Living the Christian Life

Romans 12 is the 12th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament, written by Paul the Apostle. In simple terms, it serves as a guidebook to living the Christian life. It is the foundation for Christian living. It covers how we should be viewing ourselves and presenting ourselves to God. It reminds us to resist conforming to this world, but rather embrace the transformation that comes along with putting our faith in Jesus Christ. It tells us to make sure that we’re using the spiritual gifts that God has given us. And it teaches us how to deal with all people, including both those who are inside and outside of the Christian family. I strongly encourage you to read it again and again, and let the words fill your mind and your heart daily.

Below is the NLT version. God bless you all.

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.”

Life in the Spirit

Romans chapter 8 has always been a favorite of mine. I could read it over and over again, and each time it brings new meaning and new life to me. It declares that we are victorious through Jesus Christ. We should not fear the things of this world, because God is so much greater than all things. “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”

We must walk according to the Spirit, not the flesh. God sent down His only Son so we could be freed from sin and death. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

We must set our minds on the things of the Spirit, not the flesh. “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Those who are living in the flesh are not pleasing to God, but those who let the Spirit of God control their minds have life and peace. The Spirit of God lives in us and gives us life!

‭‭The Spirit of God leads us away from sin and into His family. And when you become a child of God, you share in both His glory and in His sufferings. But none of this compares to our future glory. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” We are all longing for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We’re all waiting for the day when God will give us our full rights as His adopted children. And the Holy Spirit gives us many tastes of that future glory. We were given this hope the minute we were saved.

And perhaps one of the most amazing things about the Holy Spirit is that He prays for us when our hearts and our minds are weak. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

And how wonderful it is to know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him? “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

There really is nothing better than the everlasting love of God! “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” If God gave us His only son, there really is nothing that he won’t do for us. Jesus died for us, was raised to life for us, and now sits at the righthand of God’s throne pleading for us.

There is absolutely nothing that can separate us from the love that Christ has for us. Absolutely nothing. “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Thank you, God! And AMEN! 

‭‭

Where Does My Help Come From?

Whenever I’m suffering from any trials or tribulations, I turn to the Lord. If I’m feeling worried or anxious, I turn to the Lord. When sadness or depression hits me, I turn to the Lord. If I need comfort or reassurance, I turn to the Lord. When people hurt me, I turn to the Lord. If I don’t know what to do in any given situation, I turn to the Lord. If I need a friend, I turn to the Lord. If I need a father, I turn to the Lord. If I need love, I turn to the Lord. And even when things are going well in my life, I still turn to the Lord. I lift up my eyes to the Lord in every situation. He is always there for me. He is always watching over me. He loves me. He cares for me. He protects me. He will never forsake me. All of my help comes from the Lord.

I hope you find as much comfort in Psalm 121 as I do:

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 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 ‭121:1-8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God bless you all.

The Secret Place of the Lord

Psalm 91 is right up there in my top favorite Psalms. The more you read it the better it gets. Thinking about dwelling in the secret place of the Lord just touches my heart and my soul so deeply. I am so incredibly grateful for the relationship that I have with Him. There is no better feeling than knowing that the Lord has you covered.

It reads like this: 

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” Psalms‬ ‭91:1-16‬ ‭

Those who are in close fellowship with God and naturally reside in His presence will continuously feel His strength. When you really know and love Jesus Christ, you will dwell in His secret place. I will always proclaim that God is everything to me and has all of my trust. Don’t be afraid of anything, including terrors, disaster, and disease. He will rescue you from harm. He is your shelter. His promises are your armor. Don’t dread the troubles that surround you. With God’s protection nothing can touch you. When God is your home nothing bad can get in. His angels will hold you up over trouble. With God on your side you can overcome absolutely anything. Love the Lord your God and He will rescue you. Trust in His name and He will protect you. Call on Him and He will answer you. He is always with you. He will reward you with a long life and give you the wonderful gift of salvation. Thank you, Jesus.

God bless you all.

Prayer for Strength in the Lord

The First Letter of Peter is addressed to Christians who are being persecuted. The ending of the letter gives them a very powerful reminder that they are God’s chosen people and they mustn’t lose hope in Him while they’re suffering. This is the absolute truth for all of us every day. We all face hardships and we all suffer. And the answer to that is GOD. We must constantly remain under the power of Jesus. We need to be living in HIS strength and under HIS control, not our own. Surrender yourself, because I promise you that you can’t do this without Him. We need God. We need to depend on His spirit within us for strength.

‭‭I Peter‬ ‭5:6-11‬ says: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Humble yourselves before the Lord during any and all circumstances, and He will lift you up when the time is right. Give your worries to Him, because he cares about you so much. Always stay alert, because the enemy is silently waiting for you to have moments of weakness. Stand firm in your faith and he won’t win. Remember that we are all suffering in this world together. Take comfort in knowing that after you suffer here in this temporary life you will get to spend eternity in Heaven. God has called you to share in His eternal glory through Jesus Christ. Thank you, Jesus. All the glory to Him forever. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Stay strong and faithful in the Lord, my friends. 

God bless you all.

Prayer For Spiritual Growth

Ephesians‬ ‭3:14-21‬ is a beautiful prayer written in a letter by Paul the Apostle to the Christians of Ephesus. Paul is down on his knees asking God to bless them with spiritual power, love, and knowledge. He writes this:

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

This can be prayed over any Christian, so I am going to pray it over whoever is reading this. It is my prayer that all Christians will experience the spiritual growth of this incredible magnitude through the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit:

May God empower you with His inner spiritual strength, so that Jesus Christ may dwell in your heart as you trust in Him. May you have a sound knowledge of how significantly deep Christ’s love is for you. And while you are not meant to fully understand His love, may you feel it on every level. May the power of Christ continuously fill your life and complete you. All the glory to God who can do so much more inside of you than you could ever ask for or even imagine. All the glory to Him forever. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God bless you all.

