Psalms 56:11  In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
What is the worst thing that man can do to you? What is the worst thing God can do to you? Jesus told us that we are to “fear him which is able to destroy both […]

Psalms 5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

David was a man after God�s own heart. One of the reasons David�s heart was right before God is because he determined first that he was going to start each day off talking to God. David could have started his day doing many things, but he decided that his relationship with God was the most important thing.

David could have started his day with food, with exercise or with an update from his closest advisers. David could have, but he chose to put God first in his life. As you can see from this Psalm, David committed to God that in the morning God could depend upon David talking to HIM.

Psalms 1:1-2 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Virtue is thinking upon that which is true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of a good report. Adding virtue to your life gives you the moral power to do that which is right in the sight of God. However, without virtue, you will lack the strength to overcome the wicked one. Without virtue, you will find yourself yielding to those temptations that you should have the power to overcome.

Ruth 2:23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of the barley harvest and of the wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.

Scripture tells us that Ruth was a virtuous woman and that the entire community recognized the virtue that dwelt within her. One of the things that Ruth did to demonstrate to those around her that she was a woman of virtue has to do with how she followed the direction of her mother-in-law Naomi. Ruth was a grown adult; she did not need Naomi telling her what to do and where to go. Ruth was smart enough to figure out that she could glean, why would she need the advise of Naomi.

Ruth 1:15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.

Scripture tells us that Ruth was known in the community as being a virtuous woman. The question then is; what did Ruth do that added virtue to her life that was evident to all that she was virtuous? The first thing Ruth did was she chose to follow God and forsake the false gods of her people. Ruth had a hard choice to make, she could either go home and be with her family and friends in her own comfort zone, or she could go to a new place to serve the God of her mother-in-law.

Proverbs 12:4 A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

Your life does affect those whom God places around you. The decisions you make whether they are right or wrong will be either a blessing or a curse to those whom God has placed in your life. You do not live on an island where your choices only have a consequence to you and your life. Instead, even that which is done in secret, God will reveal to the world. If you choose to do that which is right in the eyes of God, then God will be able to bless you and bless those around you. However, should you choose to do that which is right in your own eyes, not only will God have to punish you but the choices that you make may have severe consequences on those who are near to you.

Ruth 1:16 And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

Naomi had sojourned in the land of Moab with her husband and two sons during a famine in the land of Judah. While she was sojourning in the land of Moab, her son married Ruth. Upon the death of her husband and both of her sons, Naomi determined that she was going to return to her home. Naomi sent the wife of her other son back to her people, but Ruth refused to go. When Naomi tried a second time to send Ruth away, Ruth declared that she no longer considered herself a Moabite but that she was going to serve the God of Naomi and was going to leave her homeland to minister unto Naomi.

Genesis 26:12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him.

Isaac was contemplating leaving the Promise Land to go to Egypt because there was a famine in the land. Nonetheless, because he stayed where God had placed him, God blessed Isaac so much that Abimelech sent Isaac away.

Imagine if you went to the bank and deposited $100. Then you come back four months later to find that your bank account has $10,000. Remember this is during a time of famine, so at the same time you collected $10,000 everyone else around you receives only $50. That is the type of return Isaac was seeing and this is why it was so obvious to everyone that God was blessing Isaac for staying where the Lord requested that he stay.

Genesis 22:16-17 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

After God had stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac on the altar and Abraham had made a sacrifice of the ram, the angel of the Lord returned and spoke with Abraham a second time. The first time the angel only stopped Abraham from making a human sacrifice, but the second time the angel brought a blessing.

Genesis 21:25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech�s servants had violently taken away.

Abimelech saw that God was blessing Abraham in all that Abraham did. Abimelech came to Abraham and asked Abraham to swear to him that Abraham would not deal falsely with him, his children or grandchildren. Abraham agreed. However, Abraham then brought to Abimelech�s attention a situation whereby Abimelech�s servants had treated him wrongly. The important lesson to learn is not that Abraham told Abimelech of this problem, nor that Abimelech had no knowledge of the problem, the important thing to remember is that God did not always bless Abraham but that there were times where Abraham had to suffer injustice.

