DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR THURSDAY APRIL 16:
WORD OF WISDOM
When a church changes their values to match current culture, they're no
longer following the Bible, they're following the lost.
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DAILY DEVOTION
What Fills Your Mouth?
"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. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not
ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of
all his troubles."
Psalm 34:1-6
If you really want to know what makes a person tick, the key is not so much
to look as it is to listen. What we have allowed to fill our hearts is best
revealed in what we say. Jesus said, "A good man out of the good treasure of
his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil
treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the
abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh" (Luke 6:45).
Sometimes people blame other people or their circumstances for what fills
their mouths, but that is not the source of the problem. David was at one of
the worst points in his life when he wrote Psalm 34, but that did not stop
him from praising God. He could not point to good things that were happening
right then. He was running for his life, pretending to be crazy to keep from
being killed. In earthly terms David was at his lowest point. Yet in his
time of great distress, David praised God.
The reason for David's praise was not in his circumstances, but in his
heart. He loved God supremely. He was able to bless the Lord in good times
and bad times, because he loved God and he knew God loved him.
The only thing that can keep us from praising God is internal; what is in
our hearts fills our mouths.
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DAILY BIBLE READING
Psalm 56 New King James Version (NKJV)
Prayer for Relief from Tormentors
To the Chief Musician. Set to [a]"The Silent Dove in Distant Lands." A
Michtam of David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.
56 Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up;
Fighting all day he oppresses me.
2
My enemies would hound me all day,
For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.
3
Whenever I am afraid,
I will trust in You.
4
In God (I will praise His word),
In God I have put my trust;
I will not fear.
What can flesh do to me?
5
All day they twist my words;
All their thoughts are against me for evil.
6
They gather together,
They hide, they mark my steps,
When they lie in wait for my life.
7
Shall they escape by iniquity?
In anger cast down the peoples, O God!
8
You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book?
9
When I cry out to You,
Then my enemies will turn back;
This I know, because God is for me.
10
In God (I will praise His word),
In the Lord (I will praise His word),
11
In God I have put my trust;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12
Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God;
I will render praises to You,
13
For You have delivered my soul from death.
Have You not kept my feet from falling,
That I may walk before God
In the light of the living?
Psalm 120 New King James Version (NKJV)
Plea for Relief from Bitter Foes
A Song of Ascents.
120 In my distress I cried to the Lord,
And He heard me.
2
Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips
And from a deceitful tongue.
3
What shall be given to you,
Or what shall be done to you,
You false tongue?
4
Sharp arrows of the [a]warrior,
With coals of the broom tree!
5
Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech,
That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
6
My soul has dwelt too long
With one who hates peace.
7
I am for peace;
But when I speak, they are for war.
Psalm 140-142 New King James Version (NKJV)
Prayer for Deliverance from Evil Men
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
140 Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
Preserve me from violent men,
2
Who plan evil things in their hearts;
They continually gather together for war.
3
They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;
The poison of asps is under their lips. Selah
4
Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
Preserve me from violent men,
Who have purposed to make my steps stumble.
5
The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords;
They have spread a net by the wayside;
They have set traps for me. Selah
6
I said to the Lord: "You are my God;
Hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord.
7
O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have [a]covered my head in the day of battle.
8
Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
Do not further his wicked scheme,
Lest they be exalted. Selah
9
"As for the head of those who surround me,
Let the evil of their lips cover them;
10
Let burning coals fall upon them;
Let them be cast into the fire,
Into deep pits, that they rise not up again.
11
Let not a slanderer be established in the earth;
Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him."
12
I know that the Lord will maintain
The cause of the afflicted,
And justice for the poor.
13
Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name;
The upright shall dwell in Your presence.
Prayer for Safekeeping from Wickedness
A Psalm of David.
141 Lord, I cry out to You;
Make haste to me!
Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You.
2
Let my prayer be set before You as incense,
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 incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice wicked works
With men who work iniquity;
And do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5
Let the righteous strike me;
It shall be a kindness.
And let him rebuke me;
It shall be as excellent oil;
Let my head not refuse it.
For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.
6
Their judges are overthrown by the sides of the [b]cliff,
And they hear my words, for they are sweet.
7
Our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave,
As when one plows and breaks up the earth.
8
But my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord;
In You I take refuge;
[c]Do not leave my soul destitute.
9
Keep me from the snares they have laid for me,
And from the traps of the workers of iniquity.
10
Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
While I escape safely.
A Plea for Relief from Persecutors
A Contemplation[d] of David. A Prayer when he was in the cave.
142 I cry out to the Lord with my voice;
With my voice to the Lord I make my supplication.
2
I pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare before Him my trouble.
3
When my spirit [e]was overwhelmed within me,
Then You knew my path.
In the way in which I walk
They have secretly set a snare for me.
4
Look on my right hand and see,
For there is no one who acknowledges me;
Refuge has failed me;
No one cares for my soul.
5
I cried out to You, O Lord:
I said, "You are my refuge,
My portion in the land of the living.
6
[f]Attend to my cry,
For I am brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are stronger than I.
7
Bring my soul out of prison,
That I may praise Your name;
The righteous shall surround me,
For You shall deal bountifully with me."