The Lord is My Shepherd

I will begin by saying that I read the Psalms very often. I have read through all 150 of them in order, and now I just jump around and reread my favorites all the time. There is no right or wrong way to read the Psalms. Just allow the Holy Spirit to guide you. I find them to be so refreshing. I thoroughly enjoy reading them, studying them, writing about them, and praying over them. Whatever situation you are facing in your life, there is a Psalm to encourage you.

Psalm 23 is one that I tend to go back to very often. It reads like this:

“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; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

And here is how I speak it to myself:

Lord, you are everything to me. I don’t need anything else. You allow me to rest. You bring me peace. You lead me to what is right. I will never stop glorifying Your name. Even when I go through difficult times, I will not be afraid because You are right there with me. You protect me. You comfort me. You strengthen me in front of my enemies. You lift my head up when I am feeling down. You fill my cup until it overflows. I know that Your love and Your goodness will be with me throughout my entire life. I will abide in You forever. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I hope you find Psalm 23 as inspiring as I do.

God bless you all.

God is With You

When I say that God is with you, I mean it in the literal sense. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, His Spirit actually dwells inside of you. Your old life is crucified and a new one is born. You are made new with Him. And in turn, you should be living your life in reverence to Him. I don’t know about you, but there really is no other way that I would rather live than by honoring the son of God who gave His life for me.

Galatians‬ ‭2:20‬ ‭says: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Romans‬ ‭8:9-11‬ ‭reads like this: “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

I typically read the New King James Version of the Bible, but sometimes I find other versions to be easier for people to understand. Here is how the English Standard Version of Romans 8:9-11 reads: “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

‭‭Take a look at 1 Corinthians‬ ‭3:16‬: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Our bodies are temples of God. That is how they were designed to be.

In John‬ ‭14:16-17‬, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to us by saying this: “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

If you read further, Jesus also says this: “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” John 14:19-20‬ ‭

‭‭How comforting is it to know that God is always with us? Through the good times and the bad. He is with you.

Zephaniah‬ ‭3:17‬ says: “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

‭And how soothing is Isaiah‬ ‭43:2‬? “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.” ‭‭

When I first started getting very close to God, I would continuously repeat these next few verses over and over again in my head. They are just constant reassurances that God is always there and He is not leaving. You will never be forsaken by the Lord.

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭31:6‬

“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 I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua‬ ‭1:9‬

I’m going to leave you with this final verse. It’s a pretty popular Psalm:

“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” Psalms‬ ‭46:1‬

God truly is our refuge and our strength. Call upon Him when you are in trouble, because He is always waiting and ready to help. And share your joys and your triumphs with Him as well, because He wants to celebrate with you. God is with you and He loves you very much.

God bless you all.

Seek the Lord

The word seek can be defined as an attempt to find something. If you are seeking something, you are searching for it. And what is better to search for than the Lord? When you seek the Lord, it means that you are seeking His presence. It is so much more than just reading your Bible and attending church. It is wanting a personal relationship with God. It is earnestly seeking His company. And I can tell you firsthand that when you wholeheartedly seek Him, you will absolutely find Him. He is always there waiting for you. Seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul:

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:13‬ ‭

“But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭4:29‬ ‭

Proverbs 8:17 tells us that when we diligently seek the Lord we will find Him: “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.”

And Hebrews‬ ‭11:6‬ ‭says that when we diligently seek the Lord we will be rewarded: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

When you are feeling sad, seek His joy. When you are feeling anxious, seek His peace. When you are feeling hated, seek His love. When you are feeling foolish, seek His wisdom. When you are feeling weak, seek His strength. 

Both 1 Chronicles 16:11 and Psalms 105:4 say the same exact thing: “Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!”

And both Matthew 7:7-8 and Luke 11:9-10 say the same thing, but in slightly different words. They say that we are given what we ask for, we find what we seek, and the doors that we knock on will be opened: 

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew‬ ‭7:7-8‬ ‭

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Luke‬ ‭11:9-10‬

Matthew 6:33 tells us that we should be seeking the Lord above all else, and then everything else will fall into place: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”‭

Lamentations‬ ‭3:25‬ ‭tells us that: “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.”

‭‭And 1 Chronicles‬ ‭22:19‬ says: “Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord.”

2 Chronicles 7:14 is a very powerful verse that deeply coincides with the times that we are currently living in. It tells us that if we seek the Lord, He will forgive us and heal us: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

‭‭Zephaniah‬ ‭2:3‬ says that we should seek righteousness and humility: “Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility.”

And Job 8:5-6 says that if you get down on your knees before the Lord, He will restore your household: “If you would earnestly seek God And make your supplication to the Almighty, if you were pure and upright, surely now He would awake for you, and prosper your rightful dwelling place.” Hallelujah! What an extraordinary promise. Thank you, Lord.

And I must always include my favorite Psalms in every blog and Bible study:

“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” Psalms‬ ‭9:10‬

“The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.” Psalms‬ ‭14:2‬

“One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” Psalms‬ ‭27:4‬ ‭

“Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, “the Lord be magnified!” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40:16‬

“Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:2‬ ‭

“With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!”Psalms‬ ‭119:10‬

And I purposely saved Psalm‬ ‭34:10‬ for last:

“The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” I think here, “young lions” refers to those who have yet to seek the Lord. And as a result, they’re spiritually hungry and lacking the goodness and the magnificence of the Lord. But once you seek the Lord and find Him, you won’t lack these things anymore.

