583-Those Who Look to Him Will Not Be Ashamed#
(JP Text Group - shalom organized)
Peace, dear family, welcome to your arrival. Today is Sunday, and we will look at God's word together.
The topic of the sharing is: Those Who Look to Him Will Not Be Ashamed.
Psalm 34:4-10:
4 I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them. 8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! 9 O fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him have no lack. 10 The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Let us pray first.
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You. Thank You for giving us such a wonderful time today, allowing us to receive supply in front of Your word once again. Help us to gain revelation and strength from Your word, and to learn to look to You in our lives, for we believe that those who look to You will not be ashamed. May we experience Your presence and power more in our lives, and increasingly experience Your goodness. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.
Everyone may encounter things that are difficult to handle. At that moment, what will you do? Seeking help from people is certainly an option, but what if people cannot help you, or if a bigger problem arises while they are helping you? Moreover, seeking help from people often requires paying an equal or greater price, otherwise, the outcome may be worse.
But those who look to the Lord Jesus will not be ashamed, for He has the power and is willing to grant grace to you. Today's psalm is a psalm of David. Throughout his life, David experienced many of God's salvations and powers, and he had countless real testimonies. It is precisely because of this that he knows God is faithful, real, and irreplaceable. Not only can David experience this, but every believer in the Lord Jesus can also experience God's goodness and salvation. As long as one sincerely seeks, they will surely find, and those who look to Him will not be ashamed. Let us first look at the background of the psalm; what exactly did David experience that led him to write such a psalm?
1 Samuel 21:10-15:
10 And David arose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” 12 Now David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? 15 Have I need of madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”
This story is quite simple. At that time, Saul was the king of Israel, and he considered David a threat, thinking of ways to kill him every day. Later, David felt that it was too unsafe in his own country, so he thought of fleeing abroad, and thus went to the former enemy, Achish the king of Gath.
Achish was a Philistine. Previously, David had killed Goliath, and after that, David's fame was well-known among the Philistines. Now David had no choice; he felt too unsafe in his own country, where Saul was constantly trying to capture him and kill him, so he thought it might be safer to run to his enemy.
From the title of today's psalm, it can be seen that David wrote it after pretending to be mad before Abimelech and being saved. Abimelech is a title for kings, and Achish is his name. When David first faced Saul's pursuit, he forgot that he was in God's hands, but at that time, he was seeking a way out according to human plans. He first lied to the priest Ahimelech, then took Goliath's sword and fled to Goliath's hometown of Gath, thinking that hiding among his enemies would be safe.
As a result, he found that although he had escaped from the tiger's mouth, he had entered the wolf's den. Because Achish, the king of Gath, was extremely distrustful of him and could kill him at any time, in desperation, David had to disregard his shame, pretend to be mad, and foolishly escape danger. David left the Philistine Gath, fled to the cave of Adullam, and returned to Saul's sphere of influence. Although the environment was dangerous and difficult, he felt very relaxed and joyful inside.
David relied on his own schemes, moving from one failure to another, but in despair, he no longer relied on himself; instead, he bowed before God and listened to God's guidance. This experience taught David to rely on God in everything, for if the king of Gath was determined to kill him, pretending to be mad would be of no use. David knew that it was God who helped him, so he expressed his gratitude to God from his heart.
Verse 4 says: I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.
The words here are crucial; he says God delivered him from all his fears. Everyone can imagine that David, a man who ran to Goliath's hometown, wanted to do something under their hands. As a result, almost everyone was distrustful of him, thinking that David was not a good person and might be pretending.
Because of this, David felt that his life was more dangerous than being under Saul's hand. At this moment, what could he do? Some might say he pretended to be mad and deceived Achish, but in this process, David had only prayer left, as he had nowhere else to go and could only pray to God. So he said, "I sought the Lord."
When David sought the Lord, He answered him and delivered David from all his fears. This fear came from David's heart because he did not know who might suddenly come out and kill him in the Philistine hometown, thus his heart was filled with fear.
This also gives us a very good direction: what should we do when fear arises in our lives? When do we generally feel fear? It is when we do not know what to do about the current situation, facing the threat of enemies, and our hearts are shaken. This is when the kind of fear David spoke of arises, feeling that his life is threatened.
