Psalm 125:1-5 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people” (v. 2). This psalm has great meaning to me since I have had the opportunity to see the mountains surrounding Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a city set on a hill, but there are mountains round about it. The way Jerusalem is positioned gives it a natural security system.
Psalm 121:1-8 What a comfort to know I have a keeper. We all need a keeper—a protector, provider and problem solver. Those who are blessed with good parents had the experience of the safety of a peaceful, loving home. I can remember the secure feeling I had when my dad came home from work and everyone was settled in our home for the night. I knew if we had any problems, Dad could handle them. I can remember my mother tucking me in at night. She used two giant safety pins to pin my covers down so I would not kick them off in the night. I went to sleep knowing the safety of a warm bed that would stay warm all night. My parents were good keepers, and they saw to my every need. I also have been blessed with a wise husband who keeps our checkbook balanced and sees to the financial, physical and spiritual needs of our home. He has been a wonderful keeper of me for over forty years, and I really need a keeper.
Psalm 115:1-18 When we spent three weeks in India in 1980, we agreed with our pastor and his wife that we would not visit any of the Hindu temples. We did not want to expose ourselves to the spirits that dwelled in these temples. We knew that even though man had made the idols in these temples, demonic spirits were all around them.
Psalm 106:13-31 All mankind has three things in common. We all have three major lusts in our souls: the lust of the flesh (seeking to fulfill our five senses in an overindulgent way); the lust of the eye (greedy longings in the mind that can cause greed and covetousness; pornography is caused by this lust); and the pride of life, which is trusting our own resources and ourselves more than we trust in God. All of these lusts are located in our souls—our minds, wills and emotions. These three lusts are the buttons Satan is constantly pressing with his seducing spirits. James tells us that God never tempts us, but we are led astray by our own lusts. The devil cannot make us do anything. We first have to open the door to him through one or more of these lusts.
Proverbs 14:30-31 This proverb says that envy is rottenness to the bones. Envy is a sin that brings only evil consequences. Some sins are a pleasure for a season, but of course, sin always births death in our lives in some way. The Bible tells us that the person who commits adultery kills his own soul. It may be years before we reap what we have sown, but beware, our sins will find us out. If we do not confess our sins and turn from them, there will be eternal consequences also. We will not lose our salvation unless we commit the sin of denying our faith in Christ, but we will lose some rewards in heaven if we do not deal honestly and openly with our sins here on earth. When we confess our sins, God is faithful and just not only to forgive our sins, but also to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We can go to heaven with a clean slate if we have not hidden iniquity in our hearts by refusing to confess our sins and turn from them.
Psalm 94:1-23 Everyone during their lifetime experiences that sinking feeling. It may be fear that usually hits us with a racing heart and a sinking feeling in the pit of our stomachs. It may be discouragement. The saying goes that when the devil created the tool of discouragement, he then ceased from his works. We may have that sinking feeling when we are experiencing the loss of a loved one. When we receive the report we have been turned down for an interview, once again that sinking feeling overwhelms us. The psalmist David was quite familiar with the sinking feeling. Flight and fight were his constant companions during his lifetime. In this psalm he reveals how he was able to survive the sinking feeling. He writes, “Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul-.-.-.- They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge” (vv. 17-19, 21-22, KJV).
Luke 21:1-28 In this passage of Luke Jesus warns His disciples about all the troubles they are going to experience in the future. He tells them that they will be persecuted, but it shall turn for them for a testimony. Whenever we go through trials and testings we add to our testimony.
Joshua 13:1-14:15 Caleb was forty years old when Moses sent Joshua, him and others to spy out the land of Canaan. Joshua and Caleb were the only two who came back with a good report and were the only two adult men who survived the wilderness experience for forty years. They survived because they were men of faith. God honored their faith by granting them the privilege of entering into the Promised Land. Without faith it is impossible to please God, and nothing pleases God more than to see a man of faith. Caleb was a great man of faith.
In his book Waking the Dead Christian author John Eldredge wrote: “We are at war. The world in which we live is a combat zone, a violent clash of kingdoms, a bitter struggle unto the death. You were born into a world at war, and you will live out all your days in the midst of the great battle, involving all the forces of heaven and hell and played out here on earth.”
Indeed, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan are at war in our society today, and sometimes it’s hard to know which side even some Christians are on. Many of them think and act just like people in the world. Why? Because they don’t truly know God, and their minds have not been renewed.
Annette Wiese awoke to her husband’s screams, only to find that Bill had spent 23 minutes in a fiery pit that many people, including some Christians, don’t believe exists. At exactly 3:23 a.m. on November 22, 1998, Annette Wiese awoke to her husband’s screams. Rushing down the hall of their Santa Ana, California, home …
God never intended for His people to live in defeat. He destined you to rule. Have you noticed that more and more people today are searching for meaning and purpose in life? This trend provides abundant opportunities for Christians to reach out with the supernatural power of God to influence their culture. Researchers claim that …
Celebrities and business leaders are praising self-help guru Rhonda Byrne’s book The Secret. Don’t be deceived—her message about “the law of attraction” is full of New Age deception.
Evil spirits can possess people—but can they also inhabit places? We looked beyond the sensational to discover what the Bible says. The Johnsons got a great deal on their home. They soon found out why: It was what some would call a “haunted house”—that is, a place where there was an uncomfortable and negative spiritual …
When we pray with godly authority, we can issue prophetic proclamations that shift heaven and earth. Almost 10 years ago, prophetic evangelist Chuck Pierce and I traveled to all 50 U.S. states. Our goal was to meet and pray with intercessors and other church leaders in each state to make a difference throughout the nation …
The devil bombards you with one crisis after another so that you will give up. You must learn to fight back. As I was walking to my car from the grocery store recently, I was swept along by several strong gusts of wind. They caused traffic lights to sway, flags to ripple and pop, and …
