datethewordtest

Blog

  • Our Compassionate God 

    Micah 7:19 “He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” 

    Micah continues to describe God here in verse 19 after asking in verse 18 who is a God like you. Our God is righteous and just who can be angry and pour out wrath on the sinner. However, He delights in mercy, and He has compassion. While our sins are grievous to Him we find with our sins He will take our sins away. To “tread underfoot” is to remove from sight. He is so committed to removing our sins Micah says He cast them into the depths of the sea.

    I have heard it said that we should picture a sign above where our sins were disposed of saying no fishing. Oh, what a God we have!! 

    Though we are sinful we find Him loving and still desiring a relationship with us.  To have this relationship He goes so far as to not just have His Son leave heaven and come and live among us but He will have His Son die for us (Rom. 5:8).  With the death of Christ, His Son, He abolished, blotted out, canceled, destroyed, erased the things written against us (Col. 2:14). The blood of Jesus cleanses and washes the stain of sin away. He frees or releases us from the power of sin. 

    Consider the compassionate God we have!  

    I found myself singing after writing this:
    I’m forgiven because You were forsaken
    I’m accepted, You were condemned
    And I’m alive and well, Your Spirit is within me
    Because You died and rose again
    Amazing love, how can it be
    That You, my King, should die for me?
    Amazing love, I know it’s true
    And it’s my joy to honor You
    In all I do, to honor You
    From You Are My King (Amazing Love) Song by Newsboys

    Continue Strong with gratefulness for His forgiveness of your sins,
    And remember to DATE the Word 

  • Remembering Well 

    Deuteronomy 7:18  “You shall not be afraid of them, but you shall remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt:”

    As Moses prepares God’s people to go into the Promised Land and face 7 nations that are greater than they are (Deut. 7:1 When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you.) Moses reminds them that God loves them and He is the one going before them to bring about victories.  Moses knows there is a very real possibility of God’s people becoming fearful as they face their enemies, so he addresses the issue by telling them to remember well what God did in Egypt to Pharoah.  

    By considering God’s past performance they would have confidence as they faced new battles.

    Remember well. These two words are reminders to us of the action we need to take as we face new challenges.  Now to remember well we need to evaluate our experiences with God and keep a record of His mighty work.  This idea of evaluating our experiences is seen with David as he prepares to fight Goliath.  He was being questioned as to how he thought he could take on a giant of a man.  David told them that he had been helped by God to kill a bear and kill a lion who had attacked his sheep.  Knowing that God had helped him in the past he knew God would help him as he faced Goliath.  He was remembering well.  

    Are you remembering well what God has done for you as you face new challenges?  Are you diligent in keeping a type of journal to record the works of God and the blessings of God?  Are you intentional in evaluating your experiences?  I encourage you to write down your prayer requests and then the answers to the prayer requests.  I encourage you to occasionally review how God worked, and/or guided, and/or provided. Remembering well what He did in the past is going to give you confidence to attempt to do more for Him in the future. 

    Pause to remember well something God did this past week; this past year; 10 years ago.  remember well the past work of God to give you confidence as you do the work of God today.

    Continue Strong Remembering Well,  
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Then Sings My Soul

    Psalm 7:17 “I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.”

    Based on the vast number of verses that speak of singing in heaven and here on earth one must conclude God loves to hear us sing. He Himself sings as Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

    Our verse tells of a declaration to praise God for who He is and to sing to God.  It is one of the many I will sing verses in Psalms.

    Having recognized the righteousness of God the psalmist declares he is going to sing about God.  One of the ways we sing to God is to sing about God. For instance, we might sing the hymn HOLY HOLY HOLY or How Great Thou Art.  These are songs of adoration about God.  

    The psalmist says he will also sing to the LORD Most High.  One might think of singing the praise chorus of I Love You Lord.  This is a song to God.  

    Along with singing about God and singing to God, we find there are various songs that tell us WHAT God does.  One might think of love lifted me or amazing grace. I call these testimonial songs.  They serve as a praise to God for what He has done but also a reminder to us as to what He has done.  

    Here in the 21st century, we are incredibly blessed to have so many songs to sing.   The challenge from this devotion is for us to sing, whether it is songs about God and/or songs TO God we need to be singing.  Our mindset as a blood-bought child of God should be that of Psalm 104:33 which says, “I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.”

    Let July 17 and every day be a day of “then sings my soul.”

    You will find in the Bible over 30 times where there is the declaration of “I will sing.”   Whether you can sing or not, make a joyful sound to the Lord!

    Continue Strong with The Blessed Hope In Your Heart,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Look at the Fruit!

    Matthew 7:16 “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?”