God bless you all.

Trust in the Lord’s Timing

Having faith in the Lord means also having faith in His timing. You need to trust His way of doing things. He already has His own plan for your life, and you must never grow weary or impatient with that. Waiting on the Lord will strengthen your faith in Him. He knows exactly what He is doing. Remember to let go and let GOD!

Isaiah 60:22 tells us that the Lord will make things happen at the right time: “A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation. I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.”

2 Peter‬ ‭3:8-9 says: “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

I particularly like the MSG version of that, which reads like this: “Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the end because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.” ‭‭

Sometimes it may seem as if you are faithfully serving the Lord but your prayers are still going unanswered. Never lose heart and never give up. Your prayers are answered according to His will, not yours. Let it motivate you to work harder and praise harder. Because amazing things are on the horizon for you. Trust in His timing, and remember that you always reap what you sow: “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Galatians‬ ‭6:9‬ ‭

We are not meant to know God’s plan: “And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.” Acts‬ ‭1:7‬

I quote these two Proverbs a lot:

“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 ‭

and 

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs‬ ‭16:9‬

Psalm 37 is such a beautiful one. I encourage you to read it, and then read it again and again: “Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.” Psalms‬ ‭37:3-9‬ ‭

And this verse from Psalm 46 is another one of my absolute favorites. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” What it is saying is that we need to be still and let God handle things. He is sovereign over ALL.

In John 13:7, Jesus tells us that there is a purpose for the way that He is doing things. And we are not meant to understand it right away: “Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”

I love Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:1‬: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”

‭‭Check out what these wonderfully reassuring verses say about waiting on the Lord:

“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations‬ ‭3:25-26‬

“But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah‬ ‭40:31‬ ‭

“Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me.” Micah‬ ‭7:7‬

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” 1 Peter‬ ‭5:6‬ ‭

“Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” Psalms‬ ‭27:14‬

Romans‬ ‭8:28‬ tells us that things will work out for those who love God and are called according to His purpose: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” What an amazing promise. Thank you, God.

And Proverbs 27:1 tells us that we should never boast about tomorrow, because we don’t know what will happen between now and then: “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”

I’m going to leave you with this final verse: 

“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.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11‬

God bless you all.

The Light of the Lord

I named my blog My Light for My Lord based on Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” It is one of my favorite verses, as it is one of the first verses ever spoken to me by the Holy Spirit. When I first started really embracing my Christianity, I couldn’t believe how bright my light was shining in honor of the Lord. My heart was on fire for Him. I wanted nothing more than to proclaim my love for Jesus Christ to the world. I wanted everyone to see Him through me. To see how good He is. I was glorifying the Lord in every way possible.

To expand on that verse, Matthew 5:13-16 reads like this: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

And during my scripture studies, I found that Luke 11:33-36 reads so similar by saying this: “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

If that seems confusing, the NLT version explains it a little better: “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house. Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness. Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”

‭‭And Luke‬ ‭8:16 says: “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.”

Our light for the Lord should be shining just as brightly as a well-lit room. And the Lord is the one who fills us up with that light. Jesus Himself is the light of the world, and He passes His light onto us so that we can glorify His name. As we shine our light before others, they will see the good example that we are setting. They will see how much we love the Lord, and how much joy He brings to us. And then it will encourage them to want to feel the same.

John 8:12 says this: “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

Thank you, Jesus. 

John 9:5 says: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

And John‬ ‭1:4-5‬ says: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

Daniel 12:3 tells us that those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens: “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.”
‭

We need to walk in the light as He is in the light: “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” I John‬ ‭1:5-7‬ ‭

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:8‬

“Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” Ephesians‬ ‭5:14‬ ‭

“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭60:1‬ ‭

“Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.” Micah‬ ‭7:8‬

“The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” Matthew‬ ‭4:16‬ ‭

“Then I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.” Ecclesiastes‬ ‭2:13‬ ‭

There are a lot of beautiful Psalms about the light of the Lord:

“For You will light my lamp; The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.” Psalms‬ ‭18:28‬

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalms‬ ‭27:1‬ ‭

“For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.” Psalms‬ ‭36:9‬ ‭

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalms‬ ‭119:105‬

“The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:130‬ ‭

‭‭In John‬ ‭12:35-36‬, Jesus predicts His death on the cross and says this to the people: “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; He who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”

Revelation Chapter 21 talks about a new heaven, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem. Verse 23 says: “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.”

Read that verse again. The new Jerusalem had no need for the sun or the moon because the glory of God illuminated the city. Wow.

God has called us out of the darkness and into His wonderful light. And we must honor Him by letting His light shine through us and onto others.

I am going to leave you with this final verse:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James‬ ‭1:17‬ ‭

God bless you all.

Spiritual Warfare

Let me just start by saying that there is so much power in the name of Jesus. And nothing in this world can separate us from that.

Romans‬ ‭8:38-39‬ says: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And I particularly like the MSG version of that scripture. It reads like this: “None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.”

We are in a constant battle in this world, and the enemy wants nothing more than to see us being defeated. But we have the best weapon we can possibly have to fight the enemy off; God. Not only is God’s presence always with us, but we have the everlasting, unchanging, unfailing wisdom of His word. And when you fill your mind with the truths of scripture, you leave no room for the lies of the enemy.

