Text: Psalm 126

Today is a great day to revisit the Dream Life you have received from God.  In our text the Psalmist describes the impact of being delivered from captivity.  This pictures the bondage you were in before calling upon Christ as your Only Hope for forgiveness from God.

Deliverance is like a dream.  The moment one is liberated from bondage it is so surreal it is like a dream.  We all have experienced dreams so precious we do not want to awaken from them which is why the metaphor is so effective!  The Psalmist wants to keep that wonder close to the hearts and minds of the readers.  Never get too far from your salvation moment.  Revisit it often enough to keep alive the effect it had on your life!

Liberation produces laughter.  It is reported the effect of the liberation of the soul brings about laughter and singing.  Putting truth to tunes is a beautiful way to minister to our spirit.  Paul confirmed this when he wrote “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;”

Freedom also produces gratitude toward God.  Notice in v2 the desired audience of the emancipated is the heathen.  You well remember upon salvation you wanted others to know.  You found yourself in the church house surrounded by those with that common experience but that was not enough.  You wanted the unsaved to know of your experience.  You were a beggar who had found the richest supply of food known to man and you wanted your former peers to share in your zest of joy.

The closing of this Psalm tells us the way to satisfy the zeal in our soul to tell others how to find this Dream Life.  First we must go forth, just like we did when we first came to Christ.  Then we must allow God to place a burden (“weepeth”) on our heart, a burden that will move us to help others.  Finally, we must have the precious seed that will grow faith in the soul of the needy.  The result?  You will return with a beautiful crop of souls!

So, today be reminded of the Dream Life you received from God and go forth to tell others.  Have those gospel tracts at the ready and let God love others through you today!

Psa 26:4  I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.
Psa 26:5  I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.

Many years ago this truth settled in my heart and I have seen it confirmed time and again.  You are or will become those you run with.  It never turns out well for a child of God to accommodate sin to redeem those in sin.  Be accessible to the ungodly, not an accessory with them.
Today is a day you will never live again.  The Lord intends for you to rejoice and be glad as you live it out.  Because you are a child of God and therefore the enemy of spiritual wickedness in high places you will encounter many snares designed for your defeat.

Solomon told his son that if he walked with wise people he would be wise but if he chose to align himself with those who denied God’s authority he would be destroyed.  It is noteworthy that our text was written by David, Solomon’s father.  David never claimed to be sinless but he did determine to not willfully join himself with those that hate the Lord.

What does it mean to ‘hate’ the Lord?  It means to willingly transgress His moral law.  Presently our culture is infected with moral debauchery designed to destroy the foundation upon which God’s people build their life.  It might manifest itself in the homosexual agenda which has grown to include transgender and other gender dysphoric mental illnesses.  You will see it in the child abuse practiced through the grooming process of drag queen story hours and perverted drag queen shows.  It may be something so seemingly innocuous as pronoun choice.  Little by little and with increasing alacrity the moral underpinnings of our society are being destroyed.

Today, as you go out into your day resolve to do right!  Those trapped in sin do not need someone to comfort them.  They need a clarion warning of the coming judgment and a clear notice there is hope for deliverance.  Today, refuse to give quarter to a lie.  Let God be true and whatever man comes up with that counters God’s Word to be a lie.  

Be encouraged my fellow soldier of the Cross!  My oft repeated mantra is, “I’m not mad at anyone but I will not play society’s game of shunning truth.”  The victory is ours so go forth and conquer.

Est 8:5  And said, If it please the king, … let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite,…
Est 8:8  … the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse.

In this text we find ourselves in the immediate aftermath of the death of Haman who had planned the genocide of the Jews.  This man had everything he could have wanted.  He had scaled the ladder of political influence to the point he was second in command of the largest kingdom in the history of mankind.  He had been given the king’s ring meaning he had the authority of the Law of the Medes and Persians behind his decree.  He abused that power and would meet his demise, finally being impaled 75 feet in the air.

What I saw in the verses under consideration is the irrevocable nature of the decisions made with the king’s authority.  Notice that Esther,  the recipient of the stretched forth scepter from the king, asked the king to REVERSE the edict devised by Haman whereby all the Jews would be murdered in the 12th month on the 13th day.

No matter how powerful the king was he could NOT REVERSE the decree for it was already enacted.  We learn here there are certain things that are irrevocable.  This is a good principle to keep in mind as you march out into your day.  Only God knows what lay ahead for you as the moments of this day play out.  You will respond to the unknown based on how you have prepared your spirit.  If you walk with God and have a steady diet of His Word you position yourself to make wise decisions and respond in ways you won’t regret.

