Hope -

I Wait For The Lord

“I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.” Psalms 130:5

Are you waiting for the Lord? Is your hope in His word? Many do not have patience. Patience involves perseverance when we are waiting for answers to our prayers. There may be some kind of delay, but the answer is on its way. Prayer is the key to receiving those answers from God. Patience is needed to wait upon the Lord to receive the blessings of the Lord. These days many do not want to wait due to self-gratification. We want it now instead of waiting for the answer or manifestation of what we are seeking from God. These days many do not take the time to read God’s word. Yet, God’s word is the bread of life to direct our path. In Hebrews chapter four, verse twelve, it reads as follows:

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Many do not want to hear what the word of God has to say because it pierces the soul and spirit. God’s word discerns our thoughts and intents of the heart. Those who are of the faith in the Lord Jesus, must stay the course and surrender every day their thoughts to the Lord. Our hope is in the word of the Lord. We must know that the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth does not faint or is weary, [see Isaiah 40:28]. Listen to what else Isaiah has to say,

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

In verse 30, Isaiah said that even the youth shall faint and be weary. But, those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary. They shall walk, and not faint. Even David knew that God satisfies the mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s [see Psalms 103:5]. Reading the word will renew your strength. The word is the provision of God. We must wait, and meditate on the word.

I wait for the Lord, and in His word do I place my hope. My hope is in the Lord God.

“For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.” Psalms 71:5

In your youth and old age, the Lord God will give you strength. God shall redeem your soul from deceit and violence. Let us praise the Lord for He will bring us out of trouble. Pray to the Lord to bring you out of trouble. Declare God’s wondrous work. Cry out to God not to forsake you when your strength fails. God will make haste to help you in your time of need. Pray and ask, and you will receive.

Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. Psalms 71:4

Let us pray like David and rely only on the word of God. Our confidence is not in the unfaithful man, but it is in God alone. The Lord is good and ready to forgive.

“In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.” Psalms 86:7

In the day of your trouble, call upon the Lord and He will answer you. Surrender your will and be quickened in your body and soul in the name of Jesus. Teach me thy ways Lord, and I will walk in thy truth, [Psalms 86:11]. Help me to wait upon you Lord and renew my strength today, in Jesus name, we pray, Amen.

The Blessed Hope

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”
Titus 2:13

Are you looking for that blessed hope? The second coming of our Lord? Are you ready for His return? This is the time for you to establish your heart. To settle yourself into the path God wants you to walk. Remember that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation [see 2nd Corinthians 5:18]. We are to be reconciled back to God and each other. The coming of the Lord draws near. Let us heed the warning and look towards the coming of the Lord with patience and with wisdom. The wisdom from above is pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy, [see James 3:17]. Does your behavior project the image of Christ? This is the reason why we confess our faults to one another and pray for each other.

“Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge stands before the door.”
James 5:9

The danger of being condemned by our own actions is a moral and ethical dilemma due to the consequences. We just do not think about the consequences from the decisions we make. One should decide if they are receiving the discipline or punishment from God. James was addressing those who believe in Christ and how Christians should behave and view themselves. James was rebuking the worldliness of the believers. Just read chapter four when James questions where wars and fighting’s among them come from. It is due to their own lusts, and they did not pray and ask God for what they needed. Friendship with the world is enmity with God [see James 4:4]. Christians are not to be false accusers but to exhort the love and peace of God through Jesus Christ. To live a holy and godly life before man looking towards Jesus as our example of suffering affliction and of patience. We must remember the patience of Job and read of the end result how the Lord was pitiful and had mercy towards Job and gave him a double portion back of what he had lost after he prayed for his friends.

We must continue to pray and ask the Lord for help and change our desires that we do not speak evil of another person. We do not know what tomorrow may bring. It is today that we should be concerned about. This moment in time we are living is precious in God’s eye. What we do today is important, and God will open doors in the opportunity to witness. Even seniors still have that opportunity to witness to others about Jesus. We each have a testimony of what God has done in our life. I remember Smith Wigglesworth stating that there is always preaching, preaching, preaching, and people get tired of it. We need to hear more testimonies from those whom God has blessed. When the Holy Spirit is allowed to move in the body of Christ then there will be the gifts of the Spirit flowing to meet the needs of everyone in the body of Christ. This includes reading of the word, testimony, prophesying, healing, singing, praying, and more. There should be no bitter envying and strife within our hearts. James states it is the tongue that defiles a man.

But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceeded blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
James 3:8-10

James is explicit about the tongue not being tamed and full of poison. I rarely heard this subject being preached, but we need to hear it. Many times, we put our own foot in our mouth and say things that offends or upsets another person. Sometimes we do this without even realizing what we have said. James also said that a person who judges is not a doer of the law but a judge. This is like the Pharisees who were experts in pointing out the law but not following the law itself. Our speech and actions are important to those around us. What we believe is what we speak. This is what is in our heart. Out of the heart comes the issues of life. Can you be assured within your own heart before God?

