Guard my life, for I am faithful to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God.—Psalm 86:2 (NIV)
All-Knowing God, I invite you to direct my steps right now. I trust that You know what is best for me.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”—Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)
How do you react when worry enters your mind? What do you do when you can’t seem to ignore or rationalize your fear away? If this happens, take a deep breath and pray. Ask God to fill you with His peace so that you can rest in His presence.
God of Peace, worry is a thief that steals my joy. Help me grow my faith so that it guards my heart and allows me to manage my emotions.
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.—2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)
Knowing when to say no or when to ask for help is an important part of life. When your cup runneth over, perhaps it’s time to say no or to look for how you might downsize your responsibilities. When you empty your cup of what you cannot hold, you make room for new blessings.
Great and Awesome God, help me find rest when I’m stressed. Give me the courage to say no and to ask for help. Remind me that the best use of my time is serving You.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.—2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)
Spiritual growth is a lifelong process. There is no end to your development. The closer you grow to God, the more you realize how much more there truly is! God’s bounteous gifts are infinite.
My Loving God, every day is an opportunity to nurture my relationship with You.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.—Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)
Do you have the mistake of thinking that if everything isn’t going your way you can’t possibly feel gratitude for the things that are? Gratitude is in and of itself a form of peace. When you recognize simple blessings, you open your heart to feel God’s presence.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the many blessings—from sunrise to sunset—that grace my life!
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.—Psalm 46:1 KJV
When you feel overwhelmed and burdened by your responsibilities take this verse to heart. Don’t try to handle everything by yourself. God is your protection, your solace, your comfort, and your refuge. Let Him flow in. Loosen your grip on the idea that you have to control everything and put the future into the hands of God.
Heavenly Father, I know that You are my refuge, my strength and my very present help. I open my heart and invite You in.
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.—Proverbs 16: 9 NIV
Set aside time each morning for prayer. Share your plans for the day. If something is on your mind, be still and ask for His direction. Surrender any pressing expectations of the outcome and be open to His plan and His will. Listen for His answer.
Lord, I am so thankful You’re with me throughout the day. Let me see every morning as a fresh start.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people.—Psalm 118:8 (NIV)
Relationships with family and friends are wonderful, but you can be let down if you rely on them to fill and satisfy your soul. The more you grow your relationship with God, the more you recognize that He completely fills your spiritual needs.
Infinite and Ever-Present Lord, You are my refuge. You are my strength. You fill me with your perfect peace.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.—Matthew 9:36 (NIV)
Matthew describes a life without Christ as one that is harassed and helpless, a sheep without a shepherd. Christ will lead you down the right path and protect you. When you follow Him, your life will be graced with peace and security.
Heavenly Father, I look to You, the overseer of my life and soul.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)
Paul’s words encourage us to believe that life may be filled with uncertainties, but there is absolutely nothing that can separate you from God’s love. The future might be uncertain, but God’s love is not. You can let go of any fears and anxiety, because God is here with you.
Unchanging God, You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws. I hold fast to your statutes, Lord; do not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding.—Psalm 119:30-32 (NIV)
Today as we celebrate Independence Day, reflect on the blessings God has showered on our nation. Give thanks for the many people who have sacrificed in the past and those who are currently serving to protect freedom. Pray for peace among nations and all people.
Lord, make us worthy of the gift of freedom.
This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, “They are my people, and they will say, The Lord is our God.”—Zechariah 13:9 (NIV)
The above verse shows that God brings His own people into the fire to refine them. He compares you to a precious metal, showing how the “fire of life,” the hot water, the challenges and difficult situations are for refinement. He is teaching and guiding you to think and live by His ways.
Lord, when I’m in the fire, I will lean on you to get through, as I trust that this difficult time will pass.
Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly…—1 CORINTHIANS 9:26 (NIV)
Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.—PROVERBS 12:25 (NIV
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God— this is your true and proper worship.—Romans 12:1 (NIV)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.—Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.—1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)
And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.”—Habakkuk 2:2 (ESV)
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.—Philippians 3:13 (NIV)
So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.—Genesis 1:21 (NIV)
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.—Hebrews 4:9–10 (ESV)
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.—Romans 12:2 (NIV)prayer
Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.—Genesis 5:24 (NIV)
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.—Genesis 50:20 (NIV) Bib
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”—John 15:13 (NIV)
I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws. I hold fast to your statutes, Lord; do not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding.—Psalm 119:30–32 (NIV)
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.—Psalm 1:3 (KJV)
But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.—Jeremiah 10:12 (NIV)
As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.—1 Samuel 18:1 (ESV)
For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”—Galatians 5:14 (NIV)
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.—John 15:12 (ESV)
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.—2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NIV)
