Exodus 10:21-23 NLT “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Lift your hand toward heaven, and the land of Egypt will be covered with darkness so thick you can feel it.’ So Moses lifted his hand to the sky, and a deep darkness covered the entire land of Egypt for three days. During all that time the people could not see each other, and no one moved. But there was light as usual where the people of Israel lived.”

In these verses, we see once again God separating His people from evil! He was making a loud statement of separation by showing distinction of his children, bathed in light, living within those surrounded in total blinding darkness!

In this incident, the Egyptians were stubborn, prideful, mocking, unbelieving, and resistant to God’s words neither did they heed his warnings. They were already living in darkness; God just turned off the lights for a few days!

Alongside the harsh Egyptian rulers were the descendants of Israel (Jacob) brought to Egypt through his son Joseph. These mighty men of God have passed, and their bloodlines have been reduced to slave labor!

God heard their pleas, their cries through their prayers! He delivered his children from the cruel hands that held them captive by protecting them with his own!

Today is no different! The God of Israel is the same God of today! Our land is quickly filling with more and more darkness, people can’t or don’t want to see what’s happening, and no one is moving!

Our children aren’t in schools, and if they are, they fear being shot! We no longer can let our children walk to school for fear of them being abducted, the drugs, sex trafficking, gang violence, destruction, fear, homelessness, the darkness is everywhere we look!

Now is the time to cry out to the God of all creation! We need to pray his light into our nation, schools and the hearts and souls of governing bodies. We need to stand up for what is right and be a voice, a light within the darkness.

Now more than ever, God needs his children to stand up, speak up, show up, and shed his guiding light before it’s too late and the darkness permeates.

John 8:12 ESV “Again Jesus spoke to them saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Matthew 5:16 ESV “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

We are a living example of God’s light, and we need to be sure and set that example because you never know who might be standing on the edge of darkness watching you, looking for that hand and invitation into your light! Gods light…

Be blessed today and be a light! Thank you for joining me! 🥰

You know the frustration of trying to convey your thoughts, feelings, or emotions. They often come out as graceful as a coughed-up furball and resemble something akin to a wad of rubber bands.

Often, the emotional mess is trivial to others but is a big deal to you. I have to admit that I get a bit hurt and aggravated when I am bothered about something, wish to relieve my angst, and then treated with impatience and my issue a joke!

I have been an ear many times when I don’t relate, but I always try and empathize. I understand that this is a real issue for this person, and whether I think it’s irrelevant, silly, a broken record, or of slight importance, I need to give respect, a soft ear, and my time!

1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

Proverbs 27:9 ESV “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.”

Proverbs 17:17 ESV “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Our lives are so busy; we meet ourselves coming and going. We might look up and be saying, “I don’t have the time to sit and listen to this again, Lord!” Or “I can’t believe they are so upset over this little thing.” That little thing could have been the final straw that broke the camels back! Remember, we don’t know lives behind closed doors.

Here’s what the Lord says about a friend in need!

Galatians 6:2 ESV “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Philippians 2:4 ESV “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Romans 1:12 ESV “That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”

So the next time the phone rings and you don’t want to answer it! The next time you are invited for coffee and really don’t have the time or strength. Let Jesus answer, let Jesus share that cup! This is truly what our world needs right now! A friendship with Jesus and that might begin with you!

Be blessed my friends and as always thank you for joining me! 🥰

Psalm 68:32-35 NLT “Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth. Sing praises to the Lord.

Sing to the one who rides across the ancient heavens, his mighty voice thundering from the sky.

Tell everyone about God’s power. His majesty shines down on Isreal; his strength is mighty in the heavens.

God is awesome in his sanctuary. The God of Isreal gives power and strength to his people.

Praise be to God!”

The Book of Psalm is a book of prayer, a book of praise and a book exalting God, our Lord and King! We can learn much about loving and serving our mighty God by studying Psalm. We can learn much about his love and support for us by studying the Psalms.

The book of Psalm is a soothing balm to your tired, stressed, worried, scared, uncertain world; it’s a peaceful place in which to spend time; it’s refreshing, uplifting, positive, and mindful! If you ever think to grab your Bible and read but don’t know where to start??? Go directly to the Book of Psalm!

These final verses are a continuation of King Davids’s praise and worship of his God of Isreal. His God, The God who saves! His God, The God who protects! His God, is Our God!

God will protect Isreal in these coming days, and he will protect you and yours. The times will come, and we have already begun to enter where the line will be drawn. You are either for God or against him, thus placing him either for or against you! Today we have the freedom of choice; tomorrow will not be as easy.

