February 22
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GIVE EAR TO MY VOICE
O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
And the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!
3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!
4 Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds
In company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!
5 Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—
It is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it.
Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
6 When their judges are thrown over the cliff,
Then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
So shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol; 8 But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!
9 Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers!
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely. – Psalm 141:1-10
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The ESV study bible calls this an individual lament, a prayer that God will protect the faithful person against all insincerity and compromise. This is a prayer to God requesting the Lord to hear the plea for protection over any form of complacency, dishonesty and impurities in their hearts. We can all definitely identify with this prayer. This world is full of seductions to do evil and live compromised lives. When we fail to see that the Lord comes first, we are putting ourselves in danger of being ensnared by the evil one.
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ADORATION: Praise the Lord! He is merciful and loving. He is our protector. Hallelujah!
CONFESSION: Grant me pardon each time I compromise making you first in all.
THANKSGIVING: Thanks be to God who cares for every detail of our lives.
SUPPLICATION: May we never merge evil and righteousness together which is a form of compromise and lack of integrity.
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REFLECTION
• What compromises do you see in the body of Christ and what should you do?
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THE RIGHTEOUS WILL NEVER BE MOVED ILMA’S VLOG
February 21
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THE RIGHTEOUS WILL NEVER BE MOVED
Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
Who greatly delights in his commandments!
2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
Who conducts his affairs with justice.6 For the righteous will never be moved;
He will be remembered forever.7 He is not afraid of bad news;
His heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.8 His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
Until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.9 He has distributed freely;
He has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever;
His horn is exalted in honor.10 The wicked man sees it and is angry;
He gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish!
-Psalm 112:1-10
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This psalm declares the fulfillment of God’s promise to those who are righteous. The psalm praises God for granting his people a reverence for him. We are not able to do that in our own strength because of our fallen nature, so God grants his chosen people to have that fear for him and delight in his commands. The psalm enumerates the blessings that the righteous receive. They become prosperous and unmovable. Their hearts are firm and trusting in the Lord always and thus, they triumph over their enemies. They are full of integrity and just in all their ways. God honors such faithfulness with much favors.
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ADORATION: Praise the Lord for being the Rock that we can all stand on.
CONFESSION: Forgive me whenever I rely on others people and things rather than on you.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for the foundation that you grant me in your truth.
SUPPLICATION: May all God’s people never fail to obey and trust him all the days of their lives. May they choose righteousness in all they do.
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REFLECTION
• How has God been faithful to provide your every need and requests when you stay faithful to trust and obey him? What happens when you don’t do so?
HE PUT A NEW SONG IN MY MOUTH Psalm Blog
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HE PUT A NEW SONG IN MY MOUTH
I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog,
And set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.
4 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust,
Who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!
5 You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
Your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
None can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them,
Yet they are more than can be told. – Psalm 40:1-5
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The Lord puts a new song in the psalmist’s mouth. He enumerates the many reasons why we all need to declare the new song which is a testament to all of his goodness and love. He reckons the reasons why we need to continue to put our trust in God. His loving kindness to hear our cry is clearly stated in verse 1. The second verse shows God’s deliverance and protection and how he gives us stability and strength like a rock. It is only right to sing the new song (new things he has done for us) so many will see and fear the Lord and continue to put their trust in him. Our testimonies will bring glory to his faithful love for us and shine light on those who have forgotten him. It will be an encouragement to those who have lost their way and gone tepid in their walk. By singing the new song he gives us, we become salt and light of the earth and we praise and worship him.
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ADORATION: We sing the songs that you placed in our mouths to glorify you. Hallelujah!
CONFESSION: Forgive me each time I fail to see the blessings and solutions you give me.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for rescuing me from darkness and the hopelessness.
SUPPLICATION: May all believers hear the new songs you put in their mouths so they can glorify you and give you all the praise for the many blessings you bestow on us each day.
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REFLECTION
• What is the new song that the Lord has put in your mouth lately? Have you sang these songs to others?
