“This is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”- Psalm 118:24
THIS is THE DAY That LORD has MADE, – I awake in my chair where I have been very ill, and from beneath the blanket that covers my head, I begin to pray. I pray for various people, circumstances and troubles, asking Him to intervene and help me. I finish and realize it’s still dark, another night I have made it through and a New DAY Dawning- And then the battle begins. The battle for the mind, where our evil wicked foe shoots as Paul says, “fiery arrows” to the mind, to seek to tempt us to captivate our thought life, to influence our actions. Indeed the first “Incoming,” shot has been fired to my mind, and I cry out to Him to help stabilize me spiritually and help me to THINK Right and win this first battle of the morn. “THIS is the DAY that the LORD has made…” comes to mind, and I ask myself what doI know about “Today.” And my mind goes to certain verses the Holy Spirit brings back to remembrance. “As long as it is called ‘TODAY,’ ENCOURAGE …” -{Heb 3:13}… for the lost I am reminded from the book of Hebrews, that the call to them is to be- “TODAY harden not your hearts…”
And I begin to TALK myself through this FIRST spiritual battle of the day, where once of the “fiery darts,” those poisonous destruction designed thoughts, I realize to follow that thought is “irrational,” if I were to view the troubles and trials without and within me, to look at them apart from His Divine intervention will lead only to sadness, despair and the desire to flee and bury my head in thoughts of hopelessness and despondency. “But God…” by the graciousness of the Holy Spirit, who brings to my mind passages, verses long ago once read, He begins to help me as I ask “LORD help me … in this DAY You have made to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT.” But how do I do that? I don’t feel well physically, I am weary and tired. what does it mean to REJOICE and BE GLAD in it?
Rejoicing in Scripture is a command.{Phil 3:3}. It is not an option, Rejoicing is an attitude to be adopted and practiced. It is to delight be glad “In The LORD.” – Joy is not an emotion that can be commanded. Joy is an attitude, a mind-set, a command to be obeyed, a choice to be made as an expression of love to Him.{John 14:21}. I choose to Joy, delight in Him, that, “THIS DAY,” He has made – He is in CONTROL I choose to be glad “THIS DAY,” that HE LOVES ME. I CHOOSE TO BE Glad- “THIS DAY” that He has completely FORGIVEN me. I chose to be REJOICE and BE GLAD in the TRUTH about Him and what He has done and says is TRUE of me, because of Him. “THIS DAY” I am reminded of truth and like a diving board, I use as a spring board to spring off and dive into the TRUTH, PROMISES, Character of God, “THIS DAY that He has made…”
… And with these thoughts I go, where I often run to, for help with my mind to seek to help me think on Him and TRUTH, I go to what I call “The Alphabet of TRUTH,” to help me set it on Him and using each letter from the Alphabet as a way of reminder to THINK Aaagh…. From underneath the blanket I began to look to Him and depend on Him to help me Remember TRUTH about Him and me in Him to stimulate, motivate me to activate reasons for me that, “THIS DAY,” I HAVE REASON TO REJOICE AND be glad in IT. So I began to say something along these lines to HIM as I spoke to Him…
“THIS DAY,” -I Can and DO choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT,- because I am ACCEPTED in the Beloved.
“THIS DAY”- I can and DO choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT, – because YOU have BLESSED me with every Spiritual BLESSING in the heavenly places In Christ.
“THIS DAY”– I Can and DO choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT,- because You CARE for me.
“THIS DAY,”– I Can and DO Choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD in it- because YOU have DELIVERED me from the wrath to come.
“THIS DAY,”– I Can and DO Choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT- because YOU are the source and You give ENCOURAGEMENT, and YOUR Word tells me, Day after Day “…as long as it is called, ‘TODAY’ I am to ENCOURAGE others. ENCOURAGEMENT Comes from YOU and Today I am to ENCOURAGE others
“THIS DAY,” -I Can and DO Choose to REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT – because YOU have completely, irrevocably FORGIVEN me. THIS DAY I can choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT- because YOU are FAITHFUL..
