Bible Studies

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We have come to reason we are here, an explanation of all our doing and feeling. For you see, the psalms are not only praise of God and his creation and a description of the path to Him, but a description of us as we make the journey as well; like a map of the soul that is seen as a path through the world around us. It is a description of the Kingdom of heaven that coexists with the pain and suffering of this earth. It is in us and around us but we must choose to look for it if we expect to find it.

There is evil out in the world, but our perception is within ourselves and that is where the battles must be fought. That evil is reflected in us, like the light of a bonfire that comes through the windows, but it does not come from us. We are not the source or heart of evil, we are more like its tongue or hands who with great efforts make ourselves its slaves. We are not being punished for our evil nature, we are only tortured by the evil that we embrace. No one is doing anything to us, we are doing it all ourselves. Even if you like the taste, the poison can only kill you.

I don't know why evil is in the world, I don't know all the history of that ancient struggle and probably most of it has not yet been written down. What we hear from all our most ancient stories is about the struggles among men and between men and God. We struggle to survive, to grow in strength and numbers, and we struggle against evil influences that have destroyed every civilization but ours. We cannot hope to stamp evil out of the world, those forces are much older and stronger than us, but we can defeat it in our lives.

Evil is an idea, like a spirit of the times that exists only as far as WE perform the acts. Without our doing it, it would cease to exist. In theory, all evil could stop right now. The chances of it happening seem truly slim, astronomically slim, hitting a target a thousand light years away slim; but in the Kingdom that we choose to call home, it will happen. It has already happened; it's a sure thing.

We are a free people, and we freely choose that Kingdom, that creation in whose center sits the Throne of God. Because of the death of Christ we can claim that right and by the faith given us through the Door of Jesus we do exercise that entitlement. We also understand that with citizenship comes responsibility, and as we defend our country, so we will defend our kingdom and will not abandon our post.

We are well insulated in our homes and communities by the generations of strong leaders and citizen armies who have defended our free nation from foreign domination. For those of us who have been called to fight with guns, and for those who have not, we are still obligated to resist with all our strength the enemies that would destroy us.

Enemies must be overcome and we should know who they are.

What forces are lurking on our borders, waiting to lay waste to our cities, overcome our defenses and make us slaves? They are listed in the Psalms: unfaithfulness, hatred, lies, wickedness, desire, vanity, boasting, cursing, cheating, violence, slander, gossip, flattery, causing trouble, taking unfair advantage, exploiting the innocent, foolishness, wrongdoing, killing, thieving, deceit, and bad habits. These enemies are not theoretical and not always external.

What we are looking for is a king in our lives. The one we would become if we had the choice, the only one who could be free in the presence of our creator. He or she would be confident, do their best, speak the truth as they saw it, persevere (even when it hurts), honor them that seek the truth, praise God, praise his name, be generous, be faithful, trust, rejoice and have patience, innocence and joy.

We sing our praises every day and have seen and felt the strength that faith brings in psalm 27. We know our enemy's weakness and how to defeat him from 28. We have heard the call to arms and now, the thirtieth step on the path is to begin to act according to the purpose of our design. We give our solemn testimony in full knowledge of the consequences and we go out to face the enemy with confidence.





30. Battle Cry

I will hold You up, O Lord, for You lifted me above my troubles. I cried out to You, my God, and You healed me. You brought my soul back from the grave and have kept me alive to rise above my despair. Sing to the Lord, all you who know Him, and give thanks for the remembrance of his power. His anger passes soon enough and only in his favor is there life. My weeping may last through the night, but joy will come in the morning.

When things were going well I said that I would never change. Lord, only by your favor does my strength hold up but when I didn’t look for You I found trouble. Then I cried out to You again and begged for help. What use is it for me to die, I asked. Will my dust praise your name? Will it declare your truth? Hear me, O Lord, and have mercy on me; be my helper.

You have turned my sorrow into dancing, You have removed my mourning clothes and covered me with gladness. Whatever glory You give me will be my song of praise to You, and I will not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.




“Will my dust praise your name?” If that is all you leave behind, then no it won’t; but if those around you remember the praises you gave in your lifetime, their memory of you will. Those we help as God has helped us will remember and help others. We become what we help others to be, and we become what we ask of our Creator.

Anybody can be happy when things are going well, but we need to ask for help at those times also. If we cry out and ask for the power to aid us only in time of trouble, then time of need will be upon us always. We are giving and taking every minute of the day, dancing with the forces of creation that guide us and mold us. Giving thanks forever does not mean later or some other time: it means now, and now, and now… Is it such a terrible burden to be joyous always? (Mt 11:30)

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