In the name of...

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”                                   1 Sam.17.45

In all appearances in the natural David seems to be no match for the Philistine in any way. But David realises that the fight is not against purely physical odds. Goliath, as representative of the Philistines, has dared to stand up against Almighty God. David realised this truth early on in the day when he asked the men standing near him,

            “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes

this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he

should defy the armies of the living God?”                           (v 29)

David goes into battle against this ugly foe, not in his own strength but in the power of the God of Israel, all-mighty and good and just.

There will be Philistines who will seek to stand in my way and try to exercise control over me. I need to be like David and discern when these threats are not simply against me but indicate blatant defiance of the living God. In such instances the full power and force of heaven is with me, and I may be assured of victory if I will but enter the battle.

Lord God,

I receive this greatly encouraging word from David’s story. I receive it, and I thank You for it, for I know it comes from You.

I know also that You are my source. When the Philistine seeks to attack me, I ask for discernment to know that You have been defied. Let me then go forward into the battle, not merely reliant upon you, but confident in You that the battle will be won and the enemy vanquished.

Lord, mighty God, You are my God and my King. I salute You. I honour You and ask that my whole life might speak in testimony to You love, mercy, grace and blessing.  Amen.

Boasting

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.               2 Cor. 11.30

Paul knows, by now, that his weakness opens the way for him to experience the super-abundant strength of God’s grace. He boasts, therefore, not in what he has done but in what God has done.

He goes on to tell how he suffered from “a thorn in the flesh” and three times he pleaded with the Lord to take it from him...

           

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made

            perfect in weakness.”                                                             2 Cor. 12.9a

To Paul this is yet more encouragement –

           

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that

            Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight

            in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.

For when I am weak, then I am strong.                               2 Cor. 12.9b.10

How differently Paul sees weaknesses from the way in which the world would see them! And how different Paul’s boasting is from the boasting of the world!

Where do I fit in this? Certainly, I know that my weakness allows God’s power to flourish and succeed. I don’t know if I am yet able to boast in and of my weakness in quite the same way that Paul does. But I am making progress. I no longer see my weakness as a drawback, or as debilitating. No, it releases me into the fullness of God’s power.

I have experienced much of God’s grace. I am fitted to open my arms wide and receive more of His grace. Do I want this? Most certainly I do! I want God’s grace to be my full sufficiency. I want to live completely in His strength and not in my own. If I should ever become aware of a thorn in my flesh, I want to surrender it to God and ask Him to lead me through in His grace and in His strength.

And yes, I want to boast – outrageously in Him! He is my rock. He is my strength and my salvation. He is my everything. Praise the Lord!

Lord God,

Again I come before You with thanksgiving. I thank You for reminding me that Your grace is sufficient for me. I come before You in weakness. I lay all of my weaknesses at Your feet. When I am weak, then You are strong. Precious Lord, be strong in me today. Let Your power rest upon me and lead me. May I serve You in my weakness, moving only in Your power and Your strength.

I would boast in You. I pray this might develop in me in the most natural way. I cannot boast in myself. I know I have nothing in me to be boastful of. Thank You, dear Lord.

Let me know You more. Let me experience Your mighty power at work in my life. Let me boast freely and long in you.

I kneel at Your feet. I salute Your power and my weakness. You are the great God in whom nothing is impossible. I can do anything when Your power invades my weakness.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Mighty God.                                                              Amen.

Him first

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.       

                                                                      1Cor. 2.2

Paul has made a determination. He has put Christ first to the extent that his full focus will be upon his Lord and Saviour.

He refers to the crucified Christ. This is the anointed one of God who died for humanity’s sins. The crucifixion is followed by the resurrection through which Jesus overcame death, the price of sin. Thus in the crucified and resurrected Christ we are freed from sin and enabled to live in, and enjoy, sweet relationship with God the Father.

Paul took Jesus as the concentrated focus of his life and his living. He put him before everything else. He lived for his Saviour and spread the message of his Saviour wherever he went. This connects strongly with my desire to Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matt. 6.33). This is my desire. I’m not sure how I rate in achievement.

Jesus Himself encourages me to ask, “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matt.7.7). He also says, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matt.21.22). I do believe. I believe that God yearns to show me His kingdom and to share with me secrets of some of its mysteries. I am slowly coming to believe that, after seeking His kingdom and righteousness as a priority, then all other things will be given to me as well. I still struggle with this, perhaps because of the work ethic of the past which puts the onus on me to provide.

