HE knows them that trust in HIM!!!

The Lord is always good to me!!!  HE IS THE ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS ME!!!  HE KNOWS MY MIND, and MY HEART!!!



HE KNOWS WHAT MAKES ME TICK!!!  HE KNOWS THE VERY FABRIC OF MY BEING!!!



HE LOVES ME!!!   And to know that HE LOVES ME makes my heart swell with pleasure!!!  And when “the going gets rough,” it comforts me!!!




One morning recently, when I asked THE LORD to speak to me, HE gave me this scripture because HE knew that I was deeply concerned about a certain situation-one that seemed very much beyond my control!!! 

I opened my Bible to Nahum and here is what I read!!!



Nahum 1:2-7 (KJV)


² God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

³ The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

⁴ He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.

⁵ The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

⁶ Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

⁷ The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.



You know, even as I read this passage again, I can hear HIM reassuring me that my enemies are HIS ENEMIES!!!  

This is what The Lord told David about his enemies!!!

Psalm 110:1 (NKJV)

A Psalm of David.

110  The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

God told me a long time ago that I was to be kind to my enemies and treat them right because HE WOULD take care of them for me!!!  And HE gave me this scripture!!! 



Psalm 37:1-3 (NKJV)


A Psalm of David.

37 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.

³ Trust in the Lord, and do good…

I can still remember the day that HE gave me this scripture and the mental image that HE gave me as I preached!!!



I could just see THE LORD cranking up a big old lawn mower!!!  And I knew that “HE WAS GOING TO CUT THE GRASS!!!”

In Psalm 37, God tells us NOT to be upset by or be envious of those who do evil because “they shall soon be cut down like the grass.”
 

Psalm 371 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.

So, as I read in Nahum, I knew that God had indeed once again seen my heart!!! 



Nahum 1 (KJV)


² God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.



And the more I read, the more I knew that HE UNDERSTOOD HOW I FELT!!!  And I knew that HE would take care of those who make themselves to be my enemies!!!!

³ The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

I am so glad that the Lord is slow to anger because that means that ALL of us have time to repent when we do wrong!!!  I know that once we accept Christ as our savior, God no longer calls us the wicked!!!  And that is very good news for ALL of us!!!



It took me a long time to understand that HE IS AT WORK in the storm and yes, even in the whirlwind!!!  And that when we cannot see HIM through the clouds, it is okay!!!  Because even when we cannot see it, HE IS WORKING AND MOVING FOR US!!!

 ⁴ He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers:

Did you know that GOD divided the Red Sea and then caused the East wind to blow all night?  Did you know that the wind dried the land that had been under the red sea, so that HIS CHILDREN would not get their feet muddy???



⁵ The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, …



If God tells the mountains to be removed, then they are removed!  If he says to the hills to become nothing, then indeed they become nothing!!!  Everything on the Earth knows God and awaits HIS command.



⁵  … yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

⁶ Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.


Who is it that can stand against God and win???  They can try, but they cannot succeed!!!  And because I am HIS CHILD, my enemies cannot prevail against me!!!  When I place my trust in HIM, My Father will STAND UP FOR ME!!!!

I know ALL this, but sometimes the fight seems too hard or too long!!!  And yes, sometimes the people seem too evil!!! 




And so when I read Nahum, I knew that God was reassuring me that HE had my back!!!! 



When I saw verse 7, I thought, MY GOD KNOWS THAT I TRUST IN HIM!!!  HE IS MY STRONG HOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



⁷ The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble;
and he knoweth them that trust in him.




MY FATHER KNOWS THAT I TRUST HIM!!! 



And that means the world to me!!!

Thanksgiving!!!

I had NOT intended to write a “Thanksgiving Day” post because Thanksgiving Day is NOT the only time of the year that we need to be thankful!!!   We should be thankful at ALL times!!!



We should know at ALL times that Our Father in Heaven loves us and
has given us HIS VERY BEST-HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON!!!  John 3:16



So, while we are thankful for our family and our friends, and for ALL the things that we have, we need to remember most of ALL to be grateful to Our Father Above for loving us so much!!!  



And we definitely need to tell HIM how thankful we are as often as possible!!!  



You know, even though we may sometimes forget it, Our Father is constantly looking after us!!!   HE IS CONSTANTLY WATCHING OVER US!!!




Just as GOD told His Children in the wilderness, HE tells us today that HE WILL NEVER LEAVE US NOR FORSAKE US!!!  Deut. 31:6

There are many songs and scriptures that tell us to give thanks unto The Lord, but the words from one song have stuck with me over the years.



I will enter HIS gates with THANKSGIVING IN MY HEART!  I will enter HIS courts with praise!



When I looked up these words, I was taken to Psalm 100.



Psalm 100 (NKJV)

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

¹ Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

² Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.

³ Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

⁵ For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

Most of us have so many things to be thankful for!!!  We are so truly blessed!!!




Even as I write this, I know that so many times we are THANKFUL for what God gives us, but we forget sometimes to WORSHIP AND THANK HIM just because of who HE IS!!!

When we were little we would climb up in the lap of the one we loved and we would be so glad to be with them!!! 




Most folks cherish even the memories of those moments!!!  



That is what God wants us to do!!!  



He wants us to climb up into HIS LAP, and snuggle deep into HIS LOVING ARMS so that HE CAN LOVE US AND KEEP US SAFE!!!   And just like any Father would do, HE will wrap HIS arms around us and hold us tightly!!!



HE WANTS US TO REST IN HIS LOVING ARMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!   HE WANTS US TO CHERISH THE MOMENTS THAT WE HAVE WITH HIM!!!




Just as a child reaches up to hold the face of his or her loved one, Our Father in Heaven wants us to reach up and take HIS FACE in our hands.   HE wants us to see who HE IS!!! 



HE WANTS US TO LOVE HIM FOR WHO HE IS-OUR FATHER!!!




IT PLEASES HIM TO SPEND TIME WITH US-TO JUST BE WITH US!!!  IT PLEASES HIM TO BE LOVED BY US-TO BE CHERISHED BY US!!!

HE LOVES US THAT MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



And just as any other Father, HE is pleased to provide for us and to take care of us!!!  



But HE wants us to love HIM because HE is Our Father, not because of what HE can give us!!!

Today, I am thankful that HE has me in the palm of HIS HAND!!!  


Isaiah 49:15-16 (TNIV)

¹⁵ “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
    and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
    I will not forget you!

¹⁶ See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
    your walls are ever before me.

I am so thankful today, that HE IS MY FATHER in HEAVEN!!!  I am thankful that I AM HIS CHILD!!!  I am thankful that I AM SPECIAL IN HIS EYES!!!    

He sees and knows exactly who I am!!!  AND HE LOVES ME!!!!

Healing is the Children’s Bread!!!

Have you ever heard someone say something and wondered if it was in the Bible?

Well, folks say a lot of things and claim that they are in the Bible.   



There are many things that folks say, that really are NOT in the Bible!!!

But other sayings are there, even though the exact words may NOT be there!!! 



What do I mean???

Well, for instance, one of the churches that I attended for years would always say, “Healing is the Children’s Bread!!!” 

Now, that sounds very spiritual!!!   And perhaps godly, but I looked and looked and could NOT find it in the Bible!!!

Then one day I was reading and the Lord said, Here is where they get the saying, Healing is the Children’s Bread!!!  

Matthew 15:21-28 (NKJV)

²¹ Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

²² And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

²³ But He answered her not a word.

And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”

²⁴ But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

²⁵ Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

²⁶ But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

²⁷ And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.




In verse 22, we can see that this woman is asking Jesus to cast the devil out of her daughter!!!! 


²² And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

And finally in verse 26, Jesus replies to her.  



²⁶ But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”



So, Jesus is saying here that Healing and Deliverance are the CHILDREN’S BREAD!!!!  

How Blessed I Am to Dwell in HIS PRESENCE!!!

When I read Psalm 84 the first time the words struck me!!!  They stayed with me!!!  And as I read it again today in the Amplified Bible, I was even more amazed!!!



I must say that I would much rather spend one day with God than to live an eternity without HIM!!!   



I hope that you can say the same!!!



Psalm 84 (AMP)

¹ How lovely are Your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!

² My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God.

³ Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

⁴ Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

⁵ Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

⁶ Passing through the Valley of Weeping (Baca), they make it a place of springs; the early rain also fills [the pools] with blessings.

⁷ They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]; each of them appears before God in Zion.

⁸ O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

⁹ Behold our shield [the king as Your agent], O God, and look upon the face of Your anointed!

¹⁰ For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else]; I would rather be a doorkeeper and stand at the threshold in the house of my God than to dwell [at ease] in the tents of wickedness.

¹¹ For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

¹² O Lord of hosts, blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts in You [leaning and believing on You, committing all and confidently looking to You, and that without fear or misgiving]!




What more is there to say!!!

   

Delight in HIM!!!

I have long since preached that God wants to be involved in ALL aspects; every area of our lives!!!   HE wants to lead and guide us in everything that we do!!!

I know that there are many who say, “You shouldn’t bother God with the things that you can do” or “Don’t bother HIM with the small stuff!!!”

To you who believe that, I say, “NONSENSE!!”

And I will tell you what Kenneth Copeland said many years ago about this same thing!!!  THE ONLY THING THAT BOTHERS GOD IS YOUR UNBELIEF!!! 



Well, I am here to tell you, “THAT IS A LIE FROM THE PITS OF HELL!!!  NOT ONLY THAT, BUT IT IS UTTER NONSENSE!!!”  “YOU NEED TO QUIT LISTENING TO THE DEVIL!!!”



What you are really saying is that God doesn’t truly care about us!!!



Or could it be that you think so little of yourself that you don’t know how much God loves you????  



Do you NOT know that God wants to walk hand in hand with us?   HE wants us to place our hand in HIS, and say, I want to walk with you, Abba Father!!!  Please help me!!!  Please lead me!!!  I trust YOU!!! 

Did you know that Adam walked with God in the garden???


Genesis 3:8-10 (NKJV)

⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

⁹ Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

¹⁰ So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

Did you know that God made clothes for Adam and Eve?  That is how much HE CARED!


Genesis 3:21 (NKJV) Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.



God truly loves ALL HIS KIDS and that includes you and me!!!



Did you know that God knows how many hairs you have on your head???  And HE knows when the little bird falls from its nest!!!


Matthew 10:29-30 (CEV)

²⁹ Aren’t two sparrows sold for only a penny? But your Father knows when any one of them falls to the ground.

³⁰  Even the hairs on your head are counted.


There is nothing too small for God!!!  HE IS OUR FATHER and HE CARES ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT CONCERN US!!!   



GOD will help you find your keys, your shades, and yes, even your cell phone!!!    



HE will help you do the plumbing, or change your transmission fluid!!! 



HE will help you pay the bills and HE WILL GLADLY HELP YOU GET OUT OF DEBT (if you listen and do as HE tells you!!!)



HE will tell you when to leave your phone in the other room because that person is going to call in the middle of the night or early the next morning when you have been up ALL night!!!



MY HEAVENLY FATHER LOVES ME SO MUCH AND I LOVE HIM MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF!!!  I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT HIM AND I WOULDN’T WANT TO!!!!



I can’t speak for anyone else, but I do NOT want to have to do anything on my own!!!  I WANT GOD TO BE IN EVERY PART OF MY LIFE!!!!



THE WORD tells us that if we delight ourselves in THE LORD, HE will delight in us and HE will give us the desires of our heart!!!

Psalm 37:3-4 (NKJV)

³ Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

⁴ Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Teach me Your Ways, O LORD!!

As I went to pick up my Bible today, I saw this scripture!!!


Psalm 86:11 (KJV) Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.



I thought, Wow!!!  What an awesome scripture!!!



So, as a friend and I were talking, I shared this scripture with her!!!

Of course, I was reading out of the KJV, and my friend said that she would look it up in the New Living Translation (NLT) when she got home!!!  That is what she reads!!!



Since I had my phone, I looked up this scripture in that version and I was even more wowed!!!

Here is what Psalm 86:11 says in the NLT!!!


Psalm 86:11 (NLT) Teach me your ways, O Lord,
    that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.

I must admit that the way the writers worded this scripture is truly beautiful!!!

GOD IS SO GOOD TO ME!!! 


I know that it shouldn’t amaze me that HE IS SO WONDERFUL!!!!  But the abundance of HIS LOVE for us and how HE shows us so much MERCY AND GRACE does amaze me!!!



And so today, this is my prayer!!! 

Walk with me ALL day today, LORD!!!  Be with me every moment!!!  Lead me and guide!!!  Pull me up short if necessary!!! 


“Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.”