Hang On!

When the waves are kicking you under
Hang on just a little bit longer
The Lord is able -Eph 3:20-21
BELIEVE! 
He’s going to turn it all around
It’s just a matter of time
He makes everything beautiful in His time -Ecc 3:11
Just rely on Him
Don’t give up
Hang on
He’s going to turn it all around
JUST BELIEVE! -Mk 5:36
It’s just a matter of time
Put everything in His hands -Ps 31:15; Isa 41:10,13
Just wait and SEE! -Ps 27:13-14

***

Psalm 31:15 … My times are in Your hand …

Isaiah 41:10,13 NET … Don’t be afraid, for I am with you! Don’t be frightened, for I am your God!  I strengthen you – yes, I help you – yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand! … For I am the Lord your God, the one who takes hold of your right hand, who says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, I am helping you.’

Psalm 27:13-14 NET … Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience the Lord’s favor in the land of the living? Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident!
Rely on the Lord!

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Do NOT Be Discouraged

Deuteronomy 31:8 … The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Do NOT be discouraged or afraid
The Lord Himself goes before to prepare the Way
He hems you in
He both precedes and follows you
He is both your vanguard and rearguard -Ps139:5;Is52:12
He is right there with you
He has laid His hand upon you
NEVER will He leave or forsake you!

The LORD is my light and my salvation{deliverance}—whom shall I fear? The Lord protects my life!—of whom shall I be afraid? -Ps27:1

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Rely on the Lord! Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.
Rely on the Lord! -Ps27:13-14

Word Study.From NetBible Dt 31:8 leave[07503] = fail, forsake, withdraw{His presence} *from [07495] = to heal, cure, mend repair, make whole forsake[05800] = depart from, desert, abandon, loose{let go of} discouraged[02865] = afraid, terrified, broken, shattered From NetBible Ps 139:5 hem[06696] = enclose, beset, hedge From NetBible Ps 27:1,13-14 *The psalmist is confident of the Lord’s protection & asks for vindication. *“the Lord [is] my light and my deliverance.” “Light” is often used as a metaphor for deliverance and the life/blessings it brings. See Pss 37:6; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 49:6; 51:4; Mic 7:8. *Another option is that “light” refers here to divine guidance(see Ps 43:3) – Divine deliverance will in turn demonstrate the Lord’s faithfulness to His people. rely[06960] = to wait, look eagerly for, hope, expect

The Lord Himself encloses and protects you
His divine presence preserves{heals, makes whole} 
His light, His divine guidance and deliverance
Demonstrate His faithfulness to His people
Great is His faithfulness!
Rely on the Lord!
Do NOT be discouraged!

Related:
NEVER Give Up! {You are my all in all}
Cast Your Burden

The Sign of Jonah

Jonah 1:1-2 … Now the Word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Ninevah, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

Matthew 16:1-4 … The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.

From NetBible Mt 16:4

• Jonah[2495] = dove

From NetBible Jonah 1:1

• Amittai[0573] = my truth
  *from [0571] = firmness, faithfulness, reliableness, truth
  ** as spoken of testimony, judgment, divine instruction

Interesting …
The sign of Jonah the son of Amittai =
The sign of (the dove)
The son of (My-the Lord’s truth, faithfulness, spoken testimony)

 

Like Gentle Spring Rain

Proverbs 16:15 NASB … In the light of a king’s face is life, And his favor is like a cloud with the spring rain.

Proverbs 16:15 NLT … When the king smiles, there is life; His favor refreshes like a gentle rain.
.

@Khollandsblog Tweets: When the king smiles-His face brightens-There’s life-His favor refreshes like a gentle spring rain. #PRAISE taste&see http://classic.net.bible.org/verse.php?book=Pro&chapter=16&verse=15 … Lord Jesus my soul longs for the sweetness of Ur favor&smile-Like a sweet spring rain gently falling-Ur reign-Comes!

My soul Longs for You O Lord
As the deer pants for streams of water
So my soul pants with thirst
For You the living God. -Ps42

My soul longs for You O Lord
For the sweetness of Your favor
Your smile
Like a sweet spring rain
Gently falling
Your rain(reign)
Gently sweetly falling
Comes!

Psalm 42:11 … Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance(smile) and my God.

