Daily Devotional
               Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the Bible.   

  The Wisdom of God

Verses for the Day:

Proverbs 18:10(KJV):
10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

Proverbs 18:10(Amp):
10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the (consistently) righteous man -- upright and in right standing with God -- runs into it and is safe, high (above evil) and strong.

Thoughts for the Day:

This verse in Proverbs reveals the power and safety that is in the name of the Lord.  All through the Bible when anyone called on the name of the Lord, we see how God responded in power to those calls. Why is the name of the Lord so powerful?  What is in a name? Behind every name there is a person or object. A name represents the person or the describes the object.  Behind the name of the Lord, is the name of Jesus, the name of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, (who is the third person of the Trinity). The name of the Lord Jesus is backed up by all the power and resources of Heaven itself!  Therefore, when a believer calls on the name of  Jesus, he has access to all the resources of Heaven as well.

By way of illustration, when a woman marries a man, she takes his name as her own.  Legally, she has right then to all that belongs to her husband.  If he has a bank account, then all the money that is in it, is hers too, when they have a joint account. If she wanted to, she can sign her name to a check and withdraw it, just as if it was all hers. Of course, she would never do this without his permission, if she loves him. She would only take out what they agreed on.

If he is an honorable man, then she will be held in honor and esteem, because of his good name.  When we give our lives to the Lord, we take His name as our own, as we become His bride. We can then have access to all that belongs to Jesus, if we have totally committed our life to Him. When we have a love relationship with Jesus and we obey Him, we have access to all that is His.  He said that we can ask anything in His name and receive it. When we have this kind of relationship, we will not ask for the wrong things, as we will only ask for those things that are according to His will.

John 14:12-15:
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

In the Great Commission of the Lord, we are told to go and preach the gospel to every creature.  If they believe and are baptized, they will be saved; if not, they will be damned.  Jesus goes on to tell his followers that certain signs will follow those that believe.  One of those signs is that they can use the name of Jesus to cast out devils.  Anyone who needs deliverance from demons can seek out a spirit-filled believer who has faith in the name of Jesus and with a prayer of faith and the use of the name of Jesus the demons will have to flee. A spirit-filled believer is anyone who is baptized in the Holy Spirit.  One of the gifts that accompanies those who have been filled with the Holy Spirit is the gift of speaking in tongues. A person who is baptized in the Holy Spirit will also receive the power to overcome even deadly things that would harm them.  Should a serpent bite them, it will not harm them.   Should they accidentally drink something deadly, it will not hurt them.  They are even given the power to lay hands on the sick and through God's divine power the sick will be healed.  The Lord works with His believers to confirm the Word of God with signs following.

Mark 16:15-20:
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

The reason that the name of the Lord is like a high tower that we can run into for safety, is because Jesus came to save us and deliver us from our sins and Satan. There is safety in God.  When the angel appeared to Joseph to tell him to marry Mary, as she was pregnant by the Holy Ghost; this angel also told him what to call his name. His name was to be called JESUS as He would save the people from their sins. In the Old Testament it was prophesied that a virgin would have a son and his name would be called Emmanuel, which means "God with us."  By taking the name of Jesus, we are also taking "God with us."  How wonderful!!

Matthew 1:20-23:
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, I am so thankful that we can run to You and find safety.  Lord, there are so many things we face in this world that are dangerous, it is good to know that you are like a "high tower of safety."  Thank you, for watching over me and my family and my friends.  I also pray for the whole family of God and ask that You watch over each one of Your own.   Guide us, your people, in the right ways. Keep us from harm and temptation.   Thank you also for the privilege of using the mighty name of Jesus, at which the enemy flees. May we all realize the power that we can have through the Holy Spirit, and grant us the faith to use it. I ask this in the name of Jesus.  Amen.