Mark 1:9-11 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
 
FIRST, we note Mark tells us essential details of Jesus’ origin. Coming from Nazareth in Galilee confirms he is the one Joseph and Mary took to Nazareth on their return from Egypt. (Matthew 2:23) Then the Father confirms Jesus’ identity. “You are my Son.”
   When Jesus comes out of the water, he sees heaven torn open. God the Father has drawn back heaven’s curtain to reveal God the Son to the world. Here is Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Here is Isaiah 64:1 Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down! How the mountains would quake in your presence! Here is Revelation 1:7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.
   Here comes the light into the darkness. Here comes God’s majestic authority into his creation. Here is God’s holiness to remove sin’s arrogant rule over mankind’s heart. Here comes God’s power to overcome even the great enemy Death. The heavens tear open, and the Spirit of God anoints the Son of God to do the will of God in the power of God.
   And so he does. Jesus resists temptation, heals the sick, preaches the Good News, submits to the cross, rises from the grave, and ascends to heaven. Heaven has opened. Jesus has come to seek, to serve and to save you. One day he will return. “Men of Galilee,” the angels said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
   Throughout the gospels, wherever Jesus goes, people want to know, “Where did this man get such things?” (Mark 6:2) “Who is he?” (John 9:36) “Who is he that even the winds obey him?” (Matthew 8:27) “What is in this man’s words that even demons obey him?” (Luke 4:36 TLB)
   “Who is he?” indeed. The Father plainly spoke Jesus’ identity that day of his baptism. And the Father repeated his plain message in Jesus’ transfiguration before James, John and Peter (Mark 9). The Son has also confirmed who he is, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) What else must we know?
   One day we will all plainly see: On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Jesus is King of Kings and LORD of Lords. Ane he shall reign forever. Amen. (Revelation 19:16)

Mark 1:4-7 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.”
 
ISAIAH was a direct messenger who said another direct messenger would come to point to the Savior. Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.” Luke tells us John, known as the Baptist or Baptizer, was born of the priest Zechariah and Elizabeth under God’s anointing six months before Jesus was born. He lived and dressed as the prophet Elijah had done about 750 BC. Elijah’s message to the idolatrous Israel was to proclaim God’s judgment on the unbelievers and salvation for those who believed the Sovereign LORD. John came in that same spirit of testimony.
   John also completed a message from Malachi 4:5 “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
   John lived in the desert regions of the Jordan River, east of Jerusalem. It is a very hot, desolate area. That people came to him to be baptized is a great testimony of God’s work over his ministry.
   The Spirit moved many hearts to receive John’s baptism of repentance and forgiveness of sins. This baptism served as reminder to the Jews of God moving them through the Red Sea and the Jordan River on their way to the Promised Land. Going through the water was God’s symbol of leaving the old life for a new life under his authority and blessing. The Father’s purpose through John was to prepare Israel for the full repentance and forgiveness in Jesus’ blood. Mark 1:8 “I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” John would work until the one more powerful than he would appear.
   Isaiah, Elijah, Malachi and John submitted to God’s purpose to proclaim the Messiah. In a like manner, you as a Christian are specially anointed with particular gifts and knowledge to tell and live Jesus’ gospel. In Romans 16, Paul records a number of women and men who devoted their lives to Jesus. Their hard work and consistent care for the church and each other demonstrated an active love for the Savior. For example, Paul writes: Priscilla and Aquilla risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them…6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you. (Romans 16:4 & 6)
   The Bible has many accounts of people who knew their role in God’s kingdom. What’s yours? You know the gospel because of the work of many from ancient days and generations just before you. Who will know the gospel in the future because of your work today?  

