On Our Side

God’s word says this in Psalms 127:1-2, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.”

Unless the Lord builds a house or ministry, business, relationships, marriage or whatever else, it would be futile.  If we have His help and He is on our side and we listen and obey what He has made clear to us, we will not labor in vain if we want to have a real fulfilled life.  I am not saying that nothing ever gets done by nonbelievers that don’t wish to have the Lord’s help, but what I am saying is that it will never be as beneficial as it would be if the Lord was a part of whatever it is.  Unless the Lord had not been on our side we would have been doomed to failure; David wrote a Psalm, or song, about this speaking to the Israelites at the time but I think we all can gain some wisdom and knowledge through this Psalm.

Please read Psalm 124:1-8, “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,” Let Israel now say— ‘If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, When men rose up against us, Then they would have swallowed us alive, When their wrath was kindled against us; Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, The stream would have gone over our soul; Then the swollen waters Would have gone over our soul.’ Blessed be the Lord, Who has not given us as prey to their teeth. Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”

As you read these verses maybe the Red Sea experience came to mind while the Egyptians closed in on them, as the Israelites stood in front of it with no way to get across to the other side.  That would have been the end if God hadn’t been on their side.  

Back to David, he had no problem acknowledging his dependency on the Lord.   David knew very well where his strength came from and he had no problem honoring the Lord for it and giving Him all the glory and praise.  He also knew where his protection came from and his peace and joy.  David knew without the Lord he would be a total failure like many of the other kings were that led Israel into idolatry.  On different occasions he knew unless the Lord protected him he would have been killed in the days that King Saul pursued him to take his life plus there were other times during his kingship.  Without the strength of the Lord he could not have killed the bear or the lion with his bare hands like he did when he was just a shepherd boy; it was a good thing that the Lord was on his side.

Think about this; what do you think would have happened in your life if the Lord wasn’t on your side, what has He done for you and how has He protected you and blessed you?  For starters you would still be in your sins and be separated from the Lord.  In the end all you would experience is weeping and gnashing of teeth and suffering.  You would have no peace, love and joy or any real happiness.  You would be bound by sin and iniquity with no way out of your situation.  We have no idea how many times the Lord has protected us over the years.  Even when He chastises us, or corrects us, it is for our own good.         

Think about these things and then thank and praise the Lord for His unconditional love and mercy and grace that is new every day!!  I think we have something to rejoice about, don’t you?  Enough said, may the good Lord bless you and yours and may you all have a super day!!

Put Off The Old Man

This is very important in our walk with the Lord; to put off the old man and put on the new.  I think this is what may happen in some cases in those that claim to be believers. They compare themselves with others believers, which is a big mistake.  It is flawed thinking or you might say ‘stinkin thinkin.’  It is easy to look at other believers and think that I am not so bad, I don’t do what they do.

You may know some believers that are babes in Christ with little maturity that haven’t grown in their faith but are still struggling with old habits and can’t seem to get past them.  All of us may have looked at someone and thought how could they do this or that and still claim to be a believer.  You may see a believer that claims to have been a believer for a long period of time doing something you don’t think they should do as a believer but who are we to judge another man’s servant?  If we are dedicated servants of the Lord we can always find fault with others if all we do is look for their faults!!  I know how this works because I have been on both sides of this coin being the judge and being judged, so I am not looking down on anyone else, just trying to encourage others as well as myself that this kind of behavior is not a good thing.

Putting off the old man and putting on the new man, what does that really look like according to God’s Word in the book of Ephesians 4:17-24, “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

If you are a true born-again believer you have the Spirit of the living God in you and your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead!!  If this has happened to you, or me, we have a responsibility to take these things very seriously.  Paul isn’t saying these things to be a kill joy; he is encouraging his flock and us to be like their Lord and not like the world.

Paul goes on to tell them what they need to rid themselves of in Ephesians 4:25-31, “Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another. ‘Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.”

Then Paul tells them something else that they need to do that will help them tremendously in verse 32, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

Instead of looking at other believers and comparing ourselves to them, we need to love and encourage others by being imitators of God.  Remember we need to walk in the light, for we have been taken out of the darkness and brought into the light.

Please read Ephesians 5:1-2, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

And lastly read Ephesians 5:3-10, “But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.”

So let us put on the new man and imitate our God!!  Enough said, may you and yours have a super day and may the good Lord bless you with His perfect peace, love and joy, and health and happiness.  And don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord, for He is worthy!!