Scripture:

2 Chronicles 5:13-14

13 indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying:

“For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever,”

that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not [a] continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

Tangible Presence

Today in our portion, I am reminded of the power of worship, how it has the power to draw the tangible presence of the Lord. In fact, Psalm 22:3 confirms this truth, "God inhabits the praises of His people." 

When you know this truth, you will never miss an opportunity to praise Him, to draw His presence.   It is why it always baffles me when people show up for Church at the end of worship, or why it takes 3 songs to shake the events of the morning off. Maybe it is because they have not encountered God in praise as I have experienced the power of praise.   

This Sunday was one of those moments I could sense the tangible presence of the Lord, and what I realized is that it was at that moment that I entered into true praise where it was Him-focused.   Our worship should always be like this, not because the music is good, not because it is what we are supposed to do, but simply because He is worthy of our praise.

These moments are not just for me; they are for you. Your Father wants to inhabit your praises too.

The God Shot today is to never miss an opportunity to praise Him, to have a moment with God, to enter into the Holy of Holies where HIS PRESENCE is tangible, where it fills the space you are in so greatly that you have to stop and just breathe.

Lord, let all of our praise look like this, let our hearts be full with praise, let our lips sing of your goodness, you deserve all the glory and praise and honor, and I praise you, let us always "enter into" your presence, enter in through the door of praise, let our worship be pleasing to you in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Proverbs 23:7

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
But his heart is not with you.

What Gets Into You Gets You

Solomon reminds us today that what we digest, what we intake into our lives is what gets us, this is not just information, it is a warning to guard what we allow into our lives, the content we digest, the people we surround ourselves with.   

Lot when he and Abraham parted ways, Lot chose to settle near the Jordan and it says that he faced his tent toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and before you know it he is living in that city.

There is a Casting Crowns song that says: 

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands
As darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you
That are sure to follow

So, we must guard the gates of our lives, what we allow in them, the eye gate, the ear gate, even the social gate of our life.

So, todays God Shot is to guard the gates, to be intentional about feeding yourself with the right things, not allowing the things that could drag you away.  If we head Solomon's warning, that as a man thinks so is he, then we should guard the gates.

Lord, keep our eyes and our ears and our feet close to the things that you would have for our lives, let our feet not slip, nor our desires drag us away, keep us nearest to you, close enough to hear your whisper, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Proverbs 21:31

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.

Where My Trust Is

Today's portion is a good reminder that if we don't "Go with God," if He is not "in it," then we shouldn't go.   Moses told the Lord in the desert that he did not want to go without God, to be without His presence.  It is also a reminder that God is the one who brings the victory in our lives.  

He brings victory in our:

• Plans
• Battles
• Struggles
• Salvation

To go without God is to go without strength, to rely solely on ourselves is foolish, I believe that is the point that Solomon is making.   One, don't think too highly of yourself, saying, "Lookhat I did." Second, we must recognize that it is God's presence that gives us the victory, that if He is with us, nothing can stand against us.

You can hear David's influence in his son's words: 

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God" ~Psalm 20:7

What is the God Shot today?   Make plans, reach the mountaintops, don't be afraid to push forward, just don't do it without God's presence, don't do it without Him, include Him in your plans.   The word says a man's plans are established by the Lord, live in that.

Father, I thank you, Lord, that every victory I have had in my life has been because of your presence; you are doing that today. Keep me close to you, Lord, let my heart never be too proud, or stray from you and from your strength, be with me, give me victory, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Proverbs 16:1

The preparations of the heart belong to man,
But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

The Lord is Sovereign

Free will, it is both a blessing and a curse; in it, we have the choice to do what is right and what is wrong.  And in it, we have the choice to love God supremely.   Solomon is really speaking about the sovereignty of God here. He is saying that we can make plans, but we have no control over the outcome; that is in God's hands.   So, the call here is to align our plans with God's heart, to seek Him in all things, not to plan foolishly (James 4:13–14) but rather to invite God into our plans and allow His good grace to establish them.

Today's God Shot is to make plans, to dream big, but to not exclude God from them, to plan with God, to allow Him to establish them.   Seek His will, and you will find the way.

Lord, I thank you that every good and bad plan you have been sovereign in, the bad ones that you saved me from by your grace, I thank you for, the good ones that I could have never established on my own, I praise you for, today as I plan align them with your will that they may be established.

Scripture:

Proverbs 14:12

There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

Looking Beyond Ourselves 

Solomon hits us with another impartation of wisdom this morning, and this verse has always stuck to my ribs.   Because my life BC, before Christ, was full of bad decisions that were led by wrong desires, and that is really what Solomon is pointing us to.   When my decisions and my desires are not shaped out of a relationship with the LORD, they are going to lead to the wrong places, the wrong things, and as Solomon points out destruction.

Scripture often warns that human reasoning and human desire can lead to disaster (Jeremiah 17:9). The problem is not that we cannot use reason, or that we can never have right desires. Rather, it's that we're too easily swayed by what we desire, not what is true (Proverbs 1:7). Proverbs 12:15 shows us this danger: the "fool" is the person who trusts his own thinking over and above that of God

James says it is our desires that drag us away (James 1:14).   Because this is a pitfall in our lives, there is wisdom in seeking the Lord, His way, His desire for your life and aligning yourself under that.

Our God Shot today is to align our lives with His and look beyond ourselves.

So how do we do that?   

• Be in the Word
• Pray
• Seek Godly Counsel
• Be Part of a Bible Believing Church
• Put into Practice What You Hear (Word of God)

Father, I thank you that your word has all the answers; it is life to those who take it in.   Let us not lean solely on our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge you, serve you, seek you so that we may never be misled by wrong thinking, wrong desires, help us avoid the pitfalls of life in the name of Jesus' name Amen!