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Mark 1:1-3 The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 It is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way 3 a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
 
WHAT do you do when you want to deliver a clear message to someone? For example, “It’s time to eat!” “It’s cold out. Wear your hat.” “Speak up.” “Be quiet.”
   You speak directly to those who must hear, don’t you? To deliver a critical message to someone who needs to know, you speak as clearly and directly as possible.
   Mark, the gospel writer, has something very important to tell you. He was a young man who had traveled with Paul, Barnabas and Silas. He is sometimes called John and John Mark: Acts 12:25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark. Later, Mark was the center of a sharp disagreement between Barnabas and Paul. Paul did not want to include Mark in their next mission journey because he had left them on a previous evangelism effort in Pamphylia. So Barnabas and Paul separated. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus. (Acts 15:38-40). Even these men, specially anointed to begin Jesus’ church, allowed disagreement to interrupt their ministries. We need to be careful how we speak to one another. Our direct messages must be true and full of grace.
   Mark also spent time with Peter. And many consider Peter is the source of this direct message of Jesus Christ.
   The first essential truth of this passage is that it is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. “Jesus” means “Savior”. “Christ is “Messiah” or “Anointed One to fulfill the prophets’ words”. “Son of God” reveals Jesus is the divine Yahweh.
   This is the great challenge to all Jews and then to all the world. Who can believe a man who grew up and worked in Nazareth is God in the flesh? Who can believe he has the authority and power to save – and to save from what? God uses Mark and other good news writers to announce the salvation is form the penalty of our sins. The salvation is into eternal life. This is a very new, life-changing announcement. How would any believe?
   Mark began to give the evidence of his message with Isaiah’s prophecy. Isaiah’s direct message to the Jews about 700 BC was to prepare the Jews for another messenger who would immediately precede the Savior. One would come out of the desert, symbolic of God’s salvation from Israel’s desert journey, to tell the Jews that God’s covenant of a Savior to redeem the world was about to appear. “Prepare the way for the Lord.” is the prophet’s message that the Anointed One would be more than a man. He would be God in the flesh.
   Mark has good news for us. “Jesus is the Savior. He is the divine anointed one, more than a man. He is the divine son of Elohim – the One of power.” Everything Mark wrote from this point will prove this “need to know” bold truth.
   When you speak directly to someone about the truth, you want them to respond, don’t you? God has used Mark to speak directly to you. Do you hear? Will you respond?

Psalms 150:1-6 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
 
WE have viewed the psalms through God’s promises written at various points and under many circumstances in Israel’s history. From Moses, the Lawgiver, to David, the poet, king and prophet, to Asaph, the Sons of Korah and unknown songwriters through and after the exile, we have a remarkable picture of God’s interaction with his people. This concluding psalm reinforces God is a Promise Maker, and he is a Promise Keeper.
   God can speak his will to the earth and all who are in it because he is the LORD, and he is God. Throughout these lessons on God’s promises, we  have used LORD often to emphasize the Jews’ name for God. “LORD” is Yahweh. This name is the interpretation of God’s identify to Moses in the burning bush: Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” In essence God said, “I am who was and is and will always be.” He says this at the end of the Bibe, too: Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” We can Yahweh will keep his promises because he is creator from eternity past into eternity future. He has paid the price to redeem our sins. He has been faithful  to do as he promised – both in blessing and in judgment. He has made a covenant to bless the world, and he is keeping it as we continue toward the Day of the LORD.
   Then the psalm says, praise God. This name is Elohim, meaning “One of Power”. Praise the Eternal One, who is Power to promise and keep his promises. 
   Where do we praise him? We praise him in his sanctuary. God instructed Israel how to build his sanctuary in the desert and then in Jerusalem. The early church began to worship God in synagogues, homes and public rooms. Around the world today God’s people worship him in simple structures and in extravagant cathedrals. Wherever we worship God, we must do so with praise, focused on him, not on ourselves or our needs. Worship is foremost the opportunity to exalt God, ourselves. He is in his mighty heavens awaiting our worship.
   Worship God for his acts of power and his surpassing greatness. And let him hear your joy! Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, with the harp and lyre, with tambourine and dancing, with the strings and flute, with the clash of cymbals and with resounding cymbals. There were cymbals that gave a clear sound and cymbals that produced a loud sound. Use them both to praise God.
   Many churches have what is called a Praise and Worship Team. God wants this to be everyone in the church. Some are gifted to play instruments, some to sing. But know in Christ, all are gifted to praise God. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD is the only appropriate response of all Christians to praise the LORD, who has given us breath. Acts 17:25b he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 
   Everything else is the sum of God’s great power to reveal to us all we need to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. (Westminster Shorter Catechism) Praise the LORD.  
 

