Today’s Reading: Neh 12:1–13:31, 2 John 1–6, Ps 115:1–18

Today’s Themes:  Sing to the Lord

Today we remember the importance of praise, songs and music in our life with God. Sing to the Lord today.

Nehemiah 12:1–13:31

Celebrate with gladness

And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres. Nehemiah 12:27 (ESV)

God is worthy of our praise, we should celebrate and praise Him with joy for all He has done. 1 Corinthians 14:15

We should worship the Lord with singing and the playing of all sorts of instruments, making a joyful sound unto God.

Paul reminds us that praise should be a part of our everyday life in Ephesians 5:19 “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,”

Heaven is filled with loud, joyful worship. Revelation 4:8 and Revelation 19:1.

Don’t let anything steal your joy today, sing to the Lord with gladness. Acts 16:25

Corporate praise

Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great choirs that gave thanks. One went to the south on the wall to the Dung Gate. Nehemiah 12:31 (ESV)

We see the two great choirs here which remind us of the importance of corporate worship and singing together. God doesn’t want us to just praise Him on our own. God wants us to come together as a group to sing to Him too.

We are reminded of the importance of regular corporate worship in Hebrews 10:24–25 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Reading about these choirs reminds me of our own choir “Sincere Praise”. Sincere Praise were recently in ministry in Cyprus and worship the Lord in song each week at our church.

The “We Are Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” album can be listened to on Spotify here http://goo.gl/QCmo7y

The “Hold Fast” album can be listened to on Spotify here http://goo.gl/6lk6lA.

You can buy both albums on iTunes here http://goo.gl/WF6qNv and here http://goo.gl/pLUWli

God, our greatest joy!

And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away. Nehemiah 12:43 (ESV)

God is our greatest joy and treasure. God should bring us more joy than anyone else. We should rejoice in Him and prize Him as the highest source of joy.

The people rejoiced in the Lord so greatly that it was heard far away. Our praise of God should be heard across the nations to the glory of His name.

The following is an excerpt from John Piper’s book “The Pleasures of God”.

“The greatest joy is joy in God. This is plain from Psalm 16:11: “You [God] will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” Fullness of joy and eternal joy cannot be improved. Nothing is fuller than full, and nothing is longer than eternal. And this joy is owing to the presence of God, not the accomplishments of man. Therefore, if God wants to love us infinitely and delight us fully and eternally, he must preserve for us the one thing that will satisfy us totally and eternally; namely, the presence and worth of his own glory.”

2 John 1–6

Truth and Love

The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. 2 John 1–3 (ESV)

Singing to the Lord in praise and worship is worthless if it is not done in truth and love.

John connects truth and love as each on their own can lead us into one of two major errors.

Truth without love will lead us into cold hearted religion which is concerned only with the precise quality of the truth and teaching without regard to the application of the truth and translating the truth to everyday people.

Love without truth will lead us into apostasy as we capitulate to the world’s standards and throw away our essential core as a faith in order to “reach out”.

Love and truth must work together. This way we believe correctly through the truth and live correctly by the love of God.

This is love

And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 2 John 6 (ESV)

John provides us with another working definition of love. Love in this context is not a mussy, sentimental, fuzzy feeling; no, love is walking in the truth, obeying God’s commands according to His revealed word in the Bible.

The world has redefined love to be whatever we want it to be, which is the opposite to John’s definition. Here we see love is not about us doing our own will but about us doing God’s will.

If we walk in love we lay down our own agenda to live for God. Laying down our lives for God and others just like Jesus did on the cross.

Psalm 115:1–18

All glory belongs to God

Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! Psalm 115:1 (ESV)

We live to bring glory to God. When someone says well done for doing something, receive the thanks and praise, then turn and give it to God.

We give God glory as we sing praises to him.

God’s pleasure!

Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Psalm 115:3 (ESV)

Our God is sovereign, He does all that pleases Him and it brings God pleasure when we worship Him in joy. “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him”.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

The Gospel Coalition on 2 John 1

Today’s Reading: Neh 10:28–11:36, 1 John 5:17–21, Ps 113:1–114:8

Today’s Themes:  Obligations of the Covenant

All covenants contain obligations for those included in the terms of the covenant. We need to realise we have obligations to fulfil and seek God’s mercy for the times we fail to meet our obligations. God’s grace does not mean we are free from responsibility, on the contrary we are obliged by the covenant to obey God’s commands.

Nehemiah 10:28–11:36

We have obligations to fulfil

join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord and his rules and his statutes. Nehemiah 10:29 (ESV)

Every covenant comes with obligations that both parties need to hold to or the covenant is broken. We already know that God cannot lie or fail so He remains faithful and upholds His end of any covenant He has made with us.

We like the people need to pledge our allegiance to God. We are obligated to obey God’s word and live as He has guided. We should not live only for ourselves, we should live for God and others.

Jesus said in John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Paul told us in Romans 1:14 “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. (to preach the gospel)” and then encourages us in Romans 15:1 “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.”

Let’s swear our allegiance to God today and determine to fulfil the obligations of the new covenant as revealed in God’s word.

Our obligation to God’s house

For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the house of our God.” Nehemiah 10:39 (ESV)

We as God’s people have an obligation to maintain the house of God. We should all be giving freely to the Lord’s work and the upkeep of the Lord’s house with our money, time and energy.

Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 9:6–7 “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Give to the work of the ministry at church and give generously to the glory of God.

1 John 5:17–21

We are protected

We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. 1 John 5:18 (ESV)

A Christian cannot live in deliberate and habitual sin. We do not keep on sinning and feel uncomfortable if we sin because we have been born of God and have a new nature.

Also we are protected by Jesus from the devil. The devil has no legal claim on us because Jesus paid the price of our redemption. (Also see John 17:12–15).

If we are preserved and protected from Satan and have been born again by God the Holy Spirit, then we have a joy filled obligation to no longer walk in sin.

Jesus is the true God

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:20 (ESV)

This verse is packed with truth. Jesus came to give us understanding. He does not want us to be ignorant, this is why God gave us the Bible. The purpose for Jesus giving us understanding is so that we might know Him.

John affirms that Jesus is the true God and eternal life. This is more clear evidence that the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is God.

Psalm 113:1–114:8

God above all

The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, Psalm 113:4–5 (ESV)

Our God is above all, none can be compared to Him. He is above every nation and above His own creation. Let’s worship our God the most high and only God today.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

Desiring God on 1 John 5

Today’s Reading: Neh 9:1–10:27, 1 John 5:13–16, Ps 111:1–10

Today’s Themes: Confess

Today we learn about at least six things that we should boldly confess to the glory of God.

Nehemiah 9:1–10:27

Confess that God is the Creator

“You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. Nehemiah 9:6 (ESV)

The Levites led the people in praise of God the Creator of the universe. God deserves honour, praise, worship and adoration.

The UK government recently updated it’s funding guidelines for free schools and academies stating that they cannot teach creationism and instead “must” teach the theory of evolution.

In this time God as the creator and sustainer of the Universe is under severe attack. Even though the evidence clearly points to God, man in his rebellion and ignorance ignores the evidence of intelligent design in creation, instead embracing the entirely illogical theory of evolution.

Confess that God is creator today, that He made the entire world as the Bible records in just 6 days, that He sustains creation and that He alone is God. If you struggle making this confession, then cast down the idols of conventional wisdom and the approval of man and bow at the throne of the King, the Creator, God! Romans 1:25.

It is our delightful duty as creatures to worship our Creator as the hosts of heaven do. Colossians 3:10 and 1 Peter 4:19.

Confess that God is Sovereign

You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. Nehemiah 9:7 (ESV)

God is free! God chooses! God does whatever He wants to do! God chooses whoever He wants to!

The above statements fly in the face of our “enlightened” western society, which exalts the choice of man above all things and our own warped ideas of fairness and equality.

