Manna for Your Morning

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” — Matthew 6:34 (MSG) Jesus came to give us a rich and satisfying life (John 10:10 NLT), don’t waste today by trying to anticipate tomorrow’s troubles. Each day has enough trouble of its own. You don't know what will happen tomorrow, so rest and trust in the One who does. Focus on the great big things our mighty God is doing in your midst today!

And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life. — 1 John 2:25 (NKJV) God planted eternity in the human heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT). And of all the promises God gave us in His Word, the promise of eternal life is the ultimate one. This is eternal life, that we may know Him, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He sent (John 17:3). Our heavenly Father created us to know Him and be in constant fellowship with Him and His Son Jesus Christ. May we always seek to grow more intimate in our relationship with the Lord and become more like Him as we gain greater  understanding of His ways and His nature.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people from this time forth and forever. — Psalm 125:2 (NKJV) God encircles His people. No matter what direction the enemy comes at us, God has us covered on every side. If God is for us, who can be against us? We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us and protects us. Dwell in the secret place of the Most High and you shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. (Psalm 91:1 AMP)

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 123:2 (NKJV) Do not put your confidence in your own strength, abilities, and talents. Look to the LORD. He has an abundant supply of all that we need. For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength (Isaiah 26:4), power and wisdom. In our weakness, His strength is made perfect. Keep looking to the LORD our God, watching and waiting, for His abundant mercy and great grace. Lean on and be confident in the LORD, our provider. He will be your support and supply what you lack.

  He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. — Psalm 121:3-4 (NKJV) The LORD is your keeper (Psalm 121:5). Even when you walk through the darkest valley, do not be afraid, because He is with you. Our awesome God is not asleep and He takes no vacation. He is always there when you need Him. Set the Lord continually before you; because He is at your right hand, you shall not be moved (Psalm 16:8).

Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise,  who shout on parade in the bright presence of God. Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who you are, what you do—they can’t keep it quiet! Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us— you’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air! All we are and have we owe to God, Holy God of Israel, our King! — Psalm 89:15-18 (MSG) Passwords give access. We enter His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4). Some passwords of praise: Everything that has breath! Make a joyful noise! Acknowledge Him! Worship Him! Just do it! Seven times a day and all day long praise the LORD because of His righteous decrees (Psalm 119:164 AMP). He is worthy to be praised!

You are good and kind and do good; teach me Your statutes. — Psalm 119:68 (AMP) The Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting (Psalm 100:5 AMP). Oh, that men would praise [and confess to] the Lord for His goodness and loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men! (Psalm 107:21). He forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases. He redeems us from death and crowns us with love and tender mercies. He fills our lives with good things (Psalm 103:3-5). Let us, like our heavenly Father, do good and practice kindness.

Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. — Romans 5:3 (AMP) Regardless of any troubles and sufferings, we can be full of joy right now, knowing that patient endurance is the outcome. Patient endurance is what we need now, so that we will continue to do God’s will. Then we will receive all that He has promised (Hebrews 10:36 NLT). When our endurance is fully developed, we will be perfect and complete, needing nothing (James 1:4 NLT). Therefore… let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us (Hebrews 12:1 NLT).

The LORD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him— my father’s God, and I will exalt him! — Exodus 15:2 (NLT) After four hundred years of captivity (Genesis 15:13), God delivered the Israelites from their enemies and they sung this song to the LORD. No matter how long our troubles may last, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23 NKJV). My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life (Psalm 119:50 NIV). God is our strength and song and He has given us the victory! Hallelujah!

Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. — Jeremiah 32:17  (NKJV) In 2 Kings 20:5 (NKJV), King Hezekiah was sick and near death and the prophet Isaiah said to him, “Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: ‘I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you…’ ” God extended his life for fifteen years and defended his city from their enemies. What are you believing God for today? He has heard your prayer and He has seen your tears. Lay your requests before Him and wait expectantly (Psalm 5:3 NIV). Nothing is too difficult for our great God!

And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. — 2 Kings 19:30 (NKJV) Let’s be among the believers who take root downward in the Lord and bear much fruit upward and outward. Colossians 2:6-7 says, as you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith… (NKJV). By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples (John 15:8 NKJV). May the roots of our inner beings be firmly and deeply planted in the Lord and always on the grow. And let us purposefully, bear an abundance of fresh fruit in every season.

