Manna for Your Morning

For the LORD delights in his people;  he crowns the humble with victory. — Psalm 149:4 (NLT) The LORD our God is with us, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He takes great delight in us and rejoices over us with singing. God is ever mindful of us. He calms all our fears, with His love. Like a devoted father, takes care of his children, our heavenly Father provides for all our needs and works all things together for good. As a loving mother is attentive to her baby, Abba Father keeps watch over us and delights in our well-being. Find comfort in His care and rejoice in the LORD, our great God!

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; — 1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV) We were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. Let us walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8). We have been called and chosen by God. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5 NKJV). The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light (Isaiah 9:2). We are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). May we walk before God in the light of the living, and draw those caught up in the darkness of this world, into His marvelous light!

I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. — Psalm 146:2 (NIV) Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful (Psalm 147:1 NKJV). He inhabits the praises of His people. The LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous (Psalm 146:8 NIV). God gives a hand to those down on their luck, gives a fresh start to those ready to quit (Psalm 145:14 MSG). Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

Blessed be the Lord, my Rock and my keen and firm Strength, who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight— my Steadfast Love and my Fortress, my High Tower and my Deliverer, my Shield and He in Whom I trust and take refuge, who subdues my people under me . — Psalm 144:1-2 (AMP) Blessed be the Lord, our Rock, who gives us a firm place to stand. He is our unwavering, Steadfast Love, constantly pouring Himself upon His children. When the enemy tries to bring you down, the Lord is our High Tower. In Him, we rise above the circumstances of this world. The Lord is our Shield, who protects us from all the flaming arrows of the evil one. He is our strong Fortress, our hiding place, while He subdues those who work against us. Every day I will bless the Lord, and praise His name forever and ever (Psalm 145:2 NKJV).

Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for on You do I lean and in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my inner self to You. — Psalm 143:8 (AMP) Our God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness. His lovingkindness is good, better than life itself (Psalm 69:16, 63:3). Look for it and count on it. His everlasting love never runs out on us. It wakes us up each morning. It keeps us throughout the day, and watches over us as we sleep at night. We can totally lean on our mighty God, putting all of our weight and burdens completely on Him because He cares for us. May we entrust our lives and all that is within us, to our heavenly Father, and allow Him to show us the way we should go.

But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it. — Numbers 14:24 (NKJV) Ten spies returned home trembling with fear and gave a bad report. But Caleb said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it,” (Numbers 13:30 NKJV). Let us be like Caleb and have a different spirit. May we have a courageous, warrior spirit that stands strong and ready to engage in combat, for  we are well able to overcome any and all obstacles! Let us have a spirit that remains loyal to the LORD, no matter how impossible circumstances appear. Wholly follow the LORD and you too shall occupy the land He has for you! THANK YOU to all past, present and future Servicemembers of the U.S. military. We sincerely appreciate your courage and sacrifice. Have a Blessed Memorial Day!

...that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; — Colossians 1:10-11 (NKJV) May we walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, that pleases Him in every way. Refuse to let a worldly, hostile environment corrupt your God-honoring behavior and joyful attitude. Let us continually grow in our knowledge of God and experience a deeper, increasing intimacy with Him. Then we will be fruitful in every good work we undertake, in every area of our lives: spiritual, physical, financial, relationships, etc. May we be strengthened with His power that resides inside of us and enables us to endure and persevere ALL things, as we hold onto the everlasting joy of the Lord. Amen!

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. — Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT) God knows us better than we know ourselves. We cannot fool Him. He searches our minds and our hearts (Revelation 2:23). He knows what we are going to say before we even utter a word (Psalm 139:4). Be open and honest with your heavenly Father. Rid yourself of anything that offends Him and follow Him. The LORD will make known to you the path of life; He will fill you with joy in His presence, with eternal pleasures at His right hand (Psalm 16:11 NIV).

You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day. — Psalm 139:15-16 (MSG) Whatever stage of life you are in, be confident that God has prepared you for it and He will provide exactly what you need to get through it gracefully. He comprehends your path and your lying down, and is acquainted with all your ways (Psalm 139:3 NKJV). God is shaping you into a marvelous, awe-inspiring masterpiece. Let the Master Sculptor complete His perfect work in you.

