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Climbing out of the valley of the shadow of death · Fifteen Minutes With Fritz - Where Scripture Meets the Sidewalk

• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: Good morning, everyone.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: This is Fifteen Minutes with Fritz, a weekly podcast seeking to discover where Scripture meets the sidewalk.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: We are finding encouragement for the daily grind by looking in the pages of God's hymnal, the Book of Psalms.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: We currently find ourselves in Psalm five, where we are seeking help in the words of King David.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Listen to my cry for help, my king and my God, for to you I pray, in the morning, O Lord you hear my voice.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: You are not a god who takes pleasure in evil, with you the wicked cannot dwell.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: The arrogant cannot stand in your presence, you hate all who do wrong.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: You destroy those who tell lies, bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord abhors.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house, in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Lead me, O Lord in your righteousness because of my enemies, make straight your way before me.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Not a word from their mouth can be trusted, their heart is filled with destruction, their throat is an open grave, with their tongue they speak deceit.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Declare them guilty, O God, let their iniquities be their downfall, banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: But let all who take refuge in you be glad, let them ever sing for joy.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous, you surround them with your love and favor as with a shield.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're going to define the attributes of God, because when we're in trouble we need help to climb out of the valley of the shadow of death.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: We want to make sure we're looking in the right direction, to make sure that this God we depend on can in fact help us.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: Does He possess the capabilities, the power to draw us out of our chasm and set our feet on the right path?
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: Well, how do we determine that?
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: One way is to lean on the wisdom of others who quote know God, listening to what they have to say about him.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: Because if people we respect for their wisdom and knowledge agree that God is the right helper in times of trouble, then that gives us confidence that we're headed in the right direction.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: So let's hear what some of the great men in history had to say about God and his power.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: Albert Einstein, one of the smartest men who ever lived, must have some interesting insights into the wisdom and power of God.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: He wrote this God is the orderly harmony of physics.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: I think I need another textbook to help me understand his view.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: Okay?
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: Let's go back further.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher who shaped human thoughts and beliefs for many generations.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: He defined God as the unmoved mover, who set the universe in motion but completely detached himself and is currently unaffected by human affairs.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Well that's not much to lean on, is it?
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe we need to look at more modern people.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: How about King Charles III?
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: In Great Britain he holds the formal title of defender of the Christian faith.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Surely he can provide a meaningful definition of the attributes of God.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: He has stated that God is the harmonious, unifying spirit behind all faiths and nature.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Sounds more like a political statement than a definition of God.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Let's turn to one other source.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: Many people seem to think that actors and actresses hold the key to understanding things like this.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: How about Tom Cruise, one of the most influential men in all of Hollywood?
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: He refers to God as the eighth dynamic in keeping with his Scientology beliefs.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: I don't even know what that means.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: Lastly, I happen to be a I happen to like Morgan Freeman as an actor.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: But his philosophy about God leaves a lot to be desired.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: We invented God, he says.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: So if I believe in God and I do, it's because I believe I'm God.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: What?
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: What a hot mess of man made self promoting philosophies about God.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: You know what?
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: We should skip all this and turn back to the only viewpoint that really matters when it comes to things of God.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: Because God revealed everything we need to know about Himself in one book, the Bible.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: It is there and only there that we can understand who God is and how He can help us.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: Listen to King David's view of the attributes of God from Psalm five.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil, with you the wicked cannot dwell.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: The arrogant cannot stand in your presence, you hate all who do wrong.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: You destroy those who tell lies, bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord of whores.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: There are at least seven attributes of God in these three short verses.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: He takes no pleasure in wickedness, no evil will dwell in him.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: Arrogant boasters will not stand before him.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: He hates those who practice wrongdoing.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: He destroys liars.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: He abhors or detests murderers, and he abhors or detests deceivers.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: Listen to the words of Chuck Swindal.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: Why does David review these things?
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because it is therapeutic to review the attributes of God, to remind ourselves that He is always good and that He is always right in His ways.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: His love for us never fails and His timing is perfect.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Many of the pent up angry feelings and frustrations of our inner emotional tank are diffused as we review God's character and remind ourselves that He is for us, not against us.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: Focusing on His character helps dispel discouragement.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: Furthermore, we are reminded that our enemies are really God's enemies.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: He is more powerful than any evil and more persistent than any difficult circumstance.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: As for those who try to harm us, the Lord is far more capable of dealing with them than we are.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: This brings us to an interesting crossroads.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: On a typical day we have the tendency to focus on the problems we are facing, the things that are troubling us.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: And we might ask why is this happening?
