Psalm 12 - Do you trust me? 

1 Help, Lord, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. 2 Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception. 3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue 4 that says, "We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips--who is our master?" 5 "Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the Lord. "I will protect them from those who malign them." 6 And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times. 7 O Lord, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever. 8 The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.

Have you ever had someone break a promise to you? Lie about you, or talk behind your back? After we face so much disappointment in the words of men, it is a great reminder in verse 6 that God's words are flawless. Sometimes it can become hard for us to trust the promises of God, when the promises and words of men have let us down so many times.

Although it says His words are flawless, it also says they are refined and purified, seven times over. Why would something that is already flawless need to be tested for imperfections? God will speak something to us, and seemingly seven times over we will have the opportunity to doubt Him. Have you ever had a promise from God, and then got the bill in the mail or the doctor's report that completely contradicted it? Or how about a promise for salvation of a loved one, and then you speak with them on the phone and they seem more lost than ever? The refinement process isn't because His words need to be tested, but because our faith needs to be tested that we still believe in His words! Regardless of how many times that word from God seems to be tested in the fire, it is God's way of asking us once again...Do you trust me?

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that your words are trustworthy and flawless. I pray that I would put my trust in your promises that don't return void. I pray that you would help me to have confidence in you and what you have spoken to my heart and that I would walk in obedience and with a yielded heart. In Jesus

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Psalm 11 - The Good choice or the God choice? 

1 In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: "Flee like a bird to your mountain. 2 For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. 3 When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

4 The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. 5 The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates. 6 On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. 7 For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.

One of the hardest things about being a Christian, and truly surrendering to the will of God, is choosing His path even when those closest to us don't agree or understand. Many times their reasoning and persuasion is very valid and very tempting, but though it sounds good it still conflicts with what the Holy Spirit has put on our hearts to do.  

David faces this similar situation, when the righteous men that are with him try to persuade him to flee from the coming attack, when He knows that in this situation God has called him to stand and face them. He is assured that he takes refuge in the Lord, and that God is in control on His heavenly throne. He is confident that the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and that He will surely not forsake them!

It was a valid argument to flee from the coming attack, but it was the “safe” choice rather than the “God” choice. It was a path that was chosen out of fear and not out of trust in God. Their reasoning wasn't done out of impure motives or ill desire for David—in fact, they were looking out for David's safety! However, the simple fact remained that God was saying something different. God's will may not make always make sense to even the “good and righteous” people that surround us, but if we put our trust in Him, our decisions will be a testimony to God's power, provision, and protection over our lives. 

A good test to see if what you are feeling is from the Lord is to submit it to your Pastor, who hears from God. Trust in his or her discernment and the mantle that has been placed on their life as your pastor. If what you are hearing is from the Lord, don't be afraid to step out in faith. Your obedience will always turn into a testimony for his glory. 

My husband's favorite quote is “It's the good things in life that rob you from the great.” There are many “good” choices we can make in life, but the real question is, are they the “God” choices?

Prayer: Lord, I pray that you would help me to hear what the Spirit of the Lord is speaking to me. I pray that what you speak to me would be confirmed by my pastor. I thank you for the people who mean well in my life but I pray that my obedience to you would come first, even if it means that they won't understand my decisions. Thank you, in Jesus' name, Amen. 

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Psalm 10 - Preparation 

1 Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble? 2 The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. 3 For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire; He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord. 4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts. 5 His ways are always prospering; Your judgments are far above, out of his sight; As for all his enemies, he sneers at them. 6 He has said in his heart, "I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity." 7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity. 8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the secret places he murders the innocent; His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless. 9 He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den; He lies in wait to catch the poor; He catches the poor when he draws him into his net. 10 So he crouches, he lies low, That the helpless may fall by his strength. 11 He has said in his heart, "God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see."

