The Lord Surrounds His People

May The Lord surround and strengthen us, and place us in His perfect peace.

May His power rest on us and be made perfect in our weaknesses...according to His omniscient might...and all for the richness of His glory.

May He anoint us and fill us with the bounty of His Holy Spirit, until our cup overflows.

And may we never be shaken in our trust in Him, as He completes the good and gracious work He ordained in us long ago.

You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.
~Psalm 139:5

But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.'
~2 Corinthians 12:9

I pray that out of the riches of His glory, He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being,
~Ephesians 3:16

...being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully...
~Colossians 1:11

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and appointed me to service.
~1 Timothy 1:12

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
~Philippians 4:13

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
~Philippians 1:6

He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.
~Psalm 62:2

Irrevocable

Praise God that His grace, mercy, promises, love, forgiveness, redemption and salvation are never ending and unchanging.

Take heart that no matter what circumstances you find yourself in today, our God is mightier. He knows all about yesterday, today and tomorrow. He has gone before you and prepared a way, according to His predestined purpose, because He loves you.

His love for you is pure, passionate, promised and predestined. And, there is absolutely nothing that you can do to alter His love for you. For His gifts and His call are irrevocable...

Romans 8:30
And those He predestined He also called, those He called He also justified, those He justified He also glorified.

Romans 8:28
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

Ephesians 1:4
For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love...

2 Timothy 1:9
He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not because of our own works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time eternal.

Titus 1:2
...in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.

Ephesians 3:18
...may have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of His love...

Romans 8:39
...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...

Agape Love

May we reflect on the fullest aspect of this truth and express our sincerest gratitude for the gift of pure agape love bestowed upon us by our merciful Creator...a gracious gift that only He is capable of offering in its perfect form because of all that He Is, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

May we reflect on the magnitude of the intricate and infallible plan designed by our Abba Father...His mighty power and omniscience...and that in spite of our transgressions, He lavishes His love on us and calls us His children!

Oh, how He loves us!

1 John 4:10
And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 John 3:1
Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.

Romans 5:8
But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 1:12
But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God--

1 John 3:2
Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.

Srong in The Lord's Might

Our enemy is formidable, but our God is greater. And, in our humanity, we are without strength except that which is drawn from The Holy Spirit.

Therefore, we must be on alert and perpetually don the whole armor of God, as it is designed for Christians to wear at all times. We must pray without ceasing, be courageous, stand firm in faith...and be strong in the power of The LORD’s might.

1 Peter 1:13
Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 Thessalonians 5:8
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.

Ephesians 6:13
Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.

Ephesians 6:14
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth fastened around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed...

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong.

2 Timothy 2:1
You therefore, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Luke 12:35
Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning.

I Will Not Leave You Orphans

Heavenly Father,

We praise You for the promise of Your refuge and the covering of Your comfort...for the promise of Your balm on the broken hearted and crushed in spirit.

Lord, we claim the victory that we are never alone, never orphans...that You have prepared a way for us to dwell with You eternally...and we pray for Your guidance and protection in our temporary dwelling place.

Lord, we praise You that You are always near, and we call upon You in truth for healing in our hearts...in our homes...in our communities...in our world.

Lead us by still waters and bless us with strength and endurance; keep us on Your ordained and anointed path of light and love...and we praise You that because of Your plan, we have purpose!

Jesus, we need You every minute of every day! We pray for Your Kingdom...for You to remove all sorrow and wipe the tears from our eyes...for the day when every knee bows to You, Almighty Father God! For You are worthy!

Thank You, Lord, for deliverance and for making Your home in our hearts. Cleanse and purify us, according to Your will.

In The Name of Jesus Christ, our precious Savior, we praise You and pray these things,

Amen.

Psalm 34:18
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit

Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.

Psalm 145:18
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.

Psalm 73:28
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.

James 4:8(a)
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

Romans 14:11
It is written: "As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God."

Revelations 21:4
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.

The Balm of Gilead

Brokenness is a heart condition. Jesus is the remedy...and His cure guarantees eternal life!

When we invite in The Great Physician to perform His spiritual surgery, we receive a heart healing that includes redemption, restoration, rest and peace...beside the still waters of everlasting love.

Won't you cry out to The Balm of Gilead? That He may bind and heal your wounded heart?

Psalm 30:2
O LORD my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me.

Psalm 107:20
He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.

Psalm 103:3
Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;

Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.

Matthew 9:12
On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”

1 Peter 2:24
who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

Jeremiah 8:22
Is there no balm in Gilead,
Is there no physician there?
Why then is there no recovery
For the health of the daughter of my people?

Isaiah 53:5
But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

The Righteous Will Shine

Father God,

We bow down before Your Throne and choose divine partnership with You today and every day.

We pray for Your pouring of The Holy Spirit into our willing hearts; that You ordain and anoint us with ongoing sanctification and transformation.

We pray for minds that comprehend and partake of Your immutable knowledge, and to receive Your holy truth into yielding hearts.

Mold us and fill us, Father, so we can be a beacon of hope to others and lead them to Your sanctuary. Show us how to be co-laborers in the building of Your Kingdom, and may it come swiftly to this hurting world.

Continue your completion in us, Lord; bend, mold and hone us into the authentic being You created and designed in us long ago.

And may Your flame blaze brilliantly within us, LORD...so we will shine radiantly as the sun and stars in the heavens...for ever and ever...

