Joy and Sorrow

 Joy and Sorrow

May 8, 2026

Psalm 32:10-11 (NKJV) 

10Many sorrows [shall be] to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him. 11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all [you] upright in heart!

The scripture for today is not one that everyone wants to hear. Basically, this word boils down to the fact that many of our problems are of our own creation. How many times do you hear someone complain of their sorrows and woes, but they are unwilling to consider how they have contributed to their problems and are often unwilling to forgive those who have hurt them. We have found that unforgiveness is the source of many of our problems. A little kindness and forgiveness goes a long way to easing our problems.

The psalm concludes that true joy and gladness comes from doing right. A righteous person is simply one that does the right thing. The Lord will show mercy to one who decides in his heart to do the right thing. So examine your heart. Are your problems a result of something that you did wrong? Are your conflicts with others springing our of something that can be forgiven? Even if you think it is something unforgivable, the Lord in His mercy will give you the ability to forgive if you ask Him. True joy then comes when you reflect the Lords love and mercy to those around you. So shout for joy and decide in your heart to do the right thing.

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Psalm 32:1-11 (NKJV) 

1 [A Psalm] of David. A Contemplation. Blessed [is he whose] transgression [is] forgiven, [Whose] sin [is] covered. 2 Blessed [is] the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit [there is] no deceit. 3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah 

 

5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah 

 

6 For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him. 7 You [are] my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah 

 

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. 9 Do not be like the horse [or] like the mule, [Which] have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you. 10 Many sorrows [shall be] to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him. 11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all [you] upright in heart!

Tabernacle of David- Sacrifice of Praise

 Tabernacle of David

May 2, 2026

1 Chronicles 16:7-10 (NKJV) 

7 On that day David first delivered [this psalm] into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the LORD: 8 Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! 9 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 10 Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!

1 Chronicles 16:6 (NKJV) Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests regularly [blew] the trumpets before the ark of the covenant of God.

1 Chronicles 16:41-42 (NKJV) 

41 andwith them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to give thanks to the LORD, because His mercy [endures] forever; 42 and with them Heman and Jeduthun, to sound aloud with trumpets and cymbals and the musical instruments of God. Now the sons of Jeduthun [were] gatekeepers.

In today’s scripture, we have the account of the ark of the covenant being restored to Jerusalem and installed in the tent that David had erected for it; the Tabernacle of David. This is an important scripture for all worshipers to understand as it establishes the importance of worship before the Lord. Moses’ tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple in Jerusalem had more of an emphasis on the rituals and sacrifices, but in David’s tabernacle, the major duties of the priests are listed as acts of music and worship. In fact this chapter on the dedication of the tabernacle is a psalm which King David wrote for the occasion. There were animal sacrifices at that time also, but the King realized the the most Important sacrifice was a sacrifice of praise. 

Psalm 69:30-32 (NKJV) 

30 I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving. 31 [This] also shall please the LORD better than an ox [or] bull, Which has horns and hooves. 32 The humble shall see [this and] be glad; And you who seek God, your hearts shall live.

Hebrews 13:15-16 (NKJV) 

15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruitof [our] lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

So let us offer a sacrifice of praise and extol the. And of the Lord our God.

God Moments

 God Moments

April 29, 2026

Psalm 139:7-10 (NKJV) 

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascendinto heaven, You [are] there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You [are there.] 9 [If] I take the wings of the morning, [And] dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.

Last weekend, we hosted the Cleansing Stream retreat at our church. At such times, we are reminded of God’s presence and the great power that comes from following Jesus. When we see the mighty hand of Jesus healing and delivering people from all sorts of ailments and oppressions, we can only glory in the presence of the Lord. He is mighty to save and our ever present help in time of need.

Our difficulties usually come, though, when we leave the mountain top and return to the valley. It is wonderful to be in that high place in God where His presence is manifest and his power is evident, but how do we live when we return to the valley? Do we remember that He is still with us even when things are dark and difficult? In Psalm 139, the psalmist reminds us that the Lord is with us at all times. There is nowhere that we can go to escape His presence. This psalm continues with the famous passage that talks about the plans that He has for our life, even from our mother’s womb:

Psalm 139:13-16 (NKJV) 

13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praiseYou, for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And [that] my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, [And] skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When [as yet there were] none of them.

Therefore, we know that we cannot hide from God. We can run, like Jonah, but we cannot hide, and we will be blessed if we seek out His presence and walk in the plan that He has for our lives. Look for God moments, not only on the mountain top, where it is easy to see His hand working, but also in the valley when the light is dim and the future looks dark. He is with is in both places and when we seek Him, we can have God moments, wherever we might be.

