Tag Archives: scripture image

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Grieved and Crushed

Psalm 34:15-18 scripture image

  • What are the details in the verses?
    • King David authored most of the Psalms. He wrote them as songs. Much like people write and sing songs today about their sorrows and joys; King David did the same.
    • Here, in these verses, I observe that King David is singing about the Lord watching and hearing the righteous in their sorrows and that the Lord is against the evil-doers and he will not remember the evil-doers. The Lord hears the righteous who cry out for help and hears them and delivers them out of their troubles.
    • The Lord is near the griefed and crushed in spirit.
  • What is God’s word saying to me?
    • I feel that God is reminding me that He is with me, near me, and hears my spirit-cries as well as when it is grieved. All I need to do is call out to Him, live right according to His living word, stay alert in prayer, and help the needy when the situation arises. Be alert!
    • What changes do I need to make?
      • Stop being bothered by worldly things. God is in control. It’s all part of His grand plan and purpose.
      • Be in His living word, daily. Let it speak to my spirit, mind, and soul.
      • Be teachable. Don’t be a know-it-all. There is always something new to learn and to unlearn.
    • What action do I need to take?
      • YEP! You guessed it! “Just Do It!”

Prayer: Dear Abba YAH, thank You for being near me and with me. I pray the same for the readers of this blog. I lift up everyone to You, YAH. There’s always someone who has needs. I lift all those needs up to You.  I also want to thank You for the blessings and promises You fulfill in our lives. Some go unnoticed by us. I just pray that we take stock and realize what You are doing in our lives. I praise, glorify, honor, and love You, YAH. In Jesus’ name, amen

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Full of Joy!

Philippians_4_4-9 scripture image

What I observe in these verses is that Paul the Apostle is strongly urging and teaching the Philippians in being full of the joy of the LORD.

Joy in God is a duty of great consequence in the Christian life; Christians need to be again and again called to it. ~Matthew Henry

Paul also reminds the followers of Jesus to be gentle and kind, not to worry about anything, but to pray and ask God for everything they need, always giving thanks. God’s peace will keep their hearts and minds in Jesus. Also, They are to think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected. Doing what they learned from Paul. The God who gives peace will be with them.

Always being full of joy and knowing God gives peace is a comfort and a refuge in times of trials. It’s best to be gentle and kind and not to worry about anything, praying to God. I can apply this to my life by being Jesus’ example to an ugly, lost, and hurting world. Also, by praying for others and always being joyful helps to bring God’s peace and comfort to others in time of need. It also helps me appreciate what my life in Jesus brings about.

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for Your joy and the consequences it has wrought in our lives. Help me to exude Your joy to help the world a better place until Jesus returns. I lift up all the hurting and devastated people from around the world, Father God. I trust You in Your purpose and plan to meet all their needs. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Happy Days!

1 Peter 3_10-18 scripture image

What I observe here is that Paul is writing to give us instructions on what scripture says for me to live a certain way to enjoy life. Don’t be afraid. I must respect/revere Jesus Christ and be ready to give folks an answer when they want me to explain about the hope I have in Jesus Christ… and I must be gentle and respectful about it. I must keep a clear conscience so that whatever evils are spoken of my good life in Christ, those people will be ashamed. It’s better to do good than evil; if it’s what GOD wants of me.  Jesus suffered for my sins; even though He was not guilty but he suffered for my guilt to bring me to GOD. His body was killed, but He was made alive in Spirit. The Good News of the Gospel is expressed here. Happy Days!

This scripture is a tall order. It can be overwhelming. The thing I need to keep in mind is that I don’t need to be afraid and not let evil take over. I need to stay focused on Jesus Christ and not let my human nature and satan take over. Seek GOD always. Jesus’ gift of salvation is the ultimate gift of love to reconcile me back to my Creator, YAH. Keep on doing good, no matter what! GOD will back me up. Happy Days!

