Manna for Your Morning

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! — 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NKJV) Take no part in the deeds of darkness and evil. Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.” (Luke 11:35-36 NLT) For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! (Ephesians 5:8 NLT)

But as for me, I trust [confidently] in You and Your greatness, O LORD; I said, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hands; Rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from those who pursue and persecute me. — Psalms 31:14 (AMP) May we confidently trust in our heavenly Father, at all times, without wavering. For Yahweh is a great God and a great King above all gods, in whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land. (Psalms 95:3-5 LSB) Nothing is too difficult for Him. …great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. (Psalms 96:4 NASB1995) He is great and does wondrous works! He alone is God (see Psalms 86:10 AMP), the only true and living God.  O LORD of hosts, how blessed and greatly favored is the man who trusts in You [believing in You, relying on You, and committing himself to You with confident hope and expectation]. — Psalms 84:12 (...

So Jesus said again, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, I am the Door for the sheep [leading to life]. All who came before Me [as false messiahs and self-appointed leaders] are thieves and robbers, but the [true] sheep did not hear them. I am the Door; anyone who enters through Me will be saved [and will live forever], and will go in and out [freely], and find pasture (spiritual security).” — John 10:7-9 (AMP) Yahweh has set before us an open door which no one is able to shut. As we enter through the Door, we go from the domain of darkness to the Kingdom of light, love and truth. We go from death to everlasting life, and from being sin’s slave to ultimate freedom in Christ. Yeshua is the Door, Who gives us access to a deep, rich, and intimate relationship with Abba Father. Let us enter the Door and draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (See Hebrews 4:16 NASB1995) We are free to choose. Make a dec...

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. — John 10:27 (NLT) In Jeremiah 44:3-4, the people provoked the anger of the LORD with all their wickedness. Again and again He sent His servants, the prophets, to plead with them ‘Don’t do these horrible things that I hate so much.’ In Jeremiah 44:16, the people responded: “We will not listen to your messages from the LORD! We will do whatever we want…” Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart, as they did.   With the plethora of news channels and social media outlets, there are so many voices, a continual stream of counselors, coaches, experts, etc. giving their opinions, facts and findings. Let us not be too concerned with what people think. The Word of God is tried and true and it stands forever. It is the truth that will set you free. (See John 8:32) If the voice doesn’t line up with the Word of God, we must reject it. May we keep our ears tuned in to listen to the voice of the LORD our God, that we may...

Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete. — Romans 12:2 (VOICE) Our transformation begins on the inside, where the Spirit of the Lord dwells. Then it can be seen on the outside as we bear the fruit of the Spirit. Therefore, let us change the way we think by consistently renewing our minds with the Word of God. As our minds meditate on the Word, it permeates our hearts and leads to actions and reactions that display the nature of our Heavenly Father. Your word I have treasured and stored in my heart, that I may not sin against You.  — Psalm 119:11 (AMP)

“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” — Romans 8:35, 37 (NLT) “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.” (Isaiah 54:17) “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:31 NLT) So be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. (See Joshua 1:9) We shall triumph over trials, tribulations and troubles, because we are more than conquerors, in Christ . Amen. 

“ O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You. ” — 2 Chronicles 20:12 (NASB) When you don’t know what to do, look to the Lord for His direction. He will guide you along the right path. His power finds its full expression through our weakness. (See 2 Corinthians 12:9 TPT) Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. (See Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT) With God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)

Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”  — John 11:40 (NKJV) When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. (John 11:6). Mary and Martha may have thought Jesus forgot about them or that He didn’t care, but it was all for the glory of God. What seems to us like a delay, may be a prelude for the glory of God to be shown. Don’t get down in the dumps during the delays. Instead keep believing and watching with expectation for a mighty move of God! Instead of another healing, John 11:43-44 records Jesus calling a man who had been dead for four days out of the grave. That relationship or situation that appears lifeless in your eyes, can be resurrected and given new life, all for the glory of God. As a result of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, many of the Jews who saw what Jesus did, believed in Him. (John 11:45) As God’s glory is revealed in your life, many will see and belie...

