The journey towards salvation is one that the Scriptures make in saying, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12 King James Version (KJV). This verse struck me in my spirit. I have been dealing with a fear of this retreat assignment for some unknown reason. As I meditated on what does it mean to work out my own salvation with fear and trembling. The reality is that fear is a tool of the devil. To fear God can also be, to come to Him in “reverence” or "respect." Therefore I thank God for revealing this to me at the onset of my spiritual retreat.
I have found it necessary to reflect on my relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Every fiber of my being looks ahead to the final judgment of God. I refuse to let the enemy remind of my sins. God has said that “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:11-13 New Living Translation (NIV). So, I trust in the God of
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I believe the Holy Spirit guided me towards the Scripture verse Philippians 2:12. I have struggled with the doctrine of salvation for quite some time. It has turned out to be what I needed to focus on from God’s Word, and not lean towards my own understanding, or go by my feelings. The settings that I chose was in the Charlie Norwood Veterans Hospital Chapel. I have a great relationship with the Chaplin. He is always interested in reading some of my course assignments, and the chapel is a peaceful quiet sanctuary. I really believe the presence of God is here with me. I have not constructed a schedule because God’s time is
Fear is a thing that strikes someone at heart. This man had overcame it in such a way it moved many people and had became another thing that this man has overcome. It sure will not be the last of it.As Wiesel said “Hunger—thirst—fear—transport—selection—fire—chimney: these words all have intrinsic
St. Albans Psalter Psalm 68 is not long, but it does have lots of detailed material to study the author’s choice of language, and the power of the images that are being conveyed to the readers through an emotional and sentimental way. The simplicity of this psalm’s gives it power, since it expresses an emotional despair in a careful shaped prayer, which comes from a human being in what seems to be a life-threatening situation. In the image and the content, the psalmist’s travels an arc of desperation to salvation, in a vivid personal plea to Christ to save him from what seems to be a swirling vortex of hopelessness that threatens to pull him under forever.
“Fear becomes easier to master when the patient’s mind is diverted from the thing feared to the fear itself, considered as a present and undesirable state of his own mind; and when he regards the fear as his appointed cross he will inevitably think of it as a state of mind.” (9) Once the patient has figured out the states of fear, then they can conquer it. They immediately transfer paths so they do not get pulled into the dark forces. 1 John4:18 says “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love”
Engagement with others is the most fertile ground for spiritual growth. Yet, salvation cannot come through individual questing nor good works in the community of the world alone. Salvation can only come when the journey and the work become
The fiftieth psalm begins with the heading “A psalm of Asaph”. Whether it was officially written by him or simply dedicated to him , it is noteworthy to understand who Asaph was and the impact he had on the music and worship of Israel. Asaph was part of a music guild in the court of David along with Heman (1 Chronicles 6:39 ) and Ethan (1 Chronicles 15:19). These men were appointed to lead the musical celebration for the return of the Ark of the Covenant when King David danced passionately enough to embarrass his wife Michal (1 Chronicles 15:16ff). He also served under the leadership of King Solomon during an incredibly significant theophany of the glory of God (2 Chronicles 5:12-14). Perhaps this dramatic encounter with God led to the divine inspiration of Psalm 50’s theophany. Not only was Asaph a music leader, but also a writer of music and referred to as a “seer” (2 Chronicles 29:30). Evidently Asaph’s ability to “see” was an asset in the writing of this psalm, for Asaph “saw” quite a startling prophecy of God and his coming judgments on His people.