Genesis 18:10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

This is the second time in a very short period of time that God specifically stated that Sarah was going to have a son. Based upon Abraham�s age, it is clear that no more then a couple of months had expired since God told Abraham of the covenant between them which required him to circumcise every male in his house. It was during this conversation that God rejected Ishmael as the promise child and stated that Sarah would bear a son.

Genesis 12:1-2 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father�s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

These verses are the first recorded conversation between God and Abraham. What we know about Abraham at the time of this encounter was that he was 75 years old, he lived in Haran, that his father Terah had recently passed away as did his brother Haran. Scripture also makes clear that his wife Sarai was barren.

Look at the instructions that God gave Abram. These instructions are not exactly the most detailed instructions. Abram was not told where he was going; he was simply told he had to leave where he was at. Abram was told that God would bless him but he really did not explain how he was going to bless him. God said that he would be the father of a great nation, but Abram was already 75 years old and he had a barren wife. This first recorded conversation is not the clearest instruction that one could receive. Yet that did not stop Abram from hearing God�s voice and obeying the Lord.

Would you know who Abraham was today if Abraham had chosen to stay in Haran? Abraham would not be known as the father of faith if he did not obey the Lord and step out in faith. Abraham was commanded by God to leave his comfort zone in order to go into the world of the unknown in order to receive promises that seemed impossible.

There is no indication that Abraham questioned God�s direction, but that Abraham simply trusted the Lord and followed the Lord�s leading. Abraham did not require that God give him all the details but instead was willing to take the vague instructions and start obeying. We do not know if this is the start of Abraham�s relationship with God or if he had been maintaining a relationship with God for a period of time. However, while we do not know when the relationship began, we do know that because Abraham demonstrated obedience to follow God�s direction for his life, that Abraham had many significant conversations with God and we see several incredible instances where God really blessed Abraham.

Abraham did not become a great man of God overnight. Abraham�s faith in God grew as he drew closer to God. While Abraham was a man and did make many mistakes, the reason he is remembered today is because of the relationship that he maintained with the Lord. While Abraham had his days of unbelief and did things that were not the Lord�s perfect will, it was because of Abraham�s faith and his relationship with the Lord that caused God to use Abraham as such a powerful example of faith.

Abraham was not called to do some great act of serves for the Lord, Abraham was simply told to get away from his father�s house. Abraham left the known in order to live in a place where he had to rely upon God on a daily basis for provision, protection and direction. God desires that you come to the place where you are not relying upon yourself. God desires that you be like Abraham were the most important thing to you is your relationship with God and your desire to live your life so that God can use you. God wants to be all you need, the question for you to answer, are you willing to live by faith?

Titus 3:15 All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.

Paul is finishing up his letter of instruction to Titus. In finishing his letter, he did a typical salutation in that he said, everyone over here says hi. In addition, he told Titus to tell everyone who was around him that was a Christian that Paul and his comrades in the faith say hello. Paul then finished his letter by blessing Titus by asking that grace be with him.

Paul did not pray that Titus would have prosperity because Paul understood that prosperity is only temporary. Paul did not pray that Titus would receive no trials because Paul understood that trials help produce the character of Christ. Instead, Paul pronounced a blessing of grace, the divine influence upon the heart. It is by God�s grace that Titus was saved, it is by God�s grace that Titus was able to do God�s will, and it was by God�s grace that Titus would be able to be grateful for the trials that God brought into his life.

Paul did not expect just Titus to read this letter and then destroy it. Paul ended this letter by recognizing those who appreciated Paul�s ministry. Those who appreciated Paul�s ministry because they had the same faith in the Lord Jesus Christ would also appreciate the message that Paul was sharing with Titus.

Your faith in Christ makes you a member of the family of God. By your faith, you should obtain an appetite for spiritual things. Your faith in God should develop in you a love of righteousness and a hatred for all things evil. Your faith should cause you to have a Christian love for all those who are out in the field doing the service of God. It should create in you a desire to pray for and to support those who are serving God.