Exodus 14:14 says: “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

And Deuteronomy‬ ‭3:22‬ says: “You must not fear them, for the Lord your God Himself fights for you.”

In the Book of John, Jesus said: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John‬ ‭10:10‬

And Jesus also tells us that we can overcome anything because we have Him. He has already overcome this world: “Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John‬ ‭16:32-33‬

2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3:3‬ ‭says: “But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.”

‭‭In Colossians‬ ‭1:13-14‬ we’re told this: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

This next piece of scripture holds a very special place in my heart, and I will explain why: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” James‬ ‭4:7-10‬

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” That verse is forever etched into my heart. The thing with God is that He is always there. He is always waiting for you. And the closer you get to Him, the closer He will get to you. I’ve learned that firsthand. I spent a great deal of my life having faith but just not putting much effort into actually building a relationship with God. I always heard His call. And the moment I wholeheartedly surrendered my life to Him, everything changed. The first words that I ever heard the Holy Spirit speak to me were “I have been waiting for you.” He waited so patiently for me to submit to Him. And it was from then on that I felt the constant love, peace, and protection of God. And it was from then on that I made Him the center of my life. I no longer felt defeated. I felt the devil fleeing from me. I knew that with the Spirit of God dwelling inside of me that I could conquer absolutely anything. I was cleansed. I was purified. I was made new. I was born again.

We are truly victorious through Jesus Christ: “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭15:57‬ ‭

Deuteronomy‬ ‭28:7‬ says: “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.”

There are a lot of extremely powerful Bible verses regarding spiritual warfare. And I encourage you to read them over and over again. Let them flood your mind. Check these out:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter‬ ‭5:8-11‬

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭10:3-6‬ ‭

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭54:17‬

I wrote a blog about the Armor of God. If you haven’t already read it, please do. Putting on God’s armor every day is a surefire way to defeat the enemy. Ephesians 6:10-13 tells us so: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” ‭‭‭

And take comfort in knowing that God will not allow our temptations to be more than we can handle, because He is so faithful: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:13‬ ‭

Always remember that when you belong to Jesus, the enemy never has the final word. Fill your mind with the truths of the Bible and you will always win. The battle belongs to the Lord and the victory is His.

God bless you all.

Start Your Day With God

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations‬ ‭3:22-23‬ ‭

It is a wonderful thing to know that the Lord’s compassions will literally never fail us, and that His mercies are new every single morning. There is no greater promise than the love and the forgiveness of our amazing Father. And there is no better way to start your day than in His presence.

“Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You.” Psalms‬ ‭143:8‬ ‭

The Lord’s love is eternal. It is always going to be there waiting for you. Talk to God when you wake up in the morning and let him remind you of His constant love. Put all of your trust in Him. He will show you the way to go. He will guide your steps.

‭‭I often repeat Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ to myself: “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.”

Rise early and pray! 

“I rise before the dawning of the morning, and cry for help; I hope in Your word.” Psalms‬ 119:147‬

Cry out to the Lord in the morning, and lay all of your troubles at His feet before you start your day. Allow Him to satisfy your soul with His boundless mercy.

“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.” Psalms‬ ‭5:3‬

“Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭36:5‬

“But to You I have cried out, O Lord, and in the morning my prayer comes before You.” Psalms‬ ‭88:13‬ ‭

“Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days!” Psalms‬ ‭90:14‬ ‭

And don’t just cry out to the Lord for help, but praise Him for everything that He has already done for you in your life. Rejoice in His amazingness. Proclaim His constant love and faithfulness each morning and each night. I thank God and tell him that I love him at least a dozen times throughout my day. And I glorify the name of Jesus Christ everywhere that I go and in everything that I do.

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭92:1-2‬

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭113:3 says: “From the rising of the sun to its going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised.”

‬Every day is a precious gift from God, full of new grace and new opportunities. And I am just so thankful for that. “Matthew‬ ‭6:34 says that we should be living for today only: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Lift up your voice and your praise, and remember: “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalms‬ ‭118:24‬ ‭

Always start your day with God.

God bless you all.

Finding Your Identity in Christ

If I am going to be completely honest here, I have lived a lot of my life feeling unworthy, unloved, and just plain inadequate. I could never really explain why I felt that way, until I met Jesus. Suddenly the old me died and I was born again in Him. I was made new. I had a new confidence that I didn’t have before. I started loving myself. And I started loving the Lord so deeply. I found my identity in Christ. There really is nothing better than receiving the Lord Jesus Christ and having His spirit living inside of you. His peace, His love, His guidance, His comfort, and His protection. It changes everything. It gives you life and it gives you purpose.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:17‬

Galatians‬ ‭2:20‬ says: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

I could read that verse over and over again. Like, wow. Empty me of me, Lord, and fill me with You.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalms‬ ‭51:10‬ ‭

“Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way.” Psalms‬ ‭119:37‬

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalms‬ ‭139:23-24‬ ‭

We need to let God search us, try us, revive us, clean our hearts, and lead us in the right direction.

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭says: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”

‭‭And Ephesians‬ ‭2:8 says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”

We are defined by God. By the redemption and the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. We live in the riches of His grace and His mercy. “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Psalms‬ ‭136:1‬ ‭

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”Ephesians‬ ‭2:10‬

You are God’s masterpiece. He has had a plan for your life since before you were born. And once you surrender yourself to Jesus Christ and find your identity in Him, suddenly that plan starts to unfold right before your eyes.

