Psalm 15:1-3 - As Christians we need to guard our tongues

“Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart; he who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor. Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend.”

Psalm 15:1-3

God wants us to walk uprightly. He wants us to work righteousness. He wants us to speak the truth in our hearts. He wants us to not backbite with our tongues. He doesn’t want us to do evil to others (our neighbor). Evil can be done to others with our tongues. When we do this the enemy has an open door to cause destruction in our lives as well as to those that were talked about. It puts a crack in our armor (the full armor of God that we are supposed to be wearing). God doesn’t want us to take up a reproach against our friend. What does He want us to do? He wants us to walk in love! Walking in love should be our highest goal as a Christian. If we love God and love others we will keep all of God’s commandments. It will also keep us on the straight and narrow path that leads to life. 1 Corinthians 13 can be a reality check concerning our walk. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” Do you love God? Do you love others? We should as God is love and He lives and abides in us. Let Him love others through you. Have and experience the life that He wants you to have.

Father, may we walk in love. May we keep a tight reign on our tongues. May our words speak life and blessings. May we stop ourselves if something unkind is about to come out of our mouths. We don’t want to give Satan an opportunity to do any damage in our lives or the lives of those around us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Psalm 27:14 - Wait on the Lord

“Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!”

Psalm 27:14

Sometimes waiting can be hard. We are used to doing something. Waiting forces us to rely on God and God alone to work things out. It is putting our trust in Him and allowing Him to bring things to pass. Maybe you have been praying about something and you have been patiently waiting for God to do what He has promised you. Don’t lose your hope. Keep on waiting and put your full hope and trust in Him. We can be spiritually blessed as we wait on Him to act. Isaiah 40:31 says “But those that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like the eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” This verse is a promise. Blessings come to those that wait on the Lord. Let Him be God and let Him work things out. If He does the work it will be right. If we decide to interfere and take action, we may make mistakes that takes years for the Lord to make right. Keep the hope in you alive. Don’t let your faith waver. God is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 says “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”

Lord, we thank You that You are faithful and true. Father, may we wait on You to work things out after we have prayed about them. Help us to be of good courage and strengthen our hearts as we wait on You. Help us not to do anything on our own (in the flesh) that could make matters worse and take years for You to make things right. Give us Your patience. We put our hope, faith, and trust in You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

James 5:10 - We learn when we walk in the valley

“My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.”

James 5:10

Sometimes we learn more when we walk in the valley about the Lord, His goodness, His greatness and His faithfulness, than when we experience things on the mountaintops with Him. Heartaches, pain, trials, disappointments and times of adversity operate as lessons to us. These lessons are from the school of experience. They teach us as He teaches us through these experiences as well as His Word. They give us new insight and understanding. They help us perceive the Lord in a new, more personal way. They can be used to change and transform us more into His likeness. Heartaches, pain, trials, difficulties and times of adversity grab our attention. We need to humbly go to the Lord when these times come into our lives and pray to Him. He may be getting our attention so that He can teach us something about our inner selves or about His faithfulness so that we can get through these hard times. Heartaches, pain, trials, difficulties, and times of adversity reveal our hearts true condition. Our hearts condition is brought to the surface, learning what He wants us to learn through these experiences. We have to be teachable, and being teachable leads to a change in the innermost parts of us. We take these things to the cross and then we become more like Christ. We grow and mature in our faith. We reflect the love of Christ to the world around us. Be encouraged today. If you are experiencing any heartache, pain, trials, disappointments or times of adversity seek the Lord as He’s gotten your attention. Be teachable. Learn from the school of experience. Ask Him what He wants to reveal to You through these times. Pray about the things He reveals to you. You will find that He is good, great, faithful, and true. He will walk with you in your valley. You will know and trust Him more.

Father, we sometimes experience suffering. The prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, suffered at times too. Help us to be patient during these times. Help us to run to You. When we experience pain and suffering and You have our attention, teach us what You want us to learn through the school of experience. May we grow closer to You through these times. May we be more dependent on You and trust in Your faithfulness to get us through the valley. Make us more like Your Son. And may we reflect the love of God to the world around us. If we learn our lesson the first time, we might not have to learn it a second time. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.  