“For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.”
1 John 3:20

God is greater than our own heart and knows all things. Do you have confidence toward God. John states that we can only have confidence in God if our own heart does not condemn us. We knew when this happens, and God knows. This is very important when we come to God and ask him for something. Our heart must be in the right place in order for him to hear us that we may receive from him our petitions. Each person is responsible for their own actions, and we need to humble ourselves in repentance. I love it when pastors allow time for prayers at the alter for repentance and healing. We need to purify our hearts before our Lord and have forgiveness for our sins. We must remember how God gave us His Son because of His Love for each one of us. There is no partiality with God. We desperately need His Love within our own heart. Do you know and believe that God is love? Those who live in love, dwell in God, [see 1 John 4:16].

Let us not be discontented against one another but let us have the love of God within our hearts. Let us have a sound speech before others. Let us deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, that we may live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age, [see Titus 2:12]. It is through mercy of God that we were saved through Jesus Christ, and we should remember our past lives of serving lusts. We were brought out of those bondages that controlled us to the newness of life through Jesus Christ. Therefore, we now live in the Love of God and look forward to His coming. This is redemption from sin, evil, and all types of bondages. “For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit,” [1 Corinthians 6:20]. We were bought through the blood of Jesus Christ. We have deliverance from the power of sin. We now look forward to His Coming and the Resurrection of the dead in Christ. This is the blessed hope we look for and pray that “this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory,” [1 Corinthians 15:54]. Our victory is through our Lord Jesus Christ, and He is our blessed hope.

The Storm

Be of good cheer; for there shall be no loss of any man’s life.”
The Acts 27:22

Have you ever been in a great storm such as a Typhoon? A Typhoon is formed by a warm tropical water and hurricanes are form exactly the same way as a Typhoon. Both typhoon and hurricanes are tropical cyclones. The apostle Paul experienced a typhoon while sailing by Crete. The ship experienced a tempestuous wind called “Euroclydon,” a cyclonic North Easterly wind, which blows in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship that Paul traveled on was caught up in the storm under the lee of the island of Cauda, known as Gavdos, and is the most southernmost island in Greece today. They were tossed up and down and saw no sun or stars for many days, [see Acts 27:14-20]. Those aboard the ship feared for their life and thought the end was near. They had all lost hope. Can you imagine 14 days without seeing any form of light let alone going without food.

Yet, Paul exclaimed “be of good cheer, for no one will lose their life in this storm, only the loss of the ship.” Paul goes on to say that an angel of God stood by him whom he serves. Paul relayed the message of what he heard that they would not die but live through this storm. Be of good cheer, for I believe God, said Paul in verse 25 of chapter 27 of Acts. This was not a weak storm; it was a powerful storm that would have taken their life. I can remember my trip from Australia to the US on a cargo ship. We made sail from Perth, Western Australia and sailed up the western coast of Australia to Singapore and Malaysia. When we left Malaysia, the captain received word about a possible typhoon hitting Hong Kong. We hit rough seas and the waves poured over the sides as well as the bow and stern of the ship.

It was dark and those of us who were passengers stayed in their cabins in their bunks. You could not stand up without falling down. I got very sick and nauseated. We made it into Hong Kong harbor and anchored as the storm continued. I was told that the warning sirens had sounded out in the harbor, but I did not hear it from my cabin. All I heard was the waves crashing against the port window of the ship. The typhoon passed by the harbor out at sea, and we stayed secured in the harbor. My experience was small compared to what Paul experienced. Let us remember that there are angels who are charged to protect us. In the storm Paul said, “for there stood by me this night an angel of God,” [Acts 27:23]. An angel of God stood beside Paul. Angels are watching over those who are heirs of salvation. If you are a believer, you are one of the heirs of salvation, the children of God who are under the protection of God.

There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”
Psalms 91:10-12

We forget that God has his angels watching over us. Angels are ministering spirits send forth to minister to humans’ physical safety and well-being. They are there even though we do not see them. This past week I heard on the news about this woman who prayed during a tornado that was ripping through their home for God to save them from being killed, for they were in the house when the tornado hit their home. Their home was wrecked, but they were saved. We may experience a near death incident, but our God is keeping us safe in his hand. He is our shelter in the storm. We can learn from Paul’s experience and know that God is with us. When Paul landed in Malta, he said that the people in Malta were barbarous and showed no kindness. Today, for the most part it is said that they are hospitable people. When Paul was putting sticks on the fire a viper came out and fixed itself on Paul’s hand. The people of Malta thought that Paul was a murderer and was waiting for him to die. But no harm came to Paul from the bite of the venomous snake.

The Malta people changed their mind about Paul. The chief man of the island named Publius received Paul and gave him lodging for three days. The father of Publius was with fever and a bloody flux/bloody diarrhea known as dysentery. Paul visited Publius father and prayed and laid hands on him and He was healed, [see Acts 28:7-10]. When Paul had done this, others who had diseases came and were healed. One act of Paul visiting a sick man and praying led others to come and be healed. One act of faith can lead others to have faith in God. According to your faith, God will perform it. Read about the blind man in Matthew 9:29. This is faith by works as it was spoken of in James 2:18. James the brother of Jesus said, “O vain man, faith without works is dead?” We are to have a living faith that brings forth the healing hands of God the Father. Through the Father’s son Jesus Christ, who is the author, and the finisher of our faith, comes the power of God to move on our behalf. Our faith is built on Christ death and resurrection. We can act on faith in Christ and pray for healing and safety, for He is alive and waiting for us to ask in faith. Our faith is not dead, but alive in Christ. Stand firm in what you believe and act in faith like the apostle Paul. When you do, you will see miracles happen.