Happy Tuesday

Present Fear or Present Faith


     Those who trust in the Lord are like mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. - Psalm 125:1-2

There's something interesting about fear.  While you'd think it would diminish with age and maturity, it seems to grow bigger. Maybe it's because we're more aware of all the things that could happen.

Take the young guy careening around the streets in his automobile.  He doesn't have a fear in the world.  Before I get in the car, I make sure I've got the insurance paid up, I fasten my seat belt, and I take a lot of time and trouble to make sure everything is okay.

Today's Scripture passage begins with David under the control of unwarranted fear.  I can hear you saying, Unwarranted? Wasn't King Saul out to slay him?  Yes.  Wasn't Saul's army much greater in number than the men around David?  Yes.  Did not Saul's jealousy and anger burn night and day against David?  Yes.

Here's why I say his fear was unwarranted:  Didn't God choose David to be king, and didn't Samuel, under the direction of God, anoint him to be king?  Of course he did. And that fact gives clear assurance that David would be preserved until the time came for him to ascend the throne. He had no reason to trust Saul, but he certainly could trust the Lord.  His fear stemmed from his weakened faith.

David didn't consult the Lord, he consulted his own heart, which in this instance led him astray.  Young David faced Goliath with a slingshot, while Saul and the rest of the army cringed in fear.  Now David had fallen victim to the same kind of dread.

Past faith is no answer to present fear.  If we are to finish the race and end well, we can't trust our feelings, we must trust the word of the Lord.

Prayer
"Lord, renew my faith in Your presence in my life today. Amen. "...

When fear overtakes us, we can rest in the assurance that God has promised to be with us always -- and He never breaks a promise.


Blessed Assurance

1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! 
 O what a foretaste of glory divine! 
 Heir of salvation, purchase of God, 
 born of his Spirit, washed in his blood. 
Refrain:
 This is my story, this is my song, 
 praising my Savior all the day long; 
 this is my story, this is my song, 
 praising my Savior all the day long. 

2. Perfect submission, perfect delight, 
 visions of rapture now burst on my sight; 
 angels descending bring from above 
 echoes of mercy, whispers of love. 
 (Refrain) 

3. Perfect submission, all is at rest; 
 I in my Savior am happy and blest, 
 watching and waiting, looking above, 
 filled with his goodness, lost in his love. 
 (Refrain) 

Daily Smile:

Q:What do you call it when one bull spies on another bull?

A: A steak-out!

In The News:

Assistant Admits to Killing 10 Babies With Scissors During Trial for 'House of Horrors' Abortionist
As the trial for notorious Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell proceeded this week, one of Gosnell's employees testified that she had personally been involved in the murders of 10 newborn babies, the Christian News Network reports. Adrienne Moton told the court the babies who were born alive had their spines "snipped" with scissors. "I learned it from Dr. Gosnell," she said when asked by prosecutors where she came up with the idea. "I never asked why. ... I could remember a good 10 times that I did it." Moton has been incarcerated since 2011, and has pled guilty to third-degree murder, along with other charges, for her participation in Gosnell's late-term abortion operation. She is the first of at least two employees who are set to testify against the abortionist in the trial. Gosnell, 72, faces seven counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of babies who were born alive but had their spinal cords "snipped"; he also faces one count of third-degree murder for the death of an abortion client who was administered a lethal amount of medication, in addition to approximately 20 other charges. Gosnell was taken into custody in 2011 following an investigation into his practice, called the Women's Medical Society. Philadelphia district attorney Seth Williams, who initially leveled the charges against Gosnell, described the clinic as a "House of Horrors." In addition to several babies found with their spinal cords severed, investigators "found jar after jar after jar of fetal remains and specifically severed feet in jars" and "medical waste bags just strewn everywhere," according to Williams. Gosnell, if convicted, could face the death penalty for his crimes.

White House on Clinton's Same-Sex Marriage Support: 'It's a Good Thing'
The White House has responded to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent support for same-sex marriage, calling it "a good thing," the Christian Post reports. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Monday that although he has not heard an official statement from President Barack Obama regarding Clinton's recent announcement, he can say that the president supports Clinton's decision. "The president believes that any time a public official of stature steps forward to embrace a commitment that he shares to equality for LGBT Americans, he thinks it's a good thing," Carney said. "I know that's what he feels in general when major figures in our society make their views known. It's testimony to how far this country and how quickly this country has traveled."