I pray Your Spirit rest upon each of us this day and fill us with Your Love, in which there is no shadow of turning, a love we may shine throughout our day and may that love and the joy of living, spill into the lives of all those around us and bring glory to Your holy name. May this day be special to all my family and friends who seek Your grace, mercy and peace, and may we each find what we need in You O Lord, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
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🕊️ You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever. 🕊️
🕊️ And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 🕊️
Mark 12:30, 31, 33
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Good morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride!
Thank You for our beautiful daughter!
As a father Lord, I pray I might teach my daughter about Your love, mercy, grace, and all things she needs to prepare her for sharing Your light with the world around her. May Your Spirit guide us on our life journey and may we bring Glory to Your holy name, in all we say and do, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
🕊️ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
Where is the wise?
Where is the scribe?
Where is the disputer of this age?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Glory Only in the Lord
For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” 🕊️
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
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Good morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride!
Thank you for my beautiful daughter!
And Thank You for Your Word!
When I think of my family; the culture we live in today, how our daughter will make her own way through the darkness of our world, the leadership of our nation, and all those leaders who rule over us, it gives me cause to become concerned. They pervert the truth and make the truth a lie and I’m witnessing today, their great efforts to make their lie become our truth.
My whole life, I’ve not always followed the set of rules or guidelines I was taught to follow, however, I tell myself, I’ve never strayed far from it, but I made up some basic truths of my own, which I felt were more shaped to the life “I” felt was the best for my life, and my family.
Then my thought goes back to my concern for our leadership, the people in our country, who elected them, and how this ‘New’ body of leaders has banded together and set out on a path to destroy the rule book our country was founded upon, the Bible, and write their own rule book to follow, from their own wisdom of what they think makes life better for our society. Then I have to ask myself the questions, “Am I not the same as they are?” “Have I not done the same in my life, living outside the rules I was taught?”
That’s when, within my spirit I feel the pull, the tug on my heart to follow something else. That’s when, in seeking for the truth, A truth that was not established by man but given by God and passed down to us, to me, in its purest form, The Bible and the Word of God written for all man to follow, no matter what country, or color, or creed, or politics.
To me, and every soul out there, it all comes down to what one chooses to believe. So within my heart, mind and spirit, as perverted my truth and my path had been, I made a choice to follow a path of “Faith”, casting aside my perceived notions of what is right and true, I chose to believe in one God, in whom I follow, I study the Word given by God, that is, the Bible, to make my decisions and guide my way forward.
Today, in my mind, I repeat the Word, found in Joshua 24:15, 🕊️ “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 🕊️
It means that Joshua’s family will orient itself around the worship of the God of Israel. His law will be their law, His commandments will be their delight, His worship their highest goal, and His glory their ultimate aim.
Father God, I pray this morning You fill me with Your Spirit. May I be faithful to read Your holy Word and follow its direction for my life, for my family to follow, and may Your Spirit guide my every action and my every word, Your truth, not my own, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
🕊️ Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. 🕊️
John 12:26
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In my reading this morning I came upon a page with the above scripture verse and a prayer, as an encouragement for the day.
This title: “The Way Up is Down”, I found resonance with this expression, as have many who have read the writings of Søren Kierkegaard and Marlena Graves.
The prayer of encouragement:
“Father, it excites me to know that when I serve, I will be where You are. I can be all You want me to be by simply giving myself away to others in their need.
Thank You that there is honor from You in serving. Sometimes, Lord, I do seem to aspire to lofty positions where others will notice my work. Guard my heart against selfish ambition. Keep my heart away from desiring leadership as much as desiring servanthood. Truly in Your eyes, the way up is down.“
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Thank You Lord, for Your Spirit, for leading me upon a path of truth and service, one in which I continue to follow daily. I pray Your Spirit fill me now this day, that I might shine Your light in all I say and do, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
🕊️ In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. 🕊️
Proverbs 3:6
🕊️ Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way.
Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. 🕊️
1 Samuel 12:23-24
🕊️ But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” 🕊️
Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape;
Incline Your ear to me, and save me.
Be my strong refuge,
To which I may resort continually;
You have given the commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress.
Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
For You are my hope, O Lord GOD;
You are my trust from my youth.
By You I have been upheld from birth;
You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.
My praise shall be continually of You.
I have become as a wonder to many,
But You are my strong refuge.
Let my mouth be filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all the day.
Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
Do not forsake me when my strength fails. 🕊️
Psalms 71:1-9
🕊️ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Glory Only in the Lord! For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” 🕊️
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
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Good morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride and our beautiful daughter!
All day long I marvel at Your greatness. The many times in my life. I should have been taken from this life and be under the dirt. You are my Rock and my Fortress, O Lord!
You have given me my Faith, something which never entered my mind in my youth, and then in my youth I met with real darkness, without hope or redemption, and there You were.
Thank You Lord for Your grace and mercy!
Thank You for Your patience with me and my antics, help me to be real and acceptable in Your eyes and a blessing to others. May I shine Your light this day, in all I say and do, In Jesus’ name Amen!
🕊️ Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 🕊️
1 Peter 4:10
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Good morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride!
Thank You for our beautiful daughter!
All that I am and possess, They are all gifts and blessings from You Lord.
Thank You!
I pray Father, may I walk in Your presence by Your grace, once again this day.
Bless me Father!
May Your Spirit rest upon me this day, and may I experience the grace You have given through Your only son, Jesus Christ, my Teacher, my Shepherd, my Redeemer.
I pray Lord, may I bring glory to Your holy name, in all I say and do, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
All that we have, all that we have become, it is the results of Your blessings in our lives and our Faith in Your holy Word. Thank You for teaching me Your Word Father! I pray this day, may Your Spirit rest upon me and my family, may we bring Glory to Your Holy name.
May we teach our daughter and others, to learn Your Word and help them to know and have Faith in You Lord, in all we say and do, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
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🕊️ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
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 11:1-3
🕊️ For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 🕊️
🕊️ Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 🕊️
All that we have and all that we are is because of Your blessings in our lives. Thank You Lord!
I pray You fill me with Your Spirit this day, and may I shine Your light in all I say and do, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
Thank You for Your Word this day!
I lift all my children before You Lord, and I lift all my grandchildren before You Father!
I pray Your angels watch over them this day and keep them safe.
May Your Spirit rest upon each of them and fill them with Your Love and may the light of Your presence be a witness, in all they say and do, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
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🕊️ A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.
The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
A righteous man hates lying,
But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.
Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
But wickedness overthrows the sinner.
There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.
The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,
But the poor does not hear rebuke.
The light of the righteous rejoices,
But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
By pride comes nothing but strife,
But with the well-advised is wisdom.
Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
He who despises the word will be destroyed,
But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
The law of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.
Good understanding gains favor,
But the way of the unfaithful is hard.
Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly.
A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
But a faithful ambassador brings health.
Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction,
Today we celebrate Your resurrection, passing from death into life everlasting. Death, being the result of sin in our lives, through our Baptism into His death, we now have access to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ’s resurrection.
I pray Father, Your Spirit fill us this day, that we should bring glory to Your holy name, in all we say and do, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
We celebrate our own Baptism into new life as Christians, now following ‘The Way.’
Born Again to a Living Hope
🕊️ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 🕊️
1 Peter 1:3-9
🕊️ What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 🕊️
🕊️ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. 🕊️
Hebrews 10:23-25
🕊️ The LORD upholds all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season.
You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
The LORD is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
The LORD preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD,
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever. 🕊️
Psalms 145:14-21
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Good morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride!
Thank You for our beautiful daughter!
Every day I celebrate Your blessings in our lives together. I am so blessed for the family I have and our time together.