Prayer: Dear Father GOD, thank YOU for the gift of salvation. Thank YOU for using me for YOUR good. I pray for lost souls to be saved and reconciled to YOU. I pray for a lost and dying world to seek YOU in all ways and things. I lift the world up to YOU. There is such tragedy and horrific things going on around the world. I pray for and look forward to the Happy Days with YOU in heaven, LORD. I pray that whatever Your plan and purpose is, people will still seek YOU and give YOU the honor and glory in it all. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Loving One Another

1 John 3 scripture

  • What are the details in the verses?
    • Think about the who/what/where/when/why/how.
      • We must love each other.
      • It’s been the message from the beginning.
    • If we hate, we’re the same as a murderer.
      • A right-minded person doesn’t want to be a murderer. Right?
    • Verse 16 says: This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for our brothers and sisters.
      • This is the Good News of the Gospel, pure and simple.
      • We must be willing to give our lives for our brothers and sisters.
    • Verses 18 & 19 tell us: Dear children, we must show love through actions that are sincere, not through empty words. This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and how we will be reassured in His presence.
      • I’ve learned over time that true and real love isn’t about emotions and feelings so much.
      • True and Real Love is a verb; it is an action! It’s what you do; not just saying something, but doing. Mull that over for a bit. Pray about it. Let GOD show you and guide you in true and real love.
  • What Is the strong theme?
    • True & Real LOVE.
  • What stands out?
    • Everything I said above…
  • What is God’s word saying to me in these verses?
    • Really love my brothers and sisters through action.
    • I can’t pick and choose who I want to love and how I love them.
    • It has to be GOD’s way.
  • How can I apply this scripture to my life?
    • Do everything GOD’s way; not mine.
    • Go deep into the recesses of my spirit and soul and clear out the cobwebs. Love how GOD wants me to love.
    • Love on my brothers and sisters like never before! In today’s day and age, people need it more than ever.
    • Pray for them also. Even when I don’t know their life’s situation, God knows. That’s all that matters. I do not need to know the details of their situation.
  • What do I need to change to make the application of this scripture work?
    • Stop the negative thoughts and behaviors that cause hate and unloving ways in my life that affect others. Yes, believe it or not, we all harbor some hate deep in our spirits. It needs to be blotted out and destroyed.
    • Once the above is put into place, that opens my heart, soul, and spirit to actively love others.
  • What action do I need to take?
    • Yes, you saw this coming!!! “Just Do It!”

Prayer: ABBA YAH, Father GOD, thank YOU for the gift of Salvation through Jesus. I pray that we can love, truly and really love, according to YOUR word, not what we think or feel it should be. After, Jesus’ actions of willing being crucified and resurrected are the ultimate true gift of love. We must love because He loved us first! Show us YAH! I pray the tragedy and horrific devastation is stopped according to Your will. I pray that we love people instead of fighting, hating, and murdering them. Thank You for allowing me to truly love people, as well as being loved back by them. YOU are in control, YAH. Thank YOU for that! I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

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A Virtuous Woman; Who Can Find Her?

  • What are the details in these verses?
    • Think about the who/what/where/when/why/how.
      • This scripture is talking about a virtuous and capable wife; not just any woman.
      • A virtuous wife is more precious than rubies.
      • She’s an early riser to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.
      • She’s a very fit and capable wife. She is careful and isn’t lazy about getting things done.
      • She extends a helping hand to the needy.
      • She speaks wisely with kindness.
      • She is clothed with strength and dignity. She’s not afraid to laugh for fear of the future.
    • What is the strong theme?
      • A virtuous and capable wife.
    • What stands out?
      • A wife is to be virtuous and capable, not fearing, as well as strong and not lazy, and willing to extend a helping hand to the needy. She needs to speak wisely and with kindness.
      • Nothing holds her back.
    • We need to think about what it means to be virtuous. What does virtuous mean?
      • Honorable with excellent morals, good ethics, and integrity. An honest and humble life.
        • ~ A righteous life. Which means living right! Not right according to human thinking, but right in the eyes of GOD and HIS word. HIS word is a light to our path and a guide to lead us on the right path (we discussed this in a previous devotion.)
    • We also need to think about what it means to be more precious than rubies.
      • A precious ruby is highly valued across the world.
      • Through the ages, the ruby has represented nobility, purity, and passion. Read more here…
      • In reality, translating that into a human perspective…
        • ~ A Virtuous Wife is above these ideals of the ruby. She is more noble, pure, and passionate in her duty as a wife and mother. We can break this down more and more and on and on. However, I believe we get the idea. Study this more in your Bible study time. God’s word is full of nuggets and wisdom related to living a Godly life. 

