing a lie. It is written, "There will be no peace for the wicked." (Isaiah 48:22) So if we have anxieties, fears, or insecurities, we are believing some lie. There is wickedness in us.
For the last four years, if something pressed my button - I became frustrated, angry, anxious, or fearful, I turned my face to- ward Jesus, opened my heart wide to Him and prayed Psalm 139:23-24, “Search my heart O God and know me. Try my anxious thoughts and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me into paths of life everlasting. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN.”
Every time I prayed this prayer, God would bring something to my mind. When He did, I just said, "God, I am guilty. Please forgive me!" Then as far as the east is from the west, He took my sin. Anxiety left, and peace entered. I was righteous once again! Wow! This is the power of the cross! This is the reason Christ died, to break the power of sin! We come to God with- out excuse, guilty as charged, and He says, "Forgiven!" My heart is singing just thinking about the greatness of God's love for me. He took the punishment of my sin. I don't have to.
Now, the battle for our heart will come from two fronts. It will come from within, and it will come from without. We have so many enemies inside our heart, and they all must fall. Let me name a few: covetousness, greed, pride, selfish ambition,
jealousy, stubborn rebellion, judgment, lust, anger, feelings of worthlessness or inadequacy, feelings of failure, depression, fear, sorrow, guilt, the spirit of being offended, self-condemnation, self-pity, unforgiveness, etc. Can you tell that there are giants in the land? And all along we thought all we had to do is quit drinking and smoking and cussing. God has a much bigger plan for our life. His plan is to truly set us free. As long as any one of these spirits is in our heart, it will move us. We will want to do the right thing, but we can't. Jealousy won't let us. Covetousness won’t let us. Feelings of worthlessness won't let us. Depression won't let us. Fear won't let us. They move us. But not for long!
God is not going to allow us to get by with believing a lie any longer. The raccoons are hungry. The anxieties, fears, insecurities, and frustrations are getting INTENSE! Hallelujah, thank you Jesus! It is all coming to the surface. Now we have to deal with it. We do this when we come to Jesus heart-wide-open, without excuse, and say, "I'm guilty!" God then removes the lie and replaces it with the truth. He then whispers to our heart, "Child of mine, I am in control. I will never leave you nor forsake you. All things will work together for good to those who love Me and who are called according to My purpose. That's you, and I am forming you into My image. Trust Me. You will never be disappointed. My love for you is passionate and strong."
Once we taste the freedom and the peace God has to offer, we cannot go back. Our heart will not let us. God will not let us. We belong to Him, and He is a jealous God. He will have no gods before Him, and He will do what- ever it takes to knock our idols down. WHATEVER IT TAKES! God is not playing anymore. He will not relent until His heart and our heart are one.
So for the last four years, God has been circumcising my heart. Four years ago I thought I was a good person. Man, was I wrong! Little by little God brought to the surface the thoughts and the intents of my heart. Whatever He revealed, I went to Him openly, without excuse, and let Him heal me. I held nothing back from Him. God now owns all of me (I think). My last enemy, selfish-ambition, fell in the Spring of 2014. Since that time, all strivings have ceased. I have entered into what Hebrews calls the Sabbath Rest, where I have ceased from my own labors, and I have entered into His. The place where I am now is what Psalm 91 calls “The Secret Place.” God covers me with His feathers and under His wings I find refuge. I am not afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day, nor the disease that stalks in darkness. It says, "If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your dwelling place, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras, you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!" The LORD says, "I will rescue those who love me, I will protect those who trust in My name. When they call on Me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them My salvation." (Psalm 91:9-16)
So, I gave God all of myself, and in return, I got: the God of the Universe protecting me! I got: peace like a river and joy un- speakable and full of glory! I think that was a pretty good trade. God is going to bring us all to this place where we lay it all at His feet. He will bring us to a place where we can say along with Jesus, "Satan has no power over me, but I will do what my Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father.” (John 14:30-31 NLT) Once we get to the place where all our enemies have been defeated, the only Spirit that will move us will be obedient love. That is the Spirit of God. Cool, huh! Maybe we are not quite there yet, but it is coming!
