Tag Archive | Faith

Scripture Of The Week By JoBeth Kested

Jan25

Scripture for the week of January 25, 2026
By JoBeth Kested

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10 (NIV)

If God supposedly knows everything and has a plan, why should we bother with prayer and asking for His help? Do you have childhood memories of playing hide-and-seek and how much fun it is to surprise someone in their hiding place? And how special it is to knock upon a friends door to have it opened then to receive their welcoming hugs and kisses? These verses reveal God’s heart in that He longs for us to seek Him and to find how much He loves us. How awesome that God loves to reveal Himself to us and to surprise us with signs and wonders in answering our prayers. Be encouraged to keep on asking to receive, seeking to find and knocking for the open doors of God’s blessings and abundant provision for you today.

Scripture Of The Week by JoBeth Kested

Jan18

Scripture for the week of January 18, 2026
By JoBeth Kested

 

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Have you ever wondered how to find God’s will? What if the three things listed in this verse were the keys to discovering and experiencing God’s will? In the many tests, trials and desperate situations we face each day we all face the opportunities to choose how we respond to life’s difficulties. What if we would choose to rejoice in the Lords’s overcoming power instead of worrying? What if we would choose to pray in faith instead of yielding to fear? And, what if we would choose to give thanks for the opportunity to see God demonstrate His abundant provision for us instead of grumbling and complaining? In Matthew 19:26 Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” With His sufficient grace for today in everything that comes your way, be encouraged to rejoice, pray and give thanks that will set your feet on the path of God’s will concerning you. Yes, Lord!

Scripture Of The Week By JoBeth Kested

Jan11

Scripture for the week of January 11, 2026
By JoBeth Kested


 

But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord. Jeremiah 9:24 (NKJV)

Have you launched into another new year seriously determined to accomplish some resolutions with the hope of patting yourself on the back at the end of this year? We often begin a new year evaluating our disappointments in ourselves; of weight gained or unfulfilled expectations of the previous year. With good intentions we try setting new resolutions with goals to do better, to be better and to feel better about ourselves and our accomplishments in the days ahead. This scriptures proposes a better option to focus our energy and efforts on the things that glorify God more than what might bring glory or praise to ourselves. By increasing our understanding and knowledge of God, His Word and His ways we can hope to personally experience His lovingkindness, mercy and goodness and then to also extend it to those in the world around us. What a joyous anticipation to know the blessing of God’s delight in the pursuit of knowing and experiencing Him more in this next year!

Scripture Of The Week By JoBeth Kested

Nov23

Scripture for the week of November 23, 2025
By JoBeth Kested

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. To him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1-4 (NIV)

What would you answer if asked what is your greatest need or desire? Most would acknowledge the deepest longingly our hearts is to be loved. We all long for and cherish the loving relationships of family and friends. We are encouraged in these scriptures to give thanks to The Lord, God of gods, and Lord of lords because His love endures forever. In this Psalm, there are twenty-six declarations that His love endures forever after verses extolling the majesty of God’s creation, His awesome wonders, His mighty power and extravagant mercy. During this season of Thanksgiving we often remember and share the many things we have to be thankful for. It is also good to be reminded how blessed we are and to give thanks that The Lord God Almighty is good, He does great wonders and His steadfast love for us endures forever!

Scripture Of The Week By JoBeth Kested

Nov16

Scripture for the week of November 16, 2014

By JoBeth Kested

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord… Jeremiah 29:11-14a (NKJV)

Have you ever felt like you messed up so badly that you are beyond forgiveness and undeserving of God’s love? Have you lost all hope and feel like you will never qualify for the goodness of God? Sometimes it can feel like God is playing Hide and Seek and nowhere to be found. But, these verses assure us that God really does hear our prayers when we cry out to Him and that He longs to reveal Himself and His good plans for us. Though it may be hard to fathom, the truth is, God harbors no thoughts of evil against us and is always thinking of how to show us His plans for our future with peace and hope. Be encouraged in this promise to you today that you will find the Lord when you pray and seek Him with all your heart.

Scripture Of The Week By JoBeth Kested

Nov9

Scripture of the week of November 9, 2025 By JoBeth Kested

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; Psalm 23:1-3a

Have you ever longed for peace, comfort and rest for your soul? Our souls involve our mind, will and emotions where we feel the longing or afflictions of doubt, fear, sorrows and confusion that rob us of peace. We are likened to helpless fearful sheep in these scriptures and what a comfort to know that the Lord is our Good Shepherd caring for all our needs, lacking nothing. We may not be quite as excited to realize that He will sometimes make us to lie down and most of us don’t like the idea of anyone making us do anything! Yet, we would gladly welcome the comfort, peace and restored hope we all long for in our souls if we could find it. Dear Lord, direct our steps to a still quiet place in Your presence; free from pressures, anxiety and disappointments to find the comforting rest for our souls that You have provided for us. Amen.

