Bring the full tithes into the storehouse,

that there may be food in My house,

and thereby put Me to the test,

                  says the LORD of hosts,

if I will not open the windows of heaven for you

           and pour down for you

                            an overflowing blessing.

                                            Malachi 3.10

(Come into the new year 

                 following Him fully,

  and watch how incredibly God will use you)

...lay it to heart

         to give glory to My name,

says the LORD of hosts...

                     Malachi 2.2

(Not just a mindset.

but a heart set,

an intentional desire and focus

in all that we do and say)

          

His delight is not in the strength of the horse,

nor His pleasure in the legs of a man,

but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,

in those who hope in His steadfast love.

                                     Psalm 147. 10-11

(Not possessions, nor power,

nor outward appearance,

nor physical strength,

but what matters most in this life

          is our relationship with God.

Abide in His steadfast love,

        live in awe of Him.)

...for the fine linen
       is the righteous deeds of the saints.

                           Revelation 19.8

(What we do is being woven
into something far greater than ourselves,
for higher purposes than we could ever imagine.
We have only to be faithful
         in what God places before us
and follow Him into it.)

Happy is he 

      whose help is in the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD his God...

                                 Psalm 146.5

(His Presence changes everything.

In God we trust.)

Teach me the way I should go,
for to You I lift up my soul...
Teach me to do Your will,
        for You are my God.

                         Psalm 143. 8, 10

(A teachable heart
       is open to God's leading.
Resistance leads only to
        rocky trails and wrong turns.)

...she will bear a son,
and you shall call his name Jesus,
for he will save his people
                   from their sins.

                       Matthew 1.21

(Emmanuel,
         which means God with us.
And that makes all the difference.)

Merry  Christmas!

For to us a child is born,
to 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.

                            Isaiah 9.6

(Written 740 years before
              Christ was born.
Jesus did not just come.
He was promised.
Jesus came to redeem.)

When my spirit is weak,

You know my way.

                         Psalm 142.3

(God never promised 

that things would be easy,

but He does promise 

                  that He goes with us.

Follow Him,

                  even in this.)

Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD,
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Incline not my heart to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in the company of men who work iniquity;
and let me not eat of their dainties.

                                      Psalm 141. 3-4

(Busy myself with grace in this,
no matter what,
              my eyes on You)

...a place prepared by God,

in which to be nourished...

                          Revelation 12.6

(Look to what God is doing in your life,

                strategically right where you are)

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

                                       Psalm 137.4

(God places us strategically
         to do exactly that.)

Though the fig tree do not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
     and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
     and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet
    I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
He makes me tread
             upon my high places.

                     Habakkuk 3. 17-19

(No matter the circumstances,
                God is still in control.
When God is our strength,
He empowers us even to dance
   through the scary places of life.)

The LORD is good,

a stronghold in the day of trouble;

He knows those

       who take refuge in Him.

                             Nahum 1.7

(No matter what is swirling

                   all around you.)

As in the days when you came out

               of the land of Egypt,

I will show them marvelous things.

                                Micah 7.15

 (That which may not 

         even be on your radar yet.

    God will protect and provide 

          in incredible ways.)

There you shall be rescued,  

      there the LORD will redeem you

from the hand of your enemies.

                             Micah 4.10

(God works in the most unlikely ways

               and in the most unlikely places.

What am I doing here?

Something much deeper is going on,

purposes too profound for me to grasp.)

Those who pay regard to vain idols

            forsake their true loyalty.

                                Jonah 2.8

(Guard yourself against those things

which hold the place

that only God should have)

...and day and night

they

      never cease to sing,

"Holy, holy, holy,

              is the Lord God Almighty,

who was 

         and is

                   and is to come."

                          Revelation 4.8

(What am I humming

                in all I do and say?

Verbally acknowledge the reality of God

                    and live out His grace.)

Behold,
    I stand at the door and knock;
if any one hears My voice
                      and opens the door,
I will come in to him
                      and eat with him,
and he with Me.

                         Revelation 3.20

(The message of the entire Bible,
          from the first page to the last,
is all about relationship with God.)

But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.

                                               Amos 5.24

(LORD, make me an open conduit today.
Show me in all things
                what is good and right
and provide me the wisdom
                 and courage to do it.)

I will restore to you
the years which
the swarming locust has eaten.

