We read Psalm 34 today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. Look at verses 1-4:
1 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My life makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble and afflicted hear and be glad. 3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. 4 I sought (inquired of) the Lord and required Him [of necessity and on the authority of His Word], and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Just from reading these four verses without much meditation (YET), we see that the answer for David was always PRAISE! He is saying here that praise at any given time AND ALL THE TIME (continually) is what is necessary to walk in victory and see true deliverance from fear! Do you REALLY think, in the desperate times in which we live, that WE can have success with any less? It takes a decision and a diligent commitment to remind yourself to praise FIRST and FOREVER, but that choice is overflowing with rewards! Look at verses 9-10:
9 O fear the Lord, you His saints [revere and worship Him]! For there is no want to those who truly revere and worship Him with godly fear. 10 The young lions lack food and suffer hunger, but they who seek (inquire of and require) the Lord [by right of their need and on the authority of His Word], none of them shall lack any beneficial thing.
It is vitally important for every born again believer to develop their intimate fellowship with the One, True God through His Spirit indwelling every believer. HE is the One with the plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11 AMP) that is greater than anything you can even imagine! I also want to look at Acts 6 today. Yesterday we spoke of every believer's personal call to the Ministry of Reconciliation. HERE is how you prepare DAILY for that ministry! Acts 6:3-7:
3 Therefore select out from among yourselves, brethren, seven men of good and attested character and repute, full of the [Holy] Spirit and wisdom, whom we may assign to look after this business and duty. 4 But we will continue to devote ourselves steadfastly to prayer and the ministry of the Word. 5 And the suggestion pleased the whole assembly, and they selected Stephen, a man full of faith (a strong and welcome belief that Jesus is the Messiah) and full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte (convert) from Antioch. 6 These they presented to the apostles, who after prayer laid their hands on them. 7 And the message of God kept on spreading, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem; and [besides] a large number of the priests were obedient to the faith [in Jesus as the Messiah, through Whom is obtained eternal salvation in the kingdom of God].
Do you see that the requirement in the early church for simply serving food was that these believers be of good character, filled with Holy Spirit, filled with Wisdom (that comes only from meditation on the Word), and obedient! HOW MUCH MORE should we, who carry the very message of eternal Life through Jesus to the lost world, keep ourselves fully equipped and fully prepared to do this! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Children of the Light":
Shalom in Him!
