Psalm 7 Reflection

“The Lord shall Judge People: Judge Me, O’ Lord, According To My Righteousness, And According To Mine Integrity That is in me”

We are in a war! This spiritual war continually goes on around us, and for the more part, we are unaware of it, and yet, we know it is there. One of the ways we do see it, is when a wrong is committed against us. How do we react? With righteous indignation? That phrase is seldom used correctly. Are we angry because they sinned against us,or are we angry because they sinned against God? Righteous indignation means we are angry when God is attacked.

It may seem to us from the words in Psalm 7, that he is being a bit melodramatic. Save me from all those who persecute me; and deliver me, lest they tear me like a Lion, rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

Yet, when we read the accounts of David’s life in the Old Testament we understand that people were, indeed, seeking him life, his own sons sought to steal the throne from him.

David learned that victory from his enemies, no matter who they were, must come from God Himself. Apart from God, David was helpless before even the weakest of enemies. He proclaimed in Psalm 7:10, my defense is of God, who saves the upright in heart.

Have we lost that perspective in the world today? We are most likely not in the same situation that David was in, as our enemies are probably not trying to seek our lives, but even so, do we understand that the only hope for us is in the Lord? Do we expect God to intercede on our behalf before those who hate and despise us, or do we believe that it is us to us to deal with the situation?

David had a close personal relationship with the Lord. Nothing in his life was kept from the Lord, but rather he spoke to God as one speaks to a close friend. Therefore when he found himself surrounded by the wicked, it was natural for him to go to God, knowing that God would intercede on his behalf. David knew that God is a just judge, who is angry with the wicked.

Are things so very different in modern society today? Is God so far removed from our lives that we do not even consider spending time with the Lord, seeking His wisdom in dealing with our day to day difficulties? Do we feel that our lives are certainly much too unimportant for God to even notice?

God has included the Psalms in the Bible for this very reason. As we read of David’s close relationship with the Lord, we understand that God is a personal God, concerned about all of the intimate details of our lives. How many trouble and burdens do we suffer through without going to the Lord? No wonder we lack confidence in Hid ability to intercede for us. We have not learned to go to Christ with all of our concerns and problems, therefore we have not seem Him work and move in all the little details of our lives.

James says we do not have because we do not ask, and when we ask, we ask the wrong questions. It is time that we dust off our Bibles and become intimately involved with our Lord Jesus Christ. As we read and study His Word, may our faith and confidence in our great God grow. May we find Him to be that dear Friend who sticks closer than a brother.

It’s time we turned of social media and Television and spend a little time with God.

Pray today that God would give you the spiritual strength to put all your circumstances into God’s hands, and it there is a battle to be fought, pray to Him for victory instead of attempting to take it into your own hands.

Setting Your Heart And Mind On God

We know they are there, but we try to ignore them and deny their existence. We have over eighty thousand of them a day, and they shape our lives for better or worse. They control how you feel in the morning, and when you go to sleep. They often cause our emotions to feel out of control, too. They dictate how we react to situations or conversations. They often cause us to feel offended, angry or hurt, whether it was justified or not. Who are “they,” you ask? They are our thoughts.

In Proverbs 23:19 we see that Solomon was king, he didn’t focus on advising on royal matters like how to handle money or best tips for leading the Kingdom. Instead, he spoke of more important things like the value of controlling what we let into our minds and hearts. Because that will determine how we feel and how we live.

Whatever our minds focus on is what will play out in our lives and eventually shape who we are. Our thoughts turn into feelings that have the power to control our lives, gradually steering us in a direction we do not want to go. King Solomon knew this to be true and councils us to be careful about what we think and feel. He knew it’s often our thoughts, not our circumstances which cause us to sink.

Our thoughts can easily begin to run our lives, controlling our words and actions, feeling and emotions, even our peace and happiness. When we think negative thoughts, we feel negative feelings, leading to believing life is negative overall.

But when we realize that our thoughts are running our lives into the ditch, we can admit it to Jesus and ask Him to restore our joy, our Hope and our faith. As we embrace His truths, things will begin to change.

When we set or hearts and minds on God, we can change our thoughts and watch it change our lives.

Stand Your Ground

More than half of the states in the US have what is known as “stand your ground” laws, which allows individuals to defend or protect themselves by use of force, rather than just running away.

God has given us a “stand your ground” law too. We have a list of promises-guaranteed blessings that belong to us. But we have to stand against our enemy to take them and receive them.

To stand your ground means to refuse to change position, to refuse to move from one place to another, to refuse to retreat or lose your advantage in the face of opposition.

Standing your ground in a face to face of a full-on assault from Satan no matter the situation is no easy task.

Here are some ways to stand your ground:

Feed On The Right Spiritual Food

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

Not all Spiritual food is good. You may not think of it this way, but when you consume anything your eyes and ears it’s going into your spirit. A horror movie is going to feed your spirit fear and death. A good majority of movies, sitcoms and reality shows will feed your spirit strife and sin. Even some churches with feed you a boatload of doubt.