Related:
Like a Cloud with the Spring Rain
Drink in His Reign (Rain)
The Kings Smile
Come Like the Rain -Misty Edwards

Beside Still Waters

He leads me beside still waters –

From NetBible Ps 23:2
still waters
peaceful streams
waters of quietness and rest
waters of refreshment

From NetBible Rev 7:17
For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes

springs of living water
springs of life-giving water
living fountains of water

The Lamb my shepherd leads me
… beside still waters
… calm tranquility
… waters of quietness and rest
… strivings cease -Ps46:10
… waters of refreshment
… life-giving springs
… perfect peace -Isa26:3

He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul. -Ps23:2-3

Peace like a river flows when you follow His lead.
-Isa48:17-18

Criticism or Correction?

Quote from:
http://odb.org/2006/05/23/welcome-criticism/

When criticism comes your way,
Consider its intent;
It may be that some truth from God
To you is being sent.  —D. De Haan

The person who refuses to hear criticism has no chance to learn from it.

Proverbs 9:7-10 AMP
7 He who rebukes a scorner heaps upon himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man gets for himself bruises.
8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise man and he will be yet wiser; teach a righteous man (one upright and in right standing with God) and he will increase in learning.
10 The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning (the chief and choice part) of Wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding.

Part of gaining wisdom is receiving criticism or correction
And learning from it …

Proverbs 15:32 AMP … He who refuses and ignores instruction and correction despises himself, but he who heeds reproof gets understanding.

Draw Near

James 4:8 … Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Who can draw near and come before the Lord?
Who may ascend the Holy Hill into His presence?
-Ja4:8;Ps24:3-6 AMP

Purify my heart Lord
That I may draw ever closer.

An undivided heart Lord, I desire
That I may ascend Your Holy hill
To behold Your face.

Held there in Your gaze
With all my heart, Lord, my exceeding joy
I will give You praise!

Teach me Your way, O LORD, that I may walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore. -Ps 86:11-12

O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my exceeding joy; yes, with the lyre will I praise You, O God, my God! -Ps 43:3-4

Let us test and examine our ways, and let us return to the Lord! Let us lift up our hearts and our hands [and then with them mount up in prayer(&praise)] to God in heaven. -Lam 3:40-41

Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous—possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God! -Mt 5:8

Related:
Draw Near- Purify My Heart

Fruit for Eternal Life

John 4
31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” 34 Jesus *said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. 36 Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

Questions:

• In the previous verses Jn4:1-30 the discussion is about drinking, now the discussion has turned to food – is this a coincidence?
  

  … ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water{living water} that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.
  -Jn4:14

  ³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” …
  … ^{40 “}For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” …
  … ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”
  -Jn6:35,40,51

  ³⁷ Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸ He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” ³⁹ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
  -Jn7:37-39

  ²⁴ “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” -Jn5:24

  ³ He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. -Deut 8:3

• What food was Jesus talking about?
  • How is this food(v34) related to Jesus?
  • How do you eat this food? Drink this water?
• What is fruit for eternal life?
  

  From NetBible Jn 4:36

  • fruit[2590] =
    • fruit from a tree or vine
      “You will know them(good/bad trees) by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?” -Mt7:16
      .
      Abide in Me(Christ), and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. -Jn15:4-5
      .
    • fruit of loins = children/souls
      The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise wins souls -Prov 11:30
      .
      Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. -Mt3:8
      .
    • praises, which are presented to God as a thank offering
      Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. -Heb 13:15
      .
    • Those who accept the word bear fruit
      “And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” -Mk 4:20
      .
      “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth, And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; ¹¹ So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. -Isa55:10-11
      .
    • Those in the Spirit bear fruit
      But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. -Gal 5:22-23
      .
      (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. -Eph 5:9-10
      .

• How is fruit for eternal life related to worship in Spirit and Truth?
  • Both need belief in Christ(Truth – Living Word)
  • Both need to have received the Holy Spirit
    Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴ Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. -Jn14:23-24
    .
  • Both need to abide in Christ(Truth – Living Word) and obey God’s voice
    If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. -Jn15:7-8
    .
    … his sheep follow him because they know his voice. -Jn 10:4
    .
  • Both need to be led by the Holy Spirit
    For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. -Ro 8:14
    .
  • Both honor and glorify the Lord

Rise Up Lord – Show Your Face!

Isaiah 30:18 NIV … Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

Isaiah 30:18 AMP … And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]

Rise up O LORD to show compassion on me
You are my help
Do not hide Your face from me
You are my deliverer, my vindication! -Ps27:9

I am oppressed and needy
Come quickly! -Ps40:17
I long for Your unbroken companionship LORD!
O to walk in the light of Your face!

Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.-Ps89:15

My heart says of You, “Seek His face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek. -Ps27:8

May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; May those who love to experience Your deliverance say continually, “May the Lord be magnified in praise!” -Ps40:16