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

Rest For Weary Souls

Run to and rest in the open, eternal arms of our loving Father. Release all your burdens to Him and take His yoke instead.

Resign yourself to the will of God and seek His Holy counsel. He will sustain you and uphold you with His righteous hand.

Be still in His loving care while He refreshes you with Living Waters...as you find rest and repose for your weary soul.

Psalm 55:2
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

Isaiah 28:12
to whom he said, 'This is the resting place, let the weary rest,' and, 'This is the place of repose...'

Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

Strong in The Power of His Might

Our enemy is formidable, but our God is greater. And, in our humanity, we are without strength except that which is bestowed upon us through 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.

Ephesians 6:10
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His 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.

Psalm 31:24
Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.

Matthew 24:42
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come.

Spiritual Warfare

In order to fight the good fight, we must take our battles to the spiritual realm. Our war is not with our fellow man, but against a spiritual host of wickedness.

Discern your enemy and have faith in God. Stand firm in The Almighty's power, promises and truth. Wrestle it out in prayer and put on the full armor of God, according to His Word. Resist the schemes of the enemy and he will flee. There is power in The Name of Jesus! Partner with The Sovereign Lord of Hosts because the battle, victory and glory belongs to Him...

James 4:7
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

In His Heavenly Hands

Let us invite God into every aspect of our lives, not withholding anything from the workmanship of His Heavenly Hands. Let us make Him the top priority...more of Him, less of us and all else.

For, it is in this type of transparency, surrender, commitment and partnership that He can restore and refine our whole heart...fill us with the full measure of His love and anointing of The Holy Spirit...complete His authentic and abundant plan in every facet of our lives...as we are honed, sanctified and refined for His purpose.

May His will be done, His Kingdom come...and all glory, honor and praise to our Abba God Almighty forevermore!

1 Peter 1:7
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Ezekiel 36:26
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."

Psalm 66:10
For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined.

Psalm 40:5
Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.

Psalm 92:4
For You, O LORD, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.

Authentic Faith

It is easy for us to get carried away in our thinking about what we want. We tend to plunge into the waters head first before first consulting with our Lifeguard...you know, the One who walks on water.

Regardless of our desires and plans, we should bring it all to the full counsel of God; present our petitions and align our emotions with His truth. We must lean into Him for understanding and ask Him to lay on our heart what His will is for our circumstances...and for our life.

When we bring Him into our decision-making, we receive the full measure of His promises. Only our Creator can lead us on our authentic and ordained path, as He is the Architect who designed it! He delights in the innermost desires of our heart and will guide us in the way that is holy, righteous and pleasing unto Him.

Praise The Lord that His plans, ways and thoughts are not like our own! He is the eternal resource with every correct answer. He is able to produce results far beyond what we can achieve alone. Complete surrender to His way is not always the path of least resistance, but we are assured peace as we progress...and to always receive what is His best for us.

Proverbs 19:21
Many plans are in a man's heart, But the counsel of the LORD will stand.

Isaiah 55:8
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD.

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.

Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Philippians 4:19
And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Unfailing Love & Marcy

How merciful God is. He could look at our behavior and condemn us. He could read our mind and reject us. He could exact a thousand different punishments for all that we have done, but instead He has chosen to see us through the eyes of His unfailing love. 

It is so hard to imagine what that really means. It is so foreign to the way we operate. We hold grudges, seek revenge, or at least try to get even. But not God. He does not give up on us. He sees us desperately in need of His grace.  And even when we are unlovely, thoroughly lost because of our willful disobedience, He shows us the way back. 

What makes this so tragic is that we don’t really believe it. We still think we need to wear the mask of our false self. You know, the self that thinks it earns God’s approval. the self that tries to please God through vain attempts at righteousness. 

Today throw the mask away. You don’t need it. God sees you through His unfailing love, and He loves what He sees.  As we go forth in the New Year, commit to accepting His love and let Him direct your path.

Lamentations 3:22-24

The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies, we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" (NSAB)

1 Peter 1:3

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (NIV)

Psalm 25:7-8

“Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O LORD. The LORD is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray.” (NLT)