Angela’s Thoughts

There are so many things that I have sorted thru, and filed this week…  letters, jotted notes, legal and insurance papers, sticky notes, etc.  In so much of it, I found where my father’s life and my life intertwined.  He wanted to take care of those who he loved.  He wanted to help us succeed.  He wanted to leave us a legacy… something of him that would live on thru us.

Today, as I had a moment where I just cried out to God… I began to read the Word of God which my father has taught me to love.  I came to Psalm 44… and thought how beautiful, this fits this situation.

¹We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.  ²How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.  ³For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.  ⁴Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.  ⁵Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.  ⁶For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.  ⁷But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.  ⁸In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.

Last night, I listened to my father’s talk on Father’s day.  It has been shared on FB… it was the first time I heard that message.  And, he was making a tribute to his father for all the things that he did and taught him.  I began to see so much of myself and my brother in the way my father was talking.  We have cherished my father.  We have loved him.  He has taught us so very much about life, finances, living for God, trusting God, dedication to God.  Our lives have been built around serving God to the best of our ability.  I don’t want to forget these things.  I don’t want to ever trust my own bow… or my own sword.  I want to put all my trust in the God of my father!  I will boast in all He has done.  Something I have learned is that the God of my Father, at some point became my God.  So, when I leave this world, I pray that my daughter will be able to say the same of me… that she wants to serve the God of her mother and father.  And that she will eventually get to the place where it is completely her God and passes this on through the next generation.

 

I’m sure there will be many more posts from me regarding my dad.  He was such a huge influence on my life, and helped create who I am today.  I don’t know where I would be without him.  But I thank God so much for placing him in my life.  I would rather have had him for the time I did, (and have learned all I did from him and loved him so completely as I have…) than to have had someone else for longer and not had the relationship and teachings that I gleaned from my dad.  God knows exactly what we need and where we are…

 

Yesterday, as my husband and I were driving on a back road and the wind was blowing strongly against the car, I had a thought.  It wasn’t an original thought, I’m sure someone has had this thought and I probably heard it sometime in my life… but this time, it was something that has stuck with me.

I watched as the trees that stood alone were swaying in the wind… holding up against the very wind that the trees in the forest area’s wouldn’t be able to stand against.  Their root systems are not as deep as the trees standing alone.

I know there are times in our lives when we feel like no one is around us.  We are forging through all types of weather on our own and there is no one there to help shield us from the things that are coming against us.  But during that time, we are drawing closer to God and He is deepening our roots.  We need to be the type of people that work together with others, supporting, bringing unity, encouraging… but at the same time we need to be a person who can hold strong when everything is coming against us, because our roots are in Christ.

I’ve seen too many people walk away with the crowd because those people in the crowd were their anchors, their roots… when they were pressed against by the winds of life and trials, their roots easily come up and they fall.  I pray people can see they can guard against falling by becoming rooted in Christ and able to stand firm when those trials come.  I want to be that type of person!

Another thing I thought of, was that God has placed different trees in areas they will thrive.  Like the Palm Tree, it wasn’t meant for Michigan weather and wouldn’t survive.  We need to make sure that we stay where God planted us… in the right soil and in the right environment.  I do believe there are times to be uprooted and replanted.  But there are also many that are uprooting themselves before God has spoken into our lives.  We think we can’t handle the trials in the area we are in, so we take it upon ourselves to uproot and replant where we desire and where we think it will be “different.”  The thing is, it might be so different from where you were designed to be that you succumb to pressures you were never meant to face.

I find myself wanting to make sure that I am where God has planted me… I want to be rooted firmly in Him.

Today as I was studying my CDC (Christian Development Course) lesson, I was reading this passage.  The AMP version says, “…The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].  Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have [with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours]; and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three years and six months. and [then] he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain and the land produced its crops [as usual]. ”

One man praying and a prayer answering God working!  :) Makes me smile!

 

Not too long ago, the Lord woke me up in the middle of the night to pray… and I felt an overwhelming assurance of His love through the promises that He has already given us in His Word.

I can’t begin to tell you how blessed I have been.

Oh, I’ve had hardships, but even in the midst of those… there has always been an underlying peace that passes all understanding.  His amazing peace, His love and His assurance.

That feeling is from knowing without a doubt that what His word says is true.

I began to wonder, how I became so convinced?  There are many who don’t believe in God, or aren’t sure if he can love them or change them… If you only had time to sit and listen to my life story, you would know without a shadow of a doubt that He is all that He says He is.  All that He PROMISES He is.

I’m a living breathing testimony of the promises of God.

