Elaine Campbell

 'Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still' (Psalm 4:4). God knows everything about us, because he is God, our Creator and there is nothing that can be hidden from him. He knows the heart and the intents of the heart; Our thoughts, emotions, desires and motives, whether they be good or evil. He knows the godly from the ungodly, and have set apart those who are godly for himself, and will hear when they call unto him (verse 3). We are all called to be in a right relationship with God. Those who accept this call should have daily communion with Him through the study of His Word, prayer and supplications, allowing the Holy Spirit access in their hearts, that they might not wilfully sin against Him. We need to search our hearts daily and be silent before God as we contemplate his grace and his mercy towards us, and He will reveal Himself to us. When our enemies seek to do us harm, or people speak lies about us, simply look to Jesus and trus

 'In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you' (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Sometimes it seems easier for us to keep asking something of God than it is to thank him, especially in the difficult times. But here in the Scriptures, Paul is encouraging us to give thanks in everything. That is, in all  circumstances we come across, we should give thanks, because it is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us. In this messed up world of sin, God is still in control and is sustaining us. Therefore, we can rejoice  in Him always because of His eternal love for us. Inspite of the difficulties we might face on a daily basis, there is so much we can give God thanks for. We can thank Him that we are alive; once there is life we have hope. We can thank God that His love never fails us and for his faithfulness.  We thank God that all things work together for our good when we belong to him (Romans 8:28). Thank God for supporting us spiritually, when our tria

 'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee' (Isaiah 26:3). How can one have perfect peace? Of ourselves it is impossible because we are sinful beings. But when we trust in the Lord and allow him to shape and form our thoughts, motives, inclinations and the desires of our heart; He promises to keep us in  perfect peace - that inexplicable peace that comes from Him. Christ is the only means of our salvation, therefore, we ought to trust him as our Saviour. He will clothe us in His righteousness and will afford us peace with God. We trust God when we know him, we recognised his love and his mighty powers and know where he has brought us through, which gives us confidence in Him. No matter how far you have wandered from God, his love will never fails and he is still seeking after you to bring you unto himself. All one has to do is trust in the Lord and to keep focusing on him, and he will surely grant you his perfect peace. Unbe

 'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee' (Isaiah 26:3). How can one have perfect peace? Of ourselves it is impossible because we are sinful beings. But when we trust in the Lord and allow him to shape and form our thoughts, motives, inclinations and the desires of our heart; He promises to keep us in  perfect peace - that inexplicable peace that comes from Him. Christ is the only means of our salvation, therefore, we ought to trust him as our Saviour. He will clothe us in His righteousness and will afford us peace with God. We trust God when we know him, we recognised his love and his mighty powers and know where he has brought us through, which gives us confidence in Him. No matter how far you have wandered from God, his love will never fails and he is still seeking after you to bring you unto himself. All one has to do is trust in the Lord and to keep focusing on him, and he will surely grant you his perfect peace. Unbe

 'Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil' (Ephesians 6:11). Paul is encouraging us to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. To put on the whole armour of God, that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:10,11). God has given his people, that is, those who trust and believe in Jesus Christ, His Son, tools to work with and to utilise for our good. Satan, that old serpent, the devil, is like a roaring lion seeking all he may devour. He has a plan to destroy us, and to let us  doubt God's fidelity towards us. The battle is raging, and even though its between Jesus and Satan, as God's children we are caught up into it. Jesus has already won the battle with his victory at the cross. Satan knows his time is short on this earth and is making every effort to get as much people on  his side for the great battle when Jesus return. We must understand that this battle is a spiritual o

 'And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers ' (John 10:5). Jesus the Lamb of God, who came to take away the sins of the world, is also the Good Shepherd. A sheep knows his master's voice and will follow only him at his calling. If they do not recognise the voice as that of their master, they will not follow that stranger, but will flee from him. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and all who belong to him will know his voice and follow Him. Are you attune to the voice of Jesus? Christ here is alluding to the fact, that, if you cannot recognise his voice, is because you are not of him, but of another - the Devil. "He that is of God heareth God's words: Ye therefore hear him not, because ye are not of God" (John 8:47). The religious leaders in Jesus' time didn't believe He was of God, the Son of God; the Messiah who came to save the world. This denial came with great consequences for the Jews. They reje

 'In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even unto his ears' (Psalm 18:6). In the presence of the Lord, there is joy and peace. Come before His presence with thanksgiving and cry out  to God, he will hear us. God cares for each and every one of us more than we can ever comprehend. David said, "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God..." We too, like David, if we cry out to God and earnestly seek his face, He will hear and answer us, because He loves us and cares when we cry out to him. There is a song by Frank E. Graeff that says, "Does Jesus cares when my heart is pained, too deeply for mirth and song; As the burdens press, and the cares distress, and the way grows weary and long? O yes, He cares. I know He cares! His heart is touched with my grief.  When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Saviour cares." God promises to wipe away

