How do You Keep Your Job From Becoming a Waste of Time?

People do a lot of things and hope for success. They use tools and formulas to measure the success or progress of their projects and work. Such metrics and algorithms are important but do they measure the one most essential qualifier of success?

Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. Psalm 127:1  

ONE SCRIPTURE WITH MULTIPLE MEANINGS

This scripture is poetry and metaphor and has more than one interpretation. People interpret this scripture to refer to the building of the temple and the Lord's watchfulness over Jerusalem. Other people thank this scripture refers to the building of His kingdom or of building up the church, and of watching over the morals of society. 

These are beautiful things to think about and talk about. Still, the problem for many of us is that it becomes academic and ethereal. Isn't it better to approach scripture by asking oneself how this verse applies to my life and my understanding of God and the universe, and how do I make it work for me?

Psalm 127:1

At the heart of this verse is the expression of faith and dependence on God. It is a realization of our limits and His sovereignty. 

WHY LABORERS AND GUARDS?

Is there something special about the builders and guards that the scripture singles them out? 

There are many things that the Lord has called people of faith to do. There are commands to obey and principles to follow. Things like sharing our faith, loving our neighbors, being good stewards, worshipping Him, and more. 

We must labor for the Lord. All work is worship (Colossians 3:23-24. Genesis 2:15, Adam was put in The Garden of Eden to serve as a gardener, which sanctifies work and makes it worship).   

We are all called to be laborers for God's kingdom. Not every one of us can be a missionary or a church leader, but wherever we are and whatever we do, we are called to live for him. 

DONT FIRE THE WORKERS OR DISMISS THE GUARDS

You are wrong to say, "Well, God is going to do it all so I can just go home and relax." Scripture assumes that there are workers and there will be workers. The verse takes it for granted that there are guards, and there will be guards. 

WHOSE HOUSE ARE YOU BUILDING? 

We need to be building up God's kingdom, not our own. We need to be building His house, not our own interest. 

• We need to be sure that the things we do are in line with His purposes. 
• We need to be diligent in examining our motives and desires. 
• We need the attitude of seeking God in what we do. 
• We need to pray and ask God to show us where He wants us to watch and work.
• We need to acknowledge that God is the one who makes the labor meaningful, successful, and righteous. 

SO, ARE YOU WORKING WITH GOD OR AGAINST GOD?

Since God is the Master Builder and the Captian of the guard, we need to see Him as the One who is over every task we do. You can say If God isn't the boss and giver of success, then my work is vain.

• What if we extended this verse and said, If God isn't the Chief Executive Officer, then our work is in vain. 
• If you are an engineer, you can say if God isn't doing the engineering, then my work is in vain. 
• If you are a janitor, you can say if God isn't the one doing the cleaning, then my work is in vain.
• If you are a dog walker, you can say, if God isn't the one walking this dog, then my work is in vain. 

When we, with the acknowledgment of His sufficiency and confession of our weakness, look to him in faith as the God of the work, then we will not be working in vain.

Blessings

(c) Adron Dozat 7/19/2021

To see some Psalm 127:1 art CLICK HERE. for a notebook or CLICK HERE for a print. 

Why We Must continue to Trust God Psalm 37:3

People say to trust the Lord but do those words still have meaning?

"Trust in the LORD and do what is good; dwell in the land and live securely." Psalm 37:3.

TRUST

We often hear that we should trust in the Lord, but maybe the frequent reminders have become a disservice to us because we have stopped thinking hard about it. We are self-reliant or reliant upon government or social structures like insurance or economics, so the trust in God that other generations practiced are foreign even humorous to us today.

We must renew our vision of God and of the practice of trusting in Him.

IN THE LORD

Trust in God Psalm 37:3

Your faith is only as good as the thing or person you have faith in. If you are driving a truck across an old bridge that is held up with rotting timbers you can have a lot of faith but the timbers are still rotting and the heavy truck will collapse the bridge because the bridge was not worth your faith. You can walk across a new iron and concrete bridge and be full of doubts and even though your faith in that bridge is weak if you have enough to go across it will be sufficient because the bridge is strong. You can trust the Lord, He is God, the creator, and sustainer of the universe, He has all power, all knowledge, and all wisdom. Trust in him is never misplaced.

DO WHAT IS GOOD

Faith and trust in God are not a nice feeling it is something that must be expressed in actions. The faith in the bridge is meaningless until you step onto the bridge. We express our faith in God by obedience to Him. Many agree that mankind, in general, should do what is good, and we all have many reasons, but God is honored when our good acts are expressions of faith in Him.

DWELL IN THE LAND
There is a promise associated with trusting God. This verse was written in a time when empires conquered and enslaved kingdoms then deported the best people to serve the empire. It was a common fear that a person would be separated by slavery and taken from family, country, and culture. The threat was real so this promise was great hope.

