Looking Back at Psalms for Encouragement on the Journey Ahead

Over the last month, the journey has taken me through Psalms 42-51. On many occasions, the psalmist was discouraged, depressed or felt cut off from God. The Psalms give encouragement during these times. Below, is food for thought gained from these group of Psalms that provide encouragement on the journey ahead!

There may be discouragement and you may feel down at times. You may feel that there is no way out of a situation but you must keep hoping for better days ahead. You may be running this race called life and need that something extra to replenish your thirst.

To get over discouragement, be replenished by thinking about the greatness of God. Sometimes, an inspirational song or a good memory can switch your thinking and bring a change in your outlook. All it takes is one thought or idea for a breakthrough in your life.

God can satisfy your thirst with a never ending spring of water. All who accept Christ as Savior receive grace. Like the flow of this never ending spring of water, His grace keeps flowing and washes out the negative past.  

The Spirit of God lives inside and you are the temple of God where the Holy Spirit lives. This day with God, celebrate the victory of Christ and be clothed with virtues that can be used throughout a lifetime and beyond. You can then step ahead with discipline and seek the truth of God by following Jesus who demonstrates these positive steps to victory throughout the Gospel.

Things in this world can shake you up and fear can hold you back but you can walk through any fire with Godspeed and not get burned. Your trust in God is a big plus for He is with you so you have poise under pressure. You can let go, hand the crisis over, and know that He will do the work to get you through.

The currency of the Kingdom of God is grace. He’s an awesome King over all the nations of the world. He protects, knows what is best for you, and gives you the Holy Spirit to reign in your heart. He’s interested not only in your future but the future of generations to come so that the road to success continues.

The Lord protects and watches over you. He has great things planned for you but there is a responsibility for forming good character by having faith in His Word, hope in His church, and to accept His love through Christ.

The psalmist’s confidence is not in riches or wealth but in the understanding of God’s Way. That you should spend your time on building up spiritual treasures and sharing your faith with others rather than spending all your time making money or gaining worldly wealth.

Bible Study is similar to an athletic workout; helping those participating to step ahead with faith and passing this faith on to others. With unstoppable hope, apply your faith and build the winning tradition of accepting the love of God in Christ.

You can seize each day and keep pace with grace by being renewed day by day. Take the opportunity God gives through Jesus Christ to change the course of life. To run the race with service and worship towards the finish line.

Do away with a negative past that controls you and keeps you at a low point. Instead, desire to empty that from your mind by knowing Christ died for all the negatives in the past that weigh you down.

Pray that anything that is weighing you down be lifted off your shoulders so you can get to a higher plane. A higher place where your dominant aspirations are to empty worldly desires so you can replace them with godly desires that get you to a new level of faith, hope, and love.

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Poetry Friday 11-11-2022

A poem posted at my other blog Step Ahead is inspired by the post “Soar Higher with Resistance”. Going with the wind may get you somewhere faster but going against the wind lifts you to places higher and higher.

Today’s song Battle is the Lord’s by Rebecca St. James ft. Brandon Lake gives us the encouragement needed to take courage in this fight because the weapons of this war are praises lifted high! The future is not heavy on my soul because God is in control. He is here now and will show us how!

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A Future of Joy and Peace

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
   wash me, and I will be whiter than snow - Psalm 51:7

This photo from the winter storm that hit Texas in 2021 was taken near my garage after a night of snow which covers everything with a smooth layer just like God covers our sin. In the background is a garbage can. By accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we can throw away our negative past and focus on a future of joy and peace.

Highlighted in the post “Higher Plane” is doing away with a negative past that controls you and keeps you at a low point. Instead, desire to empty that from your mind by knowing Christ died for all the negatives in the past that weigh you down.

Listen to the song Empty Me by Jeremy Camp and pray that anything that is weighing you down is lifted off your shoulders so you can get to a higher plane. A higher place where your dominant aspirations are to empty worldly desires and replace them with godly desires that get you to a new level of faith, hope, and love.

Index of devotionals

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Higher Plane

Downtown Austin is in the upper right

An airplane gains speed down the runway and the wind resistance flows under the wings to give the plane a lift until it is lifted higher and higher into the sky. To get to a higher level of enlightenment in our life, we must resist what is wrong. The things of this world give us no desire to do so and keep us down low but the power from the Spirit lifts us to new heights of joy and peace.

David didn’t have any joy or peace as recorded in the writing of Psalm 51. The background of this psalm is 2 Samuel 11:1 through 12:15 when David was in a very low place in his life. He had committed adultery with Bathsheba and then murdered her husband. The requests of David is for mercy and forgiveness from his sin. He also wants a pure heart, renewal of a steadfast spirit within, and the joy of salvation. Then beyond forgiveness for himself, he wants Zion to prosper and the walls of Jerusalem to be built up.

David had sinned against God and was constantly thinking about the negatives in his past which were causing sorrow. It’s the same with all of us when something like guilt, anger, or any other negative of the past needs to be released. It doesn’t always have to be from our past but maybe in the present like who we spend time with now, listen to on social media, or watch on TV.

Maybe something needs to be removed in our current routine that is causing these negatives to keep us at a low point in life. If we remove the negative habits, then we can be lifted to a higher place of joy and peace. 

David knew that true worship starts with confession. After asking for forgiveness, a new heart with inward joy develops deep down in his heart. If we have peace and joy deep in our heart, it will catch on and others will desire the same life of living on a higher plane.

This day with You Lord, take away anything negative in our present or in our past that weighs us down. Erase it and replace it with the joy and peace we receive by knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior. He died for all these negatives so we can focus on the future that is lived on a higher plane because of our faith, hope, and love. In Jesus name … Amen. 
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Keep Pace with Grace

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. –  Hebrews 12:1

The main thought of “Seize the Day” is to be renewed day by day and to take the opportunity God gives through Jesus Christ to change the course of life. To run the race with service and worship towards the finish line.

Take inspiration from the song Go the Distance by Gary LeVox. Life can be a struggle and there may be trouble but with grace, you can keep pace. With Jesus, you can beat sin and go the distance to win.

Index of devotionals

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