God's Power

Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the skies. You are awesome, oh God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to His people. Praise be to God!

Psalm 68:34-35


When we consider all God has done for us, we should feel an overwhelming sense of awe as we kneel before the Lord in His sanctuary. Nature surrounds us with countless signs of God's wonderful power. His unlimited power and unspeakable majesty leave us breathless in His presence. How fortunate we are that God cares for us. Look for His strength in the clouds of your life, and it shall surely be there. Heavenly Father, I thank you Lord for this day. I thank you for Your grace in Your mercy. I ask you to be with those right now who are in great distress, that they may feel Your presence and know in their hearts that You care for them and will deliver them from their present circumstance. In Jesus' name, Amen.

God Bless you,

J.H.

Favor and Honor

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Psalm 84:11

God does not promise to give us everything we think is good, but He will not withhold what is permanently good. He will give us the means to walk along His paths, but we must do the walking. When we obey Him, He will not hold anything back that will help us serve Him. God is for us having the good things. We need to get our priorities in order so that we can have them. Obedience is a tricky thing. The motivation behind our obedience is of paramount importance. If we obey the will of God, because of what we hope to be blessed with, our motivation is all wrong. If we obey the will of God out of our love and devotion for Him, our motivation is true. So our priorities are one thing, and our motivation is something else; and we need to pay attention to both. Heavenly Father, I thank You Lord for this day. I thank You for Your grace in Your mercy. I thank You for Your ever-loving kindness. I thank You for watching over us and protecting us. I pray today that you would help us get our priorities straight and centered on You. I pray that we would be able to discern Your will for this day, this week, this month, this year. I pray that our motivation is true. I pray that we would act in devotion to what You have already done in our lives, not because of something we yet hope to receive. I pray for contentedness, right now in the name of Jesus. I thank You and praise You, in Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless you,

J.H.

Worry Not

"Who of you by worrying and add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, oh ye of little faith!"

Luke 12:25-28

Jesus commands us not to worry. But how are we to avoid it? Only FAITH can free us from the anxiety caused by greed and covetousness. It is good to work and plan responsibly; conversely, it is bad to dwell on all the ways our planning could go wrong. There are certain things we have no absolutely no control over. That is where God comes in. Worry is pointless because it can't fill any of our needs; worry is foolish, because the Creator of the universe loves us and knows exactly what we need before we need it. He promises to meet all our needs, and not necessarily all our desires, which is a good thing. Victory is ours when we remember how much we mean to God. We are products of the providence of a Heavenly Father, who is indeed fully capable of meeting our earthly needs. The question is: where are we placing our faith? Lord, I ask that You increase my faith today. Allow me to see past my selfish desire, and to look to you, and know that You are seeking to fulfill my needs even before I knew of them. Thank you for Your faithfulness and Your goodness, in Jesus' precious name. Amen.

God Bless you,

J.H.

Rise Up

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

Matthew 28:2-4

The stone was not rolled back so that Jesus could get out, but so others could get in and see that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead, just as He had promised. The God who did all this to raise Jesus from the dead can today lift you up and let you out of whatever is holding you back from a new and abundant life. Rise up now in His Mighty Name. Amen.

God Bless you,

J.H.

God's Divine Plan

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and His paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Who has ever given to God that God should repay him? For from Him and through Him and to him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

Romans 11:33-36

This is a prayer of praise to God for the wisdom of his divine plan. Although God's methods and means are well beyond our comprehension, God himself is not arbitrary. He governs the universe and our lives in perfect wisdom, justice, and love. The indication of these questions is that no one has fully understood the mind of the Lord. No one has been his counselor. And God owes nothing to anyone of us. The prophets of the Old Testament, Isaiah and Jeremiah, asked similar questions to show that we are unable to give advice to God or criticize His ways. God alone is the possessor of absolute power and absolute wisdom. In the final analysis, all of us are absolutely dependent on God. He is a source of all things, including ourselves. He is the power that sustains and rules the world that we live in. And God works out all things for His Glory. This is really what it's all about. We have to take our eyes off of ourselves and our little problems, most of which we cause by our selfishness, and place them back on God. It really is that simple.

God Bless you,

J.H.

The Last Will Be First

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first."

Matthew 19:28-30

Jesus turned the world's values upside down. The disciples were astonished at this teaching. They thought that if anyone could be saved, it would be the rich, whom their culture considered especially blessed by God. Consider the most powerful or well-known people in our world today-how many got where they all are by being humble, self-effacing, and gentle? Not many! But in the life to come, the last will be first-if they got in last place by choosing to follow Jesus. Do not forfeit the eternal reward for temporary benefits. Be willing to make sacrifices now for greater rewards later. Be willing to accept human disapproval, while knowing that you have God's approval. After all, that's all that really matters.

God Bless you,

J.H.

Banish all Fear

For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

II Timothy 1:6-7

Timothy was experiencing great opposition to his message and to himself as a leader. His youth, his association with Paul, and his leadership had come under fire from believers and nonbelievers alike. Paul urged him to be bold. When we allow people to intimidate us, we neutralize our effectiveness for God. The power of the Holy Spirit can help us overcome our fear of what some might say or do to us, so that we can continue to do God's work. Paul mentions three characteristics of the effective Christian leader: power, love, and self-discipline (sound mind). These are available to us because the Holy Spirit lives in us. Follow His lead each day so that your life will more fully exhibit these characteristics. The average person is apt to spend more time with his fears than he does with his faith. If that is you, it is time that you turn that around. Do it now. Heavenly Father, I thank you Lord for this day. I pray that you would banish all fears the come upon us today by the power of Your Holy Spirit, in Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless you,

J.H.