An Evening Prayer;  

Lord Jesus, please dress us in God's armor to fully protect us from Satan's sinful,lustful,and evil thoughts, ideas, and dreams. May we dream the dreams of Angels. Amen.
07/10/2019

A Reason Not to Fear   

By Greg Laurie    

People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly up from a fire. (Job 5:7 NLT)

In the months following September 11, 2001, as many as 400,000 New Yorkers suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. Drug use, both legal and illegal, and alcohol use went up dramatically after that horrific day. It’s because people were afraid. And they had good reason to be.

John 14 tells us of a time when the disciples were afraid. Jesus had dropped a bombshell on them. He said something that turned their world, as they knew it, upside down.

Then He went on to share some words to bring calm to their troubled hearts: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me” (John 14:1 NLT). He didn’t say, “Mull over your problems.” Rather, He said, “Don’t be troubled.”

Life is filled with trouble. It seems as though once you have one problem resolved, three more take its place. As Job 5:7 says, “People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly up from a fire” (NLT). From the moment we come into this life, there are all kinds of troubles.

While there are reasons to be troubled, there is a greater reason not to be: We know Jesus. He said to His disciples, “Trust in God, and trust also in me” (John 14:1 NLT). In other words, “I haven’t brought you this far to abandon you now. I know what I’m doing. Believe.”

There are times in our lives when things happen that we just don’t understand. When I don’t understand something about God, I try to always fall back on what I do understand: I do understand that God loves me. I do understand that He is looking out for me with my best interests in mind. And I do understand that no matter what happens, He will get me through.

Copyright © 2017 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

A Prayer to Bless the Lord   By Debbie McDaniel    

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." Psalm 103:1-5

To “bless” the Lord means to give Him praise, to actually “kneel before Him;” to recognize His goodness and Sovereignty over our lives, by giving Him respect and honor.

We have so many reasons to give God praise. If you’re having a tough day and can’t think of many, here’s just a few from these verses:

He forgives our sin – For all of those times when we’ve missed the mark, turned our back on Him, or gone our own way, He forgives. He graciously extends mercy for every sin, when we simply come to Him and confess our need.

He heals our diseases – Physical, emotional, spiritual, He covers every area of life where we have need. Sometimes our “disease” is a need to please. Sometimes our disease is a heart far away from God. Other times our disease is a physical illness or deep loss we’re facing. And He is able to heal all.

He redeems our lives from the pit – He sets us apart for His purposes, He will never waste the painful times we experience. He lifts us out of dark places, He holds the power to make all things new. Nothing is impossible with Him. No one, no situation, is ever too far gone from His grasp of love and hope.

He crowns us with love and mercy – He is faithful to reward us with his goodness. He gives constantly, continually, steadfastly, love and great mercy. We don’t deserve it, but He loves lavishly, He pours out His grace.

He satisfies our desires with good – He is good to us in all our days. Life may not always be fair, life may not always be good, but God is always just and good. He brings favor and blessing.

He renews our strength like the eagle – His Spirit flows through us, constantly renewing us with strength and power. We can be assured that He is with us, and He will help us to soar over every obstacle and trial.

He has done great things...

So thankful.

Dear God,

We bless your holy name today! Thank you for your goodness, thank you for your crown of steadfast love and mercy. We recognize all that you have done for us, all that you continue to do now, and all that you will do in the future. Thank you that your plans for us are good and that you renew our strength like the eagle’s. Thank you that you have redeemed our lives from the pit, you have forgiven our sin and healed all our disease. You are Restorer of the broken, Healer, and Redeemer. You are Father, you are Friend, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness. You are Faithful, you are True, you are Powerful, you are forever with us. 

You are Holy, you are Worthy, and we worship you this day, and always…

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

 A Morning Prayer for God's Presence     

Lord, may nothing separate me from You today. Teach me how to choose only Your way today so each step will lead me closer to You. Help me walk by the Word and not my feelings. Help me to keep my heart pure and undivided. Protect me from my own careless thoughts, words, and actions. And keep me from being distracted by MY wants, MY desires, MY thoughts on how things should be. Help me to embrace what comes my way as an opportunity... rather than a personal inconvenience. And finally, help me to rest in the truth of Psalm 86:13, 'Great is your love toward me.' You already see the ways I will fall short and mess up. But right now, I consciously tuck Your whisper of absolute love for me into the deepest part of my heart. I recognize Your love for me is not based on my performance. You love me warts and all. That's amazing. But what's most amazing is that the Savior of the world would desire a few minutes with me this morning. Lord, help me to forever remember what a gift it is to sit with You like this. Amen.
- Lysa Terkeurst, Encouragement for Today, Proverbs 31 Ministries