Manna for Your Morning

We love Him because He first loved us. — 1 John 4:19 (NKJV) Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! (1 John 3:1a NKJV) How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. (Psalms 36:7 NLT) We have come to know [by personal observation and experience], and have believed [with deep, consistent faith] the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him. (1 John 4:16 AMP) And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. (Ephesians 3:18 NLT) Let us be deeply rooted and securely grounded in God’s unfailing love. “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take a...

Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always]. — Colossians 3:15 (AMP) Instead of letting “the problem of the day” fester in your mind. Keep Christ at the center of your thoughts. He is Immanuel, “God with us.” (See Matthew 1:23) Our mighty God reigns! Nothing is too difficult for Him. “Let your heart be always guided by the peace of the Anointed One…” (See Colossians 3:15 TPT) He is the Prince of Peace. (See Isaiah 9:6) May His peace rule in your hearts, your minds and in your relationships with others. Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace]...

When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, O LORD, I shall seek.” — Psalm 27:8 (NASB1995) How does your heart respond to YAHWEH? In the midst of cares and concerns of this world, is it saying: “there is no room for you, Yeshua”? Is it so cluttered with desires for fame, fortunes, or other material possessions that you don’t even have ears to hear His call? Maybe your heart is so battered and bruised or filled with bitterness, and void of hope, that it fails to respond to the loving call of God at all. Let us seek and deeply long for the LORD and His strength [His power, His might]; Seek and deeply long for His face and His presence continually. (See Psalm 105:4 AMP) Instead of seeking likes on social media sites, seek to hear the words “ Well done, my good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your master. ” (See Matthew 25:21) Instead of trying to make your name great, lift up the name above all names. For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him th...

Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever! — Psalm 111:10 (NLT) Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! The LORD looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. (Psalm 14:1-2 NLT) Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. (Romans 12:1 AMP) Seek God and enjoy the awesome pleasure and privilege of abiding in His Presence. Aim to please Him, more than anyone else. Yahweh satisfies all who love and trust Him, and He keeps every promise He makes. (See Psalm 111:5 TPT) All God accomplishes is flawless, faithful and fair, and his every word proves trustworthy and true...

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. — Galatians 4:4-5 (NLT) Everything comes to fruition, at just the right time, the time that has been appointed by God. Just as He sent Jesus, our heavenly Father has also sent us. We are the believers He has called to be here for such a time as this. Before Jesus came, God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. (John 1:6-7) We are a chosen people and children of Almighty God. Let us show others the goodness of God, for He called us out of the darkness and into His marvelous light. (See 1 Peter 2:9) It is not time for us to whine and complain about how dark the world is. Now is the right time for us to proclaim the praises of Him who called us, so that everyone in our generation might believe. May we let His light and...

So I, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to you to live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called [that is, to live a life that exhibits godly character, moral courage, personal integrity, and mature behavior—a life that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation], — Ephesians 4:1 (AMP) Let us strive to live lives worthy of the calling we have received from God. With tender humility and quiet patience, always demonstrate gentleness and generous love toward one another, especially toward those who may try your patience. Be faithful to guard the sweet harmony of the Holy Spirit among you in the bonds of peace, being one body and one spirit, as you were all called into the same glorious hope of divine destiny. (Ephesians 4:2-4 TPT) I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. — Ephesians 1:18 (NLT)

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. — Psalm 46:1 (NASB) The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him. (Nahum 1:7 NLT) Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Jesus. (John 14:1) He is our Savior, Redeemer and the Solid Rock. Jesus is the Prince of Peace and our Good Shepherd. He is King of kings and Lord of lords, the Alpha and the Omega. And He says: “ I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age. ” (Matthew 28:20 AMP) Amen. I have set the LORD continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. — Psalm 16:8 (NASB)

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach the message that I tell you.” — Jonah 3:1-2 (CSB) The first time the word of the LORD came to Jonah, he attempted to flee to Tarshish, away from the LORD’s presence. However, there is no place we can go, to escape His Presence. (see Psalm 139:7-12) Sometimes, we may blow it, and go in the opposite direction from what God instructed us to do. But praise God, He gives us another chance to get it right. When Jonah delivered God’s message, the people of Nineveh believed God and He relented from the disaster He had threatened them with (Jonah 3:5, 10). As a result of Jonah's obedience, more than 120,000 people were saved (Jonah 4:11). What a revival! We never know how many people’s lives will be affected by our obedience. Let us heed the Word of the LORD, and give it top priority in our lives.

