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The Word of God says:

Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 (NASB)
¹ Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.
² Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.

My reflections on the Word of God:

When you consider the greatness of God, His holiness, and His righteousness, it should cause God’s people to enter His presence with great reverence and humility. God is not pleased with worship that is insincere and prayers that are empty words and devoid of a will to listen and obey the Lord. Authentic worship demands that the worshipper has clean hands and a pure heart. Hence, the warning of Solomon when he counsels God’s people to, “Guard your steps”

To know what is acceptable to God and what is not acceptable to Him, consider what He said to His people of old. If you think this has no application to us today, consider what Paul said to the believers in and followers of Christ.

Romans 15:4 (NASB)
⁴ For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Now let us look at what God said to His people in the Old Testament about what pleases Him, and what does not please Him.

Psalm 50:16-21 (NASB)
¹⁶ But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to tell of My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth?
¹⁷ “For you hate discipline, And you cast My words behind you.
¹⁸ “When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, And you associate with adulterers.
¹⁹ “You let your mouth loose in evil And your tongue frames deceit.
²⁰ “You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son.
²¹ “These things you have done and I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.

The Lord was not pleased then and He is not pleased today when people worship Him by saying one thing with their words and another thing by their deeds. God’s silence does not indicate God’s approval of hypocritical worshipers or prayers.

Ecclesiastes 8:11 (NASB)
¹¹ Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I exalt Your name above every name on earth and in heaven, I give to You the honor, glory, and praise that You and You alone deserve. Lord, I acknowledge that You are God all by yourself.

Lord, as I enter Your presence I invite You to search my heart. Father, if there is anything in me that is displeasing to You, I ask that You to forgive me for You are a God who will forgive sin, and cleanse our hearts from all unrighteousness.

Psalm 139:23-24 (NASB)
²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
²⁴ And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

1 John 1:9 (NASB)
⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Search Me, O God, My Actions Try (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

Hymn: Search me, O God, my actions try

The Word of God says:

1 John 1:9 (NASB)
⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today I have selected as our focal verse a verse that is the key verse on the subject of, “The If of Confession”. This verse is the focus of subscribers to an email letter entitled “Prayer Connection”.  I have been a part of this united prayer focus, and have used the daily scriptures often in my sharing with family and friends.

One of the great truths of scripture is that God forgives sins. There are only two kinds of people in the world saved sinners and lost sinners.

Romans 3:22-23 (NASB)
^22b for there is no distinction;
²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Since all have sinned, all people need a Savior, or they will pay the price for their sin. A just and holy God cannot tolerate sin, but He loves sinners.

Romans 5:6-8 (NASB)
⁶ For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
⁷ For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

What a loving God. We see over and over how much He loves sinners, and how deeply He wants us to have a relationship and fellowship with Him. The attractions of sin are a deception.

“Sin will take you further than you want to go. It will keep you longer than you want to stay, and it will cost you more than you can afford to pay.” (Author unknown)

Romans 6:23 (NASB)
²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I come to Your throne room of grace today because You invite us to come to You. Father, I thank You that You are a God who loves and forgives sinners.

Father, I stretch my hands to Thee, no other help I know. If Thou withdraw Thyself from me, Oh whither shall I go?

Father God, You know the condition of our hearts. I pray that each one of us will see ourselves the way that You see us, and respond in faith to Your loving offer of forgiveness of all our sins.

Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy > MIDI | Joseph Hart / Anonymous/Unknown

The Word of God says:

2 Samuel 22:37 (NASB)
³⁷ “You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.

My reflections on the Word of God:

What a blessing it has been to reflect these past nine days on the resources that the Lord provided David in his walk through the world. First, we looked at the entire passage, 2 Samuel 22:29-37, and then we looked at each verse separately.

Today we come to look at the last verse in this passage. In this verse David tells of how the Lord broadened his steps to keep him from slipping.

Life is hard and there are many difficulties and obstacles that litter the pathway that leads from our temporary home in this world to our eternal home in heaven. Things and circumstances are never perfect down here and never will be.

