“Whom have I in heaven but you oh Lord? There is none upon the earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but you, oh God, is the strength of my heart and you are my portion for evermore. I will put my trust in you oh Lord, that I may declare your wondrous works. When my heart was grieved and I was vexed in my mind, I was foolish and ignorant before you, nevertheless, I am continually with you and are continually with me, I will draw closer to you, for I know that you will hold my right hand and guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to your glory.” Thank you Lord!

Dear God, we know that there has not failed one word of your good promises to us; your ways are not our ways, nor your thoughts our thoughts, but you are our deliverer and you always deliver on time. Teach us to wait on you. Dear Lord, you promised to never leave us nor forsake us and we will not doubt you, we will thank you in advance, and believe for the promises that we await. Lord, we know that you will not withhold good from us if our hearts are loyal to you, if we walk in your statutes and keep your commandments, therefore, instill in us steadfast faith, circumcise our hearts, so that we will fear your name and walk in your ways, and receive your promised blessings. All this we ask in your precious name. Amen.

How assuring is it for a child to know, that if in the middle of the night he has a bad dream, he could run to the arms of his mother or father?  Who is your assurance this morning, in the midst of your struggle, who comforts you? My brothers and sisters in Christ, know in whom you believe; know who is your stronghold in the day of trouble; be strong and of good, courage, being confident, that the Lord your God is with you, and that he will never leave you nor forsake you. Many times, in the midst of our struggles we give up, because our strength fails, our faith is weakened; but, scripture reminds us, that if we faint in the day of adversity our strength is small, so let us pray in these times for God to increase our faith, to remove, fear, doubt and insecurity from within us, and trust that his rod and his staff will comfort us in the midst of turmoil, so that we will persevere and prevail over adversity. All this we ask in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen!

Oh, how Good and pleasant it is to give God thanks for all the many blessings he bestows on us, blessings we  did not earn or deserve, but in his goodness and mercy gave to us. Lord, we are especially thankful this day for your love, in that you woke up this morning, renewed, and refreshed. Lord, no matter what this day may bring forth, you already know the beginning and the end, so help us to trust you for favorable outcomes, to trust you to see us through, and to give you thanks when it is past. All this we ask in your precious name, amen.

Will God not then hear us who call on him, seek him, and ask for him? Scripture reminds us to ask, seek and knock, so that we may receive good gifts from God, that we may find hope to wait patiently on the Lord, and that doors God prepared for us to walk through will be opened. But, because of God’s goodness and mercy, there are many who do not call on God, yet he blesses them, to bring them to remembrance that he is the giver of all good things. He said, “All day long, I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” How much more then, would our Heavenly Father give to us, who are walking in his way, when we ask, seek, and knock? He says to call on him and he will answer you, that he is a rewarder of the faithful, that no good thing will he withhold from those who love him and keep his commandments, and that whoever calls on the name of the Lord, shall be saved. Praise the Lord!

We are reminded of this in 1 Corinthians 13, but, do we really know what love is? My mother would always say to us, “don’t tell me you love me, show me you love me”, and this has always stuck with me, and I always find it easier to show people love than to say it. “Love is kind and long suffering, love is not envious, love is not puffed up, love does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, love is not provoked, love thinks no evil, and love never fails. Think about it! How lovely have you been to those around you that you profess to love? If you have been saying, I love you, begin today by showing them real love, for if we speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not love, we are nothing but sounding brass and clanging symbols. If your heart is filled love, you will know how to love others from the heart. Praise the Lord!

This morning, God is available to hear your cry from the depths of despair, from the fish’s belly. Even if you have strayed from the path he has chosen for you, he will hear you and redirect you. Many times, we receive instructions from the Lord, and because of fear, we disobey God and instead try to run and hide; but know that there is nothing hidden from God, there is no place that we can hide from his presence, and the very thing we keep running away from, keeps popping up at every corner, because it was predestined for us. Walk in it, for the will of God will never take you, where the spirit of God will not protect you. Praise the Lord!

“Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves as instruments of righteousness to God and sin shall not have dominion over you.” Thanks be to God, that we have been set free from the bondage of sin through His grace, and whom the Son sets free is free indeed. No more shall we bear fruits of unrighteousness, but fruits of love and peace, for where sin abounded grace abounded much more”, and as one song writer said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” My brothers and sisters in Christ, how far will you allow your sins to take you, to keep you and to cost you? Shall we continue to sin so that grace may abound? Scripture says, “Certainly not!” but that we should walk in newness of life, a life set free from the bondage of sin, through the death of Christ. Therefore, let sin no longer reign in our mortal bodies, that we obey its lusts, for we are no longer slaves of sin, but slaves to righteousness, we are not under law, but under God’s grace”  Praise the Lord!

“He who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men, but he who speaks in tongues edifies himself. God is not the author of confusion, but the author of peace. My brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues what shall I profit you, unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying or by teaching? Unless you utter by the tongue, words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? There are many languages, but, if I don’t know the language of him who speaks I shall be a foreigner to him. Therefore, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church you seek to excel. If you pray in the spirit, also pray in understanding, for if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies from a place of the uninformed say, “Amen”, at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say?” My brothers and sisters in Christ, I thank God for the spirit of understanding in my praying, for I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue which no one understands. Praise the Lord!