Call upon the Lord God in the day of trouble

When you in trouble or when trouble has filled your day, remember to call upon the Lord God in the day of trouble. Do not be ashamed to call upon the Name of the Lord no matter what problem you are facing.

Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me (Psalm 50:15)

As you call upon the Lord, thank Him for the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for all the blessings that you have received from Jesus Christ. Repent of your sins, confess your sins to the Lord God in the name of Jesus.

Do not fear man nor woman, when you have God by your side. Ask the Lord that you are able to speak right and do what is right. Don’t worry about what people can do, only concern yourself with the glory of the Living God and you will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13)

O dear friends of God, do take heed that when the Lord your God have saved you in the day of trouble, you do not displease God by not giving him the honor that is due to him alone. Don’t try to say that the doctor, the hero, the soldier or the family member etc saved you by their own efforts for they wouldn’t be able to help unless the Lord God caused them to be at the right place and at the right time to help you. Hence the glory belongs to God and so you must deny giving that praise that is due to Him alone.

Christ be with you!

 

Make the joy of the Lord your strength

The world in which we live is a fallen word and is on a collision course with the consequences of its wrong actions. That’s why don’t put your trust in the world to make you strong but rather on something that is strong, pure and never changes.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

People may think by getting a masters degree that they can become wise but in truth even they can be tricked by fraudsters or be intimidated by those in power over trivial things. That’s why don’t depend on your understanding of things, but rather trust in the Lord God with all your heart. So when your heart is in the Lord you don’t need to dwell in fear.

If are willing to be taught by God you are doing a favour to yourself. One of the wisest things things you can ever do is to be believe in the Word of God. Hence in all your ways acknowledge the Lord God and he will make straight your paths.

And in matters of the heart, mind and soul make the joy of the Lord your strength. Don’t depend on the minions of false opinions that your come across social media for your emotional health but instead have unwavering trust in the Lord.

And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)

No matter how bad the challenges or troubles you face don’t get stuck so much into grief, that you lose track of yourself and fade away. The best way to counter grief is to make the joy of the Lord your strength. You may find this easy to follow or hard but what matters is that you focus enough on the Lord regardless of the circumstances and get your strength from God.

One practical suggestion about making the joy of the Lord your strength is read his Word, pray to God and praise God!

Verses for reflection:

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him—my father’s God, and I will exalt him. (Exodus 15:2)

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. (Isaiah 12:2)

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.(Psalm 46:1-3)

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. (1 Chronicles 16:11)

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. (1 Peter 5:10)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power (Ephesians 6:10)

Always be thankful and celebrate all that God has done for you

Always be thankful and celebrate all that God has done for you. Don’t ever forget the good that God has worked in you life, lest you get carried away by the cares and worries of this life and be unfruitful.

Jesus himself spoke about this in the Parable of the Sower as in Mark 4: 18-10 saying “And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.”

 

As an act of continual gratitude speak to others what the Lord God has done in your life.

Jesus himself told the man from whom he expelled the demons to tell other what the Lord had done for him and this man gladly this. And the people marveled at the goodness of the Lord!

And they came to Jesus, and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. ¹⁶ And those who had seen it told what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine. ¹⁷ And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their neighborhood. ¹⁸ And as he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. ¹⁹ But he refused, and said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” ²⁰ And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decap′olis how much Jesus had done for him; and all men marveled. (Mark 5:15-20)

Bible verses for reflection:

• With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. (Ezra 3:11)
• I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High. (Psalm 7:17)
• I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 9:1)
• Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100:4-5)
• Sing to the Lord with grateful praise; make music to our God on the harp. (Psalm 147:7)
• I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king. (Daniel 2:23)
• Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:18-20)
• Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)
• Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ( 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
• Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29)

Always ask for God’s protection daily

Always ask for God’s protection daily, O all you believe the Lord God. Don’t be ashamed to ask His help, in this world that is dying and fading away! That way you can rest easy, knowing that God is control!

Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah. Our God is a God of salvation; and to God, the Lord, belongs escape from death. (Psalm 68:19-20)

O believer in Christ, don’t take your daily routine lightly. You are a precious soul in the eyes of God. So ask for God’s protection daily, in faith. Don’t pray for the sake of pleasing people. Instead, remember to ask this in faith that you indeed receive Divine protection.

Ask for protection against economic hardships

Do not be off guard with economic hardships. Ask Jesus to save you from financial errors and the evil schemes of scammers and all evildoers who prey on other’s money for their sinister agenda. Ask for protection in your finances and even those of your friends and family. Pray that they are given the wisdom and protection to not fall into money traps, wittingly or unwittingly.

Do not be affected by a sudden sickness

Always desire to never fall prey to sudden sickness. You need to be in good health so that you can help yourself and others to do good things in life. No doubt, even if you are sick you can still do good, but wouldn’t it be better and more easier to help others when you are in better health? Imagine, if your preacher is supposed to preach during the church service, and bails out just one minute before the time to preach during the church service, citing he got a severe migraine. Would the rest of those in attendance have a happy feeling about that church service? Fortunately, a good preacher will always take care of one’s health and also pray to the Lord God who is the Divine Healer, so that one remains in good health all through.

Always pray to be free from sickness

Why just pray to avoid sudden sickness? One must always pray to be free from sickness. That way you will be having more time to do good works and use your time more effectively to do the Will of God. Besides, you can use that time to give thanks to the Lord your God for your health, especially when all around there are dangerous diseases.

