Who He is

It was late. I was lying in bed, tired, but I couldn't fall asleep. I had to be up early for church the next morning, but my thoughts wouldn't leave me alone. I just wanted it to be morning. My mind wandered, as it often does on late nights, and I started thinking about God and His Word. A Bible verse came to mind and I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep without looking it up so I grabbed my Bible and turned on my lamp.

I was flipping through the Psalms trying to find it (I didn't bother googling it), but instead of finding that verse I came across another verse.

Psalm 38:15, "For I put my hope in You, Lord; You will answer me, my Lord, my God."

As I read that verse, something came to mind...

~ When I put my hope in Christ, my hope isn't in what He will do. My hope is in Who He is.

Then I came across another verse.

Psalm 43:4, "... Then I come to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy..."

~ When God is my joy, my joy isn't in my circumstances around me. My joy is in God within me.

God will never let me down because He is the same forever.  I may not always understand what He's doing, but I can always trust in Who He Is.

My joy and my hope aren't merely emotions based on the world around me, they are results of Who God is in me.

To be completely honest, I have always struggled with having joy and hope. I still do. But when I remember that joy and hope solely depends on Who God is, it's easier to have joy and hope. God doesn't change. His character is the same as it's always been and is as it always will be.

He is my hiding place (Psalm 32:7).

He is my comforter (Psalm 119:50).

He is my peace (John 14:27).

The list goes on and on. God doesn't change (Job 23:13). His character remains the same. When we learn about Who He is through His Word, we more clearly see Who He is in our lives.

Sometimes its hard to have joy, peace, and hope. But we have to remember that those things are found in Jesus and in Him alone. It doesn't depend on our circumstances, but on Who He is.

~~

What are some of your favorite Bible verses about God's character/attributes? What are your thoughts on the subject? Any other thoughts?

The Battle is His

If you're cutting a watermelon, you can't use a plastic knife. If you want to cool off, you can't pour a bucket of hot water on your head.

That just doesn't make sense. I know those things are really obvious, but don't we do similar things in our day to day lives?

We're in a war every second of our lives. It's a war that's been raging on for thousands of years. It's a war that we can't see, but that we're very much involved in. It's a war that God has already claimed the victory in.

Ephesians 6:10-12, "Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens."

If you're going out to war, you can't bring a toy gun. You can't go into this spiritual war without the right tools at your disposal. Just like you can't cut a watermelon with a plastic knife, you can't fend off the Enemy's attempts without the things God has given you.

Ephesians 6:17-18, "Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints."

Luke 22:46, "Why are you sleeping?" He asked them. "Get up and pray, so that you won't fall into temptation."

We weren't made to go out to battle on our own.

1 Samuel 17:47, "...and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s. He will hand you over to us."

I just finished 1 Samuel and one thing that is very clear through that book is that the battle is the Lord's. He fought for His people. He fought on behalf of His people.

God is with us. He's equipped us with everything we need. We have the armor of God ready for use (Ephesians 6:13-17). We have the Word of God as a sword, available at any time. And we can talk to God through prayer.

This isn't a battle we can win on our own.

You can't combat fear, insecurity, anxiety, and expect to win on your own.

It's only in Christ that we find victory.

I don't know what you're going through today. Fear, depression, anxiety, insecurity, friendship issues, loneliness, loss... There are so many things that the world throws our way. There are so many struggles we face daily. Take it to Jesus.

Satan will use every tactic and deception he can come up with. We need to know God's Word, we need to pray, and we need Jesus if we're going to fight this war.

~

There's a song I recently fell in love with called "Surrounded (Fight My Battles)"  by Michael W. Smith. I've heard it many times, but recently it took on a new meaning for me. There's a video below if you want to listen to it.

Psalm 24:8, "Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle."