Brown's Daily Word 5-26-09

Good morning,
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. The early church leader Augustine was once accosted by a heathen who showed him his idol and said, "Here is my god; where is thine?" Augustine replied, "I cannot show you my God; not because there is no God to show but because you have no eyes to see Him." In Psalm 46, we read: "The Lord Almighty is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Come see the glorious works of the Lord. See how He brings destruction upon the world and causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear in two; he burns the shields with fire.Be still and know that I am God! I will be exalted in the nations. I will be honored through the earth." (Psalm 46:8-11) In light of the assurance of our Almighty God’s triumphs, we should take time throughout the day to be still and reverently honor him as the God of power, love, and sovereign control of all things. We can praise God that He constantly offers reassurance during troubled times. David gives us an emphatic declaration of God’s Almighty power to overcome any calamity that may befall us. Perhaps the most famous verse that speaks of God's overcoming power is found in Psalm 46, "God is our refuge and strength a very present help in the time of trouble." A refuge is a shelter that provides protection from all kinds of danger. When we seek refuge in God we are trusting Him to deliver us from danger and trouble. We can praise God that He constantly reassures us with His mighty power, presence and promise. Take time to thank God for the fact that He reassures you with rock solid guarantees regarding your security. He alone is able to give us the confidence to move ahead with His will for our lives despite intimidating outward circumstances or our personal feelings of fear. We can be certain of the fact that He will bring to pass His will and way for our life if we take Abraham’s attitude toward our challenge, "He staggered not through unbelief but grew strong in faith, being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform." (Romans 4:20,21) Often we are tempted to focus too much on personal comfort and ease. Too much comfort can be a dangerous thing, literally. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley did an experiment some time ago that involved introducing an amoeba into a perfectly stress-free environment. Ideal temperature, optimal concentration of moisture, and a constant food supply were provided, so that the amoeba had an environment to which it had to make no adjustments whatsoever. Oddly enough, it died. Apparently, there is something about all living creatures, even amoebas, that demands challenge. We require change, adaptation, and challenge in the same way we require food and air. Comfort alone will kill us. When teachers want students to grow, they don’t give them answers - they give them problems! It is only in the process of accepting and solving problems that our ability to think creatively is enhanced, our persistence is strengthened. God is infinitely above all of the enemies who seek to steal, slaughter, kill, and destroy those who are His own. We must call upon Him for deliverance. Despite the malice of God’s opponents He is never rattled by their threats. "Nations are in an uproar, kingdoms falls, he lifts us voice and the earth melts." (Psalm 46:6) God’s voice resets all things in their proper position, place and perspective. People will try to set themselves in positions of power, prestige or popularity but God alone will be exalted above all and He alone will receive glory. Let us learn to trust and obey God in all things and at all times so we can gain a greater intimate knowledge of God. Increasing intimacy with the Lord allows one to experience greater power, perspective and problem-solving capacities that are done through the enabling guidance of the Holy Spirit. We can praise God that He has unlimited resources available to win every good battle that we fight. Many people hesitate to move forward until they believe they have all the resources in place, but we can trust God to provide all we need according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19) Our Sovereign God not only controls all things; He owns everything. Let us ask the Lord to help us to bring glory to His name in all that we do.

In Him,
Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEh7Vt9sxmc