- araratchurch
- Jun 5, 2022
- 3 min read
“Who keeps our soul among the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved. For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs. You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.”
Psalms 66:9-12 NKJV
It’s always interesting to me to see what goes on inside product test facilities. For example, in the testing of the nonstick coating on cookware, you’ll see pots lined up under mechanical “hands,” going round and round on one place with some abrasive material, until there is a failure of the coating. Not only is this done to compare one product with another, but also to determine what can be expected out of this particular product, what claims can be made about it, as well what needs to be improved.
And, how about that recliner you’re sitting in? A prototype of it was probably subjected to repeated opening and closing to see how long it takes for the mechanisms to wear out.
I would think that the most “famous” type of test facilities are crash test facilities. Here, they take different vehicles, and literally do things like run them into walls to see how they hold up.
Sometimes, tragic consequences occur when products have not been properly tested to determine their limits or their weaknesses. As a matter of fact, that’s what the whole recall system is about. Weaknesses or failures are found in actual usage rather than having been detected in product testing. Tragically, sometimes the undetected flaw has proven to be fatal.
Yes, product testing is important. We know that. We even recognize the need for thorough testing of people before embarking on something like military duty. But—when it comes to us—when it comes to the testing of our “fiber” by the Lord, we may become quickly discouraged, wondering why we must endure the tests.
It is crucial for us to realize that the testing of the Lord is not arbitrary or capricious. His testing is meant to show us where our weaknesses are so it can be corrected. The patient enduring of testing is critical to our spiritual development and wellbeing.
“For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems sad and painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness [right standing with God and a lifestyle and attitude that seeks conformity to God’s will and purpose].”
Hebrews 12:11 AMP
In our portion from Psalms today we see David (although David is not listed in the title as the author of this psalm, it is clearly written in the Davidic tradition and there is no reason to believe it was not written by David) commenting that the testing of the Lord is necessary and results in the refining of the ones who are tested. Additionally, in other places, we see David actually inviting the testing of the Lord, as in these examples:
“Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.”
Psalms 26:2 NKJV
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalms 139:23-24 NKJV
So, nobody wants to endure testing, but it’s part of our process that is only made harder and extended when we resist and/or resent it. But, if we patiently endure testing, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us through it, the result will be, as the psalmist put it, “rich fulfillment.”
For today let us know and understand what David knew:
Testing from the Lord is for your benefit.
- araratchurch
- Jun 4, 2022
- 3 min read
“Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.”
Psalms 65:4 NKJV
I truly don’t get it. Of course I understand that the carnal mind is not subject to the laws of God and can’t be; and that our flesh fights against the things of the spirit; but the only thing that I can assume is that we don’t believe what the Lord has said. Now, what am I talking about? It just seems to me that if we truly believed what Jesus said, we wouldn’t be so easily moved away from gathering with other believers.
“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.””
Matthew 18:20 NKJV
Yes, I know that we can worship God in our own homes, all by ourselves; but there is no promise given about the Lord being in our midst when we are by ourselves. As a matter of fact, when we are by ourselves, there is no midst.
Given, we know that Jesus dwells in each believer who has accepted Him as Savior and Lord. But experiencing the presence of the Lord is generally a phenomenon occurring AMONG believers. I know that this is not a commonly taught principle; but the word of God is very clear that—whereas the Lord dwells in each individual Christian—greater glory is experienced when believers come together in the name of the Lord.
I have had many wonderful spiritual experiences by myself, but they have never been to the degree as when I was gathered with other believers, even if those other believers were my own family members. For example, my prophetic gifting is activated in a group of believers in a way I generally don’t experience by myself.
When I was growing up, I remember how amazed I would be—as we would be driving to church—seeing people out and about, doing all kinds of things, obviously not going to any house of the Lord on the Lord’s day. To be honest with you, it still confounds me that some people never even consider darkening the doors of a church, much less being a supporting member.
“not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ’s return] approaching.”
Hebrews 10:25 AMP
Now more than ever, we should be gathering together in the name of the Lord so that we are able to meet the demands of this hour. How could we have gotten to a point where so few seek the Lord’s presence in the body of believers?
In our portion from Psalms today we see David talking about the wonderful privilege of being able to be in the presence of the Lord. It seems that he never lost the awe of the Lord nor took for granted His presence. Rather, he diligently sought after the Lord‘s presence and encouraged others to do the same.
Through Jesus Christ we have been afforded an unprecedented level of access to the presence of the Lord.
“And He came and preached the good news of peace to you [Gentiles] who were far away, and peace to those [Jews] who were near. For it is through Him that we both have a [direct] way of approach in one Spirit to the Father.”
Ephesians 2:17-18 AMP
Let us never lose the thrill of access to the One Who is All. And remember, our fellowship with Him will transcend this life and we will make our home with Him forever!
For today let us know and understand what David knew:
We should never take for granted the privilege of access to the presence of the Lord.
- araratchurch
- Jun 3, 2022
- 3 min read
“Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; Suddenly they shall be wounded. So He will make them stumble over their own tongue; All who see them shall flee away.”
Psalms 64:1, 7-8 NKJV
I know a man who very nearly had a nervous breakdown because of his tyrannical boss. The way this boss operated was to constantly be issuing vague threats. One of his most favorite threats was to say, “Somethings going to happen today.” Needless to say, the work environment under this bully was like constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop, constantly wondering, “What is he going to do to me?”
In sports they call it “trash talk” when the opponent is bragging about how they’re going to mercilessly beat their opponent. But we know that threats go beyond boastful banter between sport’s opponents. Yes, bullies gain control through threatenings.
When thinking of threats, I remember the story of Hezekiah, king of Judah, who received a very threatening letter from the king of a Assyria. He assured Hezekiah that nothing—not even the Lord—would keep him from taking Jerusalem. But, Hezekiah didn’t take it lying down; he took the threats straight to the Lord:
“And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.”
II Kings 19:14 NKJV
Hezekiah also issued this word of encouragement to the people:
““Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.”
II Chronicles 32:7-8 NKJV
Enemies use threats to intimidate people so that they cower, offering no resistance. One of the masters of the use of threats to intimidate, is the enemy of our souls, the devil. He will throw all kinds of threats at you to see what will stick. And once you start paying attention to his threats, he’s got you where he wants you.
In our portion from Psalms today we see David expounding on the threats of his enemies. But, he did what Hezekiah did and took it to the Lord. He then says with great confidence that the Lord will cause the enemy to trip over their own tongues; that is, their own threats will do them in.
Yes, David knew about facing threats. When he was still a lad he faced the threats of Goliath!
“So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!””
I Samuel 17:43-44 NKJV
Now, we know how that battle ended.
Believe me, as long as you listen to the threats of the enemy, allowing the threats to intimidate, they will continue! Take the threats to the Lord and leave them with Him.
For today let us know and understand what David knew:
The Lord will make the enemy trip over their own threats.