Speaking the truth

Greetings:
It's time to stop dancing around this spiritual battle we fight each day and speak the truth.
Let's get it straight. Satan is a liar, a cheat, a tempter, a deceiver. He is the author of failure, who loves to see people, especially Christians struggle and hurt.
We know that through the power and presence of Jesus Christ in our lives, we as Christians, are truly a blessed group of people of all races, ages and locations around the globe.
The loving hand of God is with us. We can walk in victory, despite the plots, snares and deceitful plans of Satan.
We have the key to victory and that's the shed blood of Jesus D Christine Bullard on the cross.
Because of the cross, God is always near us and prayers are answered.
We have a free will and that is where we sin.
James 4:17 says, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
We have a choice.
Some will continue to waste away their lives chasing the next dollar.
Others will let another year pass by them by failing to humble themselves and be what they know they should be.
Others will choose to drown their sorrows in various passions, coping mechanisms, or pointless addictions.
There is much good that we know in our hearts that we should be doing that we are not doing.
Do we love our wives and treat them properly, or do we yell at them, demean them, and fail to show them proper attention, affection and respect?
Do wives respect their husbands and give them the admiration, trust and respect that they need?
Do we see opportunity to bless someone, but walk past it?
Do we share the gospel with our friends, neighbors and complete strangers?
Do we read our Bibles?
Do we pray, not just when we need something, but when we just want to thank God for who he is and who he has made us?
While things are not always perfect, each of us can say we are blessed in some way – even if it's on a much smaller scale than we had hoped.
Follow the advice given in Hebrews 3:13 (The Amplified Bible), which reads: “But instead warn (admonish, urge, and encourage) one another every day, as long as it is called Today, that none of you may be hardened [into settled rebellion] by the deceitfulness of sin [by the fraudulence, the stratagem, the trickery which the delusive glamour of his sin may play on him].
Today is the day we can change, repent and move forward toward the cross.
Today resolve to love God more.
Let our faith not grow weary or weak. Let us remain strong in our commitment to serve God and let the light of God shine in our words – spoken and written.
Let our faith remain steadfast as we serve others in the name of God – reaching out to the needy in our communities, in our churches and around the world.
Let us never grow content to just go to church. Let us be the mind, hands, arms, body and voice of The Church.
Be blessed.

The mountains can be conquered

Greetings:
When the mountains of life are standing tall in front of us and we seem not to be able to climb the mountain or hike around them, realize we are not alone.
Sometimes it seems so difficult to understand, especially when the pain and frustration is real.
We can't grab ahold of this comfort when we toss and turn in bed and lay there awake at night worrying about our mountains.
This is where we need to have peace and confidence in God's presence.
We sometimes think, "We are a Christian. We are doing good works in our church and our community, so why isn't this path of life easier? Why do these struggles remain?"
God is there always, even when we can't hear him, or feel His presence.
When we are down and out, feeling sorry for ourself when things are not going as we had them planned, we can take comfort in the words written in James 1:2-4, which reads: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”
The passage tells us that if we want to enjoy our Christian life, we need to keep a godly attitude and stand strong, steadfast in faith in the time of testing.
We need to develop rock strong 'bulldog' tough faith and stand. We must never give up or never give in
There is no turning back. We have to press forward in prayer to boost up our faith.
I Corinthians 16:13 reads: "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."
If our 'God-hole' is filled up with faith nuggets and we know His Word, then when tough times come along, we will be ready for the attack.
Know for sure that struggles are an attack – not from God, but from Satan.
Psalm 46:1 declares,"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear."
 God sometimes takes us out of our trouble. More often he helps us get through it. He is with us when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. When we pass through the waters or the fire, God is with us.
Isaiah 43:5 reads,"Do not be afraid, for I am with you"."
In a world where everything around us seems like quicksand, God is our solid bedrock.
We must realize that if we want to build character, we have to go through some stuff. Character is what gives us some hope.
Spending time with God will keep us calm, stable and steadfast as we are going through the trials and tribulations. Let God be our anchor in that churning sea of circumstances.
Know for sure that 'bad news' is not for us. We are directed to spread the 'good news' of God's Word in our lives.
We must get the words of Deuteronomy 31:6 down in our heart – “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.”
If we believe those words, then whatever mountain we are facing won't seem so steep. The mountain can be climbed with God's help and presence. Faith and persistence are key.
We need to get prayed up and build up our faith. Then we will know know for sure that God will walk with us, if we walk with Him and not ahead of Him.
Be blessed.