And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. — Revelation 22:17 (NKJV) The message of Jesus is always for us to come to Him. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” He continually invites everyone to come to Him. It’s an open invitation, to come close and fellowship with Him. In Matthew 14:29, Jesus said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. Peter had an extraordinary experience because He was willing and took action to approach Jesus. May we get out of the comfort of our boat and walk on the water with Jesus. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. — John 6:37 (NKJV)

“O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” — 2 Chronicles 20:12 (NKJV) When you face opposition, look to the LORD, the source of our help. In 2 Chronicles 20:17, the people of Judah and Jerusalem were told they would not need to fight in the battle, but to position themselves and they would see the salvation of the LORD. We too must position ourselves for battle. When they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against their enemies and their enemies were defeated. (2 Chronicles 20:22). When opposition comes, let us get in the proper position. Pray and sing praises to the LORD, for the victory He has prepared for us. Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. (2 Chronicles 20:15)

“For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”  — Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT) God, the Creator of heaven and earth, takes great delight in you. His perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18, NIV). If you have any fears, open your heart to God and receive all the love he so generously lavishes upon you, every moment of every day. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident (Psalm 27:3, NLT). Don’t be afraid nor discouraged, for the LORD is with you, He will strengthen you and help you. He will hold you up with His victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.  — Isaiah 9:2 (NIV)  Although the land is full of darkness, the light of Lord shines ever brighter. In John 8:12 (NIV), Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” As followers of Christ, let us live in His light and let it shine through us. May we illuminate this world, with the light and love of Jesus. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you” (Isaiah 60:1 NIV).

Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies. — Psalm 60:11-12 (NKJV) The Message version says, “give us help for the hard task.” It is those difficult things we go through in life that knock us to our knees and cause us to cry out to God: “Please Help!” Let us praise God that with His help we gain the victory. Human help is limited but with our God we are empowered to do mighty things! Hallelujah!

The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease.  — Lamentations 3:19-22 (NLT) God does not withhold His tender mercies from us. Great is His mercy toward us! The LORD crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies (Psalm 103:4). Every morning we receive fresh, new mercies and compassions. He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3).  The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy (Psalm 145:8). Go boldly to the throne of grace, so you can obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

So change the way you think and act, and turn to God to have your sins removed. Then times will come when the Lord will refresh you. He will send you Jesus, whom he has appointed to be the Christ. — Acts 3:19-20 (GW) If our thoughts and actions don't line up with God's ways, let us change the way we think and act. We are not to think according to the world or the way our flesh thinks. The behavior of a believer should be different also. Let us renew our minds with the Word, so we can think and act like our heavenly Father. Then we will experience times of refreshing from the Lord. Amen.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 1 Timothy 2:1 (NLT) Let us continue to pray for the people of Japan, as desperate efforts are still underway to avert a catastrophic meltdown. Pray for the rescue teams, military troops and everyone involved. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much (James 5:16).

God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he's rich in love. He doesn't endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever. He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him. And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins. Psalm 103:8-12 (The Message) Our God is full of mercy and grace. He is slow to anger and rich in love. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor punish us according to our iniquities. Instead He separates us from our sins, as far as the east is from the west. That is reason to cry out, " Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name " (Psalm 103:1, NIV). Love, Jackie

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 (NIV) Do you need guidance and direction? Need some help with a problem? Seek the wise counsel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Wonderful Counselor. He is always there when we need him, 24- hour access. He will never lead you astray. Praise the Lord. Love, Jackie