Those who trust in the LORD are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, both now and forever . — Psalm 125:1-2 (NLT) Whatever you go through today, remember, the LORD has you surrounded NOW and forever! He has you covered on every side. Psalm 5:12 (NLT) says, He blesses the godly and surrounds us  with His shield of love. He is our hiding place; He protects us from trouble and surrounds us with songs of victory (Psalm 32:7 NLT). In His care, we are surrounded and secure. Hallelujah & Amen!

Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest. — Psalm 126:5-6 (NLT) To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV). The time of planting and cultivating the seed for any endeavor may be labor intensive and cause us to weep, but continue on, no matter what difficulties you face. Endure the struggle! The Message Bible says, those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing (Psalm 126:6). So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up (Galatians 6:9 NLT)!

The last and final word is this: Fear God. Do what he tells you. And that’s it. Eventually God will bring everything that we do out into the open and judge it according to its hidden intent, whether it’s good or evil. — Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (MSG) King Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, searched high and low for the meaning of life. His final conclusion was that the greatest and most meaningful thing we can do is to fear God (honor Him) and do what He tells us to do. For this is man’s all (Ecclesiastes 12:13b NKJV). It is only when we pursue our God given purpose that we live truly happy, successful and fulfilled lives.

Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, until He has mercy on us. — Psalm 123:1-2 (NKJV) The devil wants us to take our eyes off of God. Either he tries to get us focused on our selves and the desires of our flesh, or he tries to distract us with things of this world. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), our wonderful Savior, the King of kings and the Lord of lords! Every day we receive new mercies, and God gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57). Amen!

I will lift up my eyes to the hills— from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. — Psalm 121:1-2 (NKJV) The LORD is our Helper. Take refuge under His wings. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber (Psalm 121:3). God never sleeps and He doesn’t take vacations. He watches over us twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore (Psalm 121:7-8 NIV). Praise the LORD for His constant care!

And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together). He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent]. — Colossians 1:17-18 (AMP) In Jesus, all things are held together. Have you ever noticed how your life tends to fall apart when you leave Jesus on the sidelines? Everything in our lives should sit in the shadow of our great and awesome God. Keep Jesus at the center of your life and let everything else revolve around Him. Let Him occupy the first and most precious place in your heart, and every corner and crevice thereafter. Just as Jesus gave us open access to the throne room of God, we should also give Him FULL ACCESS to our hearts, our minds and our lives!

This is my comfort and consolation in my affliction: that Your word has revived me and given me life. — Psalm 119:50 (AMP) In all of our pain and suffering we can be comforted with the Word of God. His Word will rejuvenate us and give us abundant life. Our consolation is that ALL things work together for good to those who love God... (Romans 8:28). Our momentary troubles will also draw us closer to God and more committed to His Word. Psalm 119:67 says, before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. The Message Bible says, my troubles turned out all for the best— they forced me to learn from your textbook (Psalm 119:71). Learn, Love & Live!

How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! — Psalm 119:103 (NKJV) Unless we delight ourselves in the LORD’s instructions, we will perish in our affliction. Never forget His precepts, for by them He has given us life (Psalm 92-93). The Message versions says: If your revelation hadn’t delighted me so, I would have given up when the hard times came. But I’ll never forget the advice you gave me; you saved my life with those wise words (Psalm 92-93). Amen!

It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.  — Psalm 118:8 (NKJV) It is better to trust in the One who is never going to fail you. Take refuge in the LORD, our strong and mighty fortress. The LORD is on your side; do not fear. What can man do to you? (Psalm 118:6) The LORD is our strength and song, and He has become our salvation (Psalm 118:14). So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! (Hebrews 10:35 NLT)

‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ — Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV) Our help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 121:2). Call upon the LORD, morning, noon, and night. He is always attentive to the cry of His children and He is very interested in anything that concerns you. Call to Him for whatever wisdom, guidance, and revelation you need to deal with the situation before you. Hold onto your confident trust in the LORD, because nothing is too difficult for our GREAT GOD!

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. — Joshua 1:8 (NKJV) Good success is success gained God’s way. As we do God’s will by following His ways and thinking as He thinks, then we will obtain good success and we will make our way prosperous and fruitful. The only way to follow His ways is to become intimately acquainted with His Word, by meditating on it day and night and treasuring it in your heart. May you experience good success: a life fulfilled!

What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? [How can I repay Him for all His bountiful dealings?] — Psalm 116:12 (AMP) The LORD has dealt so bountifully with us! How could we ever repay Him? What can we give to the LORD? OUR HEARTS. When we give Him our hearts, everything else naturally follows. Let us keep our hearts open to God and let Him perform the delicate surgery of circumcision. Allow Him to cut out of your heart anything and everything that takes you away from Him. As I turn another year older today, all I want is to grow deeper & deeper in love with Him, to get to know Him more and to become more and more like Him. This world has nothing greater to offer. Set your affections on the LORD!

For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah — Psalm 61:3-4 (NKJV) When the storms of life hit, our mighty God is a safe refuge. He is a strong tower to shelter us from the storm. We have been given free access and a standing invitation, let us dwell in Him at all times. Draw near unto the LORD and trust Him. Trust in His power to protect you from the adversary. In Him we are safe. The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe (Proverbs 18:10).

He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. And so I walk in the LORD’s presence as I live here on earth! — Psalm 116:8-9 (NLT) Praise our God, beloved children of the Most High! Let the sound of His praise be heard all over the land. He redeemed our lives from the pit of destruction and kept our feet from slipping. If we fall He is there to catch us. The tears we have sown shall bring in a bountiful harvest of joy. Let us walk in the life-giving light of the LORD’s presence, every moment He gives us here on earth.

No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the LORD. — Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV) As the Amplified version says, this peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition is our heritage! In all these troubles, trials and tribulations, we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. Amen and Praise the Lord!

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” — Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV) Whatever we go through today, all we really need to remember is that God is with us and He has already gone before us and made a way. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). Praise the LORD!

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days...” — Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NKJV) When we choose the LORD, we choose abundant life and eternal blessings. When we choose to put God first, He empowers us to love Him with all our hearts, to obey His voice and to cling to Him. Moment by moment, the choice is ours. CHOOSE LIFE! Live it, speak it and delight yourself in it.

Now therefore listen to me, O you sons; for blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not refuse or neglect it. — Proverbs 8:32-33 (AMP) If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you (James 1:5 NIV). Be wise and listen to the LORD’s instruction and direction. Joyful are those who listen to me [Wisdom], awake and watch for me each morning, alert and responsive (Proverbs 8:34). For whoever finds Wisdom finds life and receives favor from the LORD (Proverbs 8:35). Wisdom calls. Will you answer?

You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield. The LORD has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless those who fear the LORD, both small and great. — Psalm 115:11-13 (NKJV) Never feel abandoned or deserted. You are always on the mind of God, the Creator of heaven and earth. God is mindful of us. His mind is full of thoughts and plans for us. Psalm 40:5 says His thoughts about us are more than can be numbered. He has written all of your days in His book and He has plans for you to give you hope and a future. Blessings are coming your way whether you think you are small or great. Hallelujah!

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, — Ephesians 2:13-14 (NKJV) Our saving grace, is that no matter what we face in this life, we can have peace and the presence of Almighty God. Before Christ we were far off, but by His blood we enter the very throne room of God. Christ has broken down any walls that separated us from our heavenly Father. Don’t let the enemy erect any barriers between you and God. As a follower of Christ and a child of God, you have the authority to knock down any walls that try to come between you and God. Any barriers are a lie from the devil. Break through any walls of depression, doubt, fear, shame, etc. and enjoy the nearness of our wonderful and amazing God.

Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD!Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its going down the LORD’s name is to be praised. — Psalm 113:1-3 (NKJV) Let us praise the name of the LORD Most High. Whatever circumstance you face today, broken relationships, bankruptcy, sickness & disease, death, etc, the name of the LORD is higher! There is none like Him, the LORD is great, and His name is great in might and power. Blessed be His glorious name, which is exalted above all. May the majestic name of the LORD be magnified forever!

Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people— God’s grace and mercy and justice! The good person is generous and lends lavishly; No shuffling or stumbling around for this one, but a sterling and solid and lasting reputation. Unfazed by rumor and gossip, heart ready, trusting in God, Spirit firm, unperturbed, ever blessed, relaxed among enemies, they lavish gifts on the poor— a generosity that goes on, and on, and on. An honored life! A beautiful life! — Psalm 112:4-9 (MSG) In your darkest hour, light will arise! Walk in the light of His love. Extend your arm with compassion and give handfuls of grace to all who come your way.