Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

Thank you so much for being a part of our “Daily Chat” on a regular basis. We have rarely missed a day doing a chat since covid closed things down in March 2020. I was actually on my way back from a trip to India, Jordan and Israel at the same time (Feb 28, 2020), when the pandemic started circling the globe. Tomorrow, Thursday, I will be leaving to lead a group of 17 on a tour to Jordan and Israe...

I just remembered as I was writing the date for this blog that today is my spiritual birthday! A day I will never forget, February 21, 1971, 52 years ago! On that day everything changed for me! I was “delivered from the power of darkness and conveyed into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13). It began a journey that I would never have imagined in my fondest dreams! I feel like I’m...

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand." In these verses (vv. 21-27), David continues to draw the contrast between the ways of the wicked and the blessings of the righteous. He notices that the wicked borrow and do not repay. That sure hasn’t changed any. Have you notice...

If there were ever a time that we need to hear the truth, know the truth, believe the truth, speak the truth and live the truth it is today! We are told in Scripture that one of the characteristics of the last days would be the hypocritical liars. “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking...

Over and over again David paints a contrast between the future of the wicked and the blessings of the upright and righteous person. The wicked will fade away and perish like the grass and flowers of the fields but the righteous will “dwell in the land” and be given the desires of their hearts (vv. 3-4). The evildoers will be “cut off” and “be no more” but those “who wait on the LORD will inherit t...

"The LORD knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever." The first three words of this great chapter tell us: “Do not fret”. In other words don’t worry, don’t get burned up and burn out because of the evildoers and all the bad news that we hear every day. We definitely live in the day of “instant” news with all of modern technology. Goodness, we have as many “news” station...

David is dealing with the age-old question about why does it seem like the wicked and evil man prosper and have everything while the righteous and good man has nothing and suffers. We are encouraged not to “fret”, to get upset about it, but we are to trust the LORD anyway. And we should continuously delight in Him, stay committed to Him, and wait and rest in Him. If you take the time to read the w...

David gives us five things to do when we start thinking about and getting discouraged when it appears that the wicked and evil people in the world around us are getting by with their selfish, deceitful and violent deeds. First he tells us not to “fret” about it. And, he reminds of this several times in this chapter. David then gives us at least four positive things we should continuously be doing....

Happy Valentines Day! This is indeed a special day where we express our love for that special person or persons in our lives. When I came into my office early this morning there was a special card and a bag of DeMet’s Chocolate Caramel Nut Cluster Turtles on my desk from my wife Edith!!!!! But I wasn’t the only one she expressed her love to. She made a special Valentine's Day gift of cookies, cand...

If you are delighting in a new car, you want everyone to see it and ride in it with you. You talk about it, you brag about it as you describe everything about it. It might be a new house you are delighted with. Or it might be a new friend. Hopefully you still delight in your spouse and your children and your grandchildren. You get excited and express your joy when you are in their presence and the...

"Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” These first eight verses of this Psalm would be good to memorize and dwell on if you really want to enjoy life, despite the evil going on all around you! After David gives us one negative instruction, "Don't fret" (v. 1), he follows...

Psalm 37 deals with the age old question, “Why do the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer?” Psalm 37, along with many other Psalms, gives us God’s perspective on this question and His instructions to handle this issue. David begins to answer this question by giving one negative instruction, "Don't fret" (v. 1).  And he gives it several times (vv. 7, 8).  Then he follows up with fou...

“Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb." As I begin to prepare for our chat today reading over Psalm 37, I couldn’t help but think that if there ever were a chapter we need to deal with our worries and fears, this is the one. I’ll never forget my very first year at Lynchburg Baptist...

Today, we can’t help but see and even feel the wickedness and evil all around us in America and the world. In some way we all suffer from the consequences of the corruption of the human heart that often gets reflected in and released through human government. David said that the “words of the mouths of the wicked are lies and deceit, and they cease to be wise and do good” (v. 3). At least four tim...

Psalm 36 begins with David looking at the corruption of the human heart and it is not a very pretty picture. He notices that the evil that is let loose from the heart begins with no fear of God and His righteous judgments. In other words, the wicked person has no fear of the consequences of his evil deeds or he thinks he can get by with it. David didn’t keep contemplating the sinners and on the da...

In this Psalm, David pondered the reality of evil in God's world (vv. 1-4), he praised God's character (vv. 5-9), and then he prayed that God would protect him from evil and eventually judge the wicked. He solved the perplexing problem of evil in the world by being a worshiper, not a philosopher, and by taking personal responsibility to obey God and serve Him. It does no good to only curse the dar...

I love reading and meditating on the Psalms. I’m looking forward to reading through the entire book of all 150 chapters with you over the next several months. I’m convinced that we can learn as much about the Lord Jesus from the Psalms as we can anywhere else in Scripture. Remember after the Lord resurrected and He was meeting with the disciples in the upper room, revealing Himself to their unbeli...

Jesus taught us in His “Sermon on the Mount” to pray for our enemies. "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and...

As I was studying through Psalm 35 I couldn’t help but notice the number of times that the word “let” was used. I counted it at least 19 times in my New Kings James Version. Remember David is probably writing this Psalm as he is fleeing for his life from King Saul and he is praying and asking God to aid him in this terrible and discouraging time in his life. He asked the LORD to protect him (vv. 1...

“Plead my cause, O LORD, with those who strive with me; Fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, And stand up for my help. Also draw out the spear, And stop those who pursue me." We know by the title that Psalm 35 was written by David. Remember he wrote at least 75 of the 150 Psalms. Many of his Psalms give us an indication of the circumstances behind them in thei...

I trust that you have enjoyed our study through Psalm 34 as much as I have. Today, we are going to finish our mediations on it as we look at these last 6 verses. Remember David is teaching us what we should do when we are in the dark caves of our lives. Those tough times when troubles and trials are overwhelming us and we can’t see anyway out. First, he invites us to “magnify the LORD with him and...

Today, we are continuing our study and meditations in Psalm 34. David is teaching us what we can do to enjoy life even in the midst of our trials and tribulations. He first invites us to “magnify the LORD with him and exalt His name together”.   We can “bless the LORD at all times”, and that means continually, despite our troubles (vv. 1-3). Secondly, we should “seek the LORD” , and when we d...

"Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD." Remember we said earlier that the first part of this Psalm is a song, and the second part is a sermon. In the midst of his trials and troubles David is...

"The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” David just barely escaped from the Philistines at Gath, he is fleeing from the wrath of King Saul who is determined to kill him, he is hiding in a cave with 400 outlaws and what does he do? He says, “I will bless the LORD at all times, His...

“I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears." David writes Psalm 34 during the time he is hiding in the cave of Adullum after he barely escapes from the Philistines at Gath, and at the same time he is fleeing from the wrath of King Saul who is determined to kill him. In this time of great trouble David turns to the LORD. Just a few days before, David had gone to the ene...