Tag Archive | salvation

Decisions

May19

Warning: this is a long one.

Testimony:
I know you have been there, where you are faced with a circumstance you don’t know how to handle. In your carnal (fleshly) mind you think of a quick, rash decision. But . . . God.

Recently I was faced with a circumstance that made me angry. It brought me to tears. I cried out to the Lord for help. The next few events happened without my really being aware until I looked back over my day and saw the trail of guidance my Lord left for me.

I received a phone call asking for assistance if I could. I did. This godly, prayer warrior woman, without her even knowing, revealed that I needed to persevere. I needed to continue to pray, pray, pray. I needed to trust the Lord.

Before and after this encounter I had received a few texts from another friend regarding scripture references from a Bible Study she attended. It is here where God moved in a miraculous way and I can admit I am so glad that I am human and in the hands of my Lord.

I was given Psalm 53:7-12
This is not what I looked up and read, but this is:

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53:7‭-‬12 NASB

Not Psalm but Isaiah. My Lord Jesus faced life oppressed and afflicted and didn’t open His mouth. He had a mission to fulfill no matter the cost. Who am I to expect a perfect life when the perfect One suffered?

Oops, or was it really? It wasn’t Psalm 53, but 52:7-12 and again I was looking in Isaiah.

How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, They shout joyfully together; For they will see with their own eyes When the Lord restores Zion. Break forth, shout joyfully together, You waste places of Jerusalem; For the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared His holy arm In the sight of all the nations, That all the ends of the earth may see The salvation of our God. Depart, depart, go out from there, Touch nothing unclean; Go out of the midst of her, purify yourselves, You who carry the vessels of the Lord. But you will not go out in haste, Nor will you go as fugitives; For the Lord will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
Isaiah 52:7‭-‬12 NASB

God has made a way! He reigns! He will comfort! I am redeemed! Salvation is mine! Victory is coming!!

Again, another change. God at work. Psalm 51:10-12 but I read, again, Isaiah.

Was it not You who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; Who made the depths of the sea a pathway For the redeemed to cross over? So the ransomed of the Lord will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, And everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away. “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies And of the son of man who is made like grass, That you have forgotten the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens And laid the foundations of the earth, That you fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor, As he makes ready to destroy? But where is the fury of the oppressor?
Isaiah 51:10‭-‬13 NASB

Praise God, I have something to look forward to, hope. My God is mightier than any circumstance so I will persevere until His return or He takes me home.

God’s word is so amazing and I would not want to neglect the Psalms that were sent to me. God is an amazing, wonderful, loving, caring God who is always a prayer away.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.
Psalms 51:10‭-‬12 NASB

🌹“Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, But trusted in the abundance of his riches And was strong in his evil desire.” But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever. I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it, And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones. Psalms 52:7‭-‬9 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Because I Love Jesus

May12

“Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble (distress); I will rescue him and honor him. With a long life I will satisfy him And let him see (cause him to feast his eyes on) My salvation.”
Psalms 91:14‭-‬16 NASB

Wow! What a promise!
Because you love God, He will deliver you. He keeps all who love Him; preserving the faithful, His godly ones, who know His name.
Those who know His name will put their trust in Him for He will not forsake those who seek Him.
To those who love, know and trust Him He says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” God will satisfy us in life and cause us to see His salvation!
Oh let us offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to honor our Savior and walk in the path of righteousness so we may experience the salvation of our God.
Psalms 145:20/Psalms 9:10/Psalms 50:15/Psalms 50:23NASB

🌹If anyone serves Me (Jesus), he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
John 12:26 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

In You I Trust

May11

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!”
Psalms 91:2 NASB

Lord, You have been my stronghold, And my God the rock of my refuge.
Lord, You are my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
O my God, in You I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me.
Psalms 94:22/Psalms 18:2/Psalms 25:2 NASB

🌹In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?
Psalms 56:4 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

My Shield

May2

As for God, His way is blameless (Complete or having integrity); The word of the Lord is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
2 Samuel 22:31 NASB

Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
Proverbs 30:5 NASB

in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Ephesians 6:16 NASB

Jesus, my Rock! Your work is perfect, For all Your ways are just; You are a God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright are You, Amen.
Deuteronomy 32:4 NASB

🌹My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, You save me from violence.
2 Samuel 22:3 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Triumphant Joy

Apr28

And my soul shall rejoice in the Lord; It shall exult in His salvation.
Psalms 35:9 NASB

🌹 Thank You, God, for my salvation. My soul rejoices and will praise Your Holy name forever! What a privilege and beautiful gift. Amen.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Road to Triumph Pt. 4

Mar30

They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it. As He was going, they were spreading their coats on the road. As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully (rejoicing) with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, shouting: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”
Luke 19:35‭-‬40 NASB

Jesus. Proclaimed as coming. Coming as a king! The true just and righteous king.

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land.
Jeremiah 23:5 NASB

Jesus. Proclaimed not only as a just and righteous king but a humble king endowed with salvation. Coming humbly for the sake of others over His own glory.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9 NASB

Jesus. Came just as proclaimed.

“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
Matthew 2:2 NASB

Witnessed as a king.

Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”
John 1:49 NASB

King Jesus.

The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!”
Matthew 21:9 NASB

🌹“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
Luke 2:14 NASB

Jesus. Came humble and lowly. Are you ready for the triumphant return of King Jesus when He returns in all His glory?

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Road to Triumph Pt. 1

Mar27

He (Jesus) entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich.
When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly (rejoicing).
Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Luke 19:1‭-‬2‭, ‬5‭-‬6‭, ‬8‭-‬10 NASB

Was Zaccheus convicted in the presence of the Almighty? He confessed that he would make restitution, and this was according to the law. Jesus sought out Zaccheus, just as He seeks out and saves all who are lost. By the law we are convicted.

because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
Romans 3:20 NASB

By faith we are saved.

🌹For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Romans 4:13‭ NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon 

Dad’s Greatest Gift to Me!

Mar20

My Dad passed away 9 years ago today.
This is what I shared at his memorial service:

I would like to tell you about the greatest gift my Dad ever gave me. This gift is a gift that he actually received. This was and is a gift that doesn’t lose its value when re-gifted. This is a gift, because he accepted it, which affected many, many people. This gift, like a diamond, has many facets. This gift comes wrapped in strength, peace and assurance.
The greatest gift my Dad gave to me was the gift of salvation that he received from Jesus Christ!
When Jesus was being led away to His crucifixion there was a large crowd following Him — women were mourning and lamenting Him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”*
My Dad is with Jesus now and O the peace that brings to me and the strength to carry on. John 14:27-28 says, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” As Jesus said — weep for yourselves and for your children — Dad is at peace, experiencing joy as never before — my concern here is . . . do you know Jesus? Have you received the gift Jesus has for you so that when you pass, your loved one can have the assurance and peace of your salvation and the strength to carry on?
There is no greater gift you can re-gift to anyone than to receive the greatest gift ever given – the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Please, if you do not have the assurance of where you are headed in death – come talk to me or someone you know who knows Jesus. It makes all the difference.
Thank You Jesus for my Dad’s salvation, my salvation and the peace and assurance of where Dad is. All praise and glory to You, my God. Amen.

🌹Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

*Luke 23:27-28

In the Morning, Jesus

Mar7

In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.
Psalms 5:3 NASB

My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.
Psalms 62:5 NASB

I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
Psalms 40:1 NASB

I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.
Psalms 130:5 NASB

My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.
Psalms 62:1‭ NASB

O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes; Make Your way straight before me.
Psalms 5:8 NASB

Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.
Psalms 33:20‭

For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name.
Psalms 33:21 NASB

🌹Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

How’s Your Foundation?

Jan11

Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”
Luke 6:47-‬49 NASB

Recommended reading: Matthew 7:24-27 and James 1:22-25

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne O God, and I will search Your word and strive to act upon it so I can muster the storms of life, well built on the Rock of my salvation. I am seeking the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is You, God. It is there that I shall store up for myself a good foundation for the future, so that I may take hold of that which is life indeed! And when the whirlwind passes, the wicked will be no more, but Your righteous ones have an everlasting foundation in You. Praise Your holy name, amen.
Psalm 89:14/Psalm 97:2/Hebrews 11:10/1 Timothy 6:19/Proverbs 10:25 NASB

🌹For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.
1 Corinthians 3:11‭-‬13 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon