Most of us eat every day, some of us too much because yesterday's food
is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do some
of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to keep
us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all
of that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to
live healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker, Elle David Harris. Good morning, Good morning, Good morning.
It is Friday, February two, twenty twenty four. Hello, my
name is El David Harris. I am your host, and this is your
Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day, and today is
no exception. We are continuing in our lesson study series through the Book of
Psalms, and our caption for today is God Confidence, God Confidence. We'll
get into that in just a moment, but first to say welcome to you
and ask you to please go over to your Daily Portion dot com. Please
pick up the Your Daily Portion book and also let us know in that platform
where you are in the world, so that we can continue to build faith
and fellowship at your Daily portion dot com. Let's go ahead and pray,
and then we will get underway. Father and Heaven, thank you for giving
us this day of preparation, and for your Holy Spirit who has been so
faithful at leading us and guiding us thus far. Father, please fill us
with your Holy Spirit, teach us to serve you with everything that we are,
and to put all of our faith and trust and confidence in you.
In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen, and a man again God confidence.
Let me ask you a question in whom do you have confidence? Is
it in yourself? Because you have done some things very well well for many
years, and people have congratulated you or maybe even said, you know what,
I'm really thankful for what God has done in your life. And then
maybe sometimes the confidence starts to go in your direction. Do you have confidence
in your children, confidence in your bank account, confidence in your boss or
the business leader you may follow on Facebook or YouTube? Where is your confidence?
Is your confidence in your abilities? You're an athlete, You've excelled at
the highest levels against the greatest competition. Where is your confidence? That's a
question that we all need to be answering. But before we get into some
of that detail. I would like to talk about this chapter in one of
my face No actually my favorite book outside of the Bible, Steps to Christ.
It's a short little book, but it is so powerful. The final
chapter is is rejoicing in the Lord, and the writer goes into an interesting
discussion as she sees in her in her, in her understanding. She sees
two people walking on the pathway. So she's walking with with a woman,
and this woman is supposed to be a representative of people of God. The
people of God are are symbolized by this woman. And so they're walking through
through a field, and there is so much beauty in that field. There
are lilies, there are pink flowers, there are roses, and all kinds
of other other flowers. And so the woman, for some reason, she
starts to see the thorns and the briars. And the writer is saying,
but hold on, do you not see all of the beautiful flowers here?
Why is it that you're focusing on the briars? She said, do not
focus on the brier They will only wound you. Now, the reality is
there are so many people who have confidence in ourselves and in other things,
and so when trials come we lose focus, we lose confidence, we lose
trust, we lose our desire sometime to serve God. Why because our confidence
has been misplaced, it has been in the wrong reality. What God is
saying is that what he says is true, what he says is real.
He said that we're not to look on the things which are seen, because
those things are temporal, but the things which are not seen, which are
eternal, you see. And so God is giving us the privilege to be
a good mouthpiece for him, the kind of mouthpiece that is different than one
that you see in the Book of Malachi chapter three, that are throwing up
their hands and saying, you know, what is the benefit of me serving
God? Because I still have all of these trials, And God is saying,
well, I'm writing down these things in a book. I'm keeping a
record of how you speak about me, how you misrepresent me. And what
I'm also gonna do is listen to the people of God. I'm going to
listen to the people who have God confidence, and I'm going to record even
that when they are showing, or when I am showing the world, the
difference between those who are holy and those who are not. And so We're
going to center our attention now in the book of Psalms, chapter fifty six.
Psalms, chapter fifty six, and see what else God is saying to
us, beginning at verse one, have mercy on me, oh God,
for men are attacking me. See those are thorns, those are briers.
Those are the experiences that David could focus on while the Philistines had him captured
in death right all day long. Hostile enemies are tormenting me. Those who
anticipate my defeat attack me all day long. Indeed, many are fighting against
me, Oh, Exalted One. When I am afraid, wait a minute,
he's not. He's not. Wait a minute. I think he's about
to make a pivot. I think he's about not to be looking at the
thorns and the briers and those things that will wound him. He's not going
to continue to look at the things and speak of the things that would make
him not be a good testimony to those who are also going through trials.
When I am afraid, what does he do? I trust in you,
in God, I boast in his promise. In God, I trust.
I am not afraid. Did you get that? When I am afraid,
I trust in you in God, I boast in his promise. In God,
I trust, I am not afraid. Do you see the difference.
A moment ago he was talking about the fear that would come upon him,
like those thorns in those briers, that would only wound him. That natural
reason response that comes when we look at things from a human perspective. And
he said, you know, when I feel fearful, I change my mindset
immediately. And I trust in you, In God, I boast in his
promise. In God, I trust, I am not afraid. When men,
or mere men, what will they do to me? All day long?
They cause me trouble. They make a habit of plotting my demise.
They stalk and lurk as they watch my every step, as they prepare to
take my life, because they are bent on violence. Do not let them
escape, and your anger bring down the nations. Oh God, you keep
track of my misery. Put my tears in your leather container, in a
bottle. Are they not recorded in your scroll? Remember I said that God
takes a record, and I got that out of the Book of Malachi,
chapter three. Well it's here too, God takes a record Verse nine.
My enemies will turn back when I cry out for your help. You see,
some of you have enemies of broken relationships. Some of you have enemies
of depression and doubt. Some of you have enemies of despair. You have
enemies of where is my next meal coming from? Because my money is shorter
than my month, my trials are longer than my faith. And God is
saying that he will put those enemies to flight. But only when you cry
out to him. I know God is on my side Verse ten. In
God, I boast in his promise. Do you get that again? His
confidence is where in God I boast in his promise. See, God made
a promise to his people that he would never leave us, he would not
forsake us, he would not put us in a position that could not be
overcome. Look at the life of Joseph. I'm reading the Bible in chronological
order these days. And yes, in early in mid January, I moved
from the story of Joseph and then him passing away, and then it moves
directly into the story of Job. Before you see God's people in captivity in
Egypt, right, And I'm looking at the story of Job and saying,
but, oh, my goodness, like Job went through an incredibly hard trial,
but his confidence even when he was tired, even when he was saying,
I need a daze man, I need an intermediary between God and I.
Yes, even then, he did not lose his faith. He said,
just like David here and God, I boast in his promise. I
boast in his promise. I trust in God. I am not afraid.
And whom is your confidence? I hope it's God. Peace. Thanks for
joining us listening. Friends. Always remember we cannot live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This has been
your daily portion with El David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,