Psalm 118 begins and ends with praise, thanksgiving and worship! Included are four practical instructions for believers:
- Give thanks to the LORD at ALL TIMES (verses 1-4).
- Trust the LORD in Every Crisis (verses 5-14).
- Glorify the LORD after Every Victory (verses 15-21).
- See the LORD in Every Experience (verses 22-29).
When we do this, we will have bold and aggressive confidence in the promises and provisions of the Word of God for every area of our lives! Verses 8-9 say:
8 It is better to trust and take refuge in the LORD than to put confidence in man. 9 It is better to trust and take refuge in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
I will add: It is better to put confidence in God and His Word than to trust in the government! When everything around us looks like it may fail, God's Word will never fail! Keep being a DOER of the Word and you will be a SEER of the results! Amen! Here is Hillsong with "This Is Our God":
1 John 2:24-27:
24 As for you, keep in your hearts what you have heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the first dwells and remains in you, then you will dwell in the Son and in the Father [always]. 25 And this is what He himself has promised us -- the life, the eternal [life]. 26 I write this to you with reference to those who would deceive you [seduce and lead you astray]. 27 But as for you, the anointing (the sacred appointment, the unction) which you received from Him abides [permanently] in you; [so] then you have no need that anyone should instruct you. But just as His anointing teaches you concerning everything and is true and is no falsehood, so you must abide in (live in, never depart from) Him [being rooted in Him, knit to Him], just as [His anointing] has taught you [to do].
Simply speaking, this portion of Scripture is telling us to continue in the Word of God! As we continue daily meditating the Word of God, we will begin to KNOW Him more (Philippians 3:10). As we know HIM more, we will understand how to operate in the Word and in faith. We will not be able to be easily deceived by the enemy into believing something that is contrary to the Word. The "unction" or "anointing" that we have received is the Spirit of Almighty God Himself, Who lives in us as born again believers in Jesus of Nazareth! He is the One Who teaches us what the Word of God is saying to us individually, so that we can put it into practice in our own lives. Ministry gifts such as Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, and Pastor-Teachers are valuable to our growth, but they cannot teach us. They can only teach the Word of God. The Spirit of God is the One Who teaches us what the Word that THEY are preaching/teaching means to us individually! Don't be lazy about the Word of God! Read Joshua 1:8 again and see how important meditation is to your success and prosperity in every area! Thank You, Jesus, for Your Word!
We begin Ezekiel today. His name means "God strengthens". Ezekiel was one of four prophets who were called as priests. The others were Jeremiah, Zechariah, and John the Baptist. It would have been easier for each of them to remain in the priesthood, for priests were highly regarded by the Jewish people. God uses the prophets many times to rebuke the people for their sins and iniquities, so they were often despised. It was not a fun life, but rewards in Heaven will be given for faithfulness to HIS calling and not for how easy this life was! Remember, obedience is EVERYTHING in the eyes of Almighty God (1 Samuel 15:22)! Now let's look at verse 27-28:
27 From what had the appearance of His waist upward, I saw a lustre as it were glowing metal with the appearance of fire enclosed round about within it; and from the appearance of His waist downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness [of a halo] round about Him. 28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face and I heard a voice of One speaking.
This is the One Who lives in You by His Spirit! Listen to HIS voice and you will never make a wrong decision again! Learn to recognize His voice and to operate in patience to hear what HE will say! What a blessed life we have! YOU are the most blessed person I know! Amen!
Shalom in Him!
