Saturday, January 2, 2010

Rest In Hope

There is a secret to total peace in God. David gives a beautiful picture of this in Psalm 16. Here is the secret. Set the LORD always before us. Because He is always at our right hand, we shall not be moved.


If we stay in this position, and it is a position we take by faith, our heart can be nothing but glad. Our glory, our joy rejoices and we can confidently rest in hope. This message of David is so powerful that the Apostle Paul quoted this scripture on the day of Pentecost. His mini sermon resulted in the salvation of 3,000 souls. In Acts 2:26, in his sermon to the masses gathered in Jerusalem, Peter cried, " Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope..."


At times we feel rest and hope in our spirit; but then the fleshly side shows itself; doubts, fear, lack of faith or sorrow. But it is quoted in Scripture that our flesh can also rest in hope! We must do this by faith. Hebrews 11 says that faith is a substance, it is something that we can grab hold of by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us. Faith is a substance of things hoped for! There is great hope available to those who are children of God. We must run after this, appropriate it, and exercise it like a muscle.


When battles come across our path, and they surely will this year, as we exercise this hope and learn to live in this place of rest and assurance of our standing with Christ in heavenly places, we can boldly claim that, as Psalm 110:5 declares, " The LORD at our right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath..." Even the kings of the earth, the most powerful obstacles we could face, have to bow and yield before the presence of God. Yes, the presence of God operating in us on a daily basis.


Kings and rulers were at a loss in their dealings with Abraham, Joseph, Jacob, Paul, Jesus and others. The Prophets of old ruled the day as they yielded to the Spirit working in them. This same Spirit, the Spirit that raised up Christ from the dead has promised to quicken our mortal body!


Grab hold of this hope! Grab onto this promise! Appropriate it to every situation we may face in this new year!

ISAIAH 50:7-9 says ~

For the LORD God will help us;

therefore, I will not be confounded;

therfore have I set my face like flint,

and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

He is near that justifieth me;

who will contend with me?

let us stand together; who is mine adversary?

let him come near to me. Behold, the LORD will help me;

who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they shall all wax old as a garment;

the moth shall eat them up."


REST IN THIS HOPE! If God is for us; who can be against us?

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