Author: timritanickel@gmail.com

The power and strength of the Lord is exceeding awesome, and humans have no problem seeing power during a severe thunderstorm. God is more powerful than all the forces of nature that may overwhelm humans, like chaotic seas and floods, mountains and deserts, huge trees and animals. Jesus on earth also showed his power over scary forces.

It is the Voice of God, likened to thunder seven times, that has this awesome power. Our Lord Jesus would simply need to “speak a word” and everything will be peaceful and calm. The Lord’s sheep can have utter confidence in the Power of His Word to overcome and quiet the enemies of sin, death, and the devil that rage against the soul.

Praise the Voice of God and trust God’s Word. The terrible thunder of His Voice may come like a “still, small voice” or an inaudible whisper, but the Word of God has the same incredible power that is experienced in a nearby clap of thunder. Ask Jesus to speak a word when you need it. He will give strength to His people so He can bless them with peace.

Some associations with worldly people may lead to disputes and conflicts, which are actually conflicts with the unseen enemy. Sin and Self disrupt relationships and agreements between people of the world: this worldliness is in both believers and unbelievers.

Worldliness, inspired by the Enemy, does not regard God and His work of building solid relationships of love between people; thus He will destroy the works of their hands and build a better foundation (Christ) for stronger and more loving relations.

The believer cries to the Lord in His Holy Place (His Presence among us); He fixes things by tearing down the enemy’s work and rebuilding His own. Our Lord Jesus Christ becomes our Strength in the place of our weakness and worldliness and selfishness. He becomes our Shield to protect the one who prays from the destruction of worldly (God-ignoring) relations. He becomes our Shepherd as He takes tender care of us and carries us forever. God is a blesser.

The will of the Devil is to steal, kill and destroy; the will of Death is to cause fear, arouse worry and rob the joy of life; the will of Sin is to separate from God and bring curse in place of blessing. The World and the Self listens to and follows these enemies.

The will of God is to continually give and graciously restore an abundant life of perfect peace, abounding joy, and endless love. The inner spirit and the New Man listens to and follows this Shepherd and Friend.

Since both Friend and Enemy are present with us at all times I can turn to one or the other any time. My heart says what God says, “Your Face, O Lord, I will seek,” meaning “I will enter into your presence in the very presence of my enemies.” When I do so I escape fear, doubt, worry, danger, trouble, cruelty and devouring, and I find light, salvation, strength, confidence, safety, mercy, beauty, help, goodness and living. The answer comes: wait for the Lord!

A man is seeking worship of God in the Holy Presence of the Lord. He knows he must qualify for entrance into a sweet fellowship with his Lord. He asks God to examine his outer behavior (walk) and inner thoughts (reins and heart).

Although he claims integrity and faithfulness and innocence, he finally realizes he needs redemption and grace and so he asks for mercy and lovingkindness. The fundamental and final qualification for admission into His Presence is God’s mercy. Access to God is not earned nor given as a right. It is freely granted for Jesus’ sake.

The believer loves the habitation of God’s house; he seeks fellowship with Him constantly. Friendship with his loving Lord far surpasses association with vain persons, dissemblers, evildoers and sinners, with the world. The world is the place where our enemies lurk and prowl; it is used by Sin and Satan to bring us into misbelief and despair and other great shame and vice.

Daily repentance and faith in Christ ushers us from the defeated kingdom into the kingdom of the Overcomer where our Friend is waiting with open arms.

The walk or the way of life of an individual is determined by choices and defined by decisions. Every choice has a consequence: good choices produce beneficial results; wrong choices lead to harmful experiences.

God’s Word sets before everyone two ways: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked; God’s way or my way; God and others or Sin and self; blessing or curse; life or death. Every day forks confront everyone. Every fork determines the kind of life he enjoys, or messes up.

“Teach me your way, O Lord, for I trust in you.” The Holy Spirit is The Teacher whom Jesus sends to teach the blessed way. “Teach” means not only to impart the knowledge of the good and bad choice but more importantly to give the power to choose the right way.

The first thing He teaches me is that I am a sinner that cannot choose the good way. Then He teaches forgiveness of sins on account of Christ. Then He teaches the wise choice and gives the ability choose it.

