Saturday, June 30, 2012

For he held fast to the LORD;
he did not depart from following Him,
but kept the commandments
which the LORD commanded Moses.
And the LORD was with him;
wherever he went forth,
     he prospered.

                        2 Kings 18. 6-7

(Hold fast, go forth.
Prosper means to thrive not dependent on the circumstances
     around you)

Friday, June 29, 2012

And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul...

                                         Acts 19.11

(when one serves the LORD fully,
all things become extraordinary)

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Then he said to the king of Israel,
     "Draw the bow."  And he drew it.
And Elisha laid his hands upon the king's hands.
And he said, "Open the window eastward,"
and he opened it.
Then Elisha said, "Shoot," and he shot.
And he said,
    "The LORD's arrow of victory..."

                                  2 Kings 13. 16-17

(Seeking His guidance in all things
and following how He leads
provides the measure of victory
--no matter the apparent outcome --
because God will establish His purpose).

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The LORD is faithful in all His words,
and gracious in all His deeds.
...The LORD is just in all His ways
and kind in all His doings.

Psalm 145. 13,17

(On the LORD you can depend.
As God's people, by what are we known?
Our daily choices, carefully made
and willingly done)

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Yet He is not far from each one of us,
for in Him we live and move and have our being.

                           Acts 17. 27-28

(closer than you think)

Monday, June 25, 2012

For the enemy has pursued me;
he has crushed my life to the ground;
he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
Therefore my spirit faints within me,
      my heart within me is appalled.

I remember the days of old,
   I meditate on all that You have done,
     I muse on what Your hands have wrought,
  I stretch out my hands to You;
my soul thirsts for You like a parched land.

Psalm 143. 3-6

(antidote to despair:
remember, meditate on, muse on His faithfulness.
Keep a notebook of His faithfulness to you.)

Sunday, June 24, 2012

When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning
and went out, behold,
an army with horses and chariots was round about the city.
And the servant said,
     "Alas, my master!  What shall we do?"
He said,  "Fear not,
   for those who are with us
   are more than those who are with them."
Then Elisha prayed, and said,
       "O LORD, I pray to you,
     open his eyes that he may see."
So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man,
and he saw, and behold,
the mountain was full of horses
and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

                           2 Kings 6. 15-17

(what shall we do when we are overwhelmed?
Fear not, pray, and SEE.
God does not just have your back --
you are surrounded by His Presence).

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD,
keep watch over the door of my lips.

Psalm 141.3

(A time to speak, a time to remain silent.
Words are tools of grace and encouragement,
or weapons of mass destruction.)

Friday, June 22, 2012

And the word of the Lord
spread throughout all the region.

                          Acts 13.49

(the impact of His Word in your heart
and living fully in His grace)

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Then Elijah took his mantle, and rolled it up,
and struck the water,
and the water was parted to the one side
and to the other,
till the two of them could go
      over on dry ground.

2 Kings 2.8

(God provides a way even through
what appears impossible,
sometimes a path you could never
have even imagined.
God loves "impossible" situations
because through them
His power is revealed)

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel,
"Inquire first for the word of the LORD."

1 Kings 22.5

(how many cries for deliverance
could be avoided
if we inquired first of the LORD
for His course of action
or direction?)

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

How shall we sing the LORD'S song
in a foreign land?

Psalm 137.4

(God places us strategically in time
to do exactly that,
sometimes in the most unlikeliest places
and before whom appears the hardest of hearts.
God's Word never returns void.)

Monday, June 18, 2012

The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
so quit before the quarrel breaks out.

Proverbs 17.14

(Live in a way that makes a difference.
Take the high road
and live with such graciousness
that others have to ask "why.")

Sunday, June 17, 2012

"Answer me, O LORD, answer me,
that this people may know that You,
O LORD, are God,
and that You have turned their hearts back."

1 Kings 18.37

(the focus of our words, our deeds,
our lives, our prayers
that all the world may know
that the LORD is God)

Saturday, June 16, 2012

To Him all the prophets bear witness
that every one who believes in Him
receives forgiveness of sins
through His name.

Acts 10.42

(The scarlet thread of forgiveness and redemption
is woven through the Old Testament
and manifest in Christ)

Friday, June 15, 2012

...the heart of Asa was wholly true to the LORD
all his days.

1 Kings 15.14

(It changed his entire life for good
 -- and everyone around him)

Thursday, June 14, 2012

I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find a place for the LORD,
a dwelling place
for the Mighty One of Jacob.

Psalm 132.3-5

(a pocket of time to spend with the LORD
will profoundly impact your life,
one day at a time)

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.

                         Psalm 127.1

(That the LORD is not part of your endeavors,
but the essence --the very core--
of everything you do. 
Not fitting God into my day,
    but following Him into
    His day for me).

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

...may He maintain the cause of His servant...
as each day requires
that all the peoples of the earth
may know that the LORD is God;
there is no other.
Let your heart therefore
be wholly true to the LORD our God,
walking in His statutes
and keeping His commandments.

1 Kings 8. 59-61

(God will guide and provide
what we need this day,
our daily requirements)

Monday, June 11, 2012

Now those who were scattered
went about preaching the Word.

Acts 8.4

(wherever He has placed you today,
among whomever is on your path,
whatever you do and say)

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Blessed
is every one who fears the LORD,
who walks in His ways.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands,
you shall be happy,
and it shall be well with you.

Psalm 128. 1-2

(those who choose the path of God's leading
are blessed,
because they seek God
and not that which cannot satisfy or fulfill)

Saturday, June 9, 2012

But now the LORD my God
    has given me rest on every side;
there is neither adversary
              nor misfortune.

                     1 Kings 5.4

(It is a time not to become complacent,
 but to seek opportunities to serve the LORD.
This verse preceded King Solomon
building the temple)

Friday, June 8, 2012

Those who trust in the LORD
are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved,
but abides for ever.
As the mountains are round about Jerusalem,
so the LORD is round about His people,
from this time forth
and for evermore.

Psalm 125. 1-2

(Those who trust in the LORD
are firmly established
and encompassed on all sides.
Trust Him through the turmoil around you.)

Thursday, June 7, 2012

There is a way which seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.

Proverbs 16.25

(Justifying one's own actions
does not negate what God has said
is good and right.)

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 124.8

(Dwell in this truth.
If necessary,
repeat outloud ten times a day
until it sinks in)

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

The LORD is my rock,
and my fortress,
and my deliverer,
my God,
my rock,
in Whom I take refuge,
my shield,
and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold and my refuge,
my savior,
You save me from violence.
I call upon the LORD,
Who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

2 Samuel 22. 2-4

(God has you covered.)

Monday, June 4, 2012

He reached from on high,
He took me,
He drew me out of many waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.

                     2 Samuel 22. 17-18

(in our weakness, God's power is revealed.
He never intended for us to go it alone.)

Sunday, June 3, 2012

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From whence does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121. 1-2

(Count on it)

Saturday, June 2, 2012

The highway of the upright turns aside from evil;
he who guards his way
preserves his life.

Proverbs 16.17

(what safeguards have I established
in how I walk, where I am headed,
and with whom?)

Friday, June 1, 2012

Keep steady my steps
according to Your promise,
and let no iniquity
get dominion over me.

Psalm 119. 133

(keep me back from that
which gains control.
Your strength is in Him.
God is our shield and defender).