Psalm 34:14 - How to have good days

“Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.”

Psalm 34:14

Do you experience good days? God’s Word tells us how we can have good days. We have to make a point to keep our tongue from speaking evil. This means that we don’t slander and defame others. We don’t gossip about people behind their backs. We don’t complain, grumble, find fault, or be critical. We don’t sin when we get angry and lash out to others in a fit of rage. Praises are on the lips of our tongue. This also means that we don’t lie about things and try to deceive others. We speak the truth and walk in it. We have to depart from evil. We have to do good throughout the day. We must seek peace in our relationships. We must pursue peace. If we do these things, we will have good days and have the life God wants us to have.

Father, we desire life. We want to experience many good days. Help us to keep our tongues from evil, and our lips from speaking deceit. May we depart from evil and do good. May we seek peace continually and pursue it with all we have. We thank You that if we do these things we will have and experience the good life You have for us. We will love our lives and our walks and fellowship with You will be sweet. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. 

Psalm 33:18-19 - Fear Him and you will be blessed

“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.”

Psalm 33:18-19

The eye of the Lord is on those that fear Him and those that put their hope in Him and His mercy. He delivers our soul from death. And when times get tough and we are in need He provides for our needs and keeps us alive. Psalm 34:9 says “O, 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.” This is a promise. Psalm 34:15 says “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.” Psalm 34:17 says “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.” Psalm 34:19 says “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” Be encouraged today. Keep your eyes on God. Put your hope in Him. You will find that He is faithful. He promises to take care of you.

O, Father, how we praise Your name. How we appreciate You. Your eyes are on the righteous. Your ears are open to our cries. To those who fear You and put their hope in You, You deliver our souls from death. Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus! You are so good to us. And when times get tough and we are in need, You provide for our needs and You keep us alive. You even make sure that those that seek You not lack any good thing. You are such a good God! Thank You for Your love, and thank You for Your faithfulness. We love You! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

1 Kings 8:58 - May the culture not affect us anymore

“that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers.”

1 Kings 8:58

Robert Morgan once shared that some of his best memories as a child was when his family would go to Myrtle Beach. At one such time his father got upset. Robert had been playing in the ocean for an hour or so, and suddenly his father was running through the waves with concern and relief. He pointed to the shoreline so Robert could see how far down the beach he had gone. He was a quarter of a mile from the family’s umbrella. His folks had lost sight of him. While Robert was swimming and splashing around, the tide had carried him down the coastline and he hadn’t realized it. Robert then shared that the same thing was happening to the church. The currents of our culture are carrying many of us from our moorings, and it is so subtle that we don’t even realize it until it is too late.

In 1 Kings 8:54-61 Solomon blesses the assembly with a powerful blessing after he prayed. “And so it was, when Solomon had had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to the Lord, that he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven. Then he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice saying: ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses. May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us or forsake us, that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statures and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers. And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near the Lord our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day may require, that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God, there is no other. Let your heart therefore be loyal to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes, and keep His commandments, as at this day.’” O, may this be our hearts cry!

O Father, that we would be loyal to You, walk in Your statutes, and keep Your commandments. May all the peoples of the earth know that You are God and that there is no other. May You be blessed. We praise You this day. Be exalted our God. And we ask that the currents of our culture not carry us from our moorings. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.  

Isaiah 30:21 - Trust and Obey the Lord's promptings

“Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’ Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.”

Isaiah 30:21

God wants to lead and to guide His people. If we really want to do His will, He promises to make it clear to us. Then it is up to us to obey Him. Obedience is a blessing, not a burden. We will be blessed by God Himself if we obey Him. Others may be blessed by your obedience as well. If we are tuned into the Lord, our walk can be a thrilling adventure. Life becomes exciting. If we back off from obedience because we think it is our own thought or we are afraid to do what He has asked us to, we deprive God of demonstrating His awesome power in and through us. Small steps of obedience may seem insignificant, but they are not. They lead toward a lifetime of walking with God. As God’s children, we should ask Him what He wants us to do each and every day. We must learn to listen to our heavenly Father and remain sensitive to the still quiet voice that prompts us throughout the day. Hebrews 3:7-8 says “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.’” We should be willing to obey His promptings as they come. Don’t second guess yourself. You know when the Lord is prompting you. Once you hear from the Lord today—decide to take your next step of obedience with Him. You will be glad you did. You will be blessed by God Himself and others may be blessed through you.

