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Monday... Our language can be so confusing.


Monday... Our language can be so confusing.

Look at Psalm 34 and what King David says.

In verse 4 he says, "I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me, He freed me from my fears." Now we need to know that. Many wake up each morning and go to bed each night with great fears. Those fears can even keep us awake. There are so many fears so we need to know that we can pray to God and tell him what fears we have and know that he will answer us and free us from the bondage of our fears. And yes he will.


Verse 6 says, "In desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles." That is so awesome. It really is. But then verse 7 says, "For the angel of the Lord defends all who fear him." Wait a minute, I am suppose to fear God? That is so confusing. 

But those are two different kinds of fears. Now the first one is a fear that we really do need to deal with. Yes, we need to pray, we need to reach out to God but then we also may need to reach out and share those deep fears that hold us in bandage with others who can really help us. We need to tell God but also someone else. We don't need to handle those fears alone. And there are so many different types of things we can reach out to to cover our fears and then we get in bondage to those addictions. Yes we need to pray and then to reach out. And God has provided a great place called Church to reach out to. Our church has a great prayer ministry and so many support groups and Celebrate Recovery that helps with those addictions.  Yes, Church is a place but it is also a group of people who have a relationship with God and are an extension of God. In your prayer ask God where to go to find what you need.

But then back to the other fear, the fear of God. Verse 7 in the Amplified Bible says it this way. "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [with awe-inspired reverence and worship Him with obedience] and He rescues each of them." Now that is a different kind of fear, isn't it? It is an awe-inspired reverence and a worship of Him with obedience.

Now I was afraid of what my father would do to me if I disobeyed him but I also knew that he loved me and I loved him and that made all the difference. I didn't want to displease him so I did all I could to do what he said because I knew that he really loved me. Now that is not true of every father but it was with mine and it is also true of our Heavenly Father. And that fear and trust and love has kept me on the right path.

Look at verses 8-9, "O taste and see the the Lord [our God] is good; how blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who take refuge in Him. O [reverently] fear the Lord, you His saints (believers, holy ones); for to those who fear Him there is no want."

Yes, our language can be so confusing. But His Word and His Spirit can show us what He means. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

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