Learning to Lean on Jesus

Here's a guest from Edmonton, Canada with a song, "Learning to Lean on Jesus" so I add verse of John 13:23 and I did little research on "Lean" to give us a little visualize (picture) meaning. Lean means to cast one's weight to one side for SUPPORT ; a feeling of liking; an act of bending. The whole purpose of the song is learning to LEAN on Jesus for SUPPORT. You need Jesus for support. Don't do it alone. Even the disciples were learning to lean on Jesus for support. Just picture yourself like John did in this verses. Oh what a blessing thought of comfort!

John 13:23 "Now there was "LEANING ON JESUS' bosom (front of human chest) one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. John 13:25 He (John) then lying on Jesus' breast . . ."

From Pastor Dale + Wilma Boyd respond to devotion (on 9/26 His Strength).

Hello there!
Good devotion!! it reminds me of old song when I was so young. Let me write this song:

Learning To Lean On Jesus

Learning to lean
Learning to lean
I'm learning to lean on Jesus
Finding more power than I'd ever dreamed
I'm learning to lean on Jesus.

Sad broken hearted, at an alter I knelt
I found peace that is so serene
And all that He asks is a child like trust
And a heart that is learning to lean

Learning to lean
Learning to lean
I'm learning to lean on Jesus
Finding more power than I'd ever dreamed
I'm learning to lean on Jesus.

Learning to lean
Learning to lean
I'm learning to lean on Jesus
Finding more power than I'd ever dreamed
I'm learning to lean on Jesus.

Learning to lean
Learning to lean
I'm learning to lean on Jesus
Finding more power than I'd ever dreamed
I'm learning to lean on Jesus.

Words & Music: Helen H.Lemmel, 1922

Hold Your Ground

1 Corinthians 15:58
KJV: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
NCV: So my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Do not let anything change you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.

What does the Scriptures has to say when we might be tempted to give up? Some of them came from “The Bible from 26 Translations.” So I am putting some of the words together and would say:

“Since future victory is sure, let us be strong in our purpose and HOLD YOUR GROUND. Let us stand firm and let nothing move you. As we continue to be busy for the Lord and let us always be devoted to the Lord. Let us work for the Lord always and work without limit. Let us be active in the Lord’s service at all times. Why? Because you know that your labor in the service of the Lord is never thrown away.”

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I am asking You to open our spiritual eyes and let us see the work of the Holy Spirit and help us to be true to you. After reading the Scripture, I realized that Satan is working very hard to try to discourage us to give up the service of the Lord. Oh Holy Spirit, revive us today and deliver us from Evil One who walk about as Roaring Lion seeking to whom he could destroy. We ask for help and we believe that You will reveal Yourself to us and assure us that You do care and love us so much. Thank You, Father in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

May the Lord bless you today!

Dorothy

Fear Not, I Will Strength You

Isaiah 41:10
KJV: Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I WILL STRENGTH THEE; yea I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

NCV: So don't worry, because I am with you. Don't be afraid, because I am your God. I WILL MAKE YOU STRONG and will help you; I will support you with my right hand that saves you.

AMP: Fear not; [there is nothing to fear] for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed [loss of courage because of fear of what is about to happen; trouble greatly], for I am your God. I WILL STRENGTHEN AND HARDEN YOU [to difficulties]; yes, I will help you; yes I will hold you up and retain [hold; keep] you with My victorious right hand of rightness and justice.

Wow! What an awesome promise from the Lord our wonderful God who cares about us. We are in the New Testament time, but we became the chosen servants of God and we can claim the promises of these verses for ourselves. God's word has spoken to us that we must not fear other humans because God is with us.

The word, "harden" means He will make us able to "endure" anything we face. He will give us grace and strength when we need to face all the things that are happening around us. God will help us through times of crisis and He will be our peace. He will also support us and be our advocate, like a lawyer in time of need. God begins doing a good work in us, and let us trust Him to continue until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again.

This is my prayer for you:
That your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love; that you will see the difference between good and bad and will choose the good; that you will be pure and without wrong for the coming of Christ. See the good about trusting Him, and realize that it is bad to worry too much. I pray that we all talk about good things God will do for us in Jesus' name. Amen!

Song:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not to your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge [get to know] Him and
He shall direct your path.
(Song collection)

May the Lord shine His face upon you and bless you today.

Fear Not, I Am Thy Shield

Genesis 15:1
KJV: The Word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying ‘Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.’
NCV: The Lord spoke his word to Abram in a vision: “Abram, don’t be afraid. I will defend you, and I will give you a great reward.”
AMP: The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Fear not, Abram, I am your shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great.’

Abram’s name was later changed to Abraham is found in Genesis 17:5. Abraham was in the battle with the kings and he had overcome them. After his battle with the kings, Abraham became troubled and fearful. God came to Abraham in a vision to help him feel assured that God was Abraham’s shield and reward. Abraham went on to talk to the Lord about having no child to carry on to his heir. But God had promised him that he would have a son to carry on. Even though it was impossible for Abraham and Sarah to have a son in their old age, yet Abraham believed God.

Genesis 15:6 in NCV: Abram believed the Lord. And the Lord accepted Abram’s faith, and that faith made him right with God.

Abraham’s kind of faith that he had trusted God completely even though all odds were against Abraham: his old age and Sarah’s. Abraham’s heart toward God was an enduring trust, obedience and submission. This is the kind of faith that pleased God for without faith, it is impossible to please Him. We who come to God must believe that He lives and He is real. We are encouraged to believe that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

What does this means to me? I see on television so many things that are going on: hurricanes, weather changing, more violence on TV than ever before, people seems restless, and many changes are taking place in USA. This can make us fearful and wonder what future holds for us. God has words for all these things. The Lord is speaking to us: “Fear not, I am your shield, your protector, and I am your great reward. I will reward you for trusting Me with all your heart. Things will happen for you when you trust Me and love Me with all your heart.”

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for reassurance that You are our shield and our rewarder. Thank You Lord for keeping our eyes only upon You. Keep our heart from becoming fearful. Change them to complete trusting in You. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen!

So keep trusting God today!

Fear of Evil

Proverbs 1:33
"Whoso hearkeneth (keep on listen carefully) unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil."

Tony: Many things can happen. It is easy to panic when we hear fearful news. God help us to learn to stay "cool head" ... not being afraid of bad things.

Last Sunday at deaf service, we sang the chorus "Just a Little While" and it is a very old song. It was written long we were even born (1921). The song has a meaning. The song is a great encouragement to keep our spirits from being fearful. Always sing something when there are fearful news going on. It lifts our spirit until God filled us with His love and peace.

Chorus: Just a Little While
Just a little while to stay here,
Just a little while to wait,
Just a little while to labor,
In the path that’s always straight,
Just a little more of trouble
In this low and sinful state;
Then we’ll enter heaven’s portals,
Sweeping through the pearly gates.

1. Soon this life will all be over
And our pilgrimage will end,
Soon we’ll take our heav’nly journey,
Be at home again with friends;
Heaven’s gates are standing open,
Waiting for our entrance there,
Some sweet day we’re going over,
All the beauties there to share.
Then Chorus.
(Eugene Monroe Bartlett,1921, Sing His Praise)

So trust God today!

Dorothy

Fear Not, Neither Be Discouraged

Deuteronomy 1:21
Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. [ncv: don’t be afraid and don’t worry].

This was a time when Moses and the people finally came into the “future Promise Land” and the people were scared of difficulties, oppositions and more battles coming up. The word ‘fear’ seems to be very common among people. They were always afraid of many things that they want to go back to Egypt. Why? Because it was their ‘security’ and it was 'safe' for them to ‘stay home.’ But that was not what God wants. He had a bigger plan for them and a better place for His people. The land of the ‘unknown’ was a very fearful thing for them. They were discouraged. So what does the word, fear really mean?

