"The Strong Tower"

“The Strong Tower”

 

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.           Proverbs 18:10

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and my stronghold.         Psalms 18:2

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.        Psalms 118:8

 

Our verses of Scripture, today, tells us something about the character of the ALMIGHTY God in His RELATIONSHIP with the RIGHTEOUS people, those who have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him and are known as the Children of God.

 

First, let us look at the NAME of the Lord God.  His Name is EXALTED.  Psalm 148:13 says:  “Let them praise the Name of the Lord, for His Name alone is exalted; His majesty is above earth and Heaven.”  His Name is TRUSTWORTHY; Psalm 9:10, “And those who know Your name put their TRUST in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”  His Name is POWERFUL; Psalm 20:1 “May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!  May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!”  These are just a few verses that describe the AWESOME NAME of our Lord God.  Proverbs 18:10 says that God’s name is a STRONG TOWER, where the RIGHTEOUS MAN can run to and is SAFE.  

 

The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 18:2, that the Lord God is a ROCK, FORTRESS, DELIVERER, REFUGE, SHIELD, and STRONGHOLD.  That pretty much describes the attributes of the NAME of God, which tells us about His character.  His name is a STRONG TOWER, where the RIGHTEOUS can run to in the times of TROUBLE and DISTRESS, and be saved, because that NAME, the STRONG TOWER, is also a ROCK, FORTRESS, DELIVERER, REFUGE, SHIELD and STRONGHOLD.

 

Psalm 118:8, says:  “It is better to take REFUGE in the Lord than to TRUST in man.”  We can be assured that when we call on the NAME of the Lord God, He will HEAR and ANSWER. Because HE is our REFUGE.  Mankind does NOT possess what it takes to be a REFUGE.  They, themselves NEED a REFUGE.  So why RUN to a WEAKLING to KEEP you SAFE?  But that STRONG TOWER, which is also a ROCK, FORTRESS, DELIVERER, REFUGE, SHIELD and STRONGHOLD, is ONLY available to those who have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with the LORD.  In order for you to be able to have the safety of the STRONG TOWER, you MUST RUN to GOD, by first TURNING AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURNING TO Him, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then you MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then you MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and become a RIGHTEOUS PERSON, who can RUN to the STRONG TOWER in times of need.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"The Fate of an Evil Man"

“The Fate of an Evil Man”

 

So God will ruin you forever; He will take hold of you and snatch you from your home; He will remove you from the world of the living. 

Righteous people will see this and be afraid; then they will laugh at you and say, “Look, here is someone who did not depend on God for safety, but trusted instead in great wealth and looked for security in being wicked.” 

Psalm 52:5-7

 

This Psalm was written by David, about an EVIL man, named Doeg.  This man had a DECEITFUL TONGUE, which was like a sharp razor.  He was ALWAYS inventing LIES.  He LOVED EVIL more than good, and he LOVED FALSEHOOD more than the TRUTH.  He LOVED to HURT people with his DECEITFUL TONGUE spouting out LIES.  He was nothing but a LIAR.  

 

So needless to say, he was NOT in God’s favor.  He thrived on a WICKED and DECEITFUL lifestyle, which is TOTALLY CONTRARY to the lifestyle of a RIGHTEOUS person.  And God’s JUDGMENT would come SWIFTLY and HARSHLY upon this person, who LOVES EVIL, to the point of REJECTING GOOD, and TURNING AWAY from God and an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.  They choose to embrace the life of WICKEDNESS, DEPRAVITY, FALSEHOOD, and EVIL.  They wish NOT to be counted among those who have TURNED TO GOD for the SALVATION of their souls, but instead they continue towards an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE, after they are there.   Is this YOUR destiny?  Have you been LIVING and PRACTICING a life full of FALSEHOODS and DECEITFULNESS? 