Jeremiah‬ ‭1:5‬ reads like this: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

‬Colossians‬ ‭3:3‬ puts it like this: “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” ‭

These two verses from Philippians 3 just set my soul on fire: 

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians‬ ‭3:14‬ ‭

and

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians‬ ‭3:20‬ ‭

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:26‬ ‭says: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

And 1 Corinthians 12:27 says: “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”

‭‭So much amazing scripture telling us about our identity in the Lord. It just makes me feel so incredibly grateful to have Him. I will abide in the Lord Jesus Christ until my last breath and beyond.

I am going to leave you with this final verse:

“And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:17

God bless you all. 

Meditating on the Word of God

“When you think about a problem over and over in your mind, that’s called worry. When you think about God’s Word over and over in your mind, that’s meditation. If you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate!” Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?

That is a great quote from a great book.

From a Christian point of view, the word “meditate” means something different than what most people probably think when they hear that word. In simple terms, when you meditate on the word of God, you dwell on it. You’re reading scripture and then thinking deeply about it, contemplating it, pondering it, memorizing it, and stamping it on your heart. You are encountering God through scripture. And the more you meditate on His word, the more you will feel His presence and the closer you will get to Him.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” ‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭

Philippians‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭says: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

And 2 Timothy 4:14 says: “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.” ‬

‭‭In Joshua‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭we are told: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

When we obey and meditate on the things written in the Bible, we will be prosperous and successful. We must always keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Hebrews‬ ‭12:2‬ says it best: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

‭I can remember picking up my Bible many years ago and deciding that I was going to read it. And I didn’t get very far because it just didn’t seem to make very much sense to me. My relationship with God was still in the very early stages of blossoming. Praying and reading scripture go hand in hand. The more you talk to God, the more the pages of your Bible start to come alive. And the more you will understand what He is saying.

2 Timothy‬ ‭2:7‬ says: “Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.”

And Hebrews‬ ‭4:12‬ says: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

‭‭‭Nobody is impervious to God’s word. It is living and so powerful.

Colossians‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭tells us to: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

And Matthew‬ ‭4:4‬ tells us that we cannot live on bread alone. We need God. We need His word. “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

‭‭God will give perfect peace to those who keep His word on their minds: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah‬ ‭26:3‬

I have read through all 150 Psalms several times, and so many of them talk about meditating on God and His word. Even the very first verse in the very first Psalm that was written talks about meditating on the word of God: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭1:1-2‬ ‭

We are so blessed by God’s word. We should be finding our joy in the law of the Lord and meditating on it as much as possible. 

Psalm 119 is a great one to read regarding meditation. I’m going to highlight some verses from there:

“Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Psalms‬ ‭119:11‬

“I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:15-16‬ ‭

‭“My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes.” Psalms‬ ‭119:48‬

“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” Psalms‬ ‭119:97‬ ‭

This one is a favorite of mine: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalms‬ ‭119:105‬

And allow me to list eight more random Psalms on meditation:

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” Psalms‬ ‭19:14‬ ‭

“The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.” Psalms‬ ‭37:31‬

“My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.” Psalms‬ ‭49:3‬

“When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.” Psalms‬ ‭63:6‬ ‭

“I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.” Psalms‬ ‭77:12‬

“May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord.” Psalms‬ ‭104:34‬ ‭

“The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭111:2‬ ‭

“I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works.” Psalms‬ ‭145:5‬

Proverbs‬ ‭4:20-22 gives me goosebumps just reading it. God’s word is life and health: “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.” ‬Wow.

I’m going to leave you with this final verse:

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah‬ ‭40:8‬

God bless you all.

Trust God Over Man

This can be somewhat of a tough subject to write about, because it’s a pretty bold statement to say that we shouldn’t trust people. But the idea is that we shouldn’t trust people over God. We shouldn’t trust the things of this world over the things of His kingdom. We have to look at it from a biblical standpoint.

The two greatest commandments in the Bible are: “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

In John‬ ‭15:12 Jesus also said this: “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

In fact, there are tons of verses in the Bible instructing us to love people. Just think, we are instructed by Jesus Christ Himself to love everyone. And I strive to live my life hanging on to every word that Jesus says. The Lord loves us and forgives us, and He wants us to do the same for others. But loving our neighbors isn’t the problem, it’s trusting them. It’s trusting what man has to say over what God has to say. It’s trusting what man tells us to do over what God tells us to do. That is where trouble lies. What we need to understand is that God is the only one we can wholeheartedly and confidently put our trust in. His promises are so good and so pure. If you abide in Jesus, He will abide in you. (More wisdom from John 15).

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭31:6‬ says: “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Psalm‬ ‭20:7‬ says: “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”

Psalms 56:3-4‬ ‭says: “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?”

‭‭The Lord is the one who is always with us, who will never leave us, and who will never disappoint us. And we just can’t put that kind of trust in man.

Psalms 118:6-8 reads like this: “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”

And Psalm 146:3 says: “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.”

We are not going to find our help here in this world. The only place to find real help is in the Lord. 

Check out what Hebrews 13:6 has to say about that: “So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

In Jeremiah 17 we’re told that we’re cursed if we trust in man, and blessed if we trust in the Lord. The Lord is our strength, not the flesh. 

“Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:5‬ ‭

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:7‬ ‭

Romans 8:5 tells us that we need to live according to the Spirit and not the flesh: “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” ‭

‭‭And Proverbs‬ ‭29:25‬ ‭says that we should not be fearing man, only the Lord: “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.”

