Our Help

 Our Help

December 5, 2025

Psalm 124:8 (NASB95) 

Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.

Psalms 138:1-3

1 I will give You thanks with all my heart;

I will sing praises to You before the gods.

2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple

And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;

For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.

3 On the day I called, You answered me;

You made me bold with strength in my soul.

John 14:13-14

13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

Our help is in the name of the Lord. When we call upon His name he answers. Whatever we ask in His name, He will do it. There is power in the Name of Jesus. So pray in the name of Jesus for His help and deliverance from all you troubles, for He is mighty and His name is worthy to be praised.

The Name of God- I Am

 Name of God- I Am

December 3, 2025

Exodus 3:13-16

13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’What shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “ I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “ I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.

If your going to talk about the name of God, then it seems logical to start with the name that he told Moses to call Him, “I am who I am (h1961. הָיָה hayah)”, and “The LORD (h3068. יהוה Yhvh), the God of your fathers.” Both expressions imply an eternal being or living, and the eternal present tense that was, that is, and is to come; the Alpha and Omega as expressed in Revelation 1:

Revelation 1:8

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

We’ve been discussing spiritual warfare. The I Am name of God was revealed to Moses when he was called to confront Pharaoh. Invoking the I Am name of God overcame the multitude of Egyptians gods. It is the name above every name, the God above every other god. Moses overcame the Egyptian gods and the angel of death with the name of the LORD and the blood of the Passover lamb.

Jesus infuriated the Jews when He identified himself in like manner.

John 8:58-59

58Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

Therefore, when we pray in the Name of Jesus, we are invoking the same one who is above every other name and the God that is above every other god. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and can vanquish whatever force of evil comes against us. The Name of Jesus is a very powerful weapon in our arsenal for spiritual warfare, so take heart, and go forth to confront and overcome the false gods that threaten us in the modern world.

Lovingkindness

 Lovingkindness 

December 2, 2025

Yesterday, we were talking about the name of the Lord as a strong tower. So today, let us explore that further and try to understand why. Why would an infinite God wish to protect and defend us? To answer that, we need to look at His lovingkindness, chesed in the Hebrew, which defines His infinite mercy and grace towards His people. He protects us because He loves us.

Psalms 17:6-9

6 I have called upon You, for You will answer me, O God;

Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech.

7 Wondrously show Your lovingkindness,

O Savior of those who take refuge at Your right hand

From those who rise up against them.

8 Keep me as the apple of the eye;

Hide me in the shadow of Your wings

9 From the wicked who despoil me,

My deadly enemies who surround me.

Psalms 36:5-12

5 Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens,

Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;

Your judgments are like a great deep.

O LORD, You preserve man and beast.

7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!

And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

8 They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;

And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.

9 For with You is the fountain of life;

In Your light we see light.

10 O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,

And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.

11 Let not the foot of pride come upon me,

And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12 There the doers of iniquity have fallen;

They have been thrust down and cannot rise.

Ephesians 2:4-7

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even whenwe were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

The imagery of Psalm 17 is beautiful. In it we can visualize God protecting us as He would protect the apple (pupil) of His eye. We also can see His love as the protection of a mother hen sheltering her chicks in the shadow of her wings. We take refuge in His strong tower because we find peace, protection and safety in His lovingkindness. This imagery is expanded in the New Testament when we see graphically the love of Jesus in His dying on the cross for our sake and then sitting us with Him in heavenly places. It is hard to describe the extent of His mercy, grace and kindness towards us. We can but try to accept His love and abide in Him. When all around you seems dark and in despair, look to the chesed of the Father and hide under the shelter of His wings.

(For more, see my previous blog on lovingkindness : http://bbb-brillhart.blogspot.com/2023/08/psalm-36-lovingkindness.html)

A Strong Tower

 A Strong Tower

December 1, 2025

Proverbs 18:10

10The name of the LORD is a strong tower;

The righteous runs into it and is safe.

Psalms 91:1-6 - Security of the One Who Trusts in the LORD.

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,

My God, in whom I trust!”

3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper

And from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with His pinions,

And under His wings you may seek refuge;

His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.

5 You will not be afraid of the terror by night,

Or of the arrow that flies by day;

6 Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower.” In turbulent times, there is one safe place. This is not the “safe place” of the woke physiologist where you are sheltered from criticism and controversy, but a true refuge where you are protected from the wiles of the evil one. Call upon the Lord…

Psalms 18:1-3,

1 “I love You, O LORD, my strength.”

2 The LORD is 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.

3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,

And I am saved from my enemies.

He is your refuge and fortress, a stronghold where you can dwell in safety even as the battle rages around you. The Name of the Lord is a refuge, not to keep you isolated from all conflict, but to keep you safe through the battle. We abide in Him to receive His strength and power to overcome the enemy. So today, don’t avoid the battle but call upon the Name of the Lord and you will be saved. Don’t be afraid of the pestilence and destruction, but trust in the Lord who is worthy to be praised.