And what did David do? He prayed to God. Perhaps apart from praying to God, he had no other methods, because he alone wanted to confront the entire Philistine army, which was almost hopeless. But what was the good outcome? David safely walked out of this danger, and he drew a conclusion from his experience: the Lord is absolutely trustworthy, and those who fear Him will surely be blessed!
Let’s look at verses 5-6: 5 Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
Here David himself says that he looked to God and was radiant. Originally, he felt hopeless and had no way out, but now when he looked to God, he became radiant and was no longer ashamed. How can one be said to look to God? Through this word, we can understand that looking up means to look up to the Lord above the sunlight. If a person only looks at this world or looks down, they will become hopeless, because the more they look, the less hope they see, and the more they see no way out.
I wonder if brothers and sisters have encountered such situations? When faced with a difficulty, the more you look at the problem, the bigger it becomes, and the more you see that the people around you cannot help you, you will become discouraged and hopeless. So you need to look to God, look up, and see the Lord of this world, our God, who can help you. Those who seek God in difficulties are blessed, for at least you know that this God has the power and is willing to help you.
Those who can learn to look to God in times of prosperity are wise, for this way of living will keep you away from all suffering. Even if there is suffering, you can easily overcome it with God's wisdom. There is no need to be like those who do not rely on God, waiting until things cannot be solved and they are truly overwhelmed before choosing to seek God. Therefore, the wisest approach is to continually look to God in your daily life when you are at peace.
For example, as I often teach everyone: every day when you wake up, can you bless and pray for yourself and your family in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and declare to God the path you want to take? If you develop this habit of relying on God and looking to God in peace, you can actually avoid danger in many situations and will not fall into temptation and evil. Because God's wisdom is first to lead us to walk the path of righteousness, Amen. Similarly, if you do not have the habit of relying on God in normal times, when you encounter problems, looking to God and calling on Him is also acceptable.
But you cannot look at this world, because the more you look at the world, the less faith you will have in difficulties; and do not look at yourself, because looking at yourself will reveal that you cannot overcome these problems. So what should you do? Return to God's word and see how great the power of the God you believe in is.
Secondly, find God's promises to you in the Bible, and hold on to these promises to overcome the problems around you. Hallelujah. Just like Peter, when he saw Jesus walking on the sea, he wanted to go over and asked, "Lord, is it you? If it is you, please let me come to you." The Lord Jesus said, "Come." Then Peter fixed all his eyes on Jesus. This is looking up. He did not look at how great the wind and waves were at that time, nor did he think about whether he could stand on the sea; he just saw Jesus. His thought was: I want to go to Jesus!
At first, he indeed walked on the sea. Later, when his gaze was no longer on Jesus and he realized he was standing on the sea surface with such great wind and waves, how could a person stand firm? This contradicts our usual theories and scientific laws! So he sank immediately. Brothers and sisters, this is because he no longer looked to Jesus, and that ability disappeared; this is what we need to reflect on.
We often tell everyone to meditate more on God's word in life and to focus on God's truth when encountering problems. But often at this time, it is difficult for people to do this. If they do not have the habit of relying on God in normal times, it becomes even more difficult. Because when people encounter problems, they always think about how to solve the problem quickly. If you tell them to look to God, they may feel it is unreliable. But the real solution is indeed this.
David overcame in this way. Let’s think about this question: he had already started pretending to be mad. What if Achish did not believe him? Even if he was pretending to be mad, Achish could still kill him. What could David do then? David could only pray in his heart, asking Achish to believe that he really had a problem and to look down on him and let him go. Who can do this? Who can change a person's heart? Only our Lord.
So when David walked out of this trouble, he knew this was God's work, because he called on God, and God heard his prayer and saved him from these troubles. Since God could hear David's call, He can also hear your call; it depends on whether you believe that God has such power and is willing to grant such grace to you.
The day before yesterday, a sister shared her testimony that happened in the past two days. She said someone told her that her mother had a problem, so she hurried to her mother's place. When she arrived, she found that her mother's body temperature was already cold. She cried and prayed, pressed on her acupoints, and kept declaring and calling. After a while, her mother actually recovered, and everything was normal.
Through this incident, she realized that relying on God in the face of problems can be so simple. She recalled that when her father passed away, she did not even think of declaring and praying like this; she did not even try.