The Lord even promises to give perfect peace to those who trust in Him: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah‬ ‭26:3‬

This verse always warms my heart: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalms‬ ‭91:1‬

This just means that even though we haven’t entered the kingdom of God yet, we are still living under the shadow of our Mighty Lord while we’re in this world. Simply just by putting our faith and our trust in Jesus Christ. Now that is a solid promise that you won’t find here.

Chapter 3 in the book of Colossians is such a good one to read. The words are just so inspiring. I’m going to highlight three verses from it for you:

“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians‬ ‭3:2‬

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:23‬ ‭

Always keep your focus on Jesus Christ. Remember that we are not working for man, we are working for the Lord. We need to set our minds on things above, not on things here. And we need to do everything in the name of Jesus and for Jesus. We are not put on this earth to please men. We are put on this earth to please God. To serve Him, to love Him, and to abide in His word always.

‭I’m going to leave you with this final verse:

‭“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

God bless you all.

The Armor of God

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11

This particular verse in Ephesians really means a lot to me. It is a verse that the Holy Spirit often speaks to me. Putting on the armor of God every day is just as important to me as putting on my clothes or brushing my teeth. And obviously this is another biblical metaphor, as we are not actually given suits of armor to wear (although that would be pretty cool). What it means is that we are wearing the protection of God. We are putting on the Lord Jesus Christ. Your armor is found in your relationship with Him. After all, accepting Jesus as your Lord and your Savior is the first step in winning the spiritual battle.

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” ‭ Romans‬ ‭13:14‬

Spiritual warfare requires spiritual armor. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but rather against spiritual powers. So, we need to wear God’s armor in order to be protected. The armor of God is made up of six pieces, and without them we are vulnerable to the schemes and temptations of the enemy. We are to defend ourselves with these gifts from God. Each piece signifies a part of our relationship with Him.

Belt of Truth

The belt of truth refers to the truth of God’s word versus the lies of Satan. Without God’s truth, we are lost. Truth is one of the most important things in the life of a Christian. Jesus Himself is truth. In John 14:6, He says: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The word of God is truth. And the more we understand this, the more confidently we can wear this belt.

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” ‭‭John‬ ‭8:32‬

“Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.” Psalms‬ ‭25:5‬ ‭

Breastplate of Righteousness

The breastplate of righteousness guards your heart and your soul. It means that we are covered by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Matthew 6:33 says that we should be seeking His righteousness above all other things. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” Our own righteousness is not enough to protect us. We need Jesus to lend us His righteousness.

“Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face.” Psalms‬ ‭5:8‬

“My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭73:26‬ ‭

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

The shoes of peace means that we are walking with Jesus. We are walking and living in His peace. We are wearing the gospel of peace on our feet. We are ready to stand firm in these shoes. We are ready to embrace them. We are ready to share the gospel. 

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans ‭5:1‬

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans‬ ‭10:15‬

Shield of Faith

The shield of faith means that we are able to block the shots fired at us from the enemy. When trouble comes our way, our faith and trust in Jesus Christ will shield us and keep us on the right track. It is like a blanket of protection from God.

“Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭30:5‬ ‭

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:1‬

Helmet of Salvation

The helmet of salvation represents the new mind that we are given when we invite Jesus into our lives. It means that our thinking is aligned with God’s word, and we have a sound knowledge of our salvation in Jesus Christ. Our helmets will not allow our minds to be deceived by the enemy. Our assurance of salvation serves as our protection.

“He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.” Psalms 62:6-7

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans‬ ‭12:2‬ ‭

Sword of Spirit

The sword of spirit is the only weapon in the six pieces of armor. The others are all means of defense. The sword stands for God’s word. Scripture is alive and so very powerful, and the more familiar we become with it the better. Because it acts as a sword to fight off evil. The more we immerse ourselves in the Bible, the more prepared we will be to combat evil with the truths of scripture.

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:12‬

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬

‬The more we feed ourselves with God’s word, the stronger our armor will grow. Remember that we desperately need Jesus. He truly is our everything. We need to allow Him to be our strength. Our armor. We can’t do this without Him. With the knowledge of the Bible and having Jesus by our side, we will win against the enemy every time.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John‬ ‭15:5‬ ‭

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:16-17‬

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Romans‬ ‭1:16-17‬ ‭

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians‬ ‭4:7‬

Luke‬ ‭10:19 even says that we have authority over the enemy: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Scripture for the Whole Armor of God:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” Ephesians‬ ‭6:10-20‬ ‭

God bless you all.

Pray Continually

Talking to God is a beautiful thing, and the more you do it the closer you will get to Him. Prayer should be an integral part of your day. I always start and end my day with prayer, along with lifting up many little prayers throughout the day.

The Bible even tells us that we should pray continually: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:16-18‬

Very often I will just mutter a simple “Thank you, Jesus” or “I love you, God” while showering, driving, or just while doing the most random things. Praying isn’t just about asking for things. It’s about having a relationship with our Lord. And prayer goes hand in hand with the Bible. It’s really the only way to have a full conversation with God. Regularly reading, studying, and meditating on God’s word opens up the gates to something so glorious.

Colossians 4:2 says that we should: “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.”

Romans 12:12 tells us to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulations, and be constant in prayer: “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” Romans‬ ‭12:9-13‬ ‭‬‬

‭‭And 1 John‬ ‭5:14‬ tells us this: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

‭There are a lot of amazing promises in the Bible regarding prayer. Jesus promises that He will do anything we ask for in His name: “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” ‭‭John‬ ‭14:14‬

And Jesus says that whatever we ask for in prayer we will receive as long as we believe it. What a phenomenal promise. Thank you so much, Jesus.