  • “What is God’s word saying to me right now?”
    •  I have a lot of spiritual work to do related to being a virtuous wife/mother/grandmother.
    • I need to get my vertical alignment right. See more about this below.
  • How can I apply this to my own life?
    • I need to rid myself of the world’s way of life and focus on God’s way of life.
    • Put into action, a plan to convert to God’s way. Which means:
      • Get into and stay in God’s living word and study it closely! Even more, than I do now.
      • Make sure to clean up my act and get to bed early and rise early.
      • Cut out all the noise and distractions of the world not related to living a Godly life as a wife/mother/grandmother.
      • The list could go on forever… list the things that relate to you specifically in your own Bible study notes/journaling.
  • What changes do I need to make?
    • See the applying this to my own life section.
      1. The major thing to focus on is vertical alignment
        1. ~ Reading God’s word daily – more than before.
        2. ~ Praying
          ~ Attending Corporate Church services to interact with other like-minded folks.
        3. ~ Sharing the Gospel with the lost and unbelieving people.
        4. ~ Extending a helping hand to the needy.
          1. * If you’re needy, don’t be ashamed to ask for help. It blesses God to see someone helping others who truly need it.
        5. ~ If you can think of other things that I missed, comment and share so we could all benefit.
  • What action do I need to take?
    • See everything just above. If you think of anything I didn’t, comment and share it so we can all benefit and learn.

Prayer: Dear Father God, thank You for who You are and what You do in our lives. I lift up all of the world to You. Everyone has something going on in their lives; whether it be illness, injury, some sort of loss, tragedies, everything bad and negative affecting lives. I pray that whatever Your will is in the lives of Your people, it will be a blessing to each one of us. Thank You for the Good News of the Gospel and for having Jesus as our Savior. I pray we live up to it. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Psalm 139_23-24 scripture image

Know My Heart, O’ God!

Psalm 139_23-24 scripture image

  • What are the details in these verses?
    • King David wrote in reference to a theme that refers to Adam; after the fall of man. King David knows that he, himself, harbors the potential for wickedness. King David makes himself extremely vulnerable here, asking YAH to use all His Godly powers to critically investigate the depths of his being to lay open and uncover any wickedness that He might find there.  King David; to a greater extent, prays that YAH would lead him “in the everlasting way”. King David prayed that God would show him the Godly path that God would call him to walk on. [Note: research was done to get the right idea for this scripture from commentaries, etc.]
  • “What is God’s word saying to me in this scripture?”
    • In reference to my life in modern times; It’s the same as King David. Speaking in human terms, We all harbor the potential for wickedness. We need to seek out YAH and have Him uncover and lay open any wickedness we have in us. We need to pray for YAH’s guidance “in the everlasting way”. Which means the Godly path toward HIM; that HE would call us to walk on.
  • How can I apply what I just read to my own life?
    • We need to be 100% focused on YAH. We need to be the example of Jesus to a lost world so we can lead and point directly to YAH; not man. We also need to share the Gospel of Jesus planting the seed for YAH to tend and harvest at the right time.
    • What do I need to change to make it work?
      • Stop listening to the world and of all its noise and distractions. Satan would love to keep us in chaos and distracted from YAH’s word and truth.
      • Get into HIS Word and stay there. The more focused on YAH we are, the less the world will bother us.
    • What action do I need to take?
      • Just Do It! (My, Kimberly’s, favorite quote!)
      • Whatever is going on, if it’s not totally focused on YAH, it is not as important as focusing on YAH!

