April 26, 2015 | Tom Dunham
Passage: Psalms 18:27-36
God Is My Personal Trainer!
For Who is God, except the LORD? And Who is a Rock, except our God? It is God Who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect. Psalm 18:31,32
Whether you have an athletic trainer or not, we all need God as our Personal Trainer!
King Hezekiah, one of the three greatest kings of Israel (along with David and Josiah), had God as his Personal Trainer – his ‘Life Coach’!
- Hezekiah means ‘Jehovah has strengthened’ …
- Jehovah is the name of God in the O.T. – That men may know You,
Whose Name alone is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth. Psalm 83:18 (‘the LORD’ = ‘Jehovah’ in the Bible)
But before we talk about Hezekiah, we’ll start with his father, Ahaz.
Ahaz, the ‘LowCeiling’:
- He most assuredly did not have God as his personal trainer …
- He was an idol worshiper …
- He made his children ‘pass through the fire’ – II Kings 16:3, II Chronicles 28:3 …
Do we have ‘counterparts’ today in our society? Sadly, yes.
Parents, be on guard … actually, be on the offensive: Do not let your children ‘pass through the fires’ today:
- Moral relativism …
- Evolving sexual ‘standards’ … which are not standards at all …
- Phony theories & empty philosophies in our culture & schools …
Parents, let these verses be the foundation of the training and education of your children: Proverbs 1:7 … Proverbs 9:10 … Colossians 2:2,3 …
Parents, esp. dads: teach your children the truth – a Biblical world view!
More of Ahaz’s Low Ceiling: he gave away the silver & gold from the temple & followed the ways of the world (II Kings 16:8 & 16:10,11) …
Christian, don’t give up one parcel of God’s precious Word, the Bible – Proverbs 30:5a … Psalm 12:6 … Psalm 19:10) …
Christian, maybe you had a ‘low ceiling’ for a parent. Don’t let your focus be on that low ceiling. Focus ABOVE to your Perfect Parent! Do that and also ‘fireproof’ your children!