Keep your alliance with the God of Isreal and with Isreal, and all will be well in your land! Be blessed, be aware, and be alert because each day, the darkness gets closer. Thank you for joining me! 😘

Psalm 68:28-31 NLT

“Summon your might, O God. Display your Power, O God, as you have in the past.

The kings of the earth are bringing tribute to your Temple in Jerusalem.

Rebuke these enemy nations-these wild animals lurking in the reeds, this herd of bulls among the weaker calves.

Make them bring bars of silver in humble tribute. Scatter the nations that delight in war.

Let Egypt come with gifts of precious metals; let Ethiopia bring tribute to God.”

This is a prayer for help!

Summon Your Might O God! Display your power as you have in the past! In much of the life of King David he was a warrior, a strong man of battle! His prayer is recognizing God’s power, summoning his strength, and remembrance of the Lord’s deliverance and protection of the past, secure of his presence in the future.

This is a solid foundation to model after; if the Lord has been there for you in past battles, why won’t he be with you in future ones?

Kings will bring you presents! In the ancient days, gifts were given to the king, to honor, to gain a relationship with, and often an alliance. David was confident in his days that God would always honor his covenant with his people, and in the end, the surrounding nations would bring gifts to Jerusalem to praise The God of Israel.

Rebuke the beasts of the reeds! He is speaking of the bullies, the trouble makers, the oppressors and the seducers. Rebuke-in Middle English from Anglo-Norman French and Old Northern French to rebuke was to beat or cut down!

To rebuke, to pray against, to pray for protection from The wolves in sheep’s clothing. The lies and agendas of our government and news media. Riots, shootings, murders, chaos, epidemics and poverty!

Scatter the Nations that delight in war! In the end, nations that have loved warfare and tribute, placing themselves or their gods above the God of Israel, will be humbled and despoiled (violently removed). All we need to do is watch the nightly news! Where does the US stand today?

Egypt and Ethiopia will bring tribute to God! This last line of David’s prayer became prophetic. Egypt formed an alliance under Solomon’s reign when he married the Pharaohs daughter. The Queen of Sheba arrived bearing a fleet if ships of treasure to present to King Solomon.

But this could also point toward Jesus and Christianity as there were Egyptians at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, who, St Hilary declares returned to their own country proclaiming what they had heard and seen and became ambassadors for Christ. The Ethiopian eunuch was the first among the gentiles to receive the gospel.

The God of King David is the God of you and me! He is still by our side protecting us from our enemies and the enemy! He was with you yesterday and He will be with you tomorrow. Put your trust and hand in the hand that can hold the waters of the world in his palm. That’s a big hand…that makes your giants small!

Be blessed today and thank you for joining me. 😘

Psalm 68:24-27 NCV

“God, people have seen your victory march; God my King marched into the holy place.

The singers are in front and the instruments are behind. In the middle are the girls with tambourines.

Praise God in the meeting place; praise the Lord in the gathering of Israel.

There is the smallest tribe, Benjamin, leading them. And there are the leaders of Judah with their group. There are also the leaders of Zebulun and of Naphtali.”

This is not the first time we read of King David’s procession into Jerusalem singing and dancing, celebrating as the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ being returned to its rightful place.

In 2 Samuel 6:1-2 NLT, “Then David again gathered all the elite troops in Israel, 30,000 in all. He led them to Baalah of Judah to bring back the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord of Heavens armies who is enthroned between the cherubim”

There doesn’t appear to be much going on in these verses. However, David displays some very valuable attitudes and behaviors that line up with God and that we should adopt. In verses 24-26, we see dancing, praising, and celebrating!

The Ark of God was being returned to its rightful place, but the feeling that God has come home was exhilarating as the Ark had been exiled in another nation for quite some time. Praise God in the meeting place! A meeting place can be anywhere, a church, online churches, Bible studies, a small home study group, friends on their lunch breaks, a meadow full of wildflowers, or beside a giggling stream. Anywhere you are can be a meeting place with God, and we are free to praise to our heart’s desire.

Next, we read that the smallest tribe of Benjamin leads the procession, followed by the leaders of Judah, Zebulun, and Naphtali. The twelve sons of Jacob-(renamed later by God) to Israel are Rueben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

The keys to take away here are: one, the smallest tribe of Benjamin leading the way is David’s predecessor. King Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. The tribe of Benjamin opposed David’s rise to the throne; they were ever faithful to Saul. David shows honor and respect to their fallen king by placing them ahead of him. The tribe of Benjamin, by participating in the glorious celebration, shows reconciliation and submission to King David.