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  SPEAKER_00: Or how can we get through this, Lord?
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: Give us strength to endure this trial we are facing.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: But rather than focusing on our problems, the valley of the shadow of death we find ourselves in, David is encouraging us to focus on God, specifically the attributes of God.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: And by doing so we can jump immediately to verse eleven.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: But let all who take refuge in you be glad.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: Let them ever sing for joy.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: This is a very positive verse, isn't it?
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: With several words of comfort and encouragement Refuge, gladness, singing joy, protection, love rejoicing.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: In the midst of our trials, these are what we want to pivot to.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: Rather than sadness and depression, we prefer gladness and joy.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of anger and frustration, we would rather be singing and rejoicing.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: Now I'm not suggesting that we put on our rose colored glasses and sing don't worry be happy like Bobby McFarn in nineteen eighty eight.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: But I am suggesting we change our focus, change our outlook.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: And so I want to challenge you this week to try and experiment.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: The Bible contains dozens and dozens of attributes of God which affirm his sovereignty and power.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: And these are just the ones he chose to reveal to us in his word, because only God knows the full list.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: Today I'm going to give you a short list of seven attributes of God, seven attributes that highlight who and what God is.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm asking you to pray through this list, thanking and praising God for each one.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm asking you to do this each day for one full week.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I want you to do this without asking God for anything else.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: Just pray through His attributes, praising Him for each one.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: Let's see where this takes us.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: When David did this in Psalm five, he went from fear and anger to rejoicing and joy.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: Let's see if God doesn't do the same for us, especially those of us who are walking through a rough patch.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: So here are seven attributes of God.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: This list is from the Navigators, an international interdenominational organization dedicated to sharing the gospel and training believers in Christ.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: I'm also including a passage of scripture that affirms each attribute.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: Now you can write these down yourself or you can drop me an email at fifteen minutes with Fritz at gmail dot com or text me at four four zero three three six three three three four and I'll send them to you.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: Here we go.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: Attribute number one God is good.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: God is the embodiment of perfect goodness and is kind, benevolent, and full of good will toward all creation.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: The scripture that supports this is Psalm one hundred nineteen verses sixty five to seventy two.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: Attribute number two God is love.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: God's love is so great that He gave His only Son to bring us into fellowship with Him.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: God's love not only encompasses the world, but embraces each of us personally and intimately.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: You can read about it in first John chapter four verses seven to ten.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: three, God is just God is righteous and holy, fair and equitable in all things.
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  SPEAKER_00: We can trust Him to always do what is right.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: So it says in Psalm seventy five verses one to seven.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: four, God is merciful.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: God's mercy, merciful compassion is infinite and inexhaustible.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: Through Christ He took the judgment that was rightfully ours and placed it on his own shoulders.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: He waits and works now for all people to turn to Him and to live under His justification.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: five.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: God presides over every event great or small, and He is in control of our lives.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: To be sovereign He must be all knowing and all powerful, and by His sovereignty He rules his entire creation.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: This is confirmed in Chronicles twenty nine eleven to thirteen.
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  SPEAKER_00: six.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: God is wise.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: All God's acts are accomplished through his infinite wisdom.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: He always acts for our good, which is to conform us to Christ.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: Our good and his glory are inextricably bound together.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: See Proverbs three nineteen to twenty.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: Finally, God is faithful.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: Out of his faithfulness God honors his covenants and fulfills his promises.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: Our hope for the future rests upon God's faithfulness.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: Be sure to read Psalm eighty nine one through eight.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: So God is good.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: God is love, God is just, God is merciful, God is sovereign, God is wise, and God is faithful.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: Seven attributes of God I'm asking you to pray through this week.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: Now before we close, let me ask one final thing.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to hear from you as you take on this challenge.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: Drop me a line or send me a text and let me know if this has helped you find encouragement for your daily grind and whether it helped you to climb out of the valley of the shadow of death.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Our gracious Heavenly Father, we are amazed, we are humbled, and we are thankful for who you are.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: I pray that you would be pleased to hear the prayers of your people as we acknowledge your goodness, your love, your fairness, your mercy, your sovereignty, your wisdom, and your faithfulness.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: May you draw us closer to you and to your Son, Jesus, as we faithfully pray in his name.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_01: Now to the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: Amen.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: This is the end of our podcast, but it's not the end of our story.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening.