Manna for Your Morning

Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. Psalm 86:1-4 (NIV) Without God's help we are indeed poor and needy. Call to Him day and night because He is the One who preserves your life. Trust in Him and you will be saved. The Lord will hear your cry and be merciful unto you. Lift up your soul to Him and He will fill you with joy. Praise the Lord! Love, Jackie

I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints— but let them not return to folly. Psalm 85:8 (NIV) The LORD promises peace to His people, but it comes when we listen to God. If we don't listen when He says, He loves us and is working all things together for the good of those who love Him, peace will escape us. If we are not listening when He says, He is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider, we get caught up in fear and anxiety and have no peace. Let us not return to our foolish ways, which to me is living a life of unbelief where we rely on ourselves and not God. Instead, listen to the LORD and experience the deep and abiding peace that only He can give. Peace & Love to you, Jackie

A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in you. Psalm 84:10-12 (NLT) God so generously gives us grace and glory. No good thing does He withhold from those who do what is right. May we reflect the Lord's glory and let His light shine through us as we extend grace to others. Amen. Love, Jackie

Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. 2 Timothy 2:3-4 (NIV) Don't let the the affairs of everyday life distract you. Stay focused on pleasing our Commanding Officer, God himself. Like a good soldier of Christ Jesus, endure hardship. For the battle is not yours, but God's and in Him, we already have the victory. Praise the LORD! Love, Jackie

But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!” Numbers 13:30 (NLT) After 12 of the Israelite leaders spent 40 days exploring the land the Lord had promised to give them, 10 of them came back with a bad report. Only Caleb & Joshua put their confidence in God and was ready to take the land. Forty years later they were the only two of the twelve that overcame and enjoyed their promised land. May we have the attitude of a conqueror and say, "we can certainly conquer the difficulties we face." We shall overcome and enjoy all that God has for us. Love, Jackie

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Romans 12:1 (The Message) Place all that you do and all that you are on the altar before God each and every day. Sunday is not the only day we are to worship Him. Embrace what God has done for you and give Him your very best. Appreciate Him for all that He gives you the strength to do. Amen. Love, Jackie

Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Romans 12:2 (The Message) Instead of conforming to the ways of this world, we are to renew our minds by the Word and God will transform us from the little worm into the beautiful butterfly. As we enclose ourselves in the cocoon of His wonderful Word, we are changed from the inside out. Fix your attention on God and let Him bring out the best in you. Love, Jackie

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 (NLT) Troubles may be pressing in on us, but we are not crushed. Even when we don't understand, we keep our hope alive and stand firm in our faith. We may get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. God's great power inside of us helps us overcome any hardship. Praise the Lord! Love, Jackie

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10 (NAS) Jesus warned us that the only reason the thief comes is to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to steal your joy and peace, and destroy your marriage, and other relationships. He would like to destroy your Christian testimony and take you out. The devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). We have to be alert at all times to the tricks of our enemy so we don't fall into his traps. James 4:7 says, when we submit to God and resist the devil, he will flee. Do this, and experience the abundant life Jesus came to give us. Amen. Love, Jackie

Jesus said, "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me." John 14:1 (NCV) Why are you troubled and bothered about so many things? God loves you too much to have you tense, stressed, and burnt out. Don't let the circumstances of this world frazzle your nerves. Cast your cares on the Lord. He is our burden-bearer. Trust God to get you through all your troubles, and deliver you from distress. Relax and enjoy the peace God gives. There is a calm in the midst of any storm when God is the center of your universe. Love & Peace to you, Jackie

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Philippians 4:8 (The Message) Instead of dwelling on gossip and rumor, let us meditate on what is true, honorable and right. Fill your minds with the good, not the bad; the best and not the worst. We'll do best by elevating our thoughts to things that are worthy of praise. Love, Jackie

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! Psalm 139:17-18 (NLT) Almighty God has you on His mind. You are precious in His sight. The LORD our God is with you and He is working everything together for good. Love, Jackie

Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. Psalm 77:13-14 (NIV) How great is our God! Nothing is too difficult for Him. In the day of trouble, seek the LORD. With His mighty arm, He displays His power among the people. Nothing can stand in His way. No plan of His can be thwarted. Our God is a mighty, mighty God. Love, Jackie

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Philippians 4:6-7 (The Message) Do you fret? Instead of allowing circumstances to agitate or irritate, the Apostle Paul encourages us to turn our worries into prayers. As we make our requests known to God and thank Him for all He has done, His peace will settle us down. With Christ as the central focal point of our lives, we can be confident in God's ability to work everything together for good. Love, Jackie