Next follows King David along with his leaders of Judah and the tribes Zebulun and Naphtali. David himself, taking a second seat, shows honor and respect and reminds me of a scripture in the New Testament that speaks of the least or the smallest being first.

Matthew 19:30 NLT “But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”

I think about that a lot, the quiet, behind the scene warriors of God, that nobody knows, sees or hears about. The meek and mild who have been trampled on by the mighty and strong. The rich and the famous seem to have everything while so many more have nothing. One day it will all right itself. The right will be rewarded and the wrong will receive their due.

But until that day, as we live in a world that feels like the bad guys always win, keep your faith because in eternity…The Good Guys take the Gold!

Be blessed today and thank you for joining me. 🥰

Good Morning Dear Lord,

I need you!

I need your peace in my heart and spirit today!

I need clarity of mind. I need to hear your thoughts and answers to mine.

I need a renewing in my heart and spirit, Lord, a gust of fresh air to sweep through and remove the hurts, scars, walls, and anger.

I need your help Lord to grow into the person I aspire to become. I thank you for my hopes and dreams and for the ability to accomplish all that is within your will.

Thank you for the changes you are bringing within me, and please help those around me notice them too.

Thank you for my family and the friends who are family.

Thank you for the many great teachers teaching your word!

Thank you for your word!

Thank you for your love, patience, understanding, and growth.

Thank you for a day filled with your peace and quiet within and around.

Thank you for you!

I love you, and in your glorious name Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen

May you be ever so blessed today and thank you for joining me. 🥰

Psalm 68:20-23 NLT

“Our God is a God who saves! The sovereign Lord rescues us from death.

But God will smash the heads of his enemies, crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.

The Lord says, ‘I will bring my enemies down from Bashan; I will bring them up from the depth of the sea.

You, my people will wash your feet in their blood, and even your dogs will get their share!”

Our God who saves, Our God who delivers us from death! God the Father, from the beginning of man’s time on earth, has had to step in and save us from our follies and enemies. He has a covenant with his children; he is with us always, his loving hands protect us.

Death can also represent; an actual death and a significant change in life or lifestyle of the one left behind—the death of a marriage or job and the accompanied differences. You might be in a place that feels hopeless, never-ending, no way out, dead! Put your hand in the hand of the creator. He’s bigger than any problem you are facing! Trust Him to deliver you!

God also saves as he stepped down from his throne and became human for you and me! He walked our tainted world, spreading the news of his love and way. He died in our place as the ultimate sacrifice, rescuing those who believe in him from the final death! Hallelujah!!!

Smash the heads of his enemies, crushing the skulls of those who love evil. Dang, these are some intense statements! The biggest enemy of Gods and ours is Satan! God is actually speaking of Satan and Pride! In ancient days a person’s hair was a crown of glory for both men and women. Some translations read ‘a hairy scalp.’ The Lord detests pride and sin, which go hand in hand! The guilty, rebellious, unsaved, and evil will have their day of judgment and Jesus will not be their lawyer! Think about that!

Down from Bashan, Up from the depth of the sea. We learned yesterday that Bashan is a very tall, rugged, majestic mountain; the depths of the sea, self-explanatory! The Lord is stating that there is nowhere you can go to hide from him! From the highest peaks of the mountain tops to the lowest level of the sea! No one can escape the Lords’ eye or wrath. But, He also sees you and your world, your needs, your trials, along with your love, trust, tithe, faith, and praise! Rest!

Wash your feet in their blood, the dogs will have their share, Ewww! Again, in the ancient of days, there was no more awarded victory or humiliating defeat than for kings, generals, leaders, and warriors to be abandoned on the battlefield where they fell. To be discarded and left behind for the wild packs of dogs. Disrespected! The Lord tells us he will give us the ultimate victory if we lean on him, trust him, and believe in him! Your enemies, well…Romans 12:19…Vengeance is mine saith the Lord! Let God answer the door to trouble. Let him fight your battles!

We, because of the bloodshed on the cross by our Lord Jesus Christ, are triumphant over sin, evil, lust, addictions, anger, old ways, sickness, and habits. We are victorious over Satan, as in the name of Jesus, he flees! James 4:7 NCV “So give yourselves completely to God. Stand against the devil, and the devil will run from you.”

So, today pretty much sums up, not only does the God of Isreal love his nation and will fight for her and protect her always…He does and will do the same for us! I don’t know about you, but I am very secured by that!

Thank you for joining me today and I pray you have a blessed day! 🥰

Psalm 68:15-19 NLT

“The mountains of Bashan are majestic, with many peaks stretching high into the sky.