“THIS DAY,” I can and DO Choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT – because YOU are GOOD.
“THIS DAY,”– I can and DO Choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT – because YOU are my HELP in times of trouble
“THIS DAY,”– I can and DO Choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT- that by YOUR Doing I am “IN CHRIST.”
“THIS DAY,” – I Can and DO Choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT- because of YOU, -“the JOY of the LORD is my strength.”
“THIS DAY,”– I Can and DO Choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT- because YOU KNOW me and YOU are KIND to me.
“THIS DAY,”– I can and DO Choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD INT IT- because YOU LOVE Me
“THIS DAY,”– I Can and DO Choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD in it – because YOU are my MERCIFUL and High Priest
“THIS DAY,”– I can and DO Choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT- because YOU are NEAR me
“THIS DAY,”– I Can and choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT- that YOU are Omnipotent
“THIS DAY,”– I Can and DO Choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT- because YOU are PRESENT with me throughout this whole day, never to lave me, forsake me, abandon me. I Choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD that THIS DAY it is so and true for me. I am never Alone YOU are ever with me.
“THIS DAY,”– I Can and DO choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT,- because REST for my mind and heart is found in YOU. THIS DAY, I Can and d DO REJOICE and BE GLAD, in the fact, all day, THIS DAY- You RULE and REIGN.
“THIS DAY,”– I can and DO Choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT,- because SALVATION comes from You, and YOU impart a SONG to my heart. That YOU STRENGTHEN me, as I am reminded of Your WORD, “As your DAY, So shall your STRNGTH be.”
“THIS DAY,” – I Can and DO Choose to REJOICE and be GLAD IN IT – that YOU are TRUSTWORTHY, TRIUMPHANT and TRUE.
“THIS DAY,”– I Can and DO Choose to REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT- because YOU are UNCHANGING. UNCHANGING in YOUR Person, UNCHANGING in YOUR Love, UNCHANGING in YOUR PROMISES. YOU are consistently and forever the same.
“THIS DAY,” – I can and DO choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT- because YOU are VICTORIOUS. Victory is in YOU for all that comes my way, “THIS DAY.” Victory over sin, victory over my feelings when I don’t “feel” like Praising. In YOU I have VICTORY- YOUR Power and PROMISES to enjoy and employ.
“THIS DAY,” – I Can DO choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT- because YOU are WONDERFUL, WISE and WINSOME. YOU have promised if I lack WISDOM, YOU command me to ASK for it from YOU and YOU will impart all that I need for “THIS DAY.” And I find reason to REJOICE and BE GLAD in this truth!
“THIS DAY,” – I Can Do Choose to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT – because I AM REMINDED OF Your Word, which says -“ As Your DAY, so shall your strength be.”
“THIS DAY,” as I Think on verses in my mind to go along with each letter of the Alphabet. My mind is been nourished by Him and I continue letter by letter, TO TURN MY MIND TO Him and THINK right About Him and who He says I am.
What happens? Do I “feel” different? No, not necessarily, but several things have happened.
LIVE IN THE “NOW.” – How often the evil one would have us live in the yesterdays, yester years and be taken up with the FAILURES of the PAST. Or if he cannot tempt us to live in “yesteryear,” he will tempt us with “THE FEARS OF THE FUTURE.” All to tempt us to keep us living in the “NOW” taken up with the LORD TODAY, and the call to REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT.”
The Psalmist says, “THIS IS THE DAY…” He directs the attention of the people to “THIS DAY,” He does not speak about tomorrow but he calls them to live and think and ACT in the “NOW.” We have “THIS DAY,”– Yesterday is behind us, we cannot go back, tomorrow is ahead of us , we can’t go there now, BUT we can choose to live in the NOW. TODAY, ALL OF “THIS DAY…Is the clarion call to one and to all, and it has echoed down the centuries and comes to me and to you, “THIS DAY.” – Live in the “NOW.”- Choosing to rejoice and be glad of it- because the LORD has made it.
