Psalm 38:17-22 [NIV] | 17 For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. 18 I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. 19 Many have become my enemies without cause; those who hate me without reason are numerous. 20 Those who repay my good with evil lodge accusations against me, though I seek only to do what is good. 21 Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. 22 Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior.
Mark 4:26-29 [NIV] | 26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Psalm 37:1-9 [NIV] | 1Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; 2for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 3Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. 7Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
Psalm 3:3-4 [NIV] | 3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. 4 I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain.
Life is filled with the unexpected and our world changes in the blink of an eye. The challenges we face each day brings about anxiety, stress, and sometime doubt. We tend to look to our own resources for protection against the evil that prevails in our world. We are confronted with the harsh reality that on our own we fail and cannot defeat the tainted world we live among tainted by sin. There is one who is greater and his name is Jesus.
Psalm 3 describes a dark time in David’s life. His enemies, including his own son, have overwhelmed and opposed David. When all seems lost and completely exhausted, David looks to our Lord for strength and guidance. “3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. 4 I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain.” In the midst of despair Davis seeks our God.
In our sinful state we too are lost, overwhelmed, exhausted, and condemned. By the blood of Jesus, we are shielded from the eternal consequences of sin leading to eternal death. Like David, we face difficult and dark times but experience hope in the refuge of our God. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we God living within us to help lead our lives from the lost state we encounter from sin. Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we can call out to our Heavenly Father in prayer knowing he not only hears us, but answers according to his good and gracious will. We praise God for the gift of our Savior, Jesus – the one who came to save and be our refuge in times of storms.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, lead me to the cross of Christ who is my refuge and salvation. Help me to seek you first as you hold me tight and help me turn from the sin. May I always seek you as my refuge.
Action Plan:
Today I will cast my burdens upon Jesus who is my strength and refuge.
Pastor Rod Lindemann
I Can’t | Jesus Can | Jesus Can Through Me
Mark 1:12-13 [NIV] | 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
God is not the author of our sin. When a person is caught in sin, they often look for someone to blame. It is not in our character to take on the responsibility of our negative actions. The fact is we sin because of our own weakness. Like Adam and Eve, we see something that looks pleasing to the eye and in our weakness, we take hold even if it opposes God’s command or will. Jesus knows what it is like to face temptation, yet he remained sinless.
For forty days and nights Jesus experienced Satan’s evil attacks in the desert. Jesus was weak from a lack of food and water; it would be easy to fall into temptation when plunging into sin appears to be something that elevates. Sin is to do the opposite of God’s will for our lives, it’s doing a 180 and turning away from God. We want to cast all the blame on Satan, but truth be told, it is our own fault. Satan merely entices us to turn from God and in our weakness we fall short.
God is faithful, he will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. But when we are tempted, when sin comes creeping at our door, God will provide a way out so that we can endure it. Through the power of the Holy Spit working in our lives we can say no to sin and yes to God. We can walk in the new life we have in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We need to stop the blame game and take responsibility for our actions. God has opened the opportunity for us to repent and turn from our sin. We have been set free in Christ.
Prayer:
Gracious Lord, thank you for the hope I have in you. Help me say no to sin and yes to you. Amen.
Action Plan:
I will seek God’s power and strength when I’m faced with Satan’s attacks.
Pastor Rod Lindemann
I Can’t | Jesus Can | Jesus Can Through Me
Matthew 28:16-18 [NIV] | 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
God works many amazing miracles in our lives that are beyond our comprehension. Imagine being one of the eleven disciples and seeing Jesus only days after witnessing his death on the cross. Would you have doubts? Many, if not most, people would have some room for suspicion. Major events were occurring in the lives of the people following the resurrection of Jesus. The old order of things had now passed as Jesus came to live, die, and rise for us. He now sits at the right hand of the Father preparing a place for us.
So many amazing miracles witnessed by the disciples and yet some doubted. The same happens today as people are called to put their trust in Jesus. We have among us the inerrant Word of God speaking truth into our lives and yet some face doubt. Thomas, one of the disciples, said to his fellow disciples, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). Are we like Thomas doubting the presence of God in our lives?
Jesus promised to never leave or forsake us. He provided a Helper to work in and through our lives. Through the Holy Spirit, God is always with us and yet there are people who face times of doubt. Our God gives us the faith to put complete trust in him even in times His presence may seem distant or void. We cry out to God asking Him to prove His presence. Jesus responds to Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (Matthew 28:29). God is always with us and provides the means for to believe and trust in Him, whether seen or unseen.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of Faith. In our times of doubt help us to cling to your promise to never leave or forsake us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Action Plan:
Today I will look to see the many ways God makes himself known to me.
Pastor Rod Lindemann
I Can’t | Jesus Can | Jesus Can Through Me
Psalm 34:4-10 [NIV] | 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. 9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. 10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Matthew 27:19-24 [NIV] | 19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. 21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. 22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” 23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”
Matthew 26:69-75 [NIV] | 69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said. 70 But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. 71 Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!” 73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” 74 Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Psalm 32:1-5 [NIV] | Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. 3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