I pray Lord, may we each feel the joy of Your Spirit in our lives, leading us towards serving You in whatever circumstance comes along our daily walk, and in all we say and do, may we bring glory to Your holy name.
I Pray Lord, for my brother who suffers almost daily, Your healing in his body, Your Spirit strengthen his resolve, for everything he is dealing with this day, bless him Lord. I pray for his family, may Your angels guard over them and keep them safe this day.
I pray for all the families that have lost loved ones. Bring them comfort in their time of loss. May Your Spirit minister to their pain and their grief. I pray Lord, for so many people who have lost their homes to war and suffering, for those who live in poverty and searching for a better future for their children. I pray You provide them shelter and sustenance, bring them to a place of safety and calm, and uplift their spirit with Your presence in their lives, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer.
Selah
I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Selah
For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.
Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart! 🕊️
Psalms 32
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Good Morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride!
Thank You for our beautiful daughter!
All that we are and possess are blessings from above. Thank You Lord!
I can remember so many times in my past life, the failures surrounding me, betrayal by the one closest to me, betrayal by all my friends. All the times I felt so alone and in pain, I quietly raised my hands to You Lord, and I would cry out for mercy and forgiveness, seeking an end of my suffering, but there was none in sight. The only solace I found was in doing the work of my hands, as a carpenter, and bringing my children to church faithfully, hoping and praying for Your Spirit’s direction. And then I was injured in a car accident, and I didn’t even have my work to bring me comfort. I was sinking deeper into a hole of depression, I remember being so exhausted, almost all the way underwater, i was still holding on to You by one hand, hoping against hope for my Lord to rescue me. I began to die inside, I could feel my body hurting and the flame of my spirit being quenched.
And then, at that time, when I was in my darkest night, when all my world around me was lost, You rescued me, like a strong gust of wind on my face, You healed my body and my Spirit began to grow. You gave me new friends, a new job, new work to support myself and my children, and my life began to change. And then You sent an angel to comfort me, a new companion, a new best friend. I know now it was Your hand moving in my life, she was faithfully there beside me then, and has been there beside me all my days since. It’s been twenty-seven years and the bright flame of love and passion for life with my sweet bride and I together is still all so brightly shinning! Thank You Lord, for my sweet bride!
🕊️ “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another. 🕊️
John 15:9-17
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Good morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride and our beautiful child!
All that we are and possess are blessings from You Lord. Thank You!
O Lord, I pray You fill me with Your Spirit. May I share the Love You have shown me and taught me with others, and may we remind each other often of these things. May I find the strength to follow Your commandments always, which binds me to You.
I pray Your Love be perfected in me, and cast out all my fear. Prepare my way this day O Lord, may I complete the work I am mindful to perform this day. I pray for healing in my body so all my members may be able to perform my work. May my words and actions this day bring You glory, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
🕊️ Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?
For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place, saying:
“What is man that You are mindful of him,
Or the son of man that You take care of him?
You have made him a little lower than the angels;
You have crowned him with glory and honor,
And set him over the works of Your hands.
You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”
For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. 🕊️
Hebrews 2:1-9
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Good morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for Your Word and Spirit in my life!
I pray, may You fill me with Your Spirit this day, may my words and actions bring You glory and honor, in all I say and do, in Jesus’ name Amen!
🕊️ And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” 🕊️
Joshua 24:15
🕊️ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” 🕊️
Jeremiah 31:33
Good morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride!
Thank You for my beautiful daughter!
Bless me and my family this day Father.
May we remember Your Word and the Spirit’s leading in our hearts and minds. May we walk in the light of Your presence in our lives, and may we shine that same light in all we say and do, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.
For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
Now, “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator. 🕊️
1 Peter 4:12-19
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Why, is what I ask myself. Why, with all the suffering l endured, why did I choose to wander in a wasteland filled with misery, pain, suffering, and death?
And then the worst, to choose to wander this path alone. Today is so far from that day, when I first saw the light!