Psalms 149:6-9 Praise the LORD. May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, 7 to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, 8 to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, 9 to carry out the sentence written against them. This is the glory of all his saints.
 
ONE way God prepares his people to worship is with a call to arms. Here he exhorts the Jews to sing and pray to the LORD. At the same time they are to have a double-edged sword in their hands, to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples. Nehemiah 4 tells us the Jews had to literally have a sword at their side as they rebuilt Jerusalem after the exile. Their enemies threatened to destroy their rebuilding efforts. God’s people were prepared to aggressively defend God’s call to rebuild the temple and the city.
   Have you ever considered your worship is a time to prepare for battle? As we praise God, pray, hear a sermon, sing hymns and spiritual songs, and read Scripture, we must keep in mind the opposition awaits us as we exit the sanctuary. The worship space is called a sanctuary because it is a safe place away from the enemy. The sanctuary is also a preparation place for battle. When you depart for home and enter into the next week, the enemy will surely assault you.
   Satan wants your worship. That’s why he confronted Adam in the Garden (Genesis 3) and Jesus in the desert (Matthew 4, Luke 4). He was even willing to buy Jesus’ worship: Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Adam rejected God’s commands as his weapon against temptation. In contrast, Jesus’ every response to temptation was God’s Word. “It is written.” Jesus said. The Living Word defended his soul with God’s two-edged sword. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
   Faithful worship trains you to read the Bible, memorize the Bible, pray the Bible and sing hymns of praise and salvation based on Bible truth. God’s Word faithfully used in your hand will become an active power in your heart to aggressively destroy sin.
    From the time the Jews’ left Egypt to the early church’s persecution, Scripture speaks quite plainly about the visible and invisible warfare that rages against the church’s final victory over the devil. We know the church is victorious because God has called his faithful saints – members of his church – to have in hand the gospel of redemption. Faithfully lived and spoken, the gospel will lead us not into temptation, but will deliver us from evil. And we will have the Spirit’s power and protection to carry out the sentence written against Satan: Revelation 20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 
   This is the glory of all his saints. Prepare for war. Prepare for victory.

Psalm 148:2 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts….7a Praise the LORD from the earth…12 young men and maidens, old men and children. 13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens, 14 He has made his people strong, honoring his faithful ones, the people of Israel who are close to him.
 
COULD you sing, “Praise the LORD!” to God if he were only your friend, if he had no absolute control over the universe or your life? You might say, “I’m thankful for my friend, Jesus. He loves me.” But would you believe he has the power to save you into eternal life if you do not know him as the Divine Son of God? Friends can’t save you. But the Almighty God can.
   The psalm is a call to worship God for his majesty over the universe (verse 1-6), the earth (verses 7-10) and mankind (verses 11-12). In response to his infinite, glorious creation, God’s people should praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted.
   One purpose of worship is to help us to remember the height of his power over the universe and the depth of his personal love for us. To properly worship God, we must know he is more than a friend. He is LORD God Almighty.
   Out of his manifest goodness has come a universe that follows a precise order to display his glory. No thing in God’s creation is an accident. All is under the perfect creation. He calls us to worship him, so we may exercise the privilege to exalt his name.
   One way this is done is with the Doxology, which means “an expression of praise to God”. The Doxology is often sung at the receiving of the weekly offering, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below. Praise him above, ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.” This restates Psalm 148 – a call to the heavens, the earth and all people to praise and exalt God’s name. Indeed, he has made his people strong to honor his name, to live in faithful obedience to his laws, so by his grace we live in peace.
   As God prepared to give Israel the Ten Commandments and other laws he said to Israel: Exodus 19:5 “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” God’s will was that Israel would be a nation of strength, and he would honor his faithful ones, the people of Israel who are close to him.
   This promise points to the potential of your life in Christ now and forever. Faithfully honor God’s name. Worship all he is. You will know he is close to you. 

