On Your Right Side

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f4MUUMWMV4

Goodness of God ~ Bethel Music

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand... ~ Psalm 121:5 AMPC

Growing up, my grandparents had an in-ground pool, which, of course, had to be cleaned. The skimmer was useful for catching leaves on top of the pool. The vacuum, however, was best for getting everything that was at the bottom, especially in the deep end and harder-to-reach places. I confess that when I recently read Psalm 121, I skimmed right over verses 3-8 and spent more time on the familiar verses. But God had more that He wanted me to explore, so He took me back and helped me to draw out the deeper riches, especially in verse 5.

Throughout the Bible, many verses refer to the “right side,” which I’ve always heard is the “holy side.” While studying Psalm 121:5, I learned that Bible commentators also believe that it’s the “working side.” As a mom, I could relate to that, because when my girls were both little, I often held one on my left, while trying to do something else with my right hand.

As I continued to ponder the idea of the working side, Holy Spirit gave me a picture of Jesus sitting on God’s right side. Jesus’ last words on the Cross were, “It is finished.” Then, after ascending to heaven, He sat down at Father God’s right hand, demonstrating that the work of salvation is complete. I’m sure you know you don’t have to work to earn your salvation. Hopefully, you also realize that you don’t have to work to earn His love. It’s already freely yours. Yes, we are called to do good works, but as Graham Cooke says, “Work comes after love, not before. Love comes first, and the works come out of that love.”

Everyone is working hard these days, being pulled and stretched. Sometimes God allows the stretching to show off His glory, and sometimes to prepare you for the next step on the journey. Regardless of the reason, He’s always with you, loving you, encouraging you, and giving you the wisdom and skills needed when you turn to Him. As you go throughout your day, stop and thank Jesus for standing on your working side and for completing the work, so that you only have to walk in it.

©Heather Potts 2021

Your Shade

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_gCSJI6DKM

Jireh ~ Elevation Worship and Maverick City

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade … Psalm 121:5 AMPC

We loved playing hide-and-seek as children. My grandparents had the best house for it: they had tall bushes and trees near the front of the house and a way to hide under the front porch. It didn’t take me long to figure out that the closer I got to the house, under the porch, the more hidden I was in the deeper shadows. Of course, that meant I had to get over my fear of whatever else might also be under the porch. We don’t often associate shadows with God, but Psalm 31:20 says, “In the cover of your presence you hide [those who take refuge in you],” (ESV).

Psalm 121:5 says the Lord is our shade. As a shade, He is always near, never further away than your shadow. He provides protection, both from the toils of the day and from enemies. And as your shade, the Lord gives you refreshment: The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail, (Isaiah 58:11 NIV).

I hope that today, your life is as light and easy as a child at play. However, on both light days and on darker, harder days, remember the child playing hide-and-seek, who discovered the secret, hidden place:

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. ~ Psalm 91:1-6 NIV

©Heather Potts 2021

Known

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BhTAJ49MQ0&list=RDdH0PmaKxOtA&index=4

Nothing Else ~ Cody Carnes

The Lord is good, A strength and stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows [He recognizes, cares for, and understands fully] those who take refuge and trust in Him.

Nahum 1:7 AMP

Three days ago, we learned that our downstairs neighbor, who’d lived alone the full 3 ½ years we’ve known him, chose to live and die alone. I use the term “known” loosely, because there was very little we knew about him, including that he had family nearby, who clearly loved him.

What is a life that’s known? What does it take to love and be loved by others? I think it starts with courage and choice. Jesus demonstrated that for us by His sacrifice. His desire to know and be known by us, that not one of us would be lost to Him, compelled Christ to the Cross. Knowing that He desired to know and be known by you, when did you choose Him? When did you ask Jesus to be your Savior, that you’d get to know Him?

Like everyone our age, I remember where I was and what I was doing 20 years ago, today. Today was life-changing for so many. While there are hundreds of thousands of stories, I pray that this one touches your heart:

He got up, got dressed for work, kissed his girlfriend good-bye and headed out the door.  Today was the day it would all change for him.  He was starting a new job, a new way of life.  After orientation, his boss showed him to an office and asked him to file while she was in a meeting.  A while later, he began to hear a commotion.  People were yelling and running.  He stuck his head out of the office and saw the burning twin towers on TV and the reporter talking about the concerns for the President.  Then someone in the office shouted, “Air Force One is across the street!  Should we evacuate the building?” No one answered. All eyes were locked on the TV in horror. He moved back into the office and closed the door, his mind whirling.