“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭11:24‬

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew‬ ‭7:7-8‬

“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭21:22‬

I can’t be the only one who just feels so incredibly grateful reading those verses.

And check out this amazing promise in Jeremiah 33:3: “‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’”

How amazing is that? Prayer really opens up so many wonderful things for us when we let it. 

This next verse reminds us to start our day with prayer: “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.” Psalms‬ ‭5:3‬

Quiet your mind during prayer and really let the Holy Spirit speak to you. He is always with you. He will even intercede for you when you can’t find the right words to say, or when you feel like you’re not making sense. God hears us no matter what. He hears every cry, every moan, and every whisper. He even hears us when we don’t speak. He hears our hearts.

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Romans‬ ‭8:26‬ ‭

Matthew 6:6 says this: “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

This is where you will really feel the Holy Spirit. Open up your heart and your mind when you pray, and just listen for His voice and His guidance. The time that I spend alone with God is truly the most treasured time of my existence.

And while praying alone is a beautiful and intimate connection with God, praying in a group is a marvelous thing as well. Matthew 18:20 says: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

James 5:16 says: “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

And not only does God want us to pray for our friends, but He also wants us to pray for those who do wrong to us. The best way to deal with enemies is to pray for them. These next few verses tell us so:

“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” Mark‬ ‭11:25‬ ‭

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Matthew‬ ‭5:44‬ ‭

“Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.” Luke‬ ‭6:28‬ ‭

It definitely takes a certain level of spiritual maturity to stand and pray for the ones who curse us, hate us, use us, and persecute us. But our Father forgives us of our trespasses, so we must forgive others of theirs. And we must do so during prayer. 

We are to live our lives not being anxious for anything, but rather thanking God and trusting in His promises to us. 

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians‬ ‭4:6‬

I Peter 3:12 tells us that the Lord is always listening to the righteous: “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers.”

I’m going to leave you with this final excerpt from Jeremiah, because reading it always gives me chills:

“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.” Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11-13‬

If you’re looking for God, you will find Him in prayer. Call upon Him. Talk to Him. Cry out to Him. Thank Him. Listen for His voice. Feel His presence. Seek Him with all of your heart. God loves a righteous and passionate soul. Don’t be afraid to really open up to Him and allow Him to do His work in your life.

God bless you all.

The Lord’s Peace

The word peace is defined in a few different ways according to dictionaries. It is a state of tranquility or quiet, freedom from disturbance, and the absence of conflict or war. However, the biblical definition of peace means something different. It points to a presence that this world does not have. It is ultimately a gift from God.

Isaiah 9:6 tells us that Jesus is peace: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

And in the words of Jesus Christ Himself: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John‬ ‭14:27‬ ‭

and 

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John‬ ‭16:33‬ ‭

Right there Jesus is telling us that His peace is a gift that this world cannot give us. He has already overcome this world, and there is no greater promise than that. We will face tribulations, but He will give perfect peace to those who put their trust in Him. 

And here are a slew of verses for you confirming this amazing promise of peace:

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans‬ ‭5:1‬

“The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.” Psalms‬ ‭29:11‬

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah‬ ‭26:3‬ ‭

“The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.” Isaiah‬ ‭32:17

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.” 2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭

What we need to do is set our minds on Jesus and not on things of this world. This is what ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:2‬ tells us to do: “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Because according to Romans 8:6: “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” ‭‭To be carnally minded means that you have your mind set on things of the flesh and not on things of God.

And not only do we need to set our minds on Jesus, but we also need to set our hearts on Him. We need to allow His peace to rule in our hearts. I am so eternally grateful to have this offering from Him. 

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” Colossians‬ ‭3:15

Do you see how so many different verses from all over the Bible tie together to give us this amazing truth about the Lord’s peace? The word peace is mentioned hundreds of times throughout the Bible.

It even tells us that we need to give our problems to the Lord before we go to sleep at night so that we can sleep peacefully: “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭4:8

Some great modern day words of advice are: “Give it to God and go to sleep.” He really is our safety net for everything.

I can sit here all I want trying to help you understand the Lord’s peace, but it is something that none of us are meant to fully understand. It is just something that we need to trust, embrace, and be thankful for. It is something so great that it surpasses our understanding.

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:7‬

This world is a crazy place and that’s a fact. It’s far too easy for us to become anxious, worried, and overwhelmed as we each face our own individual struggles day after day. And it’s totally normal to feel that way, too. Life is difficult. But we serve an amazing Lord who loves us so deeply that He promises to bless us with His peace simply by putting our faith in Him.

Thank you, Jesus!

I’m going to leave you with this final prayer, because it’s a beautiful one:

“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” Numbers‬ ‭6:24-26‬ ‭

God bless you all. 

‬

Spiritual Hunger

The Bible is full of metaphors, and perhaps the greatest one of them all is this: “And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’” John‬ ‭6:35

This is definitely one of my favorite verses. Jesus is obviously not talking about being bread in the physical sense, but rather in the spiritual sense. He is saying that He is our spiritual nourishment. He will satisfy our spiritual hunger and thirst. And He will provide us with this nourishment daily. All we have to do is put our faith in Him.

In Psalm 63:1, David realizes that the dry desert he was living in was much like his dry soul. He was thirsty for water, but also thirsty for God. He said: “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.”

And then David repeats himself again in Psalm 143:6 with this simile: “I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.”‭‬

And here is another simile pertaining to spiritual hunger, that also happens to be another one of my favorites: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” Psalms‬ ‭42:1-2‬ ‭
I just love the comparison here so much.