Psalms 147:1-3 Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!  2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. 3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
 
THE Jews had returned from their exile in Babylon. Think for a minute of their circumstances. Have you ever lost a home due to flood, wind or war? What was it like for you when you had to live away from home? How was it when you returned to find your home broken or gone? Was your heart broken? Did you feel the wounds of your loss? Is there any way you would sing, “Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!” In your loss, you might find it difficult to paise and worship our God. Or you might not. What would make the difference?  
   We can believe these are the questions the Jews needed to answer when this praise and worship psalm was written. The Jews were returning from Babylon’s exile. Many of them had lost great-grandparents, grandparents and others connected to their family in Babylon’s conquest. Other relatives and friends had died in Babylon during the 70 years exile. Along with these emotional scars, the returning Jews encountered a desolate and devastated Jerusalem. The temple was gone. The fortified walls were broken. The fields, vineyards and orchards were untended and unproductive. God had judged Judah. Now he’s returned the Jews to restore the Jews’ fields, city and hearts. Would the LORD, could the LORD do this?
   The Jews would answer this with a determined, “Yes, he can, and he will!” when they consider v 4 he determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. 5 Great is our LORD and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
   They would be sure of God’s care when they saw him through God’s care for their ancestors. The Bible tells us of people such as Joseph, Gideon, David, Jeremiah, Daniel and others. They faced life-threatening challenges. They could have turned from God because of their enemies’ threats and persecution that continued even on their return. But the Jews remained humble, full-hearted in their faith to know v 6 the LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground. The psalmist also reminds them how God’s grand universe cares for mankind. V 8 He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. Our LORD also tends to the animals who rely completely on his provision. V 9 He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.
   With patient, faithful eyes on God, you can know he will heal the brokenhearted and sustain his faithful people. We have this remarkable promise from his throne: V 11 the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
   Jesus later said it this way: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Be with God, who promises to be with you. Be restored.
 

Psalms 146:7-9 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, 8 the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. 9 The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
 
THIS psalm and the last four psalms begin with Praise the LORD. When we consider God and our relationship with him, our mind must be continually set to praise his name. We can become too focused on what’s wrong with the world and what’s wrong in our own lives. The Bible speaks to that in many passages. But praise the LORD! The Bible teaches how God makes the wrong right. One summary of the Bible could be, “God tells us what’s wrong, and God tells us the right will remove the wrong.”
   God’s love is God’s reason God’s righteousness removes sin. The Bible’s most quoted verse is John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” People know that because it assures them of eternal life. But too many have a false assurance. They read, “God so loved the world.” and then stop. They interpret God’s love for the world as God’s love for everyone regardless of their sins and unbelief. “He loves me for who I am.” Is their own saving assurance. But this kind of uncorrected love will not make the wrong in our hearts right.
   Take notice the psalm tells us the LORD loves the righteous. That’s the full meaning of John 3:16. The Lord Jesus tells us God’s love will be perfectly fulfilled when those who believe in him shall not perish but have eternal life. And John 3:17-18 underscores repentance of sin and faith in Jesus is God’s assurance, not our own. God’s love gives us the way to come out of our sin through the confession of Jesus’ saving work. The wrong in us becomes right in us through God’s power.
   Paul highlights the extent of God’s love in Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Yes, praise the LORD! Jesus gave himself to the cross to uphold the cause of the oppressed, to feed those hungry for God’s Word, to free sin’s prisoners and teach the blind to see the truth.
   In faith, praise the LORD he will frustrate the way of the wicked. From generation to generation a great tide of evil sweeps over various nations. Many countries have only 1% Christians. Oppression is not satisfied until the oppressed are gone.
   That’s why we praise the LORD for his love. His righteousness will rule the earth. The evil will disappear. V 3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. 4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.
   Praise the LORD. His love will make all things right. V 10 The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD.
 