Later, I told her that our lives are constantly growing like this. It seems that we have not done anything special; we just need to listen to the word, read the Bible, meditate, and develop habits. When encountering problems, she can think of praying to God at the first moment, which is good. Some might say, "Maybe it was pressing her acupoints that revived her, or maybe it was stimulating some acupoints that helped her." In fact, she knows better than anyone that this is God's grace coming upon her mother. Thank the Lord.
Unless one has personally experienced it, otherwise, we will always have countless possibilities to question this matter. Whether the body temperature is cold or not, she knows better than anyone. Thank the Lord. After such an incident, she knew God's great power and increased her faith. What do we see? She had the wisdom to handle such matters, rather than just crying out loud, which does not solve the problem. We also need to develop this habit of looking to God regularly, so that no matter what happens, we look to God, and you will not be ashamed. Hallelujah.
Therefore, many people continuously listen to teachings and read the Bible, which may seem like nothing special is happening, but in fact, their inner lives are continuously growing. When they encounter things later, they will know how to rely on God. Do not expect that every time you pray, something earth-shattering will happen; after things happen, you return to your normal life and see no trace of God's power. Such people seek God only to solve problems. But we should not be like this; we should learn from David to continually draw near to God and look to God in our daily lives, which is ultimately how we let faith enter our lives.
Verse 7: The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them.
From a human perspective, David escaped this time by pretending to be mad, but David understood very well in his heart that it was God who sent angels to encamp around him and deliver him. All believers have angels encamping around them to serve us, and the Holy Spirit is in us, helping us to turn danger into safety. These are all our resources; it depends on whether we want to use them. If people do not realize this, they will continue to rely on their own cleverness and will not see God's salvation and power.
Let’s talk about an example from the Old Testament that is easier to understand. In the Old Testament, there was a man named Jacob, who particularly liked to grasp the world and blessings. No matter where the blessings were, he was willing to seize them, but he often relied on his own cleverness. Later, he deceived his brother and father at home just to obtain blessings, causing chaos in the family. With no choice left, he left his home alone and went to live with his uncle. When he arrived at his uncle's house, his uncle also schemed against him; this was a match of equals.
Later, he worked for his uncle as a shepherd, and his uncle took advantage of him being alone, deceiving him for nearly twenty years. During this process, Jacob certainly fought back, but it was almost ineffective. One day, Jacob thought: if this continues, even if I work here for forty or fifty years, I will still end up with nothing. I must establish my own family business. One day he found his uncle, and they reached an agreement, saying, "How about this? I will take care of the sheep for you, which is fine, but I want to establish my own family business." At that time, his uncle also said, "Okay, you just say what you want."
At this time, Jacob proposed a condition that his uncle could not refuse. He said, "Look, you have so many sheep now; I want you to take out the spotted and speckled ones and leave only the solid-colored sheep, like only the white sheep. You take the other sheep away from me for two or three days, and I will take care of this group of sheep. If any spotted or speckled sheep are born among this flock, that will be mine. How about that?" His uncle thought, "This is great!" Because if all the sheep are solid-colored, it is impossible for them to give birth to spotted or speckled ones.
Just like we call it genetics today, the blood types of the parents determine the blood types of the children; they cannot go elsewhere. For example, if both parents have type A blood, the child must be type A; there is also a possibility that the child could be type O blood, but it can never be type B blood. This means that genetically, things have already been predetermined.
If all the sheep are solid-colored, it is impossible for them to give birth to spotted or speckled ones; those who shepherd know this characteristic. So when his uncle heard this, he thought, "This is fine; let’s do it as you said." His uncle believed that he would ultimately be the winner and agreed to Jacob's request. In fact, Jacob had his own ideas.
Let’s look at a passage from Genesis 30:37-39:
37 Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks. 38 He set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And they bred when they came to drink. 39 The flocks bred in front of the sticks and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted.
This thing really worked out for him. Among Jacob's flock, the number of striped, speckled, and spotted sheep increased, while the solid-colored ones became fewer and weaker. It seemed that Jacob had won, but in reality, whose credit was it? It was God's grace towards Jacob.
At that time, Jacob did not think this was God's grace; he thought it was his cleverness that ultimately made him richer. So later, when he fled with these, his uncle Laban chased after him. If it were not for God intervening and speaking to his uncle Laban in a dream at night, he would have probably lost everything.
