Here’s another question that came from me via email. Please add your suggests as well.

Question:

Hi and praise the Lord, do you offer spiritual guidance on marriage issues?

Answer:

I try to answer questions I can about marriage issues. If it’s in the Bible I can point it out. There are other great resources I can recommend to people.

I did one post here:
http://revtrev.com/questions-and-answers/is-there-hope-for-my-marriage/

It’s more of a “big picture” concept.

Ministries I can recommend are Mark Gungor’s “Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage” http://www.laughyourway.com/

and  “Marriage on the Rock” with Jimmy and Karen Evans. http://www.marriagetoday.com/

Both are solid, honest and fun.

Hope that helps.

~Trevor

The Bible promises:

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
Then call on me when you are in trouble,
and I will rescue you,
and you will give me glory.” Psalm 50:14-15 (New Living Translation)

Praise defeats the enemy. It’s something anyone can do. Children are even powerful when they choose to praise:

From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger Psalm 8:2 (NIV)

We can praise God when we feel like it, but it is a key to victory to praise God when we don’t feel like it. Praise Him because He’s worthy. Praise Him for who He is. Praise Him because of the circumstances if the circumstances make it easy not to praise.

Joy and praise are part of the same coin. You can’t really praise God without joy, and when you have joy, it’s easy to praise. And Nehemiah pointed out:

Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 (New International Version)

I really wonder if David wrote Psalm 34 before or after this event at Ziklag. God had delivered him many times before this, and even more after it. But wouldn’t it be amazing to sing this song when your friends are ready to stone you?

I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:1-4 (New King James Version)

“Magnify” means “to make bigger” – that’s not to say we make God bigger, how can we? It means in our estimation, God is bigger than our problem, the name of Jesus is superior to every other name.

Praise does this. And praising God means we must have joy and His joy is our strength.

Strengthen yourself in the Lord through joy with praise.

Find out more at HopeInTransition.com

16 Ways I’ve Found to Fear the Lord

How can I fear the Lord? Fearing the Lord is not walking around being afraid you’re going to give account of all your past sins at the end of your days. You will do this if you haven’t asked  Him to forgive you in this life. But if you are washed, sanctified, and justified – which you are when you have Jesus as Lord of your life (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)- you’re only going to give account for your works, not your forgiven sin.

So how do I fear the Lord? I’ve found 16 ways.  Please don’t take this as a checklist to complete but also know you can’t pick and choose what you want to do. Psalm 19:9 says Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. (New Living Translation) We can’t be “a little pregnant” and we can’t fear God “a little.”

1. Be open to the Instruction of the Lord…

Psalm 25:12 (New Living Translation)

Who are those who fear the Lord?
He will show them the path they should choose.

Proverbs 15:33 (New Living Translation)

Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom;
humility precedes honor.

2. Find Delight His Commands….

Psalm 112:1 (New Living Translation)

Praise the Lord!

How joyful are those who fear the Lord
and delight in obeying his commands.

3. Trust in the Lord…

Psalm 115:11 (New Living Translation)

All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord!
He is your helper and your shield.

4. Hope in His Unfailing Love….

Psalm 33:18 (New Living Translation)

But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
those who rely on his unfailing love.

5. Serve Him with Reverential Joy…

Psalm 2:11 (New Living Translation)

Serve the Lord with reverent fear,
and rejoice with trembling.

6. Seek an Undivided Heart…

Psalm 86:11 (New International Version)

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

7. Praise the Lord…

Psalm 135:20 (New Living Translation)

O Levites, praise the Lord!
All you who fear the Lord, praise the Lord!

Psalm 96:4 (New Living Translation)

Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
He is to be feared above all gods.

8. Honor Him and Show Him Reverence…

Psalm 22:23 (New Living Translation)

Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!
Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!
Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!

9. Experience His Glory…

Psalm 102:15 (New International Version)

The nations will fear the name of the LORD,
all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.

10. Be In Awe of Him…

Psalm 33:8 (New Living Translation)

Let the whole world fear the Lord,
and let everyone stand in awe of him.

11. Hate Evil…

Proverbs 8:13 (New International Version)

To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.

12. Perfect your holiness…

2 Corinthians 7:1 (New International Version)

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

13. Work to Reconcile others…

2 Corinthians 5:11 (New International Version)

Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.

14. Work out your Salvation…

Philippians 2:12 (New International Version)

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,

15. Search out wisdom…

Proverbs 2:1-9 (New Living Translation)

My child, listen to what I say,

and treasure my commands.

Tune your ears to wisdom,

and concentrate on understanding.

Cry out for insight,

and ask for understanding.

Search for them as you would for silver;

seek them like hidden treasures.

Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord,

and you will gain knowledge of God.

For the Lord grants wisdom!

From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.

He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.

He guards the paths of the just

and protects those who are faithful to him.

Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair,

and you will find the right way to go.

16. Obey His Commandments…

Ecclesiastes 12:13 (New International Version)

Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.

Do you know any other Scriptures telling us how to fear the Lord? I appreciate them in the comments.

We’ll start the next post asking why “doing what’s right” is part of fearing the Lord…I don’t think I’ll get to my answer, but I want you to take note of that now.

Truth:

After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
“Give thanks to the LORD,
for his love endures forever.”
2 Chronicles 20:18 (NIV)

Thought:

When we face discouragement, many times the discouragement comes in the form of worry.  So here are some quick steps to help you worry less and strengthen yourself in the Lord:

1.  Isolate the worries that are on your mind the most. These are often the worries that we think about as we are falling asleep or as we wake in the morning.