I said before that the battle will be on two fronts. We have just outlined how to defeat the enemies that are within. We open our heart wide and let the Spirit search us. Once the Spirit brings something to the surface, we come without excuse, with- out pointing the finger at anyone else, and we say,“Guilty." This has to come out of our mouth. We believe in our heart unto righteousness, but confession is made unto salvation. When we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us all from unrighteous- ness! (1 John 1:9) Strivings cease and peace enters. God is beating all of our weapons of warfare into plows and weapons of peace. But, the closer we get to God, the more the enemies outside hate us, and they will attack.
“For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.” (Romans 8:7) “If the world hates you, remember that it hated Me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted Me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to Me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because of Me, for they have rejected the One who sent Me.” (John 15:18-21) So to fight the enemies without, God will make us a bow in one hand and a sword in the other. But we will do things God's way.
“But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:44-48) “Never pay back evil with more evil.” (Romans12:17) If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. (Romans 12:20)
We will be God's hands and feet on this earth that reach out in love. Will it be easy? Probably not. I think about the man in Iraq who held his beheaded son in his arms. Think of the enemies who tried to enter his heart at that moment. Bitterness? Hatred? Revenge? Hopelessness? Despair? I can think of a lot of them who would try to enter. That's why we have to "Fix our eyes on Jesus" and "Guard our heart." But then God is asking us to love those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who spitefully use us. That's the power of the God of the Universe. Love. No matter what happens - LOVE! Can we do it? In our own strength, no. Not without Jesus - not without understanding His big purposes - not without getting rid of all the enemies inside of our heart first - not if our eyes are on any- thing else but Jesus - not unless we understand and live in the truth.
“My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to My words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Proverbs 4:20-23) Pay attention to the Word. Don’t lose sight of it. Let it penetrate your heart. It is truth, and God will perform every bit of it. If it is written, He will do it. We can bank on it. But we have to guard our heart. We have to make sure the Truth wins and the lies are defeated.
This life is getting pretty intense, but God said, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for those who love Him." (1 Corinthians 2:9) When we have our eyes on what God says, we know things are going to work out in the end. Our light troubles are only momentary. The great love that He has for us will last forever, but it is our heart that will determine the course of our life. We have to guard it with all diligence!
IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS CONCERNING YOU!
The last word God gave me on how to make it in the coming days was to thank Him in every circumstance and to give Him praise. As I began to understand this, I realized that this is everything. This is our victory! I saw it in several places. Psalm 149 says, "Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song. Sing His praises in the assembly of the faithful. O Israel, rejoice in your Maker. O people of Jerusalem, exult in your King. Praise His name with dancing, accompanied by tambourine and harp. For the LORD delights in His people; He crowns the humble with victory. Let the faithful rejoice that He honors them. Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds. Let the praises of God be in their mouths, and a sharp sword (the word) in their hands – to execute vengeance on the
nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with shackles and their leaders with iron chains, to execute the judgment written against them. This is the glorious privilege of His faithful ones. Praise the LORD!”
Did you see that? When we praise God and speak His Word out loud, we execute vengeance on the nations (principalities and powers) and punishment on the peoples. We bind their kings (principalities and powers with authority) with shackles and their leaders with iron chains. THIS IS WARFARE! And it happens when we praise Him. God's hand is loosed to tear down strongholds and to destroy the powers that bind when we praise His mighty name.
Now, let me show you what Isaiah 30:27-33 says, "Look! The LORD is coming from far away, burning with anger, surrounded by thick, rising smoke. His lips are filled with fury; His words consume like fire. His hot breath pours out like a flood up to the neck of His enemies (principalities and powers). He will sift out the proud nations for destruction. He will bridle them and lead them away to ruin. But the people of God will sing a song of joy, like the songs at the holy festivals. You will be filled with joy as when a flutist leads a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem, the mountain of the LORD - to the Rock of Israel. And the LORD will make His majestic voice heard. He will display the strength of His mighty arm. It will descend with devouring flames, with cloudbursts, thunderstorms, and huge hailstones. At the LORD's command, the Assyrians (sin) will be shattered. He will strike them down with His royal scepter. And as the LORD strikes them with His rod of punishment, His people will celebrate with tambourines and harps."
