Thursday, December 31, 2015

I Have No Need to Fear

Deuteronomy 7:18 & 21

"But don't be afraid of them! Just remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all the land of Egypt!"
"No, do not be afraid of those nations, for the Lord your God is among you, and he is a great and awesome God."



Lord, you ARE a great and awesome God! You can handle any difficulty that I have in my life no matter how impossible it may seem to me; from bugs in my kitchen to no work coming in for the business. When my faith is weak help me to trust you!

You are the God who created the universe and named each one of the stars! I can trust you to help me exterminate a few bugs and to provide work for the business to keep going. Please show me what I need to do. In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSE
Isaiah 48:17-18
This is what the Lord says - your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow. Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.
Isaiah 48:17-18

YEAR VERSE
Psalm 37:3-5
Trust in the LORD and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you your heart's desires.
Commit everything you do to the LORD.
Trust him, and he will help you.
Psalm 37:3-5

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Lord, Permeate My Being!

Deuteronomy 6:4-7

"Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up."



Lord, you are my God, you alone. I want to love you with all my heart, all my soul, and all my strength. I want to be committed wholeheartedly to your commands that you give me each day. I want to repeat them to my children. I want to talk about them all the time wherever I am and whatever I am doing. I want to be so in love with you that it permeates every fiber of my being and splashes out onto everyone around me. In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSE
Isaiah 48:17-18
This is what the Lord says - your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow. Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.
Isaiah 48:17-18

YEAR VERSE
Psalm 37:3-5
Trust in the LORD and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you your heart's desires.
Commit everything you do to the LORD.
Trust him, and he will help you.
Psalm 37:3-5

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Give Me A Heart to Follow YOU

Deuteronomy 5:29

"Oh, that they would always have hearts like this, that they might fear me and obey all my commands!"



Lord, I want to always have a heart that fears you and obeys all your commands! Please help me to guard my heart.

You are the Lord my God, who teaches me what is good for me and leads me along the paths I should follow. Oh, that I would ALWAYS listen to your commands! Then I will have peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over me like waves in the sea. Isaiah 48:17-18

MEMORY VERSE
Isaiah 48:17-18
This is what the Lord says - your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow. Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.
Isaiah 48:17-18

YEAR VERSE
Psalm 37:3-5
Trust in the LORD and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you your heart's desires.
Commit everything you do to the LORD.
Trust him, and he will help you.
Psalm 37:3-5

Friday, December 18, 2015

You Set Pleasant Boundaries for Me

Numbers 34:1-2

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Give these instructions to the Israelites. When you come into the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your special possession, these will be the boundaries."


Lord, I love that you set boundaries for us. Some people may chafe at being told,"You can only go this far", but your boundaries are always for our best good. We all need boundaries in our life. They actually give us more freedom. Your boundaries are not restrictive if we are living in close fellowship with you.

Psalm 16:6 NIV
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

"Your walls are salvation! Your gates are praise!"


Lord, when my sinful nature wants me to break free of the boundaries you have set for me in your word, help me to remember this verse!! In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSE
Psalm 16:6 NIV
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
Psalm 16:6 NIV

YEAR VERSE
Psalm 37:3-5
Trust in the LORD and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you your heart's desires.
Commit everything you do to the LORD.
Trust him, and he will help you.
Psalm 37:3-5


Wednesday, December 16, 2015

You Deserve My Wholehearted Obedience

Numbers 32:10-12

Then the Lord was very angry with them, and he vowed, "Of all those I rescued from Egypt, no one who is twenty years old or older will ever see the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they have not obeyed me wholeheartedly. The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholeheartedly followed the Lord."

Lord, those people were not allowed to enter the promised land because they failed to trust you. As a result they did not obey you wholeheartedly. Lord, there are times when I fear, times when I'm gripped by near panic. I'm so glad that I can run to you in those times and you comfort me and still my soul. I want to follow you with my whole heart. I don't ever want to fail to obey you wholeheartedly. 

You know my heart better than I. Please search it for any wrong motives or duplicity. Show me if there is anything there that needs to be changed, then please help me to change it. In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSE
Philippians 4:8
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8

Psalm 37:3-5
Trust in the LORD and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you your heart's desires.
Commit everything you do to the LORD.
Trust him, and he will help you.
Psalm 37:3-5

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

You Are My Vengeance Taker

Numbers 31:1-2

Then the Lord said to Moses, "On behalf of the people of Israel, take revenge on the Midianites for leading them into idolatry."


Lord, help me to cut out of my life anything that leads me into idolatry. I don't want to keep
anything in my life that would become more important to me than you, or would keep me from you.

You tell us not to seek revenge on our own:
Deuteronomy 32:35
I will take revenge; I will pay them back.
In due time their feet will slip.
Their day of disaster will arrive,
and their destiny will overtake them.

Left to ourselves, we always end up exacting more vengeance than was due. We build up the offence in our own minds. When we go for revenge on our own it ends up starting a cycle of paybacks and unforgiveness that escalates and involves more and more innocent people.

We can trust God to avenge whatever wrong was done to us. Our part is to ask HIM to help us forgive and then leave it in the hands of him who always judges fairly. 1 Peter 2:23

Thank you, Lord, for being the one who takes vengeance in my place. Because of this, you free me up to forgive. In fact, this is probably the first step in the process of forgiving. Then once I have forgiven, I realize that I no longer desire vengeance! This starts a cycle of love in place of the cycle of hate. ONLY You could do this Lord!! In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSE
Philippians 4:8
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8

Psalm 37:3-5
Trust in the LORD and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you your heart's desires.
Commit everything you do to the LORD.
Trust him, and he will help you.
Psalm 37:3-5

Monday, December 14, 2015

You Provide My Daily Bread as I Give You My Daily Offerings

Numbers 28:1-2

The Lord said to Moses, "Give these instructions to the people of Israel: The offerings you present as special gifts are a pleasing aroma to me; they are my food. See to it that they are brought at the appointed times and offered according to my instructions."