O Father, how we want to walk with You on a regular basis. We desire for our lives to be exciting. We want to do Your will so therefore we want to hear from You. Prompt us as to what Your will is and then may we obey You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.   

Colossians 1:12 - We have an inheritance in Christ

“giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.”

Colossians 1:12

O how great it is to give thanks to our heavenly Father. Because of Jesus He “has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.” What a glorious inheritance this is. O that we would live, dwell and walk in this light. Colossians 1:13 says “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” O how we should give Him praise and thanks for His love and all that He provides for us. 1 Peter 1:3-4 says “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” God wants us to understand the vast riches that He has promised us as His children. He wants us to take hold of all that He has provided and made available to us. When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we received a priceless inheritance. 1 Peter tells us that it doesn’t ever fade away. It has been reserved in heaven for you and for me. It is not only in heaven that we receive our inheritance. It is also here on earth that He provides an inheritance for us. He delivers us from darkness, He brings us into His light, He conveys us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, He redeems us, He forgives us, He extends His abundant mercy to us, He makes us His very own, He gives us the Holy Spirit to live and dwell in our beings, He transforms our hearts and our minds, He gives us a reason to live, and He gives us a living hope. In His tremendous love, Jesus has equipped us and fitted us to enjoy many of these treasures now while we walk upon on this earth. We can know Him personally and intimately and walk with Him and in His Spirit now. He even let’s us store up treasures in heaven. The more we are faithful with the talents, skills, and opportunities He gives us today, the more rewards He will bestow upon us when we get to heaven. O that we will thank Him today for our precious inheritance!

Father, we come to You today and we thank You for the precious inheritance You have given us. Help us to remain grateful for all that You have provided. May we be faithful with our talents, skills, and opportunities You give us today. May we walk in Your light as You are in the light. Thank You for delivering us from the power of darkness. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

2 Corinthians 13:5 - We need to examine ourselves

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless you are disqualified.”

2 Corinthians 13:5

God wants us to examine ourselves. We do this in the light of His word. We need to examine our hearts before Him each and every day to make sure we don’t have any wicked ways in us. Some good verses for us to read so that we can see our hearts conditions are Galatians 5:16-21: “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” It goes on to tell us what the fruits of the Spirit are in Galatians 5:22-23. They are “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” If you read over the fruits of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit and you find that you indeed have erred, all you have to do is to confess your sins to the Lord. 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Turn your back on any of your fleshly ways and walk in His Spirit. Jesus Christ is in you.

Father, above all we want and desire to be right with You. We want a pure heart. We want a clear conscience. We want to inherit the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Lord, may we not walk in the flesh. May we walk in the Spirit. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Psalm 139:16 - Don't take matters into your own hands ... trust in the Lord!

“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, and in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.”

Psalm 139:16

When you start taking matters into your own hands, it should be clear to us that we are not trusting the Lord. God knows what is going to happen. And He will help you as you put your faith in Him through difficult times. You will even grow spiritually and in the faith as you cling to Him. This can only happen IF you cling to Him. He can use any bad thing that has happened and turn it around for your good. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that ALL things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Remember the story of Joseph that is in the Bible? His brothers hated him and they sold him into slavery. Many years later what was intended for Joseph’s bad turned out to be good. It was good not only for Joseph, but Joseph’s father, the brothers themselves, and for all the Israelites. If you are going through a hard time today, do your absolute best to trust in the Lord. Keep your faith ignited. Be sure to keep your eyes on the Lord and watch Him as He keeps His promises and uses your situation (or situations) for His plans and His purpose in your life and the life of others.

