Pray the Psalms

The Book of Psalms is not just a collection of poetic songs about King David and other wise kings and figures. The Psalms are written for us to apply! "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17, NKJV). These poems are real-life experiences from believers of the past. Just like us, they suffered emotionally, physically, and even spiritually. But what's important is that they never lost their faith in God for deliverance. They sought the Lord, repented, worshipped, and praised their way to victory. Today, God wants us to read these words so that we may be encouraged and uplifted to persevere in this great walk of faith!

The psalms and other wisdom scriptures may be used as declarations and confessions of faith.

The expectation is for you to PRAY THE PSALMS (Speak them in prayer in place of your words) because they will reap spiritual benefits. Of course, you are to talk to God in your own intimate way. There's no rules. The purpose is to read them aloud often because the verses are God's inspired words with creative power to change your circumstances. Sometimes, we pray in ignorance, selfishness, or confusion. Thankfully, we have the scriptures available for our everyday use. There's no better way to pray than to pray according to God's Word because they're HIS words! So, speak His Word back to Him! With His own words, God created everything that exists. So why not use your authority as a believer and speak the Word over your life?

*Speaking in tongues is edifying too. But that's another blog post :) [https://jenniferquetant.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-gifts-and-ministries-of-holy-spirit.html + https://jenniferquetant.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-fivefold-ministry-gifts.html].

Below is a list of examples to encourage you to seek the Lord in both good and bad times.

Psalm 1: (one of my favorites!) This contrasts the prosperous lives of the righteous from the foolish lives of the wicked. vv.1-3 are great to meditate and declare.

Psalm 13: A prayer to trust God's timing.

Psalm 19: God's creation reveals His power.

Psalm 22: From suffering to joy.

Psalm 23: God cares for you.

Psalm 32: Forgiveness brings joy.

Psalm 91: God protects you. (I pray some of these verses daily!)

Psalm 116: God will deliver you. Be thankful always.

Psalm 131: Trust and contentment.

Psalm 139: A hymn of praise.

Psalm 146: Seek and trust God for help before running to people.

This exercise is inspired by an assignment in my course "Old Testament Poetry & Wisdom" at Colorado Christian University. For a further example and inspiration, you may check out my Psalm 116 project on YouTube [https://youtu.be/SBh2sSa_9tw]. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel!

(Bible Journey Book)

My 22-Day Devotional on Psalm 119 is available on Amazon both Paperback and eBook. Get yours today! [https://www.amazon.com/Psalm-119-Devotional-Diaries-daughter/dp/1539676641/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=]

Blessings ♥

Glorifying God

GLORIFYING GOD

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV)

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 

What do you think Paul was trying to say in this passage? How do you think Paul’s message would manifest in today’s society? Are there areas in your personal life to which this applies?

The Bible states in 1 Corinthians 10:31 (New International Version), “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” I think that Paul was telling believers that we should always worship God. No matter what we do, we ought to honor God by living in the way that pleases Him. This is a verse that always dwells on my mind. I consider it a privilege to be able to live for God. And, I also think that it’s special that Christians can live in a state of constant worship.

In John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible, he wrote that “God’s glory is the end of all his works and actions” (Gill, n.d.). God should get all of the glory because we were created for His glory (Isaiah 43:7). We belong to God. We were created for His purpose and for His pleasure. We weren’t meant to live without Him in any way. We were brought at a high price; even our bodies belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). I think that it’s important that we realize that the Holy Spirit lives in us. Christians must realize that our bodies are our temples. God lives in us! We must bear good fruit by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide every aspect of our lives.

Self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Bible states in 1 Corinthians 10:23 (New International Version), “I have the right to do anything you say—but not everything is beneficial. I have the right to do anything—but not everything is constructive.” The Bible also talks about gluttony being sinful in diverse scriptures. We are free in Christ to live for His glory not to live foolishly. By grace we’ve been saved. The only right response to grace, is to fear the Lord in reverence all day and every day. This is simply done by choosing to put Him first in everything.

