The Lord is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does. – Psalm 145:13 As I continue to learn about praying scriptures I am finding a new passion for studying God’s Word. Now when I read the Bible it’s not just for the purpose of learning, but also to pray those same words with understanding, and when I do, it opens up more possibilities than I ever imagined. A quote I read today in the study said, “If we pray with faith, we must anchor our requests in God’s promises. If I am to have faith with I pray, I must find some promise in the Word of God on which…

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6 As the New Year was about to begin I took time to think of what it might bring. I thought of the adventures that await, what changes will take place and what challenges are around the corner that I will need to face. In that moment the Lord reminded me of how He created me. He created me to be a planner. Detail oriented. Forward-thinking. Organized. Goal-oriented and driven. All of which requires persistence, focus, and a strong will. All of these also…

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.  They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. – Romans 1:24-25 Does life without God look like freedom to you? That was the question posed to me in my bible study today. The notes went on to say, “Defiant freedom from God will confine you forever. There is no worse slavery than slavery to sin.” People tend to believe lies that reinforce their own selfish, personal beliefs. Today, more than ever, we need to be careful…

 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. – Galatians 6:9 I have been studying about praying scripture over your loved ones for the last several weeks which led to a truth that made me stop and think. Many times our prayers are not answered on our time frame or in the ways that we might prefer. We need to remember that God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are higher than ours. The apostle Paul had strongly desired to visit the believers in Rome, but many times the Lord prevented him from…

And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. – Romans 1:6 Doesn’t it feel amazing to belong? We strive to fit in and feel accepted in this world, but our true calling as believers is to know our worth, position and purpose in Christ. The Message translation for today’s verse reads, “You are who you are through the gift and call of Jesus Christ.” Your worth is summed up in the sacrifice that Christ made for you. You are worth dying for! Your position is now an heir of God and co-heir with Christ and your purpose is to be Christ’s ambassador; to witness…

Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes. – Nehemiah 4:14 We often forget that prayer is our first line of defence and that the battle is the Lords. We fight for our families on our knees and with His Word. Prayer is one of my favorite things. It’s the opportunity to talk with God about anything and everything. I remember before I became a believer, the prayers of two men over my family. I was amazed at the way they prayed as if talking to a dear friend, One with authority and power to bring change. Their…

“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’  When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.  Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.” – Luke 11:24-26 I personally experienced this verse today. While waking up with a nice hot cup of coffee and getting ready to begin my devotional time I started thinking of some issues with my house…

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” – Matthew 16:24-25 I recently attended an event where a woman mentioned that she needed to lose weight for health reasons and that she planned to begin after the holidays. She then proceeded to enjoy several desserts and extra servings of the lunch that was provided. That mentality reminded me of a weight loss challenge that I was involved in several years ago. On the first day of the…

In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wilderness they put God to the test. – Psalm 106:14 While Christmas shopping I saw a large peppermint candy cane similar to the ones I use to receive in my stocking when I was growing up. Memories of enjoying this sweet delight filled my mind and I was easily wisked away into thinking I needed and wanted one for old times sake. Later that night as I savored the minty flavor and continued to indulge in thoughts of days gone by, I slowly broke off another piece, then another and another, until what use last weeks when I was a child, was…