I remember when I graduated from high school; I received a booklet from my cousins called “God’s Promises to the Graduate.”  I’ll admit, at that time I didn’t value the booklet like I should have. It wasn’t the type of a gift that a teenager wanted from an open house… that was money for whatever the next adventure would be. It had categories of different life struggles and scripture references to battle the situation.  For some reason, it was something that I always held onto.  I’ll never forget that gift or the meaning with which it was given. What I didn’t realize then was that this book was my map/directions/tools for the adventures to come, it was something that would help me through difficult times. It was the Word of God broken up into treasure tokens for moments when I needed it most.

 

I won’t have time to go through every promise of God, so I’m going to pick a few that have helped me.  In 1991, I went to Bible College.  And, although I had never walked away from what my parents taught me as a child, this was the time and the place were I found it for myself.

 

As I studied the Word of God, I found promises of salvation and forgiveness.

Like Psalms 27:1 “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are new.”

Acts 2:38-39 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  For the PROMISE is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.”

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

I found promises that relied upon me seeking and trusting in Him.  If I could just learn to walk with Him in them… Wow!!!  The amazing became available to me!  I began to watch as He led me.

 

Proverbs 8:17 “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”

This was a scripture I held onto at college in Jackson, MS.  My mother would pray early in the morning back at home, so I would get up early to pray at the same time with her.  This is where I learned how to pray for myself and for others.  In those early hours…

Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”

Proverbs 4:20-22 “…attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”

John 10:27-28 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

Proverbs 8:35 “For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.”

These promises led me as I moved back home and helped my parents in ministry… and then getting married to my husband… the love of my life.  I believe it was a GOD THING! Grandpa Jones bought us the “Traditional Family Bible.”  It isn’t the type of Bible we normally use, but it is another reminder of God’s Promises to us as a family.

Then again in 1998, I was a new mother… and my mother gave me a book called “God’s Tender Promises for Mothers.”  As I poured through the pages… I found some of the same treasures as I did in my first booklet, but now those same promises that I used during my young adult years, were there for me at a different time in my life.  As a mother…

Promises like  Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Psalm 84:11 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield:  the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”

Job 36:11 “If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.”

Psalm 91:1-2  “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God, in Him will I trust.”

Some of those long nights, with a crying child, a sick child, all those things that come with motherhood… I learned to lift my child before God and say… “Here, she is Yours! Now, I ask You to please help me to train her, protect her, instruct her, love her…” I found a song that would comfort and strengthen me, while calming my daughter too. It was “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.”

You may ask, what does a song have to do with anything?… Here is another promise, Psalm 32:7 “You are my hiding place; You will preserve me from trouble; You will surround me with songs of deliverance.”

Later, we went through a time when my husband was out of work…

During this time, I held onto promises like… Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:”

Psalm 55:22 “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

Psalm 37:25 “I have been young, and now am I old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”

Luke 6:38 –  “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.  For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

We learned to give out of whatever we had… and watched time after time how God returned the funds… it was always more than what we had given!  Always!

 

As I was looking for the “God’s promises for the Graduate” book, which must be packed away in the basement,  I found another Promise book that was given to me on January 11, 2003.  I started to cry and praise God, when I saw the date, and that it was yet another book of promises given to me at a critical time in my life…

Many of you have heard the testimony of me being on my death bed… and not expected to live… but again, God had promises for me…  He is my healer, and my strength… the One who holds me!

Isaiah 41:10 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Jeremiah 17:14 “Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed, save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.”

Psalm 91:15 “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Isaiah 43:2 “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

 

That same year… we came to start the church in Kentwood… these were promises that have held us together, when things seemed to be falling apart.

Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Psalm 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

2 Thessalonians 3:3 “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stabish you, and keep you from evil.”

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Genesis 28:15 “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

And the promises go on and on…

John 15:4 “Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.”

John 14:2-3 “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

 

I want to continue to see God’s promises abundant in my life. These promises are not just for me, though! They are for anyone who desires to receive them.  And what some of these promises mean to me, they mean something completely different in your situation.  He is a personal God!!  His promises are astounding in number, and every one of them are bound by HIS WORD. His promises cannot fail!  I know for some it seems difficult to do what He asks of us… But what we give in return is so little to what He has already given.

Remember, I asked the question, How did I become convinced?  I guess a better question is… How can I not be convinced?  As I open these books again, my heart begins to rejoice in the promises of God.  I’ve seen them come to pass in my life.  I’ve watched as He protected, provided, healed, strengthened, and so much more.

