“I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:1-4

Praising God should be the easiest thing in the world — as natural as breathing. There is never a second when He is undeserving of praise. But, if we are honest, there are times when we neglect it. David was aware of that danger and he vowed “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth”. We should do the same. Sadly and far too often we allow circumstances or emotions to dictate what we do. Although He demands and deserves praise at all times we allow difficulties or delights to deter us. We get so preoccupied with self, our problems or pleasures, that we fail to praise God as we should. We should know better.

David determined to praise God regardless of the situation, and to do so in the presence of others. Then he calls on others to join with him in praise — “ let us exalt his name together”. The impact of one Spirit-filled, cheerful, praising Christian on others can be amazing. And as the light of the world we should influence those around us. We should be evidence that God’s grace is sufficient.

Finally David sets forth the cause for continual praise–“I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”. Such blessings call for the loudest and longest praise. we should be so overwhelmed by God’s goodness that we cannot help but praise Him. Dwell upon the things from which God has delivered you, the things He has done, is doing, and shall do and it will enable you to deal with your difficulties.

The problem is that we get distracted by the seriousness of our difficulties or the sensation of our desires. The solution is to consider the sinfulness of failing to praise God. We should never allow anything to keep us from something of such great importance. Since praise will be our eternal occupation “let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” (Heb. 13:15) — HDS
And while the ages roll
 I’ll keep on praising Him
 And my voice will never tire or grow old
 And my song shall ever be
 Praise the Lamb who died for me
 And I’ll sing it while ages shall roll
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;”- Heb. 6:18-19

Though often mentioned and greatly needed, the word hope is often misunderstood. The average person thinks of hope as mere wishful thinking, but it is much more than that. A. W. Tozer said, ” Hope means a desirable expectation, a pleasurable anticipation.” While that’s true, it is even more. There is an inseparable connection between faith and hope. Hope is confidence born of faith. It is future focused faith– anticipating what will happen rather than what has happened. Hope is the blessed assurance that God will do as He promised. That’s something desperately needed today.

Chuck Swindoll said, ” Hope is something as important to us as water is to fish, as vital as electricity is to a light bulb, as essential as air is to a jumbo jet. Hope is basic to life– Without that needed spark of hope, we are doomed to a dark, grim existence– Take away our hope, and our world is reduced to something between depression and despair”. He is right. As we deal with the difficulties of our day we often develop an attitude of doom and gloom. We feel that way because we are too short-sighted. Contrary to what the Bible says, we think all things are working against us and that the worst is yet to come. We forget that a big change is coming – that we have a “blessed hope” ( Tit. 2:13). For the Christian the best is always yet to come. Christ is coming and we will rule and reign with Him!

We ought to do more than sing, ” Standing on the Promises”. We need to stand on them with the full assurance that they all will be fulfilled. God has not lied, will not lie, and cannot lie. And hope in Him is an anchor for our soul –“ both sure and stedfast“. It is a firm foundation when all around us seems to be giving away. It is a song in the night assuring us that joy comes in the morning! As bad as the world is, there is good news — ” which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” ( Col. 1:27). You need not live another minute without hope. The solution for your situation is found in Rom. 15:13 “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”. Trust in Christ as your Lord and Savior gives you hope to face the future. –HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”- Rom. 10:17

Of all the things needed by man faith in God is among the most important. We cannot please God without it ( Heb. 11:6). Sadly most people are more interested in fortune and fame than they are in faith. Another problem is the fact that many misunderstand it. They boast of the greatness of their faith, but do not really understand what faith is. Although they might be bold to attempt things, their faith is in faith rather than God. They deceive themselves thinking they can do whatever they believe they can do, but that is folly, not faith. Believing something doesn’t make it so.

True faith is based upon some promise of God or some portion of His Word. It is our trust in God’s testimony. We must therefore be hearers before we become believers. Faith is confidence that God will do as He promised and that He will not fail to act in keeping with His nature. Our trust is in God’s faithfulness, not our faith. The sad fact is that most people do not have great faith in God, and they struggle because of it.

True faith always has God as it’s object. Faith is the cord that connects us to God, the channel that carries us to God, confidence in the character of God, and the cause of our communion with God. We need to be like those in Heb. 11 who were famous for their faith, which enabled then to do great things. But the most important thing about faith is not what it does for you, but the glory it brings to God. Faith pleases God because it honors God. It testifies that He is trustworthy. It reveals our submission to His will, our confidence in His wisdom, our willingness to walk in His ways, and our dependence upon His power.– HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“…… the joy of the LORD is your strength.”-  Neh. 8:10

Over the years I have lost many things due to various reasons. In some cases it was no big deal, but in other instances it brought tears to my eyes. The good news is that I’ve never lost anything I couldn’t live without. As much as I wanted those things I could survive without them.

In addition to things, as we get older we suffer losses of a different sort– strength, flexibility, hearing, eye sight, etc.– things we can’t do anything about. But today I’m talking about something we can control. Have you ever thought about the seriousness of losing your joy? It’s no minor matter – “the joy of the Lord is your strength” ( Neh. 8:10). That being the case, we are weak if we lose our joy. That puts us in great danger. It makes us susceptible to sin. Without the strength of joy we cannot escape temptation, or endure trials.

Sadly many fail to see how serious this is. They recognize the loss of other things as a serious matter, but when it comes to the loss of joy they act as though it is no big deal. But it is a big deal. The loss of joy affects you and others. It can destroy your testimony and your ability to witness effectively to others. They need to see the difference Christ makes in a person’s life.

If you’ve lost your joy do whatever is necessary to regain it. If it is due to sin, confess it. If it is due to other factors, spend as much time as possible in the Word and prayer. Don’t ignore it. Rest assured that God desires and demands you to be joyful, and He will make it possible. Of all our many needs, joy is high on the list. You need joy more than fortune, fame, and a host of other things often sought. Doing what it takes to be a joyful Christian is worth it. You can gain everything your heart desires, but without joy it is worthless. It’s something you can’t do without. And knowing it is possible should encourage you to pursue it. Joy is within the reach of every Christian. Don’t live without it! — HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346