                       Joel 2. 25

(When we follow God
      through the hardship and wilderness,
things will not just turn out ok,
               God will redeem.)

...and leave a blessing behind him...

                                 Joel 2.14

(In all places,

in all that I do,

among all with whom I meet)

Sow for yourselves righteousness,

reap the fruit of steadfast love,

break up your fallow ground,

for it is the time to seek the LORD,

that He may come

        and rain salvation upon you.

                                       Hosea 10.12

(like refreshing water on a thirsty heart)

...that we may live before Him.
Let us know,
     let us press on to know the LORD.

                       Hosea 6. 2-3

(Intentionally seeking Him each day
             in all things.)

And this is love,

that we follow His commandments;

this is the commandment,

as you have heard from the beginning,

             that you follow love.

                                       2 John 1.6

(Love God, love others.

That's what it is all about.

God's message all along.)

To You
       I lift up my eyes,
O You who are enthroned
                         in the heavens!

                         Psalm 123.1

(God is in control,
       and I am not.
That is not "a positive thought,"
       but reality.
Lifting my eyes, my cares, my heart to Him
                      empowers me to realize that.)

Little children,

let us not love in word or speech

               but in deed and truth.

                                 1 John 3. 18

(May I make love

                 the practice of my life.)

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

                                Psalm 121.1-2

(It doesn't get any better than that.)

Trouble and anguish have come upon me,
         but Your commandments are my delight.

                                        Psalm 119. 143

(God's Word is the stability of my days,
       my strength and shield,
                        no matter what the foe
                                                 or fear.)

Great peace have those

     who love Your law;

nothing 

      can make them stumble.

                             Psalm 119.165

(God's Word is my strength and shield.

      God changes me through it.)

You are my hiding place
                 and my shield;
I hope in Your Word.

                        Psalm 119.114

(God's Word empowers me
          to see this situation differently
   and move with grace within it.)

O give thanks to the LORD,
           for He is good;
for His steadfast love
                     endures for ever!
Let the redeemed of the LORD
                                 say so....

                               Psalm 107.1-2

(And not just once a year!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

It has seemed good to me
to show the signs and wonders
that the Most High God
         has wrought toward me.

                      Daniel 4.2

(Acknowledge to others,
        acknowledge myself,
               God at work.
For He is good,
      His faithfulness endures forever.
Even when we don't quite understand
                     yet.)

If Your law had not been my delight,
I should have perished in my affliction.

                                  Psalm 119.92

(Hold fast to God's Word.
God strengthens through it
            more than we can ever know,
   in ways beyond all measure.)

Always be prepared
to make a defense
to any one who calls you to account
         for the hope that is in you,
yet do it with gentleness and reverence...

                           1 Peter 3.15

(Not by a script memorized,
    but by a life transformed.
What is the difference in you?)

And the name of the city
henceforth shall be,
             The LORD is there.

                         Ezekiel 48.35

(Wherever God has placed me,
              no matter where,
His Presence changes everything.)

...and I shall walk at liberty,

for I have sought Your precepts.

                             Psalm 119.45

(Obedience provides not limitations,

but a tremendous sense of freedom.

God's Word changes how I see everything,

          His scaffolding within)

Your testimonies are my delight,
they are my counselors.

                         Psalm 119.24

(Have I sought the counsel of God
                        in this?
         Even in this?)

...the sound of His coming...

                   Ezekiel 43.2

(Enter, O LORD.
my every situation,
every decision,
every relationship)

This is the day which the LORD has made;
let us rejoice
             and be glad in it.

                              Psalm 118.24

(How I view God
        -- even how I view this day --
changes everything
      I do and say and think.
Even in this.)

...when My sanctuary
           is in the midst of them.

                         Ezekiel 37.28

(What we worship
          is made evident by how we live.
O LORD, let others see Your presence,
                              Your grace,
                     Your love
                                   in me.)

Let every man be quick to hear,

            slow to speak,

                    slow to anger,

for the anger of man

does not work 

               the righteousness of God.

                                 James 1. 19-20

(God's Spirit in me

          impacts every conversation.

What is evident in my words,

              actions,

                     and attitudes?)

Do not neglect to show
        hospitality to strangers,
for thereby some have
        entertained angels unawares.