LIVE SECURELY
To live securely would be without fear of bandits, conquest, famine or oppression from your own king. Like ancient times we live in an uncertain world, but there is one thing we can be certain of and that is God, He never changes and He is forever good. When we trust in Him we make Him our security.

(c)Adron Dozat 4/6/2018

Can We Wear Out God's Love? Psalm 103:11

Is there a limit to God's love? 

A child may ask how much do you love me and it is cute but the question is a serious one when we become adults, especially regarding God.

"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;" Psalm 103:11.

HIGH

We are earthbound and any reference to height, no matter if it is the top of a ladder, a building, a mountain or the heavens makes us aware of our smallness.

High as a term of measurement is unique because most other measures have limits of some sort or they change at some point such as measuring light, sound, or heat, but if Earth is a starting point and you go up you keep on going up without changing the nature of going up.

HEAVENS

It is interesting that the word Heaven is used and not sky or universe. The idea of sky or universe suggests limits but the heavens are outside our limits and this extends the concept of something that is far beyond measure.

This makes the measurement to be measureless. The expanding universe has no bounds so the direction of up or high does not have a stopping point, so we understand that there are no boundaries to God's love it is infinite

SO GREAT
With the words, "so great," the verse moves to compare the infinite measure of "ultimate up" to God's love.

These two words suggest the equality of the next subject. The psalmist could have used some other comparative term like, just as, or is the same way, or just so measureless but to say "so great" not only gives the sense of equality but a value of importance, and awesome wonder.

HIS LOVE
God is a God of love, but since it is His love it is unlike anything we know, we really have nothing to compare it to and any attempts to find a similar experience of love in human experience will fall laughably short.

FOR THOSE WHO FEAR HIM
This verse speaks lastly about our relationship with God.

To fear God is not contradictory to loving God but it is the realization of His holiness that we start to understand when we come to know Him. If you know Him you begin to respect and reverence Him.

The proof of God's love is not in words but in actions. The Apostle Paul points out that "God demonstrates his love for us in this in that while we were sinners Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. God's love for us is more than a positive feeling toward us. It is a love that acts- God loved us and died to pay for our sins. Our sin is the only barrier to God's love and He took care of that at Calvary on the cross.

 The world is divided into those who know and fear God and those who do not know God. If you are not confident that you are one of those who know God then CLICK HERE to read my other post about salvation.

(c)Adron Dozat 7/1/17

Why Is It Important To Believe That God Lives Forever? Psalm 102:27

What does it mean that God lives forever, and how is it important to me that He does?

"But you remain the same, and your years will never end." Psalm 102:27.

YOU
Who is this one we call God? He is the All-mighty, the Creator, the Lord Of All, He is the All-powerful-one, He is the one who saw us from the beginning of time and loved us.  He is God whom we can call on with confidence.

REMAIN
Something that remains is the thing that is left when all other things are taken away. If you took away all that was unimportant and all that was temporary, you would be left with God.

THE SAME
God does not change. He must remain the same, or else the hope of mankind for eternal redemption is lost.  If God could change then Satin, His enemy would be able to win, and evil would triumph. If God changed, then what is righteous and good today might be wicked tomorrow. His love for us today may be vindictive tomorrow.

If God was to change, there would be a supposition that He may intentionally or inadvertently change His mind about his love for us. If God was to change, perhaps His love for us, if it remains through such a change, might be different and not gracious. But God does not change, so His love for us will endure eternally.

YEARS WILL NEVER END
Notice the scripture quoted above does not say days but years, the longest measure of the celestial planet we live on. As the creator of time, God is outside of time, and He is not bound by it.  He is eternal, so there is no gradual slow change, no maturing or decaying.

IT IS A COMFORT
It is a great comfort that God does not change because we can count on Him to be the same loving God who sent His one and only Son to pay for our sins with his own death and blood. To think that God does not change from year to year or day to day reassures us that his love and grace toward us are the same. Therefore we can always trust in God.

It is a comfort that God lives forever because if He did not, then how could He give eternal life if He himself does not have it? Any type of salvation doctrine must begin with an all-powerful and eternal God.

EVERYTHING ELSE ENDS
This world will pass away, but God will not, and when we respond to His love and come to Him through the Gospel of His Christ, then we are in Him who will live forever. Therefore we can be assured of our own eternal life.


To learn more about how to have a relationship with God, CLICK HERE.

(c) Adron 4/2/17

What Can You Do When Friends Let You Down In A Crisis?

It is surprising who gives us discouragement. We think our friends would support us in difficult times, but they can attack our decisions and turn on us or just silently withhold their support.

"Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy mountain." Psalm 3:2-4.