The answer is still the same, I chose to follow the light, in and through all my struggles, I knew I was not alone, from the first time I believed. As in today, my blessings are complete. I am surrounded by my loved ones. We are blessed, in that no matter where we go, where we live, or what may befall us, its our “Faith” and a path of believing and trusting in the Lord of light, that He walks right there beside us, Jesus is my Lord, my Savior, my God who hears my prayers and witnesses my struggles and answers our prayers.
Thank You for this day Father!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride, and our beautiful daughter!
Thank You for Your presence in our lives and never leaving us alone, blessing us with Your Holy Spirit, shining Your light on us, and leading us on our journey to be a light in the darkness around us, in all we say and do, in Jesus’ name Amen! Thank You Father!
🕊️ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 🕊️
Good morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank you for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride and our beautiful daughter!
May Your angels guard over us this day and keep us safe.
May Your Spirit rest upon us this day and may Your light shine brightly, in and through us, in all we say and do, In Jesus’ name, Amen!
I sit here with my arms lifted heavenward, and my hands reaching for You, and I Praise You Lord!
May You hear, O Lord, the many cries for mercy and healing, for my brother and all the others suffering in the world this day. May they each receive Your healing they need and require, In Jesus’ name, Amen!
🕊️ For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun? For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.
Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I? For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. 🕊️
Ecclesiastes 2:22-26
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Now I understand many things, where I once only pondered an explanation, and just came up with my own conclusion. My best work or labor, in the days, weeks and years before my retirement; there were many different trades and types of careers I was blessed to be able to work, Among them there were two, which were my favorite: Carpentry and Social Work. The one has nothing to do with the other.
As a carpenter, my only focus was on the contracted project, what materials I needed to accomplish my work and deliver the completed work when I agreed to have it completed. During these days I felt the most “real sense” of accomplishment, standing back at my work and feeling joy in what I created or accomplished. It was almost like I ‘created’ things or made them new again. When I saw the look on the face of my clients, in most cases, they were very happy with my work. There’s always exceptions but i will not share those here.
As a ‘CCG’ or ‘Community Choice Guide’, a job i was not happy to perform, I enjoyed only two things:
I was well paid and the money supported my growing family and at a time when we really needed it, and the most important, I had built a reputation of successfully accomplishing my contracted goal. Some of my methods were non-conventional and outright questionable, however they brought results. This work was the most difficult and challenging, working with different types and classes of individuals and their unique circumstances, which they all were filled with an incredible amount of drama.
Thank You Father for this day!
Thank you for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride and our beautiful daughter!
Thank You for showing me the way through, during the most difficult of challenges in my life, to see the other side of my goal from the start, and realize its completion. I can see now Father, so many things, and as I meditate on each of them I see Your hand at work. During my days of working as a carpenter, my task was to fix things, create new things. I took what was broken and made it new, I took raw materials and build and crafted something new, which made my joy complete, walking away with a “Real Sense” of satisfaction, and nothing was left undone. During my days as a CCG, I realized how much the work as a carpenter, prepared my way towards fixing so many broken lives, using principles of crafting a solution within the dimension of time and within a budget provided, in meeting a point of crossroads for my clients, a way forward, to the next chapter they needed to continue their life journey. Thank you Father, for teaching me so many things, about others, like me, but in their differing circumstances, we each experienced need and desperation, reaching out to anything or anyone who could help. You helped me Lord, in and through my need and desperation. You’ve showed me real “Joy” and “Real Sense” of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.
Thank You Lord, for all of it! I pray Lord, may I share and instill in my daughter, a “Real Sense” of life and meaning and purpose. May I prepare her for her life journey, where You will be there to catch her when she falls and when she has great need, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
🕊️ Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.
These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. 🕊️
1 John 2:24-27
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Good morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride and our beautiful daughter!
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Abiding in “Faith”
“Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you.”
(Taken from “The Word In Season” April, May, June 2025)
Today’s lesson is an exhortation to believers.
