Walking Through the Psalms“Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.” – Psalm 37:8 (NLT)“Taming the Anger Animal” Do you think of yourself as an angry person? Most of us probably don’t. But at the same time, almost all of us have times when we allow the Anger Animal to take over. We say things we wish we wouldn’t have said. We do things we wish we wouldn...

Walking Through the Psalms“Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act.” – Psalm 37:7 (NLT)“Chill” When I was a pastor in Phoenix, we had a new guy show up for our Saturday night service who was a bit odd. He came and sat down in the front row across the aisle from me. As our band began playing and we stood to worship, he started becoming fairly animated and loud. I was...

Walking Through the Psalms“Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.” – Psalm 37:5 (NLT)“Committing & Trusting” Read the first half of that verse again. Now circle the second word of that sentence. “Everything.” Do you commit EVERYTHING you do to the Lord? Now, before you answer that, think about what that means. Everything means, well, everything! Think about it. Most...

Walking Through the Psalms“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” – Psalm 37:4 (NLT)“Your Heart’s Desire” Relax. This verse doesn’t mean what you think it means. I say that because there are some of you who read that verse and thought it meant God is going to give you the stuff that you really, really want. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it kind of means the exact o...

Walking Through the Psalms“Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.” – Psalm 37:1-3 (NLT)“Trust and Do Good” Today, weather permitting, my wife and I will be doing the last leg of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. In the Se...

Walking Through the Psalms“For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.” – Psalm 36:9 (NLT)“The Fountain of Life” I love this verse. In Genesis 1, we read how God “breathed into man the breath of life.” You know what? He still does! I’m not talking about just the oxygen that our lungs need. I’m talking about LIFE. It is in God that our lives find meaning and purpose. It is in God t...

Walking Through the Psalms“Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.” – Psalm 36:5 (NLT)“In the Blackness of Space” I was reading a fascinating story a week or two ago about astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. If you remember these two, they went into space to go to the International Space Station. It was supposed to be an eight-da...

Walking Through the Psalms“In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin.” – Psalm 36:2 (NIV)“Who, ME?” Are you ever just astounded by how people can justify attitudes and actions that are so ungodly? Sometimes I watch people, and it is beyond me how they can’t see how mean they’re being, or selfish they’re acting, or how wrong what they’re doing is. It is so obvio...

Walking Through the Psalms“Then I will proclaim your justice, and I will praise you all day long.” – Psalm 35:28 (NLT)“Faith Praise” As I was reading through this psalm today, I noticed something. The psalmist was bargaining with God. Three or four times throughout this psalm in which he is asking God to vanquish his enemies, he tells God that if He does it, THEN he will praise him. “Then I will p...

Walking Through the Psalms"Lift up your spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Let me hear you say, 'I will give you victory!'" – Psalm 35:3 (NLT)“He Will Give You the Victory” The Psalmist minces no words in this psalm. He wants God to ACT. And act NOW! He’s tired of being attacked. He’s tired of hiding and being on the run. He hasn’t done anything wrong, and he wants God to bring justice...

Walking Through the Psalms“So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the LORD!” – Psalm 31:24 (NLT)“Resurrection Sunday” Hope. It’s perhaps the greatest human need there is. It’s said you can live a few weeks without food, a few days without water, a few minutes without air, but only a few seconds without hope. Could YOU use some hope today?Resurrection Sunday is the day when God c...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.” – Psalm 34:8 (NLT)“Silent Saturday” Do you ever wonder where Jesus was on the Saturday before the Resurrection? Was He still in the grave? Did He go to some unknown, spiritual waiting room? Some people, based on words in Peter’s letters, think that Jesus visited Hell. One thing is su...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” – Psalm 34:8 (NLT)“Good Friday” Yesterday was a hard day. I dealt with a lot of people going through some really hard stuff. Another marriage is facing divorce. Another family suffered the loss of someone they loved. Another tough diagnosis that could lead to some difficult long-term t...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” – Psalm 34:8 (NLT)“God and Michigan Cherry Coffee” I have a friend who has spoiled me when it comes to coffee. He’s from Michigan and has turned me on to Michigan Cherry Coffee. Whenever he goes home, he brings me back some. I have to confess that I’m not really much of a coffee connois...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” – Psalm 34:4 (NLT)“Breaking the Shackles” Fear is more than an emotion. For many of us, it is a shackle. It keeps us from enjoying the abundant life that God has for us. Some of us are so afraid of being alone that we stay in relationships with toxic people who treat us horribly. Some of us are s...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do.” – Psalm 33:15 (NLT)“God Knows Their Hearts; I Don’t!” You need to say this out loud before you leave the house today: “GOD knows people’s hearts, but I do not!” That simple statement can save you a lot of heartache. I’m convinced that for many of us, a lot of our relational problems and personal hurts are bec...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.” – Psalm 33:6 (NLT)“When There’s Nothing Left” There is an old joke I love about a scientist who was bragging to God that with cloning, gene editing, and DNA mapping, science could now do anything God could do. God said, “Oh yeah? How about a contest to see who can m...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“For the word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything he does.” – Psalm 33:4 (NLT)“Wax On, Wax Off” One of my favorite old movies is “Karate Kid.” Remember that one? Daniel LaRusso needs to learn karate to protect himself from a bunch of martial arts bullies who make it their goal to make his life miserable. So Daniel recruits Mr. Miyagi, his apartment maint...

“Walking Through the Psalms”The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” – Psalm 32:8 (NLT)“Our Father Knows Best” Mark Twain is quoted as saying, “When I was 14, my father was so ignorant that I could barely stand to have him around. When I was 21, I was amazed at how much he’d learned in just 7 years!” Can you relate to that quote?...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them.” – Psalm 32:6 (NIV)“How Bad Is Bad Enough?” Let me ask you what might be one of the most important questions you can answer. “How bad is bad enough?” How bad does something have to get before you admit that something is wrong and ask for God’s ...