She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” — Luke 10:39-42 (NASB) Psalm 46:10a (NASB) says, “Cease striving and know that I am God…” All of our striving and busyness is a distraction and a ploy of the enemy to disconnect us from our heavenly Father. Choose to stay close and intimately connected to our great, compassionate God. Keep your heart open to listen to Him, and receive His wisdom and truth. When we stop thinking it’s all about us, and acknowledge, it’s all about Him, the rest of Psalm 46:10 unfolds in our lives: “I will be exalt...

Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are God Who Sees”; for she said, “Have I not even here [in the wilderness] remained alive after seeing Him [who sees me with understanding and compassion]?” — Genesis 16:13 (AMP) Hagar fled from the presence of Sarai because of her harsh treatment, but Genesis 16:7 says, the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness. He encouraged her to go back and God let her know that He has heard her affliction. (Genesis 16:9,11) You may feel like you are wandering in the wilderness. Your situation may not be all that you want it to be right now, but know that God sees you. He is intimately acquainted with all your ways. He sees you with understanding and compassion. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 NASB)

But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let’s not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let’s keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we’re creatures of Day, let’s act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation. —1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 (MSG) Let’s not sleepwalk through life. Be awake, and alert to the schemes of the enemy. Take your stand on the strong foundation and walk in love and faith. When we submit to God and His Word, we are able to resist the devil and he will flee.

Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or, whine, Israel, saying, “God has lost track of me. He doesn’t care what happens to me”? Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening? God doesn’t come and go. God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out. — Isaiah 40:27-28 (MSG) Why would we ever complain or whine, as if God has forgotten about us? God Lasts! He is there, watching over us every second of every day. He doesn’t take a vacation and He never needs a break. He continually pours out His goodness and compassion on us. Know that God knows and He cares. And He is working everything together for good in your life.

Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven. — Psalm 107:28-30 (NKJV) In the midst of any trouble call out to Almighty God. He always hears our, “LORD, help me!” prayers. As we journey through life, the storms will come, but praise God, He faithfully bring us through each and every one. Eventually, the raging waters that threatened to knock our boat over will be stilled. And the LORD will lead and guide us to our desired haven.

What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.  — Joel 1:4 (NKJV) Have you ever felt like the fruit of your work has been chewed up by crawling locusts or maybe your seed/money is consumed by the swarming locusts? Just keep trusting and walking in obedience with the LORD. He says, “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust,” (Joel 2:25). You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And His people shall never be put to shame (Joel 2:26).

Ever since we arrived in the province of Macedonia, we’ve had no rest. Instead, we suffer in a number of ways. Outwardly we have conflicts, and inwardly we have fears.  — 2 Corinthians 7:5 (GW) Are you experiencing conflict in a relationship? Whether it is your spouse, child, family member, friend, co-worker, boss, or business partner, God has called us to live in peace. Hebrews 12:14 says, make every effort to live in peace with everyone. Do you have fears? Be bold and confident in the Lord. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Praise the Lord!

If I'm sleepless at midnight, I spend the hours in grateful reflection. Because you've always stood up for me, I'm free to run and play. I hold on to you for dear life, and you hold me steady as a post. Psalm 6-8 (The Message) Let's spend all of our waking moments with a grateful attitude, reflecting on God's goodness. He faithfully stands up for us. Our battles belong to the LORD. Cast all your cares on Him. He securely holds us in His mighty hand and no one can take us out. Hold onto the LORD for dear life! Never let go.

“O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion.” 1 Kings 8:23 (NLT) There is no God in heaven above or on the earth below like the Lord, God of Israel. He keeps His covenant and fulfills His promises. Keep in step with the Lord, being devoted to Him with all your heart and His unfailing love will be your constant companion.

I want to report to you, friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered. All the soldiers here, and everyone else, too, found out that I'm in jail because of this Messiah. Philippians 1:12-13 (The Message) Our God turns things around. The Apostle Paul was put in prison to stop him from preaching about Jesus Christ. Instead, God used his imprisonment to further the gospel. Joseph's brothers meant to harm Joseph when they sold him to the Ishmaelites, but God used that to save the lives of His people. Whatever your situation today, God is able to turn it around. He turns darkness into light, sickness into health, and sadness into joy. In the presence of our great God anxiety becomes peace and fear is changed to courage. God makes the poor rich and gives hope to those who have no hope. Praise God forever and ever. Love, Jackie