The writer of 1 John said the forces opposed to Christ were coming to attempt to rip people from God and God’s mission. He was encouraging them to stay the course. That exhortation rings down the centuries to us as well: We, too, must cling to God’s promises and to the “Faith” we have been given.
Everybody has a beginning of ‘Faith’, For some, we experienced ‘Faith’ as a gift of God from even before our earliest memories, formed by parents, other loving adults, and ‘Faith’ communities. For others of us, God graced us with ‘Faith’ in later years. In all these ways ‘Faith’ comes to us as a gift. And as at the beginning, this ‘Faith’ strengthens us and is strengthened by experiences with God’s people, God’s Word, and God’s gifts.
Keep the ‘Faith’ of God in your hearts and minds at all times.
Remember who God is, what God has done, and what God will do for us at our own end and at the end of time.
Loving God, envelope me with Your goodness. Amen!
Prayer concern: Mentors in the ‘Faith’
Psalms 20; Judges 9:7-15
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“Now ‘Faith’ is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
🕊️ And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.’ 🕊️
Jeremiah 32:40-41
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🕊️ Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer. 🕊️
Psalms 19:12-14
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Good morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride!
Thank You for my beautiful daughter!
I pray Lord, I might walk in fellowship with my brothers and sisters.
May Your Spirit fill me and use me along my life journey, to be a light and a voice of encouragement and strength. Help me keep my words grounded in truth, and with Love, without wavering, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth. 🕊️
Hosea 6:3
🕊️ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 🕊️
Hebrews 10:23
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Good morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride and our babygirl!
You have indeed blessed us beyond measure, these last 27 years. I pray Lord, may Your Spirit rest upon us again this day, that we might shine Your light in the darkness around us, and bring glory to Your Holy name.
May we be humble in our coming and our going, may our countenance be one of joy in sharing Your Word and Your Love with others. May we serve our brothers and sisters by the example You have shown us, and may we not tarry in this effort, in Jesus’ name Amen! Selah!
🕊️ This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 🕊️
1 John 1:5-9, 2:1-2
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Thank You for this day Father!
Thank You for my life and that of my entire family.
I pray this morning, may we have fellowship with one another in our family, not just in church with other believers we only see once a week. I pray, may we break bread with other believers and come to know and enjoy, time together, sharing ourselves and our dreams, our challenges, our pain.
May we truly be as one family!
I pray Lord, in my life, the space of time and distance, not separate me from my children and my grandchildren, whom I have never met or known. In a time of such advanced technology, make a way Lord, for me to communicate with my children and grandchildren. I pray Your grace, mercy, and peace be upon them and keep them safe this day, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
🕊️ Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” 🕊️
Acts 17:22-31
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“An appointed day?”
Good morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride!
Thank You for my beautiful daughter!
Many have researched exhaustively, for this day, and still not accurately predicted its coming.
From the moment I took my first breath, until the “appointed day” I will take my last, I cannot say with certainty, I knew or have known where my path or my journey will end. But then, what I can say, is that which is in my nature today, is to live and breathe and share, the goodness I have within me.
I can for certain, tell you, I was born a creature of selfishness and self-seeking, however I best frame it or define my life’s intent, it has always been from my limited understanding and only from the experiences of life and the world around me. The physical plane, the ground where my feet have trod, the things I have touched, or the visual experiences, all these have established what my mind accepts as what is reality and what life is about. It could never have taken me to the place where I am today, nor prepared me for the life I now live.
I had not thought to keep record of the exact day or time was, but it took my going through a re-birth, causing an awakening of my mind and the spirit within me to see and feel His presence. The day I asked Jesus to be my savior, to rescue me from myself and help me to see. He helped me plant my feet on solid ground. This was the day God took a bereft man of the spiritual world, He give me purpose and the important principles which truly changed me. He gave me “Hope” and “Faith”, these two fundamental needs I didn’t even know I was missing. He revealed Himself to me! I had to learn to walk all over again, to begin as if my eyes were opened for the first time and my first breath in life for a second time, has never looked so different since. I made a choice, a choice to “believe”.