2.  Ask yourself specifically what you are afraid of. This will be the lie you are choosing to believe.

3.  Ask yourself what the outcome would be of this specific fear coming true.

4.  Ask God to show you the truth about the situation.

5.  Ask God what He would have you do.

6.  Expect God to answer you.

7.  Replace the lie with the truth God revealed.

8.  Obey what God tells you to do.

These eight-steps fit well with 2 Chronicles 20. Judah was facing three armies coming against them.

1.  It was easy for them to isolate the worries. (v.2-4)

2.  Jehoshaphat called out to God on behalf of the people and specifically voiced what they were concerned about. (v.10)

3.  He looked at the outcome of the specific fear coming true (v.11).

4.  He reminded everyone about the truth of God (v.6)

5.  He ended his prayer with a cry we can all use: “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” (v.12).

6. A prophetic word came out as God’s answer to the impending doom (v.15-17). This answer is also often ours – “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you.” (v.17).

7.  They worshipped God in response to His revelation, and then Jehoshaphat replaced the lies of the enemy with the truth of God by declaring, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” (v.20)

8.  Then they sent singers ahead of the army to praise God for who He is as they went out to obey what He told them to do (v.21).

The result for Judah was that there was no need to worry. God was in control. He set ambushes for the enemy and they destroyed themselves.

When we can get to the place of praising God for who He is before the things we worry about come to reality, they won’t materialize.

Now I can hear the skeptic smirk, “most things people worry about never come about.” True. So stop worrying completely by praising God continually. That’s the 1-step program I intended to tell you about until God led me to 2 Chronicles 20.

Praise is our natural response to the goodness of God. When we see God as good, how can we worry about anything bad?

We can’t. Strengthen yourself in the Lord by choosing praise.

Prayer:

Lord, I praise You now, even though I may not feel like it. Telling You the truth about Yourself reminds me how truly good You are. As I focus more on Your goodness my praise becomes more natural. You are good and Your love endures forever. You are good and Your mercies are renewed every morning. You are good and altogether trustworthy. You are good. You are good. You are good. You are good. You are good. You are good. You are good. Thanks for being so good.

Challenge:

Read 2 Chronicles 20 and look for more of the treasures in this passage. Pray Psalm 86 and take extra time to praise God for who He is.

Declaration:

I choose not to be discouraged. I choose to look to God instead of my circumstance. I choose to strengthen myself in the Lord.

The Bible promises:

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
Then call on me when you are in trouble,
and I will rescue you,
and you will give me glory.” Psalm 50:14-15 (New Living Translation)

And Nehemiah pointed out:

Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 (New International Version)

Joy and praise are part of the same coin. You can’t really praise God without joy, and when you have joy, it’s easy to praise.

I really wonder if David wrote Psalm 34 before or after this event at Ziklag. God had delivered him many times before this, and even more after it. But wouldn’t it be amazing to sing this song when your friends are ready to stone you?

I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:1-4 (New King James Version)

“Magnify” means “to make bigger” – that’s not to say we make God bigger, how can we? It means in our estimation, God is bigger than our problem, the name of Jesus is superior to every other name.

Praise does this. And praising God means we must have joy and His joy is our strength.

Strengthen yourself in the Lord through joy with praise. It’s a choice we all can make.

Love to hear your example of how it’s helped you.

If you truly forgive, shouldn’t you forget?

Don’t you love it when people quote adages like they’re Scripture? “Forgive and forget” has done so much damage to people’s understanding of God and their relationship with others.

Do you realize God does not forget the sins He forgives us of? How could He and still be an all-knowing God? Instead He chooses to not remember and hold them against us.

“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
(Jeremiah 31:34 NIV)

Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 10:17 NIV)

This is more than just an exercise in semantics. We also can’t easily forget. God has created us with minds to remember. Thoughts will pop back into our minds and we have no power over the past…but we do have control over how we let our past control our present and our future.

When memories come, of hurts and pains you have chosen to forgive, don’t try to ignore them. Remember the whole event – including the FACT you have chosen to forgive them with the strength God provides.

Dr. Chuck Lynch in his book “I Should Forgive, But…” gives this advice regarding the obsessive thinking that often surrounds forgiven hurts:

1. Address God – Stating God’s name in a firm way forcibly stops the obsessive thinking, but usually only momentarily. It is the starting point at dealing with dangerous thoughts.

2. Thank God – Express appreciation to God for allowing you to remember the past offense you had to forgive. This allows you to review this biblical tool which Christ illustrated at the time of His own hurt and rejection “Father, forgive them…” It will also bring to mind that you have left them with God. You can thank Him that you were able to give the same gift of forgiveness you received and thus reflect God’s character to others.

3. Praise God – Sincerely praise God for the tool of forgiveness. Praise Him for forgiving you as you forgive others and for what He’s going to do through this experience for His glory.

Over time, we can forget many of the worse things done to us. But we don’t get to that place by trying to forget.

The secret is to remember the whole truth, including the fact you’ve chosen to forgive. This is how you release yourself from the lie of the enemy that says you need to forget if you truly forgive.

Choose to remember the whole truth every time the painful emotions around an offense try to control your thinking.

I enjoy getting your thoughts and comments on this.