Because you cannot reason with his uncle Laban; even if these sheep were born, they were still his. If he took them away, what could Jacob do? So after that incident, Jacob realized that it was God who saved him.
Through these events, we can also see that if people do not realize that it is God who constantly helps us in our lives, they will think they are just lucky or that their methods are appropriate, ultimately receiving these blessings. In fact, we need to have spiritual sensitivity through David's events, to know that although I used this method to get out, it was also God's grace that allowed this method to work; otherwise, it would not have worked.
So brothers and sisters, when you encounter good ideas in your life, and you hope that this idea will ultimately succeed, then rely on God. Do not think that it is your idea that leads to success; you should believe that God blesses your idea, sends angels to help you, and ultimately you succeed. This is indeed supported by the Bible.
Hebrews 1:14: Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
This means that we cannot see angels, but they are all ministering spirits. As long as we rely on God and believe in God's guidance, then angels will accomplish good things according to the thoughts within us. Because these things are what God is willing to give us, only when God is willing can these things ultimately be accomplished.
Take David's event as an example: how did Achish see David and say, "I have no need of madmen; why bring this man to me? Just let him go." Why did Achish have such a disdainful thought and let him go? It must be that David prayed. "Lord, I am really in danger in the land of the Philistines; they do not trust me and want to kill me. Please help me; move Achish's heart to let him see that I am truly mad and let me go." David must have had similar prayers, and God heard such prayers, changing Achish's view of David, leading him to disdain him, and ultimately letting him go.
After David came out from the land of the Philistines, he knew that this was definitely God's work. Just like we mentioned earlier about Jacob, Jacob was able to escape safely from Laban's hands because God was at work. We must acknowledge this fact; it is not that Jacob was clever or lucky; it was God who helped him from behind. Amen. Do you have such a reverent heart towards God? If so, God will also encamp around you to deliver you, for He will send His angels to protect you. When you call upon Him in times of danger, He will save you. Amen.
Verse 8: Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
This is David's appeal; he hopes that everyone can rely on God in this way, call upon God, and taste the goodness of the Lord, which means to experience the Lord Himself. David had experienced God's salvation countless times; although he was still in distress at that moment, his heart was filled with joy.
He also invites others, including us, to taste the goodness of the Lord. Only when we personally experience God and taste the goodness of the Lord can we know how good this God is.
We have told many people in the past that perhaps you have doubts about the Lord Jesus now, but that’s okay; first, try calling on Him and see if He will save you. At least I know from countless experiences that God is real and has saved my life countless times, so I can tell others to try tasting the goodness of the Lord. When you encounter something, pray to Him sincerely and call upon Him; you will know God's salvation and power.
Indeed, there are countless people around us who have tasted the goodness of the Lord. Some, after tasting, do not return and do not believe anymore; others, after tasting the goodness of the Lord, feel that this God is truly wonderful, so they choose to continue believing in God and stay in this church to continue listening to God's word, experiencing more of God's grace. But regardless of which type, these people all know God's goodness and that those who take refuge in God are blessed. Thank the Lord! Therefore, God's word is not just for us to listen to; it is for you to use in your life after listening.
I have told the brothers and sisters in our church, "No matter what your current state is or what problems you encounter, I only have one request: persist in coming to listen to the word every week. If you really encounter difficulties and cannot come, it’s okay to miss once or twice, but try to come every time to listen to the word. After three years of persistence, see if your life has undergone a tremendous change."
Because God has the power to change everything in your life, letting you know that He can grant grace to you, but you must first do one thing: be willing to seek Him, be willing to experience Him. Do not just listen once or twice and then give up; you must continue to listen and continue to experience Him.
Most people experience a significant change in their lives within six months to a year, which is why I say this. Because I believe that the God I believe in is real, and I know His goodness; those who take refuge in Him are blessed. I dare say that no matter how big your problems are, continue to listen to the word and experience Him. Amen.
There was a sister who believed in the Lord for many years and listened to countless sermons, yet her life had not improved. Whenever she tried to do something, it would always fail at the last step. Later, she found me, and my advice was very simple: "Just listen to our Sunday sermon in order, and experience God according to what you hear, practice, declare, and believe." She said, "Okay."