This year my dad was diagnosed with cancer, and then went into a diabetic coma and we were afraid we were going to lose him…  But I watched as God miraculously pulled him out of the coma by his healing hand.  God still has a work for him to do.  My dad is still going through chemo to treat the cancer, and so as a family we are still on this journey…  I find myself again, standing in the need of God’s Promises. Then, on Tuesday night (at our Friendship Tea), my mother gave me a box of God’s Promise cards.  It isn’t in the form of a book this time, but I can’t help but believe God is saying, “I’m still here, no matter what you are facing, my promises still stand.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

His promises are for everyone… they are amazing, beautiful, uplifting, strengthening… everything you could possibly need.  All you need to do, is begin to trust Him at His Word… and watch those promises begin to unfold in your life.

 

 

 

Daily, I have been finding nuggets that minister to me in such a special way.  As I was reading this morning, I read Psalm 28:7…

The Lord is my Strength and my [impenetrable] Shield; my heart trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song will I praise Him.

and Psalm 29:1-2, 11…

Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of the mighty, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.  Give to the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness or in holy array. The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.

How awesome is our God, that He cares so much for us.  As we praise Him, He brings an beautiful peace and strength to us.  If you are feeling down and depressed, try Praising Him and Give Him Thanks.  If you are scared and alone, Praise Him and Give Thanks.  When you praise God, there isn’t room for fear, doubt, depression, etc.  If you put God where He rightly belongs, then He will place you in a place beyond comprehension.  It doesn’t make sense to the carnal mind.  But, oh, in the spirit… such a beautiful place where peace abounds and fear doesn’t exist.

My God is mighty to the pulling down of strongholds, My God is able to do anything we think is impossible, My God is miraculous in all that He does,  My God is Jesus ~ the ONE and only true, living God.  He is Alpha and Omega, He is my Rock which I rest upon.  He is my light, my compass, my Healer, my strength, my peace. He is my everything!  I thank God for His Word and I will praise Him with my whole heart.

It is no wonder that Philippians 4:6-9 says,

Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known unto God.  And the PEACE of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any PRAISE, think on these things.  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of PEACE shall be with you!

¹MAY THE Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high [and defend you];

²Send you help from the sanctuary and support, refresh, and strengthen you from Zion;

³Remember all your offerings and accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah [pause, and think of that]!

⁴May He grant you according to your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans.

⁵We will [shout in] triumph at your salvation and victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

⁶Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.

⁷Some trust in and boast of chariots and some of horses, but we will trust in and boast of the name of the Lord our God.

⁸They are bowed down and fallen, but we are risen and stand upright.

⁹O Lord, give victory; let the King answer us when we call.

Lord, I don’t understand everything You do… I don’t think I should desire to.

I only know to trust and believe that you love my father… more than me.

You are a constant in this storm… a constant strength that I draw from.

At times I feel so overwhelmed, but then you rush in and hold my head.

You lift me high beyond the pain, into a realm where peace abounds

A realm that the human mind can’t conceive, but where your arms of love are found.

I know You know exactly how I feel… in this place where I am that seems so unreal.

My heart at times feels pierced thru, and then the next moment… Faith shines thru.

I know my father is in Your hands, I rest in that, I trust in You!

Today as I study the Word of God, I come across a beautiful passage.  Psalm 5:3.

“In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord; in the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart].” AMP

Simple, yet so beautifully said.

Lord… I will come to You in the morning, You will hear my voice calling out to You.  In the morning, Lord, I prepare a prayer to bring to You.  A sacrifice that will be pleasing in Your eyes.  And then, Lord, I will watch and wait for You to answer me.  I will wait upon Your word that You will give to me.  I will wait for You to speak to my heart.

It goes on to say in vs. 7.

“…as for me, I will enter Your house through the abundance of Your steadfast love and mercy:  I will worship toward and at Your holy temple in reverent fear and awe of You.”

Lord, I will enter Your house being aware of the abundance of Your love and mercy that you bestow on me.  (Wow… think on that for a moment. ~ How much more will my worship come forth when as I walk into His house, I am thinking on his amazing love and mercy toward me.)  I will worship toward thy holy temple with a reverent fear and awe of You.

Vs. 11-12 go on to say…

“…let all those who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice: let them ever sing and shout for joy, because You make a covering over them and defend them;  let those also who love Your name be joyful in You and be in high spirits.  For You, Lord, will bless the [uncompromisingly] righteous [him who is upright and in right standing with You];  as with a shield You will surround him with goodwill [pleasure and favor].”

Lord, let all those that take refuge in You and put their trust in You rejoice.  I pray for those that are in hard situations, that they will be able to take refuge in You and trust You.  Lord, You are the lifter of our heads, You are our help.  Let them know that they can trust You with their struggles.  And when they do, they will rejoice and sing and shout with joy because You are covering them and defending them.

Lord, I want to love Your name above any other. Your word says that those who love Your name will be joyful in You and be in high spirits.  Help us to love Your name so that You shine through us as we walk on this earth… and that we will be joyful in You and not depressed or anguished.  That others will desire the joy that we have and the peace in our hearts even in trials and struggles.

Your word also says that You will bless the uncompromising righteous… as we strive to stand upright in Your ways… You will bless us as with a shield You will surround him with goodwill.  I pray that You will bless Your people.  Let them see favor on the jobs, in their school and wherever their feet trod.  Let them be blessed and provided for during these hard times.   And, Lord, for those who are not walking with You.  Let them desire to be closer to You and let them see the blessings You bestow upon Yours.  You are faithful in a world where faithfulness is scarce.  You are loving in a world where there is so much hatred.  Your word says “You are not slack concerning Your promise,… but are longsuffering toward us, NOT willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”  It is Your will that NONE should perish.

These are promises in Your word… I know they are true.

In Jesus Name, Let Your will be done!!

I can’t believe that 2010 is already over and we have launched into 2011.  And, now, the first day of the year is almost over (11:52 pm).

Every year, around this time, we think of what we could change about ourselves… how we will better ourselves, try harder to do this or that… etc.  And I think, every year we have good intentions, but how often does it all fizzle out FAST.  :(  Unfortunately, I have been in this cycle for so long… this year I thought, “Why try?”  But once again, I see the benefit of a new slate, a year unmarked by all of the issues or struggles of the previous year.  :)

As I read Psalm 1 today, It was the perfect passage to start the year off with… “BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.” Psalm 1:1. We have choices to make… where are we going to walk, live, sit and stand?

“But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.” Psalm 1:2, my heart began to melt within me… Oh, Lord, how I desire to have the intensity of habitually meditating upon His Word.  How often our minds get cluttered with things that don’t matter… games, books, facebook, youtube, movies, etc…  What an unbalanced life we often lead?!

“And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].”  Psalm 1:3.

What do you see in this scripture?  Life, fresh, fruitful, strong, radiant, brilliant, provision, comfort, peace, joy, beauty, and more… This scripture reveals all the things that WILL be for those that are meditating upon the LORD.

Lord, I pray that as I walk through this year, my heart, mind and soul will love You to the fullest, and desire Your ways above all others.  I pray that I choose wisely about where I plant my feet, where I decide to stand, sit or walk.  I pray that I ponder and study Your Word more than I ever have before… I want to meditate up on your law day and night… I want to be that tree planted by the water, which brings forth fruit in its season!  I want to be alive in You, not fading but growing more and more vibrant in You.  Let my steps be ordered by You and create in my a clean heart so that I might bless You with my life.  In Jesus Name!  Amen!

Again, Happy New Year!  May your year bring you closer to Jesus than you have ever been!!

As I was praying and reading this morning, I came across a passage of scripture that I have probably read many times, but it never hit me like it did today.  I love how the Word of God does that.  He knows when you need a nugget or that encouragement.  He is beyond words in every part of His character and His love for us.

Leaders often get so tied up in what is happening in the lives of others… to a point we neglect our own needs and desires of God.  I love the life that He has given to me.  I love the place He has put me… but there are times when it is hard to see where I am.  I have often stated that I am a “Martha,” so often desiring my “Mary” moments with God… Then God gives me something like this:

Psalm 62 – Amplified Version

¹FOR GOD alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation.

²He only is my Rock and my Salvation, my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be greatly moved.

³How long will you set upon a man that you may slay him, all of you, like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?

⁴They only consult to cast him down from his height [to dishonor him]; they delight in lies. They bless with their mouths, but they curse inwardly. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

⁵My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him.

⁶He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved.

⁷With God rests my salvation and my glory; He is my Rock of unyielding strength and impenetrable hardness, and my refuge is in God!

⁸Trust in, lean on, rely on, and have confidence in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us (a fortress and a high tower). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

⁹Men of low degree [in the social scale] are emptiness (futility, a breath) and men of high degree [in the same scale] are a lie and a delusion. In the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.

¹⁰Trust not in and rely confidently not on extortion and oppression, and do not vainly hope in robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

¹¹God has spoken once, twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God.

¹²Also to You, O Lord, belong mercy and loving-kindness, for You render to every man according to his work.

My God is my salvation… none other.  It all really is in HIM!  Be encouraged and TRUST in Him!