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (The Message) In the words of the Apostle Paul, without love we are nothing and we gain nothing. If we don't have love in our hearts, our words are nothing more than a loud, irritating noise. I once heard that people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. Love seeks to understand others instead of criticizing and judging them. Love embraces others and keeps no record of wrongs. Lov

A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones. Proverbs 14:30 (NLT) Let us keep our hearts in the perfect peace that comes from God and Him alone. If we continually cast our cares on Him, instead of burying them inside and letting them fester then His peace will remain on us. We have a greater chance of holding onto our peace if we avoid strife and never compare ourselves to others. Remember that a peaceful heart is the way to a healthy body. Love & Peace, Jackie

Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Psalm 73:25-26 (NLT) As your spirit grows weak draw your strength from God. He is the source of all strength and power. Love, Jackie

You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth. You will restore me to even greater honor and comfort me once again. Psalm 71:20-21 (NLT) We can have hope in all of our hardships, knowing that the LORD will restore us and lift us up. Any crisis that comes will lead us to the comforting arms of God. Amen. Love, Jackie

O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I'll bless his holy name! O my soul, bless God, don't forget a single blessing! He forgives your sins—every one. He heals your diseases—every one. He redeems you from hell—saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown. He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal. He renews your youth—you're always young in his presence. Psalm 103:1-5 (The Message) Instead of carrying your burdens, cast all your cares on God and count all your blessings. He crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies. By His mercy we do not get what we deserve but because of His amazing grace we are loaded with benefits we cannot earn. He forgives, He heals, He redeems and He renews. Bless the LORD, O my soul! Love, Jackie

For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. —Romans 14:17-18 (NLT) May we pursue a life of goodness, peace and joy. Let us sow seeds of goodness, peace and joy in abundance and we will reap a bountiful harvest. Amen. Love, Jackie

I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge . —Colossians 2:1-3 (NLT) The Apostle Paul and many others suffered greatly for the church, followers of Jesus Christ. Paul gave unselfishly to encourage believers. He instructs us to be knit together by strong ties of love. The believers in Acts gave to anyone as they had need. They met together daily for fellowship and prayer. We are all part of the same body, the same family. Let us develop strong ties of love for one another and by this all men will know we are disciples of Christ. Love, Jackie

Blessed be the Lord— day after day he carries us along. He's our Savior, our God, oh yes! He's God-for-us, he's God-who-saves-us. —Psalm 68:19-20 (The Message) Blessed be the Lord! We are in His hands and no one can snatch us out. No matter what challenges may come, He carries us through each and every one. Our Savior, He is the God who saves us. Hallelujah! Love, Jackie

The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.” —Exodus 34:6 (NLT) The Lord, our God is compassionate and merciful. His compassions are new every morning. His love never fails and His faithfulness endures forever. We can count on the Lord, day in and day out. Praise the everlasting God. Love, Jackie

The Lord answered, "I myself will go with you, and I will give you victory." —Exodus 33:14 (NCV) Like the Lord was with Moses, He will be with you. When you go through troubled family relationships, difficulties with your spouse, physical infirmities, loneliness or depression, He will be with you. And He will give you victory over all your challenges. Amen. Love, Jackie

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. —Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV) Be anxious for nothing for the Lord is near. Present your requests to God with a thankful heart for all He has done. And your heart and mind will be kept in His perfect peace. Love, Jackie

If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. —Philippians 2:1-4 (The Message) Let us care for others the way Christ loves us, unselfishly. His love for us led Him to the cross where He gave His life to save us. Instead of trying to force our own agendas, may we put our interests on the back burner long enough to be a friend and lend a helping hand to our neighbor. Love, Jackie

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously,  and he will give you everything you need.  “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.  Today’s trouble is enough for today.  — Matthew 6:33-34 (NLT) Seek God's Kingdom first and foremost and all your needs will be met. Strive to do things His way. Do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow. Instead, focus on today and the things that are within your control. In God's great wisdom, He only gives us one day at a time. Glory to God! Love, Jackie

Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. Ephesians 6:13-18 (The Message) If we are going to stand firm throughout the battles of life we must put on every piece of God’s armor. Buckle the belt of truth around your waist, put on the breastplate of righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News. We must also hold up the shield of faith to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Put