But If From There ...

 

“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

—Deuteronomy 4:29

Some individuals have unique problem-solving skills. No matter what mess these individuals get themselves into, through some miraculous use of whatever that person finds at hand, he or she will get out of the mess and bring the matter to a satisfactory conclusion.

I find it fascinating to note that, in our spiritual lives, each of us has had some moment—either in split second of time, or over a very long, gradual period of time—where we could say:

“But if from there …”

In declaring words of instruction to God’s chosen people, the Jews, Moses writes the following in Deuteronomy 4:25-31:

After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God and arousing his anger, I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed.

The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.

As we begin a new day, we must remember that no matter what mess we may get ourselves into, we do not need to use special skills to create a way out of that mess. Rather, we simply need to turn about face and seek the Lord our God. If we seek Him, we will surely find Him. Therefore, we must continually seek Him with all four of our human modalities: our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and we must love Him with every possible kind of devotion.

 

_{Blog Post Copyright © 2025 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

God Always Answers Our Cry

 

From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.”

—Jonah 2:1-2

Have you ever gotten into a situation where you needed to cry out for help? Did someone come immediately to your aid? Please allow me to share one example:

Many years ago, an acquaintance of mine drove her car off the road in a snow storm. Actually, she had earlier dropped an empty can of soda on the floor of her car. Instead of pulling to the side of the road, so she could retrieve the soda can, she kept driving on the Interstate. A bit later, as a gust of wind whipped the snow across the highway, the car in front of her suddenly came to a stop. When my acquaintance went to press on the brake pedal, the soda can had rolled underneath the pedal. The harder she pushed on the pedal, the more the soda can became wedged onto the bottom of the brake pedal, impeding the braking of the car. To avoid hitting the stopped car ahead of her, she veered her car off the road. It rolled down an embankment and came to rest against a tree.

By God’s grace, she was not hurt. But, she couldn’t get the driver’s door open so she could exit the car. This was in those long ago days before cellular telephones. After a while, she heard a car stop along the road above her. So, she did what any of us would do, she called out for help. And, fortunately, a kindhearted individual came to her aid.

Every one of us gets into difficulty from time to time. We all need to seek the help of others. We cry out for help and trust that someone will come to our aid.

In our spiritual lives, as well as in our normal everyday lives, we need someone we can depend on to help us when we call out. The Prophet Jonah knew this, too. Notice what he writes, describing his time in the belly of the great fish, as recorded in Jonah 2:1-2:

From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.”

Jonah recognized the extreme value of trusting that God would respond to his cry for help. Jonah knew that God was willing and able to provide the aid that Jonah needed. Jonah remember these words, from the magnificent song of Psalm 46:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

This new day, let us not hesitate to cry out to God when we need help. He will always answer. He will always come to our aid.

 

_{Blog Post Copyright © 2025 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Mighty Warrior and Powerful Singer

 

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

—Zephaniah 3:17

When we think about God, how do we picture Him in our mind? Maybe we think of Him as a benign Creator, or in contrast, as One who loves us, One who has saved us from our sins, One who cares for us, nurtures us, and helps us. He is certainly all those things. But, He is also a Mighty Warrior. Notice how the Prophet Zephaniah speaks of God in Zephaniah 3:17:

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

We know what the Apostle Peter states in 1 Peter 5:8-9:

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.

Therefore, we should also realize that to protect and save us we need a Mighty Warrior. God is such a Mighty Warrior. And, one of His most powerful weapons is the powerful voice He uses to sing over us.

Have you ever found yourself in a scary situation where you almost automatically began to sing? I have and I found that singing brings great comfort and even a bit of courage. Thus it is, when God begins to sing over us. Satan hears the voice of God and runs away in terror.

I believe that God’s voice has a sweetness to it, a lovely expression of melodic line, a tenderness, yet a firmness and a powerful strength. I believe that God can out-sing the finest voice in all of creation. I believe God’s voice in singing can bring such a peaceful calmness that all who hear it will lay down at His feet and sense how protected they are from all harm. I also believe that God’s singing voice has enormous power to dispel all evil and vanquish any foe that might try to come against those God loves. As we begin a new day, let’s imagine God singing over us and take great comfort from His love expressed in this amazing and powerful way.

 

_{Blog Post Copyright © 2025 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

What Has Captured Our Hearts?

 

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

—Matthew 6:19-21

I once knew a man who had admired a particular brand of sports car since he was seven years old. Finally, in his mid-fifties, he had finally earned enough money and saved enough of that money to purchase this $90,000 sports car. It was bright red with a black interior trimmed in white.

To say that he was ecstatically proud does not begin to describe how he felt. He gladly showed anyone who wanted to see this new possession all of the features of the vehicle. He even agreed to take certain people, especially young women, for a ride in his new car. You could hear him arrive in the parking lot at work each day because, once he found his parking spot, he would let the engine roar a couple of times before turning off the key.

About a month after he had bought the car, it was stolen from the parking lot at work. The police notified him a few days later that the car had been found, totally demolished, at the bottom of a steep ravine. It turned out that, while he had purchased liability insurance, he had not had enough funds left to purchase collision coverage, or comprehensive coverage, including theft coverage. Thus, the theft of the vehicle and the total destruction of his prized possession was not insured.

He was so devastated that he became a shell of a man for many, many months. You see, he had placed all of his heart into the ownership of this longed-for possession. It was so very sad to see how much this car had meant to him.

In talking with the crowd gathered on the hillside in Galilee, Jesus gave these instructions, found in Matthew 6:19-21:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

In response to this passage of Scripture, the question stated in the title of this blog post seems quite appropriate:

“What has captured our hearts?”

As we begin another new day, let’s pause to consider what, or whom, we have allowed to capture our hearts. Have we allowed something we own, or some dearly loved human whom we hold onto tightly, to capture our hearts? Or, have we given our hearts over to the One who loves us with His everlasting and unfailing love? How we answer this question is critical to our well-being, even our very existence:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

 

_{Blog Post Copyright © 2025 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Made Perfect in Love

 

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

—1 John 4:18

Love is such a powerful force that no one can tame it. Oh, some may try to put love in a frilly box, decorated with hearts, perfumed with the loveliest of fragrance, adorned with flowers, or dripping with the sweetest taste. But, genuine love is not at all wimpy. The Apostle John wrote these words in 1 John 4:18:

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Love has the ability to cast out fear. It has the ability to wash over punishment and banish all thoughts of recompense to the farthest part of the universe. Yes, fear simply withers in the face of love. Love has the ability to make perfect all that has become defective.

As we begin this new day, let’s allow God—who loves us with His everlasting love—to fill us full-to-overflowing with His God-breathed agape love. Then, with love as our bulwark against all foes, let’s share God’s love in such a gentle, kind, and harmless way, that God will use our sharing as a means of His grace in this deeply troubled world.

 

_{Blog Post Copyright © 2025 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

You Will Not Be Shaken

 

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

—Isaiah 54:10

Whenever we think about earthquakes in the United States, we immediately think of California. In fact, many comedians have included California earthquake jokes in their repertoire:

“Someday, during a earthquake, California is gonna detach from the mainland, float out into the Pacific Ocean, and disappear.”

That joke is not funny for those Californians who have lived through an earthquake. In fact, one of the most devastating earthquakes in modern times took place in 1906 in San Francisco. Of the many results of that quake and the subsequent fires was the fact that, unable to pay the enormous claims, 97 insurance companies went out of business, creating an enormous financial crisis.

But, did you know that the most active seismic area in the United States is located in the middle portion of our country? Geologists call it the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ). Based on extensive research, and on written records from oral descriptions passed down through generations of indigenous people regarding seismic activity many centuries ago, the NMSZ is located in southeastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, western Kentucky, and southern Illinois. In addition, Southwestern Indiana and northwestern Mississippi are also close enough to receive significant shaking from large earthquakes occurring in the NMSZ.

Most people thought that, if they stayed out of California, the chance of significant earthquakes was greatly reduced. Yet here, in the very center of our country, lies the most potentially deadly earthquake zone that would affect literally millions upon millions of our citizens.

No one—absolutely no one—wants to endure such shaking. And, that’s equally true when it comes to a shaking in our emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and physical lives. We want to rest on a secure foundation with no possibility of being tossed to and fro. That is exactly what lead the Prophet Isaiah to report the following words from God, as found in Isaiah 54:10:

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

God’s agape love is unshakeable. His foundation is secure. His covenant will not become nullified. We can totally rest on the solid rock of His mercy, grace, and love. There is no “New Madrid Seismic Zone” in the Kingdom of God.

 

_{Blog Post Copyright © 2025 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Safe in the Fortress

 

“The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

—Proverbs 18:10

Not long ago, I heard of a “friend of a friend” who was quite proud of the security measures he had provided at his home to protect his wife and children while he was traveling for business. He had installed an elaborate video surveillance system that covered the exterior of his home, including the vast expanse of his yard. He had provided a very complete security system, with an off-premises monitoring via a cellular telephone transmitter. He had also provided reinforced exterior doors with sturdy locks and windows with hardened glazing. He even had a so-called “safe room” built, where his family could lock themselves into the room, if someone tried to forcibly enter their home. All in all, this man felt he had done everything he possibly could do to keep his family safe in his absence. I commend him for his desire to protect his family from harm. Because of his efforts, it is very unlikely that his family will ever be successfully attacked in their home.

As followers of Jesus, we Christians live and work in a hostile world. Satan is always prowling around trying to find ways to attack us. As the Apostle Peter states in 1 Peter 5:8-9:

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.

Just like my friend who went to great efforts to protect his family, so God has given us a strong, fortofoed tower of protection. That protection comes from the power of His matchless name. Notice what King Solomon writes in Proverbs 18:10:

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

That the very name of God would have such power should not come as a surprise. The power of the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is so immense that we cannot possibly comprehend it. The very name of God has great power. In writing to the Christians in the church at Philippi, the Apostle Paul reminded them of this great power when he wrote in Philippians 2:5-11:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

As we begin a new day, let’s remember that the very name of God is our protection. His strongly fortified tower will provide a place where we can find safety. Let’s hold the name of God dear to our hearts and minds, knowing that His agape love will surround us with a strong, impenetrable hedge of protection.

 

_{Blog Post Copyright © 2025 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}