You have said, Seek My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital need]. My heart says to You, Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek, inquire for, and require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word]. — Psalm 27:8 (AMP) The LORD will show you the way of life, granting you the joy of His presence and the pleasures of living with Him forever. (Psalm 16:11 NLT) The Presence of the LORD is the source of all our hope, peace, joy and love. Let us require His presence as a vital need, an essential necessity, every moment of our day. As we seek His face, He will show us the path of life.

He trusted in the LORD God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments... — 2 Kings 18:5-6 (NKJV) King Hezekiah put his trust in God. The LORD was with him; he prospered wherever he went (2 Kings 18:7). He remained faithful to the LORD in everything , so the LORD was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did (2 Kings 18:6,7 NLT). The secret to his success: He held fast to God—never loosened his grip—and obeyed to the letter everything God had commanded Moses (2 Kings 18:6 MSG). What are you holding onto? Fears, worries, anxieties? Hold fast to the LORD. Cling to Him and never depart from following His ways and success in all you do will surely follow.

So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. — 1 Peter 5:6 (MSG) We are not always where we expected to be at certain phases in our life. The Apostle Paul said, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation” (Philippians 4:12 NKJV). Part of being content is the art of surrendering to God’s perfect timing. God uses every situation we go through, and the pain and suffering we experience, to refine us and help prepare us for what’s next, as we go from glory to glory. It will all come together at just the right time, God’s appointed time. May we find contentment in every circumstance, knowing that God is working for our good.

For the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter; and whether bond or free, there was no helper for Israel. — 2 Kings 14:26 (NKJV) The Message Bible says, God was fully aware of the trouble in Israel, its bitterly hard times (2 Kings 14:26). God is also fully aware of the troubles and bitter affliction that you experience. Our heavenly Father has kept His eyes on you since you were being formed in your mother’s womb. And He wants you to know that our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NIV). As the eyes of the LORD are on you, fix your eyes on Jesus, because despite all these things we go through in this life, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us (Romans 8:37) enough to suffer and die for us.

He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. — Psalm 40:2 (NLT) If your life seems to be in the pit, look up! God is with you, and He is mighty to save. He is a shield for you, your glory and the One who lifts up your head (Psalm 3:3 NKJV). Declare Psalm 121:1-2 (NKJV), “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.”

This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. — Psalm 118:24 (NKJV) The LORD has brought about this very day for a reason and a purpose. Why rejoice? He sustained you through the night and woke you up this morning, with His breath of life flowing through your body. Be filled with joy because He bestowed upon us, fresh, new compassions and mercies, at the start of this glorious day (Lamentations 3:22-23). We can delight ourselves with the fact that our great God is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9). He who has begun a good work in you will complete it (Philippians 1:6). Be glad that by His divine power God has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, (2 Peter 1:3). The Lord richly blesses all who call on him, (Romans 10:12 NIV). That should thrill you to no end. And most of all, our hearts should be merry because, Jesus is with us ALWAYS, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Glory to God! His Presence with us, is to be our deepest source ...

I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. — Psalm 116:1-2 (NKJV) The Psalmist said, “I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the LORD” (Psalm 116:3-4). When you are distressed or sorrowful, call upon the LORD. He will answer you and set you in a broad, spacious place. The LORD is on your side; do not fear. What can man do to you? (Psalm 118:5-6) It is better to trust and take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man (Psalm 118:8 AMP). Call upon Him as long as you live. He hears your voice.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” — John 14:27 (NLT) My beloved, stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled (John 14:27 AMP). If you are preoccupied with the things of this world, don’t expect to experience the deep and lasting peace that only Jesus can give. If we accept the Lord’s gift, then we can enjoy the benefits inside. And we open the gift by abiding in His Presence. We maintain peace, by giving ALL our worries and cares to God, and keeping our eyes on Him for the answer, the solution and the deliverance. Amen!

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you. — Isaiah 54:10 (NIV) Do not be disturbed by the fiery trials and troubles you are going through. Hold onto His peace. When all the shaking is done, the things which cannot be shaken will remain, that is God's unfailing love for you and His covenant of peace. Through the unfailing love of the Most High you will remain standing. His unfailing love is your support (Psalm 94:18 NIV). The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love (Psalm 147:11 NIV). Morning by morning He brings you word of His unfailing love. Embrace it and it will preserve your life!