 

Standing in that office, leaning against the door, he was afraid.  “What if I die today?  What if they take out the President’s plane and this office with it?  What if my girlfriend was right about Jesus and I miss it?”  He began to remember what his friends had said one night after work, so many years ago.  They had talked about a Savior. Not a mean God, but One who loved him and who would accept him.  Sliding down to the floor, he said, “God I give you my heart.  From this day forward, I’m Yours.”

 

In Psalm 23, David called the Lord his “Shepherd”, someone who knew David: his needs, desires, wounds, and even joys. David has been called a man after God’s heart, not because he lived a perfect life, but because he chose to live a known life--known to and by his Savior, the way we all long to be known.

I don’t know your story, or how you were affected by that terrible, dark day.  I do know that while so many lives were lost that day, at least one soul was saved, because he chose to be known by his Savior. Tuesday, September 11, 2001 was the day my husband gave his life to Christ! 

Friends, my prayer is that you will choose to not live this life alone, but will be courageous enough to choose a known life--both by your Savior and by those around you.

©Heather Potts 2021

Mountains

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhxSJlwzrws

Speak to the Mountains ~ Church of the City

I look up to the mountains;

    does my strength come from mountains?

No, my strength comes from God,

    who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

~ Psalm 121:1-2 MSG

Being sick is the pits! Truly, all trials are at least annoying and more often terrifying and draining. But what do we do when we’re stuck in these pits, these trials of sickness and affliction? We cry out for help. David was no different. 

I’ve heard that Bible scholars believe when David wrote Psalm 121, he was looking at the mountains for the soldiers who would pass over them. Because mountains have always been a symbol of strength, an immovable force, David might have been looking to the mountains searching for help. Don’t we all look to the mountains in our lives for help?

When we’re sick, don’t we look to doctors, medicine, or supplements to make us well? When we - or our loved ones - are battling addiction or mental/emotional distress, don’t we look to counselors and therapists for the answers? Of course we do, because those are the tools God gave us to help during trials. But those are tools and created things, which was David’s point when he answered his own question, “Does my strength come from the mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.”

In Revelation 1:8, Jesus reminds us who He is, “I am the Alpha and the Omega...who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” From beginning to ending, as the Almighty, Jesus is and will supply everything we’ll ever need. When we’re sick, Jehovah Rapha is our healer. When we’re feeling lost, Jehovah Raah is our Shepherd and guide. When we’re feeling abandoned and alone, Jehovah Shammah is the Lord who’s there. When we’re in the fight for our lives, our marriage, or our families, Jehovah Nissi is the Banner over us.

Whatever you’re in need of today, remember your help and strength don’t come from the created things that God will use. Your help comes from the Creator, Himself, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfiYWaeAcRw

Shoulders ~ for KING & COUNTRY

©Heather Potts 2021

How Do You Decide?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH0PmaKxOtA&list=RDdH0PmaKxOtA&start_radio=1&rv=dH0PmaKxOtA&t=0

Too Good to Not Believe ~ Cody Carnes

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

    and lean not on your own understanding;

 in all your ways submit to him,

    and he will make your paths straight.

~ Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

How do you decide what to have for dinner, the route to take to the store, which outfit to wear, or what to do with $25? Many of the decisions we make each day seem small, even insignificant to us. Recently, I sold something for $25. I hadn’t thought about what I was going to do with the money, so I put it in our “fun” budget. Those small, no-big-deal decisions can have a big impact when we invite God into them.

Sadly, some of our friends are in the middle of a crisis. Long story short, I volunteered to take a meal to them. However, due to the number of adults I’d have to feed, I ordered some food from a local restaurant. Little did I know it, but God had arranged for the item to sell for the exact amount I’d need to cover dinner: $25!

Proverbs 3:6 says in all our ways, we’re to acknowledge --submit to--God. Not just in the big or scary things, but in all things: all situations and decisions. 1 Peter 5:7 says to cast all our cares on him--all our anxieties, all our worries, and all our concerns. Have questions about your finances or an upcoming vacation? Toss them to God. Worried about the doctor’s findings? Throw it to God. Anxious about the new school year or changes at your job? Cast them at His feet.

