Some Bible verses just tell us things so clearly that it is almost hard to accept what they say.

Proverbs 22:4 is one of these. Saying, “True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life.”

Wouldn’t we and our world be better off if we pursued these objectives of humility and the fear of the Lord?

Dear Lord, In the Bible, you tell us many times in many ways to submit to you and let you guide our ways, promising that you will lead us in life when we do. Help us humbly follow your direction so that we may live the lives you desire for us, and bring glory to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Click Here – to Receive These Messages Every Morning In Your Email Box

Philippians 4:6,7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

I find a great deal of comfort and wisdom in this passage, about how and why to pray, but I also find it interesting that it says that God’s peace will “guard” your hearts and minds. Using this word implies that our Hearts and Minds need to be protected from something. I think what God’s peace is protecting our hearts and minds from, is temptation; The many varieties of temptation that draw us away.

Some other Bible versions use the expression “keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

So by praying, asking for what we need and thanking God for what he has done, we will experience God’s Peace that protects us from temptation, and keeps us connected to Jesus Christ. This lets us do what the verse starts with…Not worry.

Dear Lord, Thank you for this promise of your peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Click Here – to Receive These Messages Every Morning In Your Email Box

We all have occasions when our faith loses some energy. For some people, this occurs when something bad happens. They wonder “how could God have let that happen?” and their faith weakens. For others, they have been hoping and praying for something for a long time, and their faith begins to weaken waiting and wondering.

One of the great aspects of the Bible is that it usually contains an example that compares to most anything we encounter in our lives today.

Paul wrote the book of Romans about 20 years after his conversion from a persecutor of Christians, to a leader of them. Even he after spreading the news of Jesus Christ throughout the region for 20 years, he needed occasional encouragement.

He wrote in Romans 1:12, “When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.”

Paul is showing us that even he needs support in his faith journey. If Paul needed that, undoubtedly so do we. This is one of the reasons it is important to have Christian friends and regularly attend church where we can get the support and encouragement, to help us through those times our faith is challenged.

Dear Lord, Thank you for the opportunity to associate with other Christians to whom we can provide encouragement, and from whom we can get encouraged. Help us remember how important this is. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Click Here – to Receive These Messages Every Morning In Your Email Box

There is a technique I have seen a couple times during concerts in large stadiums or shows, in the middle of one of the songs, the spotlights are randomly moving quickly around the stadium. What looks like hundreds of lights moving all around and then dramatically at one time, they all converge on the performer as he or she begins to sing.

This image comes to mind when I read Romans 11:36, “For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever. Amen.”

Everything on earth including everyone, was created to put the attention on God and glorify him. We all need to remember this as we go about our activities and decision making. Are we putting the attention on God, and bringing glory, or “positive attention” to him?

Dear Lord, you created everything, including us, for your purposes and your glory. Help us remember in everything we do to bring glory to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Click Here – to Receive These Messages Every Morning In Your Email Box

The King James Version of the Bible includes the words “Fear Not” 71 times. Whether it is God speaking to Moses from the burning bush, or the angel appearing to Mary telling her she would be the mother of Jesus, or Jesus speaking to John in his vision in Revelation, or one of the many other occasions, it is spoken often to those who trust God.

What gives us the ability to overcome our fear in frightening situations? I believe it is looking at the “bigger picture”, or having confidence in something larger than the source of the fear. For example, learning to ride a bike as a child may be frightening, but with a parent right there preventing the wipe-out, the child can overcome his or her fear. Or speaking in public, stepping back to put the event in context and look at the “Big Picture” helps us realize that whether it goes well, or not, does not determine our value, and is just one of many steps in our lives.

In 2 Timothy 1:7-8, Paul is explaining the larger power to Timothy, and giving him encouragement to be bold in spreading the Good News, saying, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord.”

We probably all would have our own picture of the combination of Power, Love, and Self Discipline in the same person, the Knight in Shining Armor, the ER Nurse, or many others. What Paul is saying, however, is each of us is the picture of Power, Love, and Self Discipline, when we rely on the spirit God gives us.

Dear Lord, We thank you for giving us the spirit of power, love and self-discipline. Help us remember that when we rely on you and your spirit in us, we can be bold and live our faith without fear, no matter what happens. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Click Here – to Receive These Messages Every Morning In Your Email Box