Author Archives: davidkitz

Like a Roaring Lion

15 Monday Apr 2024

Posted by in Psalm 140

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.Psalm 140a -365

Reading: Psalm 140:1-5

Father God,
keep me alert.
A spiritual battle is raging around me.
I want to be a warrior
who knows and hears his Commander.
Jesus, your blood was shed
to secure my victory.
Thank you.
Amen.

Be alert and of sober mind.
Your enemy
the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.
Resist him,
standing firm in the faith,
because you know that the family of believers
throughout the world is undergoing
the same kind of sufferings.
(1 Peter 5:8-9), NIV)*

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

A Spiritual Struggle for Survival and Dominion

15 Monday Apr 2024

Posted by in Psalm 140

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Today’s Devotion from the Psalms

Reading: Psalm 140:1-5
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
Rescue me, LORD, from evildoers;
protect me from the violent,
who devise evil plans in their hearts
and stir up war every day.
They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s;
the poison of vipers is on their lips.
Keep me safe, LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
protect me from the violent,
who devise ways to trip my feet.
The arrogant have hidden a snare for me;
they have spread out the cords of their net
and have set traps for me along my path (NIV). *

photograph of the sculpture of david of michelangelo

Photo by Brian Banford on Pexels.com

Reflection
Psalm 140 is attributed to David. Our reading today is really a prayer for personal safety. David lived during a very violent time in the history of Israel and the entire eastern Mediterranean region. It was a period of technological transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age. Historic transitions are never smooth sailing. They are often accompanied by intense warfare, and economic and social collapse. Rival forces vie for power. Out of the ashes new leadership emerges.

That was the world that David, the shepherd boy was born into. The Philistines were the first to adopt the new iron tools, and they used their technological superiority to dominate and subjugate Israel. See 1 Samuel 13:19-22. What followed were several decades of fierce struggle, as Israel under Saul resisted the Philistines and fought back. Eventually, under David’s leadership Israel emerged triumphant. But none of this was a foregone conclusion. It was a massive struggle with much bloodshed.

David not only had foreign enemies; he also had to watch out for sedition within his own ranks. All too often the responsibilities of leadership mean walking around with a giant bullseye painted on your back. If anything goes wrong, you are the first one to be attacked by your own people. In David’s time, being the king was a high-risk occupation. Assassination and revolt were common.

On a personal level, we too are in a struggle—a spiritual struggle for survival and dominion. Will the Spirit of Christ reign in us, or will we succumb to the spirit of this age? Will we take up the full armor of God and fight the good fight of faith, or will we believe the lies of the enemy and fall into a cesspool of sin and deception? Are we vigilant and constant in prayer like David, or do we lack the self-discipline that is essential for victory over the enemy of our soul?

David’s prayer should be our prayer too. Keep me safe, LORD, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the snares that have been set to entangle me.

Response: LORD God, keep me alert. A spiritual battle is raging around me. I want to be a warrior who knows and hears his Commander. Jesus, your blood was shed to secure my victory. Thank you. Amen.

Your Turn: Are you aware of the snares that trip you up? Are you hearing the Commander’s voice?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Shine Like the Dawn

14 Sunday Apr 2024

Posted by in Psalm 37

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I will praise the LORD!

PXL_20240403_101931380

Sunrise in Grey Nuns Park — photo by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 37:5-9

Commit your way to the LORD;
    trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.
Be still before the LORD
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
    do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For those who are evil will be destroyed,
    but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. *

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

A ‘Book of Acts’ Holy Spirit Out-Pouring

13 Saturday Apr 2024

Posted by in book review

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Many in the church and the broader community readily admit that we need a spiritual awakening or renewal in our nation. Is that even possible in these divisive, troubled times?

In her review of The Elisha Code & the Coming Revival, authored by David Kitz and Ed Hird, Tina Friesen suggests revival may be possible, but much depends on our response.

Here then is Friesen’s review:
The personal devotion and passion of the authors shines through in this well written book. The Elisha Code touches on many aspects of Christian living as the writers till the soil and sow seeds in anticipation of a coming revival reminiscent of the Jesus Movement both experienced. The book awakens a yearning for a ‘Book of Acts’ Holy Spirit out-pouring accompanied by signs and wonders. The concept of the Elisha code is derived from the premise that Elijah prepared the way for Elisha’s double anointing in the same way John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ. It asks whether we are seeing forerunners of a new awakening today and challenges us to prepare our hearts.

TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Taking Delight in the LORD

13 Saturday Apr 2024

Posted by in Psalm 37, Psalms

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I will praise the LORD!Psalm 133_1

Reading: Psalm 37:1-4

Of David.

Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants they will soon die away.
Trust in the LORD and do good;
     dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the LORD,
      and he will give you the desires of your heart. *

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

You Are Much More Valuable

12 Friday Apr 2024

Posted by in Psalm 139

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.Psalm 139_23-24

Reading: Psalm 139:23-24

Father God,
you know my heart.
You know what triggers my wrong responses.
Search me and show me what needs to change,
and how to make those changes.
Lead me in the way everlasting.
Amen.

“Therefore I tell you,
do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink;
or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?
Can any one of you by worrying
add a single hour to your life?
(Matthew 6:25-27), NIV)*

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Exposing Ourselves to God

12 Friday Apr 2024

Posted by in Psalm 139

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Today’s Devotion from the Psalms

Reading: Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting. *

L Kranz 2023-11-25

Photo courtesy of Liz Kranz

Reflection
In my opinion, Psalm 139 rates in the top ten of the 150 psalms in the Bible. Many find deep comfort and encouragement in it. It is arguably the most intimate or personal psalm. Take a minute to read the entire psalm and you will see for yourself why I draw these conclusions.

