Author: Darren Barnett (Page 7 of 23)

“27. Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. 28. And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.”

David has been calling out to God in Psalm 35 concerning his enemies that try to destroy him without a cause. Some say this is when King Saul is after him for no good reason. We pick up reading in verse 27 and the attention now shifts to those standing with David. The first part of the verse says, “Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause…” David was a man after God’s own heart. These men that were standing with David chose to favor David because of who his God is. We know that, because the verse says, “…Let the LORD be magnified…” They are all in distress, but yet we still see them praising God! The key to today’s thought comes from the next few words, remember the Lord is being magnified, and then the scripture says, “…which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.” It is so sad that lost people around this world think that the Christian life is dull and boring. That’s not it at all. The Bible says God takes pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. That is absolutely amazing! Let’s define these two words quickly; pleasure, the act of approving; a liking; support; a favor; that which pleases; next is prosperity, advance or gain in any thing good or desirable; successful progress in any business or enterprise; success; attainment of the object desired. What is prosperity to you? I know we like to hunt for big bucks! We also enjoy taking others hunting! We love seeing people accept Christ as their Savior. We also enjoy helping churches have successful game dinners or sportsmen’s banquets. Prosperity can be a lot of different things to different people. God loves us very much! He wants us to be happy in life! He wants to bless us with prosperity. Be careful though! This is where we tend to mess up. Prosperity becomes our focus in life. The Bible does not teach us to live this way! Matthew 22:37-38 “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” This verse doesn’t say to love prosperity with all your heart, it says to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. Satan always wants to use God’s blessings to misdirect us! We serve an amazing God! The Bible says He takes pleasure in our prosperity. Keep looking up, keep moving forward! Where are you at today? Maybe you haven’t experienced all the prosperity God has for you yet. Maybe today your in a day of distress. Are you praising God? Notice again David and his men as they are in distress, “Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified…” Praise Him in your distress! Don’t let the devil get you down. God loves us so much that he tells His children that He takes a liking; a favoring; or a pleasing in those that have prosperity! Keep moving forward! God loves you! Psalm 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

Memory Verse Week 12/20/20

Psalm 35:27

“Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.”

“23. Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24. But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.”

What kind of success have you found in your life? Looking at this word glory we can see it defined as brightness; magnificence; even boastfulness or pride. God has made everyone different. Some turn out to be very smart others turn out to be very wealthy, some are fortunate to turn out with both. Satan tries to misdirect every great thing God blesses us with. Don’t forget the sin that Satan committed in Isaiah 14:12-14 “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer…For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:…I will…I will…I will be like the most High…” Has God blessed you with success today? Do you repeatedly kill big bucks? Do you have a great job and own lots of land? Did you get a high degree in college or even start your own business making lots of money? Are you successful in the ministry because your Bible knowledge is above many others? What are some achievements in your life? Only you can answer these questions! Did you know that God blessed you with these abilities? Why would you glory in these things? The truth about everyone of us is that we all deserve hell because we are dirty rotten sinners. Satan wants us to be focused on how good and how successful we really are. Jeremiah is telling us that we don’t need to glory in wisdom, might, or riches, but we do need to glory in God’s lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness. Is Jesus Christ the center of your life today? Does everything in your life focus on the Lord? If you cant answer yes, there are some great changes that need to take place in your life. Try to stop glorying in who you are and start glorying in who He is. Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” We serve a God of exceeding abundantly above anything we could ask or think of, but notice how verse 21 says “Unto him be glory…” Don’t let Satan steal God’s glory for the blessings and talents in your life. Maybe your not a believer. Could it be that your glory is in your talents because you’ve never met Jesus Christ? There is coming a day that many sinners will be cast off into the lake of fire because they are seeking their own glory in life. Seeking your own glory brings nothing more than emptiness. Turn your eyes upon Jesus! Let your glory be in His precious name and not on your success in life! Do you have joy today? Are you happy in life? Could it be that your glory is in the wrong place? Maybe you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior! Its hard to glory in someone you don’t even know. The Bible says that if we repent of our sins and put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ(death, burial, and resurrection), He will save us in an instant. I encourage you to make that decision before its too late! I Corinthians 15:3-4 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures;”. The greatest gift we could ever receive is the gift of eternal life. The Bible says that this is where we should glory. Not on ourselves, not on our accomplishments, nor on material gain, but in the greatness of God!

Memory Verse Week 12/13/20

Jeremiah 9:23-24

“Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.”

“And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.”

