~ Psalm 18 ~ Spiritual Journey From the Beginning to the End of the Psalm ~

~ Psalm 18 ~ Spiritual Journey From the Beginning To The End Of The Psalm ~

The Psalms are an extraordinary, exceptionally illuminating, radiant, breath taking collection of godly wisdom! They are a splendidly brilliant, compendium of aggressive expressions that energetically embrace the heart! Here in this remarkably outstanding Psalm David pours out his sublime, awe inspiring emotions efficiently and forcibly out of a heart of pure, absolute sheer gratefulness!

David is one of the greatest and most powerful Psalmist to ever live. His many God inspired masterpieces continue to transcend the boundaries of time! We too in this 21^st century through our spiritual God given senses can also experience somewhat of the magnitude of his transparent passion for the Lord! It is utterly amazing! A miraculous testimony to the verifiable fact that The Word of The Lord is “ALIVE!” Indeed, HIS Word is eternal!

David sang this Psalm when the Lord delivered him from his many enemies as well as from the hands of King Saul! He vehemently expresses this initially in II Samuel 22. David was pursued and harassed by his foes for most of his life! Here we can be reassured of The Lord’s protection during whatever we are going through as we remain faithful to His Will and His Way over the will of man! The protection of God is limitless. God has no boundaries! He is not defined by nor restricted to man induced philosophies or parameters!

Spiritual understanding is often quite abstract and not easily detected by the senses of the flesh! So do not find it unusual that you are thought to be a bit peculiar as your walk of Faith grows… To comprehend the things of God it takes spiritual intervention! This is why we need His Holy Spirit! Open our spiritual eyes Lord!

The Lord is continuously becoming everything to me...

David was a man who lacked nothing of material substance! He had wealth beyond wealth! Never seek The Lord for what He can give you! But seek Him for who He is! God is The Ultimate Father! David candidly teaches us where our priorities should be! He had a marvelous relationship with The Lord! There is No greater wealth or inner peace and contentment that one can attain outside of The Lord! Life really is an endless journey that extends far beyond this earth as we know it! Heaven is the destined eternal home to All that truly believe! For assured passage accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the prerequisite for HE is The Door that ALL who desire to enter Heaven must enter through! "Jesus answered" I AM THE WAY and THE TRUTH and THE LIFE. NO one comes to THE FATHER except through ME..." John 14.

God is Omnipresent, Omniscient & Omnipotent through Everlasting… HE IS THE GREAT “I AM!” The Alpha & The Omega, The Beginning and The End!

David presents in picturesque terminology an image that we in our finite minds can somewhat grasp! He solicits us to see God in everything! The sky, His most majestic firmament is a glorious manifestation that was spoken into existence through HIS WORD! Jesus Christ is His Word that was born of the Virgin Mary! He lived upon the earth embodied within sinless flesh and dwelt among us! He truly is our only perfect glorious magnificent example of a sinless life! His sky remains intact and stretches far across the planet! It is everywhere and its heights have no boundaries man can visualize… A grand display from the Lord! How utterly Awesome! Here in this Psalm David magnifies The Lord!

This Psalm is quite lengthy and I believe it is necessary to slowly read, digest, savor and ponder upon its entire contents! There are multiple marvelous and brilliant principles here that serve to further illuminate our understanding! Here we can be reassured over and over again that no matter what the situation is, or whoever it is pursuing us regardless as to whom they are; “God is Able!” Through Jesus Christ you or I have THE VICTORY! In turn we must learn to: Trust in The Lord with ALL your heart, and lean not to your own understanding in ALL your ways acknowledge HIM and HE WILL make your path straight.” Proverbs 3.

God truly IS “THE MOST HIGH GOD!” Nothing or no one can change this indisputable TRUTH! No matter what they say or do this remains a fact… We were created in GOD’S IMAGE for HIS GLORY!

Book of Praise Lesson Highlights

BOOK 1

“A Psalm of David” A Prayer of David

Theme: GRATITUDE for Deliverance & Victory! The only sure way to be delivered from surrounding evil is to CALL upon GOD for help and strength.

Author: David

Once you enter into an ongoing relationship with the Lord He begins to unveil the mystery of His WORD! His Holy Spirit our inner Guide, Teacher and Comforter gives us a 3D revelation of His Word! The Word becomes much more than mere words but Spiritual Food to spiritually nourish our souls upon this journey of life.

It is only within a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ are we able to grow in His Grace & Knowledge. His Holy Spirit illuminates and uncovers the deep caverns of His Word to direct us on or to The Narrow path. It is here we can discover the true meaning of His Love. I can truly say that I Love the Lord!

In the Lord you can experience a Joy that is present even in the midst of sorrows, misunderstandings, pain and grief. In the Lord you can always experience His Joy, that brings laughter and contentment to our soul. A strength that securely bonds our hearts together as one as we embrace TRUTH. There is a knowing and reassurance that stills the agitations of the mind! His peace surpasses the understanding of man. We too can run to Him and be “safe under the shadow of The Almighty” He is a Strong Tower with us wherever we are… The Lord can loose any shackle, penetrate any barrier, open any door and free us from whatever attempts to hinder us! This is why it is so important to spend time regularly in His Word!

THE LORD is an imperishable, indubitable everlasting HOLY ROCK! An incredible authoritative, potent Fortress to reckon with! A sacred HOLY and Divine Spiritual Safe Haven second to none! “I LOVE YOU, O LORD MY STRENGTH!”

THE LORD IS my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer; my God is my Rock, in whom I take refuge. HE IS my Shield, and the horns of my Salvation, My Stronghold.”

We can call upon The Lord wherever we are and at anytime forever! He even hears and knows our thoughts and unspoken prayers! This may be a bit hard to phantom but He hears and sees us ALL throughout the universe as well! He knows what everyone is doing and where we ALL are… There is absolutely nothing hidden to Him! It is important to not just wait until trouble is surrounding us… But PRAISE HIM each and every day that He allows His breath to remain within these temporal bodies! Praise God for His plan of Salvation!

What is so great is that we learned from the Old Testament that the Lord was even called upon before going into battle! We too can call on the Lord and invite Him to fill us with His Holy Spirit each and everyday! Life is full of challenges, trials and tests! The Lord in His time is willing and able to bring us through every one of them! So Praise the Lord even while you are going through! There is no enemy or power that He cannot conquer! With God on our side as we submit to His Will & Way we are destined for Victory! “I call to THE LORD, who is worthy of PRAISE, and I am SAVED of my enemies.”

I often say that; “God is always speaking, we just have to get better at listening!” Through the many natural disasters, ongoing diverse climatic conditions, and phenomena we are experiencing world wide the Lord is trying to get our attention! The Pestilence & Plague of this widespread "Pandemic Corona Virus" is being felt throughout the world. Don't panic. We all must take heed and be wise in our responses... We have been in the midst of the beginning of sorrows... The world at large can can only ignore the Lord for so long! It is just a matter of time before we will experience His wrath. Know that the end to life as we know it here on earth is eventually coming to an end!

God is patient. He is The Great “I AM who was, is and always will be! Yet many still question His existence? Disobedience and disrespect is rampart and tantamount worldwide! We must become better at listening and apply the Truths of His Word to our everyday lives. We as believers are to encourage the world to get to know the Lord, We are to also live out His Word daily and acknowledge Him as Lord!

Have you ever wondered what is happening during an earthquake? This is what Psalm 18 teaches us; “The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundation of the mountains shook; they trembled because He was angry!”

Here in this Psalm David voraciously and heroically attests to God’s omnipotent power when his fierce enemies rise against him! It is in times like these that we too can find Refuge in God who is able to rescue us from ALL danger amidst seemingly impossible situations! When any and everything seems to be coming against you it is the “Best Time!” to invite The Lord into the messiness of your life! When we humbly submit to Him we can find shelter and refuge from the most hostile battles seen and unseen! Even when it appears that ALL and everything is working against us and ALL are against us; God is still more than able! This is exactly the precise time to call upon the faithful Name of The Lord! “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me!”

