Manna for Your Morning

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) Move your heart closer and closer to God, and he will come even closer to you. (James 4:8a TPT) No matter where you currently are in your relationship with the Lord, you can take another step closer. But as for me, it is good for me to draw near to God; I have made the Lord God my refuge and placed my trust in Him, that I may tell of all Your works. (Psalm 73:28 AMP)  In Joshua 3:9, Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God.” When draw near to the LORD, we can hear His still small voice. Come closer to Him today, and listen for what He is speaking to you. ‘Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,’ — Jeremiah 32:17 

Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse. Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. — Psalm 150:1-2 (NASB) Who is to declare His praises? Everything that has breath! Psalm 150:6 (MSG) says, Let every living, breathing creature praise God! Hallelujah! Are we to praise Him in good times only? No! Psalm 34:1 (NASB) says, I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. The Voice Bible says: Whenever I speak, my words will always praise Him. Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. — Psalm 103:1 (NLT)

He who watches the wind [waiting for all conditions to be perfect] will not sow [seed], and he who looks at the clouds will not reap [a harvest]. — Ecclesiastes 11:4 (AMP) When the clouds are full of water, it rains. When the wind blows down a tree, it lies where it falls. Don’t sit there watching the wind. Do your own work. Don’t stare at the clouds. Get on with your life. (Ecclesiastes 11:3-4 MSG) If we wait for perfect conditions before we do what God calls us to do, the enemy will see to it that never happens. We are a called and chosen generation. Answer the call of God now. Do what He has called you to do. Live and Give! Sow into His kingdom by using the talents and abilities He has given you, to bear fruit for our Father’s Kingdom.

So Jesus said to the twelve [disciples], “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You [alone] have the words of eternal life [you are our only hope].” — John 6:67-68 (AMP) As we depend upon Him, we live a peaceful life. When we daily walk with Him, we can have a joyful life. As we follow Him, and abide in His Word, we will live a victorious life. We were created to live and move and have our being in Him. (Acts 17:28) He leads us along the path of life. To whom shall we go? “ We have believed and confidently trusted, and [even more] we have come to know [by personal observation and experience] that You are the Holy One of God [the Christ, the Son of the living God]. ” (John 6:69 AMP)

Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. — Psalm 100:3-4 (NKJV) Although people knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:21) Having unthankful hearts that could not glorify God led to hearts that were darkened. Let us give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20). Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57 NKJV)

There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. — Proverbs 23:18 (NIV) Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23 NIV). And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us...  (Romans 5:5a NLT). Let us continually look to our heavenly Father, full of expectation and hope, for our help comes from the LORD. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the LORD (Psalm 31:24 NKJV).

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!

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. — Philippians 2:3-4 (NKJV) In the world, people put themselves first and insist on having things their own way. Selfish ambition and vain conceit are often rewarded. However, in the family of God, we are to follow the ways of our heavenly Father. His ways are higher. In God's house, we humble ourselves and value others, just as Jesus sacrificed His life for us. Let us forget ourselves long enough to lend a helping hand (Philippians 2:4, The Message).

Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us?” — Judges 6:13 (NKJV) Many of us have asked God this question at one time or another. First Peter 4:12 warns us, dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. If you find yourself wondering why?, look at it from a different perspective: We may be hard pressed on every side, but we are not crushed; we may be perplexed, but we are not in despair; we may experience persecution, but we are not abandoned; we may be struck down, but we are not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). Glory hallelujah! So fix your eyes not on what is seen (temporary), but on what is unseen (eternal), for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 (NLT) It is a ploy of the enemy to draw you away from God, so he can divide and conquer. Don't let him distract you and lure you away from the arms of our heavenly Father. If we stay with God there is no demonic power strong enough to separate us from His amazing love. In Christ Jesus, we are embraced by God's love for all eternity. As long as we abide in Christ, we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us (Romans 8:37).

"God! I knew it—when I was back home, I knew this was going to happen! That's why I ran off to Tarshish! I knew you were sheer grace and mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness!" Jonah 4:2 (The Message) The prophet Jonah knew God was full of grace and mercy. Our great God is not angered easily and His rich love toward us never fails. When we repent and confess our sins to God, we are instantly forgiven. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Love, Jackie

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Psalm 62:1-2 (NIV) May your soul rest in God alone. As you rest in Him, He will refresh your weary mind and renew your frazzled emotions. As you rest in God, you are more likely to let go of what you want and pursue the will of God for your life. When we stop fighting against God, our souls will truly rest in Him. Love, Jackie