    As Jesus gives the grave warning about false prophets, He provides one of the most basic illustrations to help us know the difference between the real and the false.  In Matthew 7:15 He says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”  He then continues by letting us know how to determine the true heart of someone by teaching, “You will know them by their fruit.”  He continues with a very common-sense question asking, “Can a man gather grapes from a thornbush or figs from thistles.” The answer of course is no.  Thus, you can tell the false prophets by their fruit or lack thereof.

    Look for the fruit!!  Be a fruit inspector!

    Just as it takes time for an apple tree to produce apples and grape vines to produce grapes one will be able to tell who really has had a changed heart by Christ. The Christian will produce the fruits of righteousness (James 3:18)  and fruits of holiness (Romans 6:22) as well as there will be the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). Others will start seeing the supernatural fruit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control come from your life.

    So, more than the question what is in your heart i ask what is coming from your heart as evil deeds come from an evil heart and good deeds from a good heart. Luke 6:45 says “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; And an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”  

    So, look for the fruit.  Be a fruit inspector.  
    Also, you will be known by your fruit.

    Continue Strong discerning the false from the true,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Solid Leadership Consistently and Constantly

    1 Samuel 7:15 “Samuel gave solid leadership to Israel his entire life.” 

    The words solid and entire stand out as we read about the OT prophet Samuel here in 1 Samuel 7:15. Do those two words not seem remarkable, awe-inspiring, yes, outstanding? Samuel gave solid leadership and solid leadership for his entire life!!  

    So, what is solid leadership?  

    I think it is servant leadership.  It is what Jesus taught.  It is not about titles. It is about towels!

    I think it is about ownership.  Leaders, like Nehemiah, took responsibility (ownership) for their assignments. 

    I think you see SOLID leadership when the leaders LOVE their people.  Remember, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!  Jesus loved His disciples!!

    I think it is about leading with integrity!  I love a quote from President Eisenhower in which he said, “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.”

    As a reminder: Do not expect your gifts and talents to take you where your character cannot keep you!

    I think solid leadership happens when the leader is diligent.  Diligence is a man’s precious possession.  (Proverbs 12:27) Leaders show up and stay up.  There is no quit in the solid leader!  

    Reading the list are you a solid leader?   

    Standing out also in the evaluation of Samuel is the word entire. He started well and he finished well.

    Continue Strong as a Solid Leader,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • A Recipe For Revival

    2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  

    Many will recognize this verse as it is the verse of verses for revival. While it is in the OT and spoken to Israel there are principals here for personal revival. At times we need to cry out Revive Us Again as the old hymn goes: Revive us again, fill each heart with thy love. May each soul be rekindled with fire from above. 

    As we cry out for our souls to be rekindled there will need to be a refocusing of priorities and the relinquishing of idols. We must humble ourselves. One may ask how does one do that? You admit that you are not God! 

    You will need to pray. How do you do that? Well, you stop talking to yourself and others and start talking to God. Prayer is looking to God instead of self! It is admitting dependence on God rather than independence from God.  

    You will need to seek His face. Seeking His hand seems to be easy as we will say God give me. Seeking His face is a game changer as you want to know God. 

    You will then need to turn (repent) from your wicked ways. The revival of the heart and soul happens as one desires to obey what God says as opposed to doing what one wants to do, regardless of what God says. This takes us back to the first step of humbling ourselves and saying God is God and God is always right! 

    Does your walk with God need a revival? Does your worship of God need a revival? Does your work for God need a revival? If yes, start this very moment with Lord, I need you and Lord, I want to do it your way. 

    As I grew up we would have “revival” services each summer. I knew that there would be two songs sung each night – Revive Us Again before the preaching and Have Thine Own Way after the preaching. Maybe I simplify it too much but a take on 2 Chronicles 7:14 is have thine own way!

    Continue Strong using the recipe for revival,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Refreshed

    2 Corinthians 7:13 “By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.” 

    The discouraged Apostle Paul of 2 Corinthians 7:5-6 tells how he is now encouraged, encouraged by a report from Titus that the Corinthians have received his letter and that while it was a difficult letter for him to write and for them to read, it brought about great results.  This news of their receptivity was encouraging!  As well Paul tells the Corinthians how encouraged, Especially delighted, (over-joyed), he was because of how happy (encouraged) Titus was. Paul commends them for refreshing his spirit. 

    REFRESHED.  It is a word we often think of in the hot summer.  Working on a farm as a teenager I can recall numerous times looking forward to a very refreshing drink of water from a well on our property.  The water drawn from that deep well was so cold.  I would get a drink from the bucket and then dump the bucket over my head.  Oh, it felt so good.  It was refreshing!

    REFRESHED.  From the dictionary it means to give new strength or energy to one; to reinvigorate.  The Greek word speaks of “giving one rest.”  It is the word Jesus used in Matthew 11:28 as He invited people to come to Him as they would find rest.  It is the word Jesus used to tell His disciples to come apart and rest in Mark 6:31. After serving and ministering to numerous people He knew they needed time to rest, to be refreshed.  The Apostle Paul will use the word to describe what he felt when he was with Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus.  He said they refreshed his spirit.  See 1 Cor. 16:17-18

    Are you being described by others as a refreshing drink of cold water on a hot summer day?  Does your presence refresh others?  Do your words refresh others?  Do your actions refresh others?   