Fear mean being afraid; feeling that danger or evil is near; dread; an uneasy feeling; anxious thought and concern. Dread mean look forward to fear; dislike to experience; fear greatly; fear of something will happen or may happen. Discourage means take away the courage or brave; reduce the hope or have no confidence that thing will work. Fear hinder us from doing something great.

Another scripture in Deut. 1:29,30 “… Dread not, neither be afraid of them. [ncv: Don’t be frightened; don’t be afraid…] The Lord your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes.”

God’s words of encouragement were in Deut. 3:22 ‘Ye shall not fear them for the Lord your God shall fight for you.’ The Israelite faced powerful enemies whom they could not defeat them in their own strength. Israel’s natural tendency was to fear the awful consequences [result] of defeat. ONLY BY LOOKING TO GOD, THEY COULD GAIN VICTORY. God’s word encouraged them to look to God who was bigger than the enemies. He showed His power in Egypt and He can do it again for them.

We as believers in Christ do face a lot of difficulties and a lot of battles. BUT the Lord your God will fight for you. God promise to be with you, give you the strength and the power to accomplish or do His will.

Our prayers to God will help us realize that He alone has the strength to heal, and strength to give us the courage to face whatever we need. God in us can do the job He asks us to do. Greater is He that is in you than he [devil] that is in the world.

When you believe, you feel the strength. When you trust God, you sense the blessing. When you love God, you feel the peace and the joy of knowing that He does care for you. Also know that the Lord your shall fight for you [Deut. 3:22].

So trust God today!

PS. Song: "Faith in God"
Faith in God can move a mighty mountain.
Faith in God can calm the troubled sea,
Faith will make the desert like the fountain,
Faith will bring the victory.
(Song Collection)

Fear Not, I Am With Thee

Genesis 26:24 KJV: The Lord appeared unto him [Isaac] the same night, and said, ‘I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake. NCV: The Lord appeared to him [Isaac] that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Don’t be afraid, because I am with you. I will bless you and give you many descendants because of my servant Abraham.”

There was a reason why the Lord appeared to Isaac and to say to him, “Fear not, for I am with thee.” After I read the chapter 26 of Genesis, it explained the troubles Isaac was having with “the neighbors.” There were famine and Isaac seeks help from Abimelech and he provided the land to Isaac. Isaac was able to sow a good crop and harvest was plentiful because the Lord had blessed him. Isaac became very wealthy and digs the wells again because his father, Abraham had dug several wells during his time. [Philistines had covered the wells with dirt.]

Abimelech was the king of the Philistines and he became worried because Isaac became stronger than him. He told Isaac to leave his place and go somewhere else. Isaac moved to the valley of Gerar and camped there. Every time they dig the wells, there were neighbors of herd men who tried to take the wells from Isaac. Isaac had to move several times and dig another well. It can be very frustrated for Isaac and his herd men who tried to take care of the animals that needed water from the wells. This was when Isaac became fearful of being “pushed around” by neighbors. Isaac wondered if he would ever stay in that land that God had promised him. God saw his fear and came to Isaac and comforted him by saying, “FEAR NOT, FOR I AM WITH THEE, AND WILL BLESS THEE, AND MULTIPLY THY SEED FOR MY SERVANT ABRAHAM’S SAKE.”

God appeared to Isaac and passed on to him the promises made with Abraham. Like his father, Isaac had to learn to live by the promises of God. This was an important part of the covenant promise which was the personal relationship with God described in the words, “I am with thee.” Finally, Isaac had peace with Abimelech when he saw how the Lord blessed Isaac. Isaac’s servants found another well and name it Shebah and name the city, Beersheba. Isaac trusted God.

What does this means? This encourages me to know that when God was with Isaac and He said to me, “Fear not, for I am with thee.” God’s promise is for me and for you. This story should inspire us to trust God when we have problems. If God cares enough to calm Isaac’s fears, God cares enough to calm our fears also. Isn’t He wonderful?

Chorus: Jesus knows all about our struggles;
He will guide till the day is done!
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! No not one!
[Lyrics: Johnson Oatman, Jr.]