MANY
We may have so many problems and so many enemies that we feel surrounded and trapped in an iron corner. They cast doubts and say things like you can't trust in God, or there is no hope for your situation. They seem to be everywhere, and their gossip spreads through social media until whole communities seem to be against us. We start to avoid people who were our friends and cease to reach out to anyone at all.

No matter how big the problem we are facing, the betrayal of our friends is far worse because of the despair they bring.

BUT
Sometimes a word like but is is a turning point or the beginning of a rebuttal statement. Here it is the beginning of hope. The author of this verse turns his attention from those full of discouragement to his hope in God.

Here he starts to speak personally and directly with the Most High. You can sense the attitude of confidence and expectation.

LORD
The Lord is the one who rules, commands, and controls. He is in charge and has ultimate authority. When you know who God is personally and in an intimate way, you find hope far beyond any other hope.

"Lord" is not only a title- it explains a relationship. A lord is one you are subject to and obey. Many call God Lord, but though He is the ruler of the universe, they themselves have not obeyed him. They make it only a name, not a declaration.

The psalmist speaks as if he knew the Lord personally and was actively subject to Him.

SHIELD AROUND ME
A shield is only good for warfare, and you use it in battle. A shield offers protection from attack and danger; it is comforting to crouch behind it as it stops sword thrust and arrows, but a shield offers only minimal protection. If a shield is big, it is also heavier, and its weight reduces your mobility, so you cannot turn to face a threat. A shield can only protect one side at a time.

The Lord is the ultimate protection. He is like a shield protecting us on all sides; His protection has no gaps in it.

MY GLORY
The Lord gives us more than success since it is He who is our victory. We cannot boast or revel in the conquest of our problems; instead, we look and see it was by God that we endure and will still be standing when the conflict is over.

LIFTER OF MY HEAD
He does what we cannot. He is the one who lifts us out of the dark pit, not ourselves.

I CALL
Here is the desperate cry of a soldier about to fall in battle. Imagine a battle that has turned against you as if your comrades on every side fell, leaving you alone and surrounded as you stand against the host of enemies. You raise your voice to cry for help, and immediately the general sends the entire army to your position to rescue you as they overrun the adversary.

God is always waiting for the humble prayer; it is as if He is waiting while holding the answer in His hand.

HE ANSWERS
It looks like we get out of the problem; but to say He answers does not always mean that He delivers. His answer may be the strength to endure through a difficult time. We can be assured that whatever answer the Almighty gives is more than answer enough.

The world we live in can be very adversarial, but the God we serve is the Lord who triumphs, and we can have confidence that if we come to Him in humble prayer, we will see the victory.

Adron©7/31/16

Where Can We Turn For Strength?

Sometimes we are so worn out by loss and grief that we do not have the strength to go on.  Where can we turn to for strength to carry on?

"My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word." Psalm 119:28.

MY SOUL
We are creatures of body, spirit, and soul. The soul is often referred to in a poetic way to describe the deepest, truest part of a person. It is the part that is thought to be eternal and essential. The writer of this verse is speaking of his deepest feelings.

WEARY
Weary is more than being tired after a day of work. It is the bone-deep exhaustion that comes after the constant use of your energy and strength. It is the result of the sustained struggle.

SORROW
Sorrow is not just sadness but grief.  We may be sad, but this sadness is far more.

STRENGTHEN
The prayer of this verse begins with the need of the petitioner. The request is not to escape but to be strong and endure. It is not to avoid sorrow but to thrive through it. He asks God to prop him up and give him the ability to stay the course.

ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD
The Bible is full of promises from God to His children that offer hope, blessing and encouragement in times of struggle and sorrow. The verse does not reference any single promise in particular but the totality of scripture.

The psalmist speaks as if he is confident. There is no doubt in his mind that if he calls God to honor his word, there will be grace and blessing.

YOUR WORD
It is the word of:
     * The One who never breaks His word,
     * The One who is holy.
     * The One who is all-powerful.
     * The One who is all-powerful.
     * The One who never lies.


OUR PRAYER
We can take this verse as an example. We can ask for the enduring strength of the Almighty, loving Father with confidence that He is willing and able to give strength.

We must learn His Word, the Bible, and study it to know the many promises it has for each of us. Take time to read the Bible and look for the comfort it can bring as God speaks to you through it.

If you have never come to the Father in faith and are ready to learn more about the promise of salvation, then CLICK HERE to find out more.


© Adron 3/13/16

When Troubles Come Is It Any Good To Be Good?

You try to do right and be a good person as an expression of your faith, but hard times come, and it is like being good makes no difference at all. Is it worth the trouble?

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholds him with his hand." Psalms 37:23-24

This verse is not only a statement of faith it is a promise from God.

STEPS
Steps are common, and by themselves, they are small and only measure two or three feet, but combined together you can go long distances; just as our lives are made of many small choices, but can lead us on to the end.

