“O Lord, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced. Save me and rescue me, for you do what is right. Turn your ear to listen to me, and set me free. Be my rock of safety where I can always hide. Give the order to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked, from the clutches of cruel oppressors. O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood. Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you!” Psalms 71:1-6
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A declaration of present, personal trust in our Personal God. “In You, O LORD, I put my trust.” We cannot trust in the impersonal. Neither can we rely on the faith of other people. We must recognize the very protection of God is found in His presence. “I have come to you.”

Joshua 1:9 - “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

• There is power in the presence of God. 

  

• There is protection provided in the presence of God. 

 

• So, seeking His protection is found in recognizing His presence because His presence is already promised. 

Romans 8:38-39 - “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Rest in His presence...rely on His protection.

Bro. Joe

Prayer:
Lord, I seek you today. Your Word says that if I seek you, I will find you.You have promised to be with me wherever I go, which also means whatever I go through. I’m trusting you Lord as my refuge...my shelter...my Rock...my protector...my home. Thank you, Father. 
Amen
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​God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way.

• If you are going to grow in your walk, you must be willing to allow God to help you change in order that you might become more like Jesus.

Luke 4:17-21 - “The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him (Jesus). He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.’ He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. ‘The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!’ ”

By using this text out of Isaiah, Jesus identifies four types of people that need God’s help:
The 1st are the “poor”.

• Jesus said He came to preach good news to the poor. The word “poor” in this context refers to something much deeper than financial poverty. Jesus was referring to their moral and spiritual poverty.
• We might say that these people were morally and spiritually bankrupt.

The 2nd type of person is the prisoner.

• This word for prisoner means “prisoner of war”. Jesus saw how these people he knew so well were under spiritual bondage, prisoners of things like money, guilt, pride, and a whole host of other things. Satan had a stronghold in their lives and they didn’t even know it.

The 3rd type of person Jesus talks about is the blind.

• 2 Corinthians 4:4 says: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
• Jesus was showing them the blindness of not seeing their own need.

The 4th type of person is the oppressed

• Oppressed in this context means “broken in pieces, shattered & crushed.” Jesus came to those whose lives were oppressed by life’s load and they couldn’t see a way out.

So Jesus declares His ministry and His mission, saying ...

• “I have come for your spiritual poverty, your spiritual bondage, your spiritual blindness, and your spiritual brokenness”.
• I have come to heal your hearts!
• I have come to make you whole!
• I have come to give you life!

Bro. Joe

​The Grace of God is defined as unmerited favor; a gift of kindness freely given.

If you are able to say that you have come to know Christ as your personal Savior, then you are the recipient of God’s Amazing Grace.

• You were once God’s enemy but He made you His friend
• You were once forsaken but now you have been forgiven
• You were once orphaned but now you are adopted
• You were once bound to the power and penalty of sin but now you have been set free.
• You were once abandoned but now you enjoy the fullness of God’s presence.
• You were once seen through the ugliness of your sin but now you are seen through the righteousness of Christ.

If all this is true, how can we live more consistently in the state of grace - a life of freedom, forgiveness, empowerment, faith, and strength?

The reason we are seeking to answer this question is because we often do not value God’s Grace nearly enough.  

There is great value for us who have come to Christ… 

• to think about…
• to focus on…
• and to recognize…

…all that God has done for us to make salvation possible. 

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless…”  Galatians 2:20-21

Will you take time to focus on the wonderful…marvelous…amazing grace of God? It will change your perspective on all that is going on in the world.

If you’ve never experienced it, I am inviting you to step into God’s Wonderful Grace today. It will change your life.

Bro. Joe
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Prayer:  Lord, thank you for all that you have done for me. Your grace is overwhelming…your love is never ending...your presence is always with me. I love you, Lord. Amen