Manna for Your Morning

The next day as we were being violently storm-tossed, they began to jettison the cargo; and on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned.   — Acts 27:18-20 (NASB1995) When the storms of life seem to go on and on, do not lose hope. The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. (Psalms 34:17 NLT) In Isaiah 43:2 (NLT), the LORD says: “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” You may experience some loss in the midst of the storm. There may be some things you need to get rid of to lighten your load, but the LORD will rescue you. (See Psalms 34:19)

If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. — John 12:26 (NASB1995) If we are to serve Yeshua, we MUST continue to faithfully follow Him, without hesitation, holding steadfastly to Him… (See John 12:26 AMP) We are not to conform to the behavior and customs of this world. Nor live in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:24 (TLV) says: Now those who belong to Messiah have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. (1 John 2:16 NASB1995)  In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death. (Proverbs 12:28 NASB1995) Psalms 16:8 (NASB1995) says: “I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” He will direct you on the path that ...

The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. — Psalm 118:22-24 (NKJV) There is no greater joy than to know our risen Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ Himself, the chief cornerstone. (See Ephesians 2:20) He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and pain and acquainted with grief; (See Isaiah 53:3 AMP) Come to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God. (See 1 Peter 2:4 NASB195) He Himself will occupy the first place [He will stand supreme and be preeminent] in everything. (See Colossians 1:18 AMP) Live and move and have your being in Him. (See Acts 17:28) Build your lives upon Him.

So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” — Genesis 28:11, 16 (NKJV) When you come to a certain place in life, actually, to any place you find yourself, you can be confident that the LORD is in that place with you. “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid... 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) YAHWEH has enclosed you behind and before, and [He has] placed His hand upon you. (See Psalm 139:5 AMP) Psalm 139:7-10 says: Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; 
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost pa...

And then, after your brief suffering, the God of all loving grace, who has called you to share in his eternal glory in Christ, will personally and powerfully restore you and make you stronger than ever. Yes, he will set you firmly in place and build you up.  — 1 Peter 5:10 (TPT) Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. (1 Peter 4:12 NLT) After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace will Himself complete, support, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be dominion (power, authority, sovereignty) forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:11 AMP) For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. — 2 Corinthi...

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “The LORD is certainly in this place, and I did not know it!” — Genesis 28:16 (NASB) When Jacob was in the middle of the desert, on the run for his life, God gave him a dream. As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway. The LORD stood at the top of the stairway and spoke to him. When Jacob woke up, he was aware that God was with him. Wherever you are today, remember, the LORD is certainly in that place with you. He will never leave you, nor forsake you. Let His Presence give you comfort, confidence and courage to press on.

Do not yield to fear, for I am always near. Never turn your gaze from me, for I am your faithful God. I will infuse you with my strength and help you in every situation. I will hold you firmly with my victorious right hand.’ — Isaiah 41:10 (TPT) There are no set of circumstances that are too difficult for our great God to handle. He has every one of our days already written in His Book (Psalm 139:16), so whatever you face today, know that God already has a record of the the answer or solution. Keep looking to Him and wait patiently for the appointed time of delivery.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” — Matthew 2:1-2 (NKJV) Let us continually seek the Lord. Seek to do His will, His Way. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9). His ways are higher than the ways of this world. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. (Psalm 95:6 NKJV) You can pass through his open gates with the password of praise. Come right into his presence with thanksgiving. Come bring your thank offering to him and affectionately bless his beautiful name! (Psalm 100:4 TPT) And those who know Your name [who have experienced Your precious mercy] will put their confident trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not abandoned those who seek You. — Psalm 9:10 (AMP)

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.” — Luke 9:20 (NKJV) Who do you say Jesus is? If you are lost, He is the good shepherd, who gives His life for the sheep. (John 10:11) He will lead you, guide you and protect you from the enemy. If you are sick, He is the great physician. If you hunger for more, He is the bread of life. (John 6:35) Jesus says: “ Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. ” (John 6:47) Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “ I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. ” (John 8:12) Jesus is everything we need Him to be and He draws all peoples to Himself (John 12:32) No matter who you are or what you have done, Jesus calls us to come. May we know Him as our Lord and Savior.