                              Hebrews 13.2

(Love God,
love others)

...desiring to act honorably
                   in all things.

                          Hebrews 13.18

(Live above reproach.
Remember who you are.
Remember Whose you are.)

As in water
         face answers to face,
so the mind of man
          reflects the man.

                   Proverbs 27.19

(What is at the core is always revealed.
And on what I reflect,
impacts everything
I do, say, think , feel,
       and even alters my appearance.)

For the moment
    all discipline seems painful
                     rather than pleasant;
later it yields
      the peaceful fruit of righteousness
   to those who have been trained by it.

                                  Hebrews 12.11

(the strength I will need
             for a long enduring)

A continual dripping on a rainy day

        and a contentious woman are alike;

to restrain her is to restrain the wind

or to grasp oil in his right hand.

                             Proverbs 27. 15-16

(Contentious means to always be looking for an argument,

                  always seeking imperfections in others.

Every day I make a choice 

             to be a CCO or a CGA,

a Chief Contentious Officer

              or a Chief Administrator of Grace.)

Rule in the midst of your foes.

                               Psalm 110.2

(Rise above the fray
        in order to bring grace to it)

With God we shall do valiantly;
it is He who will
              tread down our foes.

                                  Psalm 108.13

(You are not in this alone.
Don't even try to do it yourself
         but with His wisdom and strength.
His presence changes everything,
                           including me.)

He turns a desert
             into pools of water,
a parched land
             into springs of water.

                          Psalm 107.35

(God delights
      in providing the unexpected)

...and the hand of the LORD

               was upon him there.

                        Ezekiel 1,3

(Even on the most ordinary of days,

               even in a place of exile)

...and Aaron's road that budded...

                            Hebrews 9.4

(A reminder,
        a keepsake,
of what God has done
and what He can do,
that which is
          impossible in our eyes.)

...and make a dry tree flourish.

                            Ezekiel 17.24

(God can do that,
    no matter where we are,
deeply rooted,
               bearing fruit
 in the most impossible places)

Seek the LORD
       and His strength,
seek His presence continually.

                      Psalm 105.4

(Show me, LORD,
         how to navigate this.
We were not meant to
          do this life on our own,
     nor go forth
        without His presence
        and strength)

He rebuked the Red Sea,

          and it became dry;

He led them through the deep

                   as though a desert.

                                Psalm 106.9

(What is my Red Sea today?

Navigate me, LORD, through it.

                   Show me how.)

...seize the hope
              set before us.

                     Hebrews 6.18

(It will change everything in your life
           and transform everything about you.
In this world,
           hope is that evident,
that on which we stake our lives.)
     

For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no whisperer,
                        quarreling ceases.

                                       Proverbs 26.20

(Am I spreading peace or arson by my words?
We are to be bearers of grace,
                                   not ammunition.
God can be glorified,
                    even in this.)

May my meditation be pleasing to Him,
for I rejoice in the LORD.

                           Psalm 104.34

(What I think about,
       what I dwell on,
will manifest itself
        in words, actions
        and attitudes.
God's Word literally
                changes me.)

But exhort one another
                    every day
...that none of you may be hardened
by the deceitfulness of sin.

                       Hebrews 3.13

(Who can I encourage today?
A little kindness
               is never small.
It matters in ways
     you will never comprehend.)

Bless the LORD,
                all His works,
  in all places of His dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul.

                          Psalm 103.22

(Bless the LORD by blessing others
    in all places,
  even in this.)

But this I call to mind,

     and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases,

                 His mercies never come to an end.

They are new every morning,

    great is Your faithfulness .

                             Lamentations 3. 21-23

(No matter what. 

             Forever.)

And the Lord's servant
        must not be quarrelsome
    but kindly to every one,
an apt teacher,
forbearing,
correcting his opponents
                      with gentleness.

                            2 Timothy 2. 24

(In this world,
     even gentleness sets you apart)

Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into His presence with singing!

                                   Psalm 100.2

(What a difference this would make
                 as we enter our day.
Work through my day with gladness?
Approach that difficulty with singing?
We can't help but "sing out loud"
       in all we do and say.)

Show yourself in all respects
          a model of good deeds,
and in your teaching
show integrity, gravity
 and sound speech that cannot be censured,
so that an opponent may be put to shame,
having nothing evil to say of us.

