Ephesians 1:11 ” In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will…”

You are not a mistake.  No matter what people tell you, God’s divine Will included you as an important part in this world.  He has a unique purpose for your life here on earth…your birth was foreordained by Him…He knew you before you were even conceived.  You are not a mistake, but a valuable part of God’s plan.

Isaiah 43: 12-13 ” I have revealed and saved and proclaimed – I, and not some foreign god among you. You are My witnesses, declares the Lord, that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am He. No one can deliver out of My hand. When I act, who can reverse it? “

When God moves, no thing or person can change the outcome He has in mind.  His sovereignty and  power is ever evident as He  works miracles…both on the grand scale, and little blessings only known by the recipient. But the most  important part of this verse is the concept that God’s work can never be snatched away or revoked… for  the Lord is ever in complete control.

Psalm 80:3 ” Restore us O God; make Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.”

Turn us around Lord.  Return us to our first love and enable us to know again the joy of our salvation.  As it says in Psalm 71:20, “Though You have made me see troubles many and bitter, You will restore my life again.”  Refresh us  O Lord that we may restore others around us.

Isaiah 57: 14-15 ” And it will be said: ‘Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of My people.’ For this is what the high and lofty One says – He who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’ “

A refreshing is coming.  A time of spiritual edification and uplifting for all Believers.  God will send a new wind of change…to restore and strengthen the broken and discouraged.  He will breathe new life into old places…and fresh vision into tired and apathetic souls.  As Oswald Chambers once said, ” Beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been .”  A new wind is coming…a time of refreshing is upon us.

I John 4:4 ” You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Just imagine what Godly power and boldness you could possess if the significance of this verse could sink deeply into your soul.  There would be no limit to your trust and faith in the Lord.  You would speak to  mountains and they would throw themselves into the sea.  You would pray for people and they would be instantaneously be healed. Grasp this scripture and the importance of its meaning…ponder it…receive it…walk in it.

I Chronicles 29:11 ” Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours.”

Lord, You are the King of glory.  We thank and praise You,  for You have founded this world and all that is in it. (Psalm 89:11)  Your strength and might…Your glorious beauty is everlasting and forever.  You are great, and greatly to be praised on heaven and earth…Your splendor and greatness is beyond comprehension.

Proverbs 13:10 ” Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.”

Arrogance and conceit can only bring out the worst in people.  A prideful spirit will tell you that you’re better  than everyone else and can do as you wish, but this only leads to problems when you come across someone with that same attitude!  This Proverb advises instead that we take our practical spirituality and accept counsel from others.

II Corinthians 4: 1-2 ” Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.”

In a Believer’s life I think there isn’t anything potentially more volatile than  secret sins.   Hidden sins will lead us to compromise and dilute the truth in our own mind…rationalizing things until we can live with ourselves.   They cause us to hide things out of shameful awareness and dispair…which spirals us down the slippery slope into depression.  Secret sins need to be dealt with…not left to simmer and develop into more.  Besides, you’re only fooling yourself if you think that hidden sins are really  hidden.

Exodus 2:11 ” …when Moses was grown…he went out to his own people and looked at their hard labor.”

Moses saw the oppression of his fellow Hebrews, and in that righteous indignation attempted to right the wrong…under his own power, in all the wrong ways.  What followed was discouragement and 40 years in the desert with God teaching Moses how to go about setting His people free –  the Lord’s way.   Like Moses, we may have a vision, and maybe even a clear understanding of what God wants…but we’re not ready yet.  We may also need our “40 years” in the desert being discipled by the Lord until He feels we are prepared to do His work.

II Peter 1: 5-7 ” For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. “

Your Christian walk starts out on a  Christ-shaped foundation…grounded in His Word…built on the solid rock of His love for you.  But then starts the journey all Believers must make towards maturity.  This scripture shows the progression from baby Christian to deeply rooted saint.  Like a house being built on a stable foundation, each moral quality is stacked on top of the next…teaching, disciplining, and encouraging as we go.  And in the end, a perfectly built structure will stand before our God.