Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 68:7-14
Ps 68:7-14
7 When you went out before your people, O God, when you marched through the wasteland, Selah 8 the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the one of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. 9 You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance. 10 Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor. 11 The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it: 12 "Kings and armies flee in haste; in the camps men divide the plunder. 13 Even while you sleep among the campfires, the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver, its feathers with shining gold." 14 When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land, it was like snow fallen on Zalmon.
1 Thess 5:19-24
19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil. 23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
When God went out with his people to battle, they always won. When he did not go and they went without him, they lost. Sometimes he was with them but they had to fight long and hard to be victorious and at other times they had an almost instant win without even fighting. God determined the weapons and the battle plan that were to be used. When Israel followed his plan, they conquered.
When we fight our spiritual battle and we use his plan and his weapons we will be victorious today. When we try to devise our own plans or we try to substitute our own instruments for his weapons, we will be defeated. Our victory must be based on our faith in God and in his strength to overcome. This is seen in our morally pure lives and our love for one another. The word of God is the sword he has given us, and to win we must carry it into battle and then use it. This means we must study God’s word and we must live it. We then are in position to defend what we believe and teach it to others. The gospel is God’s power to salvation.
Heavenly Father I am so thankful for the revelation of your will shown to me in Jesus Christ and revealed in your word. Give me wisdom to understand it properly and strength to live it in my everyday life. When it rebukes me or convicts me, give me a heart that will turn from wrong and follow you. When I am down and out, remind me to turn to your word for encouragement. Give me a loving heart that will share your gospel with those who are lost in sin. Help me remember that my understanding if fallible. Bless our nation. I pray in Jesus name.
Robert