                               Titus 2. 7-8

(Live above reproach
       in all you say and do.)

Be rich in good deeds,
           liberal and generous...

                      1 Timothy 6.8

(Good deeds are not the basis of salvation,
       but the natural outcome of it.
We are able to love others
       because He first loved us.)

...that the LORD your God
     may show us the way we should go,
and the thing that we should do.

                        Jeremiah 42.3

(follow Him into it,
   sensitive to His ways
             and His purposes)

But fear not, O Jacob my servant,

nor be dismayed, O Israel,

for lo,

   I will save you from afar...

Fear not, O Jacob my servant,

says the LORD,

       for I am with you.

                  Jeremiah 46. 27-28

(no matter the circumstances,

      you are not in this alone,
  no matter what)

So also good deeds are conspicuous,
and even when they are not,
they cannot remain hidden.

                     1 Timothy 5.25

(In our day,
so unexpected,
so unusual,
so countercultural.
Shine as a light in the darkness,
       even when no one notices,
maybe especially
    when no one notices.)

If your enemy is hungry,
give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty,
give him water to drink,
for you will heap coals of fire on his head,
and the LORD will reward you.

                            Proverbs 25. 21-22

(God's way is love.
He uses love in incredible ways
          to bring through any difficult situation
              great good and His glory.
Only good overcomes evil.)

Ah Lord GOD!
It is You who have made
                 the heaven and the earth
by Your great power
      and by Your outstretched arm!
Nothing is too hard for You...

                          Jeremiah 32.17

(Nothing!)

For I know the plans I have for you,
                     says the LORD,
plans for welfare and not for evil,
to give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon Me
and come and pray to Me,
                   and I will hear you.
You will seek Me and find Me;
when you seek Me with all your heart,
                    I will be found by you...

                             Jeremiah 29. 11-13

(Things don't just happen.
God provides.)

Thus says the LORD:
"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
let not the mighty man glory in his might,
let not the rich man glory in his riches,
but let him who glories glory in this,
that he understands and knows Me,
that I am the LORD
     who practice steadfast love,
                      justice,
      and righteousness in the earth,
for in these things I delight,
                  says the LORD."

                      Jeremiah 9. 23-24

(what really counts)

He made streams
         come out of a rock...

                  Psalm 78.16

(God provides
       in the most impossible situations)

Thus says the LORD:
     "Stand by the roads and look,
      and ask for the ancient paths,
                   where the good way is,
      and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls."

                        Jeremiah 6.16

(Show me, LORD, how to navigate this)

Open your mouth wide,
       and I will fill it.

                     Psalm 81.10

(live in expectation
        of what God can do)

Brethren,
do not be weary in well-doing.

                2 Thessalonians 3.13

(But joyful in all you do.
God is working mightily
    His great purposes
                   through you.)

...but let him who has My word
         speak My word faithfully.

                      Jeremiah 23.28

(In how we live,
  in how we love,
  in all that we do.
And when necessary,
              use words.)

A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold
          in a setting of silver.

                    Proverbs 25.11

(Make your words
      as beautiful gifts)

See that none of you
               repays evil for evil,
but always seek
to do good to one another
                          and to all.

               1 Thessalonians 5.15

(How do I handle this situation?
Seek to do good.
God will show you a way.)

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
            whose trust is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
       for it does not cease to bear fruit.

                                   Jeremiah 17. 7-8

(Being blessed is not dependent
           on outward circumstances,
      but on His dwelling within)

We set our hope on You,

for You do all these things.

                          Jeremiah 14.22

(Hope in God

is not wishful thinking

    but that on which

               you can stake your life)

...that they might be for Me

a people,

     a name,

         a praise,

             and a glory...

                        Jeremiah 13.11

(God's greater purpose,

        God's deeper plans,

His faithful Presence,

wherever He has placed you,

even here,

even in this)

Whatever your task,
               work heartily,
as serving the Lord and not men,
knowing that from the Lord
you will receive the inheritance
as your reward;
you are serving the Lord Christ.

                        Colossians 3. 23-24

(You are on special assignment
             even in this)

And whatever you do,
          in word or deed,
do everything
           in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks
           to God the Father through Him.

                      Colossians 3.17

(Whatever means whatever,
     everything means everything,
even that.
Maybe especially that.)

