Dark Days - Joy In The Midst Of Trouble

As a Christian, can you praise God in the dark days?

Be assured, they will come.

Serve Him with gladness.

Sing His praises from the rooftops.

How can we not serve Him, love Him, and praise Him for His great mercy?

Be passionate about your worship of Almighty God Who is, Who was and will be!!!

Clap your hands and raise them to a Holy God who sent His Son Jesus to save your wicked sinful soul.

When everything falls apart, PRAY and PRAISE!!

17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen.

18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen."

19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them,

20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24 And in the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic,

25 clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians."

26 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen."

27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea.

28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained.

29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.

31 Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses. - Exodus 14:17-31

Rejoice in the Lord!

1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, "I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. 

2 The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. 

3 The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.  - Exodus 15:1-3

I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.  - Psalm 35:18

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. - Philippians 4:4

Sickness will come.

Marriages will be in turmoil.

Jobs will be lost.

Children and grand children will try your patience.

And Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."  - Exodus 15:21

"Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; to the LORD I will sing; I will make melody to the LORD, the God of Israel.  - Judges 5:3

"For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.  - 2 Samuel 22:50

Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!  - 1 Chronicles 16:9

Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day.  - 1 Chronicles 16:23

I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.  - Psalm 7:17

Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!  - Psalm 9:11

Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.  - Psalm 30:4

Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.  - Psalm 33:1

Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.  - Psalm 33:3

sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!  - Psalm 66:2

Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!  - Psalm 96:1

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.  - Psalm 104:33

Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel.  - Isaiah 44:23

Sing to the LORD; praise the LORD! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.  - Jeremiah 20:13

Remember God's Awesomeness!

The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.  - Exodus 15:2

God is a miracle working God!

"Pharaoh's chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.  - Exodus 15:4

The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.  - Exodus 15:5

Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.  - Exodus 15:6

Satan magnifies your problems while minimizing your God!

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:13

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. - 2 Corinthians 12:9

that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, - Ephesians 3:16

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, - 1 Timothy 1:12

Respond with enthusiasm!

For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. - Exodus 15:19

Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. - Exodus 15:20

And Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."  - Exodus 15:21

You were designed to worship the Lord Almighty!!!

Praise Him!!

Thanks Pastor Kevin!!

You’ll Be Known by the Master You Follow

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honour.” John 12:25-26

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

You know, sometimes it’s hard to look at an individual and know whether they’re saved or not saved. One way to illustrate it is, if there is a group of people standing around and there’s a dog in the midst, it’s hard to tell which man that dog belongs to. Let’s say two men are having a conversation and the dog is sitting on the floor. When the two men part, you’re going to find out who the dog belongs to, because the dog will follow his master, is that not right?

Friend, I made up my mind that if a dog can follow his master, I’m going to follow mine. And do you know how you’re going to be known? In high school, some kids are going to go this way and Jesus is going to go that way, and you’re going to go that way, because Jesus is your Master. In business, some men are going to go this way and Jesus is going to go that way. And Mr. Christian Businessman, you’ll go that way.

ACTION POINT:

Make it your purpose to do what Jesus said so long ago: “Follow me.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Rich Man, Poor Man

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Two things have I required of Thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity [falsehood] and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient [needful] for me: Lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” Proverbs 30:7-9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

To pass the test of life, one test you may have to pass is the test of poverty. If so, the Lord has some advice for you. See your poverty in the proper perspective. Because in the Lord Jesus Christ you are highly exalted, no matter how poor you are. Having Christ, you are richer than the richest man on earth without the Lord Jesus Christ. As a Christian, you have gone from rags to riches.

Did you know that many of you would do better being poor than being rich? Some people can stand almost anything but prosperity. This is what our passage in Proverbs is saying.

Actually, it’s very hard to be poor and it’s even harder to be rich. The rich man may have an easier time in life, but he has a harder time passing the test.

