Study – Grow – Know

Trust the Lord and Do Good

July 26, 2022 at 3:29 PM 3 comments

Audio for this article here: SermonAudio.com/StudyGrowKnow

There’s just too much happening today to highlight all of it, but here is a sampling of links readers might be interested in.

1. Party to a Pandemic
2. Biden tests positive for CV tho a year ago he said vaxxed couldn’t get it
3. Protests against California’s Anti-Independent Contractor Law continues at Oakland Port
4. Mutant Ukrainian Soldiers? Who Knows
5. Avatarianism and Zuckerberg’s META
6. Only 20% say Bible is the Word of God
7. CDC stops reporting cruise ship outbreaks
8. Is Fauci’s Wife hiding something?
9. Fauci, Top Biden Officials Subpoenaed in Lawsuit Alleging They Colluded With Social Media to Suppress Free Speech
10. More Deaths, Injuries Revealed in Latest Pfizer Vaccine Trial Document Dump
11. How Masks make you sick instead of protecting you
12. San Diego School Board President Says Students Must Wear Masks or Don’t Bother Returning to School
13. Germany & EU to Legalize Pedophilia (Romans 1)

I highlighted a video from a woman named Doreen Virtue last time. What she said in that particular video I have no problem with and agree with her fully. However, one reader sent me a link to a video from Apostasy Report. What they are saying is that apparently, Virtue does the same thing many people like Beth Moore and others do – they claim “Jesus told me” etc. This is done to immediately give them a perceived higher level of authority than the person to whom they are speaking. I recall this from my days in the Charismatic Movement because it was common place. No one ever stopped to wonder about it because the Charismatic Movement is based on signs and wonders. So when someone came to you and said, “The Lord told me to tell you…” how would you actually refute that? If you did, it would appear as though you were arguing with the Lord. But it’s a grand way to gain authority over other people, even if the person coming to you is not necessarily trying to gain authority over you, but simply wants to share what it on their heart.

Unfortunately, my limited research tells me there is indeed quite a controversy surrounding Virtue. I have not studied into Virtue’s videos and history to know for certain, but it’s probably better to be safe rather than sorry, isn’t it? My only suggestion now where Virtue is concerned is to proceed with absolute caution.

But all of this brings me to the point of this article, in which Psalm 37:1-5 figures significantly. Recall that we are living in a Romans 1 world. There Paul explicitly details what happens to any civilization that refuses to acknowledge God and His truth and does whatever it can to push God away, in effect, attempting to live out Psalm 2. This of course is a tragedy because God meant for humanity to be in fellowship with Him, but Satan’s efforts to drag people away from God result in exactly what Paul outlines in Romans 1.

Everywhere we look in society today, we see Romans 1 coming alive, in people whose consciences have been seared resulting in reprobate minds; minds that are depraved and do not work correctly. Because of this, we basically have people who appear insane or insanely stupid; who do not know how to define a woman, who believe men can get pregnant, who have no problem with men identifying as women and competing in women’s sports, etc, etc., etc. It’s patently absurd but it is all meant to overthrow God’s moral truth and His rule.

So what is the antidote for authentic Christians as we increasingly find ourselves dealing with people who have reprobate minds? There is really only one antidote and it is found in Scripture. In fact, it is found throughout Scripture.

I had memorized Psalm 37:1-5 a while ago, but then stopped repeating it to myself. Because of this, I was frustrated to learn I didn’t know it anymore. However, it only took a bare minimum of time to get back into the practice of repeating it to myself and allowing His Word to enrich my soul.

1 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.

This text is so vivid and filled with promises that I cannot think of any good reason not memorize it and contemplate it as often as possible. In verse 1, the Psalmist, speaking on behalf of God, tells us without equivocation that we should “…not fret because of evildoers.” In essence, not worry about them at all. That’s easier said than done, isn’t it? However, what I’ve noticed is that as I repeat that text to myself, my thoughts are lifted toward God and His plans and purposes. The idea here is that we should give no thought or time to those people who are remarkably evil and by the same token, we should not become “envious” of workers of iniquity (v1b), desiring what they might have.

So we should not fret or be worried about the evil doer and we certainly should not be envious of workers of iniquity. Why would we be? Well, quite often, evil people seem to have a good deal of wealth and with it, many of the perks of being wealthy. They don’t worry about a rise of inflation including gas or food prices. They can handle it and even though these evil people gained their wealth through nefarious means, they seem unaffected negatively by their evil practices. But we don’t see what’s going on in their hearts. They are probably very miserable when they are alone and they only feel better when they are lording it over others in some form to remind them of their perceived power.

God tells us not to worry about the evildoers and don’t covet what the workers of iniquity have. Why? The answer is provided in verse 2. It is because “…they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.” That’s fascinating, isn’t it? It may not happen the next day, month or year, but eventually evil people will be cut down and removed from life itself.

