Scripture for the week of June 8, 2014

The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalms 121:5-8 (NIV)

Have you ever prayed and prayed, yet still wondered where the Lord is when you are facing difficult trials, feeling vulnerable, unprotected and all alone? Three times in these verses it is declared that the Lord is watching over you. This type of watching is like the secret service agents; meaning He is guarding, protecting and defending which is so much more than just keeping an eye on you. These scriptures tell us the Lord stands guard over every detail of your life, protecting you from ALL harm and able to defend you in all your coming and going. May we find peace in the assurance of the covering shade of the Lord’s presence over us in the oppressive heat of our days and the warmth of His love in the cold darkness of our nights. Thank you, Lord.

 

Scripture for the week of June 1, 2014

 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.              Isaiah 30:18 (RSV)

Have you ever felt the surprising sting of injustice from a friend or someone you trusted? You may also have longed for exoneration not knowing where to turn for help. The picture we need to grasp in this verse is that the Lord is practically sitting on the edge of the seat of His throne just waiting for the opportunity to extend His unmerited favor in grace toward us. Then He stands up in the fullness of His power to bestow His mercy upon us and extends His righteous judgement on our behalf. As we persevere to wait upon the Lord, we have the hope of His abundant blessings that comfort, heal and restore us in the goodness of a his unfailing love that covers and heals all transgressions (Proverbs 10:12). Oh, give thanks unto the Lord!

Scripture for the week of May 25, 2014

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Have you ever been paralyzed by an overwhelming fear that seems to shatter all hope and scatter all your faith? Fear is the friend of doubt and unbelief and the robber of our faith. The KJV Bible mentions “fear not”, “do not fear” and “do not be afraid” 110 times and it is usually followed by exhortations declaring that the Lord is with you. God makes five promises in this scripture. He is with you and He is your God. He gives strength to replace your weariness, He will help and He will hold you up in the power of His righteousness. So, let the power of His presence, strength and righteousness overcome your fears of failure and inadequacy. May your hope and faith be renewed in God’s love, goodness and provision for you today.

Scripture for the week of May 18, 2014

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Many are the woes of the wicked but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart! Psalm 32:8,10-11 (NIV)

Have you ever experienced a time when just by catching a look from someone you would know, without a doubt, exactly what you had to do or where you needed to go? Most of us can easily remember “the look” from a parent, a teacher, or someone that clearly spoke louder than words! The key to be directed by “the look” implies you had to turn your eyes in their direction. This scripture teaches us that the Lord has His eyes upon us. When we turn our eyes away from the cares and confusion of our circumstances to focus our trust upon Him; He is ready and willing to teach us, guide us, council us and surround us with His unfailing love. Then, with uplifted hearts we can sing, rejoice and be glad in the Lord our loving God!

Scripture for the week of May 11, 2014

And the angel answered and said unto her , “…For with God nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:35a,37-38 (NKJV)

Are you facing impossibilities and in need of miracles? What a hope filled declaration by the Angel Gabriel when he states that nothing is impossible with God! Previously, before this verse in Luke, Gabriel had told Mary she was to give birth to the son of God and she had responded, “How can this be?” As you are looking at your needs, evaluating limited possibilities or facing dead ends ahead and also asking yourself “How can this happen?” or “Is there any hope?” Remember that nothing is impossible with our God Who is able to move mountains, part the seas and open prison doors for His servants that fully put their trust in Him. Yes and amen, Lord!

 

Scripture for the week of May 5, 2014

But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. Psalm 3:3-5 (NKJV)

Have you ever felt like you need a protector and defender or someone to help hold your head up when troubles just seem too much? And have you ever cried out for help when no one was there and you couldn’t even sleep to escape the hopelessness? The Lord makes several wonderful promises to us in these verses; declaring His compassionate care for us when we are distraught, frail and feel abandoned. 1) He is our shield, protector and defender. 2) He is our glory; bestowing His goodness, praise and honor upon us. 3) He lifts up our head and restores our hope. 4) He hears our prayers and cries for help! 5) He grants us sleep and rest in our weariness. 6) He sustains us and provides all our needs. Rest in the assurance today and everyday that He will hear your voice and answer you from His holy hill because of His great love for you. Selah!