GOOD MAN
No one can truly claim to be a good man. What makes us bad is sin. If goodness is the absence of sin then no one is good. God considers us good based on our faith in His promise of salvation; we are not good of ourselves. God credits us with the goodness of redemption through our Savor.

ORDERED
Something that is ordered is arranged, laid out, or prepared. When you put something in order you are using logic, purpose, and intent. There is design in our lives as God works out circumstances and events to bring us to a place of greater character and perfection.

BY THE LORD
It is wise to remember that the one who guides our steps is the sovereign. He rules over all the universe as the all-powerful King, and it should comfort us that He is the one guiding our steps.

HE DELIGHTS
Delight is a happiness that is involved and experienced; it is not passive but active, you linger over a delight and enjoy it. God is not some killjoy in Heaven who is looking to make us miserable, but he is watching to see with joy that a man is good so he may delight in him.

IN HIS WAY
God gives mankind free will, and He delights when we live in harmony with His designs for us. God is good and delights in good; when you do good, you are acting in a way that He is pleased with.

NOT UTTERLY CAST DOWN
The most important word in this phrase is the word NOT.  There is no finality in this verse. In your darkest hour, you can have hope in His promises that you will not be entirely cast down. You can know that there is a getting up again. This points beyond the testing and trial to a time of getting back up.

UPHOLDS HIM WITH HIS HAND
This poetic phrase is a beautiful picture of the intimate care of our Heavenly Father. The hand that formed mankind out of the dust of the earth is the same hand that was pierced for our transgressions and it is that hand that will hold us up. The hand is the symbol of
     * Strength,
     * Comfort,
     * Power,
     * Creativity,
     * Giving,
     * And touch.

No matter how desperate your trials are there is no better place than being in God's protective hand, count on it, accept it by faith, and rejoice in it.

(c) Adron 2/11/16

How Can God Be Love And Still Be Justice?

This is a short post looking at how God can be a God of love and still be just.

______________________

We like the idea that God is love, but we struggle with judgment.  How does God have it both ways?

"Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other." Psalm 85:10

LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS
Love is more than just warm fuzzy feelings.  Even though it includes care and affection it must have more or it will be meaningless.

The essence of faithfulness is character, it is honest and reliable.  You can't truly love without being faithful.  For faithfulness to be true it must be universal, for it is not real faithfulness if it is present in one case such as the rebel and not there in another case like the law or Ten Commandments.

MEET TOGETHER
If God only loves he would be useless, and if God was only faithful he would be a dreadful judge; but God is the perfect combination of both where the two don't just temper the other, (that would be compromise and therefore unfaithful) but in God both are fulfilled.

RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PEACE
Righteousness is the state of being sinless, and acceptable before God.

Peace is freedom from disaster, judgment, or fear.

KISS EACH OTHER
The poetry these three words takes the idea of unity not only to an extreme but more, since righteousness and peace are at odds because righteousness requires judgment and peace is freedom from judgment, the image is of becoming joined in a purpose that is greater than either one singly.

GOD IS GRACE TOO
We often quote 1 John 4:8 that "...God is Love..." and rightly so, but it hardly sums up his love in light of faithfulness and righteousness.  To be a God of only Love would compromise righteousness and faithfulness, but God is full of grace and grace finds the way that love alone cannot and righteousness alone cannot.

He shows his love and satisfies justice by sending his son to fulfill the requirements of righteousness and die as our substitute.  God's love compels him to act to rescue sinners from judgment and his justice is satisfied in the payment for sin by the substitution of Jesus' death in our stead.  The ultimate place where love and faithfulness meet and where righteousness and peace kiss is on the cross where Jesus died to be our righteousness and give us peace.

This shows God as perfect and righteous and loving.

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the left sidebar, or use the search box above. 

(c)Adron Dozat 5/3/15

What Does It Mean To Wait And Hope For The Lord, Psalm 33:20

Sometimes we struggle and then we call on the Lord and expect something to happen but it looks like nothing is going to happen; we wonder if something went wrong with prayer or with our faith.

"We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield." Psalm 33:20.

WAIT
It is hard to wait.  In our modern times we are conditioned to get things quickly, but it is even harder to wait when we have a crisis or difficulty.  God is not neglectful or slow but He is purposeful, His timing is directed by His love for us.   His delay may have more to do with us becoming ready for the answer than it is about Him taking time to prepare the answer

HOPE
To hope engages waiting with a purpose or an expectation.  Hope is based on understanding who God is and his purposes in our lives.  Not knowing God causes our hope to feel empty, but when you know the Lord and are growing in that knowledge then your hope is bright and full.

LORD
A lord is a governor or ruler, God is not the only creator of all things He is also the ruler who commands and controls all things; if you are going to hope in someone that is the best someone to hope in.  Not only is He the all-powerful creator and ruler of all things He is also the loving Father who sent his Son to be the sacrifice to take our sins and offer us eternal life.