Confess today that God is sovereign, that God chose Abraham, Israel and even chose to send His Son and chose to save you. James 2:5, 1 Thessalonians 1:4, Colossians 3:12 and 1 Corinthians 1:27.

If you have a problem confessing this in praise to God then cast down the idols of “mans choice and sovereignty” and fallen ideas of fairness and equality. Turn and bow at the throne of the Sovereign King.

God alone is God, God alone is Sovereign, He is the King and we worship him today. The God who chose Abraham. Hebrews 11:8

Confess our sin and God’s mercy

They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. Nehemiah 9:17 (ESV)

The Levites led the people in the confession of their sins and the sins of their forefathers. At the same time they focused on God’s character as a merciful and gracious God.

We must confess our sins to God. At the same time we should also confess the truth of God’s word that God is merciful, forgiving and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love.

With a God like this we can freely confess our sins and receive his mercy. 1 Peter 2:10.

John encourages us in 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. “

Hebrews also encourages us in Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Confess your shortcoming and affirm God’s mercy today.

Confess that God keeps covenant

“Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. Nehemiah 9:32 (ESV)

Our God is a covenant keeping God, we can take Him at His word and trust His promises. If doubt or fear is surrounding you today, remember that God has cut covenant with you today through the cross and keeps that covenant.

Our God is mighty, He has the power and strength to keep the covenant so let our faith arise and trust in the one who has spoken and will not back down.

Confess God’s own word before him today. 2 Corinthians 1:20.

1 John 5:13–16

Confess that you have eternal life

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13 (ESV)

This whole letter was written to assure true believers that we have eternal life in Jesus Christ. This should fill us with joy and encourage us today. We are not called to doubt and fear over our eternal destiny.

In Islam it is taught that Mohammed said he is not sure what Allah would do with him and that all Muslims have no guarantee that Allah will treat them favourably in the time to come, there is no security, they just do not know if all the good has outweighed the bad.

We are grateful that Yahweh the true God gives us assurance. We can trust Him and take Him at His word.

Walk in the confidence of one who has eternal life today.

Confess your needs to God

And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 1 John 5:15 (ESV)

We can open our mouths and ask God about the things we need and want and have the confident faith that He hears us and grants our requests.

As Pastor says, let’s rejoice in the God who answers our prayers, not the power of our prayers.

Psalm 111:1–10

God’s works are great

Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. Psalm 111:2 (ESV)

As we saw in today’s first note, our God is the great creator. God is also our great redeemer. If we delight in the works of the Lord we will study His great works and proclaim His glory to the ends of the earth.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

The Gospel Coalition on 1 John 5

Today’s Reading: Neh 7:66–8:18, 1 John 5:6–12, Ps 110:1–7

Today’s Themes: Hear, Study, Do the Bible

We are called to hear God’s word as we read it, listen to it and submit to biblical teaching. We are called to study and think about God’s word. Most importantly we are called to do what the Bible calls us to do.

Nehemiah 7:66–8:18

God desires your attention

And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. Nehemiah 8:3 (ESV)

The people were attentive to the word of God being read to them.

Very often Jesus would say, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” in places like Matthew 11:15, 13:9, Mark 4:9 and Luke 8:8.

God desires that we listen to His word (either by reading or hearing it). The Bible is God’s clearest self revelation and He desires that we come to know Him and His ways through His written word (The Bible). 2 Timothy 3:16.

God does not want us to read the bible without turning our hearts towards Him to listen carefully and pay attention. In our media rich age, there are so many distractions. We must make up our minds to focus, listen and give attention to God’s word. Mark 4:19.

God speaks today through His Son, Jesus Christ. What Jesus has said is recorded in the Bible, which contains the message of the gospel. We must listen to Him and act on what we hear. Matthew 17:5 and Hebrews 1:1-2.

Pay attention to God’s word today!

We are called to be students

Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. Nehemiah 8:7 (ESV)

Jeshua and the other Levites helped the people understand the word.

God does not only desire that we pay attention, God desires that we understand what we hear.