The word complain means to utter expressions of censure or resentment; to murmur; to find fault(Webster 1828). The children of Israel have been set free from the Egyptian bondage. God also destroyed their entire army after crossing the Red Sea. God has provided them nourishment on a day to day basis since their departure, but yet the Bible still says, “And when the people complained…” How sad! God has never failed Israel, but because they were in a trial of their faith, they complained about their circumstances. How are your circumstances today? Have you been complaining? The week long Ohio gun season just ended. The rain made it rough for opening day! The numbers show that Ohio had a decline of 6,000 deer not harvested compared to past years on opening day. Do you know what that means? People who were probably successful last year didnt do so well this year! That’s the way hunting goes, sometimes there are dry seasons. Maybe you don’t even live or hunt in Ohio, but your tag is still empty. Whatever you do, dont complain. There is good news! There are extended seasons and even archery still ahead, so its not over yet! How have you been dealing with your circumstances? Are you complaining? Maybe its not even your unfilled tag that’s bringing your complaint. Do you have other circumstances that you are complaining about? Are you in a place where your saying, Why, Lord? God was trying to draw Israel to Himself. He had a great land ahead, but at this point He is trying to teach them that their joy should come through Him, and not some material possession or dainty food to fill their appetite. God’s journey for their life was not going the way they thought it should have, so they complained! Look at what happens after they complained, “it displeased the LORD” Do you really want God to be upset with you? This is a dangerous place to be if you’re a believer. Philippians 2:14-16 “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” Please get your eyes off of your circumstances, then, praise God for how good He has been to you! After the LORD was displeased, look at what Numbers 11:1 says, “…and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.” God hates complaining! The Bible says that He is a consuming fire! Have you been saved? Have you been washed in the blood of the lamb? What could you possibly complain about?

Memory Week Verse 12/6/20

Numbers 11:1

“And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.”

Ephesians 5:15-16

Circumspectly means cautiously; with watchfulness every way; with attention to guard against surprise or danger. (Webster 1828)

“1. O COME, Let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. 2. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. 3. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”

Are you thankful today? Looking at Psalm 95, we realize that we should be thankful all the time, not just on the holiday. There are a lot of people in the world today that are unthankful. Why is that? Psalm 95 gives us the answer! “…let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.” Is Jesus Christ your Rock today? Have you ever put your faith and trust in Him? There is a reason many people are unthankful today, its because they are looking to the wrong places for their joys. Maybe your that hunter that hasn’t been successful yet this season, maybe you wont even get to hit the woods because of your job or some circumstance in your life. Did you get that truck you wanted? Did the newer house fall through and your still frustrated because things didn’t work out? Satan like to take these circumstances in our life and lead us to misery because we didn’t get our way. As a result, we become unthankful. II Timothy 3:1-5 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebrakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” If your not thankful the Bible says its because your a lover of yourself! Turn the focus off of your life and look to Jesus Christ! We all deserve hell because we are rotten sinners! Jesus Christ suffered tremendously because He loves us and wants to save us! We don’t have to suffer a tormenting eternity away from God! Amen! How could you not be thankful? He paid it all for us! Take focus off your own life and look to Jesus. Psalm 95:2 “Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.” Maybe your lost today! Maybe you’ve never been saved! Its hard to be thankful without Jesus. Please click the link for more information on how to be saved: https://sixthdayom.com/lost/ If you know Jesus Christ and you haven’t been thankful, first off, thank Him for saving you. Second, thank Him for all He has done for you! “When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.” Psalm 95:2 “Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.”

Memory Verse Week 11/23/20

Psalm 95:2

“Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.”

“1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

How is your tree today? If someone stepped back and snapped a picture of your life would it resemble this tree represented in Psalm 1:3? Would you resemble a tree full of fruit? Think about this time of year for a moment. The acorn crop is a great benefit to wildlife. When an oak tree doesn’t produce fruit its not much help to the wildlife. There is a good reason why Christians are not producing healthy fruit today! We can find these reasons in our text. Verse one and two both tell us why our life is more like a withering leaf, rather than a strong tree bearing fruit. What kind of influence do you have in your life? Are your friends more the type that would encourage you to break hunting laws or skip church to hunt on Sunday? Notice how the Bible says, “Blessed is the man that walketh not…” The word blessed is referring to the happy man. There are many unhappy Christians today following the ways of ungodliness because the people they walk with are ungodly and don’t care for the things that are right. Do you have those types of friends? The Bible says they will keep you from being blessed and cause you to make bad decisions in your life. Verse two should be the centerpiece of your life. Its starts, “But his delight…” Who is the his? Refer back to verse one! The blessed man, or you could say the happy man! The happy man’s delight is in the law of the LORD. That is referring to the Word of God. When should you read the Word of God? Psalm 1:2 tells us “day and night.” Spend time in God’s Word, but also live the way it leads you! Are you walking happy today? Could it be that the influences in your life are not the right people you should be walking with? II Corinthians 6:14 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” Are you walking happy today? Could it be that your not spending time in the Word of God? Psalm 1:2 “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” If we can get verse one and two engrained into our lives we will see the results of verse three! “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Don’t let ungodly friends hinder your walk with the Lord! Be a witness and testimony to them the best that you can, but choose some friends that care about the things of God! Also, spend some time reading and studying the Word of God! It will change your life in ways you never thought possible! Psalm 1:3 “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

Memory Verse Week 11/16/20

Psalm 1:3

“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”