You shall serve the Lord your God, and I will bless your bread and your water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of you.(Exodus 23:25)

Pray for your physical, mental, and spiritual safety

Have faith in God to protect your body, mind, soul, and spirit. And as a sign of this faith, actually, pray. Don’t take things for granted. I read the news and I have observed people who have achieved great riches or got children, suddenly die in a fatal car crash or drown during their usual seaside swimming routine. It’s a sad thing to know that these people have their families who are in sorrow, knowing that their dad’s, their mom’s, their sons, their daughters etc, are no longer with them in the land of the living. O how they are yearning to have them back or if they could turn back time to prevent them from dying?  But we all know time and tide wait for no man. Therefore it’s my earnest please to all you who read this; pray for yourself and your loved one’s daily, and ask God to protect them in body, mind, soul and spirit!

Reflect on the below Bible verse from Psalm 103: 1-5 :-

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits,
³ who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the Pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
⁵ who satisfies you with good as long as you live
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Pray that you do not fall into temptation

And finally, pray that you don’t fall into temptation, and ask God to protect you while you are tempted. Some people naturally pray for protection in all areas of life, except for that of righteous living, though in fact, that is the most important. Your soul is more precious than all the money in the world.

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36)

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)

 

God does not take pleasure in wickedness

Psalm 59 Song “God is My Defense” (Esther Mui) Video

Note: This song is from scripturesongsforworship.com. You can also download a free MP3 version of this song by clicking here.

 

Psalm 59:1-2,9-10a,16-17

1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Defend me from those who rise up against me. 2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, And save me from bloodthirsty men. 9 I will wait for You, O You his Strength; For God is my defense. 10a My God of mercy[c] shall come to meet me; 16 But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble. 17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; For God is my defense, My God of mercy.

 

Psalm 138 – A Psalm of Thanksgiving

 

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
² I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
³ On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.

⁴ All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
⁵ and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
⁶ For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.

⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
⁸ The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

 

Praise the Lord, my soul

Psalm 113 – Who Is like the Lord Our God?

113 Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
    praise the name of the Lord!

² Blessed be the name of the Lord
    from this time forth and forevermore!
³ From the rising of the sun to its setting,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised!

⁴ The Lord is high above all nations,
    and his glory above the heavens!
⁵ Who is like the Lord our God,
    who is seated on high,
⁶ who looks far down
    on the heavens and the earth?
⁷ He raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
⁸ to make them sit with princes,
    with the princes of his people.
⁹ He gives the barren woman a home,
    making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord!

Reflection:

Praise the name of the Lord God. Everyone who works for God be encouraged to praise his Holy name.

Don’t praise Him only now but instead praise him now and forever.

From your time of getting up to the time of resting praise the Lord.

God is not like anything common. For he is exalted above all nations and the glory of heaven. No one can compare to our Lord God who created the heavens and the earth.

Merciful is the Lord for he uplifts the poor and needy. He places them with the princes of his people.

Bountiful are the Lord God’s blessings. He lifts up the barren woman in her affliction so that she receives children bringing much joy to her.

Praise God because he is worthy to be praised!

Psalm 115 (To Your Name O Lord Give Glory)

¹ Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
² Why should the nations say,“Where is their God?”

³ Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
⁴ Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
⁵ They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.
⁶ They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.
⁷ They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk;
    and they do not make a sound in their throat.
⁸ Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.

⁹ O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.
¹⁰ O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.
¹¹ You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.
¹² The Lord has remembered us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron;
¹³ he will bless those who fear the Lord, both the small and the great.

¹⁴ May the Lord give you increase, you and your children!
¹⁵ May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth!
¹⁶ The heavens are the Lord‘s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.

¹⁷ The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence.
¹⁸ But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord!

 

Reflection on Psalm 115:

The Lord God respects his Holy Name because is faithful and ever-loving. There is no need for unbelievers to question where God is. Because the answer is already given; God is in heaven and does whatever he wishes. The Lord is not like any false god of whom people make idols. He is genuine and everlasting. His dominion is from age to age. Idols of false gods are useless because they don’t have the sense of hearing nor the sense of taste and neither can they see. So shallow are false idols that they cannot even walk. As lifeless as these idols are, so is the effect of putting hope in them. Avoid all such detestable idols. Let no material object nor any lust of any kind nor any thought pattern from the sinful world become a false idol to you!

The nation of Israel not matter what their current state is still called to trust in the Lord God and so are their priests; the household of Aaron. All those who trust in the Lord must remember he is the help and the shield of Israel and all believers when they trust in him. The Lord won’t forever forget the household of Israel nor that of Aaron the high priest of Israel, as per the law of Moses. In due time, he will turn their hearts back to him. But do remember, that God’s favour is not limited to them alone but is for all people who respectfully fear the Lord even if they are from the most remote parts of the earth. God’s mercy is available for all nations, tribes, language groups and races of the earth.

Always seek the blessing of God the everlasting One for yourself and your children. Because he is Great and has made heaven and earth. All of heaven belongs to the Lord of all the holy angels. But he has given mankind the earth, not as a possession but for stewardship, so that they glorify HIM in their thoughts, words and deeds while on earth.

Make good use of the time when you are alive on earth. Because for those who are dead, especially those who are dead in spirit to the will of God, there no time later to praise the Lord. While for those who are righteous in Christ at the time of their death are more alive than ever. They will praise the Lord in eternity which has God’s living light.

As for those of us who are still living on earth, lets us bless and praise the Lord forever and ever. Praise the Lord.

 

Verses for further reflection:

1. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. (1 John 5:21)
2. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8)
3. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (Colossians 3:5)
4. Lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” (Romans 11: 25-27)
5. After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7: 9-10)