Your way was through the sea,

Your path through the great waters,

    yet Your footprints were unseen.

                               Psalm 77.19

(He guides even through

         the most impossible situations.

Keep your eyes on Him.)

...that in everything

          He might be pre-eminent.

                       Colossians 1.18

(Not just part of my life,

or even prominent,

          but surpassing all)

He is before all things,

and in Him 

     all things hold together.

                    Colossians 1.17

(Things do not just work out,

     Christ weaves His purposes

     through it all.)

Have no anxiety about anything,
but in everything
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God
        which passes all understanding,
will keep your hearts and your minds
                             in Christ Jesus.

                        Philippians 4. 6-7

(What part of "no anxiety" do we
               not understand?
"I've got you," says the LORD.)

...be found in Him.

                Philippians 3.9

(In all things, in all places,
     in every situation,
even in this.)

Yea, O LORD, You are our Father;
        we are the clay,
             and You are our potter;
we are all the work of Your hand.

                            Isaiah 64.8

(God transforms us
    into a vessel of great beauty
                      and purpose.)

...to give them a garland
            instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
             instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise
              instead of a faint spirit.

                            Isaiah 61.3

(What we need to bring to relationships,
      that which heals, builds up and blesses)

Was it not You who dried up the sea,
          the waters of the great deep,
that made the depths of the sea a way
           for the redeemed to pass over?

                                     Isaiah 51.10

(God can transform that overwhelming difficulty,
        that impossible situation,
              into  the  path of deliverance.
"LORD, show me how to navigate this.")
   

...and make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the LORD.

                                 Isaiah 51.3

(God's presence changes everything.
       Even in this.)

But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities,
upon Him was the chastisement
              that made us whole,
      and with His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way,
and the LORD has laid on Him
         the iniquity of us all.

                         Isaiah 53. 5-6

(Christ paid the whole price
            for our redemption.
These words were prophesied
   more than 700 years before
   the coming of Christ.)

Be kind to one another,
       tender hearted,
   forgiving one another,
just as God in Christ
             has forgiven you.

                          Ephesians 4.32

(The difference God makes in you
               and through you
    impacts everyone around you)

Even to your old age I am He,
and to gray hairs
                I will carry you.

                         Isaiah 46.4

(Fear not getting old.
His steadfast love endures forever.
He will never forsake you.
God has deep purpose for your life
              at every age.)

I will go before you and level the mountains,
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
      and cut asunder the bars of iron,
I will give you the treasures of darkness
      and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the LORD,
the God of Israel,
            who call you by your name.

                                   Isaiah 45. 2-3

(God specializes in making a way
           where there seems to be no way.
He is personal,
            powerful,
     and purposeful.)

For by grace you have been saved
                through faith,
and this is not your own doing,
   it is a gift of God --
not because of works,
           lest any man should boast.

                         Ephesians 2. 8-9

(Saved not because of works,
        but for good works)

From the ends of the earth
    we hear songs of praise,
of glory to the Righteous One.

                     Isaiah 24.16

(God's people are strategically placed
         to bear Him glory.)

Hezekiah received the letter
   from the hand of the messenger,
and read it,
and Hezekiah went up
   to the house of the LORD,
and spread it before the LORD.
And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD...

                          Isaiah 37. 14-15

(Lay all your concerns before the LORD,
       first place, not last resort)

...and He will be
       the stability of your times...

                      Isaiah 33.6

(No matter what
     is swirling around you)

With God
     we shall do valiantly;
it is He
     who will tread down our foes.

                      Psalm 60.12

(God is working in you
           and through you.
He will tread down
                 even your fear.)

Trust in Him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.

                           Psalm 62.8

(God may be aiming at something
          you may not yet see.
"Trust Me in this.")

You keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on You,
because he trusts in You.
Trust in the LORD for ever,
for the LORD is an everlasting rock.

                         Isaiah 26. 3-4

(Trust in God produces
     a peace that should not
     even be able to exist,
a peace not reliant
      on the shifting sands of circumstances,
   but rooted firmly in Him alone.)

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

                          Galatians 2.20

(May I live this out
       in whatever I do and say today.
Recite and repeat as necessary.)

...a blessing in the midst of the earth...

