*FAITH CHALLENGE*

As you read the conclusion of Psalm 44, your faith may be challenged. This Psalm is what it seems to be. Israel is facing troubles, but God is not coming to their rescue. 

According to the Psalmist, Israel has not broken covenant with God. They have not forgotten Him. Yet, God is allowing this calamity to come upon them. Why would He allow such a thing?

Because He’s God and He can!

We live our lives thinking that if we do the right thing and seek God always that no bad thing will come upon us. This is not true. Jesus promised us trouble. The writer of Hebrews tells us about faithful people who were flogged, sawn in two, and never received the blessings of their faithfulness here on earth. 

Can your faith withstand such things? Does God always have to do good to you and keep harm from you for you to remain faithful? Be careful how you answer these questions. Search your heart. God does. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 44:20-22

20 If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, 21 would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart? 22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 44:9-26

​When times are tough and you can’t find the words to express your faith in God, try this passage in Psalm 44. It will encourage you to stay focused on Him. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 44:6-8

6 I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; 7 but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. 8 In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 44:1-8

*Bible Lesson Alert*

Notice how Psalm 43 ends? It will remind you of how Psalm 42 ends. The reason for this is simple. In many Hebrew manuscripts, they constitute one Psalm. 

As you read the Bible, be careful not to place your culture and your present day ideologies on what is meant by a passage. If you have never studied the Bible, I encourage you to do so. 

As a Christian, you are going to be questioned and sometimes challenged on what the Bible says about thus and so. It is important for you to know as much as possible so you can “rightly divide the Word of truth.” Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 43:5

5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 43

The next time you’re down in the dumps, pray these words over you. Like the Psalmist, put your hope in God. He will never let you down. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 42:11

11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 42

As you consider the ups and downs of your daily life, what a blessing it is to be able to proclaim the words in this passage. God is faithful. Place your trust in Him. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 41:13

13 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

Amen and Amen.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 41

Ponder this passage. The Psalmist is crying out to God for Him to settle the matters with those who are speaking out against him. He wants God to take care of it. And that’s the right way to do it. 

We must leave vengeance in God’s hands. We can go to Him with our grievances, but we can never take matters into our own hands AND still be in a right relationship with God. He is merciful and compassionate. His vengeance is always righteous. Let Him be the one to repay. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 40:14-16

14 May all who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. 15 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” be appalled at their own shame. 16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, “The Lord is great!”

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 40:11-17

Time to take another inventory of your walk with Christ. As you do, think about all He has done in and through your life. Ask Him to show you areas of your life that He has touched that you may not have thought about previously. When you do this inventory and see how He has touched your life, accept this blessing, then share what He has done with those in your sphere of influence. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy.

Psalm 40:4

4 Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 40:1-10

What a bold prayer this is! Have you ever prayed in this way? I encourage you to pray humble, bold prayers seeking God and asking Him to change your life to conform to what He wants you to do. It will be challenging, but well worth it. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy.

Psalm 39:4-5

4 “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. 5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.”

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 39

Psalm 38 gives us insight into the importance of repentance. David is crying out to the Lord and is not holding back on his wrong doing. Trusting God means putting your sin on the alter and allowing God to cleanse you. 

Do you have areas in your life that you have not allowed God to have from you? You’re not fooling Him. Unconfessed sin is still seen by God. When you don’t confess it, you keep yourself from having a right relationship with Him. 

If your choice is God or your sin, I encourage you to always choose God. Confess your sin and live right with your Father. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 38:1-4

1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. 2 Your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down on me. 3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin. 4 My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 38

HOPE! 

Simply saying that word gives me comfort. It lets me know that things will be okay. The key to comforting hope is its focus. When you put your hope in the Lord, the miraculous can happen. 

Isaiah says that those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. Paul tells us in the book of Romans that hope does not put us to shame because of God’s love poured out for us through the Holy Spirit. 

This passage teaches us to hope in the Lord and as we keep His way, He will exalt us. No matter your situation, hope in the Lord. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 37:34

34 Hope in the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 37:30-40

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. God has called us to live a certain way. As we live for God by faith, it will be counted as righteousness for us. We see this in Hebrews 11 as the writer reminds us of the faith of Abraham. 

This passage gives us a promise. We are shown that our righteousness will not go unnoticed by God. I don’t know about you, but I want God to notice my life lived for Him. Do you? Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 37:25 & 29

25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. 

29 The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 37:12-29

It is so easy for us to look at the lives of others and think about how “good” they have it. This is a bad practice. Looking at someone else’s “reward” is not wise because we do not know what God is doing or will do in and through their lives. 

This passage will help you to focus on doing the right thing, no matter what. Be reminded that God sees everything. He will reward all in accordance with their actions. Like it or not, all of our actions have consequences. Good or bad, our just God will reward each person according to the fruits of their “labor.” Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 37:8-11

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. 10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. 11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 37:1-11

This passage is important. It seems to speak only about those who do not live for God. And, essentially, there’s truth in that thought. But the way my brain works, I see a call to action for believers in Jesus Christ.

We cannot be comfortable in our salvation as we watch people live as outlined in this passage. God has called the Church to share His Salvation. This includes sharing with the most repulsive, mean-spirited, self-serving person we know. It is not, now, nor will it ever be our place to decide who gets to hear the gospel and who doesn’t. We don’t decide who is worthy and who isn’t. If we believed that was the case, no one, including us, would ever hear the gospel. None of us have EVER been worthy of what Christ did on the cross at Calvary.

Live your life in such a way that people will look at your life, and glorify God. If they do not know God, may He, through your right living, convict their hearts toward Him. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy.

Psalm 36:1-4

1 I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. 2 In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. 3 The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. 4 Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 36

​As you finish reading Psalm 35, you will hear the words of a person who has put their trust in God. The Psalmist is crying out to God for relief from those who would wish him harm. They are treating him poorly, but he knows that he can call out to God, who will come to his rescue. 

That same God is ready to be for you all that He is for the Psalmist. I encourage you to put your faith in God. No matter your current life situation, the answer is Christ. Meditate on this passage. Allow these words to comfort you. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 35:28

28 My tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praises all day long.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 35:17-28

This passage is written on the heels of the writer pointing out how people were against him. His heart posture was turned toward God. This is how we must respond in times of trouble. 

Meditate on this passage so you will be able to draw on it when trouble comes. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 35:9-10

9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation. 10 My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.”

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 35:1-16

The message of the Bible is clear, God loves us all. However, God is just. Therefore those who choose to reject His love, will receive the consequence of their rejection. This rejection is not merely words. It is a life lived in disobedience. It is a life lived in contrast to the word of God. 

Jesus said, “Anyone who has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.” Simple! Read the Bible and live how it tells you to live. Seek God first in all you do. Honor God above all else. He will never lead you astray. If you find yourself moving away from how God would have you live, it is a clear indication that you are no longer following Him. Simple! Love God. Love people. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 34:15-16

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; 16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 34:11-22

This passage reminds me of the bridge in the song Trust In God. The words are, “I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered.” As the bridge comes to a crescendo, the singer repeats those words and then says, “That’s why I trust Him!” Think about your life. How has God given you reason to trust Him?

For me, it’s moments like today. August 15 is Liberation Day in South Korea. It’s the day Korea was liberated from Japan at the end of WW2. It is a step on the path that led me to meet my wife on October 2, 1988. A little over forty-three years later. This level of detail is why we can trust in God. 

Cry out to Him. He will hear and He will answer. That’s why you can trust Him. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 34:4

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 34:1-10

I like how reassuring Psalm 33 is. The Psalmist encourages the believer to place their focus on God. As we do this daily, the concerns and cares of our lives will seem small and manageable. 

I particularly like verse twenty. We learn that God is our shield. I believe that this is why it is impossible to please God without faith. If He is our shield, and the armor of faith is a shield, then God is our faith. Therefore, without God it is impossible to please God. (You may need to read that a couple of times. Also, see Ephesians 6:10-18 for clarity)

What area of your life requires you to exercise your faith? Allow God to be your shield. He has a perfect record. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 33:20

20  We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 33:12-22

How often do you underestimate the power of the Lord? Ponder your life and your decisions. We think we have all of the information we need to make an important decision, but there’s a tug on our heart. “Something” tells us to decide in a different direction. But that doesn’t “make sense” to us, so we follow through on our decision. As things unfold, we realize we should have followed through on what “Something” told us. 

God is sovereign. Our need to have “all” of the information when we make decisions flies in the face of what God truly wants from us, our trust. This means we must act in faith. There will be times when we do not have all of the information, but “Something” tells us to do a thing. As we read our Bible daily, pray daily, and seek the counsel of mature Christians, we will begin to make right decisions more times than not. Why? Because we will better understand who that “Something” is that has been guiding our decision making. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 33:8-11

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 33:1-11

Psalm 32 was likely penned by David after his adulterous actions with Bathsheba. This is important to note because of the way the Psalm begins.  He says that the one whose transgressions are forgiven is blessed. The key? We must acknowledge our sin, then repent from them. 

The enemy wants you to hide your sin and then he uses it to dismantle your witness for Christ. He seeks to convince you that since you sinned, God cannot use you. This is a lie. Notice David’s words in this passage. Speak them over your life and allow God to use you for His purposes. You will never regret it. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 32:5

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 32