 

Psalms 145:4-7 One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. 5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. 6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. 7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
 
WHAT is God’s will? It is his purpose to fulfill his promises he has made to us through the patriarchs, prophets and apostles. We must trust God’s purpose will become complete one day in the new heaven and earth. We know he wants us to completely trust in his will because he taught us to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)
   The LORD has very specifically stated his will for mankind beginning with his call to Abraham. Genesis 12:1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
   Seven times God says, “I will.” to commit his purpose on earth through Abraham, then Israel and ultimately Jesus and his church. This is God’s decreed will. When he decrees, “I will.” you can trust his purpose is set for the world, and he will make it happen. How will he fulfill his will to bless the nations?  
   The answer comes from our scripture today. The Spirit inspired David to reveal God’s will to Israel and now to us. One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts…will speak … I will meditate on your wonderful works ... they will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. God has decreed his Word will move from generation to generation. We can trust the Bible is God’s true word from ages past because God’s people have told of God’s mighty works to each succeeding generation. Very specific methods were established to convey the accuracy of the oral traditions. And copies of the written word were carefully and repeatedly examined for accuracy of words and even the number of individual letters in each copy! To be a scribe of God’s Word was truly a gift of enormous importance that required complete integrity to God’s Word.
   God’s will has always been just one generation from extinction. That’s why Moses was adamant to tell the Jews “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7) It’s true, isn’t it, that If the gospel is no longer preached and young people do not know of God, then the Bible will become an ancient book of disregarded information. No one will live in God’s Word because no one will know it.
   But God has decreed one generation will commend your works to another. And one day all of God’s people will celebrate his abundant goodness and joyfully sing of his righteousness. This is God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  

Psalms 144:1-2 Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. 2 He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.
 
DOES God’s love mix with God’s strength? Of course it does. How could it be possible for a weak, ineffective “god” to love his chosen people? How could his chosen people love God if he succumbed to opposition and even to our every desire?
   David celebrates God’s strength and his love because he has seen the benefits of both. When David had become the king of all Israel, he understood God’s magnificent love had empowered him to military victory. God’s strong love had remained a fortress against David’s sins. And God’s love had subdued political rivals..
   The LORD, the Rock, kept David safe to train his hands for war and his fingers for battle. God is a good commander who prepares his troops for battle. David needed this physically. And David needed this spiritually. The enormous challenges that confronted David would cause many men to call, “I surrender!” and return to the sheepfold. But David knew he reigned because, “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” (2 Samuel 22:33)
   Our Christian life requires the same conviction, praise and worship to God the Father, Son and Spirit. Jesus, fully God and fully man, has displayed the depth of the Father’s strong love for you through the tortuous cross of his salvation. In the fullness of his glory Jesus reveals that he is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:26). And he reigns over all: Ephesians 1:22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.
   Thiis is the Holy Trinity’s great love work that allows you to confess Jesus is my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues people under me.
   How is it Jesus subdues people under you? This may seem a prideful statement as if we have control and authority over others. But think about your Christian life. Are there people in your life who look to you as a person of principle? Does anyone ask you a question about the Bible? Do unbelieves allow you to live in peace with your faith, so you can practice it as you desire?
   In that sense, the Spirit has subdued others. He has brought a peace between you and non-Christians. As you faithfully pursue God’s love, he will suppress conflict against your faith. When you speak of God, some will listen. And some will even respond to want to know more.
   It’s true that those who live under strong persecution for their faith do not know this in the world. Still, there are many stories of the ways God will subdue the persecutors and bring them to faith through a Christian’s strong testimony. Throughout the world each day, thousands of unbelievers come under Jesus’ authority as the Spirit calls them through loving Christians’ testimonies.
   David rejoiced in God’s strong love. May we do so each day.