🕊️ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 🕊️
Hebrews 11:6
Thank You Father, for the revelation of true life, life as You would have me see it, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 🕊️
Romans 8:31-34
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Good morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride and our sweet daughter!
Being a father is not as easy as we would like it to be, however challenging, it has its rewards.
Most of the basic things our children need to learn, I believe, is already there, but comes from their mother in training them how to use it. The inert knowledge that’s there, like a time release capsule, as they are being fed and grow, they learn to eat, to feel new things, shared expressions, voice recognition and what is good and what is not. Being of the old school, my rearing was much different. As a male, I was expected to be better than I was, know more than I did and act quicker than I was able to do. My discipline was very harsh! Unlike my six siblings, I took the brunt of the blows with the belt, and when I built up a tolerance to the belt, it was with an open hand slap or backhand. Don’t get me wrong, much of the time I probably needed the chastisement, just a different way of correction would have been nice!
I chose not to embrace the harshness of my father, in raising my children. I chose to nurture them a different way, not just give commands and expecting to see a specific outcome, I went one step further and showed them how to do things, outline by example, the way it should be done. I chose not to hit my children, not to cheat on my wife. Life is complicated. It is like watching a novella. The ups and downs of my actions and efforts with each circumstance and each of the consequences being different.
I prayed to You often Lord, when I couldn’t see my older children when they were young, the ones who now never write or call, I prayed Lord, they would forgive me for not being there for them when they needed me. I was fathering them but not so much after divorce. An ex-wife’s bitter feelings, lies, and dominance over my children robbed me from being a part of their lives, and also the lives of my nine grandchildren. I’ve missed an entire generation of my grandchildren’s lives!
Thank You Lord, for staying with me through all the consequences and my suffering for my sin, and filling my heart with Love instead of hate. I always include All my children and I lift them up in prayer daily, listing them by name, including all my grandchildren.
Father God, as I began my walk with You, accepting my punishment for my past sin, You forgave me and washed me clean of all my sin! I still suffered for years with the consequences of my old sins, but You have been there for me to grow beyond the bitterness and blame. You gave me the strength to forgive and move forward when I found out my ex-wife was cheating with the pastor’s son, which was going on for more than two years. I was able to forgive her and all the members of my church who knew and said nothing to me. My marriage still ended regardless. You showed me how to make changes in my life, to walk away from the pit of vipers I was living in and You put my feet on a good path, amongst righteous, believing, loving people. Thank You for never leaving me or forsaking me.
As I started anew, You brought me to find a new life partner, a wife who truly loves me with her whole heart, more than twenty-six years now. I thank you Lord, for the blessing of a child I have helped raise throughout her eleven years of life, without leaving or the fear of divorce. Thank You Father for my Family! It is the one thing that is a constant in my life today, growing in my Faith and alongside my Family has been my most valued experience. Thank You Lord, for my life!
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. 🕊️
Isaiah 41:10
🕊️ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 🕊️
Romans 8:28-30
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Good morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride and our beautiful child!
All that we are Lord, is because of Your rich blessings upon our lives, and You allow us to shine Your light in the darkness around us. What a gift? What a responsibility? What an honor!
I pray Lord, for all the souls who have experienced loss of a loved one, may Your Spirit comfort them and give them peace. I hold up before You and pray, may You bless those who have lost all they possess, may Your Spirit lead them and comfort them and provide for their needs.
Bless the feet of those who travel into the lands of the suffering, those who risk their lives and labor to provide a respite to those who have great need. Lord, please make a way for them and keep them safe.
May Your Spirit rest upon the sick and wounded and heal them. May Your Spirit reveal a safe path to follow and lead those trying to avoid war and famine in their lands. There is so much suffering Lord, I don’t know how to ask it of You but to simply ask for Your relief for these people I do not know, to so many I have never met.
