Daily Bible Study for Thursday September
15, 2016
By: Hanny Lynn Stearns
Fish N
Loaves Ministries, Inc.
“Multiplying
God’s Word Around The Globe”
Chapter Reading
for Today: Please read in
your Bible before proceeding. Note that most translations are considered
paraphrases. The Young’s Literal Translation provides a more accurate
translation since he is the one who authored a concordance. Others are helpful
for seeing a different perspective, but we cannot always depend on their
wording. I hope this is helpful to you. If you are studying in another version,
that is fine. I am studying from the KJV, but for the purpose of this study, I
will keep it with the New King James Version.
One final note: I will put the scripture in italics to differentiate from my
own writing. I am adding red to the letters when
it is Jesus talking – just like the Bible. Thank you.
Bible
Gateway Verse of the Day
1 John 4:16
And we have known and believed the love that God
has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in
him.
Psalm
100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless
His name.
Song: Be Exalted O God By: Brent Chambers (You Tube)
Psalm 57
Be Exalted O God Above My Circumstances!
The Psalmist wasn’t the only
one who exalted God in the midst of trouble and suffering! There have been many
who sought their place of shelter and safety in the presence of the Lord while
they continued to preach the Gospel of Jesus throughout the world. The
calamities of this life may continue, but there is a good purpose that can and
will be worked out through it all for those who are willing. The question today
is this. What will you exalt when trouble comes? Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father:
How wonderful it is to know
that no matter what our many enemies in this life may try to snare us with, in
Your shelter we can find perfect safety and comfort. To know You O God is to
love You and exalt You above all else! May Your glory be over all the earth as
we press on to finish the good work You began in each of us. Father, I ask You
for the anointing and utterance to bring out the message You want Your children
to receive in this study today. We love Your word and expect marvelous things
to happen as we place our confidence in You. Lord, cause this to go out across
the globe unhindered and unchecked by any outside force or my flesh. Use my
heart and hands to convey Your message of hope. Build trust in the hearts of
the readers. Father, we thank You for always watching over Your word to perform
it in our lives when we place our trust in You and do what it says. We purpose
not to be forgetful hearers but doers of Your powerful and effective word.
Bring glory to Yourself in us today and in the days to come. We thank You in
advance for changing us and leading us to look and act more like Jesus. In
Jesus mighty and precious name we pray. Amen.
The resounding theme in the
Psalms is one of trust in God Almighty, who, amidst all the trials that this
life throws in the way of the human, causes one to praise and glory in God our
Savior. We can see in many ways why the Lord used David, a man after His own
heart to be led by Holy Spirit to pen these powerful words. Though David faced
many trials, he maintained his confidence in the Lord to help him. He knew that
he could tuck himself under the wings of God and be safe no matter what pit the
enemy tried to dig for him. Then, he could stand back and watch God deliver him
and see his enemies fall into their own self-made pits – hallelujah!
David exalted God above the
battles. He was a man of faith. He was a warrior. He is a “type” of what we
should all be. We need to be warriors in the Lord’s army. Going to the front
lines of battle and never turning back in fear. David knew how to pray and
touch the heart of God with faith and love for Him. He knew who His God was and
he was determined to make Him known to all the nations of people in his time. The
battles didn’t stop him. The threats only caused him to press in to the Lord
even more. The victories caused him to praise and glory in God his Savior and
because of the many successes he experienced, the Lord’s name was exalted in
the heavens and over all the earth – let us praise His name forever!
Our Father in heaven is fully
aware of what we have to face in this life. He sent His Son to give us victory
over the enemy so we would not have to live defeated lives. He gave us
everything we would need to deal with the enemy. The Lord is done dealing with
the enemy until the time comes for Him to throw satan into the pit for 1,000
years. For now, “dealing with the enemy” has been left up to us. We have the
authority over him.
Do we still need to invite God
into our circumstances, whether good or bad? Absolutely. We are to pray in
everything and give Him thanks? You know it! He can move things around on our
behalf because He gives His children favor. We cast down the enemy and go
forward in faith knowing that God alone can open great doors of opportunity for
us – glory to God! We have another man in the Bible who was completely
committed to doing the Lord’s work. His heart, like David’s, was steadfast.
