We live in a world where there are constant battles, but we are not afraid because we always win. How? Let me start by asking you my own question. Can you believe that heaven has its own armies just like nations here on earth do too? Just for a second, imagine that. Generals, colonels, captains, sergeants – the whole rank and file of the military. Wow.
Who do you think is going to be the head of this army? Your guess is as good as mine. God is the commander of the armies of heaven. The great Grand Commander of the armies of heaven. Remember that He is Elohim, the Eternal Creator. So what are those battles He will not win? They definitely don’t exist. He created all things including the hosts of heaven.
As the Grand Commander of these armies, He makes plans concerning your future and ensuring it is a bright one. He gives you victory in the battles of life.
He sends out units of angels to protect and provide for His children (you and I and every other child of God). Angels are God’s heavenly messengers who obey His every bidding.
“…You are his servants who do want He wants.” Psalm 103:21 ICB.
When Joshua and the Israelites faced their enemies, God sent His angel to help them (Joshua 5:13-14). God helped them in the battles they fought.
Angels also are sent to deliver messages to God’s children. Like the angel told Mary of how she was going to give birth to the Messiah.
The Holy Spirit also equips you with the ability to warfare in the spiritual realm by His presence inside of you. An example of this is when you suddenly get an urge from the Holy Spirit to pray or when you know you need to pray. The Holy Spirit supplies you with the words to engage in the spiritual arena. He gives you the strength for the battles too.
In every battle God is present, watching the turn of events, though the result may be disappointing, knowing that God never loses a battle should be your assurance of victory.
Again, He never loses in battles. When He goes to war, He always wins.
May God fight your everyday battles for you in Jesus name. Amen.
Prayer point: Lord of the Armies of Heaven, I praise and worship You. Thank you for Your dedication to fighting all my battles. I come out victorious and stronger from all my battles because of You God. Thank you.
Do you know God as The Lord our Righteousness? That’s Jehovah Tsidkenu in Hebrew. It’s important you understand this dimension of God.
“But the Lord rules forever. He sits on his throne to judge. The Lord will judge the world by what is right. He will decide what is fair for the nations.
Psalm 9:7-8
God is our righteousness. He decides what is right and fair. You need not worry as a child of His if his decision will favour you or not.
Remember, He said that His plans for you are going to be good. Even if they don’t seem good right now, understanding who God is and how He works should put your mind at ease. He is the Lord our righteousness.
Who is righteous? No one. Not even your parents or grandparents.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23
Sin created a gap between us and God which was bridged by the death of Christ on the cross. Jesus Christ was the only one whose righteousness could cover this gap. Follow carefully as we try to understand the Lord our righteousness.
“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” 2 Corinthians 5:21.
Christ died that we might be righteous before God.
Why does God need us to be righteous? God needs us to be righteous at all times so that our fellowship with Him can be pure just like it was at Eden. The way He had planned it.
God also needs us to be righteous so that He can bless us with His presence. When we continually sin, God can’t fellowship with us because of the stain of sin upon us. You might say, Jesus has died for my sake, He took my sins and that’s it. So we can call God the Lord our righteousness.
Jesus died once for you to be in right standing with God, but you have to keep maintaining that which He died for you to have – direct access to the Lord Almighty. Accepting Christ is not the only criterion for having easy access to God, in as much as it is so important, but consciously walking in that righteousness is equally important.
When you have a consciousness of this and practice it constantly, with help from God, that is when you can boldly come before the throne of God to receive mercy and grace. This indeed is the work of the Lord our righteousness.
Another reason for righteousness is that the enemy will not accuse us when we come before the presence of God. How does it happen? You sin and don’t ask for forgiveness. When you start to pray the devil starts to play this sin in your mind, tells you that God won’t forgive you because you are a sinner, thereby discouraging you from praying. But as a child of God who knows that your God is your righteousness, you will do the right thing by quickly confessing your sin and receiving forgiveness.
Prayer point: God, you are my righteousness. Help me to know that you are ‘the Lord our righteousness’ always. I thank you for this. Amen
Have you ever thought of God as ‘my Rock’? Have you ever held a rock in your hands? How did it feel like? Were you able to crush it?
Look at how huge and dominating the mountains are. What do you think can ever move them? Who can lift them from where they are to another place? Who can lift them on his shoulders? Who has the strength to lift them?
Can all the water of the seas move any mountain? As you digest these questions, think of God.
An attribute unique to God is that He is a rock – unbreakable, untouchable, unmovable, unshakeable. No one can claim that he can touch God to the point of moving, shaking, or breaking Him. That is how strong your God is.
A mountain is a huge rock that towers high over the land and it cannot be moved. That’s how God towers over you when he protects you. He doesn’t move but stays right there in front of you. He doesn’t move
“The Lord also will be a refuge and a stronghold for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble;” Psalm 9:9 AMP.
It takes a great amount of firepower to blast a mountain apart. No power both on earth and in heaven can confront God and break Him. So when He stands in front of you, there’s an assurance that He won’t be shaken or destroyed.
“And those who know Your name (who have experienced Your precious mercy) will put their confident trust in You, For You, O Lord have not abandoned those who seek You.” Psalm 9:10
When you call, believe, and see Him as your Rock, nothing can shake, break, touch or move you because you are right behind God. He protects you from any harm or danger. Whatever cannot touch Him cannot reach you. He becomes a shield for you, covering all around you.
When tough situations come your way hang tight to Him, say to yourself that the Lord is your Rock, He is Jehovah Tsuri.
“The Lord is my rock, my place of safety, my Savior. My God is my rock. I can run to him for safety. He is my shield and my saving strength. The Lord is my high tower and my place of safety. The Lord saves me from those who want to harm me.” 2 Samuel 22: 2-4 ICB.
Prayer: I bless You my Rock and Shield. Thank You Jehovah Tsuri for always being who You are for me. Glory be unto Your name, in Jesus name. Amen.
Today we will be looking at Jehovah Rohi – The Lord is my Shepherd. A shepherd guides a flock of sheep through different terrains. He ensures that they eat from the best vegetation around them and protects them from any harm.
The sheep also trust in the Shepherd to protect and provide for them. They know nothing about where the best grasses are or where danger persists. That is why they trust their Shepherd.
God’s unique name – Jehovah Rohi, shows you another dimension from which He operates. This is the area where He shows Himself as a Protector and Provider.
From the abundance of His heart and might, He provides for all our needs. Whatever they are, God is able to meet them all. Just like He is Elohim, the Eternal Creator, He is also the Shepherd who meets all of your needs.
He also is the One who protects you from all harm. The Shepherd will always fight off any predator who wants to harm the sheep. He won’t leave any stone unturned to ensure that the sheep are safe.
When you pray to the Lord as your Shepherd (Jehovah Rohi), this calls on God to reveal Himself as both a provider and a protector.
Like the Psalmist said in
Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd. I have everything I need.” ICB.
When you read the whole of Psalm twenty-three, you will see how the Psalmist totally expressed his total dependence and trust in Jehovah Rohi. He trusted God for protection, provision, and peace of mind.
God sees you when things are good and bad and is always ready to help you. He knows what to do and how to do it.
Psalm 37:18-19 “The Lord knoweth the days of the upright and their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the day of famine they shall be satisfied.”
Pray and call Him Jehovah Rohi. Let Him be your Provider and Protector. Jehovah Rohi protects and provides for you. Amen.
Prayer: Jehovah Rohi, thank you for providing and protecting me always. I am grateful for your care always.
Everyone has names. Your name is a reflection of the relationship between you and another person. You call your mother “mommy” because that is who she is to you – your mother. She refers to you as her son because she gave birth to you. There is a mother-son relationship between you two.
God, also, has other names. Did I hear you say what? Yeah, He does. You call Him God, Jehovah, Yahweh, Almighty, and more. But there are also very special ways we refer to God.
These other names tell us about the unique qualities that God possesses. They tell us of the many different dimensions of how God operates. Like a car has different parts and each part contributes to how we identify a car.
God has different names that reflect His many attributes as the creator of all the earth and mankind. Each name speaks to a part of Him that we see or want to see in operation in our lives.
When you call Him by one of these names, it draws out a part of His essence, something unique and powerful about Him. You are calling Him to be that which you have called Him to be.
Knowing and calling Him these names help you develop a deeper relationship with Him. You marvel and wonder at how great and mighty He is.
Also, you get to depend on Him and not on your strength, intelligence, power, skills, or social standing. When you identify Him as your helper, provider, keeper, friend, et cetera., it helps to put your total trust in Him.
Lastly, these names of God reveal deeper worship of Him. You just get lost in the amazing greatness of Him, His name, and Word.
These names remind you of who God is and can be for and to you. Your God can be anything and everything you want Him to be. He wants to display His power and sovereignty for you.
Tomorrow we will start the series and see the many ways God displays His power and might through His names.