Give it to God

Greetings:
David writes in Psalm 34 for the spiritually immature, those who need to be instructed in the ways of God. One thing David thinks we need to know is how to live in a way that brings to each of us the blessings of God.
 When we hurt and our prayers seem to go unanswered like they have fallen on deaf ears, we want to know: Has God deserted us? Have we done something wrong? What do we need to do to receive God's help?
If we pay attention to the words of David in this psalm, we will get some answers to these questions.
In verse 4 we read, "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all of my fears."
There are no problems that can't overcome when we stop trying to do it ourselves.
There is much comfort in verses 7-8, which reads: "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him. Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."
What does fearing the Lord mean?
To me, it means respecting and obeying his commandments and directives in His Word.
Taking refuge is much the same. It can mean that we make the choice to obey and follow his promises, without doubt.
In verse 16, we read an awesome promise when David writes,"The righteous cry out, and The Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles, he protects all of his bone, not one of them will be broken."
When we give it to God we are in a position to receive the help God sends
Giving it to God means giving or laying on the alter all of our troubles, shortcomings, fears, sins, insecurities, condemnation, sicknesses, diseases, hurts, disappointments, failures and anything else that might be hold us back in our walk with the Lord.
A key point is, once we put it on the altar and ask for forgiveness and are repentent, then we must be careful not to pick any of those things back up again.
God's Word promises that God is more than enough to take care of anything we lay before him.
Rest in God's faithfulness, his mercy, his grace and his love for each of us.
Be blessed.

We are all different

Greetings:
Look around at the people around you, what do you see?
We are all different.
If you want to do a unique study in human appearance, sit down near the entrance to Walmart some evening and just watch the people coming and going.
You will see a lot of individuals who are different and unique.
This didn't happen just by accident.
God created us with our own unique physical traits, personalities, character, temperaments, talents and abilities.
Even in what we call identical twins, there are differences.
We each have unique identifying feature that's called a fingerprint. There are no two fingerprints the same.
God created us different for a reason to fill a need in his overall plan.
Look to the skies on the next clear day and night.
You see a sun, a moon and many different stars.
None of the stars are the same.
In 1 Corinthians 15:41 (AMP) we read, “The sun is glorious in one way, the moon is glorious in another way, and the stars are glorious in their own [distinctive] way; for one star differs from and surpasses another in its beauty and brilliance.”
Look at I Peter 1:5-10 (AMP) to understand our individual role in God's Church, even though we are different.
It reads: "For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence),
And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety),
And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love.
For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
 For whoever lacks these qualities is blind, [spiritually] shortsighted, [seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious [to the fact] that he was cleansed from his old sins.
Because of this, brethren, be all the more solicitous and eager to make sure (to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble or fall."
As Christians, let it be each of our goals to find our individual role and place in God's plan. When we struggle to be like others, we lose our identity, our uniqueness our individuality that our Creator intended for each of us.
Let us be satisfied that we are different.
But as unique individuals, we can learn our role, our purpose, our ministry in service to God as one body.
Be blessed.