Post Thankgiving Ruminations

 Post Thanksgiving Ruminations

November 28, 2025

Some post Thanksgiving proverbs::

Proverbs 28:1 (NASB95) 

The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, But the righteous are bold as a lion.

Proverbs 27:7 (NASB95) 

Asated man loathes honey, But to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet.

Proverbs 23:1-2 (NASB95) 

1 When you sit down to dine with a ruler, Consider carefully what is before you, 2 And put a knife to your throat If you are a man of great appetite.

I was thinking of the first one as we were walking off our Thanksgiving dinner this morning. I’m not much of a runner, so if you see me running, look for who is chasing me! So that is my favorite running proverb. But we did walk a bit to let the turkey settle. Now a couple of weeks ago, we might have been chased by our neighbor’s turkeys, but they were “processed” the other day, so were part of the dinner, not part of the walk this time. It’s just as well. They were sort of mean tom turkeys and reminded me of the rooster that pestered me when I was a child. We had to walk through the chicken yard to get to the outhouse, and the rooster would chase me and peck me on the hear, so I have no love for mean, male fowl!

Other proverbs speak about over eating. Of course it’s too late to prevent you from overeating this Thanksgiving, we’re already experiencing that sated feeling. But that will soon pass and we’ll be looking for honey again. So don’t put the knife to your throat just yet, but enjoy those turkey sandwiches and football games as you continue to give thanks for our bountiful blessings. We can make light of over eating because we are blessed with abundance and have plenty to eat. So be thankful. You can always try to remember to not eat so much next year!

Testing, Testing

 Testing, Testing

November 26, 2025

Psalm 26:1-12 (NASB95) 1 A Psalm of David. 

Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, And I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. 2 Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart. 3 For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth. 4 I do not sit with deceitful men, Nor will I go with pretenders. 5 I hate the assembly of evildoers, And I will not sit with the wicked. 6 I shall wash my hands in innocence, And I will go about Your altar, O LORD, 7 That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving And declare all Your wonders. 8 O LORD, I love the habitation of Your house And the place where Your glory dwells. 9 Do not take my soul away along with sinners, Nor my life with men of bloodshed, 10 In whose hands is a wicked scheme, And whose right hand is full of bribes. 11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; Redeem me, and be gracious to me. 12 My foot stands on a level place; In the congregations I shall bless the LORD.

Testing, 1, 2,3, Testing… How many times have I heard that when setting up a band. When everything is connected and seems complete, you aren’t ready to perform until you test everything. Similarly, in the Christian walk, you can say “I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted the Lord without wavering”, but have you really? The proof is in the next verse, “Examine me, O Lord, and try me…” Testing, Testing… And I think that part of the proof that you doing Ok is in verse 7. When you are testing microphones, the proof that they are working is if you can hear the “Testing, Testing, 1,2,3” in the back of the room. Likewise the proof that you are walking with the Lord in integrity is if people can hear your voiced of thanksgiving in all circumstances. When you declare the wonders of the Lord and extol His glory you show the world that you are following Jesus. Thanksgiving and an attitude of gratitude is a proof of the test. The Lord will examine your heart and test you through various trials and difficulties, but if you can still lift up your voice of thanksgiving and declare His wonders, then you have passed the test.

So, tomorrow is thanksgiving day which is an excellent time to remember to be thankful for the Lord’s goodness, but we should be thankful every day. Let your voice of thanksgiving be heard and let them hear “testing, 1,2, 3, testing” in the back of the room.

Thanksgiving

 Thanksgiving

November 24, 2025

1 Thessalonians 5:14-18

14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, bepatient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 106:1, 12-13

Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

,,,

12 Then they believed His words; They sang His praise. 13 They quickly forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel,

Why do we find it so hard to be thankful? We seem to be surrounded by an entitled generation that is not grateful for the blessings that we have received from the Father. Of course this is not a new thing. Psalm 106 is a history of all the good things that the Lord did for the nation of Israel, but then they quickly forgot His works. The psalmist is reminding them to sing His praises and give thanks to the Lord. So we are not so different from the ancient Israelis. The Lord has also done great things for our nation, but we quickly forget and grumble and complain. Even in Paul’s day, the admonition to give thanks  in everything is in the same passage as the instructions on admonishing the unruly. So I suppose it’s just human nature to forget the good things and focus on our problems. That’s why Paul encourages us to pray without ceasing and give thanks in everything.

We set aside one day this week as Thanksgiving day, but we need to remember to give thanks every day. The Lord has done great things for us, but we quickly forget. So remember what the Lord has done and give thanks. Praise His name and rejoice always for that is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.