Why do you look with envy, O rugged mountains, at Mount Zion, where God has chosen to live, where the Lord himself will live forever?

Surrounded by unnumbered thousands of chariots, the Lord came from Mount Sinai into his sanctuary.

When you ascend to the heights, you led a crowd of captives. You received gifts from the people, even from those who rebelled against you.

Now the Lord will live among us there.”

As I studied these verses, I discovered the Mountains of Bashan were tall, mighty, craggy, and majestic compared to Mount Zion, a low barren little hill.

Why then did such height and strength look with envy at the little mound of dirt and sand. Why because God chose Jerusalem, that little mound of dirt and sand to dwell in! Bashan was shall we say, indignant! Bashan resembled mankind!

Isn’t that just like God though? We see it repeated throughout the Old and New Testaments. God/Jesus chooses the unlikely, the weakest, the unnoticed or accused to show his strength, protection, and unjudgemental love! We as Christians often resemble the small mounds living among giant mountains. We don’t walk as the world walks, we don’t see as the world sees. Take Mother Teresa, for example; there wasn’t a more significant, stronger, more noblewoman than she, yet she lived in a hut in India, not a mansion in Belair! She served the poor and forgotten, not the rich and famous.

Thousands of Chariots! Ancient Israel, by God’s command, never had many chariots. They were and still are protected by God, who has greater power than thousands upon thousands of chariots.

The Lord is faithful to Israel and he is just as faithful to us, his children. As with Israel, we may have battle after battle. I suggest you pray and make sure one the war is yours to fight, and if yes, be sure to go to prepared and protected in the Lord’s armor! (Ephesians 6:11)

Ascend to the heights, take captivity, receive gifts…there are two thoughts and teachings regarding this verse…in the Old Testament, David was assumed to be writing of the many victories God gave him in battles. The captives who were taken and used for slave labor, the gifts would possibly be plunder but also treasures provided by neighboring nations as treaties of peace.

The second thought being, prophetic as the Apostle Paul quoted This section of verse In Ephesians 4:8 … When He ascended on high, speaking of Jesus rising from death and ascending into heaven, taking with him those captives of heart and spirit who believe and believed his message; the gifts being the Gift of the Holy Spirit to his church.

Now the Lord will live among us there! The Lord has always been with Israel and always will be; this means yesterday…right now and forever!

Jesus our Lord dwells within us, today, tomorrow and forever!

Does your world feel like Israel right now, are you being attacked? Does your life feel like a battle, does your home resemble a war zone? Do as the wise ancient kings did, consult the Lord, ask for direction, talk to your minister or a friend who can direct you in the ways of the Lord. When you take him with you, wherever you go! You go with the angels and chariots at your disposal! Who can beat that?

Be blessed today and thank you for joining me. 🥰

Psalm 68:7-14 NCV

“God, you led your people out when you marched through the desert.

The ground shook, and the sky poured down rain before God of Mount Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.

God, you sent much rain; you refreshed your tired land.

Your people settled there. God, in your goodness you took care of the poor.

The Lord gave the command, and a great army told the news: Kings and their armies run away. In camp they divide the wealth taken in war.

Those who stayed by the campfires will share in the riches taken in battle.

The Almighty scattered kings like snow on Mount Bashan.”

You led your people out. First off, David is remembering and recognizing his God who saves. We need to be mindful of all the times in our past that the Lord was there for us. How many Egypts has the Lord led you out of? If he was there before, you can rest assured he will be there again.

He sent much rain and refreshed their tired land. His word and prayer are but rain to the soul. His words of love and affirmation are spiritual refreshments. When you spend time with the Lord, whether in his word or a simple conversation with him, you will come away renewed and at peace.

You settled your people there; you took care of the poor. You delivered the Israelites from their hand of plight. Led them into the wilderness, further lessons in trusting you, and settled them in the land of milk and honey. The flight from Egypt is a great read (the book of Exodus). During the years in the desert, the Lord provided for every need they had as they trusted and followed him! Don’t you think he will do the same for you today?

The Lord gave the command, News Spread, Kings Scattered. This is exactly what happened. Some people and towns surrendered before the Israelite armies got there, offering allegiance to them and their Mighty God who saves. When you have the Lord by your side, knees bow, word networks through Satan minions that this one is covered in the blood and protected…they scatter!

If you belong to God, you are one of his children! He will lead you out of your Egypt. He will protect and provide for you. He will go to battle for you and scatter your enemies.

Using King David’s example, remember all the times the Lord has been with you and realizing he is with you now and always!

This is a blessing, be blessed and thank you for joining me! 🥰