We live in days when many are drifting from once-held convictions. Especially regarding the things of God!

Paul said this would happen: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits.” 1 Timothy 4:1

Love for the Lord God is waning in lots of places.

Jesus said this would happen. “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Matthew 24:12

Some psychologists now specialize in helping (professing) Christians back away from, even boldly deny … their once dear beliefs!

Multitudes of Christians have become more and more lax in Church attendance, Bible study, financial support (tithes), daily demonstration of their faith, etc.

So earlier this morning Psalm 48 came to my aid. A Verse there encouraged me as I see such lethargy in the family o f God.

The Psalmist thundered, vowed, determined: “For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.” Psalm 48:14

Amen!

Let us resolve, like him, to never go back!

To, with the Help of God the Holy Spirit, be faithful all the way to the end of this earthly life!

Amen!

“For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.” Psalm 48:14

Jesus said “It is finished!”

Paul said “I have finished my course!”

Surely then, none of us wants to be a quitter!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Psalm 47:1 actually commands us as Christians to rejoice in the victory that is already ours … through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The exact verse, better yet, the first two verses read: “O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God WITH THE VOICE OF TRIUMPH. For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.”

But how can that be done?

In a world so full of inane (deluded) leaders?

And a press (media) that is dedicated to disseminating lie after lie?

And a planet that seems to be more and more demonically controlled?

There is only one way to claim victory in this morass of chaos … BY FAITH!

Jesus IS coming again!

Wrong will be made right!

Sin (and sinners) will be justly punished!

In Hell Fire, forever!

And the saints of God will bask through all the ages in the wonderful Light of the amazing Grace and unconditional Love of God!

Paul says it best: “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57

And Paul wrote those words with an idiot ruling the most powerful nation on earth.

(One day the Prophet Elijah reciprocally called the wicked King of his day, “Ahab, son of Omri,” a TROUBLER of Israel! If that is accurate, and it is, America is in trouble!)

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Yes, we serve the Lord no matter what! In the bad times as well as the good times. Or at least that’s what we say. Along with Paul the Apostle we desire to truthfully testify: “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound.” Philippians 4:12

And I agree with this sentiment as well. “We serve the Lord not simply for WHAT HE DOES on our behalf … but for WHO HE IS!

Yet all these things being true, God is nevertheless to His Own children … “A VERY PRESENT HELP.” Psalm 46:1

In fact, He is helping me right now write this little Bible Meditation!

He helped me rest last night.

He helped me drive yesterday.

He is ALWAYS my Help!

That’s what “present” means … “A VERY PRESENT HELP!”

The modifier “very” is spelled “meod” in Hebrew. It adverbially means “much, great, exceeding, mighty!”

Yes, that’s the kind of Help He is to us, without exception!

Then the noun “help” must be discussed. It is “ezrah,” actually the foundation of the Bible name Ezra! It means assistance … “succour” quite often in the Bible. But what does “succor” mean? It means in Latin “to run!” The idea is that God comes running … to help us again and again! In a hurry!

I don’t know of a minute in my whole Christian (washed-in-the-Blood-of-the-Lamb) life, wither I was conscious of the fact or not, God was not my “very present Help!”

Wow!

Acknowledge that!

Thank and praise and adore Him for that!

Worship Him for that!

But then Psalm 46 adds two more words … “A VERY PRESENT HELP IN TROUBLE.” This little noun has the idea of “the tight, high pressure” situations of life that come our way.

God does not leave us when the going gets particularly difficult!

My mind (as I write this morning) wanders to the areas of the world where Believers in Jesus are being persecuted. Missionary organizations tell us that every day (on average) nearly 300 Christians are martyred for their faith! (A number much higher I suspect during these days of American cowardice and deterioration.)

In Heaven, when we meet these “heroes,” these slain saints … everyone of them is going to tell us (I guarantee you) that … “God was our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

HE NEVER FAILS!

By the way, to these overcomers, these hunted men and women and boys and girls … “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” Oh … what a Crown of Life awaits them all!

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

Hallelujah!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Twice in John chapter 14 out Lord Jesus said it: “Let not your heart be troubled.” The verb means “disturbed, disquieted, agitated.” More so, “no longer calm.” He spoke these soothing words to His Disciples, devoted followers.

The Christian’s heart is once (again by Jesus) compared to a storage vault! “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things.” Matthew 12:35

But my main emphasis this morning is the idea that the Believer’s heart is the seat of his very “thoughts.”

For example, we are told of the Virgin Mary, upon hearing of the soon coming Birth of Jesus … “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19, where “pondered” means she “threw these thought back and forth in her mind!” Literally employing the Greek compound verb “sumballo.”

Now, here’s my Text Verse. The Psalmist testifies: “My heart is inditing a good matter.”  The heart of a Christian thus “indites!” But what does that mean? (Psalm 45:1)

The word “inditing” is used here only (just this once) in all the Bible! It is called a “hapax legomenon” for that reason. So I must consult the (Hebrew) Lexicons to learn more. They say “rachash” means “to stir, to keep moving.” (Maybe, one Rabbi thinks “to keep the lips moving in praise and worship.”) In some ancient contexts the word means “to keep boiling, stewing.” in another instance, “to flutter!”

In essence, our hearts should be astir (not troubled, but active in thought, in meditation, in pondering) about the good things of God! About His Word and His works and His Will for our lives!

Christian friend, do not lose (waste) the precious hours of this day in listless “daydreaming.” Engage your heart and train it to “indite” proper and holy and noble thoughts.

This is literally the “heartbeat” of the Believer!

God keeps your heart moving physically, pumping blood throughout your physical body. Now YOU should keep your heart moving (astir) spiritually, savoring and enjoying your Lord God and His Darling Son Jesus!

Wow!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Psalm 44 opens with these words: “We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.”

Many have mocked the very idea of “the good old days,” especially in this postmodern era of cultural collapse.

But thank God, some “old timers” still tell us about the good old days, especially regarding the Works of Almighty God!

Joshua gave us an example of this “telling of God’s Power.” You’ll find it in Joshua 4:21-23 … “And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over.”

Paul hinted at this principle too, except he was speaking of the great Doctrines God taught in the past. “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2

Timothy’s Mother Eunice and Grandmother Lois certainly told him of such great things. (1st Timothy 2:5)

Folks, for twenty-five centuries (from 4000 BC until around 1500 BC) mankind had no written Bible. That’s from the days of Adam until Moses wrote the Pentateuch! How did God’s Truth, God’s mighty Acts, get disseminated among the people?

The Fathers (and Mothers) told their sons (and daughters) … that’s exactly how!

Personally … I can even remember stories, accounts of old told me by Grandparents, by old Preachers, by biographers (yes, via books), by Christian (godly) historians … great things God did in their days!

(By the way, the Lord is not through doing great things yet! The sun just rose this morning outside my motel window, in the distant eastern sky! An example of God’s Power, to me anyway. And Jesus could come again, very soon, setting off another cascade of miraculous, “Works of God!”)

All I am saying today … “Pass it on!”

To the younger folks!

Share how God saved you!

Share those old Bible Stories too long forgotten!

Share the facts about the great Revivals of yesteryear!

Based on Psalm 44:1 printed above … it looks like they, the young people, will remember.

Let us older folks not be guilty of neglect. Of refusing to tell how really Great God is!

Wow!

This gives a new perspective to family devotions!

In Psalm 26:7 David vows “to tell of all God’s wondrous works!” So should we, to the best of our abilities.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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