Scripture for the week of April 27, 2014

The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

Have you ever come to an unexpected fork in the road, afraid and discouraged without a clue of which way to go? This scripture was spoken to Joshua when Moses told him he would be leading the Israelites to the promised land. You also may be holding onto hopes and promises but feel like you have lost your way. What an encouragement this promise of the Lord’s presence and guidance must have been to Joshua and it is for you, too. Grab hold of this promise for yourself and allow the Lord to establish the hope of His presence with you. You can release your fears and discouragements knowing without a doubt that The Lord is with you, He’ll never leave you; and He is going before you to lead you into the future, hope and blessings He has prepared just for you! Praise the Lord!

Scripture for the week of April 20, 2014

Jesus said to her (Martha, Lazarus’ sister), “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11:25 (NKJV)

Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead? In these scriptures after Jesus declares that He is the resurrection and the life, He asks Martha if she believes even before He raises Lazarus from the dead. With a proclamation such as this we are not given the choice to believe that Jesus was just a good teacher and example for us to follow. He is either a lunatic, a liar or the way the truth and the life, just as He says (John 14:6). The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:17,19 that if Jesus was not raised from the dead our faith is worthless and we are to be pitied above all men. The resurrection of Jesus is the crux of the whole Bible, the pivot point of all history, our only hope for meaning in this life and our promise of eternity. Happy Easter! The tomb was empty, He is risen, He is risen indeed!

 Scripture for the week of April 13, 2014

“You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me. Isaiah 43:10 NKJV

Have you ever considered that there is a big difference between “believing in God” verses “believing God”? Believing in God allows us to believe what we want to believe about God, and then attempt to fit Him into the box of our own understanding. Believing God means we have chosen to believe God is Who He says He is; which activates our faith in His Word to also believe that He will do what He says He will do. God declares in this verse that He has chosen us even before we choose Him! He invites us to “know” Him in an intimate relationship that will open the eyes of our understanding with the ability to BELIEVE He Is The One and Only True GOD that always was and always will be! Yes, Amen!

Scripture for the week of April 6, 2014

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Mt 6:19-21

On the road of life, in pursuit of your success, love and happiness, have you had some detours or crashes along the way? Friends betray us, jobs don’t last, wealth can be lost, and family can cause the deepest of wounds. This weeks scripture challenges us to ask, “How do I lay up my treasure in heaven where there is no corruption or loss?” Micah 6:8 tells us, “And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” We also read in John 16:33 “In this life you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer I have overcome the world.” So place your heart and hope in Jesus, Who overcomes the troubles of this world. By His grace, live honorably with compassion, extending mercy to others in humble dependence upon the Lord. You will know the blessings of God’s favor, experience His peace that passes understanding and lay up treasures in heaven.

Scripture for the week of March 30, 2014

“The breaker goes up before them; they break out, pass through the gate and go out by it. So their king goes on before them, and the Lord at their head.” Micah 2:13 (NASV)

Is there some situation in your life desperately in need of a breakthrough? There are several things we can learn about the Lord in this weeks scripture. He leads and goes before us. He stands between us and our enemies and in times of trouble He can break us out of places that hold us captive. The Lord of the hosts of heavenly armies is able to breakthrough any of our enemies plans against us. It is our God’s desire for us to know Him as The Lord of the breakthrough. He wants to break down walls of captivity, to make the crooked places straight and to make the rough places smooth on your behalf. Trust the Lord of the breakthrough to break through for you!

Scripture for the week of March 23, 2014

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NKJV)

Is your hope running low with the heaviness of discouragement and the frustration of too many disappointments, especially in someone you trusted? What an encouragement to be reminded in this verse that we have a God Who is hope! He is able to renew our hope in an abundance that is more-than-enough. On top of that, He will fill us with an overflowing joy and peace trusting in Him afresh to move mountains in our defense and opening miraculous doors of provision through the power of His Holy Spirit working on our behalf. May the Holy Spirit fill you with the uplifting hope, joy and peace you need today.

Scripture of the week for March 16, 2014

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)

Are you feeling loaded down and exhausted from carrying problems and discouragements with a longing for rest from your weariness? To be yoked with Jesus requires us to submit to His plans and direction for us. Though none of us enjoy or welcome the idea of submission, it is easier when we understand it is His willingness to carry our heavy loads and His desire to plow the paths straighter ahead for us. Be encouraged to accept the Lord’s invitation to walk in humility yoked with Him and find the rest you long for in your soul. Cast your cares on Jesus today (1 Peter 5:7) and God will supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).