Prayer: Dear Abba YAH, thank YOU for Your word for us to learn from and live our lives for YOU. I pray about all the chaos going on in the world around us. We know YOU are in control and that we need to trust YOU in what happens because it’s all part of Your divine design and plan. Whatever Your purpose; it’s perfect. I lift up all the sick, physically, mentally, and spiritually. They each present their own set of problems… however, being sick is being sick. I pray for wellness to take place in whatever manner YOU see fit and that YOU get the honor and glory; no matter what! I thank YOU and praise YOU, YAH. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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GOD is With Us

Psalm 46 scripture image
When all around us the world is raging in war and turmoil, and we’re frightened without anywhere to go; nor do we know what to do, all we need to do is look up to GOD and trust and obey HIM, in all things.

David writes in Psalm 46 how God is our refuge and a very present help in trouble. He wants us to know that God is not moved by earthly trials. God is our fortress and refuge. We need to seek Him and know that He does not fear anything. HE can make wars cease, breaks bows, and shatter spears; He burns the chariots with fire. He warns us to “BE still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

We have no reason or excuse to be so frightened and fearing everything around us.  God is in control. Even if our mortal bodies die, our soul and spirit will rise to be with HIM in heaven. That’s a joyous experience!

What are you afraid of? Why are you afraid? Seek God and trust Him now. Give all your worries, cares, and fears to Him. He will care for you and be your refuge and fortress.

PRAYER: Abba YAH, I pray that we will seek You and trust You. I lift up the readers of this blog to You, YAH. I also life up all the ill, physically, mentally, and spiritually. I know and trust You will meet their needs. I also pray for all the world with its turmoil and the warring going on in places. I pray that they will seek You, trust You, and see the error of their ways. Thank You for the gift of salvation through Jesus, also. Without it, we’d be destined for hell. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Messiah Prophecy Fulfilled

Acts 3:17-23 Scripture image

  • What is going on in the verses?
    • Luke is the author/scripter of Acts. However, Peter is speaking to the Israelites in the temple. He saw the opportunity to address them and seized the opportunity.
    • Peter is acknowledging the people’s ignorance in giving Jesus over to be crucified.
    • Peter also acknowledged that God fulfilled a prophecy foretelling about the Messiah-Jesus, that He must suffer these things.
    • We must repent and turn to God, so that our sins may be wiped away.
    • Jesus must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things. God promised long ago.
    • The prophet Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.’ He also said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people.’
  • What is the theme? What stands out?
    • Peter acknowledges the people’s ignorance, as well as prophecy being fulfilled of the Messiah-Jesus.
    • The prophet, Moses informed and warned the people of the consequences concerning the Messiah.
    • As a result of the prophecy of the Messiah being fulfilled
      • We must repent and turn to God, so that our sins may be wiped away.
  • “What is God’s word saying to me today?”
    • I must acknowledge my ignorance and accept that Jesus is the Messiah and repent and turn to God seeking forgiveness and living my life for Jesus.
  • How do we apply this knowledge to our own life?
    • Sharing the gospel and how the gospel message has formed our testimony.
    • Be in God’s word daily and pray, as well as…
    • Coming together with like-minded believers sharing with each other about God’s word; praising and worshipping the LORD.
  • What changes do I need to make?
    • Remove all outside noise that doesn’t align with God and HIS word.
    • Be more diligent in gathering together with like-minded believers.

How does this fit your life? What can you do to apply God’s word in your life?