Watch your words

Greetings:
As a writer – a wordsmith – by trade, I know how words are constructed and how the meanings can be altered by something as simple as the placement of a comma or a wrongly placed letter.
The words we speak and write have a lasting tremendous impact today and tomorrow.
 It is key to remember whatever words we utter or write should be chosen with care for people will hear them and read them and be influenced by them for good or evil. 
The basic tool for the manipulation of truth is the manipulation of words. If one can control the meaning of words, one can control the people who use those words.
 Likewise, the basic tool for the preservation of truth is the preservation of God's Word - scripture.  If one understands the original meaning of God's words, we can more easily recognize those who try to manipulate and control others through deception and the altering of the original definitions of words.
How many times have you said, “Oh, I wish I hadn't said that.”
Our words can't be retrieved or re-written.
The spoken or written word is powerful.
Proverbs 12:18,  tells us “...the tongue of the wise is health." 
As in the health of the body, a doctor can often evaluate our state of health by looking at our tongues.
The same is true in the spiritual realm. 
James tells us in James 1:26 that the way a man uses his tongue is a test of his spiritual strength. He also says in James 3:2 that if a man can control his tongue he is a perfect man.
 Jeremiah was told in Jeremiah 15:19 by The Lord that he could be God's mouthpiece only if he was careful about the way he used his tongue - if he separated the precious from the vile in his conversation.
Therefore, we should be very careful about the words that we choose to speak.
The words that Christ spoke testified who he was. 
God told Moses he would raise up a Prophet (Jesus) and would put His words in his mouth  Jesus confirmed this in John 14:10 by teaching that the words he spoke were not from himself, but from his Father.
Our words also reflect who we are.
In 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 (The Amplified Bible) we read, "Now we have not received the spirit [that belongs to] the world, but the [Holy] Spirit Who is from God, [given to us] that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts [of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly] bestowed on us by God. And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the [Holy] Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language [to those who possess the Holy Spirit].”
Also, in  Matthew 4:4 we read: "But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Proverbs 12:18 says, “There are those who speak rashly, like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Can you think of some simple words that have big meanings?
How about...'thank you', 'I appreciate you', 'you are amazing', 'I forgive you', 'good job', 'bless you', 'I'm sorry' and  'I love you'?
Let us learn from The Word of God what kind of words we need to be saying and writing to uplift those around us.
Be blessed.

God is enough

Greetings:
Describing God is almost beyond words. The attributes of God are many.
The word God is three simple letters, but they mean so much in our own personal lives.
Have you ever really thought about who God is to you?
Read through the pages of Scripture and we become amazed almost overwhelmed by his magnitude, his power and influence on all that is,was or will be.
When we talk about the attributes of God we are talking about His nature—who God is in His manifested character.
Here is my list of how I view God.
God is the Trinity –– three persons, the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit, not three Gods.
God is love in the truest sense.
God is omnipotent (all-powerful).
God is omniscient (all-knowing).
God is omnipresent (present everywhere).
God is self-existent. If not, who created God?
God is holy.
God is the creator of all.
God is alive.
God is supreme.
God is giving.
God is forgiving.
God is compassionate,
God is approachable.
God is creative.
God is merciful.
God is understanding.
God is honest.
God is capable.
God is accepting.
God is not judgmental.
God is wise.
God is hope.
God is mercy.
God is grace.
God is truth.
God is righteous.
God is consistent.
God is ever-present.
God is powerful.
God satisfies.
God is compassionate.
God is just.
God is a healer.
God is a redeemer.
God is able to deliver.
God is the King above all kings.
God is kind.
God is gracious.
God is sovereign.
God is eternal.
God is unchangeable.
God is the one who renews our mind, spirit and soul.
God is faithful.
God is caring.
God is beyond compare.
God is good.
God is the Alpha.
God is the Omega.
God is enough.
 I am sure you can add to this list. The list of 'God is' could go on and on.
We can read in Bible in Isaiah 45:5 says there is only one God. It reads: "I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God.”
As we see the sunrises and sunsets, the regularity of the seasons, the laws of nature, we are drawn to the fact that God is behind all of it.
We can be thankful that God chose us.
Be blessed.

