David prayed, "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust" (Psalm 16:1). The Hebrew word that David uses for "preserve" in this verse is packed with meaning. It says, in essence, "Put a hedge around me, a wall of protective thorns. Guard me and keep me. Observe my every move, all my comings and goings."
"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over" (Psalm 23:5).
Of all the wonderful promises God gives us in the 23rd Psalm, this is one of the most glorious. Think of what he is pledging to do for us here: He says he's going to set a table for us, spread wonderful food upon it, then put on a waiter's apron and serve us a feast. And he does all of this in front of our enemies.
I've been perplexed for some time about a problem that has persisted in the church for years - and it concerns me deeply. The problem is, why is it so hard for Christians to pray?
Scripture makes it clear that the answer to everything in our lives is prayer mixed with faith. The apostle Paul writes, "Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Philippians 4:6). Paul is telling us, "Seek the Lord about every area of your life. And thank him ahead of time for hearing you!"
What is "destiny"? In simple terms, destiny is God's purpose for your life. It is your appointed or ordained future. Destiny is what God has predetermined you to be and to become, in His divine will.
I get sad when I read of the many godly men and women in Scripture who missed their destiny. God chose a destined work or ministry for each of them - but they ended up aborting His plan. They started out right, moving for a while in the power of their calling. But in the end, they died in shame and ruin - missing God's destiny for their lives!
When you hear the word "violence," what comes to mind? You probably think of the incredible things you hear on the radio or see in the newspapers:
"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
“And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it" (Matthew 7:24-27).
The apostle Paul warns that "in the last days perilous times shall come" (2 Timothy 3:1). He then describes in detail the terrible conditions we will face in the last hours of time:
"For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God" (2 Timothy 3:2-4).
To humiliate means "to reduce one's dignity and pride," to humble. I intend to show you in this message that God humiliates those He loves! In fact, unless you have experienced this divine humiliation, you are not ready to be fully used by God; you are not prepared to receive of His fullness.
God has provided a source of life for the whole world. Not mere sustenance, but life in its fullest measure — Jesus called it abundant life.
God sent manna to sustain life in the wilderness — He sent His Son Jesus to sustain life in our day. Jesus said, "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world" (John 6:33).
There is a thrilling Old Testament story that best illustrates what it means to be kept by the power of God. It is found in 2 Kings 6.
Benhadad, King of Syria, declared war on Israel and marched against them with a great army. As his forces advanced, he often called his war counsel into his private chambers to plan the next day's strategy. But the prophet Elisha kept sending word to the King of Israel, detailing every move of the enemy troops. On several occasions, the Israelites escaped defeat because of Elisha's warnings.