But, we can take comfort that the Lord who enlarged the steps of David will also widen our way so that we will not slip. The Lord will provide a way so that we will have victory over our trials, our troubles, and the enemies that will come against us.

Psalm 31:3 (NASB)
³ For You are my rock and my fortress; For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.

Deuteronomy 33:27 (NASB)
²⁷ “The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He drove out the enemy from before you, And said, ‘Destroy!’

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I praise and thank You that You are a faithful God. Lord, I am so grateful that the promises of God are true and faithful. I am so glad that what You say is not different from what You do.

Father God, I thank You for Your promises that You will safely guide Your people through the trials and troubles of this world. Lord Jesus, I am trusting in You to lead and guide me through this world, and to safely bring me to our Father’s home in glory.

Savior, Lead Me (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

Savior, Lead Me > MIDI | Charles E. Orr / Clarence E. Hunter

The Word of God says:

2 Samuel 22:36 (NASB)
³⁶ “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your help makes me great.

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today we come to the eight of nine provisions that David recounts in this song of praise for the provisions that God gave him to help him to be victorious in his walk with the Lord.

David acknowledges in his song of praise that it was God who made him great. He did not claim to be a self-made man. He did not claim that he subdued his enemies by his own hands alone, and in his own strength alone.

2 Samuel 22:36 (AMP)
³⁶ You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; and Your condescension and gentleness have made me great.

2 Samuel 22:36 (NIV)
³⁶ You give me your shield of victory; you stoop down to make me great.

A look at these translations shows us the condescension of God to man, and the gentleness of God in dealing with His people.

The Lord gave David the shield of salvation so that David could triumph over the enemies who sought to destroy him. Notice that the NIV says that the Lord stoop down to make David great. Like David, I can say that the Lord has stooped down to help me.

The testimony of David is the testimony of every person who has come to God through Jesus Christ. His miraculous birth, His vicarious death on the cross, and His glorious resurrection from the grave are all indications of His condescension to meet us at our point of need.

John 3:16-17 (NIV)
¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Proverbs 30:5 (NIV)
⁵ “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so grateful to You for sending Your only begotten Son into the world to pay a sin debt that I owed, but could not pay.

Father God, I thank You that Jesus came down from His throne in heaven to save sinners like me. Father, I thank You for the gift of salvation that was free for me, but so costly for You.

And, Lord because of what Jesus has done for me, I can sing to You and to Jesus this song of praise and thanksgiving to God.

I Am Redeemed – Jesse Dixon (Click on link below to be blessed by this video):

YouTube - I Am Redeemed - Jesse Dixon

The Word of God says:

2 Samuel 22:35 (NASB)
³⁵ “He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

My reflections on the Word of God:

To get the full and accurate meaning of what David said in this verse it is well to backup and see this verse in context.

2 Samuel 22:33-35 (NASB)
³³ “God is my strong fortress; And He sets the blameless in His way.
³⁴ “He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, And sets me on my high places.
³⁵ “He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

As we mentioned yesterday David’s whole body belonged to the Lord. Since he belonged to the Lord the Lord used his feet, hands, and arms to overcome the enemy. Although David was a mighty man and a strong warrior, it was the strength of the Lord that enabled him to be victorious over his enemies.

2 Samuel 22:40 (NASB)
⁴⁰ “For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

It is encouraging to know that the Lord can take our bodies if we are willing to completely dedicate them to Him and use them in a mighty way to help us to overcome the enemies of our soul. The greatest enemies that we face in this world come in the form of spiritual warfare. We may experience hard and difficult times in this world. However, God is good, and the best is yet to come.

Isaiah 54:17 (NASB)
¹⁷ “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.

The Lord who used the body of David that was wholly dedicated to Him will use our bodies, even those that are feeble, if we will give ourselves totally to Him.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NASB)
⁹ And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

Ephesians 3:16 (NASB)
¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so glad to be able to come again today into the presence of the sovereign God of the universe.  How wonderful it is to sit at the feet of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. What a joy it is to have a relationship and fellowship with the same God that our Lord Jesus did when He walked the face of this earth.

Our dear heavenly Father, I am so glad to know that the God who provided for His only begotten Son is the same God who promises to give me strength in the same way that He gave His Son strength, and the way He gave David strength.

Father God, today and every day I will look up to You, and I will come to You for the strength that I need to make it through this world. Father, I stretch my hands to Thee, and I wait on Thee to strengthen my hands, my feet, my arms, and my whole body that I dedicate to You. I come to You in the name of Jesus my Savior and my Lord.

In the Name of the Lord (click on link below for lyrics and midi):

In The Name of The Lord

The Word of God says:

2 Samuel 22:34 (NASB)
³⁴ “He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, And sets me on my high places.

My reflections on the Word of God:

In our focal verse for today we see another case where David describes how the Lord empowered him. On this occasion the Lord used his feet. We will see in the next verse that the Lord also used his hands and his arms.

David’s entire body belonged to the Lord, and that is the way it should be for all of God’s people. The Lord is able to use our bodies when they are wholly dedicated to His service.

Romans 12:1 (NASB)
¹ Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

David was dedicated to the Lord, and God was able to use his feet to provide him with strength and stability. Therefore, David in his song of praise compares his feet to the feet of a deer. With the help of the Lord David was able to walk safely up the highest mountains peaks. He was able to travel safely along the most difficult terrain.

To make application of David’s experience to our own life we should take solace in knowing that God will not abandon us when we encounter trials and temptations in this world. In the highest mountains, and during the most difficult times in our life, God is able and willing to help us. We can rely upon the Lord to help us in all of the seasons of our lives. There is never a circumstance that we will ever face that is beyond the outstretched hand of the Lord. The Lord’s standing invitation to us is “Come to Me”.

Luke 1:37 (NASB)
³⁷ “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Psalm 73:24 (NASB)
²⁴ With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I praise and thank You that You are an almighty God, and that all power is in Your hands.

Father God, I also praise You for You are the only God who possesses the greatest wisdom, knowledge, and understanding in all matters from the smallest to the greatest.

Father God, I come before You today to say that there is nothing that is to difficult for You, and that all things are possible through You. Lord, I pray that I will learn the lesson that David learned in his life that the surrendered life is the victorious life.

I Surrender All (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

I Surrender All

The Word of God says:

2 Samuel 22:33 (NASB)
³³ “God is my strong fortress; And He sets the blameless in His way.

My reflections on the Word of God:

What David reveals in this verse is that God was his provider.  He provided David a way of escape from the snares of his enemies. The strength of your enemies is not the determinant of victory when it involves God’s people. It is the wisdom and the power of God that determines the outcome.

So my dear child of God you can take comfort in the knowledge that God protects and provides for His people. Whether it is deliverance from our enemies or deliverance from a trial or tribulation you may be facing, God will give you the strength and provide for a way out of the trouble or He will be with you through the trouble you are facing.

Remember, child of God, you never have to walk alone when you follow the pathway that our Savior sets out for us.

Isaiah 30:21 (NASB)
²¹ Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

Isaiah 49:11 (NASB)
¹¹ “I will make all My mountains a road, And My highways will be raised up.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I praise and thank You that You are greater and more powerful than any obstacle or problem that we will ever face in this world. It is comforting to know that everything that we face in life must first past through Your hands.

Father God, I am so glad that I don’t have to walk off into the unknown challenges of this life to face alone the giants that seek to overcome me. I have the faith to believe that You will make a way for me. Lord, I believe, help Thou my unbelief.

Proverbs 3:5-8 (NASB)
⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
⁸ It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.

God Will Make A Way (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

God Will Make A Way

The Word of God says:

2 Samuel 22:32 (NASB)
³² “For who is God, besides the Lord? And who is a rock, besides our God?

My reflections on the Word of God:

The passage we have been looking at for the past several days was a poem that David composed looking back at his life, and what the Lord had brought him through. However, we know from many of the other poems that he wrote spoke of his faith and trust in the Lord during the battle.

It is far more difficult to sing while the battle is raging, and victory is not a sure thing. In the midst of the battle, it takes a confident faith to sing and praise the Lord.

David could trust in the Lord during the battle because he was a man of faith, and his trust was in the God of his salvation. His trust was in a living God. The Lord was David’s shield (v.31), and his rock (v. 32). As his shield he could take refuge in the Lord. As his rock the Lord provided the foundation and a place of protection for David.

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

The living Lord that was available for David is available to God’s people today. As David knew and felt the Lord’s presence so can God’s people today know his presence, and find refuge in His loving and strong arms.

Psalm 28:7 (NASB)
⁷ The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.

Proverbs 18:10 (NASB)
¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Father God, my dear Father, I praise and thank You that You are a God who has almighty power, and that there is nothing that is too difficult for You. Lord, I thank You for being the solid foundation on which we can build our life. Thank you for being the refuge in which we can find protection from the storms that come against us in this dark and trouble filled world.

Lord God Almighty, I am so grateful that You are a God that is approachable by Your people. What a privilege and pleasure it is to be able to have a relationship and fellowship with You.

Leaning On the Everlasting Arms (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

Leaning On The Everlasting Arms - MIDI and Lyrics - Sacred Hymns - Bible Study Charts.com - Free MIDI Hymns

The Word of God says:

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

My reflections on the Word of God:

You can never go wrong in your walk through this world if you decide in your heart to go with Jesus. He came from the Father’s house, and after He finished His work on earth, He went back to the Father’s house.

John 14:6 (NASB)
⁶ Jesus said* to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

In our focal passage for today we see that David had a very high view of the Word of God. In the scriptures David found the Word of God to be tested, and therefore it was reliable.

The Word of God provided a perfect path for David to walk in all of the days of his life. By walking in this pathway David was able to live before his Lord blameless.

2 Samuel 22:33 (NASB)
³³ “God is my strong fortress; And He sets the blameless in His way.

The way of the Lord provides a shield to all who take refuge in the Lord, and to all of those who walk in the flawless way of the Word of God.

2 Peter 1:19 (NASB)
¹⁹ So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.

Proverbs 6:23 (NASB)
²³ For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so grateful that You have provided for Your people the perfect Word of God.

Father God, I am so thankful for this road map that shows us the way of the Lord that leads us to the Father’s home.

Lord, I thank You that You provide us with the wisdom of God to know the way, and the power of God to walk in the way that leads to life everlasting, and joy forevermore.

The Way of the Cross Leads Home (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

The Way of the Cross Leads Home > MIDI | Jessie B. Pounds / Charles H. Gabriel

The Word of God says:

2 Samuel 22:30 (NASB)
³⁰ “For by You I can run upon a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall.

My reflections on the Word of God:

Two days ago we started looking at this poem of David. In this poem he recounts the blessings of the Lord in providing the resources that he needed to walk through this world living the overcoming life of a follower of the Lord.

Yesterday we looked at verse twenty nine, and today our focus will be on verse thirty. The first resource that David mentioned was that the Lord gave him light for the Lord was the lamp of his life.

2 Samuel 22:29 (NASB)
²⁹ “For You are my lamp, O Lord; And the Lord illumines my darkness.

One of the things that we notice by reading the bible is that God’s people experience difficult times living in this world. It does not take long for a Christian to learn that being a follower of Jesus Christ is not a ticket to a trouble free life in our journey through this world.

The child of God will face problems, difficulties, trials, temptations, and enemies in this world but through all the obstacles the Lord provided David the power to overcome, and the Lord will give you and me the power to overcome the obstacles that we encounter in our life.

The bible abounds with the stories of those who trusted in the Lord, and who obey His Word. God’s was faithful to uphold them with His almighty power.

Hebrews 11:33-34 (NASB)
³³ who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,
³⁴ quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

Isaiah 41:10 (NASB)
¹⁰ ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I praise and thank You that You are a God who has almighty power, and that what You say in Your Word, You have the power to accomplish is our lives.

Father God, I am so grateful that I don’t have to face the trials and the temptations of this world in my strength alone. I thank You that there is a God in heaven who knows my name, and who cares for my life.

Psalm 27:1 (KJV)
¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God