- GOD USES WHAT IS MEANT FOR EVIL TO TRAIN US TO TURN TO HIM AND PRAY; When the enemy attacked my mind to use for evil, God turned it around and worked it for good. How? He graciously allowed me to recognize the “fiery arrow,” and He caused me to turn to Him and He used the circumstance to cause me to Pray in dependence upon Him for help!
- GOD USES THE CIRCUMSTANCE TO DEVELOP OUR FAITH AND GLORIFY HIM; He caused me to exercise faith, through my turning to Him and crying out to Him- H was my focus, and faith not only pleases Him, “apart from faith it is impossible to please Him.”{Hebrews 11:6}. Faith when exercised, grows and glorifies Him. “…yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but GREW STRONG in FAITH, GIVING GLORY TO GOD,” – {Romans 4:20.}.
- GOD HAS GIVEN HIS WORD FOR TIMES OF BATTLE; “THIS DAY,” use the weapons God has given to you for the battle for the mind. When we Hide His Word IN OUR HEART, He can recall, even if we have not thought of that verse for years. Once it is in our HEART, The Holy Spirit can bring it back to our mind to use, to quench the “fiery arrows,” of the evil one’s thoughts.
- GOD IS WORSHIPED BY YOU; Scripture says, “The Father SEEKS those who will worship Him in spirit and in TRUTH.” When you praise Him, speak well of Him, speak what is TRUE to Him- HE IS WORSHIPED- you have ascribed WORTH- SHIP to Him. So what happens when I go through for me the alphabet of truth about Him, letter by letter in order to help get my mind and thoughts on Him?. What do I get out of it, “feeling” wise? Sometimes I “feel” no difference. Two things come to mind
A -. I get my mind on truth and it spiritually stabilizes my thoughts
5.-I KNOW from Scripture He seeks those who will worship Him in spirit and in TRUTH. He gets Worshiped as He enable me to recall TRUTH about HIS CHARACTER, and as I speak to Him, using TRUTH’S about Him.
“THIS DAY” is the Day He has made, let US REJOICE and BE GLAD in it.
A Call from the Psalmist to PARTICIPATE, “LET US…” His call is to others to join in with him!
We have the power to choose rejoice, this we can do and as we contemplate His Character, His Promises we can be glad in Him that “THIS DAY…” we have REASONS, as we THINK RIGHT about Him. THINK and Appropriate His promises, we find as we occupy our THOUGHTS on Him we have reasons that well up in our heart and we DO- This is our part. An ACT of our will- whether we “feel” like it or not, we have the POWER, we have the PERSON of God to contemplate, the PROMISES of God to appropriate. We have the capacity, “THIS DAY” to choose and Do even now- REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT!
Maybe read back over the list I have given on the “”THIS DAY” One by one, go thought it and PRAISE Him for the truths you see concerning Him and His goodness to you in His provision for you!
The Attack on my mind which the enemy sought to use for evil, by the time God was through with it has worked out for good
Well, such was the beginning of my day and the battle for my mind, and the kindness of God to RECOGNIZE the source of the evil thought, and HIS Kindness to use the situation to TURN me to Him and Cause me to PRAY! And in doing so, allowing, developing my faith in Him and what an amazing truth as we exercise faith in Him, simple, as a cry of faith towards Him- HE IS GLORIFIED!
The initial thought came to tempt- was “irrational,” a tempting me to despair, hopelessness, if I had embraced that thought. “BUT GOD…” by the end of the attack- God had intervened and used it to TRAIN me to TALK to Him about it- THINK on TRUTH -verses that correlated with each letter of the Alphabet that I use to help me in times of trouble or times when I want to stimulate my mind to THINK Right about GOD and praise Him.
Are you encouraged? I hope and pray so. TURN the temptation over to Him. Talk to Him. RECITE back to Him of Who He is and who you are in Him. Praise Him. THINK on HIM. THINK on HIS WORD
“THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE
LET US
REJOICE AND BE GLAD….IN IT.” – {Psalm 118:24}