King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Thursday, May 20, 2021
Chapters: Psalms 5, 38, 41-42
Message: Rise Up In Christ
Hello My Friend,
This passage came to my mind as I was praying this morning, [Ephesians 6:11-13 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.]
The devil thinks he is slick, especially when he preys on God’s faithful and tricks them into giving into their vulnerabilities and or weaknesses. He is a big fool because he is contending with Jesus, he knows he cannot have our soul, and will literally have hell to pay for what he has done to deceive God’s faithful. Nevertheless, until Jesus gets here and puts him in his place, we have to remind ourselves that while none of us is capable of fighting off the devil’s temptations in our own flesh, we can do all things through Christ. We can ask God why He did not intervene and stop us from giving into our temptations, but the point of God allowing us to fall, even though He actually does try to tell us several times to stop, is that we rise up in the strength of Christ, [II Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.]
I was angry this morning, unfocused, and distracted by my own personal struggles as well as the struggles that my loved ones are going through. I was not angry at God or myself, which has been a constant this past year, I am angry at the devil, the wicked actually, who are used by the devil to deceive God’s people. We could also question why God allows Satan to tempt us as he does, but then again, God knows our heart and what we are capable of. Remember, God will never let our feet be moved, nor will He allow us to be tempted above what we are able to withstand. Then I read this Psalm, and God reminded me of how great His mercies are and why He does not forsake us, even though we fail Him more times than we can count.
[Psalms 5:1-4,8,12 To the chief Musician upon Nehiloth, A Psalm of David. Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. 2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. 3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. 4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. 8 Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. 12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.]
[Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God:] I actually start my prayers most mornings with this Psalm, and God reminded that it has been a while since I have. I have to confess that I have been barely talking to God the past few days, just enough to thank Him, ask for forgiveness, help me through the day, and when someone asks for prayer. I do not know about you, but I am so thankful for God’s multitude of mercies, He could decide to end them at any time, but He is so longsuffering toward us, and really is our shield. The key to it protecting us is to get behind the shield, [Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.]
I learned a valuable lesson this past year, temptation comes first when we are not busy in God’s work, but it also comes when we overwork ourselves in God’s work. We need rest, which is why He gives us a day of rest, but we also need accountability, not to the point that we get weary in well doing, but to the point that we leave no room for the devil to see our vulnerabilities. I also learned that I am the one who suffered more that God wanted me to suffer, yes, He chastens us, but it is not forever, we are not punished until the day He brings us home, unless of course, we are not one bit repentant of what we have done. David recalls how he felt after he faced one affliction after another over his sin, and I can truly relate to him.
[Psalms 38:1-10 A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance. O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. 2 For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. 3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. 4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. 5 My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness. 6 I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. 7 For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh. 8 I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart. 9 Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee. 10 My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.]
[I go mourning all the day long.] We do not realize just how much we grieve when we sin against God, even after we have confessed our sins, repented, and know we are forgiven. Life itself has a way of lessening our passion for not only serving God, but walking with Him as we use to, Not in the sense that we are losing our faith, but the sense that we have let God down so much that we do not deserve His mercies. And then something hits us and we find ourselves at His mercies, pleading with Him to help us.
[Psalms 41:4-12 I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee. 5 Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish? 6 And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it. 7 All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt. 8 An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more. 9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. 10 But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them. 11 By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me. 12 And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever.]
[and raise me up, that I may requite them.] [Requite; To repay either good or evil; in a good sense, to recompense; to return an equivalent in good; to reward. In a bad sense, to retaliate; to return evil for evil; to punish.] None of us deserve the mercies of God, but He gives them to us freely, even when we do not ask for them. Remember, sometimes God will place affliction in our lives so that He can fulfill a purpose for our lives. We are the ones who suffer more than God wants for not letting Him help us through the affliction.
[because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.] We have the victory! The devil will never triumph over us, and even he killed our body, we still have the victory as we will be with Christ. No one wants to die prematurely, and we certainly do not want to die in the hands of our enemy, so do not live in fear of your enemy, walk in the victory of Christ, [I Corinthians 15:52-54 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.]
Christ will always deliver us from all our afflictions when we come to Him, He will forever preserve our soul, and He will never allow Satan to destroy us. Doubt, fear, disbelief, pride, loneliness, these are all things that the devil tricks us with, but you have the power within you to rebuke the devil by calling out to Christ. And whenever you feel overwhelmed and overburdened by life, keep reminding yourself and your soul of who your hope is in, [Psalms 42:5,8-11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. 8 Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. 9 I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 10 As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God? 11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.]
[hope thou in God:] Let me tell you, we are going to mess up, more times than we care to count, and this is because life itself is too heavy for us to bear on our own. Here is the truth, God does not want us to bear our burdens alone, He wants to turn those messes into messages of victory and glory. Jesus is the only one who can turn our mess around, who can give us rest while He cleans up the mess, who can enlighten us as we wade through the mess. And He is the only one who can give us the strength to endure the mess until we eventually see the message. The most dedicated, faithful, and used Christian is not the one who never admits they are still sinners, it is those whom fall and rise back up in the strength of Christ. Never let one mess keep you down on the ground, rise back up, enjoy the blessings that God gives you while you are in your affliction, and keep reminding yourself that God is not done with you and will never be because you are saved by grace through your faith in Christ, [Proverbs 24:13-16 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste: 14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off. 15 Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: 16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.]
Jesus Christ Magnified: [Psalms 5:11-12 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. 12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.]
Today’s Prayer: God, When we are constantly praying and seeking answers from You when facing affliction, You know that it can be trying on our mind, spirit, and body, so much so that it disquiets our soul, we feel hopeless, powerless, and weak, and all it takes for us to fall into sin is to believe the tricks of Satan, who is nothing, but a liar. I will praise You through the affliction, when I feel weak and feeble lead me to the Rock that is higher than me, let me stand upon Him as You allow the devil to afflict me for a season. I know You will not let me fall because I belong to You. Lord, Lead me and guide me, give me Your power, strength, wisdom, guidance, mercy, and grace to overcome all of Satan’s tricks. Keep my eyes, ears, mind, and heart on You so that I am always on guard, and should I fall for His tricks, let me quickly get back up and stand with You. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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