O LORD DELIVER MY LIFE Poem Devotional
February 16________________________________________
O LORD DELIVER MY LIFE
O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD,
For my bones are troubled. 3 My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O LORD—how long? 4 Turn, O LORD, deliver my life;
Save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;
In Sheol who will give you praise? 6 I am weary with my moaning;
Every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
For the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. 9 The LORD has heard my plea;
The LORD accepts my prayer.10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
They shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment. -Psalm 6:1-10
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We hear King David’s penitent heart in this psalm. He pleads the Lord to correct him but not in anger. He asks for God’s grace to heal him as he acknowledges his sins and past mistakes. We hear the dependence of David to God in the midst of great trouble and physical ailments. What is amazing with this psalm is his humility to admit how weary and tired he was. It illustrates a picture of a king who bows down to a greater eternal King. We see in this psalm how David is intimate with the Lord and isn’t afraid to admit his need for God’s deliverance for him. He is full of hope that the Lord will deliver him. What a heart that really seeks God’s heart!
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ADORATION: Praise to you Lord, full of grace and mercy. You are my deliverer and Savior.
CONFESSION: Forgive me each time I fail to repent and confess my sins.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for never being stingy to reveal yourself to me.
SUPPLICATION: May all believers have a heart like David, who is humble, repentant and pursues God’s heart.
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REFLECTION
• How do you relate with David’s circumstance in this psalm?
• How can he be depressed, tired, sick and yet hopeful at the same time?
SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG Poem Devotional
February 15
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SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG
Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song,
His praise in the assembly of the godly! 2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
Let the children of Zion rejoice in their King! 3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
Making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 To execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples,
8 To bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 To execute on them the judgment written!
This is honor for all his godly ones. Praise the LORD!- Psalm 149:1-9
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This is psalm inviting all the godly to rejoice, be glad and praise the Lord. It invites the children of Zion to rejoice in their king with dancing, making melody with tambourines and lyre. It is stressed in this psalm how the Lord is pleased when we sing to the Lord new songs. It is amazing how God has given us the gift of music so that he can be glorified. Sadly, in our world today, we use singing to glorify our own selves or sometimes the idols that we give more time for than the one who gave us all. Many Christians fail to sing to the Lord new songs because they are so busy with all worldly concerns and pleasing themselves.
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ADORATION: Sing a new song to the Holy, Eternal King Jesus. He is worthy! He is Mighty!
CONFESSION: Forgive me whenever I am not enthusiastically singing or rejoicing about your goodness, your omniscience and omnipotence.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you Lord that you gave us music to express our rejoicing for your glory.
SUPPLICATION: May all of God’s people exult him in songs of praises and hymns about his goodness and miracles.
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think God wants us to sing new songs to him? What should our songs be about?
HOW SHALL WE SING THE LORD’S SONG Poem Devotional,
February 14
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HOW SHALL WE SING THE LORD’S SONG?
By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion. 2 On the willow there we hung up our lyres.
3 For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth,
Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!
6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
If I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!
7 Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem,
How they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!”
8 O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,
Blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us!
9 Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!
– Psalm 137:1-9
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This community lament remembers the Babylonian captivity. The Israelites remember how they were asked to sing songs by their captors. It was difficult for them to do so as they would rather do so when they are in their own land. It is a prayer of plea to the Lord not to let them forget Jerusalem and to deliver them from the cruelty of the Edomites. This psalm requests the Lord to bring them justice and payment for the abuses and wickedness that the Babylonians did to them. Because they are sure that the Lord is a God of Justice, they look forward to that day that their enemies will be punished for their evil deeds to them.
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ADORATION: You are a just and fair God. Praise you for delivering us from evil.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I fail to be intimate with you and rely on you.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for delivering me from wickedness and injustice.
SUPPLICATION: May evil be defeated by righteousness and your unfailing love.
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REFLECTION
• How can the Israelites pray with such boldness and trust for justice to be done to them? What is required to have such boldness to pray to God?
