O GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD

Psalm 118:1; Psalm 107:1; Psalm 136:1

O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good:  for his mercy endures for ever.

O give thanks unto the God of gods:  for his mercy endures for ever.

O give thanks to the Lord of lords:  for his mercy endures for ever.

Why are we to give thanks to the Lord?  Look at the rest of the verses in these three Psalms.

He is good!

His mercy endures forever.

He alone does great wonders.

By His Wisdom He made the heavens, stretched out the earth above the waters, made great lights with one being the sun to rule by day and the others being the moon and stars to rule by night.

He brought Israel out of Egypt (bondage to a slave master) with a strong hand and with a stretched out arm.  He defeated her enemies before her. He gave them land for an inheritance.

He remembers us in our low estate.

He has redeemed us from our enemies.

He gives food to all flesh.

We can call upon Him in distress, and He answers us and sets us in a large place.

He is on our side; what can anyone do to us?

He takes care of us when we are in trouble and when we are not in trouble.

He is our strength and our song and is become our salvation.

He brings life to us when we are compassed about with the enemies of trouble.

He makes each day a new day for us so that we can rejoice.

He sends prosperity

He has redeemed us from the power and strength of our adversary.

We cry to the Lord in the midst of our troubles and He delivers us from our distresses.

He brings us out of darkness, destruction, misery, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness and the shadow of death and breaks the bands that hold us back.

He sent His Word and healed us and delivered us from our destructions.

He makes the storm a calm so that the waves are still.

He blesses us with multiplication and increase.

He waters our fields and prepares us a habitation in which to dwell and sow and plant and harvest.

Whoever is wise sees all these things and understands the loving-kindness of the Lord.

We will praise God for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men!

He is our God.  He is good.  We will praise Him.  We will exalt Him.

We give thanks to You Lord God, for you are good and Your mercy endures forever.

THE TRUTH SETS YOU FREE

Jesus spoke these words to those who believe in Him:

If you continue in my Word, if you abide in my Word, if you hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them, you are indeed or truly my disciples.  And you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you, set you free.  (John 8:30,31)

In John 17:17 Jesus tells us that His Word is the Truth.

We as believers in Jesus Christ must also believe His Word that we hold in our hands called The Bible.  This Bible is God’s Word, His voice expressed on paper.  It is God speaking to us.  That is why the Bible comes alive after you accept Jesus as your Savior.  Up to that time you did not have access to the Holy Spirit to interpret God’s Word.  He is God’s teacher sent to us to teach us about God and His Kingdom, or His way of doing things.  God’s way of doing things is completely different than the world’s way of doing things.  Basically, the Word of God is our manual to retrain our way of thinking.  Every day we have to take the Word of God into our minds and spirits to live the way God wants us to live.  And His way of living is successful, victorious, abundant living.  He never fails.  He is never defeated.  When we hook in with Him and His Word, we are not defeated nor do we fail.

I know what you are saying to me if you have been walking with Jesus any period of time.  Well, it hasn’t always worked for me.  I can say the same thing on occasions.  This I know:  The Word of God works every time if it is abiding in us.  There is the clue.  It came from Jesus’ mouth.  If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you are my disciples and the Truth shall set you free.  Let’s admit some things here.  Consistency is the key to victory.  When we consistently abide in Jesus and His Word, we get results.  When we consistently look to Him for our victory and not ourselves, we get results.  God’s Word keeps us on the right track of thinking because sometimes our thinking gets off track and we experience a derailment as a train would.

Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 4:16 and Ephesians 4:23 all tell us to constantly, daily renew our minds with the Word of God.  Every day we are exposed to the words of the world where we work, where we shop, and at home, if we watch secular television.  There are words of doubt, unbelief, fear, dread, failure, defeat, sickness and disease being released all the time in the world.  That is the reason we must expose our minds on a daily basis to the Word of God.  His Word keeps our thinking on line and gives us a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.

When we hear things that are contrary to God’s Word, if we know His Word, we know that in comparison to His Word, they are lies.  God’s Word is Truth.  You hear the doctor tell you that you are dying.  God’s Word tells you that you will live and declare the glory of the LORD.  The banker is foreclosing on your house.  God’s Word says that He will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.  Whose Word are we going to believe?  Of course, it is tough because we must constantly practice believing God when it looks like we are going down for the third time.  Wow!  What are we to do?  Stand!  Believe God!  He does not lie.

I have been practicing saying this all the time:  I believe I receive!  Why don’t you do that as you read the Word of God and see things that God says are yours?  I am finding that it is changing me day by day.

THE WORD BRINGS UNDERSTANDING

In Psalm 119:105 and 130 we read that the Word of God is a lamp or candle unto our feet and a light unto our path.  The entrance of His Word gives light or understanding.  It gives us discernment and comprehension of the ways of the Lord.  That Word of God is God Himself speaking to us and giving us understanding.

In Proverbs 6:23 we read that God’s Word is a lamp and that His Word is light or understanding and a way of life for His children.

When you lack wisdom and understanding of a situation in your life, go to the Word of God and get understanding.  He has the answer to all our questions and the comfort in all our situations we encounter in life.

Everyone is looking for answers.  Those answers can be found in the Word of God.  His Word is given to us to direct us and guide us into the ways of Truth.  It is God’s way of speaking to us and giving us His way of doing things and His way of thinking.  Through His Word, His ways and thoughts can become our ways and thoughts.

Today, as you read your Bible, ask the Holy Spirit to give you understanding for your day and to give you words of understanding for others you encounter along the way.