The Word To Live By: 11-1-25
Phil Waggoner
I would have despaired unless I would have believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13
The Word To Live By: This is a great verse! You want to stop despair in your life? (Synonyms for despair are misery, desolation, hopelessness, anguish and gloom.) Then believe that you will see the goodness of the Lord in your life on earth. In fact, if you want something to pray for others that is according to the will of God, pray for them not to be in despair but to see the goodness of God in their lives on earth. “I only wish I could, brother.” You can. Believe beyond what you see and what you feel. Your emotions are a truth, but most of the time they are not THE truth. THE truth is what the Word of God says, and the Word says that God is a good God and good means good. It also says that He will cause all things to work together for good for those that love God, and for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Jesus said in order to love God, you must believe His Word (John 14:15). And of course, Jeremiah 29:11 says He has a wonderful plan for your life, which means you’re called. So, you are qualified to receive Romans 8:28. Now, here’s what you need to know about believing and how to do it. Make a choice to believe what God has promised. You see, believing is not based on what you see or think you know; it’s a choice you make despite what you see or feel. To begin with, Mark 11:24 says that if you believe you receive something, then you will see it. How can you do that? By choosing to believe you have it. I’m not saying to believe something is there that isn’t; that’s denial. I’m saying believe that a promise of God that you can’t see is in your possession. Abraham didn’t ever say he was too old to father a child. He said, “I’m going to be the father of many nations,” because that was the promise. In the well-known portion of scripture in John 20, Thomas says he refuses to believe that Jesus is alive unless he sees it for himself. Jesus walks through the wall and says, “Here I am, stop doubting and believe.” Doubting and believing were Thomas’ choices. Jesus said, “Be believing!” which means switch to a believing state. That’s a choice. In Mark 9:9, Jesus told Peter, James and John that He would be raised from the dead. In Luke 18:31, He told all twelve of them exactly what would happen to Him and that He would be raised from the dead three days after His death. It’s all through the Gospels and prophetically told throughout the Old Testament, yet in Luke 24:40-41, they didn’t even believe what they saw. In Mark 16:11, it says they refused to believe. If you can refuse to do something, you can also choose to do it. Personally, I choose to believe every day that I will see the goodness of God in my life and in the lives of my wife, children and grandchildren. And by the way, good means good.
Read through the Bible in a year: 1 Timothy 3; Isaiah 36-37; Psalms 119:97-120;
Read through the New Testament and Proverbs: Proverbs 1, Luke 18:23-43, Hebrews 10
The sum of Thy Word is Truth Psalm 119:160