We need not to excuse David's sin, because he confessed it and expressed his renewed trust in God. When we read Psalm 34, we are to understand that it was written by the same man who had already acknowledge his sin and is forgiven. The trust which David speaks in Psalm 34 is that which he reaffirmed in Psalm 56. The key to understanding of the relationship of Psalm 34 to 1 Samuel 21 states that David was forgiven and renewed as a result of his experience described in Psalm 56. David begins this psalm with a vow, or a promise: “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (v.1). Here David promise to persistently praise His God. David praise, while based upon a specific event in his life, is ongoing. It should be
“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose”
The title of the Psalm is “Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies” and although most issues in life aren’t as dramatic as described in the Psalm although at the time of the event it may seem as bad. Some examples I have thought about are a Death in the family, a breakup with a loved one, and when you wished you wouldn’t have done something you regret. In these times I have asked God myself if he/she could correct the problem or make it go away and I would do anything (at the time) if he could make it happen and sometime the requests were pretty unreasonable. I would even ask, if I followed the laws of the Lord and I believed in him how could the situation happen? If God loves me he/she would get me out of the situation?
The Hebrew Bible, better known as the Old Testament, is a collection of tomes that form part of the Biblical canon. Many scholars around the world do not think that a single author wrote the books contained in the Hebrew Bible, but rather that it represents centuries of stories frequently compiled after the events they describe . The stories were created with visions for the future, in order to allow audiences insight into communities and beliefs that were common thought during their era. The stories responded to the issues and problems of their time, but also addressed contemporary climates. While the stories themselves may not be true, they convey truth without needing literal readings. For example, the creation stories in Genesis, portray God as creating the universe, and while this is considered as not ‘literally true’; the stories communicate theological truths about mankind’s relationship with God through the eyes of Hebrew writers .
Everything is to be overcomed and fear is a challenge that the power of compassion can
In Deuteronomy it says “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV). People tend to jump to conclusions without first educating themselves. A Christian with the
I grew up in a home with a family that attend church weekly and was active in the church family. I knew about God and about His son but I never remember the story of salvation and the personal need for a savoir. As a teenager I walked away from the religion that I thought did not offer my anything. In my thirties, my husband was diagnosed with cancer and I immediately started my negotiations with God. Little did I know that He was not a negotiator but it was during this time in my life that I needed God more than He needed me. Since accepting the gift of God’s love, the salvation of a Savoir, and the renovation of my heart, I look to God for the path of my life. I share Gods truth through my career change to a Christian nob-profit that’s vision is to share God’s love to the community through the platform of pregnancy care and family services. Personally I have fulfilled God’s call to help the less fortunate by adopting a sibling group and participating and supporting mission trips to third world countries to support his children and missions there. My final piece of God’s plan I feel lead to complete is to volunteer my professional expertise and finances to work with a mission group that provides laboratory services to third world mission hospitals. I have done one trip for them and am currently planning a trip to Honduras in the new year. My day to
... “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. The fear of the Lord will change one’s distorted thinking into God’s perspective. Psalms 31:19 (ESV) says that the Lord encamps around those who fear him. When we are crippled by fear we can be comforted by the presence of the Lord because we are to fear him and him alone. As one who fear the Lord, they can take comfort and rest in knowing that the one who fears the Lord has a secure fortress (Psalm 14:26, ESV).
Of course, the most dominant example of fear was when Scrooge met The Ghost of Christmas Future, and saw his fate. Scrooge saw that people wouldn’t show up to his funeral, and saw that some thieves even stole from his room whilst his corpse was still resting in his bed. It made Scrooge want to become a better person, and have a better legacy when he died. In “Thank You M’am”, Roger was scared that Ms. Jones would report him to the police or kidnap him. When Ms. Jones shut the door on him, he was scared straight to knowing that stealing was wrong, and that the next time he steals somebody won’t be as generous as the lady. In my small group learning, Jesus was too scared about being faced with prejudice to help the lady with the valise and the kids. He hated that he was scared, so he decided to change himself to be helpful, even if he may be shunned by the way he looked. If somebody is about to lose their job, they change to focus more and learn how to do their job better. We all do have fear, but in some situations fear can be
Another verse that I believe is key is “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. (James 4:7-8 English Standard Version) ”. This verse to me is pretty