 

If you were to DIE tonight would you have the assurance that you would spend ALL of ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS?  Are you WILLING to RISK your ETERNAL DESTINY on the LIE, that when you DIE, you just cease to exist?  That, my friend, is a LIE straight out of the pits of HELL. The question you must ask is: “Am I willing to risk my ETERNAL DESTINY on FACTS or FICTION?”  Just LOOK around you, There IS a God!! 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are GAMBLING with your ETERNAL DESTINY, and you will be spending ALL ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY TO ESCAPE. But you have the OPPORTUNITY NOW, to KNOW for SURE that you will spend ETERNITY in HEAVEN by:  TURNING AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURNING TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that, Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then you MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and ESCAPE HELL, and GAIN HEAVEN for ALL ETERNITY.   What do you have to lose?  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!  

 

 

"Don't Keep It To Yourself!"

“Don’t Keep It To Yourself!”

 

In the assembly of all your people, LORD, I told the good news that you save us.   You know that I will never stop telling it.   I have not kept the news of salvation to myself; I have always spoken of your faithfulness and help.  In the assembly of all your people I have not been silent about your loyalty and constant love.       Psalm 40:9-10

 

Whenever a person falls in LOVE with someone, they can’t STOP talking about them.  They CONSTANTLY tell of ALL the ATTRIBUTES of the one they LOVE.  This is because, that one, they fell in Love with made an IMPACT on their life.  They CHANGED that person, into who they wanted them to be.  And now the one who was changed, is no longer saying or doing, what they USED to SAY and DO.  I guess you could say, that they were like a totally different individual, you know, like a NEW person.  This kind of reminds me of 2^nd Corinthians 5:17, where the Apostle Paul tells us that, “Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the OLD is gone, the NEW has come.” 

 

Those who are TRULY in LOVE, will tell the GOOD NEWS!  They want EVERYONE, EVERWHERE to KNOW!  Isn’t that the way it should be when we enter a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ?  I mean here is One, who LOVED mankind SO MUCH that He was BEATEN beyond recognition then NAILED to an OLD RUGGED CROSS, to die a CRUEL, HORRIBLE death, in order for MANKIND to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS.  He provided SALVATION, FREELY to ALL who would TURN AWAY FROM their sinful lifestyle and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. And CONFESS their sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  Then BELIEVE, with ALL their HEART that JESUS died for them, and is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for them, before God.  And to ACCEPT GOD’S FREE GIFT of SALVATION, and to become a NEW BEING.  ALL THEY have to do is fall DEEPLY in LOVE with JESUS. 

 

And NOT KEEP IT to THEMSELVES, but to SHARE IT with EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE.  GO TELL SOMEBODY; “JESUS LOVES THEM and wants to SAVE THEM FROM an ETERNITY in HELL.  He really wants them to fall DEEPLY in LOVE with Him and His FATHER.  Will you do that, if you haven’t already?  Do it NOW, while you still can.   He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Declare Me, Examine Me, and Test Me"

“Declare Me, Examine Me, and Test Me”

 

Declare me innocent, O LORD, because I do what is right and trust you completely.  Examine me and test me, LORD; judge my desires and thoughts.   Your constant love is my guide; your faithfulness always leads me.         Psalm 26:1-3

 

 

King David was a man after God’s own HEART.  Yes, there were times when he grievously SINNED against God, but David REPENTED and was brought back into a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with the Almighty God.   Therefore, he could, with a CLEAR conscious, ask God, the ONE TRUE JUDGE of ALL MANKIND, to DECLARE him INNOCENT.  David knew that he was striving to live a godly life, by doing what was RIGHT in the eyes of God.  And he TRUSTED GOD COMPLETELY.

 

David was so sure of his CLEAN HEART that he asked God to EXAMINE him.  In other words, he was saying to God; “Take and dissect my HEART and EXAMINE, or to look at EACH PART, CLOSELY and CAREFULLY and see that there are NO HIDDEN SINS or UNCLEANNESS, that has been tucked away in a corner.  More than likely, he CONFESSED ALL of his iniquities, and was CONFIDENT that NOTHING was there, that shouldn’t have been there.   

 

Then David asked God to TEST him, again he was CONFIDENT that whatever came his way, he COULD OVERCOME IT, because of his RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God.  And after the TESTING, God could KNOW that David’s FAITH was STEADFAST, and he was CONSISTENT in his OBEDIENCE to God.

 

David then sums it all up with; “judge my desires and thoughts.”  I believe that David KNEW that the ALMIGHTY, OMNISCIENT, GOD already KNEW what David’s DESIRES and THOUGHTS were.  But David was SO ASSURED of his RELATIONSHIP with God that he was WILLING to OPEN up his whole being, and then be JUDGED from the contents of his HEART.   David KNEW of God’s CONSTANT LOVE and FAITHFULNESS towards him, and TRUSTED them to be his GUIDE.  Are you, like David, SO ASSURED of your RELATIONSHIP with God that you are WILLING for Him to DECLARE you INNOCENT, and to EXAMINE your HEART, then to let Him put you to the TEST?  Do you have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him?  Do you have any HIDDEN or UNCONFESSED SINS in your HEART that is tainting your RELATIONSHIP with Him? 

 

If you are TRULY His Child, and this is the case, you NEED to get things RIGHT between YOU and HIM, so you too, like David, can say; “DECLARE me INNOCENT. “  However, if you have NEVER given your HEART and LIFE to God, you have NO RELATIONSHIP with Him, and after He JUDGES you, He will DECLARE you GUILTY, and sentence you to an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPING.  So, in order for you to ESCAPE HELL, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST CONFESS ALL your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  Then you MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that, Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him, and HEAR Him DECLARE you INNOCENT.  Then spend your ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Righteousness and Cleanness"

“Righteousness and Cleanness”

 

The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me.

I have been blameless before Him and have kept myself from sin.   The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

Psalms 18:20, 23, 24

 

This Psalm is a song that David sang to the Lord, because He DELIVERED David from the hands of ALL his enemies, to include the hand of Saul.  David was WORSHIPPING and PRAISING God for ALL that God had done to DELIVER him and PROTECT him.  God had RESCUED David from the hands of his enemies, and He can RESCUE US from the hand of our ENEMY, the Devil.

 

In verses one through nineteen, David describes his deliverance by the Lord.  In the following verses, twenty through twenty-four, David speaks of his FAITH.  He KEPT the ways of the Lord, he did NOT TURN AWAY from God nor His laws and decrees.  David kept his integrity and kept himself from his sin.  And because of his FAITHFULNESS, God DELIGHTED in DAVID, and He RESCUED him from ALL His enemies. 

 

God DEALT with David according to his RIGHTEOUSNESS or RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him.  He RESCUED David from ALL of his enemies.  And when we are RIGHTEOUS or have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God, He will DELIVER us from our MOST DANGEROUS of all enemies, the Devil, the one who can DESTROY our soul and send it to an ETERNITY in HELL, the place of EVERLASTING HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPING, once you are there. 

 

David stated that God REWARDED him because of the “CLEANNESS of his hands.  David wasn’t talking about having dirt or mud on his hands, but he was alluding to LIVING a CLEAN LIFE.  David kept the ways of the Lord, he did NOT TURN AWAY FROM God, but he turned to God and God HEARD David’s CRY and RESCUED him, all because of David’s RIGHTEOUSNESS or RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God.  Do YOU have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God?  Has He RESCUED you from the Devil?  Or are you CAPTURED by the ENEMY, and destined for an ETERNITY in HELL?

 

God wants to RESCUE and REWARD you too.  This is what you MUST DO to be RESCUED and REWARDED.  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then you MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then you MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and be RESCUED and REWARDED, because of your RIGHTEOUSNESS and CLEANNESS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Looking Forward"

“Looking Forward”

 

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.         2 Peter 3:14

 

I find the older I get the MORE I LOOK FORWARD to the RAPTURE of God’s Children, the SECOND COMING of the Lord, and spending ETERNITY in Heaven.  It seems like, here lately, EVERY NEW YEAR, I ask:  “Will this be the year that ALL of this takes place?”  I KNOW it WILL take place, because God says it WILL.  

 

The Apostle Peter, tells us that the FINAL scenario of the END will be when the Day of the Lord will come like a thief.  The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. (V10)   That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens, which is the earth’s atmosphere and the starry skies.  This will be done by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. (V12)  So in keeping with God’s promise, we, who are TRUE BELIEVERS, should be LOOKING FORWARD to a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH, where RIGHTEOUSNESS dwells. (V 13).