The Psalm begins by pointing out the futility of fleeing from God. We can’t hide from Him though we may try. The prophet Jonah discovered this truth the hard way. In Jonah’s case, it took three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish to come around to right perspective. See Jonah 1 & 2. How long does it take for us to realize how foolish it is to run from God? I dare say some of us sink below sea-level before the wisdom of Psalm 139 takes hold.

Though the psalmist begins by discussing the futility of hiding from God, he concludes by asking for God to search his heart. He willingly comes before the LORD and asks to be tested. That takes humility and courage—more humility and courage than many of us can muster.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. This appears to be a very straightforward request, but there are intricacies to this statement that deserve some careful consideration.

Does God need to search my heart? Does He need to search for anything? Not really. He already knows everything that’s there. I’m the one who doesn’t know what is in my own heart. I’m the one who is surprised when some emotion is triggered, or I react in an unpredictable or irrational way. Do I understand my heart? Do I know what is lurking down there? My knowledge is partial at best. Self-flattery and subtle forms of self-deception can blind me to what is really in my heart.

When we are asking God to search us and test us, we are really asking to begin a process of self-discovery. We are exposing our soul to God, so He can point out what is there. Then you and I can repent and turn our heart-hidden sins over to God. I cannot trust myself to see and acknowledge what is there. I need God’s help. By nature, I am a hider. Jesus is the Great Seeker. Remember he came to seek and save the lost. See Luke 19:10.

Jesus is the one who can see if there is any offensive way in me. He is the Good Shepherd, the one who will lead me in the way everlasting. When I freely confess my need for him, his blood cleanses me from the darkest sins. Real freedom for us begins with exposure—exposure to the penetrating searchlight of God.

Response: LORD God, you know my heart. You know what triggers my wrong responses. Search me and show me what needs to change and how to make those changes. Lead me in the way everlasting. Amen.

Your Turn: How well do you know your heart? How can we become more open-hearted before God?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Healing for the Wounded Heart

11 Thursday Apr 2024

Posted by in Psalm 139, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.Psalm 139_19-22 -365

Reading: Psalm 139:19-22

LORD God,
you know all my hurts.
I bring them before you.
Pour your love into me,
so I can love even my enemies.
Show me the way forward.
Jesus,
you forgave even those who killed you.
Amen.

So watch yourselves.
“If your brother or sister sins against you,
rebuke them;
and if they repent,
forgive them.
Even if they sin against you seven times in a day
and seven times come back to you saying
‘I repent,’
you must forgive them.”
(Luke 17:3-4), NIV)*

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

 

A Psalm Reading that Makes My Head Hurt

11 Thursday Apr 2024

Posted by in Psalm 139

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Today’s Devotion from the Psalms

Reading: Psalm 139:19-22
If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies. *

img_20220812_2011585

Photo by David Kitz

Reflection
As much as I love the psalms of the Bible, there are some psalms, or verses within psalms that I would just like to skip. I wish they weren’t there. Today’s reading from Psalm 139 is a prime example. The author’s words are filled with venom. Why are they even in the Bible? (Please bear with me.)

Passages like today’s reading are particularly troubling in light of Jesus’ teaching in the New Testament. In his great Sermon on the Mount, he gave us this teaching: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:43-45).

Reconciling today’s reading from Psalm 139 with Jesus’ words makes my head hurt. Jesus calls us to an incredibly high standard—God’s standard. God shows kindness and love even to the unrighteous. They like us receive both sunshine and rain. Let’s face it, when someone hurts me, my default position is to hurt them back. That’s the natural human response. That’s the way it has been since the beginning, and the world is full of lasting scars—intergenerational scars because of it. Wounded people have been busy hurting other wounded people as hate builds on hate in the home, at work and internationally.

But Jesus came to interrupt that corrosive cycle. He asks us to counter that hurt—that slight—that injury with love. Now that’s truly revolutionary. It’s a revolt against the status quo of hatred that has poisoned human relations in our country and the world. Has someone gone out of their way to hurt you? Retaliate with an act of love. That’s what Jesus is saying.

Is that hard? Absolutely. It’s much easier to respond like the author of today’s reading from Psalm 139. So why is this portion of Psalm 139 in the Bible? Maybe it should be redacted—blacked over like a secret government file.

Psalm 139 like all the psalms, began as someone’s personal prayer—their personal interaction with God. They are pouring out their heart before God. It’s a heart that has been wounded by others. Should they bottle-up those feelings and never express them to God? Of course not. We need to pour out our hurts to God. He alone can heal and change the wounded heart.

Response: LORD God, you know all my hurts. I bring them before you. Pour your love into me, so I can love my enemies. Show me the way forward. Jesus, you forgave even those who killed you. Amen.

Your Turn: Have you changed your default position from hate to love? How can we cultivate a heart attitude of love toward others?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

With Gratitude in Your Hearts

10 Wednesday Apr 2024

Posted by in Psalm 139

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.Psalm 139_13-14

Reading: Psalm 139:13-18

LORD God,
thank you for the gift of life,
for sight, sound, and touch.
You thought of me.
What joy that brings!
Help me to live the days assigned to me
with gladness and gratitude.
Amen.

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly
as you teach and admonish one another
with all wisdom through psalms,
hymns, and songs from the Spirit,
singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
And whatever you do,
whether in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
(Colossians 3:16-17), NIV)*

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.