God's Promise (21.02.2011)

Psalm 91:10

And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee:
for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

~You can trust in Me for I never will forsake you.~

When we know who God is, it is easy to trust in Him. When we are convinced that He is loving and kind and gentle, we will be able to risk again and entrust our heart fully to Him. If we are not yet convinced of His goodness, we will struggle to trust Him.

I believe that giving our Father the gift of our trust is the greatest gift that we can give Him. When we trust Him, we will lower our defenses and open our hearts fully to Him. When we trust Him, we will not lean to our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6) but completely yield to His leading in our life. I believe when we begin to trust God in a simple childlike way, it moves His heart like nothing else we can do.

In today's promise, we read that our God and Father will never, ever forsake those who trust in Him. He is unwavering in His commitment to us. He will never leave us or forsake us. For those of us who struggle with the fear of being abandoned, I pray that the reality of our Papa's goodness and closeness would drive all fear out of our hearts (1 John 4:18) so that we can fully trust Him.

God's Promise (20.02.2011)

1 John 4:16

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.
God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

~You can know and depend on the love I have for you.~

There have been many times in my own life where I have struggled with circumstances and have not had any pat answers or quick solutions to my problems. In the midst of these seasons in my life, 1 John 4:16 has become really meaningful to me. When all else fails, love will never fail. As the Apostle John tells us in today's promise... And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. NIV

Whatever challenge you are facing in your life today, you can know and depend on the love that God has for you. His love will comfort you, His love will sustain you, His love will carry you through any situation. May each one of us run into the arms of our God and Father today knowing that we can depend on His love to be enough for us no matter how difficult our journey.

God is love. He not only loves, but the very core of His being is unconditional, everlasting love for you and I. May the reality of this promise go deep into our hearts today so that we would learn to make our home living in the love that God has for us.

God's Promise (19.02.2011)

2 Corinthians 3:17

Now the Lord is that Spirit:
and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

~You will find freedom wherever My Spirit dwells.~

God is completely free and He loves freedom. Galatians 5:1 says that it is for freedom's sake that Christ has set us free. In John 8:36, Jesus Himself tells speaks of the freedom He has for us when He said... So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. NIV

Wherever God lives, you will find freedom. If you are struggling with bondage today or are in controlling circumstances that hinder freedom, ask God to set you free for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. God's plan and purpose for us is to be free to live, free to serve, free to be generous, free to dream, free to be His beloved child...free, free, free!

My prayer is that we would all experience a new level of freedom in our lives today. Ask God for more freedom and believe that it is His heart to set you free... and watch what happens in your life!

God's Promise (18.02.2011)

Matthew 5:4

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

~I will bless you in times of mourning with My comfort.~

In Matthew 5, Jesus shares a kingdom message that we lovingly call The Beatitudes. In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reveals some of the values of His kingdom. Nine times He says that people are blessed in circumstances that would seem opposite to what the world system would see as blessed. The Amplified Bible translates the word blessed that He uses as... (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous--with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions). AMP

At some point or another, we will all suffer the loss of a loved one and will need the comfort that comes from God alone. In today's promise, we read that when we mourn we will be blessed (from a kingdom perspective) with the comfort that comes only from God Himself. Psalm 34:18 says... The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. NIV

If you are going through a time of grieving right now, my prayer is that this promise would be very tangible to you and that you would feel God's closeness to you today as He carries you through this season of mourning. Through it all, may you truly feel blessed by God despite your circumstances as described by the Amplified Bible... (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous--with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions).

God's Promise (17.02.2011)

Psalm 147:3

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

~I will heal your broken heart and mend all your wounds.~

When we hurt, God's heart is full of compassion towards us. In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 He is called the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. When we are wounded, His desire is to bring healing to us. If you are struggling today with a broken heart, be comforted in knowing that your heavenly Father understands everything that you are going through and wants to heal your broken heart.

In Psalm 103:13-14 in the English Standard Version Bible it says... ¹³As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassionto those who fear him. ¹⁴For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. ESV When Jesus was moved with compassion, He healed the sick. When our Father is moved with compassion, He heals us too.

My prayer today is that you and I would know that we are not alone in our struggles, for our heavenly Father loves us with all His heart and His compassion will bring healing to every wounded area in our soul.

God's Promise (16.02.2011)

John 10:29

My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all;
and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

~I will keep you safe because no one can snatch you out of My hand.~

I love the picture that Jesus paints in this passage of Scripture. In order to better appreciate what Jesus is saying, let's read John 10:27-30... ²⁷My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: ²⁸And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.³⁰I and my Father are one. KJV

Jesus tells us in this Bible passage that those who come to Him will never perish because we are being held safely in the palm of His hand where no one can snatch us away. He then goes on to double our feeling of safety and security by telling us that we are also held in His Father's hand who is the greatest of all!

Every time I think about this Scripture passage, I envision myself being firmly held in the hand of Jesus and Jesus' hand being firmly held by the Father's. What a picture of unity in the Godhead and security for us. No matter what comes your way, nothing can snatch you out of the loving, invincible hands of both Father and Son. May the thought of this security bring much peace to every troubled heart.

God's Promise (15.02.2011)

Psalm 23:1

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

~I am your Shepherd and I will meet all your needs.~

Psalm 23 is one of the most loved psalms. It has been recited in times of celebration, in times of loss and and everything in between. The author of this psalm was King David who had a good understanding of what it meant to be a shepherd. As a boy, David learned to care for the flock under his care so when he made the state that The LORD was his shepherd, he knew what he was saying.

When David said I shall not want, he was basically saying that he would not be in need of anything because of the shepherding care of the Lord. The NLT Bible says I shall have all that I need. Shepherds look after their sheep in every way. They lead them to green pastures, they protect them and they provide all that they need to live a good life. In John 10:12-16 Jesus tells us how a shepherd not only protects the sheep under his care but will gladly lay his life down for their safety. Jesus is our shepherd and because of His care we will have all that we need.

Hebrews 13:20-21

²⁰Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, ²¹Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.