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. — John 14:16-17 (NKJV) John 16:7 (AMP) tells us that Jesus sent the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) to be in close fellowship with us. He wants to develop an intimate relationship with us. Because He dwells in us, we have overcome (past tense). You belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. (1 John 4:4 NLT) ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6 NKJV)

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven  — Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV) I’m sharing this for those who are not full of cheer this holiday season. If you are consumed with sadness or depression during this time, this is a reminder that this too shall pass. Times and seasons come and go, but through it all, we have our great God, who never changes. One Christmas morning, 23 years ago, I found myself lying on the living room floor, in front of our Christmas tree, with tears pouring down my face, having suicidal thoughts. I was experiencing marital difficulties and I was miserable and hopeless. I could hear the enemy telling me to go in the bathroom and hang myself. He told me my life was not going to  get any better. I almost believed the lies. Fast forward to the present, I’m loving my life, walking with the Lord, standing on His Word, happily married for 18 years. On that cold Christmas morning, I never imagined the possibility for my life to be ...

“If I were in your shoes, I’d go straight to God, I’d throw myself on the mercy of God. After all, he’s famous for great and unexpected acts; there’s no end to his surprises. — Job 5:8 (MSG) Whatever trials you face today, I would take them to God. Don't phone a friend first. Go straight to Him. You don’t need a middle man. God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us (Ephesians 3:20 MSG). Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 11:16 NIV).

“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” — Matthew 2:2 (NAS)  When the wise men saw Jesus, they fell down and worshiped Him (Matthew 2:11). Does Jesus sit on the throne of your heart as King? Is He the ruling authority in your life? Let us be sure to worship Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14). He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, He who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty (Revelation 1:8). Glory Hallelujah!

Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. — Job 13:15 (NKJV) Job says, even if God were to kill him, he would still trust God. Trust transcends circumstances and our desire to understand everything that goes on in our lives. No matter what comes our way, let us continue to keep our trust firmly planted in God, knowing that He will work all things together for good. Confidently rely on our faithful God, and you will not be disappointed!

Blessed is the person who trusts the  LORD .  The  LORD  will be his confidence.  He will be like a tree that is planted by water.  It will send its roots down to a stream.  It will not be afraid in the heat of summer.  Its leaves will turn green.  It will not be anxious during droughts. It will not stop producing fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8 (GW) Always trust, believe in, and fully rely on the LORD. Let your roots tap into the spring of Living Water, and you will not be anxious during dry seasons, or fear the heat of summer. Instead of shriveling up, you will continue to bear good, fresh fruit that will last. The fruit of abundant love, overflowing joy, abiding peace, patience in all circumstances, continual kindness, great goodness, enduring faithfulness, tender gentleness, and disciplined self-control. Amen.

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” John 20:27 (NIV) Doubting Thomas had to see the Lord and the nail marks in His hands and put his hand into His side before he believed. But Jesus said those who have believed without physically seeing are blessed. James 1:6-7 says, the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Believe Jesus is all He claimed to be, the way, the truth and the life. Believe that He conquered death, sin and everything in this world that rises up against us. Remember, in Jesus, we have the victory!

Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. Psalm 27:13-14 (NLT) God is working for your good. Patiently wait upon the Lord and you will see His goodness here in the land of the living. Be strong and courageous and wait for the Lord. Love, Jackie

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 1 Corinthians 9:25-26 (NIV) Let us not run aimlessly. Don't float through life with no goals, just letting the circumstances of life carry you where they may. God created each one of us with a purpose in mind and a passion in our hearts. Seek direction from your Creator, and diligently read the training manual, the Bible. Follow the hand of God as He leads you into your destiny. You are a child of the King and you have a divine and unique purpose to fulfill. Love, Jackie