                                   Isaiah 19.24

(Your daily assignment,
         your purpose,
not just what to do,
          but who you are,
revealed in how you love God
         and love others.)

I cry to God Most High,
    to God
       who fulfills His purpose for me.

                              Psalm 57.2

(Even in what I cannot understand,
     and in dimensions I am not aware.
There is a reason even if I do not know it.)

Shout,
     and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst
                   is the Holy One of Israel.

                            Isaiah 12.6

(Remember Who is with you,
      working mightily in your midst,
even in dimensions you cannot see.)

This I know,
        that God is for me.

                    Psalm 56.9

(I can trust Him.
    Even in what I cannot understand,
      God works for the greatest good.)

But I will trust in You.

                  Psalm 55.23

(Even in this,
        His purposes fill every dimension)

Tell the righteous
        that it shall be well with them,
for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.

                          Isaiah 3.10

(what am I planting?)

Do you see a man skillful in his work?
He will stand before kings,
he will not stand before obscure men.

                           Proverbs 22.29

(How you do your work goes before you
       and will return to you.
Excellence in all you do
       brings glory to God.)

For God is the king
           of all the earth...

                      Psalm 47.7

(No matter what.)

And God is able
to provide you with every blessing in abundance,
so that
    you may always have enough of everything
and may provide in abundance
                      for every good work.

                               2 Corinthians 9.8

(God doesn't just make it enough,
He makes it more than enough
          for every good work,
          for His great purposes.)

In the morning sow your seed,
     and at evening withhold not your hand,
for you do not know which will prosper,
this or that,
or whether both will be good.

                              Ecclesiastes 11.6

(Do all you do with excellence.
     It will return to you.)

...He does great things
        which we cannot comprehend.

                             Job 37.5

(God is always working
deeper, higher, wider purposes
        in all that He does,
   dimensions we cannot grasp.)

Love bears all things,
    believes all things,
hopes all things,
     endures all things.

               1 Corinthians 13.7

(Love seeks the highest good for others)

...on the very day...

              Esther 9.1

(God's timing is always perfect)

When the righteous cry for help,
      the LORD hears,
and delivers them
       out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.

                       Psalm 34. 17-18

(God does not promise ease.
He promises His strength
            to carry us through.).

And the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.

                               Nehemiah 12.43

(Our relationship with God cannot be hidden.
God changes us.  And that impacts everyone.)

So whether you eat or drink,
      or whatever you do,
do all to the glory of God.

                        1 Corinthians 10.31

(the Gospel permeates everything)

Why are you cast down, O my soul
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
for I shall again praise Him,
my help and my God.

                     Psalm 43.5

(Remember His faithfulness.
Hope in the Bible is not wishful thinking,
but that on which
               I can stake my life.)

Does not He see my ways,
and number all my steps?

                           Job 31.4

(God knows far more than that.
He provides in ways we cannot see,
He loves us exceedingly more
                 than we can ever know.)

As a hart longs for flowing streams,

so longs my soul 

              for You, O God.

My soul thirsts for God,

              the living God.

                     Psalms 42. 1-2

(Only God can satisfy that longing)

For He will complete what He appoints for me,
and many such things are in His mind.

                                    Job 23.14

(Trust God in all things,
even when
it doesn't seem to make sense.
God is working in you.)

...to make us rely

          not on ourselves

but on God

   who raises the dead.

                      2 Corinthians 1.9

(God is bigger than any impossibility,

         in all ways, no matter what)

For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at last He will stand upon the earth,
and after my skin has been thus destroyed,
then from my flesh,
                I shall see God...

                            Job 19. 25-26

(Because He lives,
          that changes everything.)

Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast,
immovable,
always abounding in the work of the LORD,
knowing that in the LORD
your labor is not in vain.

                         1 Corinthians 15.58

(Anything and everything you do
       has eternal significance.
   God is using you.)

...who does great things beyond understanding,
and marvelous things without number.

                                    Job 9.10

(Far deeper than I can ever know.
Count on it.  Even in this.)

The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.

                       Psalm 37.31

(God's Word changes us.
It permeates all we do
and impacts everyone around us.)

Make love your aim.

                    1 Corinthians 14.1

(How to approach any situation,

how to carry through)

Trust in the LORD,
           and do good,
so you will dwell in the land
     and enjoy security.
Take delight in the LORD,
    and He will give you
    the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD,
     trust in Him,
     and He will act.