A month passed, and nothing happened. She became a bit anxious and said, "Why hasn't God helped me yet?" I said, "Don't worry; keep listening, and God will show you miracles." She said, "No, this problem is very serious now. Please pray for me to see God's power and increase my faith." I said, "Okay." The next day, she saw God's salvation; that business succeeded, and she said, "I saw God's power." I told her, "Please continue to listen and continue to practice God's word in your life." This is very important.
Many people fall into a mistake where they listen to everything, whether it is worldly or spiritual, regardless of who is preaching. But they only stay at the listening stage without thinking about how to experience this God in their lives. Some people have participated in our studies for more than three years, and after that, I told them, "From now on, you should focus on reading the Bible and meditating on God's word, and then you should use these words in your life to produce direct experiences and insights between you and God."
At this point, there is no need to listen to other people's sermons anymore, because it is unnecessary. Now that you know what kind of God this is, what do you need to do? After systematic learning, you also understand the scope, so go meditate, because at this point, you already have a foundation, and meditating will not cause major problems.
Unexpectedly, some people still asked me, "I met another pastor who is quite famous; should I continue to listen to him?" My advice was, "You really don't need to listen to more people's sermons now; focus on reading the Bible and meditating, and produce real things between you and God." After hearing this, he said, "Yes, I also think it should be like this." Later, he followed this method, and indeed, there were significant changes in his life. Of course, some people did not quite agree and returned to their previous ways, and their lives remained the same, not moving forward.
If David had only kept listening and not experienced God in his life, he would not have told us to taste the goodness of the Lord. If you keep looking for various people's teachings to listen to, you may end up with just knowledge because you have no personal experience.
We hope that every brother and sister experiences this God, just as David said to taste the goodness of the Lord and experience Him. How to experience? Use what you hear today within this week; it is not that you will have a flourishing life just by listening enough; it is that you will have a flourishing life by using enough.
Let’s put it this way: if you can repeatedly use what you gain from this week's Sunday sermon within these seven days, you will reap great benefits. Amen. More importantly, think about what God's revelation is in this sermon and how I should apply this sermon in my life. Use it repeatedly, not just once or twice, but continuously. This is equivalent to experiencing the great power of the Lord, knowing that He is good, and then your faith will grow stronger. Amen.
Psalm 18:30-31:
30 As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is refined. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. 31 For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?
This passage tells us how to rely on God. You do not get to know God and rely on Him just by listening to enough pastors; that will not lead you to rely on God. The key is that through one person's preaching, you receive it and turn it into your own understanding, knowing what kind of God this is, and then let Him enter your life. God's way is perfect; through one person, you know that God is perfect, that He is faithful, and you know the related truths, then use Him. Amen.
The word of the Lord is refined. There is no need to search anymore. If you understand this passage through this person's preaching, there is no need to listen to others preach this passage. Do you want to hear a different meaning? God's word is refined; the important thing is to let you take refuge in Him and use Him. Amen.
When you use these words in your life, He becomes your shield. When do you need to use a shield? You need to use it when the enemy's attack comes. When there is no enemy, what do you need to hold up this shield for? So when the attack comes, when danger comes, God's word becomes your shield. First, must you turn these words into your own? It is not that you listen enough and turn it into knowledge, and still cannot use it; rather, you need to meditate on this passage more and use this passage more in your life, and it will become a shield. You will ultimately know that God's word is faithful and that He is your rock; you will no longer be shaken back and forth. The more one experiences God, the more stable their foundation will become, and the more they will rely on God, steadfastly relying on God in everything.
After David left Gath, he fled to the cave of Adullam. Although he lacked in life there, David was already lacking nothing inside. He knew that God could save him in Gath and could still save him here, so he had a deeper understanding of God, knowing that God would surely take care of him according to His faithfulness, helping him and supplying all his needs. And indeed, it was so. David not only could stay in the cave of Adullam but also helped many poor, distressed, and fleeing people, bringing them to the cave of Adullam to supply them. This is David continually relying on God.
Matthew 6:30-33:
30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
This passage mentions faith. How does your faith arise? It is by looking at the great nature that God created. Who appreciates the grass in the field? Who cares about it? Yet our God still adorns it like this. The life of grass is very short; today it may be eaten by beasts, and tomorrow it may be thrown into the oven. But even with such a short life, God still gives it beautiful adornment.