Scripture Of The Week By JoBeth Kested

Oct26

Scripture for the week of October 26, 2025
By JoBeth Kested

The Lord will always lead you. He will meet the needs of your soul in the dry times and give strength to your body. You will be like a garden that has enough water, like a well of water that never dries up. Isaiah 58:11 (NLV)

Have you ever felt lost in a dry desolate place, overwhelmed with weariness and no idea of the way to go? Be encouraged by the promise of this scripture that the Lord is always with us to mercifully show us the way even when we find ourselves lost and desperate through foolish choices or no faults of our own. God will meet all the needs of our soul (mind, will and emotions) as well as restore strength to our bodies when it looks like there is no provision for us in any direction. So call upon the Lord in your day of trouble and He will deliver you (Psalms 50:15), restore you like a well watered garden and fill you with His living water that never runs dry. Oh, hallelujah!

Scripture Of The Week By JoBeth Kested

Oct19

Scripture for the week of October 19, 2025
By JoBeth Kested

As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect. Psalm 18:30-32 (NKJV)

Are you frustrated with your imperfections, disappointed in the imperfect people in your life, or weary of this imperfect world? What a huge comfort to discover the realization that the ways of our God are perfect and to know with assurance that His Word has proven to be perfect, too. He is the protector and defender of all who put their trust in Him. He alone is the Almighty God above all gods and majestic Lord above all lords. There is nothing in this world more sure, more solid and more dependable that our God, The Rock. Our loving, compassionate and merciful God lifts us out of our pity puddles of discouragement, renews our strength and even makes our crooked rough roads into perfect paths of peace. Thank You, Lord!

Fear Not

Aug4

Where is your FAITH!

Fear Not! Stop propagating fear!
Occupy until Yeshua comes! Look for Him, yes. But live your life and stop the nonsensical posts that instill fear in others!

Bolster your faith!

Declare and Decree God’s Word over your life! Don’t stop until you read every single one out loud.

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

Jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Matthew 6:25-34 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all 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.

Mark 4:39-40 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’

Luke 12:22 And he said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.’

Luke 12:24-34 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

John 14:1 Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Corinthians 7:32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord.

Philippians 4:5-7 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:13-14 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

2 Timothy 1:6-7 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 13:5-6 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’

1 Peter 3:14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,

1 Peter 5:6-8 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Revelation 1:17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last,’

Amen Amen Amen and again I say Amen

Blessings and Shalom – Love Beyond Measure, Beth Auman

Faith Or Fear, Which Will You Choose By JoBeth Kested

Jul23

I’ve felt the need to share this article I wrote several years ago. My hope is that it will be an encouragement to someone that needs to see this today. ??

Faith Or Fear, Which Will You Choose?
By JoBeth Kested

Have you ever realized that whether you live in faith or fear is a choice? You might say, “I always fear the worst about everything and I can’t help it; that’s just the way I am”. Let’s take a look at the Bible definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (NKJV). What if we replace the word faith with the word fear? “Now fear is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Isn’t that exactly what fear is when we allow our minds to run away imagining every possibility of all the bad things that might happen? Those imaginations can run around and around in our heads over and over, like a hamster on a wheel, until we are paralyzed with fear and hopelessness expecting only the worst. Do we have a choice? According to 2 Corinthians 10:5, we can choose to “cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” (NKJV).

We need to realize that the choice between fear or faith is like coming to a fork in the road. We can choose to go down the path of fear, mulling over all the worst possibilities that can happen, or we can choose the path of faith; taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and putting our trust in God’s limitless power to intervene in our circumstances. The choice is ours. We are either going to put our trust in the worst possibilities of hopelessness or put our trust in God’s supernatural power to perform miracles on our behalf. Because, we KNOW His plans for us are good and not evil, to give us a future and a hope! (Jeremiah 29:11) So, fear or faith, which path will you choose?

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that You will help us to choose the path of faith and to take every thought captive, pulling down every stronghold of fear that comes against our obedience to walk in the path of goodness and hope you have for us in Jesus. In Jesus name, AMEN.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

© JoBeth Kested 2014