Month: August 2014

Our Psalm 19 Ministries Institute of Biblical Studies begins in just a couple of weeks. ENROLL NOW so we will be ready for you when class begins. Registration and all details are available on-line at psalm19ministries.org or you can call us at 315-727-6194. These courses are exciting and full for the breath of the Holy Spirit. You will love what you will discover and your relationship with our Lord Jesus will soar.

“And remember I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 1 Corinthians 3:18

Why is it we really do not believe these New covenant truths? Why is it we are always trying to “get closer to God” when He lives within us as believers? Even David in the Old Covenant understood that the Lord never left him. He wrote out his heart about this in the Psalms. “Where can I go to escape your spirit? Where can I flee to escape your presence? If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn, and settle down on the other side of the sea, even there your hand would guid me, your right hand would grab hold of me. If I were to say ‘Certainly the darkness will cover me, and the light will turn to night all around me,’ even the darkness is not too dark for you to see, and the night is as bight as day; darns and light are the same to you.” Psalm 129:7-12 Yet in today’s “church” world folk are always working hard, in deep sincerity of heart, to repent enough, to read enough, to pray enough, to fast enough, on and on it goes. Everything is promoted as the key to get us “closer to God.”

I wonder just how the Lord feels about all that work and effort, when He did all that was needed for us to dwell in His heart as He does in ours? I wonder if it ever frustrates Him that we really do not seem to believe Him. We need to do something to make it happen. Just what is this demon that keeps us moving in unbelief and faithlessness?

He is here. He is in you, if indeed you have believed. Nothing, no thought, no word, no breath happens that He is not intimately acquainted with. Just so close, wrapping us in His grace, love and mercy. Lord may we seek to enter your rest in all this “stuff,” and trust you. You are here. You are speaking with us, and our efforts need to be turned another direction.

There is need for effort, but not this way. Our efforts are to be through His rest and through His Word in His Kingdom, working His will – which is in us. Let’s see, it says “…for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort – for the sake of his good pleasure – is God.” Philippians 2:13. “Therefore we must be wary that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it. For we had good news proclaimed to us just as they did. But the message they heard did them no good, since they did not join in with those who heard it in faith. For we who have believed enter that rest,….” Hebrews 4:1-3a

Read “Truth About Distance” in the Writings on this blog for more thoughts this direction.

I have written the following encouragement to my Intercessors in my prayer letter so thought I would just include it here as an encouragement to you as well. Thank you for reading.

“Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our troubles

so that we may be able to comfort
those 
experiencing any trouble with the comfort
with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NET Bible

Several days ago, the Lord began to work with me regarding this scripture. It is always appropriate, to use the word “comfort” in this text, but I would like, to broaden our understanding of it just a bit. 

The Greek word used here for “comfort” is “paraklésis” and means  – “The core-meaning of paráklēsis (“personal urging”) is shaped by the individual context, so it can refer to: exhortation, warning, encouragement (comfort), etc. ” (This is from Strong’s word studies on http://BibleHub.com ). You will recognize its kinship to the Greek word we use for the Holy Spirit as the one with us, along side of us, our helper, etc….

So this word would be just as accurately (or even more accurately) translated as “encouragement.” It gives it a broader meaning and more accurately displays for us the heart of the Father. Let’s read the passage with it translated that way.

“Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all encouragement,
who encourages us in all our troubles
so that we may be able to encourage those
experiencing any trouble with the encouragement
with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.”

Now you see what a broader meaning it holds for us. Whether it is “comfort” or “encouragement” or any of the other synonyms that could be used, it is good to see it means more than to help those who have loss something or someone. It includes all of us in our every day lives.

We look to other people and to circumstances to bring us comfort and encouragement – but this passage is not primarily talking about that. It does not say I can encourage you with the encouragement I have received from others. (Now certainly we need to be encouragers of one another but the problem comes when we are the source of that for others or they are the source of that for us).

These two verses are pointing us to our Father. He is the one who intimately loves, enfolds and encourages us. If we only receive it from external sources, it will eventually not be there for us. It is in our intimate relationship with our Beloved Lord Jesus in the Father’s heart that will give us enough encouragement to sustain us and urge us forward in our daily lives.

How it must cause Him sorrow that so many of us live sad, depressed lives simply because of some perceived non-met need we hold dear! How very sad that we move from event to event, from person to person expecting His touch for something special for our lives, when all the while He is within us (as born-from-above believers) abiding and supplying more than enough vision and encouragement for the journey. We have all been this and experienced this – guilty. I am so grateful for His love, grace and forgiveness in that grace. I have been encouraged just this morning as I was pondering some items and feeling discouraged about them – then I sensed Him pointing me to His promise. Oh Yeah! So then I chose to believe and trust Him. Immediately within me, peace and anticipation of all good things rose and I begin to function beyond the problems! Thank you Lord.

May your heart and life find great encouragement in Him today. His love, encouragement and provision is always ours.