PRAYER: Dear Abba YAH, thank YOU for YOUR word and the knowledge YOU bestow upon me from YOUR word. Thank YOU for talking to me through YOUR word; as it’s alive and living among us. I lift up the readers of this blog and pray that YOU will give them wisdom and understanding and show them the path YOU want them on. Thank YOU for showing me and placing me on the path YOU placed me on. Help us to stay with YOU and continue to grow in our faith in YOU. Thank YOU for giving us the Messiah, our Savior. YAH, I lift up all the world to YOU right now as YOU can see and know the tragic acts that are happening. I  pray that YOU will get all the glory and honor in all that takes place; good and bad because, in the grand scheme of things, it’s YOUR plan and in the end, all will be beneficial in our faith and trust in YOU. I praise, honor, worship, adore, and love YOU, YAH. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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A Favor Asked of Jesus

Matthew 20:20-28 Scripture imageNOTE: I apologize for this post being long. But, it needs to be shared. If I break it up into several posts, it ends up being disjointed and confusing.

We don’t realize what we’re asking of Jesus. Our requests are purely for selfish gain and temporal reasons. We must realize that we need to look from an eternal spiritual perspective; not an earthly temporal perspective. The spiritual perspective is a totally different view than the earthly temporal one.

We must seek Jesus and HIS eternal home. Living in a temporal earthly life has one requirement compared to the one eternal spiritual requirements. We have to live out both requirements in order to work out our salvation with the fear and trembling of Yahweh.

As it says in Revelation, below, we must be hot or cold; not lukewarm.

Jesus said in Revelation 3:14-22
“Write this to the angel of the church in Laodicea:
“The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of all God has made, says this: I know what you do, that you are not hot or cold. I wish that you were hot or cold! But because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am ready to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich, and I have become wealthy and do not need anything.’ But you do not know that you are really miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold made pure in fire so you can be truly rich. Buy from me white clothes so you can be clothed and so you can cover your shameful nakedness. Buy from me medicine to put on your eyes so you can truly see.
“I correct and punish those whom I love. So be eager to do right, and change your hearts and lives.
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you, and you will eat with me. “Those who win the victory will sit with me on my throne in the same way that I won the victory and sat down with my Father on his throne. Everyone who has ears should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Two requirements:

  1. Temporal earthly-three main things
    1. Scripture support:
      2 Corinthians 4:16b-18
      Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

      1. We make it our aim to please God, both now when we are in our physical bodies and later when we see rightly and live for eternity.
      2. Keeping eternity in our sights reminds us of the briefness of the lifespan of our temporal existence.
    2. Scripture support:
      James 1:27 says: Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

      1. We are in a relationship with GOD/Yahweh. The other part of the Trinity (Jesus/Holy Spirit) will fall into place when it’s true.
      2. It’s pretty self-explanatory.
    3. Scripture support:
      Mark 13:10 says: But first, the Good News must be spread to all nations.
      Mark 16:15 says: Jesus said to his followers, “Go everywhere in the world and tell the Good News to everyone.

      1. It’s our mission to share the Good News of God’s Kingdom and that Jesus is our Savior.
  2. Spiritual eternal-four main things
    1. Everything in number 1 above points to our spiritual health. However, there are separate spiritual points we should take into consideration.
    2. Scripture support:
      Ephesians 2:8-9 says: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

