The LORD is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I fear? - Psalm 27:1

In the Old Testament, the word "stronghold" was the same as a "fortress", a place to hide, a refuge, a place of protection.  Our author, David, was very familiar with places to hide and held on for dear life to God as his stronghold.  In the New Testament we see a different kind of stronghold, one Paul was warning the Israelites about that "...sets itself up against the knowledge of God" (2 Cor.10:5).  One kind gives us freedom and safety, the other is something to be feared.  The world today will not help you hold onto God as your stronghold.  You will have to make a decision to do that.

In Martin Luther's hymn A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD, written in German, Thomas Carlyle translated verse 1 as:

A safe stronghold our God is still;

A trusty shield and weapon;

He'll help us clear from all the ill;

That hath us now o'ertaken.

Whatever are our strongholds, those things that hold us in bondage, are our choices, most of the time.  We can hold "strongly" to the "ill" of the world and it will have a powerful hold on us.  I know.  David knew.  Jesus knew.  When Jesus was tempted in the desert, the enemy tempted Him with things he was most vulnerable to.  He does the same with us...our areas of weakness are the places he sets the traps.  When we push God out of our lives, we have no power to fight them off.  We are restless, shameful, irritable, empty, stingy, critical and selfish. Unfortunately I recognize myself in that description.  BUT, when God is our stronghold, we have "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control" (Gal. 5:22-23).  My choice.  Your choice.

Hebrews 12:1 says to "..throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles".  I recently finally acknowledged some of those hindrances in my life and am prayerfully making an effort to allow God to "change my thinking".  Back up to the 2 Cor. passage above; it says the way to break the wrong strongholds is to "...take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ".  Beth Moore in her LIVING FREE study says:  "Renewing the mind means learning to think new thoughts".  I can change the way I think and so can you! Open God's word and let it be your guide.

For further study:  Deuteronomy 33:26-27,  Psalm 18:2, Psalm 46:1, Isaiah 40:28-31, Isaiah 55:2, Galatians 5:1, Colossians 3:5, 1 Thess. 4:3-5, 1 Peter 5:8-11, 1 John 2:15-17.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly

Dwell in the shelter of the Most High; rest in the shadow of the Almighty - Ps. 91:1

One of the things I have loved about getting older is that my convictions become clearer.  Some around me might not appreciate that about me, but I don't struggle with the grey areas as much as I used to.  You will be glad to know that I am also trying to be more gracious in sharing my convictions...I am quite aware not many really want to know them or hear them!

One of the things I've become convinced of is the law of cause and effect.  I haven't always wanted to acknowledge that the things we do bring results...one way or the other.  I am grateful to have lived in the world - and sometimes "of" it - long enough to come to realize we get to choose the standards we live by.  I choose to live my life by Biblical standards.  One of the Bible's best "cause and effect" principles is that obedience = blessing.  One of the first places it is mentioned is in Deuteronomy 30:16:

I command you today to love the Lord your

God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep

his commands...and the Lord your God will bless you... 

I believe our pillow verse today is  a similar "cause and effect" principle.  When we "dwell" (remain or abide; see previous blog)  with our Lord, the result will be rest.  The word used for rest in the Old Testament denotes "peaceful living".  As I look around me today, I see so little "peaceful living" happening, sometimes in my own heart.  If I am not obedient to dwell with the Lord, the result will not be peaceful living.  Beth Moore says in her daily devotion book:

Obedience to our Father's commands

is the key to immunity from the enemy.

The enemy will convince us because culture/society is changing, we should be changing too...go with the flow, he will say.  The truth is there are all kinds of things that entangle me to keep me from obedience, and I let them.  No one forces me to make idols of material things, no one forces me to put selfish pleasure in front of time with God, no one forces me to learn principles from magazines...those are choices I make.  And I do not continue to make them any longer.

God does not change and His principles shown us in His word do not change.  Culture can and will make their own choices.  My security or freedom is not in rejecting Him, but obeying Him.  Why?  Because Psalm 91 goes on to say if we make Him our dwelling then His angels will "guard" us in all our ways.  That's my hope...what is yours?

For further study:  Deuteronomy 6:3, 1 Samuel 15:22, Psalm 1:1-6, Psalm 119:34, John 15:10, Acts 5:29,  Galatians 5:24-25, Hebrews 12:1-3, 1 Peter 1:14, 2 John 6.

May you be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly

PRAY

Do you ever struggle with the complications of life?  Do you wonder if the circumstances are complicated or do our minds make it complicated?  Romans 8:7 says: "The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace."  Easy choice...I choose life and peace!  My mind, however, has a mind of its own!!  It often goes where I don't want it to go and thinks thoughts that cause me to behave in ways I am not happy with.  My mind needs to be transformed by renewal in order to seek God's will for my life (Rom. 12:1).  I believe that's why we PRAY.  God doesn't need our prayers, He desires the communion and fellowship that causes us to know Him.


Isaiah 43:10 says God chose His people (that would be those of us who believe in His name and follow Him) that "you may know and believe me".  I believe we can know and believe Him when we spend time with Him in prayer and Bible study.  I didn't grow up knowing God...I knew about Him but I didn't know Him through a personal relationship with His Son Jesus.  As an adult I began to understand that in order for me to be able to do His will I had to know what His will was...and is!  I couldn't know Him or His will until I began to know His word.  And guess what?  When our culture changes, God's word does not!!

Tim Keller in his book  PRAYER; Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God talked about Paul and his prayers in the New Testament.  His prayer in Ephesians 1:18 specifically prays that: "...you may know him (God) better".  Keller says Paul is praying not for their circumstances to change, but that they would find "God's holiness wondrous and beautiful...and would avoid attitudes and behavior that would displease or dishonor him."  Paul knew that a fuller knowledge of God was much more important for the people than that their circumstances change.  That is true, says Keller, throughout all Paul's prayers in the New Testament.

I believe the level of an effective prayer life is directly related to our level of awe of God and who He is.  The more we believe we can control ourselves and our circumstances, the more shallow our prayer lives.  I have recently been convicted of a stronghold in my life and I will let go of that stronghold only as I pray to the Father to fill me up with Himself.  We must let go of the control of our lives.

How is your prayer life?  We are in a time of extreme anguish and confusion...we can do no less than PRAY fervantly. It is a great privilege we have to talk with our Father and the world is depends on it.

For further study: Deuteronomy 4:7, 2 Chron. 7:14, Proverbs 15:8, Matt. 11:24, Mark 1:35, Luke 21:36, Romans 12:12, Phil. 4:6-7, 1 Thes. 5:17, James 5:13-16.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,
Holly