ACTION POINT:

The Lord does not tell the rich man to renounce his riches….just to properly assess his riches. It’s not wrong to have money. Some of God’s choicest of saints were extremely wealthy. Abraham is an example. But the rich man is to see his riches from a proper perspective. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

No Closet Off Limits

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

God tells us to be filled with His Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit of God means first, repentance, then resistance of the devil, and then renewal. It means there’s not one room in your temple where God is off limits. There’s not one closet He doesn’t have a key to. You are filled with the Spirit in your church life, in your business life, in your sex life, in your political life, and in your social life. In the big things and the little things, in your money, in your exercise, in your sleep, in your eating, in your lying down, and in your waking up. You give Jesus the keys to it all. Then when you are filled with the Spirit, there’s no more room for Satan.

ACTION POINT:

If there’s room for Satan, the Spirit is grieved and I am not filled with the Spirit. Repentance, resistance, renewal! Don’t try to repent until you’re honest and face your sin. Don’t try to resist until you’ve repented. And don’t try to be filled until you resist, until you choose against Satan and yield to God’s blessed Holy Spirit.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

God Puts Things In Proper Order

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord…” 2 Peter 1:2

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Have you ever noticed how God puts things in sequence in the Bible?  For example, the Bible says, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you.”  It never says “peace and grace”—always “grace and peace.”  Why?  You’ll not know peace until you know grace. 

The Bible also says “Believe and be baptized.”  Not “Be baptized and believe.”  If you were immersed or sprinkled before you gave your heart to Jesus and truly believed, you haven’t been “baptized” at all.  True baptism follows true belief. There is another order that God has put in the Bible. Not only grace and peace, not only belief and baptism, but repentance and faith. Always in that order: repentance first, then faith.  If you’re having difficulty with faith, try repentance.

ACTION POINT:

There’s nothing so damning, so debilitating, as sin in the heart. The writer of Hebrews says, “Take heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Running For The Soul Winner's Crown

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.” 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Here’s what Paul was saying to those in Thessalonica: “When Jesus comes, my crown is going to those that I’ve led to Him.”  Now that’s a crown that doesn’t corrupt.  When you die and go to heaven, are you going to take somebody with you, or are you going to heaven alone?  “Must I go and empty-handed, must I meet my Savior so; without one soul with which to greet Him, must I empty-handed go?” Now I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I’m concerned because most people in church are not active soul winners. That’s tragic.

You say, “But, Pastor, I give my money.”  I don’t care how much money you give.  If you’re not endeavoring to bring souls to Christ, you’re not right with God.  You say, “Well, I teach.”  I don’t care how eloquently you teach.  If you’re not trying to bring souls to Jesus, you’re not right with God.  You say, “Well, I attend faithfully.”  I don’t care how much you attend.  If you’re not trying to bring souls to Jesus Christ, you are not right with God. 

Andrew Murray said, “There are two classes of Christians: soul winners and backsliders.”  You are one or the other.  If you don’t have a passion to see people come to the Lord Jesus Christ, I wonder if you know the Jesus I know. 

ACTION POINT:

My dear brother, my dear sister, there is a crown to run for.  It’s the soul winner’s crown.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

A Prize To Possess

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2b

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Jesus is our example.  He is a champion who, when He ran His race, received a crown of joy.  When an athlete runs, he runs to win a trophy. In our verse today, what is “the joy that is set before Him”?  It’s winning the race.  He “endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

That crown gave Him the ability to endure.  If you keep the crown in mind, you can bear the cross.  But you cannot have the crown if you despise the cross.  We are crucified with the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have a few trophies that I won back in high school on a championship football team: a gold football, a letterman’s sweater and a silver cup. Do you know what happened to all those trophies?  Someone broke into the house and got the gold football. The moths had a camp meeting in the sweater. It’s gone.  There are no more letters on that letter sweater. What happened to the silver cup, I haven’t the foggiest.

ACTION POINT:

Friend, athletes run “to obtain a corruptible crown; but we for an incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 9:25). Running the race, Jesus had the joy that was set before Him and He endured the cross.  He despised the shame.  There is a prize to possess. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers