Category: Spiritual

Psalm 46:1-3, NRSV

Can I get a witness that God is a well proved help in trouble? The longer we live, the more seasons we experience. Therefore, we have a testimony; it should be that God is a well proved help in trouble. We have experienced seasons of good and evil. There may have been seasons of fear, uncertainty, joblessness, financial lack, anger, disappointment, sickness, and other cares that cause us uneasiness and doubt. Whatever our seasons of need are – mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual – God is our supplier, and He never runs short. Because He knows all about our troubles, there is nothing too hard for Him; we just have to trust Him. We must “be still, and know that He is God” (v.10)!

Here the psalmist begins by telling us “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble or a very well proved help in trouble” (v.1). He is our   fortress that the enemy cannot breach. The hymn writer asks “Where Could I Go? Oh, where could I go seeking a refuge for my soul? Needing a friend to save me in the end, where could I go but to the Lord?” There’s no other who can save us. He is our strength that the Goliaths of the world cannot out muscle. When we face the troubles of life, He gives us strength to carry on. Oh, what joy it is for children of God to know that no matter what season we’re in, God is here through thick and thin! “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth (Psalm 145:18, AMP). “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).

The psalmist concludes these three verses, writing, “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, the mountains shake in the heart of the sea (v.2); its waters roar and foam, and the mountains tremble with its tumult, Selah” (v.3). Troubles may come on every hand in every way, but we are not to be afraid   because we have the assurance that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble or a very well proved help in trouble.”

Hebrews 11:5-6 (NRSV)

Our relationship with God is rooted and grounded in faith. “We walk by faith, not by sight.” We are not saved by the things that we see for they are temporary. We are saved by those things that are not seen – those things that are eternal. That’s why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen (2 Corinthians 4:18). Isaiah says that the grass withers, and the flower fades, but the word of our God shall stand forever (Isaiah 40:8).

Enoch is an example of one who walked confidently and steadfastly with God. His relationship with God spanned a 300-year period. As he walked with God every day, I can imagine that he shared much with the Father – many happy times and sad times, many successes and failures, many times of peace and times of trouble, and etc. No matter what the circumstances were, Enoch didn’t break his faith-stride; he continued to walk with God. His living by faith was a testimony that even before he was taken to heaven, that he had walked with God and pleased Him. It was by faith that Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and “he was not found, because God had taken him” (v. 5).

 Just as Enoch walked by faith and pleased God, so must believers today. “Without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently seek him” (v. 6). The promise is that if we seek for Him with all our heart, we will find Him. So not only is faith a necessity, but it is the only means of pleasing Him. He is a jealous God, and it’s all about Him, the object of our faith.   

Matthew 16:16-17

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words defines confess in one sense as to “declare openly by way of speaking out freely, such confession being the effect of deep conviction of facts.” When we become convicted of our sinful ways, we should repent, seek forgiveness, and openly and freely acknowledge the truth of who Jesus is.  

Jesus says “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him I will confess also before My Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32). After Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the living God” (v.16), Jesus  responded, calling Peter, Simon son of Jonah, and told him that he was blessed because flesh and blood did not reveal who He was to him, but His Father who is in heaven (v. 17). It wasn’t flesh and blood, who is literally man that gave Peter this revelation. The Father stirred his heart to accept and acknowledge who Jesus was, and the Holy Spirit witnessed. Apostle Paul declared that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. We will be changed from mortal to immortal” (1 Corinthians 1:50-52).  

We are warned not to fear man, denying Christ before him. The consequence of our denial of him in the earth will result in his denial of us before our Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:33). The choice is ours. We can live a life that reflects being “blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3), or we can choose instead to live an unhappy, unblessed, and unfavored life. No blessing can one bestow on us that is greater than that of Jesus! Confess to know him as your Savior today, and be spiritually blessed.

There was an occasion when Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is (v.13)?” The disciples’ responses reflected what they had heard from those who lived in and around the pagan area of Caesarea Philippi. Some say John the Baptist; however, John had already been beheaded; others say Elijah, Jeremiah, or just one of the prophets (v. 14). People recognized Him as a man of distinction, one of the Old Testament prophets; but just like many today, they didn’t truly know who He was. But being the Master teacher He made His inquiry personal. He asked them, “But who do you say that I am (v. 15)?” Peter was the spokesman for the disciples, and he answered, “You are the Christ the Son of the living God” (v.16). Just as Peter boldly confessed Jesus as the Christ each one of us must do the same because our relationship with Him is personal. He confessed that Christ was the Son of the living God. Yes, He is the true and living God and not a lifeless god of the pagans. He is all-powerful, authoritative, and majestic. Romans 10:9 promises us that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. Who can deny that there’s validity in the old adage that “Confession is good for the soul?”

Peter’s answer to Jesus’ question as to His identity, revealed an important aspect of salvation. The revelation and confession of who Christ is can only come from a heart that God has prepared (Matthew 11:27) and witnesses “Jesus is Lord” comes only by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). Jesus responded, calling Peter, Simon son of Jonah, and told him that he was blessed because flesh and blood did not reveal who He was to him, but His Father who is in heaven (v. 17). Your confession of who Jesus is, not only puts you in a personal relationship with Him, but Jesus said that you are “blessed”; that is, you are “happy, spiritually secure, and highly favored.”

Matthew 5:9, NKJV

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He taught the crowd and his disciples spiritual principles needed to be in a covenant relationship with him. Because we are in a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ, our attitudes are to align with his. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Matthew 5:3-12 are called the Beatitudes. The word “Beatitude” comes from a Latin word meaning “happy” or “blessed,” according to Holman Bible Dictionary. Here we will address beatitude seven “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9, NKJV).

Right now in this country we are experiencing multiple storms of life – injustice, false election accusations, protests, riots, and more. What is the responsibility of the believer in these turbulent times? We are the peacemakers. According to Holman Bible Dictionary “peacemakers are those who actively work to bring about peace and reconciliation where there is hatred and enmity.” There was a time when Jesus and his disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee. He was asleep when a great windstorm arose. The waves crashed into the boat, filling it. Jesus’ disciples were in a panic, fearing that they would perish; they awoke him. “Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). Jesus questioned them about being fearful and their lack of faith. They were so afraid that they questioned one   another about who is he that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

Jesus illustrated that we are not to be afraid because of a lack of faith. We are peacemakers and will be called children of God. Have faith in Him through Jesus Christ. Be Christ like in our attitude, and let our words be seasoned and calming in the midst of a raging storm. Let’s love our neighbor as we love ourselves, be peaceable toward them, and edify them.  “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18, NLT). We are blessed to be called children of God!