psalms

ENEMIES…WHAT DO I DO?

| Ramblings and Scribblings for Jesus

Psalm 25:1-5
“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; 2 in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. 3 No one whose hope is in you will ever be put me to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse. 4 Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

Seventy-two Psalms speak about enemies. David understood that he would encounter many enemies throughout his lifetime. We, too, will encounter someone who wants to cause us harm or pain or oppose us because of our faith in God. We see that happening more and more in our world as it drifts farther and farther away from Godly principles.

What are we as Christians to do when someone comes against us wishing to do us harm? First, we must realize that our greatest enemy is Satan, and he is behind whatever attacks come our way. He is good at hurting us in just the right place; that place that inflicts the most pain. His main objective is to get us to doubt God’s goodness and faithfulness. He wants us to be so overwhelmed by the hurt, so much so that we stare more at it than we do the Lord. Many a battle is won or lost in your mind, remember that.

Sometimes it seems that God is slow to come to our aid. We want the pain, hurt, confusion, and attack to end; we cry enough already! But see, God, is doing a deeper work, He is with you, nearer than you know, and His desire is not to crush you, but to grow you, stretch you, teach you, guide you, and show you His goodness in the face of the enemy. Not all enemies are defeated or silenced immediately. This does not mean God is unable to do anything because we know God’s word says this in Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?” The answer is “NO” There is nothing that God cannot do! With just one word he could send your enemy fleeing, but God is more interested in the deeper work being done in your heart and soul. He is about eternity, getting you ready, refining you, molding you, and making you look more and more like Him.

As Christians, we must trust God’s unfailing character. We are to wait for God to intervene in our situation, our trial. While God is working and we are waiting, read God’s word and, pray, then pray, and read God’s word. Let the truth of God’s word permeate every fiber of your being. Remember who He is, and all He has done. Read about his faithfulness to those who put their trust in him. It is God who saves us, and delivers us; we cannot do it on our own. We must recognize our shortcomings, but at the same time, we must recognize God’s abilities and who He is.

Verses four and five say: “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” When the circumstances seem out of control, when the enemy appears to have the upper hand, when you feel the heat from the flames of hell, remember this:
Psalm 18:2-3 “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.”

God is always fighting for us, and Jesus is always interceding for us. Nothing we face do we face alone. As humans, it is easy to let our emotions get the upper hand and our minds to be troubled robbing us of the sweet rest that is found in our Lord and Savior.

I find comfort in these verses: Psalm 103:13-14 “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” God understands my fears, my twirling thoughts that rob me of rest, he takes into account my humanness, but he also calls me to go deeper, lean in closer, and wait.

So, to answer the question posed in the title: “What do I do?”
You read God’s word, pray, and then you pray, and read God’s word, worship, trust, sit quietly before him, walk in obedience, and believe God is who He says He is, He is faithful. David understood this. He told God all about it, he trusted that God heard his cries for help and that God would deliver him in due time, and take care of his enemies. He remembered and understood that God is a faithful God always there, always working, and that he was never left alone to fight.

We all have hard seasons in life, that will either be a time of drought for you or a time when you lean in close and let God grow those things in you that make you look and act more like him.

I want to look and act like Jesus. I want to study his word and learn from him. I desire to please him as I walk this earthly path, to trust His word, and to walk in obedience to His word daily. To look to him in times of trouble and remember He is a faithful and good God. I never fight alone…He fights for me! And prayerfully await His deliverance from all evil and the enemy that comes against me.

HE’S GOT YOU

| Ramblings and Scribblings for Jesus

I have recently been walking through a tough time, with multiple situations to work through and even process. I have had moments when all I could do was sit alone in a dark room and feel the hurt. I am sure you have been there a time or two yourself. My range of emotions has been many; I have felt hurt, confusion, anger, frustration, and the list could go on for a while, and I have cried all of it out to the Lord, desperate for His comfort, help, and peace. He has reassured me in many ways that He is right here with me, never leaving me, always hearing my cries for help.

God does not always take the hard things away from us. God did not remove the sea when Moses and the Israelites needed to cross to the other side; God parted it. The walls of water were on either side, and I am sure at times they felt fear that maybe, just maybe, it might come down on them, and they would all drown; moms and dads may have had to comfort and reassure young children that it would be okay, that God had them and would see them through.

When we pray over certain situations, or for people to be saved, or changed, we have no idea how God will answer those prayers. When we get brave enough to pray “whatever it takes,” are we prepared for the “whatever.” Only God knows what each situation or person needs to make a change, only God knows the true depth of the need in every situation, and every heart. But here is what I know, we have a good God, a faithful God, a God that sees everything clearly, and who can do anything!

As I have sat with my hurt, and walked through some hard stuff, I have cried out to God and searched His word, asking for His reassurance that He has heard my cries for help, He has seen every tear, and He is with me. You know no matter how long you have been a believer, there are times when you still need that reassurance and hope. Here are some verses that have jumped out at me recently, maybe you to could use some reassurance right now.

“As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” Psalm 18:30

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
Isaiah 43: 1b-2

“Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. 2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. 3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. 4 Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call on you. 6 Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy.” Psalm 86:1-6

Here are a couple of quotes that God has brought to me during this time, and of course their timing was perfect!

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

“For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.” Psalm 108:4

“Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You!”
Jeremiah 32:17

“You number our wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? Psalm 56:8

‘It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:1

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22

“I pray that you’ll remember this: God’s got everything under control, so there’s no need to panic EVER!

“God has no problems, only plans. There is never panic in heaven.”
Corrie Ten Boon

As humans sometimes no matter how long we have walked with the Lord we can feel overwhelmed, almost fearful, but God who understands that we are just dust comes alongside us and hears our cries, sees our tears, and comforts us on the deepest levels. He never grows tired or weary in our fumblings; He never tells us to “get over it,” He gently reminds us of “who He is,” “all He has done,” and that in Him we have hope and a bright future.

No matter how BIG the mountain may seem, no matter how HARD the heart may look, GOD IS BIGGER! There is NOTHING He cannot do!
He is ALWAYS FAITHFUL! And God ALWAYS HERES OR PRAYERS AND AND ANSWERS!

So, for me, even in this hard place, I choose to trust Jesus. I have chosen to rest in Him, knowing that He has it all under control and that His timing and ways are always perfect!