All power and authority has been given to Jesus in Heaven and Earth. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of lords. At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. I confess this today. Yes, Jesus rules. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Daniel prophesied of Jesus before Jesus came to this earth.
Live God’s Word.
Psalm 119:
169 O Lord, listen to my cry;
give me the discerning mind you promised.
170 Listen to my prayer;
rescue me as you promised.
171 Let praise flow from my lips,
for you have taught me your decrees.
172 Let my tongue sing about your word,
for all your commands are right.
173 Give me a helping hand,
for I have chosen to follow your commandments.
174 O Lord, I have longed for your rescue,
and your instructions are my delight.
175 Let me live so I can praise you,
and may your regulations help me.
176 I have wandered away like a lost sheep;
come and find me,
for I have not forgotten your commands.
Give God the first of every aspect of your life. Begin by giving Him the first of your day.
Psalm 119:
I pray with all my heart; answer me, Lord!
I will obey your decrees.
146 I cry out to you; rescue me,
that I may obey your laws.
147 I rise early, before the sun is up;
I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.
148 I stay awake through the night,
thinking about your promise.
149 In your faithful love, O Lord, hear my cry;
let me be revived by following your regulations.
150 Lawless people are coming to attack me;
they live far from your instructions.
151 But you are near, O Lord,
and all your commands are true.
152 I have known from my earliest days
that your laws will last forever.
Psalm 119:121-128 tells of someone who loves God and His Word. Their trust is in God to defeat their enemies. This passage also refers to me, my family, my friends and my church! The devil is the ultimate enemy. So…this is our victory proclamation for today and everyday!
The devil is a liar and a loser. So are his demons. his demons tremble at the thought of Jesus. Satan’s destiny is to burn in Hell and to be cast into a lake of fire for eternity.
We win today.
The enemy has no access to us because we are hidden in Christ. We follow God and Jesus rules our lives! We win over sin and it’s curse!
Jesus is at the right hand of our Heavenly Father praying for us. We are more than conquerors in Christ. Though tribulations may come our way we are of good cheer because we’re with Jesus and He already has overcome the world.
The loser thief came to kill, steal and destroy but today we already thank Jesus for the abundant life…life more abundantly blessings that will come our way!
Thank you Jesus for Your promise that all power and authority is Yours in Heaven and Earth. Your name is above all! You are the King of Kings and Lord of lords of this day and forever!
Psalm 119:
121 Don’t leave me to the mercy of my enemies,
for I have done what is just and right.
122 Please guarantee a blessing for me.
Don’t let the arrogant oppress me!
123 My eyes strain to see your rescue,
to see the truth of your promise fulfilled.
124 I am your servant; deal with me in unfailing love,
and teach me your decrees.
125 Give discernment to me, your servant;
then I will understand your laws.
126 Lord, it is time for you to act,
for these evil people have violated your instructions.
127 Truly, I love your commands
more than gold, even the finest gold.
128 Each of your commandments is right.
That is why I hate every false way.
King Nebuchadnezzar was the leader who took Israel captive. He removed them from their homeland to Babylon. He ruled the world in his time. The Israelites had greatly sinned and went away from God. God warned them over and over beforehand to change but they didn’t, so instead they became lowly citizens and servants to this brutal, ruthless and arrogant ruler.
The humble Daniel and his three friends were very smart young men who served God. They were in the King’s palace. They had been made eunuchs in their young age, never to father their own children but existing mainly to serve the kingdom that destroyed their homeland. They were even renamed after the gods of Babylon. How humbling and humiliating that must have been. King Nebuchadnezzar was aware of all these humiliating aspects for these greatly talented young men. But God used them in a series of prominent events to bring low this powerful and greatly arrogant king.
Three times in Daniel 4, it is repeated that Almighty God chooses the rulers on this earth. It’s mentioned by King Nebuchadnezzar himself, after he had a troubling dream. Secondly, when Daniel, through the grace of God, interpreted the dream. And thirdly, when a voice from Heaven spoke, after Nebuchadnezzar boldly and arrogantly proclaimed how he had built and ruled so much by his own human might.
We can learn a lot from the life course of King Nebuchadnezzar. And God can mightily use those yielded to Him when they are in humbling situations.
Here, read it for yourself~
Daniel 4:
9 “I said to him, ‘Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too great for you to solve. Now tell me what my dream means.
10 “‘While I was lying in my bed, this is what I dreamed. I saw a large tree in the middle of the earth. 11 The tree grew very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see. 12 It had fresh green leaves, and it was loaded with fruit for all to eat. Wild animals lived in its shade, and birds nested in its branches. All the world was fed from this tree.
13 “‘Then as I lay there dreaming, I saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven. 14 The messenger shouted,
“Cut down the tree and lop off its branches!
Shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit!
Chase the wild animals from its shade
and the birds from its branches.
15 But leave the stump and the roots in the ground,
bound with a band of iron and bronze
and surrounded by tender grass.
Now let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,
and let him live with the wild animals among the plants of the field.
16 For seven periods of time,
let him have the mind of a wild animal
instead of the mind of a human.
17 For this has been decreed by the messengers;
it is commanded by the holy ones,
so that everyone may know
that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world.
He gives them to anyone he chooses—
even to the lowliest of people.”
18 “‘Belteshazzar, that was the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now tell me what it means, for none of the wise men of my kingdom can do so. But you can tell me because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.’
19 “Upon hearing this, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) was overcome for a time, frightened by the meaning of the dream. Then the king said to him, ‘Belteshazzar, don’t be alarmed by the dream and what it means.’
“Belteshazzar replied, ‘I wish the events foreshadowed in this dream would happen to your enemies, my lord, and not to you! 20 The tree you saw was growing very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see. 21 It had fresh green leaves and was loaded with fruit for all to eat. Wild animals lived in its shade, and birds nested in its branches. 22 That tree, Your Majesty, is you. For you have grown strong and great; your greatness reaches up to heaven, and your rule to the ends of the earth.
23 “‘Then you saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, “Cut down the tree and destroy it. But leave the stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze and surrounded by tender grass. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven. Let him live with the animals of the field for seven periods of time.”
24 “‘This is what the dream means, Your Majesty, and what the Most High has declared will happen to my lord the king. 25 You will be driven from human society, and you will live in the fields with the wild animals. You will eat grass like a cow, and you will be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses. 26 But the stump and roots of the tree were left in the ground. This means that you will receive your kingdom back again when you have learned that heaven rules.
27 “‘King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.
28 “But all these things did happen to King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 Twelve months later he was taking a walk on the flat roof of the royal palace in Babylon. 30 As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.’
31 “While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. 32 You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.’
33 “That same hour the judgment was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails were like birds’ claws.
34 “After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever.
His rule is everlasting,
and his kingdom is eternal.
35 All the people of the earth
are nothing compared to him.
He does as he pleases
among the angels of heaven
and among the people of the earth.
No one can stop him or say to him,
‘What do you mean by doing these things?’
36 “When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored as head of my kingdom, with even greater honor than before.
37 “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.”
On my daughter’s wall, on a dry erase board, is written this Bible passage. So I pray these powerful words would be fulfilled in her Christian walk as she trusts in God. May the promise of humble honor shine through her life! Thank you God already for the great life for my daughter because she follows You!
1 Peter 5:
5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”
6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
Lately every morning, I look in the mirror and then ask God to give me a desire of my heart, and that is to not grow old. I asked Him to give me wise actions that would keep me young.
I started realizing God loves us so much that He wants an inseparable relationship with us. And that can be fulfilled forever in Heaven. God made our physical bodies as temporary ‘tents’ for our souls. God longs for us to be with Him where sin does not interfere. Each day that the human body gets older means it is a day closer to being ultimately close to our Heavenly Father.
So God gave me some wisdom from His Word today because I simply asked. Here it is~
1) Beauty fades but God’s Word is forever alive and active! So, to keep youthfulness, I will speak and do God’s Word.
1 Peter 1:
24 As the Scriptures say,
“People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
25 But the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.
2) I will obey God’s commands because it renews my life.
Psalm 119:
40 I long to obey your commandments!
Renew my life with your goodness.
When I make a blog post, I pull from passages that I am reading in my New Living Translation One Year Bible. Right now I’m reading in Ezekiel, 1 Peter, Psalm and Proverbs. But this morning I wanted to understand the book of Ezekiel better so I googled it and found a website called Never Thirsty. They did well to help me understand Ezekiel. Then I found a Bible verse that looks like part of the foundational statements of their organization. And it’s Awesome! So I’m going to keep going back to this site to see how trustworthy it is compared to my 30+ years of knowledge of the Bible and may use it as a study tool.
But for today, I respect them for posting these two amazing Bible verses that were tucked away in Jeremiah 9! These verses should be used as a prayer of thankfulness to God for His goodness every single day because they remind us to be humble and they give us peace that we win when we follow God!
Jesus is the guardian of our souls. He heals our lives of our sin. He is a good shepherd who takes good care of his sheep.
1Peter 2:
21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
22 He never sinned,
nor ever deceived anyone.
23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted,
nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God,
who always judges fairly.
24 He personally carried our sins
in his body on the cross
so that we can be dead to sin
and live for what is right.
By his wounds
you are healed.
25 Once you were like sheep
who wandered away.
But now you have turned to your Shepherd,
the Guardian of your souls.
On this Thanksgiving Day, I am so grateful to God because His love has been proven unfailing and powerful in my life.
About two months ago, my husband and I got a divorce after 27 years of marriage. This is the biggest sin I’ve ever committed. I don’t believe in divorce but I hit a brick wall with my spouse. I wanted to keep growing and he didn’t. He continuously rejected me and cut me down. There was no cheating involved. We were virgins when we married and sought out a ‘til death we do part’ lifestyle. My kids are young adults now. I’ve shocked some of my Christian friends. I’ve made my kids sad.
But through it all, I’ve sought God and cried out to Him everyday. Please don’t categorize and judge me as a hypocrite. I’ve clung to God and read the Bible every day through all of this. I post Bible verses on social media, most sincerely, because they personally give me strength and help me grow as a Christian so the teacher part of my personality wants to share them with others. I truly believe God’s words from the Bible are incredibly powerful. They will accomplish great things if seen and heard. So that’s what I do with interesting Bible verses I find.
God’s love is more powerful than my sin of breaking the vow I made to Him. I hurt Him breaking that vow but He forgave me, and took away His rememberance of it, as far and unending, as the east is from the west.
Step by step, He helps me and my family win everyday. I walk by faith and not by sight. I pray the biggest prayers over my kids regularly. When I feel shame for this I take it to God because with Jesus I am no longer shamefully condemned I am, with Him, an overcomer! What will unfold in my future because of my mistake? What about the example I was supposed to be for God? I don’t know. So, I take it day by day (That’s biblical!) His mercies are new each morning. I cling to that. I pray for my family~no bitterness only the best for them, that they would be leaders and prosper for the sake of the Gospel of God’s love so it would be shown and told to others. I even go boldly to God’s throne of grace (Jesus provided this privilege for me.) and I ask that my kids would completely fulfil God’s will in their lives and have strong healthy marriages for a lifetime!
And so, I just rest and trust God now with the rest of my life.
Linda's Thoughts 