Jim Peters

It’s the Book, Not the Cover That Counts

Posted on 14. May, 2010 by Jim Peters in Hearing God - Jim's Daily D

Psalm 108

A Song Written by King David

 ¹ God, inside I’m ready;

I will sing;

I will even make music and sing praise with my soul.

² Wake up harp and lute!

I will wake the dawn up.

³ I will thank the Lord (among the) people-groups;

I will make music and sing praise to him (among the) nations!

⁴ Your goodness and kindness are great and higher than the sky;

Your truth (is higher than) the clouds.

⁵ God, be lifted up above the skies.

Let your honour and glory be over all the earth.

⁶ (So that the one) you love will be rescued;

Save me with you right hand and answer me.

 

⁷ God, (being) set apart, said,

“I will leap for joy;

I will divide Shechem

And measure Succoth Valley.

⁸ Gilead is mine;

Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim is the protection[1] on my head

And Judah is my sign of authority[2]

⁹ Moab is my wash basin;

I will throw my shoe over Edom

And I will shout in triumph over Philistia.”

 

¹⁰ Who will bring me into the fortified city?

Who will lead me into Edom?

¹¹ God, (haven’t) you rejected us?

God, won’t you go out with our armies?

¹² Give us help against (those who) trouble us

(Because a) rescue (attempt) by people is useless.

¹³ Our God will bring about (our rescue with) strength;

He will trample on (those who) trouble us.

 

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[1] “protection/refuge/helmet” [2] “scpetre/decree/lawgiver”

Application

It’s not what I say that counts but how I am inside.  I need to be prepared in my inner being.  I need the Holy Spirit to be doing a work that is changing me from the inside out.  My calling is for me to be singing praise to God, to be giving my life over to his control.  There ought to be an excitement in me about all that God has done, is doing and is going to do.

Nothing compares to God’s goodness, kindness, glory and power.  There is nothing like him and his power fills the whole earth.

God saves his people.  He knows who are his and he rescues us from all oppression.  God knows me personally.  He cares about every word I say and every thought I think.  It’s easy to read it, but I would hate to imagine my every word and my every thought played in surround sound to the people I know.  Yet God knows everything I have said under my breath and everything that has popped into my mind, good or bad, and he still loves me.

God also knows those who oppose him and his victory over them is certain.  I need God to fight my battles.  I need to confess my sin and come clean with him.  He is faithful, just and quick to forgive my sin and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness, right down to unclean thoughts.  I need God’s purity in my life and he will bring about the end to those things that are causing me trouble.

Prayer

Father, please fight for me.  Please come in against sin and temptation, against your enemies that only your power can overthrow.  Cleanse me and purify me so that I am right with you.  Let me know the authority that I have in Jesus and in that authority, equip me to go into battle with you.  God, there is none like you and without you I am lost.  Fill me Holy Spirit and give me warning every time I am in danger of being deceived.

IJN Amen

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