“Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage.” Psalm 27:14 NAS Ephesians 6:10 says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”. What does all that mean? It means that we should be bold in our faith and stand by our convictions to the Lord. When we follow God diligently He will bless us. God loves us and even when life is fearful we should follow Jesus. Praise God for His ability to help us in the midst of struggles. Amen

We should trust in the Lord and understand that His ways are much greater than ours. Proverb 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” We should also allow the Lord to guide us. We should be patient for an answer to our prayers. “Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage.” Psalm 27:14 NAS” I’m thankful that God does answer prayer and that He knows what’s best for us. Amen

“. …Through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38” Colossians 1:14 says, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” What does all that mean? We are redeemed through the blood of Jesus on the cross and that is how our sins are forgiven. The Gospel is the Good News that God loved us so much He came to earth as a man and died for our sins. Praise God for His Son Jesus and willingness to die for us. Amen

Perhaps, one of the most famous verses Psalms 23:2 says, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” However, what does that mean? Jesus leads his people. Green pastures provide food or grazing for the sheep. The main point here is rest for the sheep. Matthew 11:30 says, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”. It’s great news that in the midst of hard times God provides rest for our souls. Jesus’ work on the cross provides all the rest we need and salvation for our souls. Praise God for the rest He provides. Amen

In 1st Corinthians the Bible teaches that the preaching of salvation or the Gospel is viewed as foolishness to those that aren’t Christian’s. However, to those that are saved it is a beautiful thing and the power of God. It’s great news to know that God provided Jesus to die in our place so that someday we could have eternal life in Heaven. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”. Praise God for the gift of eternal life. Amen

James 1:19 says, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:”. What does that mean? It is telling us that if we trust God we should follow Him and not get sucked into the trap of being religious but not true followers. At times Jesus battled the religious leaders of His day who thought they must follow thousands of laws to be saved. Anyone who has trust in God and obeys Him must learn to adjust the speed of their listening and speaking. God helps give us self-control and the ability to be slow to anger (wrath). Praise God for who He is and His strength Jesus gives us. Amen

The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is God. We see this in John Chapter 1, “John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”. Ephesians 4:6, “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” 1 John 5:8, “And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” The Bible teaches that Jesus is God and that God is only one being. Micah teaches that Jesus is eternal, “…whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”. It’s great news to know that Jesus always existed and also that He died for our sins, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Praise God for He is one and for His love for us to that point where He died for us (and rose from the dead). Amen

James 2:24 says, ” What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?”. What we should note is that works show our faith but we are not saved by works. We should do good works out of love for God and that helps show that we believe. When we do good things we glorify God and show our love for Him. The Bible does teach that we are saved by faith alone Romans 3:20 says, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”. Praise God for His love and ability to help us do good and fight against sin. Amen

The Bible teaches us to avoid idols but what does that mean? Well, anything we love too much can become an idol such as a person, money, our job or other things. Very few people in today’s world worship statues like they sometimes did in ancient days. Jesus went into the wildness as part of His mission to be tempted by Satan and when faced with difficulty He quoted scripture saying “For it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'” (Matthew 4:10b NASB). We should be strong in our testimony of God and the more scripture we know the better equipped we can be to fight against temptation. Praise God for His word, His sacrifice for us on the cross and His love. Amen

Matthew 5:16 Jesus teaches that we should let our light shine before others and the glory will be to God. However, what does this mean? It means when we love others, do good things for them and treat them right we are being good Christians’ and can help them see the truth of who God is. When we do evil and treat others wrong it may reflect bad on Jesus and drive them from believing. That’s why Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”. Praise God for His grace and help in letting our light shine and glorify God. Amen