God knows precisely where each of us is! He knows the depth or lack of Faith within everyone! God can not be manipulated! He has established a new covenant with those of us who Believe and wants us to receive it in The Name of Jesus Christ! In Luke 22 we can discover that we are sealed by the Power of His Blood!“And He took bread, gave THANKS and broke it, and gave it to them saying, “This is My Body given for you, DO this in REMBRANCE of ME!” Whenever we participate and partake in The Lord’s Supper we do so to commiserate the Holiness of His sinless, brilliant yet humble spectacular life, crucifixion and miraculous Resurrection!

When we break Bread and drink the Fruit of the vine we should do so out of our Love, Admiration & Respect for Him! While partaking in Holy Communion we remember how He sacrificed His life for us on the Cross! How He took upon Himself the past, present and future sins of the world! His precious blood can remove the stain of sin and cleanses us from “All unrighteousness!” It is just that POWERFUL! In ourselves we have no righteousness but His righteousness is imputed to us when we accept Him as Savior and Lord! This is why it is so very important to KNOW His Word! Never let NO one make you doubt the Lord! O how precious is the immaculately flawless cleansing Blood of Jesus Christ! It will never lose its power! As we draw closer to Him He will write His laws upon our heart! Praise God! Praise God!! & Praise GOD!!!

“THE LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands and have rewarded me. I have kept my ways of THE LORD; I have not done evil by turning from GOD ! ALL HIS laws are before me; I have NOT turned from His decrees.”

This is what God does:

“To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless, to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.”

“You save the humble but bring low those who eyes are haughty. You O LORD, KEEP my lamp burning; and my GOD turns my darkness into LIGHT.”

Praise God! Praise GOD!! & PRAISE GOD!!!

We often hear “nobody is perfect” This is a truism; however we are to strive everyday to become more like God! In Him exists an attainable perfection that yields spiritual cleansing! His Way is ALWAYS the best Way! In Him you can experience spiritual perfection which means you become complete in HIM; not flawless! We in ourselves are nothing. There is cleansing wonder working power in the "Blood of Jesus." It is our flaws and insecurities that should diminish as we move closer and closer to the Light trusting Him to dispel any darkness that attempts to hinder a closer walk with Him!

Never let anyone undermine the Power of the TRUTH in the Lord’s Word! Although scribed by the hands of men who had sinned during their lifetime; His Holy Spirit illuminated their path and The Lord allowed His God breathed oracles to manifest into “Living Words!” His Word is infallible! & Timeless! “He has made us competent Ministers of a New Covenant, - not of the letter but of THE SPIRIT, for The Letter kills but the Spirit Gives life” II Corinthians 3. It is only by committing to and believing in Jesus Christ can anyone receive the Gift of Eternal Life! No one but JESUS could fulfill the law perfectly! His Holy Spirit imparts New Life into us that believe! It is upon Jesus Christ we can build a Solid Rock Foundation!

This is why we as believers can sing; “On Christ The Solid Rock I Stand All Other Ground is Sinking Sand!”

Today in this 21^st century thousands of years later, not too much different from then, the world at large is continuing to turn away from God! No wonder the plethora of natural disasters are continuing Many then, likewise as now, are straying from recognizing God as “The Most High God!” Making idol gods out of some of any and everything and forsaking the Way of the Lord! They are casting aside His Word to justify whatever suits the flesh! The President and Congress could not come to an agreement which in turn actually “SHUT DOWN” The United States of America that resulted in an estimated 20 billion dollar dearth. This is astounding… What’s next?

