This Day With God – A Spiritual Journey | Share The Word

Victory Assured

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Mark Shields

Part of the passage presented in Psalm 108 is also presented in Psalm 57:7-11 and in Psalm 60:5-12 to emphasize the main points and to present them in a little different way. The main emphasis of today’s passage is that we should praise the Lord in song for He will deliver us from whatever troubles we go through. He will accomplish His plans and take care of us in spite of our failures.

Faith triumphs limitations, hope triumphs difficulty, and love triumphs over hate. “For nothing is impossible with God”. – Luke 1:37

Last week was Easter but that’s just the beginning not the end. Jesus would be seen alive many times in the days after that first Easter and this victory gives us momentum because a weight has been lifted.

Today, I found this video and it gives me a lift because I’m amazed at how God gives victory. I hope it gives you a lift for your day. Just click at this link: I’m Amazed – Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir or on the video below. God Bless!

Be thankful in prayer because we are God’s people and we are on His side. This day with God will be amazing because we can do anything through Him who gives us strength. Praise Him, trust Him, Love Him, and have faith in Him.

Questions for Reflection – Psalm 107 – 109 (thisdaywithgod.wordpress.com)
The message of the cross … (faithfuldailyread.wordpress.com)
The Good Thing About Death – Psalm 116:15 (stevesbiblemeditations.com)
Back to the Heart of Worship (jsubers.wordpress.com)
Day 33 – What Should We Do When God Answers Prayer? (herchristianhome.com)

Posted in Psalm | Tagged brooklyn tabernacle choir, Christianity, Deliverance, Easter, Faith, faith triumphs, God, God Bless, Hope, Jesus, Lord, Love, Momentum, Praise, Prayer, Psalm, psalm 108, Song, Thankful, Trust, victory | 5 Comments

Lessons of Courage

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Mark Shields

When we read about the courage demonstrated by the characters of the Bible, we are inspired to step ahead with courage. As suggested one time in our First United Methodist Newsletter, imagine you lived like Daniel. As he faced the lions, the only weapon he had was prayer. That was enough for him because of his self-discipline to live boldly and courageously for God.

Photo Credit – Smalltales4.blogspot.com

In Daniel 3:1-30, three men stood up to king Nebuchadnezzar and refused to worship the gold statue the king had commanded everyone to worship. The men courageously refused to worship any other gods. The king put them in a furnace but they had faith that God would save them and He did. The lesson learned is to take courage and know that God loves His people. He teaches through lessons and kindly provides for our needs. Work with Him in faith, wait for Him in hope, and fulfill your purpose with a passion. Our hearts can be protected by positive influences and His great love.

Courage enables people to face difficulty, danger, or pain with firmness and without fear. How can you have the courage to stand up against those that oppose everything that is right? One idea is to be filled with faith and assured that the Holy Spirit is actively working with you. Then others will begin to believe and join with you.

During times of worry or fear, believe that God is for you. Be encouraged by what He has done for you in Christ. For with God is love and with love is purpose and with purpose is courage. God, like a mountain; stands rock solid over time and protects us in our time of need. We can take courage, for God is there for us. In the battle of good against evil, the weapon for good is the double-edged sword or God’s Word.

As mentioned another time in the First United Methodist of Waco Newsletter, when we truly believe that Jesus Christ is continually with us, then we can take risk and step ahead to obey God in new and adventurous ways. To read more about this topic, here is a link to a post titled Standing up to Fear.

Courage to Carry Out His Purpose (thisdaywithgod.wordpress.com)
Book of Daniel (altruistico.wordpress.com)
A.W. Tozer : Armed With Courage (thechristiangazette.wordpress.com)
We Will Take Courage and Wait on the Lord (jacobjuncker.wordpress.com)
A Little Reflection On Christ’s Passion (catholicjules.net)

Posted in Courage | Tagged Adventure, Bible, Boldness, characters of the bible, Christ, Courage, Daniel, double edged sword, Encouragement, Faith, first united methodist, God, God’s Word, gold statue, Holy Spirit, HolySpirit, Inspiration, king nebuchadnezzar, Lessons, Love, Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar II, Passion, Prayer, Purpose, Self Discipline, travel, Worship | 7 Comments

Consider His Great Love and Call Out for Help

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Mark Shields

In reading Psalm 107 and writing about it in the previous post, what was observed is that the Word brings strength and should be the food for our souls on a daily basis. We face difficulties in life with things like our health, our relationships, or in our jobs but if we consider the great love of the Lord and call out for help, He will provide what we need to overcome. We can trust that God is with us to always provide what we need.

Everyone faces trials in life but God is more powerful than our problems. Pray every day, trust every minute, always have hope, and believe God is at work in your life. With one word, Jesus calmed the sea and with one word can turn a walk in the desert into a vacation on the beach. Here’s a video to give a little hope for our day: Held – Natalie Grant.