HE IS OUR HELP
There is no maybe, wishful thinking, or doubt, but this is a positive affirmation statement, which states a fact that the Lord is our help.

A helper comes alongside you so the two of you can work together.  Imagine what it would be like to move a heavy load with the help of a kind Olympic weight lifter, you know he can do the bigger and harder part, so if the All-powerful One is your help He can do the harder part in your situation too.

SHIELD
This goes beyond helping for God becomes the shield- a wall of protection.  God becomes something we could not become or even help in becoming, He actually is our place of refuge.  We can hide in Him in His love and comfort.

CONTINUE
The problem with waiting is that it is not over quickly and we must resolve to continue to wait, but we can go through our trials and struggles knowing that God is beside us.  Our lives are a relationship with God and when we engage Him then the waiting is not only endurable but leads to the blessing of knowing him better.

We can hope and look forward to seeing his deliverance.

If you want to understand more about how to know God see my other post.

(c)Adron Dozat 3/15/15

Does Anybody See Or Care How Much I Am Going Through?

We all have hard times in life but sometimes it seems like no one sees or knows or cares what we are going through.  Will there ever be anyone who will see and understand and care?

"The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, his ears are attentive to their cry." Psalm 34:15.

EYES AND EARS
Of all the senses these two are the ones that are able to perceive from the greatest distances. You can hear a thunderclap from many miles away, and you can see a star from light years away. You may think that God is too far away; that the distance and the walls are too big for Him to overcome but this Bible verse says that is not true.

EYES ... ARE ON
The Lord's eyes are already focused on the righteous; He is already watching and seeing.  His attention is set.  There is no need to say, "Hey, God look here!" because he is looking already, no matter how far you have fallen he still sees.

EARS ARE ATTENTIVE
The Lord is already listening and He is currently paying attention, and listening for your voice.

We know that God is all-seeing and all-knowing but this verse says something more- that He is on purpose seeing you specifically and intentionally.  Not only seeing and hearing but the use of the word, attentive, suggest he is waiting for something specific from us.

OUR CRY
He is hearing our sobs and he is watching our tears, but he is waiting for us to cry out to him.  He is waiting for us to ask Him for help in a humble request.

THE RIGHTEOUS
God is the Lord and Creator of everybody but he has a special relationship with the righteous. The Bible teaches that we find righteousness in Jesus, (The Bible, Philippians 3:9).  Jesus lived a perfect life without sin and as God's only son he was able to die for the sins of the world so those who believed in him could have eternal life and righteousness, (The Bible John 3:16).

If you are struggling then cry out to the Lord and He will hear you.

If you want to know more about how to have righteousness with God and a relationship with him see my other post.

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the sidebar, or use the search box on the top right.

(c)Adron Dozat 2/23/15

Where Can I Look For Blessing In My Life? Psalm 87:7

This short post has some inspiring thoughts to help you find the blessing in your life.

***

We feel dried and empty and we ask ourselves, "Where is the good and where can we find some good in my life?"

"As they make music they will sing, 'All my fountains are in you.'" Psalm 87:7.

This verse concludes a Bible passage that celebrates a people's identity with their place of worship and faith.

ALL
All excludes nothing; it is not most or some but every single one.  The word, "all" gives an idea of abundance- not just some or a few but a limitless all.

MY
Blessings are in storage waiting to be given to each of us.

FOUNTAINS
The Bible used various metaphors such as the fountains and rivers, these refer to sources of life and blessing.

In all literature, a fountain illustrates a source or a place of origin.

This fountain picture makes us think of spring in the desert where desirable, delicious, refreshing water is overflowing out toward us. This source cannot be contained or limited nature.

ARE IN
This is an absolute statement and a point of reference. If you said, X marks the spot, the X would be Him.
     * He holds our blessings,
     * He is a source of blessing,
     * He is administering our blessings.
     * He is able to give limitless blessings.

YOU
Only God can be the source and giver of such blessings. He is rich in blessing and can never be used up.

LET THE BLESSINGS FLOW
Our sin may block blessing from filling our lives. God has already given the greatest blessing when he sent his son to die to pay for our sins and give us eternal life. If he has already given the biggest and best the other blessings we need are small by comparison and he is clearly willing to give them too.

God offers to be the fountain of blessing in your life, Jesus put it one way when he said, "I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10. And he invites us to him when he said. "Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

To learn more about how you can have a relationship with God see my other blog.

(c)Adron Dozat

When Should a Humble Person Talk About Themselves? Psalm 107:2

People of faith value humility and don't feel it right to talk about their experiences, but is that what the Bible teaches? The answer is in Psalm 107:2.

"Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story- those he redeemed from the hand of the foe." Psalm 107:2

REDEEMED
To redeem something is to buy it back. It means to pay the price to get something or someone released. When you come to God, you are redeemed from the demands of justice against your sins.

This word is in the past tense. These redeemed are already redeemed; they are not hoping for salvation someday but have already received salvation.

OF THE LORD
We are not able to be our own redeemer from sin and its judgment since even our most righteous deeds are contaminated and not good enough to pay for sin, but God is righteous and is able to make redemption a reality for anyone who receives it. Since he has become our redeemer, he claims ownership of the redeemed. He says we are his, and the foe has no claim on us.

TELL THEIR STORY
The testimony of those who have been freed from sin is powerful enough to change the world. People need what the redeemed have: healing, restoration, salvation, forgiveness, and love. When we tell our story, we are the light they need.

The telling of the story of God's deliverance is an act of worship since it acknowledges who he is and what he has done. It is also an act of gratitude and should be proclaimed with thankfulness.

FOE
The context of the verse discusses historical events and cultural experiences of ancient times, but it applies perfectly to our lives today. We have a foe in sin. Sin has put us in bondage and corrupted our world. Sin brings us into judgment since it must be punished, but Our Lord has paid the bondage price in his own blood by his death and has taken our punishment. He has freed us and called us his own.

LET THE REDEEMED TELL
The Lord's redeemed have a wonderful message of light and hope, and we should encourage each other to tell it to this dark and needy world.

If you are uncertain that you are redeemed by the Lord, click here to read my other blog about salvation.

(c) Adron Dozat 10/26/14

What Does God Do When Good People Suffer?

One would think that good people should not have to suffer; that God would honor their virtue with protection and ease, so where is God in all this? There are many answers but here is one to consider.

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out them all." Psalm 34:19.

MANY
This verse speaks in a matter of fact way and point-blank says the good person will have many problems and suffer much. There is no set minimum or maximum, we face many afflictions.

AFFLICTIONS
Afflictions are ongoing trials, they are the kind we cannot escape, they follow us and may go on for years.

LORD
Our God is the ruling authority who commands all things, none can resist him.  He is able to deliver, there is no situation that is too big for him. It is not that God is not able to help- he is able and he is willing.

DELIVERS
The Almighty is not passive but he is active. We think our problems are so big, but God delights in showing us that he is bigger.

The word, "delivers," is present tense, the verse does not say that the Lord will someday deliver us from our trials but it says he is now delivering us. His deliverance may be a sudden event or it may be a gradual working, and it very likely will not be what we expect. Deliverance may not be external but internal- a change of character or of understanding. He may not deliver you out of the affliction but deliver you through the affliction.

In our minds, we know that God can open the sea and deliver from the lion's den or the fiery furnace, but when you experience deliverance it is a teacher that has a deeper significance. To experience God's deliverance is to know The Lord in a unique way. We cannot give testimony, or glory to God if we have no experience.

We must go through our afflictions with God if you do not know the Lord as your Savior see my other blog.

A Reason to Praise And Worship God Psalm 89:15

Is there any reason to sing God's praise?  There are many- but one stands out for most people as above the others.

"I will sing of the Lord's unfailing love forever. With my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 89:1

I WILL SING
The writer of the psalm is compelled to sing the Lord's praises.  This doesn't just happen; he has an understanding and experience of God, and that is the only way that he can say such things.

UNFAILING LOVE
God's love is not like ours.  Our love is fickle and changes with the seasons and circumstances, it is only as strong as our personal character, and it is as weak as our abilities.  God's love is unfailing; he would not be God if his love failed.  He is infinite all-powerful and all-knowing, therefore, His love cannot fail since it must also be infinite and reflect His perfect nature.

FAITHFULNESS
God is love* but faithfulness is what he does; as The Holy God, He has chosen to be faithful.  We may break our oath and fail to keep our word but God is not like us he will never break his promise to be faithful.  As the Almighty One, He has all abilities to keep His word.  He is holy, so He will never break His promise or else He would cease to be holy.

SING
We can sing Our Heavenly Father's praises forever because He lives forever and when we come to God through Jesus, His promised sin-bearer, we have the promise of eternal life.

The promise of freedom from sin's judgment and eternal life is a great reason to worship but the greater reason to worship God is God himself- because of who He is, therefore, He is most worthy of praise.

*1 John 4:8

If you want to learn more about God's plan of salvation and eternal life see my other blog:

(c) Adron 1/21/14

What Do We Know About God? Truth From The Bible.

We do not know much about God, but some things we can be sure of. 

"As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord's word is flawless: He shields all who take refuge in him." Psalm 18:30.

GOD'S WAY

God is sovereign, which means He rules all things. He is the ultimate authority and absolute power. He has the merit to be ruler since He is Creator, and as the Righteous One, He deserves to be the ruler. Because God is sovereign, His way is right, and just- and logically perfect.

