The Savage Five

To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. 1 I cried out to God with my voice— To God with my voice; And He gave ear to me. 2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; My soul refused to be comforted. 3 I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah 4 You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. 5 I have considered the days of old, The years of ancient times. 6 I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, And my spirit makes diligent search. 7 Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? 8 Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? 9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah 10 And I said, “This i

2 Kings 22 Josiah Reigns in Judah 1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law 3 Now it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the scribe, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of the LORD, saying: 4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which has been brought into the house of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people. 5 And let them deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of the LORD; let them give it to those who are in the house of the LORD doing the work, to repair the damages of the house— 6 to carpenters and builder

1 MAKE A joyful noise unto God, all the earth; 2 Sing forth the honor and glory of His name; make His praise glorious! 3 Say to God, How awesome and fearfully glorious are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power shall Your enemies submit themselves to You [with feigned and reluctant obedience]. 4 All the earth shall bow down to You and sing [praises] to You; they shall praise Your name in song. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! 5 Come and see the works of God; see how [to save His people He smites their foes; He is] terrible in His doings toward the children of men. 6 He turned the sea into dry land, they crossed through the river on foot; there did we rejoice in Him. 7 He rules by His might forever, His eyes observe and keep watch over the nations; let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! 8 Bless our God, O peoples, give Him grateful thanks and make the voice of His praise be heard, 9 Who p

1 Plead my cause, O LORD, with those who strive with me; Fight against those who fight against me. 2 Take hold of shield and buckler, And stand up for my help. 3 Also draw out the spear, And stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.” 4 Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor Who seek after my life; Let those be turned back and brought to confusion Who plot my hurt. 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, And let the angel a]"> of the LORD chase them. 6 Let their way be dark and slippery, And let the angel of the LORD pursue them. 7 For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit, Which they have dug without cause for my life. 8 Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly, And let his net that he has hidden catch himself; Into that very destruction let him fall. 9 And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD;

1 Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD; Praise Him, O you servants of the LORD! 2 You who stand in the house of the LORD, In the courts of the house of our God, 3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant. 4 For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His special treasure. 5 For I know that the LORD is great, And our Lord is above all gods. 6 Whatever the LORD pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places. 7 He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries. 8 He destroyed the firstborn of Egypt, Both of man and beast. 9 He sent signs and wonders into the midst of you, O Egypt, Upon Pharaoh and all his servants. 10 He defeated many nations And slew might

Psalm 35 A Psalm of David. 1 Plead my cause, O LORD, with those who strive with me; Fight against those who fight against me. 2 Take hold of shield and buckler, And stand up for my help. 3 Also draw out the spear, And stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.” 4 Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor Who seek after my life; Let those be turned back and brought to confusion Who plot my hurt. 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, And let the angel of the LORD chase them. 6 Let their way be dark and slippery, And let the angel of the LORD pursue them. 7 For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit, Which they have dug without cause for my life. 8 Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly, And let his net that he has hidden catch himself; Into that very destruction let him fall. 9 An

13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

I was thinking about tomatoes this morning. It seems that everywhere I turn right now, there is someone giving away tomatoes. Then I was thinking about someone who has a couple of tomato plants, but they are still green. He doesn't think they are going to turn and even if they do, he isn't sure they are going to be good. Its because he planted the seeds, but then wasn't around to water and take care of them during the growing season. Now, at harvest time, there won't be a harvest, or at most a very sparse one. It could have been wonderful. This makes me think of a couple of things. First of all, I am so thankful that when God plants seeds in us, He takes the time to develop and grow them into a beautiful harvest. He never leaves us alone. He is with us every step of the way giving us exactly what we need! He cares enough to make sure His carefully planted seeds will mature into the wonderful people He created us to be! How awesome is He that He cares t

Lately, I have been really trying to weed out anything that would hinder me from doing what God is instructing me to do. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom however all other fear is a deceptive tool of our enemy. Think about it. If your enemy can keep you fearful (and not just blatant fear but underlying "normal" or "healthy" fear) then he can keep God's people from stepping out of their comfort zone. Here is an example from this summer. I was in the thrift store shopping and I was by myself. This women that worked their started to wring her hands and audibly express her pain. It was very obvious to me. God prompted me to pray for her. I did not listen because I was fearful. Was I afraid for my life? No. What was I afraid of? The enemy convinced me that I would appear stupid or she would not receive my attempt to pray or that my prayer would not be answered immediately. Doesn't God's word say that a prayer done in faith can bring heali