Matthew 5:6 says: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” This is yet another one of my favorite verses. Clearly I have a lot of them.

I have always been a believer, but for a very long time I was missing out on actually having a relationship with Jesus. Nobody told me, and I didn’t quite understand. I always knew who Jesus was. I always knew that He was our Lord and our Savior. But that’s basically where my relationship with Him stood still for a very long time. I wasn’t understanding the difference between knowing who Jesus is versus actually KNOWING Jesus.

I spent years and years of my life yearning for something that I just couldn’t satisfy no matter what I did. I went through several life changes, but I still just never felt content. And it honestly wasn’t until I completely surrendered myself to Jesus Christ that the void was finally filled. Suddenly it all made sense. My entire life made sense. I had purpose. I had Jesus. I was no longer hungry and thirsty for something that I didn’t know how to fulfill. It would have been nice to come to that realization sooner in my life, but I absolutely knew from that moment on that I was never letting Him go now that I had finally really found Him. And I now had a new goal. To finish this race called life in accordance to His will.

Acts‬ ‭20:24 sums that goal up perfectly: “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

If you feel like you’re longing for something but you just can’t pinpoint what it is, I bet you it’s Jesus. Invite Him to fill that void for you. His promises are so real. Satisfy your spiritual hunger by feasting your soul on His goodness.

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”‭‭ Psalms‬ ‭34:8‬ ‭

God bless you all.

What it Means to Fear the Lord

When I first heard the phrase “fear the Lord” in the earlier days of embracing my Christianity, I was somewhat taken back by it. When you fear something, it generally means that it’s scary or that it poses a danger to you. And I was thinking to myself, God is not scary. God is not dangerous. So, why am I being instructed to fear Him? And then upon reading and studying the Bible, I realized that it goes far deeper than that. To me now, fearing the Lord means a few different things. For starters, to fear Him means that I am in complete and utter awe of His greatness.

Psalm 33:8 says: “Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.”

This is such a beautiful thing. Standing in awe of the Lord’s greatness. Feeling His presence and being in complete submission to His holiness. The very last verse of the very last Psalm that was written says: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” ‬‬Meaning, let us all fear the Lord together and stand in reverence to Him. I get chills just writing that.

Fearing the Lord means that you are living your life in a way that obeys His every word. You are always striving to please Him. You devote your life to Him. Even your thinking is aligned with His thinking. You love Him so much that you fear sinning against Him.

And this lifestyle will show you His greatness, and open up so much greatness to you in your life.

1 Chronicles‬ 16:25 says: “For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods.” ‬

Perhaps the greatest thing that fearing the Lord will show you is wisdom. And the more you get to know God, the more you will understand this. Two popular verses that pertain to fearing the Lord and gaining wisdom are:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭

and

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs‬ ‭9:10‬

How amazing is it to know that humbling yourself before the Lord makes you wise? Wise in the ways of the Lord, that is. After all, the Lord just wants to make us more like Him. Genesis 1:27 says that we were created in His image to begin with. It’s just up to us to surrender to Him and not let sin get in the way. As stated in the Proverb above, it would be foolish to despise the Lord’s instruction.

In fact, many of the Proverbs talk about fearing the Lord.

Proverbs 2:5-8 reads like this: “Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.”

Proverbs 3:7 tells us: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.”‭

And Proverbs‬ ‭15:33‬ just reiterates what the others have been telling us: “The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility.” ‭

And if you want to dive even deeper, check out what these other Proverbs tell us about fearing the Lord:

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.” Proverbs‬ ‭8:13

“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.” Proverbs‬ 14:27‬

Fountain of life? Woah. What a profound statement. If that doesn’t make you crave wanting to be a God-fearing Christian, then I don’t know what will.

Many of the Psalms talk about fearing the Lord as well.

Psalm 2:11 tells us to: “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”

Psalm 19:9 tells us that: “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”

And here is one of my favorites: “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.” Psalms‬ ‭25:14‬ ‭

Like, what? Thank you, Lord! Hallelujah!

In Psalm 33:8 it says: “Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.”

And in Psalm 33:18-19 it says: “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.”

And as if you needed another verse proclaiming how wise the righteous are, here you go: “The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice.” Psalm 37:30

And this next verse that I have for you from the Psalms comes along with some commentary from me: “You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth.” Psalms‬ ‭60:4‬

I came across this verse for the first time during my Psalm studies and it really stood out to me. I read it several times in a row and then kept going back to it, wanting to dissect it more. The Lord has given those who fear Him a banner to display. A banner proclaiming the truth about who He is and what He has done for us. We need to fly that banner high in honor of our commitment to Him. I know that I will fly that banner high above my head for all the days of my life.

And yet another Psalm proclaiming this amazing truth: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.” Psalms‬ ‭111:10‬

We are so blessed: “Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.” Psalms‬ ‭112:1‬

“Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways.” Psalms‬ ‭128:1‬ ‭

And here is what Job has to say about fearing the Lord: “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.’” Job‬ ‭28:28‬

Even Jesus Christ Himself teaches the fear of the Lord to His disciples in Matthew 10. He says to them: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew‬ ‭10:28‬ ‭

The conclusion in the book of Ecclesiastes says this: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.”
‭‭‬ ‭

Such powerful words.

Seriously, pray about it. God is always listening and He will respond. The prayers of the righteous are always heard. ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:12-13 even tells us so: “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.”

So you see, fearing the Lord is a good thing. A wonderful thing actually. It fills us with joy and gratitude, provides us with wisdom and understanding, shields us, guides us, teaches us, and leads us away from sin and to His greatness.

God bless you all.