Lord, sometimes it is hard to be thankful for the trials that come our way.  May I grow from what I am going through. Although we may feel the pain from these trials, we can thank and praise You for Your Word says that You are going to use ALL things for our good and Your purposes. Let me cling to You and put my trust in You. Help my faith to be strong and secure. May I have hope as You are my hope. And please, Father, give me Your supernatural peace. Guard my heart and my mind as I trust in You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Isaiah 26:3 - Perfect Peace

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

Isaiah 26:3

True, lasting peace comes from the Lord. Jesus is our peace. Ephesians 2:14 says “For He Himself is our peace.” John 16:33 says “In Me you may have peace.” A person can have His peace through any difficulties and hardships that arise. We are promised in Isaiah 26:3 that “You will keep him in peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” What a beautiful promise. It is so true. When we take our mind off of Him, we lose our peace. The peace He wants to provide for you. If your mind stays on a problem instead of Him, your problem seems to get bigger and bigger. It grows so big that you wonder if help will come at all. Do your best to keep your mind stayed on Him. If a problem, difficulty, or hardship arises pray about it. At least when you are praying, you are thinking on Him. And then, put your confidence and trust in Him. He cares. He sees what is happening. And He can intervene. May our good Lord keep you in perfect peace.  

Father, be with us. We are your people. You have adopted us. You have made us your very own. You love us with a never ending love. You have blessed us with Christ. You have given us Your peace. May our minds be stayed on You all throughout the day, from morning to night. And, Father, we thank You that because our minds are stayed on you, we will receive for ourselves this perfect peace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

1 Peter 2:2-3 Desire the pure milk of the Word

“as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

1 Peter 2:2-3

Newborn babes have a craving for their mother’s nutritious milk. They basically sleep and nurse. If they wouldn’t nurse, they wouldn’t be nourished and grow. We are to develop a taste and a craving for the life-giving Word of God. If we don’t read and meditate on His Word, our spiritual growth will be stunted. Growing in Christ Jesus requires that we spend time in His Word. Sadly, many Christians spend their days apart from the Word of God. They don’t read it. They don’t meditate on it. And they don’t apply it to their everyday lives. Oh, that we would get back into reading God’s holy Word so it can do a work in our lives, transforming us into Christ’s likeness. We wouldn’t dream of going days, weeks, months, and years without eating and drinking. Our spiritual needs are just as important. We shouldn’t dream of going days, weeks, months, and years without reading His Word. God’s Word is full of life. It is alive. And it is life-giving and transforming. It nourishes our soul. If you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, get alone with Him sometime today and read His Word. Your soul will be nourished. You will be blessed!

Father, we thank You for Your Word. Your Word speaks to our hearts and nourishes our souls. It is life-giving and transforming. Your Word gives us wisdom, knowledge, discernment, understanding, and it helps us to see things in the light of Your Word. Please draw us to Your side. Like Mary, may we sit at Your feet and learn from You. Give us time to read Your Word each and every day. May we take in what You want us to take in. As the Israelites received fresh manna each and every day to survive, may we receive a fresh word from You as we spend time in Your Word. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.   

Matthew 19:29 - God will bless you a hundredfold if you give up what He is asking

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.”

Matthew 19:29

Those who have made personal sacrifices for Christ will enjoy enormous blessings, both in this life and in the life to come. Maybe God had you leave one church and go to another. Maybe he had you move from one city and go to another. Maybe you had a job and the company wanted you to do something unethical so you decided to seek employment elsewhere. Maybe God had you stop hanging around certain friends as they gossiped and slandered others so you did. Maybe you used to watch something on television and you knew God wanted you to stop watching that so you did. He sees your obedience and He will reward you for that. Today’s verse says that everyone who has left things for His name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold. A hundredfold! This is huge. This verse also says that these obedient people will inherit eternal life. What a great and generous God we serve!

Father, we thank You that when You want us to give certain things up for Jesus’ name’s sake You in Your goodness pour out hundredfold blessings upon us. We are not only blessed in this life, we are also blessed with eternal life. What a good and mighty God You are. Thank You for encouraging us today. We love You! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. 

Philippians 4:5 - Are you gentle?