He teaches me to say, “Lord, remember not my sins; according to your mercy remember me.” Trust the good Shepherd: He knows the good Way. The Enemy loses again.

A believer can and may “go to heaven” any time and any place, that is, he becomes conscious of the active Presence of God. When he enters he receives blessing and righteousness from the Lord. Is that awesome or what?

Who may “go to heaven” at any time? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who is innocent in deed and thought. So he must get clean by washing in the innocent Blood of Jesus. Since only He qualifies anyone may and must go in with Him, by repentance and faith in the Gospel.

It is Sin that separates a human being from God and the Holy Place, His living Presence. Thus Sin is an Enemy that needs to be overcome constantly. We have such an Overcomer: He enters as the King of Glory, the Warrior-King of armies, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. He has defeated Sin and presently defeats it. That One brings us in with Him, right here, right now. Welcome!

Jesus is my Lord; my Lord is my Good Shepherd and my Gracious Host; He is my Protector and Provider. He keeps me safe in every circumstance and takes care of me in every way that is good. Jesus is not just “the” good shepherd, He is Mine; not that I control him, but that I belong to him and he controls me as long as I let him.

Even when I am in “the ravine of deep darkness” I am not afraid to enter the darkness because he is going with me. Darkness includes the fear of death and the unknown. Death is the Enemy and he is the cause of all darknesses and fears, but my shepherd “is risen indeed” and has already destroyed death and the devil. That One is with me and comforts me.Whom shall I fear?

My Jesus is also my extravagant host who spreads a sumptuous banquet table in front of me even in the very presence of sin, death and the devil. The three enemies will not be removed until the Final Day, so they are always present, though defeated. But eternally present is my loving Shepherd and my generous Host. Which one do I see? To whom will I look?

Every person goes through ups and downs; to everything there is a season and a time for every purpose and “this too shall pass.” The Bible is all about the Great Reversal: from humility to exaltation; from despair to hope; from depths to heights; from death to life. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and Psalm 22 is all about Him, and, by faith, about me.

Note three downward and upward movements: 1) abandonment by God on the Cross, then trust in Father; 2) despised and mocked by men, then turn to God for hope; 3) enemies and agony and death, then cry to Lord for help, and finally exultation in resurrection victory and ultimate dominion over sin death and the devil.

For us humans both are always nearby: both God and the Enemy, both trouble and help, both death and life, both sin and grace. Both are always next to me, surrounding me and in me, always. What makes the difference? What changes things? It depends: Which one do I see? Faith sees God! To whom will I turn? The Spirit turns to Jesus!

Our God is strong; His strength fights and wins for me; I find great joy in his strength; I praise his power. He grants my heart’s desire and gives me life and salvation, even long life forever; He crushes my enemies: sin, death and the devil. He has given me great blessing and made me exceeding glad.

Our God does all this for the king, and my Lord Jesus Christ has made me a king (and a priest) to rule over and take dominion over sin, death, and the devil. When these enemies are controlled the vacuum is filled with the presence of God and the joy of the Lord, who is my strength. My Lord has found out the enemies, burned them up in a fiery oven, shot unerring arrows at them so that they could not perform mischievous evils against me.

All this strong fighting is done for me by His goodness and mercy without any merit or worthiness in me. God’s saving grace forgives sins and makes me clean; His restraining grace resists the devil and actually stops sin; His empowering grace gives the desire and ability to do good works according to His design. Our God is strong!

 

A godly king prays before going into battle, asking the Lord for Victory, and God grants it. Every single day the royal priest goes into battle, so praying beforehand is an excellent idea. Daily a child of God faces a problem to be solved, a challenge to be met, a struggle to be dealt with, an assignment to be finished, a temptation to be overcome, a battle to be won. It may be as simple as paying the bills, fixing something, smoothing a relationship, calming anxiety, healing a hurt, dealing with pain, keeping a promise, deciding an issue, or it may be something more momentous. But it is still a battle to prepare for and pray about.

It begins in the waking morning by “offering sacrifices,” which for the New Testament believer means remembering and applying the vicarious sacrifice of Jesus Christ through repentance, faith, and prayer. The day ends by raising the banner of victory.

Make the human preparations for the battle, yes; that is “the horses and chariots,” but don’t trust in them; trust in the name of the Lord your God. They are fallen; we are risen.