Grace Baptist Church

10/12/2026

Psalm 18 is 50 verses from the pen of David expressing his thanks to God for yet another rescue from his enemies. Tucked away in the middle are these verses, the last of which will be our focus, “With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down. For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭18‬:‭25‬-‭30‬

“This God…” Not some other deity. Not Baal. Not Molech. Not any of the host of pagan deities to choose from at that time. Not any other God than the God of Israel—the “I Am.” This God is blameless, and His Word tested in the fire (proves) and found true. His character shines as the sun and His protection granted all who seek their shelter in Him.

I guess the hard, probing question is this, “Why is refuge sought in anything else?” Chew on that today.

I leave you now with this prayer of Christ, “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth,” John‬ ‭17‬:‭14‬-‭17‬.

10/11/2026

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10/10/2026

“But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress,” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭59‬:‭16‬.

Here’s the context:

This is, according to the inspired inscription, a psalm written when Saul sent people to David’s house to watch out for him in order to kill him. It begins with David crying out to be delivered from his enemies, not just Saul. He speaks of God’s deliverance, punishment of those lying in wait for him—likening them to howling dogs in the street. He proclaims God’s protection by saying that He, “laughs at them.” He reassures himself by remembering God’s love, strength, and protection.

The immediate verses before the one above recall the analogy of his enemies as prowling and howling dogs. All they do is wander around looking for food. These are the ones, including Saul (for no good reason), that are after David.

But..

“But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love,” Psalm‬ ‭59‬:‭16‬-‭17‬.

May God do and be the same for us, and may we respond like David.

10/10/2026

The verse we will look at this morning is a gem! How often it is that we come across a verse or two that stuns us when looked at closer! What a gracious providence of God that the Word is living and powerful.

Please read this slowly and a few times. Let it sink in, “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭5‬:‭18‬

To get us started, here is the Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest’s translation, “We know absolutely that everyone who has been born of God and as a result is a regenerated individual, does not keep on habitually sinning. But he who was born out of God maintains a watchful guardianship over him, and the Pernicious One does not lay hold of him.”

There’s a sermon series in this verse! I actually preached through 1John back in the early 90s. It was the first book I preached through as the pastor here at Grace Baptist Church. First John is about the signs of authentic faith. This verse puts it as blunt as a spoon. Like back in chapter 3, John says if you say you are a believer but keep on habitually sinning (no conviction or remorse or care about it), you aren’t saved. Not, you might not be saved. He doesn’t sugar coat it, “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother,” 1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬-‭10‬.

That’s all here in 1Jn. 5:18, but that’s not the emphasis of this verse. Jesus is! He’s the One begotten of God keeping watch over His own. So much so that Satan can’t “man-handle” the child of God. This assurance of protection helps us cope with life. As the attacks come from our adversary in their various forms, we can be confident that our foundation is sure. As I spoke to in this space not long ago, we trust and submit and obey God, and watch the Devil flee.

I pray this rich benefit of grace for you all, in and through your struggles with spiritual warfare. God’s got you!

10/07/2026

Today I give you Psalm 32 broken down into four parts with one word for each section to help you meditate on it.

“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭32‬:‭1‬-‭4‬. Conviction. Thank God for this!

“I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭32‬:‭5‬. Confession. What would we have without it?

“Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭32‬:‭6‬-‭7‬. Consolation. Where do we run to hide in place of God?

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” Psalm‬ ‭32‬:‭8‬-‭11‬. Counsel. Take heed!

10/06/2026

Nearing the end of his life on this earth, Paul the apostle sat in a dank cell and wrote his final letter to a young elder named Timothy. At the end of this short epistle he wrote, “At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen,” 2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬-‭18‬.

Paul’s heart was protected by God against keeping grudges! A few years prior to this letter, he wrote to the Philippians, “Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice,” Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭18‬. Christians today need thicker skin!

Also here we see the phrase, “So I was rescued from the lions’s mouth.” Could be a veiled reference to Nero, literal of the lions in the Roman colosseum, death, or figurative of Satan. Some even say it refers to Jews who sought his life. Any way you look at it, the Lord stood by him through thick and thin.

That’s the same God we serve!

We too will be brought safely one day to His heavenly kingdom. Just understand, like Paul, this journey includes difficulty. Stay focused and stay faithful!

10/06/2026

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭121‬:‭1‬-‭8‬

It’s worth reading again. Go ahead, I’ll wait…

Which is more remarkable? That God the Creator is our help, or that He never sleeps? With the first one, the same power that creates matter out of nothing is “on our side.” With the second one, the One who has the power—who IS that power—is ever vigilant with respect to His people. There’s never a moment when He nods off or is distracted.

So, which is more remarkable? In all truthfulness, that’s a trick question of sorts. Why pit one against the other when they are both so amazing? There are times in our lives when we will gravitate more toward one assurance of God’s goodness than the other, but He is still the same immutable God at all times.

So, what is really remarkable is that in His fullness, He cares for His own in ways that none can fully fathom.

10/05/2026

Here’s the thing… It happens all too often that I see a sermon or sermon series in the verse or text that is meant for our devotional purpose in this space. Today is one of those times, that quite honestly happen quite often! (That’s not a bad thing BTW😃).

“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone,” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭91‬:‭11‬-‭12‬. These verses could easily lead to a sermon or series on angels, and one on the temptation of Christ in the wilderness. The second because these are the verses Satan quoted when tempting our Savior. On a glorious side note, isn’t it reassuring that Christ didn’t even have the ability to sin?! Hallelujah! What a Savior!

As far as this text goes, I am drawn to this sentence from Adam Clarke’s commentary, “Thou canst not reasonably expect protection if thou walk not in the way of obedience.” This is how he embellishes the phrase, “in all your ways.” Makes sense to me. Too many bonafide Christians don’t grasp this concept. They think their protection from God through His angels is automatic no matter how they are living. That is just bad theology.

The reality is that in the ongoing battle with the powers of darkness, the angels are on our side. We have glimpses of this truth in Daniel and the Palms and the NT of course. Setting aside the debate of whether or not believers have individual guardian angels or not, my focus is on our obedience that leads to our protection. One verse I dealt with recently concerning this is James 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” ‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬. Keep submitting yourself to God (obedience); keep resisting the devil (oppose him by means of armor etc provided); and, he will flee. All the while knowing that in the veiled spiritual realm that the angels of God are doing their work as well. Utterly amazing when you think about it.

Let us resist him firm in our faith.

10/04/2026

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09/30/2026

This isn’t the normal subject line for these devos is it? Well, the text for today is, “About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭6‬

First, in keeping with yesterday’s email, the last verse shows Peter sleeping. There he is in prison between two guards sawing logs! A sure evidence of his trust in God. He has no idea what was coming next. An angel appears, wakes him up, chains fall off, doors open, guards remain asleep, and he’s free! Lots to think about in this text, but I want to use this mention of Peter to invite you all to a study through his epistles.

Second, this week I am starting a preaching series through First and Second Peter. You’re all invited via YouTube or Sermon Audio to study along with us here at Grace Baptist Church. If you’re close by, come on over and join us! He writes concerning persecution, faithfulness, holiness, subjection to authority, marriage, the church, false teachers, the end times, and more in these two books. Why not listen or watch with us as we go along?