 

In the meantime, what should the TRUE BELIEVER do?  Well, our Scripture today, tells us that we should WORK HARD, make EVERY EFFORT to be found SPOTLESS, BLAMELESS and at PEACE with God.  In verses eleven and twelve we see that as TRUE BELIEVERS, we SHOULD LIVE HOLY and GODLY LIVES as we LOOK FORWARD to the Day of God and SPEED its COMING.   The way to SPEED its COMING, is through LIVING GODLY LIVES, PRAYING and WITNESSING, bringing others to SALVATION. 

 

Our Lord is PATIENT and wishes that NONE will PERISH, but on the other hand, He KNOWS that MANY will REJECT Him and His gift of SALVATION.  Are you one of those, who is REJECTING Jesus Christ and God’s gift of SALVATION?  I MUST TELL you that TIME is RUNNING OUT! The Lord Jesus could come to RAPTURE ALL of God’s Children, those who have ACCEPTED Jesus Christ and will live in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS, for ALL ETERNITY, and this could happen at ANY MOMENT.  If you have REJECTED GOD and His gift of SALVATION, you are headed for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE once you are there. 

 

However, God doesn’t want that for you.  So He has provided a plan to RESCUE you from HELL and ALL its HORRORS.  This is what He wants you to do:  TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO HIM with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS. Then you MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and start LOOKING FORWARD to your FINAL DESTINY.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON, it could be TODAY!!!

"The Resolution of a True Believer"

“The Resolution of a True Believer”

 

I will be careful to lead a blameless life---when will you come to me?  I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart.  I will not look with approval on anything that is vile.  I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it.  The perverse of heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with what is evil.        Psalm 101:2-4

 

Well, we are several days into the New Year, 2019, and I would venture to say that some people are ALREADY breaking their NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS.  In one sense, it is USELESS to make a RESOLUTION ESPECIALLY one, which you KNOW, full well, you won’t carry out.  I was taught NOT to promise something you can’t deliver. 

 

Notice, in our Scripture, King David, a man after God’s own heart, makes a vow, a RESOLUTION of sorts, but he clearly states that he will be CAREFUL to lead a BLAMELESS LIFE.  In essence David was saying that he would be CAUTIOUS to LEAD a BLAMELESS LIFE.  BLAMELESS does NOT mean a SINLESS LIFE, living a SINLESS LIFE is IMPOSSIBLE for mankind.  There WAS and IS ONLY ONE who has ever lived a SINLESS LIFE, and that is JESUS CHRIST.  The word BLAMELESS means the same as, INTEGRITY.  So David was saying that he would be CAREFUL to LEAD a LIFE of INTEGRITY.  The kings in David’s time were generally evil and wicked in their lifestyles.  But David was RESOLUTE to DO what he KNEW God would want him to do.  And NOT just for himself, but for his WHOLE HOUSEHOLD.

 

He would NOT APPROVE or CONDONE ANYTHING of a VILE nature.  David sinned against God, not just once, and he paid DEARLY for the consequences of those sins.  But David’s HEART was still turned towards God and His laws.  He sought after the things of God, and LED his people to do the same.  

 

MAKING a RESOLUTION is EASY, but KEEPING ONE is HARD, especially if it is of a spiritual nature, one that would bring you into a CLOSER RELATIONSHIP with God.  David RESOLVED to NOT be around, VILE, PERVERTED, FAITHLESS people, and to NOT PARTAKE in their EVIL activities.  In doing this, it would help him to KEEP his RESOLUTION to be BLAMELESS, or a man of INTEGRITY, and to LEAD others to be the same.  What is your RESOLUTIONS, are you WORKING HARD to surround yourself with things that will HELP you KEEP them?

 

IF you are a TRUE BELIEVER, DON’T make promises to God that you won’t WORK HARD to KEEP.  If you are an UNBELIEVER, the VERY BEST RESOLUTION you can MAKE and KEEP, is to GIVE your HEART and LIFE to GOD, and to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS.  The way to do that is to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL lifestyle, and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then you MUST CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and BE RESOLVED to LIVING for Him and GAINING an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!