BE SELF-AWARE!

This is a phrase I find myself using frequently as a teacher. Many of us are not self-aware and it leads us into trouble. As I read this passage, I thought, “clearly David is self-aware.” 

He realizes that God has allowed Israel’s enemies to have their way with them because of their own rebellion against God. 

Are you self-aware? Are you asking God to do this, that, and the third in your life, but you do not realize you are out of right fellowship with Him. 

Remember this: God does not owe you anything based on who you are. He only “owes” you salvation based on who Jesus is in your life. You, without Jesus, will NEVER have a right relationship with God. On that, you must BE SELF-AWARE! Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 108:10-13

10 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? 11 Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies? 12 Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless. 13 With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 108

Psalm 107 is a good read. Take your time and allow the Lord to teach you about Him in this moment. He is faithful. Think about what He has done in and through your life. 

I have some friends who, just a few years ago, were crying out to the Lord because they wanted to start a family. They went through some difficult times. They cried many tears as it seemed like the Lord was saying “No” to their prayer to have children. 

But God is gracious. A couple of days ago, they welcomed their SECOND daughter into their family. PRAISE GOD!

Please understand, not every painful story will end like their’s. You may not get the answer you seek. But one thing is true, you have been redeemed from the hands of the enemy. And for that, you should tell anyone who will listen. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 107:2-3; 43

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, 3 those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.

43 Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 107

Sitting in my quiet time, I’m thinking about the grace of God. Reading the final section of Psalm 106, I cannot help but marvel at the goodness of God. The Israelites were rebellious. God gave them over to their enemies because they were following false gods. Then the Psalmist says that God heard their cry and He showed them mercy. 

That is difficult to comprehend. The people rebelled against God by worshipping false gods, yet God remembered them as His and showed them mercy. This is why I follow Him without doubt. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 106:40-46

40 Therefore the Lord was angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance. 41 He gave them into the hands of the nations, and their foes ruled over them. 42 Their enemies oppressed them and subjected them to their power. 43 Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin. 44 Yet he took note of their distress when he heard their cry; 45 for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented. 46 He caused all who held them captive to show them mercy.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 106:32-48

I wrote yesterday that the Israelites turned away from God despite the good He had done in their sight. The thing they did not realize is there’s a price to be paid for choosing not to follow God. 

When the Israelites realized they had rebelled against God, it was too late. They were destined to pay the consequences of “forgetting” who God is and what He has done. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 106:21-23

21 They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt, 22 miracles in the land of Ham and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. 23 So he said he would destroy them—had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 106:13-31

This section of Psalm 106 reminds us of what God did to save the Israelites from the Egyptians at the beginning of the exodus. As I read verse twelve, I pondered this question. Why would a person who witnessed what God did at the Red Sea ever turn away from Him and lose faith?

I look at the current landscape and see many people who have experienced God’s move in their life, but have turned away from Him. I do not understand that. I encourage you to keep the faith. God is in control. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 106:10-12

10 He saved them from the hand of the foe; from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them. 11 The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them survived. 12 Then they believed his promises and sang his praise.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 106:1-12

Imagine witnessing God work miracles in and around you. Think about how that might impact you as you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is who He says He is and He has shown Himself to you. 

This is what the Israelites experienced when they walked out of Egypt. They knew that God had saved them. Yet, whenever times of trouble came, they lost their faith. That fascinates me. 

Do you lose your faith in God because things don’t look like you think they should? I encourage you to meditate on all that God has done in and around your life. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 105:39-41

39 He spread out a cloud as a covering, and a fire to give light at night. 40 They asked, and he brought them quail; he fed them well with the bread of heaven. 41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 105:37-45

This section of Psalm 105 is a lesson in the life of Joseph (sort of) and the beginning of Moses’ ministry among the Israelites. If you are unfamiliar with this story, I encourage you to head over to Genesis 37 and read thru Exodus 12:32. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 105:16-17

16 He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; 17 and he sent a man before them—Joseph, sold as a slave.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 105:16-36

I have heard this passage quoted often. I think about this passage often. As I consider what happened to the Israelites as depicted in Isaiah and Jeremiah, I realize that God did not let the actions of the Babylonians and Assyrians go unpunished. 

Think about this, God removed His hand of protection from the Israelites because of their rebellion. He allowed those two nations, among others, to have victories over His chosen people. Then He punished those nations for their actions against the Israelites. WHY? This passage says it all. 

Paying people back, getting revenge, or actions of the like are not for us to do. We are incapable of having righteous revenge. Our revenge is always wrongly rooted. WHY? We do not know the full story. 

When it comes to vengeance, take a page from David’s book. Let God have His way. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 105:15

15 “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 105:1-15

*HOMEWORK ALERT*

Take a few minutes and look up what Leviathan is. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Psalm 104:24-26

24 How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 25 There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number—living things both large and small. 26 There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 104:24-35

Last night I was talking to myself, as I often do, and in the course of the “conversation” I said, “not this version of me.” I had to pause.

It reminded me of a meme that says something like, when are you gonna realize that people are “judging” you based on a person that no longer exists. Again, that’s roughly what it says. 

When we encounter Christ and receive His free gift of salvation, He begins to change us. God prunes away the parts of our lives that do not honor Him. This process continues for the rest of our lives on this earth. It’s impossible for people to keep up with the changes God is making. Therefore, they may interact with you not realizing that who they thought you were is not who you are. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

2 Corinthians 5:17

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Today’s Reading:

Psalm 104:1-23