Notice the king himself cannot undo what was done, he had to issue (actually Esther did) a new decree that would supersede the previous one.  That is what Christ did for you.  Mankind is condemned because of his sins and God said sin MUST be penalized.  Then He sent His Only Begotten Son to make it possible for man to escape the penalty of his sin.  Today you will make decisions that are irrevocable so prepare your spirit to make the right choice!

Pro 28:2  For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged. 

Having visited our nation’s capital I was in awe of the buildings, memorials, and Arlington National Cemetery. My heart stirred as I traveled the halls of the Capitol and gazed upon the statues that adorned the sidewalls. I traveled the well worn trails of our Nation’s history while recalling what made her great.

I viewed the bust of George Washington and thought of the man that couldn’t be killed at the Battle of Ft Duquesne. I then passed the portrait of President Lincoln and the statue of Ulysses Grant and rehearsed what I knew of their exploits to secure the Union at a time when it was not yet 100 years old and was threatened with dissolution. I was stirred to my soul at the rich history of our great nation.

I then left the Capitol and was confronted with a constant barrage of statements regarding our history of slavery. I discovered the spurious and perverted history book titled “The 1619 Project” was being sold at Mt Vernon and the Smithsonian. Rainbow flags adorned the streets of Washington D.C., the very town named after the man who would not allow his officers to swear in front of the soldiers as he deemed it a sign of lowness of character. "Black Lives Matter" was painted on a building outside our Bed and Breakfast and greeted us each morning. It was a conflict of emotions that tortured my heart. A nation that was truly a shining city on a hill had fallen under the influence of criminals, traitors, and perverts.

When I picked up my Bible this morning to read from its pages this was the second verse I read and I was forced to muse about its truth. Perhaps God will raise up a ‘man of understanding and knowledge’ to prolong the United States of America. As you step out into this day take time to plead with God to come to our aid and bring deliverance to our land. Ask Him to raise up a ‘man of understanding and knowledge’ that will honor His blessings and lead us to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. Will God Bless America one more time?

Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

At this particular period of American history Christianity is under more assault than any time previous.  Marriage, men, women, and children share the crosshairs of demonic advances in our nation.  The cause of the advance of such ungodliness is failure on the part of God’s children to claim and act upon the authority proclaimed in His Word.  For the believer the Bible is the Final Authority.
The importance of having a final authority is the difference between advance and retreat and victory or defeat.  Everyone has a final authority and thus every nation has a final authority.  On September 11, 2001 over 2 dozen Muslim terrorists murdered over 3,000 people because of their devotion to the final authority, the Koran.  Just after the time of Christ Emperor Nero murdered thousands because of his devotion to his final authority…himself.  In America at this moment wickedness is advancing at an illogical and unreasonable pace due to the devotion of the wicked to their final authority…sexual revolution.
Those who are devoted to their final authority will overrun those who are casual adherents to a religious system.  Christianity is being led by cowards.  The Pastor of one of the largest churches in America, when confronted as to his belief in the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone, replied, “I am not prepared at this time to say Christ is the only way to heaven.”  Churches across this nation, when confronted to announce their position on the LGBT agenda, have surrendered their devotion to God in favor of acceptance by society.  Now homosexuals and transgenders are being welcomed into the church body and even ordained in direct rebellion to the Bible.  Why?  Because many Christians would rather be part of the majority than be right with God.  The holiness of God is being claimed by men dressing like women or boys identifying as girls.  Why is it you never read of a girl identifying as a boy and demanding access to the boys locker room?
In our text today Paul challenges us as follows.  First, believers must realize they have to give an answer to the pressing threat of evil.  ‘These things’ are the threats and challenges being hurled at Christianity by the ungodly.  Paul tells us we have to answer this assault.  Being silent is not an option.  Whatever it might cost us pales in comparison with the glory that shall be revealed in the believer who stands for God.
Next Paul tells us why we can answer with great boldness and courage.  ‘If God be for us...’  In this passage the word ‘if’ does not mean ‘doubt or possibility.’ The syntax is a first class condition meaning the word ‘if’ holds the idea of ‘since.’  It is a statement of certainty not doubt.  In other words Paul is saying ‘since God is for us’ we will have His support in our battles against sinful debauchery.  
Today is the day for you to stand against evil when it assaults you.  Stand for God today!

