Blessed is ___________ if she mourns, for she shall be comforted.  Matthew 5:4 Godly sorrow brings ______________ to repentance which leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.               2 Corinthians 7:10 I will turn ____________’s mourning into gladness; I will give her comfort and joy instead of sorrow. – Jeremiah 31:13 The Lord is near to ____________ when she is brokenhearted and saves her when she is crushed in spirit. – Psalms 34:18 In all this ____________ greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have…

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. – Matthew 5:4 The Lord has sent me to bestow on the brokenhearted a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. (Isaiah 61:3) God loves you and wants to reassure you and show you that He has plans for you beyond your disappointment, pain and suffering.  It’s in our sorrow that God’s promises mean so much to us and it is then that we experience His comfort, peace and the hope of eternity with Him.  While the heartaches of this world are temporary…

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 Today’s passages are part of a memory assignment in the Christian Life & Witness program that I’m participating in. The class is part of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and was designed to help participants prepare their hearts and minds for a large evangelical event that will take place in our community this fall. The course was created to teach participants how to better witness to others and to understand the responsibility we have to personally be prepared…

And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it. Ephesians 1:5 For just a moment I want you to picture the greatness of God in your mind. I know that it is far greater than we can even think or imagine, but that’s what makes this so incredible. The vastness of His presence is limitless. God, who always was, is and will be, determined before the world was made to make us His own through Jesus Christ, children of God. This same God, our Father, spoke this world into existance.…

Blessed is ___________ if she is poor in spirit, for hers is the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:3 For if _____________ wants to save her life, she will lose it, but if ___________ loses their life for me, she will find it.  What good will it be for ____________ to gain the whole world, yet forfeit her soul? Or what can she give in exchange for their soul? – Matthew 16:25-26  ______________ cried, and the Lord heard her; He saved her out of all her troubles. – Psalm 34:6 Have mercy on __________, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out her transgressions.…

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:3 To be poor in spirit means that we recognize our utter spiritual bankruptcy before God.  We understand that we have absolutely nothing of worth to offer Him and that no amount of good works or deeds will be able to save us.  Being poor in spirit is admitting that, because of our sin, we are completely destitute spiritually and we desperately need a savior. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus was teaching that, no matter your status in life, you must recognize your spiritual poverty, your need for redemption, before you can come…

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 Temptation is something we all experience on a daily basis. At times it can feel overwhelming and all consuming. We pray for strength to resist and overcome so that we can experience freedom and victory. But do we really want that when it’s offered? That might seem like a strange question, but the hard truth is found in today’s passage. God said that He…

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 This week has been one of experiencing the love of God. By experiencing I mean being confronted by His love in the way of discipline. The Bible tells us that the Lord disciplines those He loves with the desire to refine them. Needless to say, I need refining. I’ve been reading, “Slaying the Giants in…

You have no reason for fear when you answer God’s call; you have every reason to be afraid when you put your life in your own hands. Dr. Paul David Tripp Recently I received a call from God for a couple of projects that He would like for me to do. They won’t be easy, but they will be worth it. Along with the call, He also showered me with encouragement. Below are the words that He provided and I hope they will also encourage you in all that God is calling you to do. “The One who called you created the world and holds it together by His will.…

Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:40 I had a wonderful God Day the other day. It was a day filled with learning, putting the pieces together, and experiencing God’s presence. It started with prayer and asking God to open my mind to understand scripture. Then continued with time in His Word and reading from each of the bible studies that He gave me for this season in my life. It was incredible how everything worked together. In the Defiant Joy study, the author…