Always remember and pray

Greetings:
Every year on November 11 - Veterans Day - we pause to thank our military veterans for their service.
We pause to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are very much appreciated.
We pause to stress that all those who have served, both dead and alive, have sacrificed and done their duty to preserve this nation's freedoms and liberty.
It takes courage to risk life and limb for his or her country. The least we civilians can do is to honor these real hometown heroes. 
Former President Ronald Reagan once said, "History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap."
There is nothing cheap about war. Lives are lost, limbs and bodies are injured and minds are changed forever.
I think there is one office that is higher than that of president. I would call that the warfighter or the American Patriot.
On this day, let us honor all of our veterans for their service and sacrifices.
My father was like many others of his World War II generation. He was a veteran and for that I am so very proud. I remember him daily with one of his U.S. Army dog tags placed on my key ring. When I'm lonely and feeling I need a gentle bit of encouragement and love, I rub my fingers across that dog tag that is inscribed with his name and identification number. Then, I am not longer alone. His spirit lives on.
As Christians we can do more than just honor our veterans and those who are currently in harm's way continuing the fight to preserve what many before them have fought and died for.
We can pray.
Let us pause today to not only honor our veterans, but to pray for our veterans. 
“Father God, you are the author and creator of all. You are with us in times of strength and weakness. This is a nation founded on Godly, biblical principals and you have given our forefathers the wisdom to establish this nation proclaiming a trust in God. You stirred our founders to hope and to dream for a land of freedom. We praise and honor you for this great nation of the United States of American.
Lord, you have inspired many to proudly stand and defend our precious country. You have given us brave and loyal men and women who have steadfastly served in their chosen branch of our military. We pause today to remember all our military personnel. We acknowledge that their service enables us to walk as free men and women in this great and blessed land. We are reminded that because of their service we can live in safety and enjoying our many freedoms, like the freedom to pray.
We ask that you abundantly bless those who have previously served. May their service time be rewarded in every way. May they gain earthly and heavenly blessings from their unselfish love for our country.
Lord, we pause to remember those who are currently serving. We ask that you provide them with your heavenly protection, your strength, and your peace. We ask that you would abundantly provide for all their needs and protect and encourage their famliies back home. We ask that you would enable them to overcome every personal and professional obstacle encountered in their service for our country.
Father, as we pause this day we want to say thank you for each of our veterans. We are a blessed nation because of the actions of our veterans, both in war and in peace time.
We love you Lord and thank you for loving our veterans and carrying them through their days of service. You are Lord of Lords and we honor you on this day as we lift up our veterans in prayer. We ask all these things in the precious and powerful name of Jesus. Amen."
Be blessed on this day, especially each and every veteran.

Lift up our pastors in prayer

Greetings:
On this Sunday morning, let us remember that pastors, like the people they serve, need prayer to continue their ministry on a consistent daily basis.
Praying for your church pastor is one of the best and most effective things we can do to further the kingdom of God.
Your pastor knows it is only through earnest, strategic prayer that they will be an effective minister in the hands of God.
Pray for our pastor's personal needs, for their family and for wisdom and power as they oversees the flock of God.
Let the Holy Spirit lead us as we pray in faith that our pastors receive a spiritual freshness.
The apostle Paul, himself a man of deep prayer, knew the effectiveness of prayer in his ministry.
He begged the church to pray for him in Romans 15:30 (NIV): “I urge you, brothers... that you join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.”  in 
Ephesians 6:18-20 Paul wrote: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,  for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."
Pray that your pastor will daily “walk in the light” with Jesus and depend on the power of the Spirit in all areas of their life and ministry.
The Rev. Charles Spurgeon was once asked the secret of his success. In response, Spurgeon led them to the lower level of his church and quietly opened the door, revealing more than 400 people praying for God’s blessing and power to rest upon their pastor who would stand in the pulpit that night to preach the word of God. “There, gentlemen,” said Spurgeon, “is the secret for God’s blessing his work here.”
A pastor's work is never done, nor should our prayer life be done each day until we lift up our pastors in serious prayer.
Be blessed.