Through this, what do you need to see? You need to see that if God supplies even the grass in the field, how much more will He supply me? I am God's beloved child; His supply for me is absolutely sufficient. When you meditate more on God's supply and God's love, you will no longer worry because you know that God knows all that you need. Then pray to God: "Lord, what should I do? Right now I have an idea; can You help me realize it?" You can pray to the Heavenly Father.
Here it mentions that you should seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Now that we are already in God's kingdom and have God's righteousness, our Heavenly Father is willing to give you good things. The Holy Spirit already dwells in you; whatever ideas you have, just tell our Lord and let Him accomplish it for you.
What is the worst outcome? It is that your prayer direction is wrong, and you have selfish motives. If this method is accomplished, it may be harmful to you; God will simply not accomplish it. He will not punish you, penalize you, or destroy you for praying wrong; He will not do that, so what are you worried about? Therefore, have faith in God. Hallelujah.
Verses 9-10 of this article:
9 O fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him have no lack. 10 The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
How can one become a saint of the Lord? It is to be set apart by God. Are we saints? Yes, because we are a group of people redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ and belong to the saints.
What should we do? Fear our God, respect Him from the heart, worship Him, and exalt Him. When you place the Lord first in your heart, you will achieve the result of lacking nothing. What does lacking nothing mean? It means you have no lack; you always have an object to rely on. When you encounter difficulties, you can rely on our God; when you have needs, you can rely on our God, for He can supply you.
Later, God gives an example: the young lions suffer want and hunger. The young lion is a symbol of strength; in the animal kingdom, it is the top existence. Yet even so, they sometimes cannot catch food and need to go hungry.
But those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. What does seeking mean? It means asking God about everything in your life: "What should I do about this matter?" Acting according to the truth and applying God's truth to life is called seeking the Lord. Amen. Those who seek our Lord lack no good thing. Thank and praise the Lord.
Philippians 4:19 says: And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Thank the Lord, God wants to grant you not just a little, but to make all your needs sufficient. If you say, "I have not yet experienced God's grace in terms of finances or health, and I have not reached the level of sufficiency," then start by listening to His words and using His words. As you experience Him more and more, sufficiency will come upon you.
Finally, let’s look at a passage from Jude 1:20-21:
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
This is Jude's encouragement to us. As we approach the end times, people will think about themselves, and some will go to any lengths to achieve their goals. But we should not be like this; we should not imitate this world but build ourselves up in the most holy faith.
How can we build ourselves up in the most holy faith? That is, after hearing the truth, ensure that what you hear is the truth; nonsense does not count, and you cannot believe in nonsense. First, ensure that what you hear is the truth, then use this truth to build yourself up, applying this truth to your life.
What else should you add? Pray in the Holy Spirit, which can be said to be praying in tongues. This way, you will keep yourselves in the love of God. Think more about God's love and meditate more on God's word. The more you meditate, the more you will feel: "This God is truly wonderful; He really loves me." Therefore, no matter what problems you encounter, your heart will no longer panic or fear.
You will rely on God, believing that God will definitely provide a way. Even if there are problems at the moment, God will solve them; even if there are indeed losses at the moment, God will compensate and let us gain more, so you will no longer worry. This is called looking to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
You know that God is a merciful Lord, so you look to Him. Do not say, "I am so pitiful; I am so lacking." Do not be so pitiful. Believe that God is abundant, that God is sufficient, and just look to Him. As for how to look to Him, listening to today's sermon will give you insights. Learn how David looked to God until a rich life is manifested in you. Thank the Lord, and may today's sharing bring some help to everyone.
Let us pray together.
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You. Thank You for giving us such words today, letting us know that those who look to our Lord will not be ashamed, for what You grant us is not shame but abundant blessings. We are also willing to seek our God in everything, believing that through the redemptive work accomplished by Jesus on the cross, You are willing to listen to our prayers and grant us the best blessings. No matter what we encounter in our lives, You will save us from all evil. We also believe that You will encamp around us to deliver us, as long as we call upon You, You will let us experience Your great power.
A new week has begun, and I believe that the Holy Spirit is with me. You will help me experience Your goodness time and time again in my life. I also look forward to good things happening to me, and I am willing to have beautiful testimonies to glorify You. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.