“Let your gentleness be known to all men.”

Philippians 4:5

God wants His children to be gentle. Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of gentleness should be evident in our lives as His Spirit is inside of us. Gentle people are kind. Their hearts remain calm. They are also peaceful. They nurture others. 1 Thessalonians 2:7 says “But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.” They are soft spoken. Their words are soothing. They are not harsh, vindictive, or abusive. Proverbs 15:1 says “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” They bless and enrich the lives of those around them as they respect them and love them deeply. They lead a quiet and peaceable life. 1 Timothy 2: 2 says that they “lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” Oh, that we, His people, would be gentle in this world for Him.

Father, may our gentleness be known to all men. May our hearts remain calm. May we be peaceful. May we have a nurturing spirit. May we be soft spoken. May our words be soothing and full of life. We want blessings to come from our mouths and not cursings. We want to be a blessing to those around us. We want to enrich their lives. May we lead quiet and peaceable lives  in all godliness and reverence. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Matthew 21:22 - Believe your prayers will be answered

“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Matthew 21:22

What a wonderful promise that Jesus gave us in Matthew 21:22. We read these words, but the question is do we believe them? God wants us to believe them. That is why He put it in His Word. He even gave a story to encourage our faith. He told the story of the fig tree. He was walking with the disciples He came upon a fig tree. He was hungry and saw some leaves but nothing to eat on it. He spoke to the fig tree and told it to have no fruit on it ever again. Then the fig tree withered away soon. When the disciples saw this they asked “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” (Matthew 21:20). Jesus said “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matthew 21:21-22). Hebrews 11:1 tells us what faith is. It says “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” “He wants us to have the confident assurance that something we are praying about and believing God for is going to happen. It also tells us that we should not have doubt in our hearts concerning what are praying for either. We need to have faith and believe. Oh, if only the body of Christ would rise up and believe this way once again. May our faith be strong. May our prayers be absolutely limitless! Today’s verse is a wonderful promise to you and I. His Word doesn’t lie. May we pray, oh, so much more than we do.

Father, may we be able to take Your Word as it is. May faith rise up in us. May we believe that You are willing and able to answer our prayer requests. May we have no doubt in our minds or hearts. May we have the confident assurance that the things we are praying about and believing God for are going to happen. And may we begin to pray, oh, so much more than we already do. Holy Spirit, move across this world today. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. 

Psalm 91:1 Let's dwell in the secret place of the Most High

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

Psalm 91:1

Where do you dwell? Where is your dwelling place? God wants you to dwell in the secret place of the Most High under the shadow of the Almighty.  The secret place refers to His tabernacle, presence, pavilion and dwelling place. Psalm 27:5 says “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.” Psalm 31:20 says “You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.” Psalm 61:3-4 says “For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.” Shadow refers to his protection, our safety, and our security. Psalm 121:5 “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.” Isaiah 49:2 “In the shadow of His hand He has hidden me.” Psalm 91:4 “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.” Psalm 91:9-11 says “Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come  near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” The Almighty refers to Him being our Father that cares very deeply for us and our needs as well as how he protects us and keeps us safe. There are advantages to dwelling with Him. Jeremiah 29:13 says “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Search for Him in the morning and then dwell in His presence all day long. It will make a difference in you life.

Father, the world around us is in darkness. Thank You for making a way that we can live in the secret place of the Most High while we are here on this earth. May we live and dwell in the secret place of the Most High. We want to be surrounded by Your presence and protected by Your love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Psalm 119:168 - Replace our Bad Habits with Good Ones

“I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies, for all my ways are before you.”

