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July 31
Tuesday


GET UP!

READ:
Psalm 54
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God is my helper.
__Psalm 54:4
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I hadn't been water-skiing in 15 years, but when friends offered to take my son-in-law Todd and me out on the lake last summer, how could I say no? It seemed like a good idea until I watched Todd have trouble getting upright on his skis. He had done a lot of skiing, but as he tried to get up on one ski, he kept falling. So when it came to my turn, I didn't have a lot of confidence.

Fortunately, my friend who is a competitive skier stayed with me in the water and coached me about what to do. She said, "Let the boat pull you up," and "Be strong!" These seemingly contradictory statements made all the difference. I did both-I trusted the boat to do its job, and I hung on with all my strength. The first tiime the boat took off, I got up and enjoyed a great ride around the lake.

When life has you down__whether through sorrow that seems too hard to bear or circumstances that make each day a morning-to-night grind__my friend's advice can help. First, let God pull you up by His power (Ps. 54:1-4). Then, hold on to His hand. Cling to Him and "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" (Eph. 6:10).

Trust His power and hold on. He will give you the strength to keep from falling (Isa. 40:31). __Dave Branon
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Savior, let me walk beside Thee,~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Let me feel my hand in Thine'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Let me know the joy of walking~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~In Thy strength and not in mine. __Sidebotham~~~~~~~
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Those who wait upon the Lord shall
renew their strength. __Isaiah 40:31

****************Today's Bible Reading __ Psalm 54***************

1 Save me, O God, by Your
name, and vindicate me by
Your strength. 2 Hear my
prayer, O God; give ear to
the words of my mouth.
3 For strnagers have
risen up against me, and
oppressors have sought
after my life; they have not
set God before them.

4 Behold, God is my
helper; the Lord is with
those who uphold my life.
5 He will repay my enemies
for their evil. Cut them off
in Your truth.

6 I will freely sacrifice
to You; I will praise
Your name, O LORD, for
it is good. 7 For He has
delivered me out of all
trouble; and my eye has
seen its desire upon my
enemies.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

The title of Psalm 54 gives the specific occasion why David wrote it:
"When the Ziphites went and said to Saul, 'Is David not hiding with
us?'" While pursued and hiding from Saul, David had delivered the
border town of Keliah from the Philistines (1 Sam. 23:1-6). But
the people repaid his kindness by betraying him to Saul (vv.7-12).
David withdrew with 600 men to the desert of Ziph. Yet again, he was
betrayed by the Ziphites, his own people from Judah (see
1 sam. 23:19; 26:1). David wrote Psalm 54 as a prayer for
deliverance (vv.1-3) and to express his confident trust in God to
protect him from his enemies (vv.4-7). __SKT

Who are my enemies? I know satan is my enemy, I know that in The Word it says that people who do not bow down to The Father in the blessed name of Jesus are an enemy to God; thusly, they are my enemy. I know my flesh enjoys being my enemy when it's selfish, I know that if a Christian chooses to live "carnally" ... hmmmmmmmmm??????

Betrayal, we read about, witness or experience it every day. I just read of the Ziphites betraying David and his prayer to God in verse 5 "He will repay my enemies for their evil."

Oh wow! David's own people betrayed him, and now in prayer he says "He (God) will repay my enemies for their evil."

Does that bother anyone else besides me? Most of the offenses brought against me are from the very ones I love. Yes, it may make me angry and my flesh may want to get even -- but do I want God to get even for me -- against the very ones I love -- maybe even Christians loved ones? Or how about if I'm having a bad day and I choose to live out the day in a carnal way?

???????????

But as I read on, David praises God and finally comes to a place of peace within his soul where his pain and retribution is no longer the focus. David now sees with his spiritual eyes -- and that which his physical eyes were focused on is now overcome by God's love and peace delivered up to David by God.

Jesus teaches us to love our enemies and to pray for them. If we pray past the offenses and into the loving arms of God, we are blessed and delivered from all our anxieties and worries to the place of peace, and from that place of peace we access the fruit of The Holy Spirit and forgiveness.

Jesus also says in The Word that whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven and whatever we bind on earth will be bound in Heaven.

And...Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

God is so very Good.

Thank you, Cimi, for your dedication in providing us "The Daily Bread" here in this Forum.

God bless you,
Sister Mack