Yet God’s word is clear and I am remiss not to receive it in truth and believe it fully without falter. I believe God can, and will, help me in my unbelief. He is faithful and He is just. He is for me. Let me never forget this.

Lord God, Mighty Creator,

I salute You as the great and mighty God. I acknowledge the crucified and resurrected Christ as my Saviour. I embrace the person and the power of the Holy Spirit in all of my being.

I come before You in humble confession. I confess that I have not fully and truly taken hold of Your Word that assures me, as I seek Your kingdom and righteousness before all else, so everything else will be given to me. Lord, I have not fully believed for Your provision. I confess this and I repent of it. I ask You to forgive me. I ask also for a gift of faith to believe that You will not only provide for my every need but will do so abundantly.

I do believe, yet I ask You to strengthen me in those areas where my belief could be stronger. I desire to follow Paul and put Jesus absolutely before anything and everything else. I want to live for Jesus, with Him and in Him. I lay everything before You. I want only Your will to be done in my life.                                                                                                    Amen.

Under the cloud

For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they passed through the sea.                        1 Cor. 10.1

Paul is reminding us that the Israelites “under the cloud” were under God’s leadership and guidance and He did not fail them. He successfully led them through the sea.

Paul says further:

They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.    (1 Cor. 10.3,4)

The choice is there for us. If we elect to live under the cloud of God’s leadership and guidance He will not fail us. We can choose to drink from the rock that is Christ and to eat the spiritual food that comes from Him.

This is a further reminder to me. Yet again I am enjoined to look only to God, to trust Him completely, and allow Him to lead me. A further Scripture comes to mind:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.     (Prov.3.5,6)

 This is indeed for me. I can acknowledge the limitations of my own understanding yet it is often difficult to let go. This is how I think. My reaction is often closely tied in to my thinking. But trust looks for me to react to God and not to my own thinking. How do I grow in trusting God? Maybe the aid is in the verse above – acknowledge God in all your ways. This sounds like a good starting place to me. If I first acknowledge God in all things, then seek His way and believe that He is leading me and guiding me, He might just lead and guide me to the place of trusting him with all my heart. Hallelujah! Praise God.

Lord God,

I thank You for Your Word which is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

I sense that You are surely leading me and guiding me. I want to follow You. I want to submit to, and fulfil, Your full and perfect will for my life. I ask You to forgive me the weakness of trying to gain my own understanding of ways to work out my path and progress in You. I ask You to forgive me for seeking to lean on my own understanding. I ask You to forgive me and to release me. Help me, Lord, to place my full trust in You.

I look for the cloud of Your covering in all that I do. I rejoice in Christ my Saviour. I drink from the spiritual rock that is Him. I eat of the bread of life that He gives. I pray for closeness with You today. I come near to You and pray that You will come near to me.               Amen.

Given – more!

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will you Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”      Luke 11.13

Jesus has been talking to His disciples about prayer. When He speaks with them He talks clearly and not in parables. What He tells them gives clear insight into the kingdom of God.

As I understand His earlier words on prayer (11.2-4), the focus is God. Our prayer to the Father acknowledges him as the mighty and important One – hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come. He is our provider – give us each day our daily bread. He will give us everything we need, and He will give it as we need it. He is our source, and also our strength. He will forgive our sins, but requires us, in turn, to forgive the sins of those who wrong us. He is our protector keeping us, as we will allow Him and as we are prepared to do our part, from temptation. Temptation leads to evil and sin. Our God is a wonderful protector.

After giving the disciples an example of prayer, Jesus then tells them to be persistent in prayer. He urges them to be bold in their requests of God: “I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.” (v8) He gives them the most wonderful assurance: “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (vv 9,10)

He reminds them how willing they are, as poor earthly fathers, to satisfy their children but how much more our heavenly Father yearns to satisfy us. What wonderful words to hear.

Lord God and Dear Father,

I salute You with reverence and awe. You are mighty, all-knowing, all-being, all-powerful. Your Name is Holy. O Great I AM. I salute You. I pour out praise and adoration to You.

May Your kingdom come and rule over all that is – in the heavens, on the earth, and in my heart. May Your will be done in all things, and especially in me.

I am confident that You will provide all that I need, as I need it. I thank You for this. I lay before You my every need and I ask You to provide.

I know I do not fully delight You in all of my life and living. I am sorry and I ask Your forgiveness. I ask You also to lead me to forgive any and all that I need to.

You have said “Ask”. I ask, Lord, for all these wonderful things in You. I dare to believe for each and every one of them, for You are a great and wonderful God. Hear my prayer and answer it, I ask, in Jesus’ Name.                                                                                 Amen.