The phrase "God's way" must mean the way He does everything. We might say this person has a certain way, and we mean there is a consistent manner in which that person does things. God has a certain way, too. His way is unchanging, consistent, right, holy, just, loving, fair, and it is all that we would consider perfect. 

PERFECT

We are not perfect. Therefore, we cannot truly understand perfection, and because of that, we cannot fully understand The Lord. A mouse could not understand the complexities of human affairs because humans are above mice in sophistication and technology; since we know The Almighty is higher than we are, we know we cannot fully understand Him, except for what He chooses to reveal us. He has chosen to reveal something of Himself to us, and what He has revealed is comforting and glorious.

Psalm 18:30

WORD
The Word of God is many things. It is more than a set of commands and rules. It reveals who He is and what He desires from us. It points us to His plan of salvation.

If God is perfect and all-powerful, then His Word must be, too; if there is any corruption in His Word, He is weak and not perfect. Those who accept the challenge to objectively test the Scriptures testify that this is true.

SHIELD

You can imagine some disaster that lays waste the land and society, but in the midst of the calamity, the shielding arms of the Almighty are a barrier between destruction and those who look to Him. This is the act of a Loving Father. A shield does not mean that danger is not present, and we still live in a world afflicted with problems, but we can be confident that He is a shield to us. We may not see it that way, but remember, we cannot fully understand God, so we cannot fully understand His shielding. 

REFUGE
A refuge is a safe and unique place in an area or time of trouble.  That it exists does not mean you are automatically protected. You must enter refuge; you must decide to go to it; if not, you are not protected.  Entering the refuge is a decision and an act of will. We must come to God to find refuge in Him. He does not force himself upon us but awaits our choice.

We need to find refuge in God during the many crises in our world these days. The greatest need is not sheltered from a storm but our need for forgiveness of sins and deliverance from the judgment of sin.

God fulfilled the need for refuge when he became a man and died to punish our sins.

(c) Adron 12/2/13

How To Be Blessed By God, What the Bible Says, Psalm 1:2

Who doesn't want God's blessing, but how do we get it?

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord and on is law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:2

THE BLESSED MAN
This verse is part of Psalm 1 which describes the character and habits of the man who is blessed. Beginning with relationships he does not entertain it progresses to the difference in how he thinks and what he thinks about.

HIS DELIGHT
The man blessed by God takes delight in the things of God- it should not surprise us. When you delight in something you...
     * Give it time,
     * Make room for it in your life,
     * Value it,
     * You talk about it,
     * Your thinking becomes consumed with it.

LAW
The law is not so much all the commands and regulations of the Bible but the truths about God, which the laws were to teach us, (Galatians 3:24).

MEDITATES
The man blessed by God has the Word of God on his mind. He ponders it and turns it over in his mind. This blessed man is always thinking about the scriptures. He must memorize much of it, spend time reading it, and studying it.

DAY AND NIGHT
Clearly, the Word of the Lord has a place in every part of his day. The day and night suggest that the Law of God is constant in his thoughts.

BLESSING
No doubt his decisions and actions will be filtered by God's commands he will be careful to do what pleases the Lord and his life will be in tune with the will of the Father.

Find ways to put God's Word in all the parts of your day and your life, there are many resources around today to help you.

To learn more about finding salvation and eternal life see my other blog.

(c)Adron Dozat 11/26/13

Let All That I Am Praise The Lord.

"A psalm of David, let all that I am praise the Lord, and all that is within me. Bless his holy name." Psalm 103:1.

There are many reasons to thank, and praise God for.
Life.
Health.
The world we live in.
Our ability to think and understand.
There are many you can list

The greatest reason to give The Divine One praise is that he sent his Son to die for our sins so we could know him and have eternal life with him.

Praise the Lord!

To learn more about how to find eternal life in God's Son see my other blog.

(c)Adron Dozat

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Adron

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How Can I learn about God?

There are so many systems of thought and beliefs how do I know which will lead to God?

"I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go: I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." Psalm 32:8 

I WILL
God wants to instruct and teach us. He does not want us to go about in the dark not knowing the way. He says, "I will..." this expresses His intent and design; His purpose to teach and guide us.

The spiritual nature of His instruction is not something we could come to on our own because God's ways are holy. We need him to instruct us in his ways and to teach us how His ways fit in the world.

THE WAY
The way to God is the way to live life. Jesus said, "Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it." (Matthew 7:13)  There is a right way to live life and a way to have eternal life. God wants us to find that right way.

COUNSEL
Counsel is what you give an equal. God has given us free will and he guides us to use it wisely. He does not force His instructions on us but wants us to take it and make the good choice so we become partners with Him in doing good works.

LOVING EYE
He watches with love and care. His eye is always on us because He loves us; and because He loves us He teaches, instructs, and counsels us.