If you were working all day with your hands, at the end of the day, you would not think twice about spending some extra time on your hands to ensure that they were going to be able to work the next day. The same attention that you spend on your own body to the parts that are working, so too should you spend extra attention to ensure that those who are doing the work of God are well attended too and are able to continue to serve God.

Your faith in God is more then just a personal relationship with God. Your faith in God is the power that you need to overcome the temptations that face you in this world. Your faith has put you in the family of God.

Have you learned to love the things of God? Do you yearn to talk with God about your problems? Do you look forward to the time when you can open up HIS� words and read what HE has to say to you? Do you anxiously await those times when you can receive spiritual instruction as you forsake not the gathering of HIS saints? Your faith should have made a difference in you; you should be a new creature in Christ.

Paul had killed many Christians, yet now by the grace of God, Christians could love him and his ministry because both served the same God. Christians were able to love Paul and his ministry not because natural instinct says that they should, but because their faith in God gave them the power to forgive Paul for his past transgressions. Your faith in God gives you power to do things you never imagined. Your faith in God enables you to put the things of God first in your life.

I Timothy 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

Paul ministered unto God not because he was such a great guy, but because the Lord opened the doors for Paul to minister. Paul could have attempted to minister unto God but if the Lord�s hand was not with him, he would quickly become discouraged and his ministry would have been fruitless.

Paul understood that it was God who enabled him to minister. Paul thanked God for allowing him to minister to others. Paul understood that in order for him to maximize his effectiveness for God, he had to hear God�s voice and follow HIS instruction. Paul desired to minister in Corinth, but for a period of time, he listened to God and simply mended tents with Aquila and Priscilla. When the time was right, God told Paul he could minister and the Lord opened the doors and blessed his ministry.

You cannot minister to God and enjoy success absent God�s direction and blessing. If you desire to be used of God in a mighty way, then you need to first demonstrate your faithfulness in small maters. As you demonstrate your faithfulness, God can continue to bless you and guide you into greater ministry. In addition to your faithfulness, you need to also demonstrate your recognition that it is God who opens the doors for you and not you yourself. Give credit to whom credit is due; all credit is due to God.

Paul demonstrated his faith and was faithful to do the will of God and he saw his ministry grow. Paul knew that his ministry on this earth was in the hands of God and that God could take it away at any time. Paul understanding where HIS ministry came from was quick to give credit to God and thank God for allowing him to serve HIM. Just because Paul was grateful, it does not mean his ministry prospered. Nonetheless, because Paul was grateful, he demonstrated his reliance upon God.

Do you desire to do more for God? Do you constantly ask the Lord to use you and enable you to do more for HIM? Do you look at individuals who are serving the Lord in a ministry similar to what you desire to do and envy what they are doing? Remember, God is in control. HE was the One who gave you the desires of your heart. God knows your desires and HE knows the perfect timing by which HE will release you to serve HIM.

You have an obligation to listen to God and to discern HIS direction for your life. Your demonstration of faith in listening and obeying will allow God to enable you to do even more for HIM. God is looking for those individuals who will be faithful. Is God going to use you? Have you demonstrated your faithfulness so that HE can use you?

To desire to do the will of God should be every Christian�s goal. To be faithful and fulfill the will of God should be evident in every believer. To see gratefulness in the heart of every believer for the work that God enables them to do should be evident among the brethren. Your faith is on trial for the entire world to see. Paul passed the test and was used mightily for the Lord. Paul did not possess any special gift other then the relentless desire to please God by fulfilling HIS will for his life. You too should be looking for opportunities to serve God and upon seeing those opportunities, give thanks to God.

I Samuel 1:17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

Eli has just learned that Hannah was so troubled that she was not a drunk woman but that she was crying out to God in prayer. Eli responded with a blessing. Eli had no obligation to bless Hannah but he chose to open his mouth and bestow upon her a blessing from God. The blessing that Eli bestowed upon Hannah came true and God visited Hannah and opened her womb and gave her a son.

