Declare His Wonders

"Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among the people."  Psalm 96:3.  What wonders of God will we declare?  We will speak of His power in creation.  The beauty of the stars and the moon is a wonder to behold.  Only by a divine power could such a wonder come to pass. Will we not speak of His power in deliverance?  We are delivered from the curse of sin.  His hand has snatched us from death.  Let us declare His power in help.  God is our help in time of trouble.  He is our stronghold in difficulty.  His power sustains us, and keeps us from falling.  Let us declare His power in redemption.  We are free from the slavery of the devil.  The chains of sin have been broken by His mighty hand.  Let us declare His promise in hope.  Light shines through the darkness.  Hope is the security of a better tomorrow.  Can the mouth be stopped to speak of His wonders?  In the lives of His children is the constant witness of His glory.  Speak child.  Declare His goodness and His greatness.  Praise Him for His marvelous wonders.

As I Have Thought

"The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand."  Isaiah 14:24.  God always speaks with firmness.  His word must not be taken lightly.  We, in reading and hearing the word of God, know with surety that God will perform as He has spoken.  We have full confidence in every word that proceeds from His mouth.  His thoughts are greater than our thoughts, and His purpose is greater than our purpose.  God has spoken against the evil and corruption of the time.  God has declared divine judgment upon those who choose to surround themselves with evil.  God purposes divine wrath upon the wicked, and divine blessings upon the just.  Surely, it shall come to pass.  What God has decreed will stand.  As we live, we must choose which side of God we desire for ourselves.  We take count of time, and believe that the purpose and will has been forgotten.  But, God waits His will at last to come to pass.  His thought and His purpose will indeed fall upon the human scene.  Do we believe?

Continue And Watch

"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving."  Colossians 4:2.  In everything that is right and good, we are to continue.  And, we must watch.  We are to pray.  In prayer, we watch for the adversary that assaults our soul.  When we are in communion with God, we have a guard against the devil.  Prayer is a powerful tool in the hand of the righteous.  Prayer moves God.  Prayer provides help and comfort to the hurting soul.  Prayer is the medicine for the sick of heart.  We speak to our Father.  His ear is open unto our pleading.  We cry unto Him who can provide for us all things.  Prayer is to be often.  At all times, we can pour out our feelings unto our heavenly Father.  Prayer gives us courage and strength to face the difficult times in our lives.  In prayer, we give thanks for all the many blessings that God has given unto us.  We thank Him for hearing and for caring.  A thankful beggar will be granted a listening ear.

Give Satan No Opportunity

"Neither give place to the devil."  Ephesians 4:27.  The devil is the enemy of all that is good and holy.  The devil is the adversary of all righteousness.  The devil is the source of all evil.  The devil opposes God.  The old man is corrupt because of the influence of Satan.  The new man must avoid the devil at all times.  The devil will slip into our lives, and will ultimately become a resident.  The devil desires to take his abode in our hearts.  He will come to control us, and eventually destroy us.  Because of his crafty deceit, we must never provide him with an opportunity in our lives.  The devil only brings ruin.  The devil seeks to harm us, never to help us.  What he promises, he cannot provide.  The door of our life must never be opened unto him.  We must be on guard against him.  We must know his methods.  We must be mindful of his lurking.  We must stay near unto God, and His word.  We must not detour from the path of righteousness.  We must not drift into the darkness.  We cannot play with sin, and the devil.  Any small opportunity given to him will be devastating to the soul.

Is Christ Divided?

"Is Christ divided?"  I Corinthians 1:13.  This question is asked of a troubled body of believers.  Their hearts are divided over whom they should follow and whose name they should wear.  Is not the same true in our religious world of today?  Division will prevent the cause from succeeding.  Division will bring defeat rather than victory.  Those who choose to follow Christ are to dwell in unity.  We are to stand as one.  Our faith is to be one.  Christ is not divided, and neither must His followers be divided.  We should wear His name, not the name of some human.  We should embrace His teaching, not the teaching of a human mind.  Christ is one, and His body, the church, is one.  As there is not a multitude of Christs, so there is to be no multitude of bodies, nor teachings.  Believers are not to be in disharmony, nor separated into different sects.  When men follow different opinions and relate them to Christ, they have erred.  Christ is one.  His body is one.  His followers are one.   United with the one Christ is the assurance of hope and victory.

We Are Not Careful To Answer

"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter."  Daniel 3:16.  These three young men were told to bow down and worship the golden image which had been set up by Nebuchadnezzar.  If they failed to do so, they would be cast into the fiery furnace.  Hebrews were to worship only the Lord God of heaven.  They were to honor nor serve any other god.  The decision to obey the voice of the king had already been made by these young men.  They were willing to face the fire of the furnace and the wrath of the king.  To serve the gods of the world or to serve the God of heaven is always a decision that must be made.  When the time comes to make the choice, are we going to have to think about it?  Or, is the choice already established in our hearts?  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not going to think about the choice given by the king.  There was not going to be any discussion or deliberation.  Their minds were set on what choice they would make.  They would serve God, whether God chose to deliver them or not.  When the gods of the world beckon for our attention, we must not be careful to answer them.  We must be firm in our resolve to honor God.