Manna for Your Morning

The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” — Lamentations 3:22-24 (NLT) …I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the LORD because he is good to me. (See Psalms 13:5-6 NLT) “For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.” (Psalms 108:4-5) It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening, (Psalms 92:2) Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. For his unfailing love for us is powerful; the LORD’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the LORD! (Psalms 117:1-2) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. (Psalms 118:1) Let all who fear th...

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. — Hebrews 11:3 (NKJV) Words are powerful. They can build up or tear down. Words form perceptions and establish beliefs. They can create hope and expectation. With your words you can crush someone’s spirit or you can encourage and support. Proverbs 12:18 says, the tongue of the wise promotes health. Words can be used to deceive or they can reveal truth. Proverbs 10:31 says: The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut out. What kind of environment are you creating with the words that come out of your mouth? Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21 NKJV) May we speak words of life and truth.

LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him? Man is like a breath; His days are like a passing shadow. — Psalm 144:3-4 (NKJV) “Every single moment you are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every thought! O God, your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, you’re still with me.” (Psalms 139:17-18 TPT) Whatever you do today, know that Yahweh is thinking of you. And the plans and thoughts He has for you are for peace and well-being, to give you a future and a hope. (See Jeremiah 29:11 AMP)  Our days may be numbered, but God took the time to write each one of them in His book. Each day He has made is significant, and full of purpose. For everything that happens in life—there is a season, a right time for everything under heaven: (Ecclesiastes 3:1 VOICE) Let us make the most of our time here on earth, recognizing and tak...

Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.” — John 4:41-42 (NASB1995) First Timothy 4:10 (NASB1995) says: For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. (1 Timothy 4:10 (NASB1995) Where is your hope? Let us continue looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. (See Titus 2:13-14 NASB1995) The Apostle John says: We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. (1 John 4:14-15 NASB1995) We have...

Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely. — Psalms 63:7-8 (NLT) The LORD is always with you. He continually helps us. Our Heavenly Father holds us steady and secure. Set the LORD continually before you; because He is at your right hand, you will not be shaken. (See Psalm 16:8 NASB) Don’t run from tests and hardships, brothers and sisters. As difficult as they are, you will ultimately find joy in them; if you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience as you endure. And true patience brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line—mature, complete, and wanting nothing. (James 1:2-4 VOICE) Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually [longing to be in His presence]. — 1 Chronicles 16:11 (AMP)

We look away from the natural realm and we focus our attention and expectation onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God! — Hebrews 12:2 (TPT) Look away from the distractions of this world. Let us focus our attention on Jesus and move forward in faith, with a growing expectation of seeing the grace and goodness of our great God. This hope [this confident assurance] we have as an anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whatever pressure bears upon it]—a safe and steadfast hope that enters within the veil [of the heavenly temple, that most Holy Place in which the very presence of God dwells], (Hebrews 6:19 AMP).

And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our LORD. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!” — Nehemiah 8:10 (NLT) This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24 NASB) In His Presence we have strength and peace. Draw near to God. Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let those who love Your salvation say continually, “ The LORD be magnified! ” (Psalm 40:16 NASB) You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. — Psalm 16:11 (NASB)

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. — James 4:8 (NLT) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. How can we draw near to God? We are drawing closer to God when our first thoughts, after we awaken, are of Him and His goodness, for giving us another day. We draw near to God when the deepest desire of our hearts is for more of His Presence living in us, occupying every crevice. We draw near to Him, when we acknowledge that we can do nothing without Him. We come closer to our heavenly Father when we worship Him, with humble hearts and attitudes of gratitude, grateful for even the air He gives us to breathe. We draw near to God when we realize that He is the only One who can fulfill us, the only One who can mend the broken pieces of our lives. He is the One who completes us. No matter where we are, in our walk with God, He is always calling us to come closer.

“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) Each day is a gift. If we rewind to past disappointments or fast forward and fret about tomorrow, we are allowing the enemy to steal the joy of living this moment, in the Presence of the LORD. When we live in the past or jump into the future, we are distracted and disconnected from what God is doing right now. Instead press play and live! Give attention to what God is doing right now, and experience fullness of joy. Focus on His Presence and your heart and mind will be full of peace. He gives us our daily bread, strength for today. We have the promise of His Presence and with God on our side, nothing can stand against us.

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind… — Job 38:1 (NKJV) Who do you call when your back is up against the wall? When you call upon the LORD, you can be confident, that He will answer. In the midst of your storm, listen for His still small voice. Isaiah 58:9 (NKJV) says: Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ In my distress I prayed to the LORD, and the LORD answered me and set me free. (Psalm 118:5 NLT) The LORD says: ‘ Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. ’ (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV)

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! — Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) We are instructed to cast our cares on the LORD because the act of throwing them will get them as far away from us as possible. As we cast all our cares on God, we acknowledge that He is able and admit that we are not. When we focus on solving problems, our thoughts become problem-centered. A mind focused on the cares of this life will cause anxiety, frustration and impatience. However, when we cast all our cares on our heavenly Father and focus on His mighty power and His unfailing love for us, our minds will be God-centered. This empowers us to stand strong in faith and trust God, no matter what. A mind centered on God will remain in perfect peace and full of joy. Fix your thoughts on Him today and release the power of God to work in your life!

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. — 2 Timothy 2:3-4 (NKJV) How do we endure hardship as a good soldier? We stay focused on the mission, while avoiding distractions and detours. No matter what contrary circumstances appear, we continue to stand on the Word. His Word says, no weapon formed against us shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17). Romans 8:37 tells us we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. And the word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8). Amen!

...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!

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.” — Matthew 11:28 (The Message) Jesus said to come to Him. He didn’t add any conditions. We don’t have to "get ourselves together" before we come. Our part is to just come. Jesus’ part is to heal, restore, comfort, strengthen, deliver, make whole, etc. Aren’t you glad we got the easy part? JUST COME! Stop hiding, stop making excuses and come to JESUS, just as you are, and stay. Abide in His Presence!

The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.  — Psalm 29:11 (NIV) The LORD gives us the strength we need to get through each day. If you are weak or weary, find strength in the LORD, our God. We can do all things through Him who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13). And let the perfect peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name. Psalm 97:10-12 (NIV) The LORD guards our lives and delivers us from the hand of the enemy. May the light of the LORD brightly shine upon you. Let His joy fill your heart and spill over into the lives of those around you. Rejoice in the LORD and praise His holy name. He is WORTHY!

O Lord, I give my life to you. I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others. Psalm 25:1-3 (NLT) Give Him all your cares and concerns. Turn your mind, will and emotions over to God. Trust Him with your greatest desire and most intimate dreams. Release your fears and embrace His perfect love. Trust God.

His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" Job 2:9 (NIV) Four messengers bombarded Job with the bad news that he had lost all his livestock and all his children were dead. In response Job praised the name of the LORD. Job was afflicted with painful sores from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. And Job's wife spoke negative, harsh words to him. Still, Job did not sin in what he said. He maintained his integrity.  When you are bombarded with bad news or the loss of a loved one, when you don't have the support of those closest to you or when you are suffering in your physical body, maintain your integrity. Hold on to the truth of God's Word in all that you do and say. Believe in your heart these words of Job, "this will turn out for my deliverance." (Job 13:16) Maintain your integrity and know that He will deliver you out of all your troubles. Love, Jackie