LET US GO TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD Poem Devotional
February 13
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LET US GO TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
2 Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!
3 Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together,
4 To which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD,
As was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!”
8 For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, “Peace be within you!”
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good. – Psalm 122:1-9
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This psalm is one of the 15 Songs of Ascents, sung by worshipers who were on their way up to the temple. It shows the joy of being God’s chosen city, Jerusalem and being in the house of the Lord to worship. The Songs of Ascents include Psalms 120-134.
The song begins with an invitation to all the pilgrims to set on a journey to go to the house of the Lord. The style of writing which the psalmist wrote this song is personification, giving human attributes to Jerusalem. The pilgrims were alluding to the way the city was built firmly and how it was designed to seat the thrones of the house of David in verses 3-5. Then the pilgrims say a prayer of peace and security for the whole place. It stresses in the last verse that because of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, the people will seek to do what is right. We see how special the temple is to be located in their city.
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ADORATION: Praise to your faithfulness O, Lord! You built your temple amongst your holy people. You are generous and loving. We rejoice for your provision.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I defile the temple of the Lord with my sinful nature.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for living inside me when I accepted you as my Savior.
SUPPLICATION: May all believers remember to keep their hearts, mind, body and spirit pure as it is the temple of the Lord. May they be united with other believers in worship.
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REFLECTION
• How is keeping oneself holy and being united with other Christians a form of worshiping the Lord? Why is it important to go to the body of Christ?
WHO IS LIKE THE LORD OUR GOD? Poem Devotional
February 12
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WHO IS LIKE THE LORD OUR GOD?
Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD,
Praise the name of the LORD! 2 Blessed be the name of the LORD.
From this time forth and forevermore!
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!
4 The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!
5 Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high,
6 Who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 To make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.
9 He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the LORD! – Psalm 113:1-9
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According to the ESV Bible Study footnotes this short hymn of praise celebrates the way in which the great God who rules over all takes notice of the lowly. Such a God is indeed worthy to be praised by all mankind. Psalms 113-118 have been used in connection with Passover. These psalms likely provided the hymn that Jesus and his disciples sang after the Passover meal (Matt 26:30).
This hymn elevates a God who sees all especially even the poor and the lowly (verse 7). It is amazing to remember that he is a God of Justice (verse 7-9) who brings equality to those who are poor and deprived. God’s people must never forget this one and only God who loves all his creation. We must revel and worship this God who is faithful, just and loving.
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ADORATION: You are one of a kind. We praise you Lord of all creation, full of love and mercy. You are just and fair to all of mankind. You are holy and righteous.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I fail to be fair to others especially when I forget those who are in need and hurting.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for your unwavering and unfailing love and mercy to undeserving people like us.
SUPPLICATION: May all the earth give glory to God who is one of a kind and full of mercy.
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REFLECTION
• How can believers maintain a posture of worship to the one true God daily?
THE LORD OUR GOD IS HOLY Poem Devotional
February 11
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THE LORD OUR GOD IS HOLY
The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he!
4 The King in his might loves justice. You have established equity
You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.
They called to the LORD, and he answered them.
7 In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
They kept his testimonies and the statute that he gave them.
8 O LORD our God, you answered them;
You were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; For the LORD our God is holy!
– Psalm 99:1-9
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This psalm revels at God’s holiness and sovereignty over his people. All his people give glory to a king who loves justice and righteousness. The hymn mentions those whom God chose to lead his people to righteousness and obedience so him such as Jacob, Moses, Aaron and Samuel. These people were testimonies of God’s forgiveness, power and faithfulness. This psalm calls for all of God’s people to worship him for the Lord our God is holy.
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ADORATION: Praise be to you O Lord for you are holy, just and sovereign over all things.
CONFESSION: Grant me forgiveness when I forget to look up and revel at your holiness.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for all your faithful provision, mercy, grace and love.
SUPPLICATION: May all people worship you with the way they live, and with their mouths.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it essential for a Christian to revel at God’s holiness?
• What happens when we forget the righteousness of God?