      1. We are saved by grace. We offer nothing to the equation.
    3. Scripture support:
      1. Faith & Obedience to God is a requirement of eternal life. Everything will tie in together as you read on!
      2. Obedience is an expression of our deep, abiding faith in His promises.
      3. Obedience is a willing expression of our love and gratitude for all He is willing to give.
      4. Through obedience, we demonstrate our faith in Jesus, overcome the world and accomplish God’s purpose.
      5. There is no contradiction between faith and obedience.
    4. Scripture support:
      1 John 5:1-5 says Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is God’s child, and whoever loves the Father also loves the Father’s children. This is how we know we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands. Loving God means obeying his commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us, because everyone who is a child of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world—our faith. So the one who conquers the world is the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
    5. We know that all believers will receive resurrected bodies (1 Corinthians 15:42-44 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.) Which means, we will not exist without body & spirit, but we will possess glorified bodies especially suited for an existence in the eternal state.
    6. Scripture support:
      Ephesians 4:13-14 tells us this: This work must continue until we are all joined together in the same faith and in the same knowledge of the Son of God. We must become like a mature person, growing until we become like Christ and have his perfection. Then we will no longer be babies. We will not be tossed about like a ship that the waves carry one way and then another. We will not be influenced by every new teaching we hear from people who are trying to fool us. They make plans and try any kind of trick to fool people into following the wrong path.

      1. Spiritual boundaries are beneficial to our spiritual well-being. There should be clear boundaries to govern the beliefs we hold and how we put those beliefs into practice.
      2. Not having spiritual boundaries can lead to theological confusion and the misbehavior that comes with it.
      3. The best way to understand and have clarity on this subject is to read more here.

When we remove our human selfishness and live our lives out in faith and obedience to Yahweh, we are blessed by Him and we bless Him. Our rewards in heaven will vary depending on our earthly ministries. It’s in scripture, look it up for yourselves.

How does your earthly ministry lend to your spiritual health and eternal destiny?

Prayer: Father God, I lift up myself as well as the readers of this blog. I pray that their lives are a blessing to You and that they will live out their faith in obedience to You, in eagerness. Light our paths in such a way that we have no question it’s You leading us. Thank You for our salvation and Your grace and mercy. I pray also for all the world leaders to seek You and that they will be obedient to You. I lift up the ill, physical, mental, and spiritual. I pray that all those affected by some horrific tragedy will find solace in You. I know and trust You to meet all needs. Thank You for all the answered prayers. In Jesus’ name, amen.

When Gamaliel Speaks, The High Council Listens

In Acts 5 the Apostles were teaching about Jesus in the temple. The High Counsel (the Sadducees) didn’t like it, so they sent jailers to arrest them and put them in jail. While in jail, God sent an angel of the Lord to release them from jail without the jailers even noticing. Then, because the Angel of the Lord told them to, they went back to the temple to teach more.

When they were supposed to be brought before the High Council the next day, they weren’t in the jail. They were found at the temple, again. The High Priest was furious and wanted to put them to death immediately. Scripture says:

But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. Acts of the Apostles 5:29

Because the High Council was all worked up with anger… This is what happened:

But one member, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was an expert in religious law and respected by all the people, stood up and ordered that the men be sent outside the council chamber for a while. Then he said to his colleagues, “Men of Israel, take care what you are planning to do to these men!
Acts of the Apostles 5:34‭-‬35

Gamaliel explained to the High Council what happened when others interfered with God’s plans, the Council had a change of heart. They let the Apostles go. On Gamaliel’s advice that if the Apostles were up to no good, it would fall apart like past situations.

We find that when it is of GOD, nothing anyone says or does can stop it, change it, or interfere with it. GOD will make it happen regardless.

We need to keep that in mind when we think we can control everything in life. When evil is involved, it gets really ugly; fast. Even with GOD in control, things can be ugly, but if we let Him do His thing, it all turns out good. His plans are perfect.

What situation do you find yourself in today? Whatever it is, God is in control. Trust Him with the outcome and answer. His promises will never fail us. He’s the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is right by your side. Reach out to Him. He’s waiting for you.

Dear Father YAH, I pray for the state of the world and circumstances we find ourselves in. YOU know those who are ill. Whether it be physical, mental, or spiritual. I lift up all of them, myself included, and ask for healing and transformation for Your good. Thank You for Your word, because it is a lamp to my feet. You show me the way. I pray that we see Your light and follow it. In Jesus’ name, amen.