Particularly, we should have a have a healthy lifestyle. We shouldn’t eat things that are harmful to our bodies nor should we consume more than what we need. I think that we should strive to live healthy by considering the Lord’s opinion on our food choices. I also think that we should make exercise a priority because it’s good for our body and mind. In 3 John 1:2 (New Living Translation), the Bible states “…I hope all is well with you and that you are healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.” We have to be healthy so that we can actively serve the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ body was broken so that ours can be made whole. We shouldn’t ignore the suffering of our Lord’s body. 

In today’s society, Paul’s message may not be manifested in everyone’s lives, but it has been accepted into the lives of many Christians, including mine. I am health conscious. This month, my family has completed a one-year journey of veganism. Although we have ended our journey, we have learned so much about the role that food plays in the body. We still eat very clean and exercise often. Spiritually, we know that God keeps us whole. We just do our part by acting on faith by doing what we can in the physical. I believe that Paul’s message would ultimately manifest today if the media would promote healthy living and if the gov’t made healthy foods more affordable. All things are possible with God!

Jennifer Quetant 

References

Gill, J. (n.d.). 1 Corinthians 10:31. Retrieved from https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/1-corinthians-10-31.html

Praise Confuses the Enemy!

Dream: 2/20/18

I was driving my husband’s car to school, and after class I noticed that someone had shattered his backseat window.

Everyone in the school ended up in an auditorium and was listening to a guest speaker. It seemed as if there were thousands of students. The speaker ended up standing next to me and she kept on talking about schizophrenia. She was looking at me when she said it. I thought it was interesting that she was doing that because my mother is diagnosed with schizophrenia. I thought that perhaps God had given her foreknowledge about some aspects of my life.

As the students were released from the auditorium, there were hundreds of emo kids chained up together (holding hands seems like) that were blocking us from leaving. We were trapped on both sides, and the emo kids were ready for war. They kept calling us, “evil Christians.”

Suddenly, I opened my mouth and started singing, “I will exalt You, I will exalt You...” then everyone else joined in. The emo kids moved out of our way, and before our song was over, I received revelation knowledge to run.

So I told everyone to run. They all packed into cars and drove off. The emo kids ran after us to attack us but God sent fire to encompass and trap them where they stood so that they couldn’t escape.

I saw the guest speaker acting schizophrenic. She was acting crazy! The leaders of the emo kids were laughing at us because they thought our leader (guest speaker) was crazy. They were laughing and making a mockery out of Christianity. But the woman was actually distracting them while another woman went and rescued those who were hiding in fear. We had the last bunch of people get into boats and buses and drive off.

Moral of the story: Praise confuses the enemy!
The devil doesn’t understand spiritual things because he manifests his evil works in the physical. He doesn’t understand our praise.

When it appeared as if all hope was lost, he assumed we would be trembling in fear for what seemed like a defeat. But instead, we stood on the Word of God. We praised God because His Word is true. He gave us authority. I knew in my heart and spirit that God wouldn’t allow us to be defeated and destroyed. So I was led to lead everyone into worship.

Then suddenly, the chain of demonically influenced people was broken.

I thought about a CSI episode I watched years ago. The show had a big twist. One of the CSI guys actually got kidnapped. The team couldn’t find him. The kidnapper was recording the guy speak badly about his friends. They were offended and confused. But he was really doing mind control. The words he spoke actually were big intelligent terms with definitions that gave clues to his location. Therefore, the team was able to find him and rescue him.

This reminds me of the guest speaker acting like she was schizophrenic (mind control) to tell me to catch on to her rescue plan so that I could be used to help God’s people escape.

We have no need to fear because God’s Word says not to. Our God will do what He said. War is coming. But we don’t wage against flesh and blood. We are to fight this spiritual battle with the Word of God, prayer and praise. (Ephesians 6)

Scriptures that God gave me:

Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
20 Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

Hebrews 11:30 says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.” (Full Story in Joshua 6–The Destruction of Jericho)

Prayer of Protection: Psalm 91

Psalms 1-5

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

God will never leave His people. Even if it seems like the last minute, God will rescue us.
Trust in the Lord. Do as His Word says!

*Song: “I will exalt You” by Hillsong United

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