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed;” — Luke 4:18 (NKJV) If you are oppressed, Jesus came to set you free. He proclaims liberty to the captives, healing to those who are brokenhearted. The Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8 NLT). He sets us free from fear, worry, bondage, addictions, etc. You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free (Galatians 5:13 NIV). Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1 NKJV).

Are you listening? I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the LORD says and how he will answer my complaint. — Habakkuk 2:1 (NLT) Have you ever had someone ask you and question and then not listen for the answer? Sometimes we pour out our questions to God and never listen for His reply. There is a lot of noise in the world. We have to be careful whose voice we choose to listen to. May we drown out the meaningless chatter and listen intently for His voice. The Holy Spirit is always speaking to us. Just like we program our favorite radio station for easy access, we have to stay tuned in to His still small voice to receive His wise counsel and guidance.

For I will [fully] satisfy the weary soul, and I will replenish every languishing and sorrowful person. — Jeremiah 31:25 (AMP) As we abide in His Presence, our heavenly Father fully satisfies our weary souls. His Holy Spirit dwelling in us, empowers us with everything we need to successfully navigate our way through each moment of the day. He gives us strength for every struggle. Put your hand in His and let Him be your guide. He alone is the source of our peace, and joy and only in His Presence will we be fully satisfied and fulfilled.

  So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” — 2 Kings 6:16 (NKJV) When prophet Elisha's servant got up and went out, he was overcome with fear as he saw the great army that had surrounded the city. But Elisha prayed that the LORD would open his eyes that he may see. Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:17). When it seems the enemy has you surrounded on every side, do not fear. There are more on our side than his. If God is for us who can be against? With our God we gain the victory, and He tramples down our enemies (Psalm 108:13). Praise the LORD!

Then she called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.” So he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.” And she said, “It is well.” — 2 Kings 4:22-23 (NKJV) The son of the Shunammite woman had just sat in her lap and died, and yet she responds to her husband that “It is well.” What living hope, what blind faith, what reliance on God and His extravagant goodness. May we have the eyes to look at adverse circumstances, full of faith. Let us keep our hope alive, and anchored in the LORD, no matter how dead situations may appear to our natural eyes. And may we always trust in God and rely on Him to revive that which seems utterly hopeless. Blessed is the man or woman who trusts in the LORD! (Psalm 34:8)

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” — Isaiah 52:7 (NKJV) Be the one who brings the Good News into your atmosphere. Instead of the gloom and doom we hear in the worldly news, be the bearer of good news. Proclaim and promote peace with God and with everyone who comes your way. Bring to others, the message of God’s amazing love that He has poured into your heart. Tell others about the good things that God is doing in your life! We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). Amen!

The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. — Psalm 103:8 (NKJV) Our heavenly Father is full of mercy and grace. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). God knows exactly what we are going through and His help comes just when we need it the most. His grace empowers us to live victoriously, at such a time as this.

Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! — Psalm 103:1 (NKJV) Just as we want God to bless us, we are to bless our heavenly Father. How can we bless the LORD? We can give God our all —all that we are, all that we have, all that we hope to be, our dreams, our fears and our regrets. We bless the LORD with our tongues (James 1:9), as we sing His praises. We bless the LORD with our bodies as we walk in His ways. And as we worship Him with lifted hands, in total surrender and submission. We bless the LORD as we give Him all our cares and concerns, and totally trust in Him. We bless Him when we stand on His Word in the face of adverse circumstances and contrary reports. Bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in your mouth (Psalm 34:1). We will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore (Psalm 115:18). Amen!

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand (Psalm 95:6-7). Our heavenly Father faithfully keeps watch over us, like a shepherd caring for His sheep. He created us to be in fellowship with Him. Our lives are to be in a consistent, intimate exchange with the One who created us, the One who loves us so very much. Let us humbly bow down and acknowledge our Maker, the Most High God. Worship Him with a sincere heart, thankful for all that He is and grateful for all that He does.

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night, — Psalm 92:1-2 (NKJV) Let us give thanks to the LORD, every morning, for His unfailing love. It knows no bounds and has a limitless supply. Nothing can separate us from His great love! Thank God for His faithfulness, every night. He is always faithful to provide all that we need. And His faithfulness extends to every generation (Psalm 119:90 NLT). Sing praises to the Most High God!