God's amazing grace is amazing

Greetings:
There isn't a song or a hymn that speaks to my heart more than Amazing Grace.
The tune keeps repeating in my head as I am reminded of God's mercy and his amazing grace for teaching down and touching me at a time when I needed it the most.
Each day, I thank God enough for loving me, even when I didn't deserve it
The song “Amazing Grace has stood the test of time with a message that is as fresh today as when it was written and published in 1779.
The song brings tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat every time I hear it and realize God's goodness and grace in my life.
It's humbling to understand how God works.
With the message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of sins committed and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the grace of God, the song was written by Englishman John Newton, who once was the captain of a slave ship. He converted to Christianity after an encounter with God during a violent storm at sea. He eventually became an ordained minister in the Church of England.
Through this song, I've realized that the Lord is looking for people who are weak enough to be used. We read in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. The key to experiencing liberating strength is personal weakness and then ability to admit we are weak and he is strong.
Understand that personal weakness does not mean weak character or faulty Biblical knowledge.
On the contrary, God is looking for a people who have come to the place where they have lost confidence in their fleshly power to accomplish the work of the Spirit. Only when we embrace the weakness of ourselves apart from Christ can we become strong and "graced"enough to accomplish things for the true advancing of God's glorious Kingdom.
The song sings to me a melody of opportunity, of obedience and service.
I am in awe that God would save a wretch like me. I can do nothing to pay for the debt of salvation.
Thank you Lord seems so short and shallow, but it's all I have to offer.  I am without words on this autumn morning that can express the amount of gratitude that is in my heart.
God, let me be a better person today than I was yesterday. Let me strive to put a smile on someone's face by what I write, say and do.
God's grace is truly amazing.
Be blessed.

Faith is not 'seeing is believing'

Greetings:
 The statement “seeing is believing”, might seem to be contrary to process faith, but it really isn't.
In Hebrews 11:1 we read: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” 
It takes faith to bring things from the unseen realm of the spirit into the seen realm of the here and now.
My friend, Dr. Johnnie Blount, from Bridging The Gap Ministries in North Carolina, says the phrase 'fear not' is mentioned 365 times in the Bible and there is a purpose in that -- to prepare us for each of the days of the year.
He says, “In order to see more, you have to see it...Everything you have today is what you saw yesterday.”
Dr. Blount is talking about seeing something in our mind before you see it with our eyes.
That's faith, the whole foundation to our Christian walk.
Our eyes are connected to the brain – our mind.
In physical terms, the eye sends what we see as a message to our brain, which  then processes that message into an image of what we see.
From a spiritual standpoint it works a little different.
We don’t have to wait to get to heaven to prosper and have our needs met.
Don’t agree with what the world that insists and says, “You could never have that.” and don’t say, “That’s too good to be true!”
Just like unbelief kept the Israelites out of a Promised Land for 40 years because it seemed just too good to be true, unbelief can keep us out of our promised land too.
If you’re speaking negative words of doubt and unbelief, you have a heart problem. “For out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34, The Amplified Bible).
Through our spiritual eyes we can have victory.
Remember the words in Genesis 13:14-17 (NLT), “After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west.  I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”
When Jesus died on the cross, our inheritance was written, and stamped 'paid in full'. We have been given all that we can see in every direction if we have the faith to see it.
Just like Jesus said it takes faith to receive a healing, it takes faith to walk with more. We have to see ourselves through faith with a job or a better job, new opportunities, good health, a new vehicle, a comfortable house, with our bills paid or whatever it is that we are praying about.
Speak it today and believe it.
The past is our greatest enemy, the thing that strikes fear in us, holds us bback and deceives us into believing that we can not do it.
Be blessed.

