⁶ In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. ⁷ Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was worth. Psalms 18:6-7

‘He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.’

Psalms 18:19

These verses describes the events that took place when David was in the run because of Saul. The first thing we can notice is that David cried out to the Lord in this distress. Secondly, when he cried out, God heard him! Thirdly, we see the result – the earth shook! Whenever God hears the cries of His children in distress, He arises to do something. When God arise, ‘His enemies will be scattered’ (Psalms 68:1). When He arises into His resting place, ‘He is clothed with salvation, and His saints usually rejoice in goodness’ (2 Chronicles 6:40-41). In today’s scripture, we would notice that when God arose on David’s behalf: first, he was brought up out of his distress, and second he was established in a large place (Psalms 18:19).

Notice also the foundation to this whole account: ‘he delivered me, because he delighted in me’. Good News Translation puts it this way ‘He helped me out of danger; he saved me because he was pleased with me’. God will always help you out, simply because He delights in you. I pray that God would bring you to your large and peaceful place, in Jesus name. Amen.

¹I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. ² The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. ³ I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. Psalms 18:1-3

The psalmist began in this verse by declaring his love for the Lord who is his strength. ‘I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.’ He went ahead in verse two to describing the source of the strength he derives from God. The Lord is ‘his rock, his fortress, and his deliverer’. As I read these verses, it brought me much encouragement because this is the description of who God is to me; and this is who He is to you too!  He will grant you stability, He will grant you defense, and He will bring you the deliverance that you need. God is truly your strength, and you need to believe this! The word ‘buckler’ describes a round weapon carried or worn on the left arm as a shield during war. God is both your strength and your shield! You can depend on Him in every situation.

Verse three then says, ‘I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from my enemies’. The psalmist did not only know God as his rock and shield, but he has learnt to call on God when he is in trouble. When you find yourself in any trouble, call upon the Lord. He promises to arise on your behalf, fight for you and defend you. No situation is too late nor too strong for God to help you out of. May the Lord grant you success this week, and may you sing the song of victory, in Jesus’ name. Go well as you face your day. Amen.

³⁷ For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. ³⁸ Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. Hebrews 10:37-38

‘For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.’ The coming of the Lord is imminent. The times we live in are difficult times. In Isaiah 60 the Bible describes this time as characterised by ‘darkness [that] cover the earth, and gross darkness the people’. For a believer however this is the time to shine; for the Glory of God to show upon you.

‘Now the just shall live by faith…’ This is the time for you to live by faith. Faith in what the Lord God has said about you. To live by faith you need to be established in your heart on what the word has to say about the current situation. Think, and meditate on them accept them and build your faith on them. Declare your faith by releasing the word of God on your situation. Psalms 103:20 says that ‘Bless the Lord, ye his angels, [who] excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.’ Angels hearken to the voice of the word of God. You therefore need to release that word in faith through your voice and the Angels will be alert to execute them.

Don’t give up nor be discouraged in any season of your life; declare the word of God concerning it, stand on the Word. ‘He that shall come will come, and will not tarry’! Stay blessed.

‘Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.’ Isaiah 60:20

I pray for you, in the name of Jesus, today will be the end of all your mourning and sorrow. As Moses said to the Israelites in Exodus 14:13 that ‘…the Egyptians you see today you will never see again.’ Today, may all your struggles and strain and all the pain you go through come to an end, in the name of Jesus. I declare; you will never see your Egyptians ever again.

‘Thy sun shall no more go down’ I declare concerning you that the promotion and lifting of God over your life is not temporary but permanent, in Jesus name. The Lord will be your everlasting light in eternity, yes, but here on earth, I pray that you experience Him as such too. May ‘your world’ experience perpetual growth, sustainability, and increase as the Lord takes His place as your everlasting light, in Jesus name. May your struggles end today. Go and be blessed in Jesus name, Amen.

²⁷ And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Luke 21:27-28

God tells us what to do in challenging times. We must not live in fear but rather, ‘look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws near’. As days become more terrible, the faith of the believer should become stronger. Isaiah 60 says ‘²for, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. ³And the Gentiles shall come to thy light’. It goes on to say that the appropriate action/ response as indicated in verse 4, ‘Lift up thine eyes round about, and see’.

Not only should you see that your light has come, but you must also see that all men are gathering unto you, and their hope is in the light that is upon you! In challenging times, the believer is the agent of solution for humanity’s problems! Therefore arise. Do not be short sighted nor be self-centred. First let your eyes open to the truth in God’s word to deal in every situation, then with that eye of faith, look into the darkness currently engulfing the world, identify your area of anointing (the area of your redemptive gift) and release the blessing that God has put in your spirit. Be the instrument of change. Manifest your light in the midst of darkness and humanity will be glad for you! Have a blessed and wonderful day in Jesus name, Amen.