We are all called to be students of the Bible. This means we must have a teachable attitude and submit to sound biblical teaching. 1 Timothy 6:3-4.

Sound teaching is a necessary part of our lives as Christians. Although our relationship with the Lord is personal it is also corporate, involving the wider church community. Titus 2:1 and 1 Timothy 4:6.

God placed it on Pastor Dennis’ heart that as we read through the Bible reading plan as a church, we get understanding of what we read every day and so commissioned the Bible notes you are reading right now. Colossians 3:16.

Let’s be students of the word today, utilising the resources God has made available to study His word and get clear understanding. 2 Timothy 2:15.

Give thanks for teachers in the body of Christ but give greater thanks for the Spirit of Truth who guides and leads us. John 16:13.

The necessity of expository preaching

They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. Nehemiah 8:8 (ESV)

“They gave the sense so that the people understood it”. The Levites were expositors of the word.

Bible exposition is to expound on what the Bible is teaching in any particular passage. Explaining the word of God with passion, at length, in depth and in context.

Jesus explained parables making them easy to understand and apply, in Matthew 13:36–43 and Matthew 24:32–34.

Apollos in the book of acts was a powerful expository preacher. Acts 18:28 reads “for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.”

Paul also expounded on the scriptures in Acts 17:2-3 and encourages Timothy and Titus to do the same in the pastoral letters. 2 Timothy 4:2.

We give God thanks for our Pastors who faithfully give us clear understanding from God’s word, through their weekly expository preaching of the scriptures. 1 Timothy 5:17-18.

The application of the word brings joy

And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. Nehemiah 8:17 (ESV)

While Ezra and the others were studying the word of God as leaders of the people, they realised they had not practised the feast of booths since the days of Joshua. They set about obeying the word and applying it to their lives, which resulted in great rejoicing.

God does not want us to just listen to and understand His word, God wants us to apply it, to live it every day. Matthew 7:24.

When we apply the word of God to our lives and live it out, it brings us great joy and brings God great joy too. John 15:11.

Make up your mind to live out what you read and understand today. James 1:22.

As we apply God’s word, the joy of the Lord will be our strength. 1 John 1:4.

1 John 5:6–12

The Spirit is the truth

This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 1 John 5:6 (ESV)

The main role of the Holy Spirit is to testify to the truth. The Holy Spirit did this in the inspiration of the scriptures and continues to do this in our lives as He leads us according to the scriptures.

John was refuting some who said Jesus had not died an atoning death. John confirms that the Spirit of God affirms this truth and all scripture because the Spirit is the truth itself just like Jesus.

As we read the Bible we need the Spirit of Truth to guide and lead us.

We know when we hear the truth because the Holy Spirit bears witness. This coupled with an understanding of God’s word is how we exercise discernment.

God’s testimony is God’s word

Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 1 John 5:10 (ESV)

The Bible is God’s great testimony recorded for all the world to hear.

If we do not believe God’s word recorded in the Bible we are calling God a liar. God declared that eternal life is only available through His son Jesus Christ.

We must believe God’s word to partake of it’s promises and blessings. Jesus is the only way to eternal life. This is the word of God!

The Gospel is God’s testimony to the world. God’s great news that we boldly and publicly proclaim.

Psalm 110:1–7

The Divinity of Christ

The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” Psalm 110:1 (ESV)

This is the very proof text Jesus used when His divine nature as the Son of God was challenged. Jesus used the word of God, so should we. Luke 20:44.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

Desiring God on 1 John 5

Today’s Reading: Neh 6:1–7:65, 1 John 5:1–5, Ps 109:16–31

Today’s Themes: Overcoming, Faith that overcomes, overcome the world

Today we look at the biblical principle for overcoming by faith in God.

Nehemiah 6:1–7:65

Don’t be distracted

And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” Nehemiah 6:3 (ESV)

Nehemiah’s resolve was firm, he would not allow himself to be distracted from the Lord’s work.

