Manna for Your Morning

“ Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: ” — Psalms 103:1-2 (NKJV) May we always remember and be forever grateful for all the good things Yahweh does for us. Bless the LORD, Who pardons all our iniquities, Who heals all our diseases; Who redeems our lives from the pit, Who crowns us with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies our years with good things, so that our youth is renewed like the eagle. (See Psalms 103:3-5 NASB1995) The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. (Psalms 103:8 NKJV) For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalms 103:11-12 NKJV)  “…the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, to such as keep His covenant, and t...

Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way. All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. — Psalms 25:8-10 (NASB1995) God will lead us, but we must choose to follow Him. The LORD will instruct us. Let our hearts be humble and our minds be open to receive. Inquire of Yahweh and His strength; Seek His face continually. (Psalms 105:4 LSB) Make me know Your ways, O Yahweh; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; In You I hope all the day. Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;  (Psalms 25:5,3a LSB)

Even when I walk through the darkest valley I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. — Psalm 23:4 (NLT) When life’s journey brings us to the darkest of valleys, we can keep on walking, taking each step in faith. The Scripture says: “…I walk through”... Don’t stop! Keep stepping and eventually, you will come out on the other side. The Scripture also says, that He is close beside you. God is with you, as a constant Companion and an all-knowing Guide. He is not a far away God. In those dark moments, we never walk alone. And the closer we come to the LORD, the brighter and more visible His light becomes. Light arises in the darkness for the upright... (See Psalm 112:4 NASB1995) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. — John 1:5 (NLT) Amen!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. — Hebrews 12:1 (NLT) How are we to run the race God has set before us? With patient endurance. First we are to strip off every weight that slows us down. Lay aside anything that is not of God: bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy, hatred, etc. Anything that is not in alignment with God’s will, His ways and His character is sin. Hebrews 12:1 (NASB1995) says it “easily entangles us.” Let it go and stay away from those tempting situations.  Since the Word says “run” and not “walk,” there is a sense of urgency. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. (H...

Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. — Jeremiah 29:13 (AMP) Set your heart and your soul to seek first and daily Elohim and His Kingdom. Require Him as a vital necessity. When you look for Him wholeheartedly, you will find Him. Be still and know, recognize, and understand that He is God. He will be honored by every nation. He will be honored throughout the world. (See Psalm 46:10 NLT/AMP) Seek the LORD [search diligently for Him and regard Him as the foremost necessity of your life] … — Zephaniah 2:3 (AMP)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever. — Psalm 111:10 (NASB) “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13) The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27) How blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways. (Psalm 128:1)  Now then let the fear of the LORD be upon you; be very careful what you do, for the LORD our God will have no part in unrighteousness or partiality or the taking of a bribe.” (2 Chronicles 19:7) In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence… (Proverbs 14:26a) The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be shortened. (Proverbs 10:27) The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, honor and life. (Proverbs 22:4) Live in the reverent fear of the LORD always!

We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. — 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (NLT) In every challenge, may you learn to rely on God. He raises the dead and gives power to the weak. Place your confidence in Him and know that He will deliver you. When you are overwhelmed, cry out to our heavenly Father. The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. (Psalm 34:17 NLT) And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. — 2 Corinthians 1:10 (NLT)

“ Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. ” — Jeremiah 17:7 (NKJV) The godly are showered with blessings; (Proverbs 10:6a NLT) The blessing of the LORD brings [true] riches, and He adds no sorrow to it [for it comes as a blessing from God]. (Proverbs 10:22 AMP) God, the one and only— I’ll wait as long as he says. Everything I hope for comes from him, so why not? He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, an impregnable castle: I’m set for life. (Psalm 62:5-6 MSG) Put your trust and hope in God as your source, and you will not be disappointed. Blessings accrue on a good and honest life...  (Proverbs 10:6a MSG)

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. — Isaiah 9:2 (NLT) On your darkest day, cast your eyes on our Savior and Champion, Christ Jesus. No need to walk around in darkness and gloom, when we have Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Like a lighthouse, He will guide you along in the storm and lead you to a safe harbor. Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12 NLT) “ I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes and trusts in Me [as Savior—all those who anchor their hope in Me and rely on the truth of My message] will not continue to live in darkness. ”  (John 12:46 AMP)  Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1 NKJV)

Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near. — Acts 17:26-27 (MSG) Don’t just settle for knowing about God. Instead of groping around in the dark, actually take the time to draw near to Him and develop an intimate relationship with Him, the Creator of the heavenly lights. There is nothing on your "To Do" list that is more important than spending time with the One who deeply and completely loves you. For in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth (Psalm 145:18). It is good for us to draw near to God (Psalm 73:28). He allows nothing to separate us from His unfailing love.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” — Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) No matter what happens, always remember, the plans the LORD has for you are good. And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. (Romans 8:28 AMP).

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed;” — Luke 4:18 (NKJV) If you are oppressed, Jesus came to set you free. He proclaims liberty to the captives, healing to those who are brokenhearted. The Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8 NLT). He sets us free from fear, worry, bondage, addictions, etc. You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free (Galatians 5:13 NIV). Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1 NKJV).

And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  — Matthew 22:1-3 (NKJV) Our natural instinct is to pick up the phone when it rings. However, our heavenly Father has sent out a call to each and every person. Yet so many just let the phone ring. They refuse to answer the call God has placed on their lives. They hear the phone ringing, but they get distracted with other things, things that have no eternal value. Matthew 22:5 says, those who heard the invitation, made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. In the words of Pastor Matthew Pollock, this is indeed a major biblical tragedy. Today, people neglect the call of God to do their own thing. Let there be no more excuses, nor delays - answer the call!

When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.  — Psalm 94:18-19 (NIV) The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down (Psalm 145:14). Our heavenly Father comforts our troubled souls and in His presence, there is fullness of joy. May we cling to Him!

God's your Guardian, right at your side to protect you— Shielding you from sunstroke, sheltering you from moonstroke. God guards you from every evil, he guards your very life. He guards you when you leave and when you return, he guards you now, he guards you always. Psalm 121:5-8 (The Message) The LORD watches over us as we come and as we go. He guards His people from the evil one. No weapon formed against us shall prosper. He stands at our side, as a protective shield. He guards your very life, now and forevermore. Praise the LORD!

I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best - the sun to warm and the rain to nourish - to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. Matthew 5:43-45 (The Message) Our flesh naturally wants to retaliate when someone persecutes us, but Jesus calls us to love our enemies and pray for those who spitefully use us. When we do this, Jesus said, we will be true children of our Father in heaven. In this way, our actions will mirror the character and nature of our loving God. Love is the higher way, love is God's way. May we love our God, ourselves, our neighbors and yes, even our enemies. Amen. Love, Jackie

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJ) May we embrace each season of our lives that God graciously gives us. He created the spring season with its new life and growth as well as the fall season with its maturity and wisdom. Recognize there is a God ordained time for every purpose on earth. God made Esther queen at just the right time to save the Jewish people. And at just the right time God sent His only Son to save a fallen world. God has made everything beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NKJ) . May you enjoy all the seasons of your life. Love, Jackie