PROGRESS
There is a purpose in His steps.
     * Instruct is like a father to a child where He lays foundations in our lives.
     * Teaching is like a mentor to an apprentice where He builds on the foundation.
     * Counsel is like two adults sitting at a table as friends and one gives the other advice.

OUR PART
Psalm 32:9 says, "Do not be like the horse or the mule; which have no understanding but must be controlled with bit and bridle." Our Heavenly Father wants to teach, lead, and counsel us but we have to respond. We must not be stubborn but yield to His teaching. When we hear a Bible truth and don't like it we must not reject it for that is rejecting God's teaching guidance and counsel. This leaves The Lord no alternative but to guide us by bit and bridle, which is with circumstances we cannot control.

Be open to God. He gave us his Word, the Bible, read it. He gave us prayer, so talk to Him, He gave us community so find a church that loves God and his Word. He wants to be found -keep looking.

To learn more about finding the way to God see my other blog click here.

(c) Adron Dozat

Why Doesn't God Get Us Out Of Trouble?

We have troubles, and they may ruin us or worst. We look to God, and it looks like he has let us down. But Psalm 34:18 tells us otherwise.

"The righteous person may have troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all." Psalm 34:18

Psalm 34:18 Art.

RIGHTEOUS

To be righteous is to be considered without sin before God. No one can become righteous on his own. We are all sinners. God in his grace calls us righteous as part of his gift of salvation; he counts us as righteousness based on Christ's work on our behalf through his life and death, which paid for our unrighteousness.

TROUBLES

When we come to God through faith, we have blessings and eternal life, but we still live in a world ruled by evil, and we still face troubles. Our troubles are not because we have lost God's blessing or because we have sinned and must be punished. The saints of old all experienced troubles; even the Apostle Paul sought relief from a chronic condition but was not healed, instead he was given grace; The Lord said, "My grace is enough for you for my power is made perfect in weakness." ( 2 Corinthians 12:9).

The Father allows us to go through troubles because he loves us.

The troubles we face are good because...

• They cause us to learn things we would never understand otherwise. 
• They give us perspective. 
• They help us become sympathetic to other people's difficulties. 
• They cause us to grow up. 
• They teach us what is really important. 
• They help us to come close to God. 
• They teach us life lessons.

LORD

Our heavenly Father is in control of all things, and the challenges we face are in his hands. He is the Ruler of the Universe, and he can deliver.

DELIVERS

Sometimes we are rescued from the circumstances, and sometimes we are rescued in the circumstances where we go through the test but with Him and His grace.

The verse does not say when we are delivered.  His schedule is different than ours. With Him, a "day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day" (2 Peter 3:8).

ALL

We must have faith in The Lord. That may sound trite, but it is still true. The Almighty has deliverance in store for us in each test. It may be by the miraculous or by the grace to endure the test. Troubles will be with us to the end of our earthly pilgrimage, but deliverance is there because God has promised it.

If you want to know more about being righteous before God, see my other blog; follow this link: click here.

(c)Adron Dozat 8/20/13

Why Can I Trust God During This Bad Time?

Maybe the Almighty takes care of saints but we say, "I am not one of those who have earned His blessing; what hope do I have that God will take care of me now?"

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." Psalm 91:4

HE WILL
Our heavenly Father wants to protect and care for you. This verse does not say He might or he'll think about it, but that he will defiantly act. He gave his son to pay for your sins against him what is left to him, he already gave the best and dearest.

FEATHERS
This does not mean that God has feathers and wings but it is a poetic picture of the loving sacrificial comfort he offers. The picture is of a mother bird becoming the shelter for her young in the nest. The baby birds are defenseless, weak and feeble they have not done anything to earn or merit the mother bird's sacrifice except to exist, we are like that before the Almighty One, there is nothing we can do to earn his sacrifice.

REFUGE
A refuge is a hiding place where you flee to in trouble. It is a fortress-like place that the terror can't enter, either because of the physical barrier it provides or the moral and legal protection it gives. He is willing to be the refuge for you; in Jesus' death, we have found refuge from our greatest terror- that of sin's eternal punishment.

SHIELD AND RAMPART
God is basically all the defense you need. A shield offers immediate protection for close combat, and a rampart is a wall around a fort and is the greater defense. He is the shield that will not split or buckle when you are face to face with trouble and the wall that will not fall when you are sheltering behind it.

FAITHFULNESS
It is his faithfulness that is the shelter. The Father has avowed his loving kindness and care. He is the reason He will take care of you, not because you are so special or better than others, no matter how much you have sinned He will care for you because He promised to not because you earned it.

The biggest thing the Lord has done to provide for you is that He sent His son to die for your sins. To learn more what this means and how to have eternal life follow this link, click here.

©Adron 8?11/13