Psalm 119:168

Our heavenly Father knows everything that we do. Our ways (as in “all my ways are before you”) can be our habits. God sees our habits, whether they are good habits or bad. He is looking to see if we obey (keep) His commandments and decrees. Most of our struggles in life are related to our habits. Some of these habits can be with the tongue: gossiping, slandering, cursing, lying, complaining, grumbling, being negative, fault-finding, and critical, as well as saying things in fits of anger. Some of these habits can be unhealthy addictions: smoking, drinking, taking drugs, overeating, choosing the wrong kinds of friends, watching things on television that you shouldn’t, listening to unedifying music and viewing pornography. Other habits can include: sleeping in too late, laziness, cracking your knuckles and nail-biting. God wants to replace all our bad habits with good ones (things that are good for our spiritual wellbeing). This includes reading our bibles every single day, meditating on His Word (hiding it in our hearts), praying, worshipping Him in song, going to church each week, surrounding ourselves with godly people, attending various bible studies and getting involved in a small group. Psalm 119:161-168 can help us with replacing the bad habits and replacing it with good habits as well. We fear God’s Word and are in awe of it (vs.161). We rejoice at His Word and consider it a great treasure (vs. 162). We hate and abhor lying but love His law (vs. 163). We praise Him throughout the day (vs. 164). We have His great peace because we love His law (vs. 165). Because we love His law and have His great peace we don’t stumble (vs. 165). We obey and keep His commandments as we love them exceedingly (vs. 166-167). And we know that He sees all our habits (vs. 168). 

Father, May we fear Your Word and be in awe of it. May we rejoice at Your Word and consider it a great treasure. May we hate and abhor lying but love Your law. May we praise You throughout the day. May we have great peace because we love Your law. Help us so that we don’t stumble. May we obey and keep Your commandments, loving them exceedingly. We know that You see all our habits. May we stop having bad habits. May You replace our bad habits with good ones, ones that will help us in our spiritual walk with You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Psalm 146:1-2 Praise the Lord!

“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

Psalm 146:1-2

We are to praise our Lord! God delights in our soul’s willingness to praise Him. We can do this with the words of our mouths. We can speak our praises and we can sing our praises to Him. Our praises are pleasant and beautiful to His ears. Psalm 147:1 says “Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God. For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.” We should praise and bless Him with our whole soul and absolute being. Psalm 103:1 “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” It is we ourselves giving God what He so richly deserves from us, our heartfelt praise and adoration. While we live and have breath we should praise Him. It is a perpetual attitude that should be ingrained in us and always pouring out of us to Him. He deserves our admiration. We should commend and extol Him. We should offer grateful respect and reverence to Him. He is God! And He has given us so much, more than we ever deserve. Make it a perpetual habit to praise Him. He will be blessed by it … and so will you!

Father, You are so worthy to be praised. While we live and have breath may we never stop praising You. You deserve our praises and we want the attitude of our hearts to continually be praising You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.  

Psalm 147:16 - God has made us unique

“He gives snow like wool.”

Psalm 147:16

Yesterday when we looked out the window all we could see were tons of snowflakes falling from the sky, which was blowing and drifting all over. Snowflakes are beautiful and they are amazing. They begin as tiny crystals. They form around a speck of dust. As the water droplets freeze, the crystal begins to develop six different sides to it. As moisture is drawn into the crystal, the six different sides begin to grow. It is astounding that the average snowflake is made up of about 100 ice crystals. As each snowflake is blown around, it encounters different moisture levels and temperatures, which results in no two individual snowflakes looking alike. Every snowflake is truly unique. Each snowflake shows God’s creativity. The same can be said of God’s people. Each of us are different. No two of us are alike, even since the beginning of time. We are each truly unique. Each one of us shows God’s creativity. Today as you look out at the snow that has blanketed the ground, roads, sidewalks, decks, vehicles, etc. think about how amazing our Creator God is. Think about how as He covered everything with a blanket of snow that not two of those individual snowflakes are alike. Marvel and be in awe over what He has done. Also, think about how God made you unique too. He made you just as He made each snowflake. And He uses you along with all the others He’s made to blanket this world for Christ. Be thankful and glad for your individuality. It is what sets you apart.

Father, thank You for the snow which blanketed the ground and makes us think of You. No two snowflakes that are clustered together are alike. Each one is unique. Thank You for showing Your creativeness. You have done it with the snowflakes and You have done this with us, Your people. We are thankful and grateful that we can be happy just being ourselves, the way that You made us. We don’t have to try to be like anyone else. You love us just the way we are. You’ve made us truly unique. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.