| Today's Bible Verse |
| "He brought them out of
darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their
bands in sunder."
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Psalm 107:14 King James
Version (KJV)
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| Today's Bible Study |
Have you noticed the theme of
freedom in scripture? God loves to set people free.
He hates to see people bound. He longs to break the
chains that hold us back.
I love the line in Charles Wesley’s beautiful hymn,
And Can It Be, that states, “My chains fell off, my
heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed
thee.”
Here we are reminded again by the psalmist that it
is God Who has brought us out of the darkness and
the shadow of death and has broken the chains that
bound us.
Jesus has transferred us, through his death and
resurrection, from the kingdom of darkness into the
kingdom of light. We no longer live under the
shadow of death and our chains are no more.
Believe this truth wholeheartedly. Some of the most
miserable people are those who semi-believe God’s
promises. Often people cannot fully believe because
they wrestle with this question: How can a holy God
accept me, a sinner?
These people look upon God’s gift of salvation as a
legal agreement between us and God by which we earn
His grace. The words gift and earn rarely belong in
the same sentence.
God sets us free, not because we deserve freedom.
He sets us free because He loves us. He offers us a
freedom we could never earn by our works.
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| Today's Prayer |
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| Father of Salvation, thank You for Your gift of freedom. I thank You that Jesus did all that was needed to release us from Satan’s chains. I thank You for the cross, where that mighty transaction took place. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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| Yesterday's Bible
Verse |
| "The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe."
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Proverbs 29:25 King James Version (KJV)
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| Yesterday's Bible
Study |
The word ‘fear’ is used many
times in the Bible and in slightly different ways.
We are told that the fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).
Our fear of the Lord is a reverential and
respectful fear. We honor His might and control,
but we are not afraid He will use those powers
against us. In fact, knowing He has infinite might
and control is comforting to us. We trust Him to
use those qualities to care for and protect His
people.
Our verse says, “The fear of man bringeth a snare.”
This fear of man is a terrifying fear, one that
causes us to tremble. We may even hide from the
person or persons we fear. This kind of fear
renders us helpless and useless. All our mental and
physical energy is directed at protecting
ourselves.
If I fear a person to that extent, I am essentially
his slave. I cower and avoid doing anything that
might rile him. This is not healthy for me or for
him. God wants His people to live in freedom. He
does not want brutes to threaten and control us.
A healthy fear of some people is appropriate. If I
know a murderer is loose in my area, of course I am
afraid of him. I take measures to protect my family
and myself.
But if I am always afraid, to the point of not ever
wanting to leave a securely locked house, I am
indeed, as this verse indicates, trapped.
Reverently respect the power and control God has at
His disposal but trust Him to be on your side. Be
appropriately afraid of monstrous people. But don’t
let fear of people ruin your life. Pray that God
will lead you to find the freedom He intends you to
have.
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| Yesterday's Prayer |
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| Father, I am comforted in the knowledge of Your great power and control. I trust You always to be working for my good. Deliver me from crippling fear. Amen.
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