Lord, help me to bring my daily offerings to you! You don't really need me to feed you, but you want to feed ME! You want to see my soul grow up and become strong on pure spiritual food. Every day I need a fresh meal, my daily bread from your word.

Out of my love for you, I want to be a pleasing aroma for you. I want to offer up the fruit produced in my life as food for you. As I offer my daily sacrifices of spending time with you, reading your word and talking to you, you feed me. It's like as I feed you with my daily offerings, you in turn feed me. I have to be the one to initiate this, although you are always there waiting for me.

Thank you, Lord, that you have fresh "food" for me everyday! I just need to come with an expectant heart ready to be a pleasing aroma for you. Help me to keep my offering free of defects by keeping short accounts with you. Let me bring my sacrifices at the appointed times and offer them according to your instructions by following your word and listening to the direction of the Holy Spirit. I love you, Lord!! In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSE
Philippians 4:8
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8

Psalm 37:3-5
Trust in the LORD and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you your heart's desires.
Commit everything you do to the LORD.
Trust him, and he will help you.
Psalm 37:3-5

Sunday, December 13, 2015

You Are the Good Shepherd

Numbers 27:15-17

Then Moses said to the Lord, "O Lord, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community. Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd."

John 10:14-15
"I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep."



Thank you, Lord, for answering Moses' request in more than just the short-term. 

I'm so glad that you are always looking at the big picture and thinking with the end in mind.

Help me to think like that too. Of course, I'll never be able to see the whole big picture until I get to heaven. But with your help, I can learn to think with the end in mind.

Thank you for making me one of your sheep. It's only because the good shepherd was willing to lay down his life that I am able to be part of his flock. I praise you, Jesus, for being the Good Shepherd!! I love you and praise you! In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSE
Philippians 4:8
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8

Psalm 37:3-5
Trust in the LORD and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you your heart's desires.
Commit everything you do to the LORD.
Trust him, and he will help you.
Psalm 37:3-5

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Let Me See Your Quiet Miracles

Numbers 26:64-65

Not one person on this list had been among those listed in the previous registration taken by Moses and Aaron in the wilderness of Sinai. For the Lord had said of them, "They will all die in the wilderness." Not one of them survived except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

Lord, you said that none of those listed in the previous registration would survive. That is exactly what happened. Only three people from that first generation were left, Moses, Caleb, and Joshua. When you say you will do something we can trust that you WILL do it.

The fulfillment of this promise is a miracle that we often fail to recognize. An entire generation died and was replaced within 40 years. How many quiet miracles do you work in our daily lives?? Help us see the quiet miracles so that we can celebrate them! Like the fact that I have your breath in my lungs today.

You are constantly working behind the scenes to accomplish your plans in my life and in the lives of those I love. Help me to remember this even when I can't see how you are working.

Lord, you have been blessing us financially lately and I praise you for that. However, I can feel my focus slipping from you onto all the THINGS we can now afford. Thank you for helping me to see this. Please help me to keep my focus on you! Help MyHero and I to remember that the reason you bless us is so that we can bless others who are less fortunate.

I do praise you for giving us the ability to afford that dishwasher I've been wanting to replace the broken one with, and hopefully a 2nd car so that we don't have to share one vehicle anymore. Lord, you know that it has been the desire of my heart to have my own car for forever. Our entire 22 years of married life MyHero and I have shared a vehicle. It has been quite difficult at times to make this work. So, yes, I am very excited at the prospect of getting a 2nd vehicle.

I praise you, Lord, because I am seeing you fulfill Psalm 37:4, "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires", in my life. That is another one of your quiet miracles!!


Thank you, Lord!! I love you SO much!! In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSE
Philippians 4:8
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8

Psalm 37:3-5
Trust in the LORD and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you your heart's desires.
Commit everything you do to the LORD.
Trust him, and he will help you.
Psalm 37:3-5

Friday, December 11, 2015

Let Me be Zealous for Your Honor, Lord!

Numbers 25:1-3

While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the Lord's anger to blaze against his people.



The Israelites' biggest struggle was to avoid compromise with the surrounding cultures. Lord, that is still my struggle as well. It can be a challenge to stay pure in the midst of so much perversion. It is everywhere, even in our churches.

Numbers 25:6
Just then one of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman into his tent, right before the eyes of Moses and all the people, as everyone was weeping at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

We have been tricked into believing the lie that the standards of the Bible are outdated and that it is perfectly ok to commit sexual sin and all kinds of other sin right before the eyes of the church. Lord, forgive us!! Help my kids to remain pure!! Help ME to stay pure!!

Numbers 25:7-8
When Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest saw this, he jumped up and left the assembly. He took a spear and rushed after the man into his tent. Phinehas thrust the spear all the way through the man's body and into the woman's stomach. So the plague against the Israelites was stopped, but not before 24,000 people had died.

Numbers 25:11
The Lord said to Moses“Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal."

Lord, you blessed Phinehas because of his zeal for your honor. Please help me to have that same kind of zeal for your honor!! 

In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSE
Philippians 4:8
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8