"Blessed is the man whose strength is in you;"
Psalm 84:5
The tendency of man is to trust in his strength. But blessed is the man who puts his trust in God's strength because God will take him beyond the person's own strength. The man trusting in his own strength gauges himself and plans out his way, but the one whose trust is in the strength of the Lord is ready for anything.
vs 6:
"As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools."
"The valley of Baca," is translated "the valley of weeping." All believers journey through this valley, but when one's strength is in the Lord, the valley becomes filled with springs of living water, there will be evidence of God's divine provision throughout the story. The way of God is supernatural, he goes far beyond the ways of man. He provides streams in the desert; the believer is never left on his own and is continually nourished and comforted.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways,' says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:8-9
"They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion."
Psalm 84:7
When a man's trust is in the Lord, he does not walk the predictable way, planned out in his shortsightedness. No, he progresses from supernatural strength to greater supernatural strength, accomplishing the will of the Lord, until finally he appears before God.
Psalm 84 vs 10:
"For a day in your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness."
The journey of the wicked is planned out by the wicked and in the end he'll say, "I did it MY way." They have devised schemes to preserve themselves and to acquire more and more and more. But their position and their wealth never satisfy, they become bored with it, and they continue to scheme and plan and get more and more until they finally die.
But the believer walks a totally different path. As the psalmist said, one day in the courts of God would satisfy for a lifetime. Their purpose is not to acquire, their purpose is to know God and to follow him, knowing God always leads with purpose. This is greater than all their wealth, he is more to them than all their possessions. He satisfies. The lowliest of them are more satisfied than any wicked man who succeeds in his schemes.
Jesus said that he has come to give man life, and that - more abundantly (John 10:10). One has to experience this to realize the truth of it - it is utterly amazing. He who created the DNA of each person intends to bring that person to his own particular abundant life, as only the Creator can, if only the person will surrender his way to his Creator.
This is the secret of happiness, to belong to the Lord and to follow him all the days of one's life. His ways are purposeful and they lead to eternal satisfaction.
"For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'"
Matthew 3:3
That was written 2,000 years ago. John the Baptist was raised up to preach repentance to the people, preparing them for the salvation Jesus was about to bring. And now in this generation, we are again in the role of John, urging people to come to repentance because the second coming of the Lord is near.
"Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season.
Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching."
2nd Timothy 4:2
But few will hear.
It is written in the Scriptures that the last days will be Satan's final hour, and that it will be a time of great "apostasy." Little could we have imagined the magnitude of that apostasy, for even the clergy have fallen to practicing all manner of evil and perversion, and preaching only the pleasant words that the world wants to hear.
And what do the masses want to hear? Only "uplifting" messages, how one can be healthy, wealthy and wise, words of self-esteem, words of a soulish "love," and tolerance for all. The Word of God, if referred to at all, is used only to assure the crowds that their false agenda is "Scriptural," twisting Scripture to back up their vile message as they introduce this terrible "gospel" to those who want to hear it. The "itching ears" religion will amass the crowds, and the mega-churches will wonderfully pad the wallets of those false teachers preaching such soulish mush as they lead multitudes to hell. In such a setting they will soundly reject the truth, despising the unchangeable doctrines of the Word of God.
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine,
but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears,
they will heap up for themselves teachers,
AND THEY WILL TURN THEIR EARS AWAY FROM THE TRUTH,
and be turned aside to fables."
2nd Timothy 4:3-4
Just as John pointed the crowds to repentance, now in these last days those who love THE TRUTH are once again preaching repentance. You won't hear among these the message of how wonderful you can be and how successful and wealthy you can become, and how you can increase your "self esteem." In fact, the last-days message will be the call to reject the popular "itching ears" teachings and instead to fall on one's knees in repentance before a holy God. Preaching the true Gospel will bring rejection to those who proclaim it, will bring them persecution, and in some cases even to death. The true last-days message will speak of sin, of judgment, of hell, all the things the "itching ears" religion soundly avoids.