We should have the same mentality. When the enemy comes to distract us through mockery, intimidation or even in a subtle way by pretending to lend support, we should not stop working.

Like Nehemiah, the work we are doing for the Lord is great. We must ensure we have the right perspective on the work we do for God. It is not secondary or less important than other work, it deserves our best efforts and full attention.

Let’s all agree today that the work will not stop, we will not lower our standard or come down to fall into the enemies trap or gratify the flesh. Like Paul said in Hebrews 12:1–2 “… let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…”

We overcome by not being distracted.

Strength from God

For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands. Nehemiah 6:9 (ESV)

Nehemiah recognised the plan of the enemy was to fill them with fear. The enemy is the same in our lives, using fear as a weapon against our faith.

We overcome by remembering and affirming that God is our strength. God strengthens us in many ways which include the truth of His word in the bible, guidance and impartation from our leaders and encouragement from one another.

Here is a small list of just some of the New Testament verses talking about us being strengthened:

• Paul strengthens the disciples | Acts 14:22, 18:23
• Judas and Silas strengthen with many words | Acts 15:32
• The churches are strengthened | Acts 15:41
• The churches faith was strengthened | Acts 16:5
• Paul wanted to impart a spiritual gift to strengthen the believers | Romans 1:11
• God is able to strengthen us and keep us | Romans 16:25
• God strengthens us with power through His Spirit | Ephesians 3:16 and Colossians 1:11
• We can do all things through Christ | Philippians 4:13
• God’s grace gives us strength | 2 Timothy 2:1
• The Lord stands with us | 2 Timothy 4:17

Finish the work

So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. Nehemiah 6:15–16 (ESV)

These few words are so powerful “so all the wall was finished”. The mission was accomplished. This is overcoming.

We need to be finishers, we should finish the work God has called us to do. Finishing the assignment will deal a massive blow to the enemy and His kingdom. The devil knows that God has helped us finish.

Getting a project over the finishing line advances the kingdom of God. We should not give ground to the enemy by wasting our lives on dreams and plans that are never fulfilled. Instead let’s focus on the important work, (which may not seem important, but is) that God has given us to do and let’s finish it well.

We are called to finish the mission, to the glory of God and the defeat of the enemy. See John 4:34, John 17:4, Acts 14:26 and James 2:22.

Jesus taught us a lesson about finishing while teaching us about counting the cost of discipleship in Luke 14:28-33 “…Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’…”

1 John 5:1–5

Theology matters

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 1 John 5:1 (ESV)

The word theology has fallen on hard times. When some think of the word it conjures up images of dry old men who have no passion for God but instead for their books and theories. For some of us in the West it brings up images of liberals who distort God’s word to fit their sinful ideas and lifestyles.

However the fact is that theology matters and is inescapable. In some ways we are all theologians in the sense that we are called to have correct thoughts about God. Thankfully God has made it clear for us in His word the bible.

Here a core part of our theology is made clear and it is something that sets us apart from other faiths, namely the living confession that Jesus is the Christ and has been born of God.

Knowing in whom and what we believe helps us to overcome.

Obedience comes from love

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3 (ESV)

God’s love in us is defined and expressed through our obedience to God. We must get this formula the right way around. We do not obey God to prove we love Him, we love Him and so naturally obey His commands.

Our obedience is proof positive that we belong to God and love God. It is not contrived or difficult because God’s Holy Spirit lives in us and has changed our desires so the commands of God are not a burden. We obey from a heart of love, in joy.

We love because we are born of God. We love and obey God because we are actually born again and have been given a new nature by God the Holy Spirit.

Victorious faith

Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:5 (ESV)

It is our victorious faith that overcomes the world. The faith is clearly defined, it is our faith in the core of our theology as believers, that Jesus is the Son of God. Holding onto this core belief will keep our faith strong and cause us to overcome the world.

Psalm 109:16–31

Help Lord

Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love! Psalm 109:26 (ESV)

Whatever you have to face today, cry out to the Lord to help you.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

The Gospel Coalition on 1 John 5