Life is not all about our issues! Our sermons, conferences, worship services & bible studies, should be more about the GOODNESS of GOD & HIS MARVELOUS WORD! Life is about Praising God and acknowledging that "HE IS LORD" & HE IS WORTHY! It is about Praising God and acknowledging “HE IS LORD" & HE IS WORTHY!” Jesus death on the cross has provided us with restoration! We truly do have something to "SHOUT" about! Shouting does not always mean yelling your loudest. Give our LORD a shout by living a disciplined life and embracing HIS WORD in your daily life! Although “It is written” many are trying to camouflage or change the meaning of His Word to accommodate the masses! Lord Help us! & Lord have mercy!

David who was but a mere shepherd boy, was elevated to become an anointed king by God long before he ascended the throne! God had given Him the authority to administer and govern over His people. He was a mighty warrior, husband, father and flawed man as well as skilled Psalmist who played the harp excellently! David trusted God, had riches beyond riches and great power, he reassures us that God can show us a more perfect way! God can use whomever He so desires! David's power was legendary; numerous times the Lord led him victoriously through battle after battle. In II Samuel he also sings a song and refers to The Lord as The Horn of His Salvation! The horn is symbolic of protection! Many in the animal kingdom have horns that are often used to protect them. David knew that The Lord was faithful he always gave the ultimate credit to the Lord for winning the battle!

We are to daily strive for perfection. Perfection in the spiritual sense means to learn to be complete in the Lord!

We are faced with extreme chaos about us in this world today! Economic unrest throughout the land. Numerous natural disasters continue to plague the land. Leaders falling and the power of many diminishing, nations turning away from recognizing God as Sovereign… There is much spiritual warfare within The Church of the Lord as well! There are many wolves among the sheep! One must become discerning to KNOW the difference! God's Love is not carnal. It yields character, strength and perseverance… The enemy continues to sow discord in the midst of God’s people inside and outside of the walls... Unseen powers lurking in the darkness desiring to thwart our efforts to bring others into The Kingdom of God! To encourage others to really “Be in the world but not of the world...”

However, we must TRUST GOD! He will eventually bring what is happening in the dark to The LIGHT! In the meantime we CAN still ALWAYS find solace in the Lord! We must continue to turn to The Lord daily and seek Him above all else! He is that strong Rock and Shelter in the time of any storm! We DO NOT have to be tossed and turned by the winds or life storms! Nor do we have to be afraid when others attempt to discredit us nor of the entrapment that are set about us... We can become anchored in the Lord! God is The only Solid Rock upon which we can build an unbreakable foundation! In Him only can we find genuine Security & Significance!

Here in this magnificent glorious Psalm David reflects back with thankfulness on all the marvelous things that the Lord did for him! God made him not only a conqueror but a great ruler as well! Throughout the Word we can find many others that when they too were faced with a battle emerged victoriously! We too when faced with the trials and tests of life in this day and age can turn to God who is still and always will indeed be, a Shield and Refuge! Sometimes He will simply provide a safe haven away from it all!

God does not always necessarily eliminate our troubles or remove difficult people from our lives, but promises to strengthen us and take us through all of them when we Trust Him! Praise God for The Comforter, His Precious HOLY SPIRIT! Praise God for giving you a spouse that loves Him like you do; for you together can "touch and agree." God's Love is everlasting... God’s Word will Not fail! He is a Protector and Defender of His people! GOD CAN DELIVER! “As for GOD, HIS WAY is PERFECT; THE WORD of THE LORD is FLAWLESS. He is a Shield for ALL who take refuge in HIM!” For who is GOD besides THE LORD? And who is THE ROCK except our GOD! It is GOD who arms me with strength and makes my way PERFECT!”

From the beginning of time The Rock symbolizes The Lord! "LORD lives, PRAISE be to my ROCK! Exalted be GOD my SAVIOR! HE IS THE GOD who avenges me, who SAVES me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes. You exalted me, from violent men you rescued me.”

PRAISE GOD! for his incredible marvelously tremendous powerful Psalm!

This Psalm concludes saying: “Therefore I WILL PRAISE YOU among the nations, O LORD; I WILL sing PRAISES to your NAME. He gives His king great victories; He shows unfailing kindness to HIS ANOINTED to David and his descendents FOREVER!”