12 Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble. 13 Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, "You will not require an account." 14 But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, To repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless. 15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; Seek out his wickedness until You find none. 16 The Lord is King forever and ever; The nations have perished out of His land. 17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, 18 To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

Do you have a dream that is beyond your own resources, abilities, or qualifications? It's easy to feel discouraged when we look at ourselves to accomplish that dream, rather than God. We sometimes will look at where we are at right now, and how much further we need to go to attain it, and it becomes overwhelming.

Verse 17 says "You have heard the desire of the humble; you will prepare their heart; You will cause your ear to hear..." God hears those desires of our heart and those things that are bigger than anything we could do on our own. However, God is primarily concerned with the preparation of our hearts. Many times we want to rush to the destination but God has so much for us to learn in the journey. He loves us too much than to spoil us with everything we pray for. He is the only one who knows what our hearts are ready to receive. 

In one of Joyce Meyer's books she talks about the preparation God had to take her through to get to where she is at today – running a multi-million dollar ministry. She is often asked what education, studying, or mentor prepared her most for what she does. She begins to explain that nothing prepared her more for her destiny than being a stay-at-home mom. Many are bewildered at this response, but she begins to describe how poor she was when she was raising her kids, and how she had to have faith each month for the simple provisions like shoes for her children. She said, having faith for those small things, prepared her heart to have faith today for the millions of dollars that need to come in every month to keep the ministry going.

Even though our daily tasks can sometimes seem so small and insignificant, remember that God is using the small to prepare our hearts for greater things. 

Prayer: Thank you God that you hear my prayers and that you care about preparing my heart. I pray that you would help me to enjoy the journey and be faithful in the small things. I pray that I would trust you as you mold, prepare and equip me for the great things you have ahead. In Jesus name, Amen. 

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Psalm 9 - Expectation

1 To the Chief Musician. To the tune of 'Death of the Son.' F10 A Psalm of David. I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. 3 When my enemies turn back, They shall fall and perish at Your presence. 4 For You have maintained my right and my cause; You sat on the throne judging in righteousness. 5 You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6 O enemy, destructions are finished forever! And you have destroyed cities; Even their memory has perished. 7 But the Lord shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. 8 He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness. 9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. 10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people. 12 When He avenges blood, He remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the humble. 13 Have mercy on me, O Lord! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death, 14 That I may tell of all Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation. 15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught. 16 The Lord is known by the judgment He executes; The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Meditation. F11 Selah 17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten; The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever. 19 Arise, O Lord, Do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged in Your sight. 20 Put them in fear, O Lord, That the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah

When my husband and I first moved to Las Vegas and were embarking on our new adventure as newlyweds, we sat down and prayerfully decided to give a certain percentage of our income to our new home church. It was an increase from our tithe that we were giving, but we decided that generosity was very important to us and that we wanted to lay a foundation of giving to God in our first year of marriage.

I will never forget the expectation we had every time we would give. We knew the principles of the Bible, that if we give it will be given unto us, and we had all the faith in the world that God would reward our generosity. It was never our motivation, but we anticipated a blessing because God doesn't lie! Our expectation was not ignored! We had many blessings and testimonies that came from our first year of marriage, and it was incredible to see the hand of God move in many ways (not only financial, but also answering prayers that were seemingly impossible!) 

 Over time, we lost some of our luster and fervor for giving, and most definitely lost our expectation of blessing! When things become routine, it is easy to get in the habit of losing anticipation or excitement about it. We still gave...but it had become habit and routine, rather than done with excitement, love for God, and faith for His provision.

Verse 18 says, “The EXPECTATION of the poor shall not perish forever.” It reminds me to stir up that healthy expectation for the blessing of God – not just financially, but in every area. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.” and Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

We must believe that He is, and that He rewards! How can we believe that He is a provider, if we don't believe in His provision? Sometimes it feels rather greedy to expect to to be rewarded from God, but this scripture is a reminder that it is the person-hood of God! He is a giver! He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him! He is our provider! That is just who He is and we can't change Him, but only can accept with gratefulness His blessings over our lives!

My husband and I sat down and and reflected back on our time of excitement towards giving and were challenged by the Lord to stir up that gift of expectation again. Whether we are giving, seeking Him, or simply showing up to church on Sunday morning we must remember we are serving a great God and we should expect great things. 

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that you are a giver and you also call us to be givers as well. Thank you for the joy there is in giving and also the expectation that we can have as we pour ourselves out for you. I pray that I would have great faith and expectation for the work you are going to do in my life and in others life. Help me to never my service to you become routine but that I would come to you with great expectation and faith. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Psalm 8

            In Washington there is this place called Beacon Rock and you climb a ton of switchbacks and eventually you end up on top of this huge rock that overlooks the Colombia River Gorge. I remember there was a time I went up there and I looked over the beautiful gorge and tears came to my eyes as I realized how puny of a being I was. At that moment I thought, “What could I ever accomplish or create that would ever hold a candle to what God had already created. I comprehended in that moment the verse that says, “What is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you care for him.” It was an incredible moment that in realizing my own smallness and unworthiness that I also grasped at least in part the hugeness of God’s love.

            In the scope of God and all that he is created we are inadequate and unworthy. Yet it says in verse 5-6 that, “You have made him a little lower than the angels, and you have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.” Though we are sinful and undeserving God has loved us so much that he has made us a little lower than angels. We are the pinnacle of God’s creation and the object of his watchful care. This scripture shows us several things God has given us as a display of this love.

            “You have crowned him...” God has given us a crown. He has adopted into his family and we are called sons and daughters of the king. He has given us an inheritance and a place of belonging with him. Along with crown comes with it glory and honor. The word used for honor denotes splendor, adornment, magnificence and beauty. He has made us all these things through his love for us. Not only this but we actually display God’s beauty. Just as I had that moment of beauty on top of Beacon Rock where I saw the beauty of God’s creation, we in fact display God’s beauty and splendor of his holiness much more when we walk as such.

            “You have made him to have dominion...” God not only has given us a crown of glory and honor but he has given us dominion and authority over the works of His hands. My sister just had a baby recently and when I went to visit I thought it was a little funny how hard it was for her to give baby Kye to another person to hold. Really though that is her baby that she was involved in creating and because of that she is protective over her creation. She has a hard time trusting that creation into anyone else’s hands but her own. Imagine if we are like this naturally as parents how much more so God would feel this way. Yet God loves us so much that he entrusts us with that which he created, the works of His hands.

            I may not live by Beacon Rock anymore but I will often run Cowles Mountain. At the top I’ll linger for a moment just to be reminded that even though God’s creation in nature is majestic and stunning, God has created me to be splendid and display his beauty in holiness. Whatever you may be going through or walking out right now take a moment to reflect on the majesty of who God is and all that he has created. Once done with that take another moment to recognize the crown of honor and glory that God desires you to wear and the dominion and authority he has given you to walk in and then put it on and walk in it.

Prayer: Lord, thank you that though I am undeserving and unworthy that you have lavished me with a crown a glory and honor and desire that I have dominion over the works of your hands. Thank you that you have put all things under my feet. Lord help me walk worthy in a manner worthy of your calling and the crown that you have placed on my life. Your name is majestic and thank you for using me to display your majesty. In Jesus name amen.

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Psalm 5 "His stamp of approval" 

1 Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. 2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. 3 In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. 4 You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. 5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. 6 You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord abhors.

7 But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple. 8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies-- make straight your way before me. 9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit. 10 Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you. 11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. 12 For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. 


I think every child earnestly desires to hear those words from mommy or daddy, “Honey, I am proud of you!” The joy that a parents acceptance brings a child is incredible. I can remember riding around on my strawberry shortcake big-wheel with my bright blond pigtails shouting “Daddy! Daddy! Look at me! Am I doing a good job!?” When my father would tell me that I was doing awesome or that I was the best, it brought a big smile to my face because I had received what was so precious to me – my father's acceptance.

