Lord, I desire to dwell in your holy habitation and not in the tents of the wicked. Please keep my feet from slipping and following the steps of evil doers. Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts. Lord, let me walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me, so that I may dwell in your house and the place where your glory dwells. Amen!

If you are truly thankful, will you lift high the name of Jesus for all that he has done and continue to do for you? Every morning I awake, there is a song of praise on my lips. I lift God up in praise from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, because our God is awesome. He gives us so much more than we could ever earn or deserve, therefore, we will give him all the glory and praise due his name. Thank you, Lord!

My brothers and sisters in Christ, the best thing you could do is to have Jesus as your friend. I am in agreement with Augustine of Hippo who said, “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him, the greatest adventure; and to find him, is the greatest human achievement.” I have been on a spiritual journey with my God, and it truly has been a romance, an adventure, a thriller, and the best thing that could have happened to me. The world could hate me because Jesus chose me out of the world, but I would still be happy because Jesus is the sweetest friend I know.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, if you are a branch of the True Vine, you cannot help but bear good fruit. If your father is the Vinedresser, know that He will continually prune you so that you will bear more fruit. Many of us are unfruitful because we refuse to abide in God, and apart from Him we can do nothing. So my friends, I am encouraging you this morning to continually abide in God, let His words abide in you, so that your joy may be full, so that whatever you ask you will receive.

Jesus is begging you and I this morning, to give it all to Him, all of our struggles and trials and worries and weariness, our cares and concerns, our heartaches and failures, our disappointments and pains. You may be ashamed this morning to tell your friend what you are going through, you may feel that no one would be willing or able to help you, but, Jesus is saying to you this morning, “Come”, give me all of your heavy burdens and in return, I will give you rest. Thank you, Lord!

We fight against the Lord when we go contrary to his will for us, we fight against the Lord, when we take things that he did not give to us, we fight against the Lord, when we are rebellious and follow the desires of our hearts. My brothers and sisters in Christ, God gives us blessings without trouble, let us learn to wait on the Lord and not fight against Him.

God is merciful to us because He is a God who cannot lie, if we are faithless, God remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself. Genesis 28:15 reminds us of his faithfulness. He said, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” God is merciful to us, because He loves us unconditional, just as we should strive to love Him too.

Thank you, Lord, for your goodness which never changes nor fails towards us. Give us faithful hearts to trust you completely, knowing that you are our friend who never change with the changing years, or like shifting shadows, that you are the only constant in our lives, and that we should try to be undivided in our focus on you and in our service to you. Thank you, Lord!

My brothers and sisters in Christ, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Those who fear the Lord will not lack anything good. Those who fear the Lord are like mount Zion, for when their enemies shall attack them they shall not be moved, though wars break out against them, they will not be afraid, for the Lord their God is with them. Oh, praise the Lord this morning, all you who fear the Lord, and worship Him in the beauty of holiness, all the days of your lives.

Stop right where you are and give God praise, don’t think; just stop right where you are and give God a praise. You have been blessed, you have been blessed in so many ways, but, did you stop, did you stop to give God a praise? There were times when you were down, when you were standing on shaky ground, when your back was against the wall, when you were just about to fall, something or someone picked you up, and set you straight again. That something was Jesus. That someone was Jesus. If you did not know it then, you know it now. So, stop right where you are, and give God a praise. You were sick, you were in need, you prayed for God to intercede. You were highly favored, you were healed, your strength was renewed, but, did you stop to give God a praise? Did you stop, did you stop to give God a praise? Stand right where you are, stand right where you are, and give God a praise! (One of my favorites from my book – Prayers for Everyday Living)