Psalm 32-11.1.21
Scripture
Psalms 32:5 ERV
“But then I decided to confess my sins to the Lord. I stopped hiding my guilt and told you about my sins. And you forgave them all!”
Observation
In this psalm, David writes about the great joy you experience when you confess your sins to God. The joy you experience when you repent and do what is right before God. The joy you have knowing that God has cleared you from all your sins. The great joy knowing that God loves you, guides you, and protects you when you choose to follow Him! 😊
Understanding
Confess, Repent, and be Free!
“People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.” -Proverbs 28:13
You remember when you were a kid and you did something wrong and tried to hide it? We always thought we can hide it from our parents, (not knowing that they probably already knew of our mistake). The guilt was written on our face. Then our parents would always try to give us that chance to confess. They would remind us that it is better for us to come clean now and confess, than for them to find out later. Because if they found out later, our punishment would be A LOT worse!
I think the same can be said with our relationship with God. We try to hide our sins from God (kind of like the way Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden). But who are we trying to fool? God sees all and knows all. God is like our parents in this situation. He knows we messed up. He knows we’re trying to hide our mistakes. But God wants us to come to Him and admit our wrongs. The Bible tells us that God is quick to forgive our sins, if we confess our sins.
“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” -1 John 1:9
So why not come clean and confess our sins to Him? Don’t make it worse by trying to hide them. We are only hurting ourselves and hurting our relationship with God. He wants to forgive us. He wants to put us on the right path so we can be freed from our sins and free from His judgement and wrath. Are we willing to go to Him and confess, repent, and be freed?
Life Application
Take some time in prayer today and confess ours sins to God.
Seek God and ask Him for forgiveness of our sins. Ask God to reveal any hidden sins that we may be unaware of. Know that we are forgiven of our sins because of what Jesus did on the cross. Ask God to cleanse our hearts of any impurity and fill it instead with His Holy Spirit. May we seek God today and be cleansed, renewed, and freed so that we may continue to be on the right path of fulfilling God’s will in our lives.
-Moses Gaddi
Psalm 31
Scripture
Psalm 31:21
Praise be to the Lord,
for he showed me the wonders of his love
when I was in a city under siege.
Observation – What does it say?
We all have a go-to response when we find ourselves stressed out. Some of us tend to vent on social media, others to call a friend, others isolate, others try to escape by taking a nap or medicating with drugs/alcohol/porn/etc. For David, his go-to when stressed was prayer and worship. Whether he was experiencing great stress or whether he woke up feeling stoked about life, he would often write a prayer song to God. The book of Psalms (when translated means “song”) is a collection of these heart-felt songs, most of which were penned by David.
As David writes this particular prayer song, he is in great distress. He describes his current state with words like “distress,” “sorrow,” “grief,” “anguish,” “groaning,” “affliction.” Ever been there?
Yet, in the midst of his venting and cries for help he changes his tune to one of praise. He remembers a previous time he was in distress, how he cried to God for help and how God answered.
Understanding – What does it mean?
There are so many lessons here about navigating hard times, but 2 that hit me today:
#1 The best go-to is prayer and worship
“Don’t worry about anything… Instead pray about everything.” (Philippians 4:7)
I can’t count the number of times I’ve felt absolutely terrible, went into my room to pray, and I walked out completely transformed and filled with life and hope.
#2 Remembering reverses negative emotions.
When David remembered and recounted in prayer God’s help in the past, his distress was replaced with renewed faith and hope. Your emotions will follow your focus, so bounce your focus off the problems and onto God’s love and what he’s done for you.
Life Application
Set aside at least a few minutes today to pray and worship, bringing to God my concerns.
As I do, recount some of the times in the past where God has come through for me.
God, may we be a people whose go-to when stressed is prayer and worship. As we turn to you, may we experience your same love and transforming power… not just in our circumstances but in our thoughts and emotions. Fill us with peace. Renew our faith and hope. Amen.
- Levi Thompson
Revelation 9 10.28.21
SCRIPTURE
“And out of the smoke appeared locusts swarming onto the earth, and they were given authority like that of scorpions to inflict pain. They were told not to harm the grass, or any green growth or any tree, but only to afflict those who did NOT have the seal of God on their foreheads.”
OBSERVATION
As the Fifth Angel sounded his trumpet a “woe” is unleashed upon the earth such as has never been experienced. God has given His Authority for demons to be unleashed from the bottomless pit in order to accomplish His Perfect Will. It’s hard to imagine that God would not only permit this but that it is actually part of His Divine Will. However, a closer look into these verses demonstrates that even in the midst of this season of God’s Judgement falling on the earth—God in His Mercy permits time for repentance.
These demons will swarm the earth like locusts. They are given permission to torment every living person who does NOT have the Seal of God on their foreheads. The pain they inflict—lasting a period of 5-months—will be SO severe that people will “seek” death…but will not be able to end their own misery. “Death will evade them” (Rev. 9:6).
UNDERSTANDING
Hell and The Bottomless Pit are Not a Myth or fairytale.
When the shaft of the Bottomless Pit is opened...a thick black blanket of smoke rises out of it like the smoke from a giant fiery furnace. Even the sun and entire atmosphere will be darkened with the thick black smoke that plumes into the air as it rises open shaft to release these demons.
In Matthew 8:28 you can read about Jesus encounter to release a man from demonic power overtaken him named legion. They clearly understood and gravely feared the bottomless pit as they pleaded with Jesus NOT to send them there.
The bottomless Pit is referenced in God’s word as a holding place reserved specifically for fallen angels who are bound and awaiting final judgement. Some bible scholars believe the bottomless pit to be positioned below hades/hell where people who refuse Christ as Savior and Lord go. Regardless of it’s position, the bottomless pit and hell are very real places which Jesus acknowledged and spoke about.
It saddens me and puzzles me to hear people say that they will be “Partying with their friends in hell”. What are they imagining? The bible speaks of no party in hell. Only deep deep sorrow, torment and painful regret. Such is the story that Jesus shares of “The Rich Man” when he literally begged for one finger’s dip of water from Lazarus to cool his tongue AND pleaded for a witness to go warn his brothers so they would not end up where he is (Luke 16:19).
LIFE APPLICATION
The GOOD NEWS of God’s very Great Love for us.
The truth is…some will reject the gospel...but there are many who still have not heard it. Jesus saved us “To be His Witnesses”. We are called with a Purpose to share the gospel and make disciples everywhere we go. At DSC we are committed to this. We are Christ Followers, We are a Family, and we are a Multiplying Movement.
“For here is the way God LOVED the world—he gave his only, unique Son as a gift. So now everyone who believes in him will never perish but experience everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
Dearest Lord Jesus,
You say the harvest is RIPE but to pray for more workers. Father I pray you will send More workers into the field whose hearts will burn with your love. May we have a glimpse of the realities of hell that we would have a very real heart for no one to suffer hell when you paid the price for our punishment. Give me courage and boldness to hear and obey your calling and open my mouth wherever and whenever you speak to me. In your holy name I pray. amen.
Tina Kudelka