Now that I am a parent, I understand that no matter how well my child learns to ride her big-wheel, she already has my acceptance regardless. She doesn't need to do anything to work for it, because she is my daughter!  Here in America, we are so used to earning our way into the graces of people, that we often times try the same approach with God. We forget that God isn't like our boss at work, where if we want more favor and acceptance we can work harder to get it.

Verse 12 is a very rich scripture. In the English language we have one word for favor, whereas in the Hebrew there are 16 words for favor and different definitions for each one. Because our language isn't as extensive as the languages the Bible was written in, often times it is really interesting to look up the original Greek or Hebrew word to find out exactly what was trying to be communicated. The word favor in this scripture is translated “Ratsown” which means pleasure, delight, desire, and acceptance.

King David describes that this type of acceptance and pleasure from God surrounds us like a shield. In David's era, shields were not like they are today. The shields they carried were so large and so heavy that they literally had the ability to surround you on every side. They were considered armor over armor.

The average Christian is aware that he wears the fundamental armor that God has given every Christian by what Jesus did on the cross – forgiveness of sins and access into His presence. However, I think many Christians don't know or understand that they also carry a second armor: the favor of God! His acceptance, delight, desire, and pleasure! We can't work for it, we don't deserve it, we can't try harder to gain more of it, it is simply because He is our Father and we are his children!

Not only does God forgive us as we repent, but he gives us unmerited grace and favor. Usually if I forgive someone, I don't necessarily take delight in them or desire to be around them right away! 

Sometimes we think that we can pray more, read more of the Bible, fast, or somehow be more spiritual to make God accept us more. Although those things will bring us closer to God and allow for more blessings to flow into our lives, it doesn't mean he loves us more than when we were sinners. It is refreshing to know that it really isn't about us or our good efforts!  His acceptance already surrounds us no matter if we failed or succeeded in our own eyes today. Even if we have walked far from God like the prodigal son, our Father is waiting with open arms for us to return. 

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Psalm 4 "From requesting to worshiping" 

1 Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer. 2 How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Selah 3 Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him. 4 In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Selah 5 Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord.

6 Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?" Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. 7 You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. 8 I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. 


Many times we come to God with such a heavy, anxious heart, burdened about finances, family, or life. Our mind  is cluttered with how we need to return calls, pay bills, clean house, or hit the grocery store. Sometimes, we set God aside and try to work it all out on my own and see how much we can get done for the day. We end up carrying around a heavy load and burn ourselves out trying to do it all on our own strength.

David models the best way to handle being overwhelmed. After he unloads to the Lord, faith comes and he reminds himself of God's promises, protection, and provision. David starts this Psalm out in distress, almost begging God to hear his prayer. Then David transitions into encouraging himself and reminding himself that the Lord will hear him, and that he should simply search his heart and be silent. Towards the end, he has an attitude of gratefulness to God for filling his heart with joy, and comes to the conclusion that he will sleep in peace under the great protection of God.

This Psalm wasn't even a prayer for David, it was a song. If you can picture him literally singing it while playing his harp, it gives you a greater understanding of how worshipful it was. Whether we are praying, singing, or reading the Bible, it is our act of laying our burden down to the Lord that is truly an act of worship. We may not wake up singing with a harp, but we certainly can all relate to the feeling of coming to God overwhelmed! Pastor Ben always says, “prayer is bringing your requests to God, worship is bringing God to your requests.” Isaiah 61:3 says that we can trade our spirit of heaviness for a garment of praise. 

I would challenge you, that whatever your burden is today to give it to God and end your time with Him with thankfulness and gratefulness. Turn on that worship music or simply thank God for his goodness, and say goodbye to that heavy burden as you hand it over to the Lord. 

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