James 5:15-17 (New King James Version) 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. Grab onto this truth! I have prayed over my lifetime from this passage in scripture asking God to make me that righteous women who's prayers avail much! I want nothing more than to see the hand of my God in action so that I might express His glory to others! Well, I am here to say that the key to this is in humbling yourself. If you have never asked God to do that in you I entreat you now to do so. As we are humble and expose our weakness to others He is just to forgive us our sins but then it does

God’s Blessing on Israel 1 “Yet hear me now, O Jacob My servant, And Israel whom I have chosen. 2 Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you: ‘ Fear not , O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. 3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring; 4 They will spring up among the grass Like willows by the watercourses.’ 5 One will say, ‘I am the LORD’s’; Another will call himself by the name of Jacob; Another will write with his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’ And name himself by the name of Israel.

The Redeemer of Israel 1 But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “ Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. 4 Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. 5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; 6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south,

A Prayer of David. 1 HEAR THE right (my righteous cause), O Lord; listen to my shrill, piercing cry! Give ear to my prayer, that comes from unfeigned and guileless lips. 2 Let my sentence of vindication come from You! May Your eyes behold the things that are just and upright. 3 You have proved my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and find nothing [no evil purpose in me]; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. 4 Concerning the works of men, by the word of Your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent (the paths of the destroyer). 5 My steps have held closely to Your paths [to the tracks of the One Who has gone on before]; my feet have not slipped. 6 I have called upon You, O God, for You will hear me; incline Your ear to me and hear my speech. 7 Show Your marvelous loving-kindness, O You Who save by Your right hand those who trust and take refuge in You from those who rise up against them. 8 Keep and guard me a

Isaiah 64 (Amplified Bible) 1 OH, THAT You would rend the heavens and that You would come down, that the mountains might quake and flow down at Your presence-- 2 As when fire kindles the brushwood and the fire causes the waters to boil--to make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence! 3 When You did terrible things which we did not expect, You came down; the mountains quaked at Your presence. 4 For from of old no one has heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who works and shows Himself active on behalf of him who [earnestly] waits for Him.

James 4 (Amplified Bible) 1 WHAT LEADS to strife (discord and feuds) and how do conflicts (quarrels and fightings) originate among you? Do they not arise from your sensual desires that are ever warring in your bodily members? 2 You are jealous and covet [what others have] and your desires go unfulfilled; [so] you become murderers. [To hate is to murder as far as your hearts are concerned.] You burn with envy and anger and are not able to obtain [the gratification, the contentment, and the happiness that you seek], so you fight and war. You do not have, because you do not ask. [ I John 3:15 .] 3 [Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures. 4 You [are like] unfaithful wives [having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world's friend is being Go

1 Peter 2 1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. The Chosen Stone and His Chosen People 4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “ Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” 7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, c]">[ c ] “ The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” 8 and “ A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stu

The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly 1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish. My husband is this man and his sons are like trees planted by the rivers of water that are bringing forth fruit in it's season! I love to

1 LORD, You have been favorable to Your land; You have brought back the captivity of Jacob. 2 You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin. Selah 3 You have taken away all Your wrath; You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger. 4 Restore us, O God of our salvation, And cause Your anger toward us to cease. 5 Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations? 6 Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You? 7 Show us Your mercy, LORD, And grant us Your salvation. 8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak, For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly. 9 Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land. 10 Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace h

1 The word of the LORD which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. The Great Day of the LORD 2 “ I will utterly consume everything From the face of the land,” Says the LORD; 3 “ I will consume man and beast; I will consume the birds of the heavens, The fish of the sea, And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land,” Says the LORD. 4 “ I will stretch out My hand against Judah, And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place, The names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests— 5 Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops; Those who worship and swear oaths by the LORD, But who also swear by Milcom; 6 Those who have turned back from followi