                        Psalm 37. 3-5

(God will change your life)

He who pursues

    righteousness and kindness

will find life and honor.

                   Proverbs 21.21

(Nothing random about it,

      but an intentional pursuit

  in all you do, say and dwell)

...bring forth water for them

            from a rock...

                          Nehemiah 9.15

(God provides what sustains

even in the most impossible situations)

...yet our God
     turned the curse into a blessing.

                          Nehemiah 13.2

(When we seek God in all things,
in His time and purposes,
He turns everything
             right side up.)

The LORD redeems the life of His servants...

                                 Psalm 34.22

(He uses everything.  

Yes, even this,

        for His glory

and great purposes)

         

I sought the LORD,

and He answered me,

and delivered me 

             from all my fears.

                        Psalm 34.4

(Let not the LORD

        be your last resort,

but your first response)

But You are a God ready to forgive,
gracious and merciful,
slow to anger
and abounding in steadfast love,
and did not forsake them.
Even when...

                   Nehemiah 9. 17-18

(Because that is who He is)

...for they perceived
that this work had been accomplished
with the help of our God.

                          Nehemiah 6.16

(Our work
    is a clear testimony to others)

I will instruct you and teach you

       in the way you should go;

I will counsel you

        with My eye upon you.

                         Psalm 32.9

(Seek Him in all things,

both great and small,

because nothing

     is insignificant in His eyes.)

...and bring them to the place

               where I have chosen,

to make My name

                       dwell there.

                           Nehemiah 1.9

(The LORD strategically places us)

But I trust in You, O LORD,
I say,
          "You are my God."
My times are in Your hand.

                            Psalm 31.15

(Even when I don't understand,
 God works His great purposes)

The hand of our God was upon us,
and He delivered us
    from the hand of the enemy
and from ambushes by the way.

                          Ezra 8.31

(God protects even when
          we are not aware
      of the danger
                   or His shield.
The safest place on earth
    is the center of His will.)

This is how one should regard us,
      as servants of Christ
and stewards of the mysteries of God.

                             1 Corinthians 4.1

(We will not understand everything
that happens in this life,
but God's purposes are deep
          and seamless in it.)

And this was their reply to us:

"We are the servants of 

        the God of heaven and earth..."

                           Ezra 5.11

(by Whom we are known,

         our identity,

    manifest in every word and action)

What no eye has seen,
   nor ear heard,
   nor the heart of man conceived,
what God has prepared
          for those who love Him.

                              1 Corinthians 2.9

(beyond our wildest dreams,
    yes,
    even in this)

...in whatever place he sojourns...

                                 Ezra 1.4

(Wherever God places us,

always strategically,

always with great purpose)

...singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,
and telling all Your wondrous deeds.

                                     Psalm 26.7

(A powerful defense against despair
   that uplifts you
   and everyone around you)

But the LORD sits enthroned for ever...

                                 Psalm 9.7

(No matter how things appear,
no matter the circumstances,
God is still God.
He is still sovereign over all.)

...in order that we may bear fruit for God.

                                  Romans 7.4

(love and grace in all ways
     and in all things)

For He is good,
for His steadfast love endures for ever.

                                2 Chronicles 7.3

(Repeat daily.
It will change how we see God,
how we see others, and
what we do.)

May He grant you your heart's desire,
and fulfill all your plans.

                                  Psalm 20.4

(walk fully with Him)

But you,
     take courage!
Do not let your hands be weak
for your work shall be rewarded.

                            2 Chronicles 14.7

(Follow God into it.
Excellence in all things you do.)

The LORD lives.

             Psalm 18.46

(that is all I need to know)

...because we have sought the LORD our God;
we have sought Him,
and He has given us peace on every side.

                         2 Chronicles 14.7

(and peace within,
    that which passes all understanding,
  deep peace in impossible situations)

We know
  that in every thing
God works for good
with those who love Him,
who are called
according to His purpose.

               Romans 8.28

(not just "things work out"
but God works for good
and for a purpose)

So they turned to fight against him,
and Jehoshaphat cried out,
and the LORD helped him.
God drew them away from him...

                            2 Chronicles 18.31

(God specializes in impossible situations.
Turn to Him as your first reponse,
not a last resort.)