    What are ways you can be a “refreshment” to another person today?

    Continue Strong bringing “refreshments” to others,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • God, our Helper

    1 Samuel 7:12 “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.””

    As the Philistines were attacking Israel Samuel cried out to God for help.  1 Samuel 7:9 says the Lord answered him and in verses 10 and 11 God thundered from heaven so loud that the Philistines were in great confusion and they retreated as the Israelites began to chase them.   Recognizing the great work of God Samuel set up a memorial (a stone) and called the memorial Ebenezer as a testimony that the LORD had been their helper.  

    A quick survey of just the book of Psalms finds one of the descriptions of God is He is our helper.  In numerous verses in Psalms, you will find the plea for help.  For instance, Psalms 30:10 “Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me; LORD, be my helper!”  As well numerous verses tell of how God helped such as Psalms 54:4 which says, “Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold my life.”

    How are you at asking for help?  How are you at asking God for help?  Are you able to humbly cry out like Samuel or the Psalmist for help?  Are you able to identify with Asa in 2 Chronicles 14:11 which says, “Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!?  

    With this short devotional, I want to encourage you to be empowered to ask for help from God and not just because you are facing something you can’t handle but to ask for His help in everything you are doing.  Did you know that God rides the heavens to help you? It is true.  Deuteronomy 33:26 says, “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, And in His excellency on the clouds.”

    Asking for help is saying to God that you trust Him.  One of my early verses to memorize regarding prayer was 1 Chronicles 5:20. It tells of how the Israelites were helped by God as they cried out to Him in the battle they were having.  “And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them, for they cried out to God in the battle. He heeded their prayer, because they put their trust in Him.

    While seeking to encourage you to ask God for help I would also like to encourage you to acknowledge God for His help.  How are you at saying thank you to God for His help?  That is what Samuel is doing in 1 Samuel 7:12. The stone of remembrance was a testimony and a thank you to God.  Samuel was acknowledging that without God’s help, they would have never succeeded.   

    Pointed question: are you acknowledging God’s help with your life?  Moses went so far as to acknowledge God’s help that he named his son Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”); Exodus 18:4  

    Continue Strong asking God for help and acknowledging His help,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • A Heavenly Example of Worship

    Revelation 7:11 “All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,”

    John writes about what he sees on his visit to heaven and he sees several spectacular scenes of worship. For instance, seven different passages are considered doxologies.  

    What is it to worship? Worship is to count as worthy.  Worship comes from the old English word of “worth-ship.”  When one is worshipping they are placing value and honor and most of all expressing reverence and adoration. Worship can have a person standing in awe or bowing physically in humble adoration. Here in Revelation 7:11, we read of them physically falling on their faces.  As well, worship may be demonstrated verbally as one seeks to ascribe the praise God is so worthy of receiving. For instance, in verse 12 we read of the verbal worship as they say: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” 

    Worship can be expressed with our posture and with our praise.  

    Do you take time daily to worship? First thing in the morning one should begin their day with giving worship to God.  

    A tip I would give you is to pray through the Lord’s prayer when you first wake up.   Just saying “Our Father, who is in Heaven, Holy is Your name,” will fix your mind and heart on God.   Then for your quiet time, I would encourage you to read a Psalm. Utilize the Internet to listen to a hymn or a praise and worship song.

    Continue Strong,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • An Example of Actions to Take with the Word of God

    Ezra 7:10 “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.”

    As we consider Ezra 7:10, we see that Ezra prepared his heart.  Pause to ponder that. To learn God’s Word started with his heart being prepared. The preparation would include sanctifying his heart. Recall that James speaks of removing the filthiness of the heart so one can receive the Word in their heart. (James 1:21 says, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”)

    With a sanctified heart, Ezra studied God’s Word!  He went to work to understand what was being said so it could be explained to be applied.
    Regarding studying God’s Word Paul to Timothy to “Study to show himself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

    He then submitted to God’s Word (to do it). May we never forget in our learning that we are to be living out in obedience to what we are learning!  We are to be practitioners of what we preach and teach.  Ezra will now be able to teach with both his lips and his life.

    And then Ezra shared what he had learned with others. A discipler passes on what they learn.  2 Timothy 2:2 says,  “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

    We learn from Ezra in Exra 7:10 to set our hearts on learning God’s Word! 
    We learn that His heart was prepared – sanctified.
    We learn that he studied!
    We learned that he submitted!
    We learn that he shared.
    What an example for any believer!!!

    Continue Strong Taking Actions With The Word,
    And remember to DATE the Word