How many times throughout scripture do you read about a blessing? Isaac gave Jacob a blessing when he sent him to Laban. Jacob wrestled with God for a blessing. The people of Ruth�s town blessed her when she married Boaz. Scripture is full of examples of individuals taking the time to speak a blessing upon the life of another.

Today, while you may hear many individuals tell you �God bless you� this is not the same as a planned blessing with carefully considered words. It is rare to hear about a father blessing their child. It is rare to hear of people bestowing a blessing upon a newly wed couple. Blessings really are not held as a valuable part of our life.

Do you really understand what a blessing is? A blessing is the spoken words by another regarding specific areas of ones life. These words will be such that can be a direction for ones life. In the case of Ruth, the blessing was that she would be fruitful and bear children. We know that Ruth did have at least one son.

By faith both the person receiving the blessing and the person giving the blessing believed that the things stated in the blessing will come to pass. However, a blessing is different from prophecy in that it is not the foretelling of a specific event at a certain time. Instead, a blessing is more of a prayer to God to do something for another.

When was the last time you gave a scriptural blessing to another individual? When was the last time you received a true scriptural blessing? A blessing use to be so important that Rebekah encouraged her son to steel his brother�s blessing. The blessing made him the ruler over his brother. The general events of Isaac�s blessing on Jacob did come to pass. Esau and Jacob both understood that the word�s their father said would come true.

Is there someone close to you that you feel needs encouragement? Rather than simply patting them on the back and telling them �God bless�, why don�t you take the time to carefully consider your words and give them a blessing? Take the time and search the scripture. Find a verse or two that are applicable to their situation. Pray about your blessing and see if this is something God would like you to give to the individual. Seek the Lord�s direction and the Lord will give you the word�s to speak.

By faith you will speak your words to the individual that you desire God to bestow special favor upon. By faith the listener can hear your words and can use your words to give them encouragement and hope during the storms of their present situation. Nothing in scripture indicates that a blessing is not still valid today. Rather than give general blessings, take the time to see how you can speak a specific blessing that God may answer. See how you can use your words to change the course of someone�s life.

Ephesians 6:23-24 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

Paul salutation to the church of Ephesus reminds us of what is important in the church today. Paul started out by giving them a simple blessing of peace. Paul knew that even though things could be in turmoil, God�s peace could still exist even in the midst of the storm. It is critical that the brethren remember the peace of God in their life and that they do not become distracted by all the storms that surround them.

Acts 18:20 When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not;

Paul had reached the city of Ephesus and while he was in the synagogue the people requested that Paul stay with them. Paul had such rough treatment in so many towns and now here is a town that is opening its arms for him to stay and preach the gospel. However, Paul knew that he was supposed to go to the feast in Jerusalem and as such, he told the people of Ephesus that he would return if the Lord allowed him.

By faith, Paul understood that he was supposed to go to Jerusalem for this particular feast. Paul had taken the time to understand the Lord�s timing for his life and Paul would not allow Satan to distract him from the Lord�s timing by giving him a hospitable reception. It would have been so tempting to stay where the fruit was ripe. However, Paul understood, that he needed to go where the Lord told him to go when the Lord told him to go if he desired the Lord�s blessing on his life.

Hebrews 11:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

Isaac laid his hands upon Jacob thinking it was Esau and he blessed Jacob. When Esau came into the tent to receive his blessing, Isaac answered that Jacob had received the blessing and that Jacob would indeed be blessed. Isaac understood when he laid his hands upon his sons and blessed them that the words that he spoke were directly from the Lord and that the Lord would do according to the blessing that was pronounced.

Throughout scripture one will find stories of prophets boldly predicting what was going to happen next. These statements were not made on a whim. These prophets understood that one false prophecy and they would be deemed a false prophet and would be worthy of death. It was a serious matter to prophecy a blessing or a curse upon an individual and as such, the speaker always had to be sure of their words before they spoke them.