²⁵ And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; ²⁶ Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. ²⁷ And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Luke 21:25-27

These are the signs of the last days and the return of the son of man is close at hand. The Bible says in verse 26 ‘Men’s hearts failing them for fear’ Man will fear because they would not understand how to handle the occurrences. There will be great strife on the earth with many disasters and struggles. As believers our job is to make sure we are not afraid. During these season of distress, great revivals will break out, we will experience many signs and wonders to the glory of God and souls will be convicted of their sins, and turn to Jesus for salvation. All these signs will point to the second coming of the son of man. Watch out for these signs and be prepared for the Lords coming.

So, what should we do in the midst of the impending challenges of then last days? Refuse to entertain any fear. You are children of the light such that these days should not come upon you unaware. Keep your eyes on the Lord, He will see us through the challenging times and make us lights in the darkness. May God help you today. Stay blessed. Amen.

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. Luke 3:21 NKJV

Prayer is the gateway to peace in life. In this scripture, the bible says “the Heaven open upon Jesus as He prayed!” If you would cultivate the habit of starting your day in prayer – however way you know to – heaven will perpetually be open unto you and you will receive direction from the Lord and the required wisdom to tackle the issues that face you in the day.

In Mark 1:35-37, Jesus went out very early in the morning, into a solitary place, to pray. He always needed to meet people’s needs and he was always able to meet their needs when ‘All men sought Him’! It was however His custom to spend time alone with God first!

Start your day well, start with communion with the Lord in prayer and you will be on top of all issues of life that face you today.

‘When I get really afraid I come to you in trust’ Ps. 56:3 MSG

Life is full of challenges and we are often faced with many uncertain circumstances. To say that we do not sometimes, or even often, get confronted with fearful situations would not be completely correct. Whoever you are; however rich you are, whatever age you are, as long as you are still in this world, the chances are high that you have and will still face some circumstances that will really make you afraid. The good news is that the bible tells us what to do.

What struck me in this verse is the word ‘when’! It did not say ‘if’. This presents a dimension of certainty that we will face situations in life that will make us to be really afraid! Interestingly, the psalmist simply stated what he does when he is confronted with real fear – he simply comes to God in trust! We simply need to do the same when we are faced with real fearful situations.

The key word here is ‘Trust’. It is a noun, and it is defined as ‘reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc. of a person or thing; confidence’. The dictionary goes ahead to present it this way – ‘a person on whom or thing on which one relies: God is my trust’. What an appropriate example!

Therefore, when you are really afraid, come to God confidently, knowing of certainty that He is well able to deliver you from your problem, whatever it is, and however big and scary it might be. When you are faced with life issues, tell yourself and the situation, ‘God is my trust, therefore I will not fear’. God bless you. Amen.         

 ‘The fear of man brings a snare: but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe’  Pr. 29:25 NKJV

I like this scripture in the Good News Bible, ‘It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the Lord, you are safe’.

Man is usually faced with the temptation of considering the opinion of others about our lives and the steps we take over and above God’s word to us. Put in another way – ‘what would people say’? Many are unable to put their whole trust in the Lord. They are concerned that people will consider them to be ‘stupid’ for trusting in the Lord; or for making decisions based on God’s word and direction. Does that describe you?

Our scripture reading today states very clearly that only if you trust in the Lord are you sure of safety! Common English Bible version puts this verse this way – ‘people are trapped by their fear of others; those who trust the Lord are secure’. To be ensnared by what man would say, to the extent that you can’t trust God completely would actually be a sin against God – God hates it when we compare Him with man!

Many times we know that God is leading us in a particular direction, but because it does not make common sense to us, and probably opposed to the view of someone we consider important, we are unable to go all out and obey God. This is being ensnared by the fear of man. This could be in the area of service to God, family matters, business concerns, or what have you. Think about it well right now as it relates to you; do you think you need to make amends in this regards? Then do so NOW! Never be ensnared by the fear of man’s opinion. God bless your day.

The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.  He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.  Ps. 23:1-2 AMP

Psalm 23 is a very interesting and rich poem of David. You would recall that David himself was a shepherd boy; his father Jesse had left him in charge of the flock when he was a small boy. David recounted to King Saul how God helped him to protect the sheep while he fought and won against a lion and a beer. David declared: the same God that helped him that time will certainly deliver him from the hands of Goliath! (1 Sam 17: 32 – 37).

David knew the role of a Shepherd. A Shepherd feeds, guides and protects the sheep. David also particularly had his faith built on the fact that his own Shepherd is God. He trusts the Lord to feed, guide and protect him. I like the way Living bible version puts it in verse 1: ‘Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need’! Note the key word here: Because. David’s confidence is in the person of The Lord.

If you will make the Lord your God, if you would put your complete trust in Him as your shepherd, you can be rest assured that you will be fully satisfied, and you will certainly dwell in safety and victory. As a child of God, get to know your God and you will be strong and do great exploits (Dan 10:32). The Lord our God is mighty; put your trust in Him and you can rest assured in Him. If you have not yet accepted Jesus as your Lord and saviour; decide to give Him your life today, and you will find rest for your soul. (Matt 11:28 – 30)