Saturday Stop and Reflect ~ Psalms 18

This Week's Scripture for July 8 - July 14, 2012

Nuggets of Reflection:

• Through Jesus, God is the Rock of our salvation.
• The Lord lives and He is alive in us.
• Jesus is a firm foundation that we can stand on. It will never crack under pressure or erode away.
• No matter whats going on good or bad, we should always stand firm on God's word and proclaim who Jesus is.
• "On Christ the solid rock we stand; All other ground is sinking sand."

Psalm 18:1-3,30-33,46

I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.

As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
For who is God, except the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength,
And makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places.

The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let the God of my salvation be exalted.

Saturday Psalm and Praise - Psalm 121

Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the hills--
From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.

The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.

Many times when faced with a situation or in need of assistance to make a very important decision, we would try to take matters in our own hands, instead of immediately asking God for help and giving Him full control over the situation. God is here to help us, but He's just waiting for us to come to our senses long enough to ask Him. Now, I am not talking about giving your situation to God, when it only seems like the ride is too hard to handle. Then, when the ride becomes somewhat smooth again, you're ready to take the wheel again and attempt to drive. No, God has to have total control so that He can guide and instruct you on what to do and what not to do.

As you read Psalm 121, you will see that there are some benefits to looking up to God for help.

1) I will lift up my eyes to the hills--from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Being able to ask for help in the time of trouble is a great benefit to have. Your help is not coming from just anybody. It's coming from the creator of the universe himself-----The Almighty and Powerful God. There's no need to fear because God is always there. And He is our ultimate Helper.) So we may boldly say: "The LORD [is] my helper; I will not fear." (Hebrews 13:6).

2) He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. (No matter how fast and heavy the wind blows, how hard the waves tend to crash up against you, or how intense the storm gets......God will not allow your foot to be moved. You will stand firm on God's word. You will be steadfast and immovable. "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand," - from the hymn "My Hope is Built." Ephesians 6:13 and 14 instruct you how to stand [with God's help, of course] and not let your foot be moved.) "Therefore, put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and having done all [crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place]. Stand therefore [hold your ground].....," (Ephesians 6:13-14 amp). "Then you will walk safely in your way, and your foot will not stumble," (Proverb 3:23).

3) Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. (This is what I like to call 24-hour customer service. Regardless of what time of day it is, you can call on God for help. God will not fall asleep on you. Even the disciples couldn't stay awake long enough to pray on Jesus' behalf [Luke 22:46]. But you can guarantee that you will not have that problem with our Lord and Savior.) "I, the Lord, will watch over it and tend its fruitful vines. Each day I will water them; day and night I will watch to keep enemies away," (Isaiah 27:3).

4) The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand. (This is a promise of protection. The Lord is your protector. When the heat from your situation gets too instense, the Lord will protect you from the heat. He will be your shade. God's shade is your hiding place from the heat.) "For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat;....," (Isaiah 27:4) "For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock," (Psalm 27:5).

5) The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. (If the sun can't strike you by day and the moon by night, that means you have 24-hour protection. God will always be around. He's not going to leave and come back. He's going to be your side during the day and during the night.) "You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday," (Psalm 91:5-6).

6) The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. (The Lord will not let any evil befall you, physically, mentally, and spiritually. He will keep you from harm's way. He will keep your spirit from becoming tainted by satan's ignorant devices.) "No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways," (Psalm 91:10-11).

7) The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore. (The Lord will protect all your comings and goings. Whether it be going to church and back, to work and back, or to the grocery store and back, God is protecting you to and from all your destinations, today and beyond.... forever.) "He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints," (Proverb 2:8). "Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out," (Deut. 28:6).

Isn't God awesome or what? Remember, when you feel like your back is against the wall, cry out to God for help. He is waiting for the call. Consider it a spiritual 9-1-1 emergency call to the man upstairs Himself. No job is too big or too small for our God. Even Superman, don't have anything on our God. Superman has a weakness, which is kryptonite by the way. Our God...........none, zilch. There's nothing impossible for Him. Amen and Amen.

May this post be a blessing to you.....spirit, soul, and body.

Your Sister in Christ,

Toia

Saturday Psalm and Praise - Psalm 30

I like to thank Miss Jocelyn from A Pondering Heart for inviting me to do this. And I thought my first Saturday Psalm and Praise will be Psalm 30. This Psalm is dear to me because it helps me understand that even though we are going through a certain situation or in help to make a life-turning decision, God is right there and in spite of, we have to be determine to give Him praise. This psalm help me realize that whatever storm we are going through.......it's only for a moment....a season.

Even though we may be feeling down in the dumps, we must gather up enough strength to praise the Lord and encourage others to praise Him. When you're down or in need of guidance, it's important to praise God because praising God gives you strength to endure and a clear ear to hear His voice. It also prepare you for God's answer to your prayers, which will transform, restore, and renew you in every way that's possible. So please read with an open heart. I also highlighted the verses that are near and dear to my heart.

Psalm 30

1) I WILL extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my foes rejoice over me.

2) O LORD my God, I cried out to You,
And You healed me.

3) O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave;
You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

4) Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

5) For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.

6) Now in my prosperity I said,
"I shall never be moved."

7) LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong;
You hid Your face, and I was troubled.

8) I cried out to You, O LORD;
And to the LORD I made supplication:

9) "What profit is there in my blood,
When I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise You?
Will it declare Your truth?

10) Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me;
LORD, be my helper!"

11) You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

12) To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

Your Sister in Christ,
Toia