Rev 2:20  Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ was written by the Apostle John shortly before the end of the 1st century B.C..  The wife of King Ahab, Queen Jezebel, worked her evil over 800 years earlier.  As a result we know that John was not speaking of the literal Queen Jezebel.  He was using the damnable and demonic character of Jezebel as a template for the conduct that was being tolerated and even accepted by the church at Thyatira.  The actions of Thyatira is an accurate portrayal of much of the Western Church of our day and here is why.

You’ll notice the first quality referenced by John was her desire to ‘seduce’ Christians.  In our culture today Christians are, by the thousands, swooning under the perverted doctrine of tolerance.  When the Scriptures tell us to love our neighbor as ourselves that Scripture is perverted to elevate ‘self-love’ above the Scriptures.  By tolerating and affirming such ungodliness we are merely pillowing the heads of the condemned while they ride the rails to Hell.  Those that ‘love their neighbor as their self’ are those that are quick to tell them of their condemned condition before God.  If  that condemned soul does not repent and humble themselves under the mighty hand of God they will suffer an eternal torment.

Next you find the end of her work of seduction is fornication.  The word ‘fornication’ is translated from the word porneuo which means to practice illicit lust.  Used as a spiritual metaphor it gives us the understanding the church of Thyatira was taken over by a fleshly lust disguised as Christian faith.  God calls His children to live holy lives and to seek first His righteous qualities.  Christendom  is sliding further and further from the holiness of God.  The reason for this can be tied to the seduction worked on them by the Jezebel through social tolerance.  

Today, determine to rediscover God’s call to a holy life and take that holiness into a lost world and a seduced church.  I pray you walk in the fear of God and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost.

Est 5:14 Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.

Est 6:13  …Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.

We are told by God on more than one occasion of the importance of counsel.  For example, hear what Solomon tells his son…

Pro 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

These truths are no better illustrated than in the verses provided for our consideration today.

All was going well with Haman, he was second in command to the king of the largest empire in the history of mankind.  He was wealthy and worshiped by the citizenry and atop all of that had received a personal invitation from the Queen herself to a private banquet.  While leaving the palace to share the news of his personal invitation by the Queen to her private banquet he was confronted by Mordecai who would not bow to the government’s (Haman) demand.  This ruined Haman’s day and would not allow him to enjoy the end rows he had made.  Going home he called a council together comprised of the magi and chaired by his wife.  They told him what they thought he wanted to hear (Est 5:14).  Perhaps this counsel was given because of his power and wealth, and they didn’t want to fall out of favor with him.  Several hours later everything had changed.

When all his good fortune betrayed him so did his counselors.  They  turned on him like an Elm leaf in October.  A few hours ago when all was going well they were putting wind in his sails but now that things are not so inviting they betray him hoping to separate themselves from his coming judgment. His ‘loyal’ team has turned on him leaving him to fend for himself.  Of course it did not turn out well.

The sad thing of their second piece of counsel was the truth it held.  Had they been honest to begin with, perhaps Haman could have averted his judgment.  Friend, it is essential you circle yourself with a Council of Christ lovers and not a council of criminals.  Today take a look at who it is you are trusting for your counsel.

Psa 119:27  Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.  

Today is a wonderful opportunity to be used by God to help another.  God has created us to be social creatures.  We know that by two undeniable evidences.  First, God made more than one of us so that we could socialize and create societies as channels to develop and employ our innate desire to be with others.  Second, God created language.  Language can be for no other purpose than to communicate.  We are told that life and death are in the power of the tongue, therefore we are responsible for how we use the gift of language in relating to others.

Today God is going to bring folks across your path for the purpose of encouraging them, or helping them, or consoling them, or directing them.  Talking introduces excitement to life as we consider how to employ this wonderful talent.  Humans are the only creatures with this ability and with this ability comes responsibility.

James Madison posed this question, “Are we to be governed by reason and choice or by accident and force?”  His point is that we are to socialize and share our thoughts to the end that we can create good relationships that understand each others positions.  We will not always agree with each other and that is fine but we must talk with each other.  You have friends or loved ones that need to hear from you today.  Thoughts have been formulated between you and others that simply are not accurate but they have been formed due to a failure or refusal to talk through the matter.  There are those that feel abandoned or ostracized for no other reason than a failure to talk.  Feelings of loneliness, hurt, or rejection are all the offspring of the failure to talk.

We humans do not handle confrontation well and go out of our way to avoid person to person communication.  This is one reason for the billion dollar industry tied to social media or electronic communication.  People will much rather type than talk.  Today make it your purpose to talk to someone and experience the presence of God.  Let God use your voice more than your fingers today.