 'As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me' (Psalm 55:16). Everyone experience some sort of trials and difficulties at intervals during their lifetime. Some more than others. But for all who call upon the name of the Lord, He has promised to save them. We live in a world where we see the hearts of men are even more  cold and evil than generations gone by. People are killed for what they possess, innocent children and women been violently abused and murdered; Christians being persecuted for their faith, and the list is endless. Many people live in fear of their lives, even those of faith. But as believers, we should trust in the Eternal God, who is willing to fight our battles for us. He is our Deliverer and Refuge in times of trouble and afflictions, and has promised to save us. Like David, many of you have been betrayed by people you loved and trusted. You may have felt overwhelmed and distraught and heartbroken, having a feeling of helpless where you don

 'Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness' (Isaiah 41:10). Fear is not of God but of the Devil. He is the true instigator of fear, because he loves when we are afraid, making us subject to him. His aim is for us to take our eyes off Jesus, so we mistrust him. We see in the Scriptures, when Peter was walking on water towards Jesus with his eyes on him, that he had confidence in the presence of Jesus, but when the winds got boisterous and he took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink. That's what the Devil wants us to do; to take our eyes off Jesus that we will be in constant fear. However, God is saying to you, "Look at me! Fear not - don't be afraid or scared, my presence is with you and will always be with you." He is encouraging you not to be dismayed or distress. Why? Because He is your God and he will strengthen you, a

 'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?' (Romans 8:35). Christ our Lord was before the world begun. He was in the beginning with God! God created all things through him and nothing was created except through him (John 1:3). God's love for his people is exceedingly great, that when sin raised up its ugly head, God already had a plan in place to counteract it. That is, He gave up his only Son to die for us, sinners. He wanted to restore us back to himself and the only person that could atone for our sin and set us free from its bondage was His Son. So, Christ came and die for all humanity, however, it is only those who accepted Christ and believed by faith that he is the Son of God, who came and die for our sin will be saved. All those who do not accept by faith the unmerited favour of God through the sacrifice of His Son, will have no part with God. It is God himself who wen

 'Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when he pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them' (Mark 11:24). When we pray, we are communicating with God, and because we trust Him and have confidence in His ability to hear and answer our prayers, we are to pray in faith, believing we have received that which we have asked of Him. However, this does not mean that God must give us whatever we want. Asking of God in faith is about asking with the right intentions (James 4:1-3), and according to His will (1John 5:14,15). We must understand God's will and purpose for each of our lives. In order for that to happen, we must know Him, through the study of His Word and prayer. As we let go of our will and accept the will of God, he will change us - transform our lives. "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do his good pleasure"  (Philippians 2:13). "...For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God

 'The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death' (Proverbs 14:27). The Bible teaches that, "The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Eternal life is connected to Jesus Christ, and when we accept him by faith and allow him, through the power of the Holy Spirit to live in us, eternal life is guaranteed. Christ is our life-giving fountain, therefore, He should be the object of our fear.  We should always be in awe when we think of Him and when we worship him, because of who he is. When we revere the Lord, and accept him as our Fountain of life it will enable us to depart from the snares of death, which sin brings. Christ is the living water that flows and all who partake  of it shall never thirst again, but shall be a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (See John 4:14)  Sin brought the sentence of death upon all of humanity, but Christ came and rescue us, by

 'But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ' (Romans 14:10). It is our natural tendency to judge others, sometimes without moral truth. We may hear something negative about them and it affects how we perceive them. It might be that we see attitudes they displayed and it does quiet fit with what we believe. But the Bible says we should not pass judgment on others, this is reserved for God (James 4:12). Some people do not admit their own mistakes but love to point out another person's flaws and mistakes. But we must realise that all of us have made mistakes in our lives; some of which we are not proud of. It is only the grace of God that enables us, as we come to know Christ, to reflect and ask to be forgiven, so we don't make these mistakes again. Paul is saying be careful how we judge our brothers, because in the end we are all going to stand before the judgment seat of Chri

 'O praise the Lord, all ye Nations: praise him all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great towards us: and the truth of the Lord endureth forever. Praise Ye the Lord (Psalm 117:1,2). The Lord our God is so wonderful and is worthy of all our praise. God is inviting all nations and people of the earth to praise him, because his merciful kindness and eternal truth of salvation is for all. It is both for Jews and Gentiles alike to accept his free gift of salvation. God came down from heaven in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ to redeem us back to himself. However, it is only those who believe by grace through faith in Jesus, that will be rewarded with eternal life when Jesus returns. Just remember, everyone has this wonderful opportunity of eternal life! God is a great  promise keeper and whatever He promises, He will provide, because He loves us and is not slack concerning his promises, as we are. God has everything worked out through his plan of redemption for mankind. We can

 'Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn, and he will heal us; He hath smitten, and he will bind us up' (Hosea 6:1). It is God who has created us, therefore, He has the right to do whatever he pleases with us. When we disobey or rebell against Him and his standard of government; He can tear us to pieces and then heals us; He can  injure us, yet bandage our  wounds. He is God and there is none like Him. He can take and give life; He can wound and he can heal us (Deuteronomy 32:39). He is our Healer and Restorer, the only One who has the power to do so, and he is calling us to Himself. Israel disobeyed and rebelled against God time and time again, yet when they called upon His name, he is there to rescue and deliver them. We too have wandered and gone  stray like sheep without a  Shepherd, doing our own thing, getting swept into worldly ways that will endanger us. But God is constantly seeking us, calling us to return to him, until like Israel we recognised there

 'The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace' (Psalm 29:11). God the All-knowing One, knows all about our dealings, for there is nothing we can hide from him. He knows our thoughts and actions even before we know ourselves, yet He is willing to come to our rescue when we fall, or in difficulties situations. He  speaks to our hearts in different ways, in order to reach us. It may be through a close friend or family; by reading His Word; through prayer; through a song; and even through people we do not know. He also use the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to us and all we need to do is trust Him in good times and even more in difficulties times. God's love for us is so great, it cannot be measured. We don't deserve His love or favour but He gives them to us by His grace through our faith in Jesus Christ, His Son. God wants his children to trust and depend upon him, as their Creator, Sustainer, Defender and Deliverer. We have the c

 'And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me' (Psalm 50:15). All who believe and trust in the Lord, know we serve a mighty and living God, who is ever willing to hear and listen to us when we call upon his name. He is never tired of hearing from his children, and welcomes our communication with him. We have this wonderful privilege to be able to call upon the Lord at anytime. There is no time restriction, because the Lord doesn't slumber or sleep. His telephone line is open 24 hours a day and seven days per week. However, when we call upon his name in times of trouble, he promises to  deliver us, that should bring great comfort to all who believe in Him. We should always come before the Lord with a humble heart, full of praise and thanksgiving, even in troublesome times. Our gifts and offerings presented to God must come from a humble and obedient heart. We must not think we are doing God a favour, as if we are giving him somethin

 'Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins' (Proverbs 10:12). We are all sinners in need of grace. It is through the grace of God that we can be saved, by faith in Christ our Saviour. When we have the love of God within us, we are able to forgive others, acknowledging that those who offended or wronged us are fallen and in need of grace as we do. A person whose heart is full of hatred and malice against another, will stir up or awake contention and strife. But love will cover all sin, by the pardoning love and grace of God, through the blood and righteousness of Christ. Love is of God and covers a multitude of sins. Love is patient and kind; it does not envy or boast or is it proud. It is not rude or self-seeking; or easily angered and keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth (see 1 Corinthians 13). Our most natural instinct when someone hurt or wronged us is to retaliate and hurt them as they have hurt us, but it never

 'And this commandment have we from him, That we who loveth God love his brother also' (1 John 4:21). When we say we love God, shouldn't we love our brother too? One cannot go without the other. God's command to us is to love him wholeheartedly and to love others as we love ourselves. God is love, and has manifested his love towards us the Person and work of his Son, Jesus Christ. As believers we are commanded to love others, as God loves us. It is very important, that those who love God should indeed love their brother! One cannot say I love God, then hate his brother. The Bible states that such a person is a liar. The sin in us does not allow us to have love naturally, in our own human capacity; but when we are born of God, the Holy Spirit will manifest the love of God within us, enabling us to love others as Christ loves us. It is God who works in us to do his good will in order to fulfil his good purpose. When we are walking in spirit and truth, Christ will abide in

  The Lord our God is merciful and hears the cries of the needy. All who call upon Him with sincerity of heart, he will hear. A haughty and a proud heart the Lord will not hear, but of those with a humble and contrite heart he will hear. In our distress and times of need the Lord will not abandon us, but will help, sustain and deliver us. David call upon the Lord to deliver him from the oppression of his enemies and to deal with them on his behalf. We too can do the same and God will certainly hear and answer. We need to come to God in humility as we seek his face and commune with him with our prayers and supplications. As we see the works of the Lord, we will rejoice, and in so doing others can be encouraged and come to know the God we serve. We can only seek God through Christ, where we can find him. We can only come to God through Christ. As believers, we will encounter hardships and cruelty; adversaries and persecutions because of our fidelity to God. However, when we put our trust

 'For if, when we were enemies, we reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his llfe' (Romans 5:10). Sin has caused separation from God and death to the human race, as a result of Adam's disobedience. If we continue to hold on to sin, and refused to let go of it, then we will die eternally, because sin has no part with God. Sin caused us to be enemies of God, but we have an anchor through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. For all who believed in Christ, have been made right with God and saved from the condemnation of God. Through the precious blood of Christ, we have been reconciled to God and through our constant trust and faith in Him, shall be saved by his life. Our righteousness is as filthy rags, it is only through the Christ's righteousness that we can become righteous. Salvation is a free gift from God to all who will accept by grace, through faith in Christ. We are forgiven and declared righteous, even though