Father, God, I lift up before You this day, all the souls I see who are suffering! May You touch the hearts of our leaders, who can release the provisions for those who are suffering war, sickness and disease, famine, and neglect.
Life in my world, is like living in a magical wonderland filled with mysteries and beauty, readily available to me, if I but simply reach for it. I have a car and I can freely drive in any direction I wish to travel.
Lord, I continue to hold up before you all the souls suffering in this world. Hear me Lord, I pray!
The suffering in the world passes before me as if through a one sided mirror. Watching TV, I am witness to the wrong and injustice in the world around me. I see their plight! Who will save them, who will bring them comfort and peace, only You Lord! I ask You again Lord, please provide for the needs of these suffering, touch the hearts of those who have the resources to end the suffering, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
🕊️ No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 🕊️
1 Corinthians 10:13
🕊️ Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all. 🕊️
Psalms 34:19
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Good Morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank you for my sweet bride and our beautiful daughter!
The season is changing and with it I feel my life is changing with each moment I’m alive.
Lord, I pray with this new season I might accomplish the work I have before me. Help my focus to become more deliberate and purposeful, completing each task with one goal in mind, doing it the best I can.
May I always walk away from my completed work with a sense of accomplishment and pride in the quality of my work and quickly move on to the next challenge before me. Thank You Lord, for the strength within me to push through the monotony of my work and seek only its completion as the reward and the goals of its benefit in my life, however limited it may appears.
Help me to teach my daughter these things and to always push forward, never looking back, using her rear view only to be used as a catalyst, driving her to a more improved effort in her future works. This has been my method and my pattern which has always worked well for me. I praise You Lord, for being alive, to be present in my child’s life, to participate in her growth and development, to witness every goal reached, holding her up through the challenges, encouraging her to meeting each one with a special drive and determination to see it through. I praise You for being able to feel the wind upon my face and witness the sky filled with the coming of each new dawn. I love my life! I love my family!
🕊️ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. 🕊️
Ephesians 5:25-33
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Good morning Father!
Thank You for this day!
Thank You for my life!
Thank You for my sweet bride and our beautiful daughter!
Some days I feel young, as in my 20’s, and some days I feel my age, and my whole body and its members compete for attention, just for the little things. Today I thank You Lord, for being present in this life, to continue to experience all of life around me, capturing images and journaling my thoughts and highlights of my experiences. I feel Your presence within me, Your Spirit speaking to me in my mind’s eye, the revelations of life, so much to bear, so much to understand. I pray Your Spirit continue my education in life matters and guide my steps along my journey.
All that said, I feel whole and complete, having my lovely wife, my partner, my confidant, my closest friend, and our offspring, the child of our dreams. Father, we are one together, and that is the wealth we possess between us, the most cherished blessings You granted us, a child, thank You Lord!
I am a rich man because of my family! The Lord has given to me the one blessing which comes to mind, I could not live without, a life partner, someone to share my innermost thoughts, who we can care for each other, and experience the many seasons of life together, raising a child to become the best of each of us, a reflection of our love for each other, and sharing that love with the world around us, especially our Faith, and our Hope for a brighter future, without judgement or prejudice. May Your light shine within each of us this day, in all we say and do, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
Thank you for my lovely daughter and the time I have left with her, while she is yet living at home and I can enjoy watching her grow. Help me not to be too much of a rooster in her rearing.
Thank You, Lord, for the many seasons of life. Thank You for this very season of my life I’m enjoying right now, even with the struggles involved. Help me remember that this season will endure for a short while, and then a new season, a new springtime, or winter, will come into my life.
I know this is because You are a God of forward movement, and as I find some enjoyment in the present season, I know that in the future there will be ”a time for” what You have planned for me next. Help me to meet each season with grace, patience, and wisdom, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
WebHolyman 