You may not think these things are a big deal but just like in the natural, you will reflect what you consume. Whatever you feed on in the spirit real is what will make you stronger. If you meditate on fear and doubt, that’s what is going to be the strongest in your life and mind. It will have the greatest influence on how you respond to life’s challenges.

What happens when the Word goes into your heart? Faith comes! Faith is that force that comes inside you that causes God’s power to be manifested in your body or any situation you’re facing.

When you feed on the right Spiritual food the Word of God again and again, you will give your spirit the strength to stand your ground. Just like in the natural, you need regular feedings. Don’t skip a meal. Keep feeding on the Word for maximum results.

Study Until You’re an Expert

If you want to be an expert at receiving from God, you need to first become an expert at knowing what He’s offering and what you can expect. Believer who don’t spend much time studying the Word Od of Gd are not the people who walk in Devine health, peace and prosperity. That’s because they don’t know how to receive it! They haven’t taken the time to become experts on the promises of God.

How would you define an expert?

If you read a book on investing one time, you’ll know more that you did before you read it, but you won’t be an expert. An expert is a person who has comprehensive and authorities knowledge of or skill in a particular area.

If you’re going to stand your ground you’re going to have to become an expert in the Word of God concerning what it right or wrong and good or evil. You will need to know how to combat the enemy and take what belongs to you.

Speak Faith On Repeat

“The tongue has the power of life and death. (Proverbs 18:21)

Once you become an expert, you’ll know the importance of speaking faith on repeat. Speaking positively about your situation or speaking scripture once or twice, then filling in the blanks with a bunch of fearful talk, won’t get the job done.

When I developed cancer the doctors told me I had one year to live. I was obviously scared. But God is the great Physician so I started reading the Word and claiming healing over my life. “I will not let the enemy take my life, I will not die.” Requested people to pray for me and after my first cancer treatment after surgery I was cancer free.

Know God’s Word Completely.

Know His Promises

Speak Faith on Repeat

How God Uses Our Brokenness

I remember being a child and having a slight obsession with needing my crayons to look perfect. Yes, I used them, and I knew they weren’t all the same length, but I didn’t like them broken. If I accidentally broke a crayon. I didn’t want to put it back in the crayon box. Because in my child like mind broken equaled unusable.

When I started grade school. I encountered many teachers that had small bins filled with broken and perfect looking crayons. All mixed together for students to use. The preferred crayons, of course, were the unbroken ones, and sometimes arguments would break out among the kids at school. The teacher would usually take time to show us and explain that the crayon broken still colored the same.

How God Use Our Brokenness

We all at some point have been broken, some more than others. Trial and unexpected tribulations have warned us out, leaving us feeling depleted with nothing else to give. And, that subconscious childlike thought can creep up again, making us feel useless and unworthy.

In my personal experience, even when I have hit rock bottom, God somehow met me in that dark broken place. He patiently spoke worth in me, building me up again. And in hindsight I realize the value of brokenness. That there are some things God can only do when we’re broken.

Ways God Uses Brokenness

Character Building

Psalm 34:18 says “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

When we are broken, we are open and more willing to listen to God. God uses this moment to reveal defects in our character, that would otherwise be difficult to see. And because we are willing to see those flaws, we are not able to ask God to help us have victory.

In Luke 22:54-62, Peter denied Jesus three times. The Bible says, he “went out that wept bitterly.” In his sorrow, he was able to see his root issue. When he realized his flaw, he was convicted, and broken in spirit. Peter’s brokenness led to true repentance, and God was able to use him greatly.

Bring us closer to God

Have you ever noticed that test and trials, tend to draw us closer to God? That’s because subconsciously we realize, we cannot overcome it, in it of ourselves. Our power or intellect cannot make our current struggle, pain, and anxiety go away completely. It can only offer temporary relief.

We need Jesus. Matthew 11-28-30 says “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you test. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is east and My burden is light.”

In brokenness, we seek God.

Trusting God With Our Doubts

Have you ever found yourself harboring distrust toward God? It is easy for to applaud His directions when they align with our desires. But when His guidance redirects our steps of His decrees challenges our decisions, we can feel frustrated and wary. It’s as if we are acknowledging His instructions, but questioning His intentions. We want His wisdom to help us, but we can feel confused by His ways.

We need reminding that God is for us and not against us. That he wants to help us and not harm us. We need to know that He is committed to our safety and quality ager to enjoy our company. But if we don’t know God’s character well enough, we will struggle to trust His Counsel.

Psalms 19 reminds us that trust doesn’t just sprout up in the absence of doubt. It grows in the presence of intimate relationships. David declares in Psalms “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord have never forsaken those who seek you.” The original word uses “know’ doesn’t merely mean head-knowledge. It implies an intimate understanding gained through personal experience.

Armed with this fresh truth m we can begin to focus our energy on experiencing God rather than trying to eradicate all our doubts. We can focus less on the mysteries of His counsel and more on the certainties of His character. As we linger on God’s Word and take note of His faithfulness, we can listen to His voice in prayer and pay attention to His love in action. We will grow to know the Lord better as we seek His company.

In time, we can discover that what the psalmist says is true: knowing and trusting God go hand in hand. And it’s easier to trust God with all our hearts when we’re intimately acquainted with His.