Victory

 Victory

April 27, 2026

1 Chronicles 11:1-3 (NKJV) 

1 Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying, “Indeed we [are] your bone and your flesh. 2 “Also, in time past, even when Saul was king, you [were] the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the LORD your God said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over My people Israel.’ ” 3 Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel.

In today’s scripture we see the account of when David was finally made king over Israel. There were many battles and much conflict leading up to his coronation, but the victory was finally his. That is not to say that his troubles were over, but he came to a point where he could rule and reign over Israel.

This weekend was our Cleansing Stream retreat. This was the first one that we hosted at our local church, and it was a great success. There were victories over the forces of darkness and many people were set free from bondage. But like King David, victory did not come without a price. We had many trials leading up to the retreat and a great deal of work to pull it off. But the effort was worth it as we saw the kingdom of God advance as the people were healed.

But we press on. After David was crowned king, he had to take up the important task of ruling the nation. In our case, we need to prepare to go forward and expand the kingdom of God even further. There is more need for healing and deliverance, so the work is just beginning. So pray for our church and cleansing stream team that we will have the strength, endurance and wisdom to continue and expand the ministry that many more people will be blessed.

Roots

 Roots

April 21, 2026

Hebrews 12:14-15 (NKJV) 

14 Pursue peace with all [people,] and holiness, without which no one will see theLord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

Deuteronomy 29:18 (NKJV)

“so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go [and] serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood;

Yesterday, we were working out in the yard. A couple of years ago, we had a tree cut down, and we were working on the stump to make it look better as a flower bed. Needless to say, things didn’t go as easily as we thought and it took considerable effort to try to remove even a part of that stump. The root of the problem remains…

This week at the retreat, we will be praying with people for healing and deliverance. One of the things that we will try to address is getting at the root of the problem. Like our tree, the visible part of the tree is gone, but the root still remains and causes additional problems. In our lives we frequently see unforgiveness and resentment linger on after the problem seems to be resolved, and this can lead to a root of bitterness which causes more trouble. In Deuteronomy, this is called bitterness and wormwood. Like our tree stump, it is harder than it looks to uproot these types of problems and heal the bitterness. The process starts with forgiveness, but sometimes it takes some healing of rejection or abandonment in order for a person to be able to forgive.

So pray for us this week, that we will have the wisdom to see the root of the problem and be able to pray for deep healing in the people that come. The Lord wants to heal and deliver, but He usually uses unworthy servants such as ourselves to minister this healing, so we need His wisdom and guidance and the power of the Holy Spirit to bring healing to the people

Draw Near

 Draw Near

April 20, 2026

Hebrews 4:15-16

15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, butOne who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

The messages in the Spirit this week all seem to be converging on the topic of drawing near to the Lord for a time of refreshing and healing. Our pastor taught yesterday on times of refreshing and the importance or seeking the presence of God. Another men’s group is studying John 5 where Jesus heals a crippled man at the pool of Bethesda, but before he does anything for him he asks “Do you want to get well?”. And yet another group that I’m a part of is planning a healing retreat this weekend where we will be praying for people to be healed and delivered. The retreat will be a time of entering the cleansing stream of God’s presence, seeking His help in time of need. So the scripture in Hebrews 4 is appropriate, “draw near with confidence… so we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” 

So pray with us this week, that we can enter in and find His rest. There will be a lot of frantic preparations for our team, so we need His confidence, His rest and the power of His presence so that we will be able to host this important retreat. And the question “Do you want to be made well?” Should also be in our minds as we pray for the Lord to bring in all those who want His healing. Pray for the Lord’s plans to be fulfilled and for us to draw dear with confidence to do our part.

Words of Life - Encouragement

 Words of Life - Encouragement 

April 16, 2026

1 Thessalonians 5:11

11Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:13b-14

13 …Live in peace with one another. 14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

Encourage one another… wise counsel for trying times. The modern, social media, generation does not foster encouragement. A post is more likely to go viral if it tears someone down or exposes some deep dark secret. Love and encouragement are not as popular online. We are also finding out that social media fosters social isolation. Encouragement is an aspect of true community. Real human bonds, especially in a church or family, build one another up. 

Peace and patience also go a long way towards encouraging a brother. Impatience is another trait fostered by our online society. We are a society that wants instant gratification. We have fast food and 24x7 news that wants it all and wants it now! In the church it should be different.  Making disciples requires patience and encouraging the faint hearted. Building one another up is not an instant process. So take time today to encourage a brother and pray for one in need. Build up the community of believers with encouragement.