When God says to cast our cares, it’s not a gentle placing of our questions, cares, or concerns. It’s like a major league pitcher hurling them across home plate. God doesn’t want you to keep them, carry them, or waste any more time, effort, or energy on them. Cast your cares on God and wait for His reply. Perhaps the reason you’ve held them is because you feel God’s reply takes too long for your comfort. But Proverbs 3:5-7 say not to assume or pretend we know best. Instead, we’re to put all our trust and confidence in the Lord, submitting to Him in all things. It’s only from a posture of total submission that we can recognize and follow the paths that God lays out for us. His path isn’t one big answer for all of life’s questions. He has an answer and a promise for each need, question, care, and concern.

The next time you receive something or have a question, hold it out to God and ask what you’re to do with it. His answer just might surprise you.

©Heather Potts 2021

Called to Stand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU771D5AYWE

Holy Ground ~ Passion ft. Melodie Malone 

Who is this King of glory?

    The Lord strong and mighty,

    the Lord mighty in battle.

~ Psalm 24:8 NIV

In the 2002 movie Signs, after crop circles appeared on the farmer’s land, his kids started reading about aliens. Then, one day, the farmer found his kids and brother-in-law watching the news with aluminum foil on their heads, so that the aliens couldn’t read their thoughts. We laugh at the aluminum foil scene, but honestly, with all the extremes on the news these days, there are people in both camp extremes: some with their heads in the sand and some already wearing aluminum foil. Fear can be a great motivator; but more often than not, fear is the greatest paralyzer, holding you as a powerless prisoner to what might happen. 

What if it didn’t have to - what if there was another choice besides head-in-sand and aluminum-foil-on-head? Fear only has power when it has your attention. What if you cut off its power supply by shifting your focus? 

Prime Time with God: Reflecting on the Names and Nature of God is a devotional I read. The title from the other day was, “The Lord Mighty in Battle,” from Psalm 24:8. It was the prayer at the end that really hit me between the eyes. It said, “Lord, I’ll not look at the strength of the Enemy; I’ll look to Your might.” I was shocked by the revelation that I had been focusing on the strength of the enemy, instead of power and might of my God. That revelation was my wake-up call to pull off the aluminum foil, lift my head from the sand, and STAND! 

We are a people called to STAND. Not cower, not crumble: we’re called to dress in holy armor and then stand. The enemy will come against God’s people and he will bring a mighty force. But when we’re not distracted by the enemy’s strength, when we’re focusing on God’s power and might, regardless of what the enemy brings and flashes in front of us, we’ll be able to stand.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ~ Ephesians 6:13 NIV

©Heather Potts 2021

In the Trenches

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9moCqVAF2ak

Ghost ~ Crowder

Have you ever been in the valleys of life? 

What about in the trenches?

Life seemed to be going along like normal, maybe you sensed things were slightly off, but before you had a chance to react, the earth started to tremble and down you went from the hillside and into the valley. But your quick shot down didn’t end there. Before you could even get your bearings, the valley floor opened and you fell through a crack. When you carefully, cautiously stood, you looked around and found yourself in the trenches in the middle of a war zone. You weren’t sure who was flinging bombs at you, but you knew enough to duck. In your crouched position, fear began to waft into the trench with you, like the smell of death. It was death to the life you thought you knew, felt that you’d had, giving way to this new reality in an ugly, scary battle scene where hope has faded to gray and you feel all alone.

Sadly, this is reality for some of the people I care about deeply. Without much warning, life shattered and they awoke to this new, hurtful reality. First it only breaks the heart. But then, it messes with the mind. Hurt and fear set in when the mind asks if the life and relationships you thought you had were all just a lie. Hurt and fear give way to anger when you believe the question as truth: it was all a lie!

Though the trenches look bleak and gray, hope begins to grow when Light is spotted. It may look like it’s coming from an encouraging post on social media, or a card from a friend. And though He’ll use resources like your therapist, your pastor, and even prayer warrior friends, there’s only one Light Source. His Name is Jesus.

If you are on the outside, watching a loved one struggle through trench warfare, commit to standing with them in prayer. This is likely to not be a short season, but God allowed you this unique position in their life to partner with them in prayer and, at times, to cover over them in a blanket of prayer-protection. This may not be trench warfare like your great-grandfather faced, but it’s spiritual warfare, which means the stakes are higher and the injuries more costly.

If you’re in the trenches, then suit up! This is likely to be the greatest battle you’ve ever fought. The devil fights to the death and he’s out for blood! But you are not without protection and you’re not without hope. Get your spiritual armor on; hold up your shield and swing your sword. Pull God’s Word close to you and dig into His promises like your life depends on it. His Word will become your greatest weapon and resource till this battle is won, and then will be the launch pad from which your new season will begin.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ~ Ephesians 6:11-13 NIV

©Heather Potts 2021