Let us treasure in our heart the wonderful works of God; praising Him and being thankful.

Questions for Reflection – Psalm 107 – 109 (thisdaywithgod.wordpress.com)
Stressed-less Living (greaterislove.wordpress.com)
You’ve Got to Go Through It – Psalm 107:6-9 (stevesbiblemeditations.com)

Posted in Psalm | Tagged Christianity, daily basis, God, God’s Word, Health, http www youtube, Jesus, Jobs, Lord, Natalie Grant, Praise, Psalm, Psalm 107, Relationships, religion, Strength, Word, works of god | 3 Comments

Delivered from the Trials of Life

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Mark Shields

Think of how God has delivered His people throughout history from starving in the dessert, from oppression, during sickness, or in distress at sea. He saved Daniel from the lions, Moses rose to prominence at age 80, and He gave David the courage to defeat Goliath. With God there is victory.

Pour out your hurts and needs to God and He has the power to turn it around for you. Take comfort and be patient. God is big enough to turn it around and make it better than you could ever dream. In modern times, here’s a list of difficulties along with the people that went through it to eventually succeed:

Dismissed from drama school – Lucille Ball
Critiques didn’t like their sound – The Beatles
Was cut from his high school basket ball team – Michael Jordan
Teachers told his parents he couldn’t learn anything – Thomas Edison
Lacked imagination and no original ideas – Walt Disney
Defeated in eight elections – Abraham Lincoln

If you’ve never failed, you’ve never lived. When we do succeed, our response should be one of thankfulness. When delivered from these trials of life, we should sing joyful songs, praise God, and tell everyone what He does for us.

The Time of Your Deliverance (handmaidathisfeet.com)
Attitude #1 of a Giant-Slayer – Staying Connected With God (maidentomotherhood.wordpress.com)

Posted in Psalm | Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Beatles, David, Deliverance, God, History, Joy, Lucille Ball, Michael Jordon, Moses, Praise, quotes, Thankfulness, The Walt Disney Company, Thomas Edison, Trials | 14 Comments

Questions for Reflection – Psalm 107 – 109

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Mark Shields

Over the last few weeks, the journey has taken me through 1 Chronicles 24 – 29. Some of the main lessons learned were that a lot of planning and organizing goes into a project. David wanted very much to build the Temple of God. Just as David wanted to build the Temple of God, our desire should be to build up our own bodies as God’s temple. In 1 Corinthians 3:16, the Word says “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”.

Much planning and strategy is needed in our society today as we set out in competition against the negatives that hold us back. As believers, we can defeat the competition by using the Bible is our playbook, knowing our role, and following every detail. Jesus has shown us how.

The task each day is to follow God’s commands by beginning with prayer, planning for success, and accepting the help of the Holy Spirit to guide our steps. A daily devotional should be a system of study that documents insights, allows application of God’s Word in our lives, and can be passed on.

David would not build the Temple of God but His son named Solomon would. In the twilight of his life, David was thankful for all that God had given him. He had accumulated many resources for Israel and personal treasure. His priority at this point in his life was to prepare Israel for the future and to give back to God by using these resources to build the Temple. In a similar way, when we read and write about faith, we are building treasures in Heaven. Like David, we may not see the end result of our effort while here on earth but we are contributing to God’s purpose of building lives for the future.

The journey through 1 Chronicles is complete. As I continue the journey through the Bible, the next adventure will carry me back into the book of Psalms. Over the next few weeks, I will be posting about the journey through Psalms 107-109 and will use the questions below to help focus on each passage. Feel free to respond with a short note or a comment about any of these questions. Also, I welcome any other thoughts or ideas, favorite inspirational videos, photos, or favorite Bible verses. Just add them to the comments or to a Facebook page I’ve set up at this link: This Day With God.

Psalm 107
Passage Lookup
List the areas of life for which God has brought deliverance (vv. 4, 10, 17, 23). What should be the response of those delivered? Why? Enumerate the wonderful works God does for his people. How do you respond to the love of God? Why?

Psalm 108
Passage Lookup
What is the significance of the repetition of Psalm 57:7-11 and Psalm 60:5-12 here? For what is God worshipped? How do the people respond?

Psalm 109
Passage Lookup
To what extent can you identify with the psalmist’s situation presented here? How is he treated? Why? To what extent does David request judgment on the accuser? On what basis? In what areas? On what basis does David pray for deliverance?

The above reading plan will be used as I share over the next few posts. It’s important to have a plan. I’m thankful that Jesus is God’s plan for us and by accepting Him as Savior; we have taken the steps necessary to make this day with Him amazing! At this link: God’s Plan for Us, is a post about accepting God’s plan or reaffirming our “YES” for Christ.

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Resources and Supplementary Helps Used in Posts
Adeney, Carol. This Morning with God. Downer Grove Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1978
First United Methodist Waco Podcast
Christ Notes
Family Times