In Jesus Christ's Name,

Amen.

Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Proverbs 11:30
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise wins souls.

Matthew 5:14
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

Proverbs 4:18
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

1 Corinthians 1:8
He will sustain you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:6
For I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will continue to perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

A Grateful Son in Our Hearts

A Grateful Song in Our Hearts

Let us approach His Gate with a joyful, grateful, faithful heart.

Let us thank Him for all the ways He has blessed us...for those He has artfully placed in our paths...for showing us how to cherish one another, just as He has loved us.

Let us enter His Court with praise for all that He is, all He has done, all that He promises forevermore!

Praise The Almighty for ordaining and anointing this joyful song in our hearts! Bless His Holy Name!

In The Name of Jesus,

Amen!

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
~Psalm 100:4

Redeemed

Redeemed

Praise The Lord that He is is alive, seated on His mighty throne; that He overcame the darkness so that we also walk in His marvelous light.

Praise The Lord for the grace He lovingly lavishes upon us; that by His stripes we are rescued and restored, the salt of the earth, and the lighted city on the hill.

Praise The Lord that we are justified through Him and our stain of sin is removed; that we may be sanctified and reconciled unto The Father.

Praise The Lord, for we are redeemed and one with The Son for Eternity!

John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 12:46
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

Matthew 5:14
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

Romans 6:14
For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Romans 8:1
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:20
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Colossians 1:13-14
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

God Delivers

When things around us don’t make sense and are falling apart, and it seems we keep getting caught up in the storms of life, go to the sanctuary of God and find rest.

An amazing thing happens when we view our problems from His perspective. The problems that seem so big and hopeless from our human perspective look so small in light of Jesus. Because we know that the Living God of the entire universe can handle them.

God delivers all who call on His name. Being in His presence will give us an eternal perspective.

Psalm 27:5
For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.

Psalm 81:7
"You called in trouble, and I rescued you; I answered you in the hiding place of thunder; I proved you at the waters of Meribah.

Psalm 86:7
In the day of my trouble, I shall call upon You, For You will answer me.

Psalm 34:4
I sought the LORD, and He answered me And delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 34:6
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

Psalm 34:16
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivered him out of them all.

A Contrite Heart

Blessed are those who mourn with Godly sorrow...who have a contrite, humble heart and revere The Word of The Lord...for, to them comes repentance that leads to salvation.

The Lord looks to them...they receive forgiveness and and are promised comfort and cleansing through the indwelling of The Holy Spirit.

They know Jesus Christ as The Savior for their sin and confidently approach The Throne of Grace without shame, fear or regret. They are reconciled unto God The Father, and their heart is filled with joy and peace; they receive rest and have a personal relationship with Jesus.

Blessed are those indeed who mourn and have repented...they are forgiven and hidden in Christ...for them there is no condemnation and they will dwell in The House of The Lord forever.

2 Corinthians 7:10
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Isaiah 66:2
For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:21
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Gathering Strength From Grace

When we are faced with calamity and chose to walk in The Spirit, God's magnificent grace becomes the source of our strength.

By receiving His grace and believing the beloved blood of The Lamb preserves us, we are able to maintain perfect peace while The Lord acts on our behalf.

And if our supremely great, almighty, all-powerful and all-omniscient God is with us, what can possibly prevail against us?

2 Corinthians 12:10
That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Romans 8:31
What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Psalm 46:10
"Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 118:6
The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?

Isaiah 26:3
The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.

Call Upon The Lord

Approach The Throne of Grace with a sincere, obedient, confident heart...feel the omniscient presence of The Lord.

Make your requests known to Him...share the innermost depths of your heart with Him...for He is close to the broken-hearted and hears the cries of His children.

Call upon The Lord in truth and transparency...lean into Him...and He will draw near to you and hear His servant's prayers.

Psalm 145:19
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.

1 Kings 8:28
Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, LORD my God.
Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.

Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Psalm 34:18
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 145:18
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

James 4:8(a)
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

He Is With You Always

Let not your hearts be troubled, dear brothers and sisters, for you are never alone. If even for a moment you feel lonely, abandoned or rejected, speak God's truth into your life.

The Sovereign Lord of Hosts and The Creator of ALL things will never leave or forsake you! You are not orphaned; you are not rejected; and you are never alone in Him. You have a family, an eternal inheritance and an identity sealed by the Author of love and life.

Through the intercession of Christ and the gift of The Holy Spirit, our Father is with us ALWAYS...in this temporary dwelling place and beyond. This is His eternal promise to His precious children!

John 14:16-18
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

John 14:3
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

John 14:17-19
that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.…

Hebrews 13:5
because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Matthew 28:20
"and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age"

Redeemed

Praise The Lord that He is is alive, seated on The Throne...that He overcame the darkness and made a way for us to walk in His marvelous light.

Praise The Lord for His grace lavished so mercifully upon us...that by His precious stripes, we are rescued and restored; the salt of the earth and the lighted city on the hill.

Praise The Lord that we are justified through Him and our stain of sin is removed; that we may be sanctified and reconciled unto The Father.

Praise The Lord, for we are rescued and redeemed...and one with The Son for Eternity!

John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Matthew 5:14
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

Romans 6:14
For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Romans 8:1
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:20
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:7-8
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us...

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Colossians 1:13-14
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.