That means that he was completely devoted to the Lord, or we could also say he
was loyal to God. His name is Paul, formerly known as Saul of Tarsus. He lived
to exalt God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Back in the days before Jesus
came, the enemy had not yet been defeated and David had to call on God to step
in and take him down in the battles he faced. But since Jesus came and defeated
satan, death, hell and the curse, we can now walk in victory as we take
authority over satan and all his demon helpers each day. Paul knew this well.
He may have cried out to God to get the enemy off his back a few times, but
still, he trusted in the Lord for strength when he felt weak in a particular situation.
He always exalted the Lord in his circumstances.
Because of the trials Paul
faced and where he placed his focus, like David, the name of Christ was
preached. Let’s look at this…
Philippians 1:12-18
12 But I want you to know, brethren, that the
things which happened to
me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, 13 so
that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that
my chains are in Christ; 14 and most of the
brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold
to speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and
strife, and some also from goodwill: 16 The former preach
Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my
chains; 17 but the latter out of love, knowing that
I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. 18 What
then? Only that in
every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I
rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.
When David faced battles he
got out the musical instruments and started praising the Lord! He started his
day in his glory in the Lord and brought out the lute and harp to sing and
shout God’s praises. People were not gathered around to listen to his problems!
Paul, though he was in chains, a prisoner held captive by man, continued to
preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone who would listen. Paul didn’t talk
about his troubles or complain about them. He continued to focus on the main
thing – the Lord! If one were to go to Paul’s rented house for a cup of coffee,
they would not be sitting around the dining room table rehearsing his problems.
David said that he believed
God would perform all things for him. Is that the faith in your heart? Do you
believe that God will see you through every situation? Do you know without a
doubt that He wants to lead and guide you by His Holy Spirit so that you can
come out victorious in every situation? Here is the advice we are given in our trials…
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to
God; 7 and the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ
Jesus.
These words were not just
empty words written by a man in a fleeting moment. These are the powerful and
effective words from God to us through Holy Spirit. We can see from the Bible
that David practiced what he preached. So did Paul. Doing the word is much more
important than just memorizing the scriptures for head knowledge so we can
impress people by how many we know. It goes much deeper. When we allow Holy
Spirit to show us the meaning that He wants to impress upon us each day, and
really think about what He is telling us, then these words become our life’s
reality. When we exalt God’s word in our lives, we exalt His victory.
Let’s look at what the Lord showed us through
Paul in the following verses…
Philippians 4:11-13
11 Not that I speak in regard to
need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I
know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I
have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer
need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me.
Paul was not only used to
write this, but he was living it. He was exalting God by preaching the gospel
of Christ. Did he face many challenges and battles while he did this?
Absolutely. But notice how he tells us he had learned to be content in every
situation, no matter what he was dealing with. In the church we hear many
Christians quoting the last part of these verses frequently, yet when we look
at how they are living, it doesn’t seem as though they really believe or act on
what they are saying. They will say they can do all things through Christ who
strengthens them, but turn around and whine or cry like a whimpering little puppy.
How many know that we need to
take the verses of scripture in context. Paul was not just using a verse here
to keep him strong. He was also learning to live content in every situation he
faced, trusting in the Lord to strengthen him through it all. How do we know he
really did this? By what we see in the Bible. He was used by God to get many
things done in the kingdom because he listened to the Lord and obeyed Him. If
Paul had sat around crying about being in prison, beaten or chained, then God would
have had to use someone else. But he didn’t. He exalted God.
The Lord was able to use him
because he was completely “sold out” for the Lord and His work. Paul was
willing to exalt God no matter what he faced at all times. How many do we know
in the church today that are really exalting God regardless of what they are
facing? Exalting God in suffering is what brings great reward. Is it easy? No.
But Jesus never promised us easy. He did promise great reward…
Matthew 5:11-12
11 “Blessed are you
when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you
falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be
exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the
prophets who were before you.
There is a saying among people
that goes something like this, “No pain, no gain.” In reality we can take the
words of scripture spoken from the Master and glean this very meaning. What
matters most will cost the most, hurt the most and reap the most – hallelujah!
The flesh hates to make sacrifices. But exalting God in our lives for the
furtherance of kingdom work in spreading the gospel is what we must do! This
means exalting Him in our time, our worship, our finances, our daily work, our
relationships and in our towns.