The itching ears religion is consuming the masses, filling the pews, and bringing in the money. If you're attending one of these churches, FLEE. This is the wide path that leads to hell.
"Enter in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate,
and broad is the way, that leads to destruction,
and MANY there be which go in by it."
Matthew 7:13
Though the itching ears crowd will be deceived by messages that feel good, it's the way to hell. The way of righteousness is narrow, said Jesus Christ. Those who choose it will be called "narrow minded" but it is Jesus who said the way is narrow, in fact, so narrow that few will find it.
vs 14:
"Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leads to life, and FEW there be that find it."
The day of the Lord is at hand. In Matthew 24 when Jesus was asked what would be the signs of his coming, the very first thing he answered was that it will be a time of great deception, and to be very careful not to be deceived.
Take heed to his words. Your response to them will determine your eternity.
"For what does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.'” Romans 4:3 What was the first sin? Most would say, "Eating the fruit from the forbidden tree." But no, eating the forbidden fruit was not the first sin. Believing the lie was the first sin. God had told Adam and Eve that from all the trees they may eat, EXCEPT from a certain one. He warned that if they ate from that tree they would die. Satan was watching from behind a tree in the garden. Then he came along and said to Eve, "Did God really say you would surely die? No, you will NOT surely die." He was calling God a liar. He was saying that the Word of God is not true. (Genesis 3:1-4) This was the first sin, believing the lie. Satan denied the Word God spoke, said it is NOT true, and showed how good that fruit looked, how desirable it was, how pleasant to look at, and that it would actually be good for her. Eve fell by believing the lie. "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate." Genesis 3:6 This is the same method that Satan uses to everyone everywhere: "Did God really say....? No, that isn't true." We are judged by our response to the Word of God, the Bible, the Scriptures. Many times and in many places in the Scriptures there are things written which are hard to understand and seem impossible. That, brothers and sisters, is the test. Will we choose to believe the Word of almighty God only insofar as it makes sense to us? Or will we bow before this great God in humility, believing that what God has said is the truth whether we understand it or not. It's the Word of Almighty God. Satan will forever tell you that this passage or that passage is not true. He will whisper to you to take all that appears good to you, pleasant to the eyes, all that is desirable - and whatever appears good, go for it. He'll tell you that the rest "isn't true." He'll say that this is the modern age, those old things don't apply anymore, we've grown beyond that... It is absolutely essential that we NOT believe Satan when he casts aspersions against the Word of God. Here's a poignant example of this: "Then Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." John 6:53 Can you imagine being there and hearing that? How shocking! How stunning! It makes no sense to the carnal mind. And ...many left him because of that saying: vs 66: "From that time many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more." They didn't understand it, so they left him. Notice here - and this is vitally important: Jesus didn't run after them saying, "wait, don't leave, let me explain it further." No. HE LET THEM GO. This is one of the saddest passages in the Scriptures. HE LET THEM GO. Then ...he offered even his twelve apostles the opportunity to leave him at this point if they wished: vs 67: "Then Jesus said to the twelve, 'Do you also want to go away?'” Then Peter made the ageless statement: vs 68-69: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The twelve had heard the same incomprehensible statement that Jesus made, for which most left him. It was no clearer to the twelve than it was to the others. The difference was the choice they made. Though they certainly didn't understand, they knew who Jesus was and they chose to stay with him even when they didn't understand. The Word of God is not something we look through and decide to keep what we understand, or what meets our standards or our approval. Almighty God reserves the rights to his Word whether or not it meets our standards, whether or not it's timely in our evaluation, whether or not we understand it. He is almighty God. Our fate is determined by what we do with it. Jesus said we must become as little children. “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3 What did he mean by that? A little child absolutely believes what his father says regardless whether he understands it or not. How have you reacted when you've seen something in God's Word that you did not understand? Do you reject it? Or - big question - will you TRUST him? Will you believe in the INTEGRITY of God?