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REMEMBERING THE PAST

“I consider the days of old, the years of bygone times [of prosperity]. ?? I call to remembrance my song in the night; with my heart I meditate and my spirit searches diligently: Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favourable no more? Have His mercy and loving-kindness ceased forever? Have His promises ended for all time? ?Has God [deliberately] abandoned or forgotten His graciousness? Has He in anger shut up His compassion? Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! ? And I say, this [apparent desertion of Israel by God] is my appointed lot and trial, but I will recall the years of the right hand of the Most High [in loving-kindness extended toward us], for this is my grief, that the right hand of the Most High changes. ? I will [earnestly] recall the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will [earnestly] remember the wonders [You performed for our fathers] of old. ?I will meditate also upon all Your works and consider all Your [mighty] deeds…Psalm 77:5-12.”

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To me the Psalms are an endless source of comfort. They describe every emotion known to man and in this psalm Asaph, the writer, is going through a whole stream of emotions and most of them not good. Do you ever feel like the psalmist did in the above verses?

Sometimes we wonder what has happened -??this terrible thing has happened to us and we wonder where God is in all this.?The answer to this is pretty simple: We are to remember what God did in the past, how did God act in the past, how did He lead you in the past. Did he bless you in the past?

The psalmist meditates and earnestly remembers what God did for him, and in generations past.?God doesn't change.?He is the same yesterday, today and forever.?Next time you get in the mood of the above verses, and we all do at times, remember the past and how God is faithful and how He has blessed you. Remembering the past sometimes is not a bad thing, especially when it focuses on how faithful and good God has been to you.

God bless!

? Keith

?GUEST DEVOTION

STAND

From: Ron Hawks?

"Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand…Ephesians 6:13.”

Have you recently experienced difficulties or a sense of hopelessness? It could be that you are experiencing a spiritual battle. We must remember that there is more to life than often meets the eye. There is a spiritual realm, and that spiritual realm is in conflict. There really is a devil, and there really is a God. God's angels and the devil's demons are at work, and they are warring against each other on the battlefield of humankind.

Whether you are aware of this or not, it is true. The apostle Paul addresses this spiritual battle in Ephesians 6:10-20. He instructs us concerning how we can make the most of the weapons that God has given us for the fight. One of our goals must be to stand in the battle, and to remain standing afterwards. Spiritual Standing must become part of our lifestyle.

Stand On ... the truth of God's Word. His Word is truth. Jesus prayed that God would set us apart from the rule and influence of the devil, that He would sanctify us by the truth of His Word. (John 17:17) We must renew our minds according to this truth, so we don't wrongly conform to the false understandings around us. (Romans 12:2)

- Are you taking time to practically build your life on God's truth, so you don't fall prey to the enemy's lies? This requires discipline to rightly apply His truth in your life. Stand Under ... Jesus. He is our Lord and Master. We follow Him, and we submit our ways to His. In all spiritual battles we must remember that we do not stand on our own, we stand under the authority of Jesus. (Matthew 28:18; Luke 9:1-2) We must humble ourselves before God, and stay obediently under His guidance. (1 Peter 5:6)

- Are you living a humble life before God, aligning your will with His even when it seems to cross your own sense of purpose/feeling? Stand Up ... in your identity in Christ. You are not your own, you have been bought with a price. (1 Corinthians 6:20) You have been made one with God through the covenant of salvation, and you have been adopted into His family. (Romans 8:15) God is your Father, you are His child. You are loved, lovable and able to stand as a representative of God Himself.

- Do you realize that you are in Christ, and that He is truly "in" you? You are His - His name and authority mark your life. Stand Against the devil. Once we have submitted our lives to God and His purposes, we are ready to resist the temptations and plans of the enemy. (James 4:7) We don't need to entertain His false comforts, rationale or directions. We have been given authority in the name of Jesus to say, "Stop!" And, he must obey our command because of our familial identity and authority in Christ.

- Is there any way you need to stand against the works of the devil today? Don't reason or bargain with him. Take authority over him, and simply clearly say, "Stop in the name of Jesus."

You most likely will need help to stand in Christ. That is God's design. We are a body, rightly fitted to be able to help each other stand in the battles of faith. Standing with you, Pastor Tom

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