Oh my goodness! Our enemies (principalities and powers) will be shattered when we praise His holy name! Wow! Wow! Wow! This is our warfare! This is our victory! No matter what happens, we praise Him. That's what Job did. He lost everything - his family, his home, his wealth. And what did he do? He tore his shirt, and he worshipped God. This has to be our default response to all circumstances. When we praise Him, God fights the enemy and wins! If God is for us, who can be against us? No one! But if you think we won't be tested in this area, you are mistaken. Look at Psalm 81.
"Sing praises to God, our strength. Sing to the God of Ja-cob. Sing! Beat the tambourine. Play the sweet lyre and the harp. Blow the ram's horn at new moon, and again at full moon to call a festival! For this is required by the decrees of Israel; it is a regulation of the God of Jacob. He made it a law for Israel when He attacked Egypt to set us free. I heard an unknown voice say, NOW, I will take the load from your shoulders; I will free your hands from their heavy tasks. You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you; I answered out of the thundercloud and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah.. (Psalm 81:1-7 NLT)
According to this Psalm, to praise God is a requirement for us. It is a law written in the heavens. When we praise His holy name, He takes the load from our shoulder, and he frees our hands from their heavy tasks. But then He said, "I WILL TEST YOUR FAITH!" So with every circumstance, God is saying, "Are you still going to praise Me?" Then something else happens, and He keeps saying, “Are you still going to praise Me?” He knows our heart. It is not possible to praise Him unless we trust Him, and we really can't trust Him unless our eyes are upon Him and not upon ourselves. Listen to what the people of Israel said when God led them into the wilderness, "They stubbornly tested God in their hearts, demanding the foods that they craved. They even spoke against God Himself, saying, 'God can't give us food in the wilderness. Yes, He can strike a rock so water gushes out, but He can't give His people bread and meat.'" Oh my! "When the LORD heard them, He was furious. The fire of His wrath burned against Jacob. Yes, His anger rose against Israel, for they did not believe God or trust Him to care for them." (Psalm 78:17-22)
This is a scary passage because in the coming days, food and water are going to be scarce. When we can't see the food, and we can't see the water, we will have the tendency to think that God is not able, but He is. WHEN WE PRAISE HIM in the midst of the circumstances - no matter what the circumstances are - His arm moves with power. We have to teach our tongue to sing His praises. When times are hard, sing His praises. When times are good, sings His praises. “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you!” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) This is our glory! Our God is able, and we WILL give Him praise.
In January of 2009, when God gave me these scriptures, I understood none of them. Now I do, and to the best of my ability, I am trying to walk in them. This has become my default response to all situations: I will not look at money. Money will not move me. Then in every other situation I will:
1. Fix my eyes on Jesus
2. Guard my heart
3. And give thanks
Will you take a moment to let God search your heart? Let the Spirit speak to you. If He brings anything to the surface, deal with it. Just come openly to God, without excuse and say, "God, I am guilty, and I am sorry. Please forgive me." That is the first step. God is always standing at the door of our heart knocking. If we let Him come in, He will set us free.
Blessings,my friends. “May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
Terri Tidwell
When the LORD told me that judgment was coming, my heart caught. I was not ready, and I knew the church was not
ready. I could see no way that any of us would survive what I just saw and what I just heard. I cried out, "God, how are we going to make it?" Instantly four scriptures entered my heart. I memorized them. I spoke them. But I did not understand them until just the last year or two. The scriptures He gave me were these:
. 1 "SeekfirsttheKingdomofGodandHisrighteousness,andall these things will be added unto you." Matthew 6:33
. 2 "Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith." Hebrews 12:2
. 3 "Above all else guard your heart for out of it flows the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23
. 4 "In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18
It was only as I read the scriptures and the surrounding verses that God began to reveal His good plan to me. This strategy guarantees our success. This has now become my default re- sponse to every situation. I believe that if we follow these four
verses, there is nothing that can touch us. “My enemies will retreat when I call to You for help. This I know: God is on my side! I praise God for what He has promised; yes, I praise the LORD for what He has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 56:9-11) It is our heart the enemy is after, but if we follow these four verses, our heart will remain safe in the hands of the One who made us.
SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU!