What we see the most in this
chapter today is this. There are 11 verses in all. Of those 11 verses, David
spoke of trouble in 2 ½ of them. The remainder of the verses are spent in
exalting God, trusting Him, running to Him and praising Him. They are spent in
placing his trust in His Savior fully knowing he could hide in Him. What can we
really see here? David is exalting God above his circumstances! Friends, if you
get nothing else from this today, please understand this. When we magnify the
problem or the situation we are facing, we diminish the power of God to work in
our lives. But when we exalt the Lord above all our circumstances, battles,
problems – whatever we are facing, then we have already got victory! It is
true. Praise His name forever!
To exalt something is to lift
it up to a place of prominence. It is to make it the focus. The Lord knows our
hearts. If we spend our time focused on our problems, then obviously we are not
focusing on the power and ability of God. As born again Christians we are not
taking the place we have been given in Christ seriously. What we focus on the
most is the thing that will play the greatest role in our lives. The devil
wants us to focus on the trouble. God wants us to focus on Him in faith – our solution.
When we hide ourselves in Him throughout any challenges we are facing, He will
bring us safely through.
Just yesterday my husband’s
car broke down. We could have had a real problem in our hearts with this. He
was stranded 45 minutes away from home after having been gone on a business
trip for two+ days. At the end of the day and all those meetings, the last
thing anyone wants to deal with is a car that is broken down on the side of the
road. He called me and I dropped what I was doing (obviously) and went to pick
him up. We both prayed about it and committed it to the Lord. He has been
needing a new car, but we have been waiting on direction from the Lord on that.
While this was going on, the
enemy was coming at both of us fast and furious. He was trying to get us to
junk the car immediately and go in a debt for another car. This was not the
plan of God, but we heard the tempter’s voice. He thought it would be a good
time to steal some of our finances and put us into a bind. We did not heed his
voice. Later, the Lord showed us that it was the enemy. Today my husband heard
from Holy Spirit that he should not buy a new car. The Lord gave us tremendous
favor in getting his car fixed and down the road he goes on his merry, grateful
way. God was exalted in this situation and the Lord prevailed. He gave my
husband the wisdom to handle the situation exactly as He wanted him to. I am so
grateful for a godly husband who listens! Hallelujah!
What would have happened if we
had junked the car right then and there? We would have been out of the will of
God. The situation would not have turned out in our favor and we would have circumvented
a blessing that the Lord had waiting for us. When we look at the problems (we
call them opportunities) that arise in our lives from Holy Spirit’s perspective,
we will get wisdom for how to proceed each time. But when we exalt the issue
and step out in the flesh, not trusting God to help us, we miss out on the
great blessings the Lord had in store for us. That can be so SADD-U-CEE!
The Bible is full of true
stories of battles that have taken place. Many show victories while others give
the account of terrible defeat. If a person ever took the time to study out the
battles that are listed in the Bible, they would quickly discover how the Lord
brought victory in each situation where He was invited in to handle it. But in
those where God was not exalted, the battle was lost. It is no different for us
today. The big question is saints, what will you exalt when an “opportunity”
arises in your life? Will it be the Lord? Or will it be the problem? You
decide.
Questions:
What was David facing in this chapter?
What did he spend the most time talking about?
What did he say he would do as far as the Lord was concerned?
When trouble comes your way, what do you exalt?
How has studying
this chapter renewed your mind about things that come against you?
Who can you share
this study with so they can be helped too?
There are three main points to
consider from today’s study…
The circumstances we face are just
opportunities to trust God
What we exalt will be the
determining factor in how things will go for us
Responding properly to our
circumstances can be a great example to others
Heavenly Father:
I exalt You O God above anything and everything this life
brings my way! May Your glory be in every part of my life. Cause me to know
that I can run to You at all times and take shelter under Your strong and
mighty wings. Father, I know that the calamities of this life are only for a
short time. While I am here, help me to see the many ways that I can exalt You
in everything I do. Thank You for being my refuge in every situation. I give
You all the praise, honor and glory in Jesus name! Amen.
What
have you been exalting lately?
And God Said… You fill in the blanks.
Psalm 57:5, 11
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be above all the earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment