Wednesday... Let's keep at it.

Psalm 34:1 (NLT), "I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises."

Wednesday... Let's keep at it.

Well, it's a new day. We have never lived this day. Now how we face it at the beginning of our day goes a long way in how we will handle it.

David said in Psalm 34:1 (NLT), "I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises." There are four words that will make a difference in this day. The first three are, "at all times" and then "constantly." And that last one hit me this morning. It was definitely a word of encouragement. Of course at all times and constantly are saying the same thing. They are reinforcing each other.

So how do we normally wake up most of the time? Rick Warren said that we wake up each morning with "Good Lord it's morning" or "Good Morning Lord." We do have choices in how we start each day. Yes, we have no choice in what we will face but we do have a choice in how we face it.

Again, "I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises."

So how does this make a difference? Well praise is a focus on what God is like. Thanks is a focus on what He has done.

Verse 1 in the New International Reader's Version says, "I will thank the LORD at all times. My lips will always praise him."

Yes, it is so good to give thanks. Thanks give us confidence in our relationship with God. Yes, He is working in my life. Thanks you, thank you, LORD for doing this yesterday. And praise is focusing on the fact that no matter what we are facing He can handle it. He is greater than anything we will be facing.

Veres 2 (NLT) says, "I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are helpless take heart." "Let all that are helpless take heart." We may think that we can handle anything that we will face but in reality we are all helpless apart form God. Yes, He is out ahead of us working on what we will be facing and what we are facing and He can handle it.

Verse 3 says, "Come, let us tell of the LORD's greatness; let us exalt his name together." The Amplified Bible says, "O magnify the LORD with me, and let us lift up His name together."

And then verse 4 (NLT) says, "I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears." I thank him for what he has done, I praise him for who he is and I prayed, I connected with him through prayer and "he freed me from all my fears."

The Message says, "God met me more than halfway, he freed me from my anxious fears." and that is so important in facing what we are facing today.

Verse 6 (NLT), "In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; he saved me from all my troubles."

And then verse 7 (AMP), says, "The angle of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him [with awe-inspiring reverence and worship Him with obedience], and He rescues [each of] them."

So let's keep at it. "I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises." I was emotional as I read that verse this morning and I looked out the window at Mt. Charleston with some snow on it and the sky and I praised the LORD who is great than all of that. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Monday... He did it by Himself

Isaiah 44:24b (AMP), "I am the Lord, Maker of all things. Who alone stretches out the heavens, Who spreads out the earth by Myself." Monday... He did it by Himself. Many have a tendency to think very highly of themselves and what they can do. Oh we do have great ability but we are not the source. Yes it is important to have self-confidence but we are limited. The prophet Isaiah in 44:9-10 (NLT) says, "How foolish are those who manufacture idols. These prized objects are really worthless. The people who worship idols don't know this, so they are all put to shame. Who but a fool would make his own god - an idol that cannot help him one bit?" Now later in verse 24 (AMP) he writes, "For the Lord, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb says, 'I am the Lord, Maker of all things, Who alone stretches out the heavens, Who spreads out the earth by Myself.'" I love that. "By Myself." Now we do need confidence but we are foolish to ma...

Friday... We have this hope of expectancy.

Psalm 5:3 (NLT), "Listen to my voice in the morning Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly." Friday... We have this hope of expectancy. Now David found a great way to start his day. He says in Psalm 5:1-3 (NLT), "O LORD, hear me as I pray." And that is a great place to start. It really is. Morning sunrise He goes on, "Listen to my cry for help, my King, my God, for I pray to no one but you." And that is so important. We don't try to pump ourselves up by ourself. No, we pray to no one but you, God, my LORD, my King. Now this relationship with God is so, so very important. And then David says, "Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you" And that is so great. And then he says, "and wait expectantly." Yes, we have this hope of expectancy. We are experienced. That is what a relationship with God and a moment by moment connection does. It makes a difference in our daily wa...

Friday... Yes, we can know this to be true.

Psalm 12:6 (NLT), "The Lord's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over." Friday... Yes, we can know this to be true. Maybe this is what you want to say in this day in which we live. Psalm 12:1-2 (MSG) says, "Quick, I need your helping hand! The last decent person just went down, all the friends I depend on gone. Everyone talks in lie language; lies slide off their oily lips. They doubletalk with forked tongues." Do you ever feel that way?" Have you found that to be true? Well David the writer of this Psalm continues and says in verse 6 something to encourage us, to lift us up, to give us hope. Psalm 12:6 (NLT) says, "The Lord's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over." The Message Paraphrase says verses 6-8 this way, "God's words are pure words, pure silver words refined seven times in the fires of his word-kiln, pure on earth as well as in heaven, God, keep ...

Today's Beginning

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