When I first saw this I said, "OK, no matter what happens, I will seek God." I understood nothing of what that
meant. Then God opened up the scriptures around this verse. Starting in verse 19 of Matthew 6: "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal." So it is talking about money? Don't store it up on earth? What! No savings? No 401K? No retirement? Then it said, "Store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there will the desires of your heart be also." Oh my goodness! Wherever we are putting our money is our idol. It is where the desires of our heart lie. Wow! Is the desire of our heart retirement? Is it a new home, a new car, a new body? This is food for thought. But it was the next verse that made the most impact on my life. It says:
"Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness." Light? Darkness? What does this mean? Then I looked, and this verse is sandwiched between two scriptures talking about money. It clicked. If our eye is on money, our whole body is filled with darkness. We don't know where we are going. We stumble. We fall. BUT if our eye is on Jesus, our body is full of light. We know where we are going, and we know how to get there.
Oh my goodness. I realized that all of my life my eye has been on money. How do we make it? How do we keep it? What do we do with it? All along I thought I was looking at God, but I wasn't, I was looking at money. I was in darkness! Then look at what the rest of the verse says, "And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!" Oh my! I thought I had light, but it was actually darkness. I had to reevaluate everything I was doing. I looked at our missions group. Did we do missions, or did we "fund raise?” When I saw that the brunt of all we did was fund raise, I stopped doing it. Instead, I put my hand in my pocket and pulled out money. I looked at every part of my life asking this question, "Is my eye on money?" If it was, I shifted my gaze. That didn't mean that I quit working. I didn't. In fact, I think I worked harder. I just stopped thinking about money. I stopped planning what I was going to do with it. I stopped trying to get farther and farther ahead. I no longer cared. And the money I had in my pocket felt different. It felt like money I could use to build the King- dom. It was at this point that God began opening my eyes to the needs of people and to the Kingdom’s work. Life is not about the things we have. It is not about keeping up with the Joneses. It is not about vacations or cars. It is not about a nice home. It is about people and the real needs of people. It is about God and His Kingdom. I realized that I am “laying up treasures in heaven” when I seek God first to find out what He wants to do with His money. When this verse reached my heart, I shifted my gaze. I no longer thought about money and what I could get with that money - I now have my eyes on my Father. The money belongs to Him anyway.
Then, the next verse says, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." It is impossible to serve both. Think about that. It is impossible to serve God and money. Most of us have come to think that money is what is going to save us. It will not. In fact, James 2:5 says, “Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith?” Then in 5:1-5 James says, “Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment. For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The wages you held back cry out against you. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.”
All my life I had a wrong understanding about money. I always thought it was a blessing. It is not. In fact, there are many scriptures just like the one above that warn about the many traps that are set for us if we love money. We have to let go of our love for and our dependence on money. But, that’s easier said than done, and it can only happen if we shift our gaze and set our eyes and our heart’s affections upon Jesus. Once we do this, the rest of the passage in Matthew 6 makes sense.
"That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life - whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don't worry about these things saying, "What will we eat?" "What will we wear?" These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."
Wow! The first scripture God gave me was for our PROVI- SION. When we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, He is going to take care of all of our needs. How? I don’t know. He has unlimited resources. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He causes ravens to bring bread and manna to fall from heaven. He makes a fish spit up coins. He causes food to multiply to feed the multitude. He is God. He is able. We just have to keep our eyes on Him. If we are looking anywhere else, we won't have our needs met in the coming days.
FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS!
The next scripture God gave me is found in Hebrews. "Fix your eyes on Jesus!" This is a continuation of what God is saying in Matthew 6. Where are our eyes? This is huge! If our eyes are on anything other than Jesus, we are going the wrong way. If we are looking at a person or a circumstance or a government or a job or insurance or money or retirement, we have set up an idol in our heart, and we have set before us that which causes us to stumble into iniquity. We are headed toward destruction.
So Hebrews 12 starts out: "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
God wants us to get rid of all the baggage, look at Jesus, and run the race with endurance. He started this race. He knows how to run it. First, we have to get rid of the weight, those things that are heavy. Debt? Relationships? Attitudes? We have to ask God what it is that weighs us down, and then ask Him what He wants us to do to get rid of it. Sometimes all it takes is an attitude adjustment. Sometimes we have to let go of relationships that are unhealthy. God says, “Mark those who cause division and stay away.” (Romans 16:17) Sometimes we have to get rid of the stuff in our lives. We have to let go of whatever it is that weighs us down. Then, we have to get rid of THE sin that so easily besets us. I never knew what this meant until I saw a passage in Jeremiah 17.
“The sin of Judah is inscribed with an iron chisel - engraved with a diamond point on their stony hearts and on the corners of their altars. Even their children go to worship at their pagan altars and Ashram poles be- neath every green tree and on every high hill.” (Jeremiah 17:1-2) So what is the sin that is inscribed with an iron chisel on stony hearts? “This is what the LORD says: ‘Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.’” (Jeremiah 17:5-6)
This passage cuts deep. Our sin is that we trust in humans and in human strength. Oh my! We are Americans. We have been taught from birth to get-it-done. We work hard to succeed, to be the best. We are trusting in ourselves and our strength to provide and sustain us. Others of us are trusting in insurance or retirement or parents or the government to take care of us. We are cursed with a curse. When we do this, God says, “I will hand over My holy mountain - along with all your wealth and treasures and your pagan shrines - as plunder to your enemies, for sin runs rampant in your land. The wonderful possession I have reserved for you will slip from your hands. I will tell your enemies to take you as captives to a foreign land. For My anger blazes like a fire that will burn forever.” (Jeremiah 17:3- 4)
Our sin is that we trust in humans and in human strength, but our righteousness is that we trust in God. “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8) So how do we do this? How do we shift our trust from our own strength to His? “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) We shift our gaze to Jesus. He is the One who is able. He is the One who leads us and guides us. He is the One who gives us wisdom and strength, but it is His wisdom and His strength. Somehow along the way, we find that we really are not all that smart or that strong or that
talented. It was grace all along that prospered us. Now we can understand and delight in the fact that it is not us, but God in us, that accomplishes anything. It takes a load off.
Then look at what is written next: "For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls." It sounds like the coming days are going to be toilsome and discouraging. It sounds like people are not going to like us very much. We are going to have to fight the enemy of our souls - self interest. It is not always going to be easy, but God said, "You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons: 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." Chastening. Scourging. It does not sound pleasant, does it? But really it is. We are being conformed into His image. We are being transformed from glory to glory. We are being trained to believe and trust in the One True King! We are becoming SONS OF GOD! Can you see how important this is?
My whole life I have looked at: money, the future, my kids, my husband, our business, a house, competition, winning. I
thought I was following Jesus, but I was following self - what I wanted. Now I have shifted my gaze. Does that mean that I don't care about my husband, my kids, my grandkids, and my house? No. It means that these things are not my focus. My eyes are not upon them. My eyes are upon Jesus! I love my family. I enjoy my house. But I am headed toward Jesus. If any of my family follows, I am delighted. If they don't, I fix my eyes straight ahead because I know the promises God has given me for them all. All my children shall be taught of the LORD and great shall be the peace of my children! (Isaiah 54:13) I believe that God is faithful to keep His promises. He is forever looking over His word to perform it, and He will perform it in my life and in my family. So, I fix my eyes on Jesus, and I delight in His Word. I look to God to perform that which He promised, so I relax and enjoy, because I know that all things work together for good to them who love God and who are called according to His purpose, because we are being conformed into His image. (Romans 8:28) So in all things, I give thanks.
Does that mean all things are going according to my plan? No. It means I trust God. My eyes are on Jesus, not circumstances. I know He is in control, and He has my back. Now, in the coming days things are going to get very hard. It is written, terror will fill the whole earth. “The sinners in Jerusalem shake with fear. Terror seizes the godless. ‘Who can survive this devouring fire?’ they cry. ‘Who can survive this all-consuming fire?’” (Isaiah 33:14) And “Babylon is fallen - that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal.” (Revelation 18:2)
Bad things are going to happen everywhere, but God will see us through it. It will only happen as we "Fix our eyes on Jesus!" He
started this, and He will finish it. He has to. We can’t.
ABOVE ALL ELSE GUARD YOUR HEART FOR OUT OF IT FLOWS THE ISSUES OF LIFE!
The next scripture God gave me is found in Proverbs 4:23. It is hard to write about this topic without telling you the story of the "Parable of the Raccoon.” You may want to flip over to the next chapter OUR WARFARE. This chapter starts out with the parable, and it will give you understanding about the battle that is going on inside of us. There are enemies inside our heart that we have to get out. Once we get them out, we have to guard our heart so that none of them will re-enter. "Above all else guard your heart for out of it flows the issues of life!"
The battle we fight is in what we believe. "Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness." EVERYTHING IS ABOUT WHAT WE BELIEVE. If we believe the truth, we are righteous. If we believe a lie, we are unrighteous, wicked, sinful. The problem is that the enemy has told us lies our entire life. It is hard for us to know what is the truth and what is a lie, because when we hear something long enough, we believe it. But there is a scripture in Isaiah 32:17-19 that changed my life forever. It says, "The work of righteousness will be peace, the effect of righteousness will be quiet assurance. My people will dwell in secure dwellings and in quiet resting places though hail comes down on the forest and the city is brought low in humiliation." Oh my goodness! We can tell if we are believing the truth because our heart will have peace! If our heart does not have peace, we are believing a lie. It is written, "There will be no peace for the wicked." (Isaiah 48:22) So if we have anxieties, fears, or insecurities, we are believing some lie. There is wickedness in us.
For the last four years, if something pressed my button - I became frustrated, angry, anxious, or fearful, I turned my face to- ward Jesus, opened my heart wide to Him and prayed Psalm 139:23-24, “Search my heart O God and know me. Try my anxious thoughts and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me into paths of life everlasting. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN.”
Every time I prayed this prayer, God would bring something to my mind. When He did, I just said, "God, I am guilty. Please forgive me!" Then as far as the east is from the west, He took my sin. Anxiety left, and peace entered. I was righteous once again! Wow! This is the power of the cross! This is the reason Christ died, to break the power of sin! We come to God with- out excuse, guilty as charged, and He says, "Forgiven!" My heart is singing just thinking about the greatness of God's love for me. He took the punishment of my sin. I don't have to.
Now, the battle for our heart will come from two fronts. It will come from within, and it will come from without. We have so many enemies inside our heart, and they all must fall. Let me name a few: covetousness, greed, pride, selfish ambition,
jealousy, stubborn rebellion, judgment, lust, anger, feelings of worthlessness or inadequacy, feelings of failure, depression, fear, sorrow, guilt, the spirit of being offended, self-condemnation, self-pity, unforgiveness, etc. Can you tell that there are giants in the land? And all along we thought all we had to do is quit drinking and smoking and cussing. God has a much bigger plan for our life. His plan is to truly set us free. As long as any one of these spirits is in our heart, it will move us. We will want to do the right thing, but we can't. Jealousy won't let us. Covetousness won’t let us. Feelings of worthlessness won't let us. Depression won't let us. Fear won't let us. They move us. But not for long!
God is not going to allow us to get by with believing a lie any longer. The raccoons are hungry. The anxieties, fears, insecurities, and frustrations are getting INTENSE! Hallelujah, thank you Jesus! It is all coming to the surface. Now we have to deal with it. We do this when we come to Jesus heart-wide-open, without excuse, and say, "I'm guilty!" God then removes the lie and replaces it with the truth. He then whispers to our heart, "Child of mine, I am in control. I will never leave you nor forsake you. All things will work together for good to those who love Me and who are called according to My purpose. That's you, and I am forming you into My image. Trust Me. You will never be disappointed. My love for you is passionate and strong."
Once we taste the freedom and the peace God has to offer, we cannot go back. Our heart will not let us. God will not let us. We belong to Him, and He is a jealous God. He will have no gods before Him, and He will do what- ever it takes to knock our idols down. WHATEVER IT TAKES! God is not playing anymore. He will not relent until His heart and our heart are one.
So for the last four years, God has been circumcising my heart. Four years ago I thought I was a good person. Man, was I wrong! Little by little God brought to the surface the thoughts and the intents of my heart. Whatever He revealed, I went to Him openly, without excuse, and let Him heal me. I held nothing back from Him. God now owns all of me (I think). My last enemy, selfish-ambition, fell in the Spring of 2014. Since that time, all strivings have ceased. I have entered into what Hebrews calls the Sabbath Rest, where I have ceased from my own labors, and I have entered into His. The place where I am now is what Psalm 91 calls “The Secret Place.” God covers me with His feathers and under His wings I find refuge. I am not afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day, nor the disease that stalks in darkness. It says, "If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your dwelling place, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras, you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!" The LORD says, "I will rescue those who love me, I will protect those who trust in My name. When they call on Me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them My salvation." (Psalm 91:9-16)
So, I gave God all of myself, and in return, I got: the God of the Universe protecting me! I got: peace like a river and joy un- speakable and full of glory! I think that was a pretty good trade. God is going to bring us all to this place where we lay it all at His feet. He will bring us to a place where we can say along with Jesus, "Satan has no power over me, but I will do what my Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father.” (John 14:30-31 NLT) Once we get to the place where all our enemies have been defeated, the only Spirit that will move us will be obedient love. That is the Spirit of God. Cool, huh! Maybe we are not quite there yet, but it is coming!
I said before that the battle will be on two fronts. We have just outlined how to defeat the enemies that are within. We open our heart wide and let the Spirit search us. Once the Spirit brings something to the surface, we come without excuse, with- out pointing the finger at anyone else, and we say,“Guilty." This has to come out of our mouth. We believe in our heart unto righteousness, but confession is made unto salvation. When we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us all from unrighteous- ness! (1 John 1:9) Strivings cease and peace enters. God is beating all of our weapons of warfare into plows and weapons of peace. But, the closer we get to God, the more the enemies outside hate us, and they will attack.
“For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.” (Romans 8:7) “If the world hates you, remember that it hated Me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted Me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to Me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because of Me, for they have rejected the One who sent Me.” (John 15:18-21) So to fight the enemies without, God will make us a bow in one hand and a sword in the other. But we will do things God's way.
“But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:44-48) “Never pay back evil with more evil.” (Romans12:17) If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. (Romans 12:20)
We will be God's hands and feet on this earth that reach out in love. Will it be easy? Probably not. I think about the man in Iraq who held his beheaded son in his arms. Think of the enemies who tried to enter his heart at that moment. Bitterness? Hatred? Revenge? Hopelessness? Despair? I can think of a lot of them who would try to enter. That's why we have to "Fix our eyes on Jesus" and "Guard our heart." But then God is asking us to love those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who spitefully use us. That's the power of the God of the Universe. Love. No matter what happens - LOVE! Can we do it? In our own strength, no. Not without Jesus - not without understanding His big purposes - not without getting rid of all the enemies inside of our heart first - not if our eyes are on any- thing else but Jesus - not unless we understand and live in the truth.
“My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to My words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Proverbs 4:20-23) Pay attention to the Word. Don’t lose sight of it. Let it penetrate your heart. It is truth, and God will perform every bit of it. If it is written, He will do it. We can bank on it. But we have to guard our heart. We have to make sure the Truth wins and the lies are defeated.
This life is getting pretty intense, but God said, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for those who love Him." (1 Corinthians 2:9) When we have our eyes on what God says, we know things are going to work out in the end. Our light troubles are only momentary. The great love that He has for us will last forever, but it is our heart that will determine the course of our life. We have to guard it with all diligence!
IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS CONCERNING YOU!
The last word God gave me on how to make it in the coming days was to thank Him in every circumstance and to give Him praise. As I began to understand this, I realized that this is everything. This is our victory! I saw it in several places. Psalm 149 says, "Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song. Sing His praises in the assembly of the faithful. O Israel, rejoice in your Maker. O people of Jerusalem, exult in your King. Praise His name with dancing, accompanied by tambourine and harp. For the LORD delights in His people; He crowns the humble with victory. Let the faithful rejoice that He honors them. Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds. Let the praises of God be in their mouths, and a sharp sword (the word) in their hands – to execute vengeance on the
nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with shackles and their leaders with iron chains, to execute the judgment written against them. This is the glorious privilege of His faithful ones. Praise the LORD!”
Did you see that? When we praise God and speak His Word out loud, we execute vengeance on the nations (principalities and powers) and punishment on the peoples. We bind their kings (principalities and powers with authority) with shackles and their leaders with iron chains. THIS IS WARFARE! And it happens when we praise Him. God's hand is loosed to tear down strongholds and to destroy the powers that bind when we praise His mighty name.
Now, let me show you what Isaiah 30:27-33 says, "Look! The LORD is coming from far away, burning with anger, surrounded by thick, rising smoke. His lips are filled with fury; His words consume like fire. His hot breath pours out like a flood up to the neck of His enemies (principalities and powers). He will sift out the proud nations for destruction. He will bridle them and lead them away to ruin. But the people of God will sing a song of joy, like the songs at the holy festivals. You will be filled with joy as when a flutist leads a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem, the mountain of the LORD - to the Rock of Israel. And the LORD will make His majestic voice heard. He will display the strength of His mighty arm. It will descend with devouring flames, with cloudbursts, thunderstorms, and huge hailstones. At the LORD's command, the Assyrians (sin) will be shattered. He will strike them down with His royal scepter. And as the LORD strikes them with His rod of punishment, His people will celebrate with tambourines and harps."
Oh my goodness! Our enemies (principalities and powers) will be shattered when we praise His holy name! Wow! Wow! Wow! This is our warfare! This is our victory! No matter what happens, we praise Him. That's what Job did. He lost everything - his family, his home, his wealth. And what did he do? He tore his shirt, and he worshipped God. This has to be our default response to all circumstances. When we praise Him, God fights the enemy and wins! If God is for us, who can be against us? No one! But if you think we won't be tested in this area, you are mistaken. Look at Psalm 81.
"Sing praises to God, our strength. Sing to the God of Ja-cob. Sing! Beat the tambourine. Play the sweet lyre and the harp. Blow the ram's horn at new moon, and again at full moon to call a festival! For this is required by the decrees of Israel; it is a regulation of the God of Jacob. He made it a law for Israel when He attacked Egypt to set us free. I heard an unknown voice say, NOW, I will take the load from your shoulders; I will free your hands from their heavy tasks. You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you; I answered out of the thundercloud and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah.. (Psalm 81:1-7 NLT)
According to this Psalm, to praise God is a requirement for us. It is a law written in the heavens. When we praise His holy name, He takes the load from our shoulder, and he frees our hands from their heavy tasks. But then He said, "I WILL TEST YOUR FAITH!" So with every circumstance, God is saying, "Are you still going to praise Me?" Then something else happens, and He keeps saying, “Are you still going to praise Me?” He knows our heart. It is not possible to praise Him unless we trust Him, and we really can't trust Him unless our eyes are upon Him and not upon ourselves. Listen to what the people of Israel said when God led them into the wilderness, "They stubbornly tested God in their hearts, demanding the foods that they craved. They even spoke against God Himself, saying, 'God can't give us food in the wilderness. Yes, He can strike a rock so water gushes out, but He can't give His people bread and meat.'" Oh my! "When the LORD heard them, He was furious. The fire of His wrath burned against Jacob. Yes, His anger rose against Israel, for they did not believe God or trust Him to care for them." (Psalm 78:17-22)
This is a scary passage because in the coming days, food and water are going to be scarce. When we can't see the food, and we can't see the water, we will have the tendency to think that God is not able, but He is. WHEN WE PRAISE HIM in the midst of the circumstances - no matter what the circumstances are - His arm moves with power. We have to teach our tongue to sing His praises. When times are hard, sing His praises. When times are good, sings His praises. “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you!” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) This is our glory! Our God is able, and we WILL give Him praise.
In January of 2009, when God gave me these scriptures, I understood none of them. Now I do, and to the best of my ability, I am trying to walk in them. This has become my default response to all situations: I will not look at money. Money will not move me. Then in every other situation I will:
1. Fix my eyes on Jesus
2. Guard my heart
3. And give thanks
Will you take a moment to let God search your heart? Let the Spirit speak to you. If He brings anything to the surface, deal with it. Just come openly to God, without excuse and say, "God, I am guilty, and I am sorry. Please forgive me." That is the first step. God is always standing at the door of our heart knocking. If we let Him come in, He will set us free.
Blessings,my friends. “May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
Terri Tidwell
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