Each time I mow my lawn, I’m amazed at how nice it looks and it makes me feel as though I’ve accomplished something. Yet in between mowings, the weeds in the lawn grow faster and taller than the grass and stick out way above the grass as though they are lording it over the grass. I’ve tried to cull the weeks but they eventually come back and though sections of my lawn my struggle, the weeds never do. It’s as though they need little water, much less than the grass to survive and thrive. When I get serious about combating the weeks, I may use a weed killer that won’t harm the lawn. Then the weed dies, but leaves a large brown spot, which takes a while for the grass to fill that area in. The actual weed problem is only finally solved when weeds are killed and I would have to stay on top of that to ensure it.

God is telling us that one day, evil doers and workers of iniquity – the weeds of life – will be 100% gone from the face of the earth. That will be during the Millennial Kingdom and then eternity future following that. People will actually look for evil people but won’t find any. But for now, evil doers exist and their very presence can negatively impact us.

But what I appreciate about the first few verses of Psalm 37 is that God just doesn’t tell us “Don’t do that!” but shows us the way. This is how it’s done throughout many passages of Scripture. God promises that the evil doers will be taken care of and will be cut down and wither. That’s God’s department and His responsibility.

Verse 3 tells us what we are to do instead of fretting about evil doers and being envious of workers of iniquity.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

Turns out, it’s the exact opposite of fretting. In order to trust in the Lord, we must first place our eyes on Him and off evil people. We must look to Him for His provision and to gain a new understanding. As we become more adept at trusting the Lord, we will do good things, things that please Him. God will deal with evil people in His way and in His time. So instead of worrying about or fixating on evil people or their practices, we should focus on trusting the Lord and choosing to do good things – again, the things that He commands us to do in His Word and the things that bring Him glory and cause spiritual maturity in us. We cannot fixate on evil people and trust the Lord too. We should learn to “shrug off” evil people and get into the habit of following the Lord by doing good things. Don’t be focused on evil people as if they’re getting away with something. They’re not. God keeps track and will deal with them in His time. For more on this, read through Isaiah.

Dwelling in the Land causes us to think of Israel in the Land God gave them. They should’ve remained in the Land by trusting in Him but too often failed. Because of this, they were removed from the Land for a time. Metaphorically, God wants us to remain in our relationship with God and feed on His faithfulness. This can only happen as we learn to trust the Lord, ignore what evil people do and continue to do good by being obedient to Him and His will.

Verse 4 is especially interesting.

Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

A LOT of people take the above verse out of context. They think it means that God will give us whatever we desire if we have enough faith in Him. That’s not what the verse is saying. It is saying that our focus should be on God and taking absolute delight in Him. Once we begin to conform our spirits to delighting in Him, focusing on Him, worshiping Him for who He is and growing in our love and devotion for and to Him, He will begin to grant us the desires of our heart. However, it is important to note that these desires will have undergone changes because of our focus on Him.

Christians who learn to adore, delight, worship and love God for who He is and what He has done for us, also notice a clear change in our inner desires. There is a growing desire to want the things that please God, not the things that please Self. These Christians want to live as Jesus lived, in all things being obedient to the Father and bringing Him glory.

Too many Christians even yet today seem focused on a better car, job, this or that. God wants us to be focused on adoring Him because there is nothing better that we can do in this life than become a channel of worship and praise to our Great God. He will align our desires with His so that our desires reflect His desires. He will then give us those desires.

Verse 5 is similar to verse 4.

Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.

If we commit (actively give), our ways to the Lord, we will trust Him and He will then bring it to pass. In other words, as I come to Him with my problems that I face and really don’t know what to do about some of them, I can with confidence know that God will direct my steps and provide me with His answer. I will see the answer taking shape because I am leaning on Him to do so even though I may not know the solution going into it. God will direct. He will provide and shall bring it to pass. He cares for us deeply.

I’ve seen this happen many times in the past year or so as I’ve come to Him with my limited knowledge and understanding and zero ability to see my own future. He knows all things and as I’ve given Him the issues I face, He has been faithful to guide me through each of those issues. It’s when I run on ahead that I usually get into trouble.

In a day when it is extremely easy to focus on evil people and even tend to want what workers of iniquity have, God’s Word says we should ignore them and focus our attention on trusting Him and doing good. It’s a choice we must make daily, sometimes, moment by moment. If we focus on what evil people are doing, we will find ourselves troubled by that and it will affect our outlook on life. This is not to say we should put our heads in the sand and ignore what’s going on. It means we should not allow what is going on to become the major focus of our lives.

I can do nothing about evil people. Neither can you. That is God’s department and He will deal with it. We Christians need to instead focus on trusting God and focusing on what He is doing in this world.

Entry filed under: 9/11, agenda 2030, Agenda 21, alienology, Atheism and religion, christianity, Communism, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Cultural Marxism, Demonic, devil worship, Eastern Mysticism, emergent church, Emotional virtue, eternity, Global Elite, Gun Control, israel, Judaism, Maitreya, new age movement, Political Correctness, Politically Correct, Politics, Religious - Christian - End Times, Religious - Christian - Prophecy, Religious - Christian - Theology, salvation, Satanism, second coming, Shadow Government, Socialism, temple mount, Transhumanism, Trilateral Commission, ufology.