Don't get weary

Greetings:
I've talked to several people in the past week or so who have been going through some trials and tribulations and frankly they are getting weary.
Whether we like it or not, and whether we ever want to fully face up to this reality, every single one us, saved or unsaved, will have to face a certain amount of trials and tribulations as we journey through life.
As a result of living in a fallen, cursed, and imperfect world because of what happened in the story of Adam and Eve, every single one of us will have to face a certain amount of trials and tribulations in our walk.
Unless you have a full understanding as to why God will sometimes allow bad things to happen to good people, you can have your personal faith levels in the Lord shaken to its very core depending on the severity of the storm that may have just struck you or a loved one.
The Bible tells us that God’s people can perish for having lack of knowledge – and not having the right kind of knowledge to fully understand why bad things happen to good people, especially to Christians, can cause you to perish in your own personal relationship with the Lord, if you allow it.
You can learn how to keep some of the adversity that may strike you in this life away from you if you can learn how to properly plead the blood of Jesus for deliverance and protection, along with learning how to walk with God’s anointing. If you can learn how to walk with God’s anointing in your life, then you can either keep a lot of these storms from ever hitting you in the first place, or you can quickly defeat them once they do come knocking at your door.
Until we get to the New Heaven and the New Earth after the millennial rule of Jesus from the city of Jerusalem, the curse of Adam and Eve will continue to stay in place on this earth, and as a result, we will all have to face a certain amount trials and unpleasant circumstances.
What gets many Christians in trouble is not having a full understanding as to why this has to happen to them in the first place, especially since they are now born-again believers who are serving a God who is supposed to be all-good, all-loving, and all-merciful.
Look what it says in James 1:2 (Amplified): “Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.”
Being joyful in the midst of our trials is difficult to understand. It ranks up there with "in everything give thanks". We know that God is not trying to frustrate us or defeat us but to conform us to the image of His Son and in so doing He wastes no trial or circumstance, no adversity, no affliction, no sickness, no success, no failure  in achieving His end.  Remember God never commands to do His will in any area, that He does not also supply us the grace and power necessary to fulfill it
Just study the lives of some of the greatest saints in the Bible, and look at some of the severe adversity that each one of them had to personally face in their lives.
The apostle Paul is a perfect example. He literally had to face hell and high water – and that was after he was saved and working full time for the Lord.
We simply have to develop the mindset that we have to learn how walk through the trials by wearing the whole armor of God ,in the presences of God and with God's leading.
If you are willing to take the storm clouds head-on like David did with Goliath and like Paul did in prison, you have no idea how many other people you may be able to save, touch, heal, and deliver.
Remember to keep the faith and keep your eyes on God, no matter what happens.
Be blessed.

"How did God do that?"

Greetings:
God's works are majestic, far beyond our own understanding.
Look around in morning and view a sunrise or in the evening when the sun slowly drifts to the horizon and produces a rainbow of colors before it drifts away.
Savor the beauty produced by the changing seasons in this part of southern Indiana.
 Have you ever asked yourself, "How did God do that?"
These are the products of infinite wisdom and power.
That means, we can't understand them and can only marvel at the creative hand of God.
We are instructed in the Psalms111and 112 to give glory to God, for the great things he has done for his people.
Psalm 111:2-5 reads: “Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.”
How many times must God give proof of his omnipotence, and show what he can do, and before we realize there is nothing too hard for him to do?
We learn more about understanding God's ways in Psalm 111:10, which reads: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.”
Psalm 112 puts the spotlight on humans, declaring that happiness is to be found in a life honoring the Lord and living according to God’s commandments. Such lives will enjoy God’s blessings.  Having themselves experienced God’s mighty acts on their behalf as well as God’s quiet, steady action of blessing, they will share with the poor what God has given them.
Psalm 112:6-9 tells us there are rewards to trusting God, “Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn will be lifted high in honor.”
In a world touched by violence, relational and economic hardship, greed and unfulfilled desires, many of the psalms offer us an alternative way of thinking. The psalmists give something to each of us that we might cling to tightly as a life jacket of hope in an increasing evil world.
We must remember that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and understanding of God's ways.
Be blessed.