Psalm 66:20 ” Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me.”

The Lord will never dismiss your prayer as too trivial to listen to.  He will never turn His face away when you call out to Him.  His mercy and kindness He will never hold back from a sincere, heartfelt  prayer.

Psalm 66: 18-19 ” If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.”

When we allow our inner nature to choose, it always heads toward trouble…which leads to wickedness…which leads to emptiness…emptiness of body, mind, and spirit.  Anytime we let our flesh choose which idol to worship…it’s never the Lord.

Psalm 66:17 ” I cried out to Him with my mouth; His praise was on my tongue.”

Take a moment today to proclaim your appreciation to the Lord.  Exalt and glorify the miraculous things He has done in your life.  Give honor and praise to the Lord for all the things He has taken you out of.  Praise the name of the Lord, for He is good…and His goodness will never fail.”

Psalm 66:16 ” Come and listen all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me.”

When the Lord does something wonderful in your life… don’t keep it to yourself…share it with others.  Our faith will be built up from hearing about it, and your faith will be built up even more each time you share.  We all need to be testifying about God’s goodness and creative activity in our lives.

II Corinthians 1: 22 ” He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

Do you know  how much God loves you?  He loves you so much, that  He has stamped His name on your heart… and you are now His forever and ever.  No person or thing  can ever take you away from Him.  That Holy stamp is indelible, unchangeable, and eternal.

Zechariah 7:13 ” When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen, says the Lord Almighty.”

Listening doesn’t go just one way.  When God speaks, we need to be listening…hearing His voice, and understanding clearly His message for us…and then heeding it.  We can’t choose to keep ignoring His promptings, and then assume He’ll be there when we get ourselves in trouble.

Isaiah 8:13 ” The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, He is the one you are to fear, He is the one you are to dread.”

There is only one all-powerful King…one Mightiest Warrior.  The Lord God is His name.  Acknowledge His holiness…stand in awe of His power…for there is no other like Him.  The Lord requires all honor and reverence before Him, for He is our God.

Psalm 92: 14-15 ” They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘ The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.’ “

I see it everyday…dear elderly saints of the faith, out and about working for the Lord.   Still having  passion and purpose in their lives, they untiringly  reach out to help others.  But I also sadly see the opposite…bitter old people, alone and  resentful, complaining that the Lord has left them.  The problem is not God, He hasn’t gone anywhere. The problem is their self-absorbed, sullenness…refusing to take their eyes off themselves to look at others.

Galatians 3:22 ” But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.”

We are all bound up by this corrupt, wicked world…every one of us under the influence of sin daily.  But the good news is , while we still must be  of this world, we don’t necessarily have to be in it.  For we have these precious promises of Christ that assure us that our faith and trust in Him will never fail.

Job 2:12 ” When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him…”

Job’s three friends – Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar had come to be with their friend who was going through tough times.  But as they approached, they barely  knew him.  Granted, the horrible sores on Job’s body may have disfigured him greatly…but grief also played a major role in his appearance.  Job’s countenance was changed by the profound sorrow he was going through… of losing all his children…his livelihood…and finally grappling with the stark question… why Lord?  It’s almost impossible to hide those innermost private emotions and struggles  from showing on our face.