For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love
of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38,39
“What about supernatural forces?
What about people and power and demons and strange forces?” …
“There is nothing left out of that list, is there? Everything
is there – demons and dark powers, black magic and angels,
truth and error, death and life – whether in this creation
or any other creation. Paul takes everything in and says that
nothing, no being or force, is capable of separating us from
the love of Jesus Christ our Lord.
So we love God when we
say,” If God be for us, who can be against us?” We love God
because of what he himself has done on our behalf, and the
nature of that commitment is that he loves us. Nothing can
separate us from that.”
Expository Studies in Romans 1-8 From Guilt to Glory Vol 1
by Ray C. Stedman P.258
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power
that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name.”
Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf!
He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the river on foot—
come, let us rejoice in him. He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch
the nations— let not the rebellious rise up against him.
Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; he has
preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.
For you,O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison
and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through
fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.
Psalm 66:3-12
Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done
for me. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If
I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God
has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.
Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!
Psalm 66:16-20
Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners
suffering in iron chains, for they rebelled against
the words of God and despised the counsel of the
Most High.
So he subjected them to bitter labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help. Then
they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he
saved them from their distress. He brought them
out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke
away their chains.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing
love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he breaks
down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.
Psalm 107:10-16
Do not hand over the life of your dove
to wild beasts;
do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.
Have regard for your covenant,
because haunts of violence
fill the dark places of the land.
Do not let the oppressed
retreat in disgrace;
Rise up, O God and defend your cause; remember how fools mock
you all day long.
Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries,
the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.
Psalm 74: 19-23
who said, “Let us take possession of the pasturelands of God.”
Make them like tumbleweed, O my God, like chaff before the
wind. As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains
ablaze, so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with
your storm. Cover their faces with shame so that men will seek
your name, O Lord. May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may
they perish in disgrace.
Let them know that you, whose name is
the Lord- that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.
Psalm 83: 12-18
“Submit to God and be at peace with him; in
this way prosperity will come to you. Accept
instruction from his mouth and lay up his words
in your heart. If you return to the Almighty,
you will be restored:
If you remove wickedness
far from your tent and assign your nuggets to
the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in
the ravines, then the Almighty will be your
gold, the choicest silver for you. Surely then
you will find delight in the Almighty and will
lift up your face to God.”
Job 22 :21-26
” But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell?
Man does not comprehend its worth; it cannot be found in the
land of the living.
The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; the sea says, ‘It is not
with me.’ It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can
its price be weighed in silver.
It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx
or sapphires.
Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be
had for jewels of gold. Coral and jasper are not worthy of
mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. The topaz of
Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure
gold.
Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?
It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even
from the birds of the air.
Destruction and Death say, ‘Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.’
God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it
dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under
the heavens.
When he established the force of the wind and measured out the
waters, when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the
thunderstorm, then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he
confirmed it and tested it.
And he said to man,
‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is
understanding.’ “
Job 28:12-28
to the next generation,
