Receive God's Peace as the Year Draws to a Close

Isaiah 9:6 - For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

John 14:26-27 - "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

II Corinthians 4:7 - But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show I that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

Dear God, thank You for peace. Even as I struggle through this day, this latest infection, and just life in general, thank You for peace that supersedes all of my struggling. Peace, peace, peace. Peace be with me. Peace still my heart. Peace calm my anxious heart. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

God Is Leading You Along a Way That Is Uniquely Right for You

John 15:4 - "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me."

II Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Ephesians 2:10 - For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

I John 4:7-8 - Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Dear God, thank You for the path You have placed me on. Thank You that it is uniquely my path even when it crosses the path of another or runs alongside of the path of another. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Trust Him with Every Fiber of Your Being

Psalm 40:4 - Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!

Psalm 56:3-4 - When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

Psalm 62:8 - Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.

Isaiah 26:3-4 - You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

  

Dear God, thank You for being trustworthy, completely trustworthy. Trustworthy in both the good times and the bad times. Thank You for teaching me more about trusting You in the big things no the small things. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

He Is Your Refuge and Strength

Psalm 46:1-3 - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, thought the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

Psalm 89:15-16 - Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted. 

Dear God, thank You for the blessings You shower on this planet deposited what the media choose to focus on. I am not going to be afraid of terrorists (if I were afraid, it would be of the white man down the street who is an avid gun buyer and insists on carrying guns everywhere he goes). I am not going to be afraid of earthquakes or floods. I am not going to be afraid of the medical testing I will have to do in the new year (unless the republicans screw things up and cause me to lose my insurance coverage because of their sick hatred for the president). I am going to put my trust in You, my refuge and my strength. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

God Is Preparing You for What Is on the Road Ahead

Psalm 36:9 - For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.

Isaiah 64:4 - From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.

John 15:5 - "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

Dear God, thank You for preparing me for what lies ahead. Thank You for giving me strength and courage for what lies ahead. It is because of that strength and courage that I am not afraid of the tests I will be facing in the new year to make sure that the initial test was not a fluke or a mistake. And it is because of that strength and courage that if the test comes back the same as the initial test I am not afraid of the next test that may need to be done to determine whether it is just an activation thing or whether it is in my bone marrow. I am no longer afraid. What I do worry about is insurance which is fighting tooth and nail to not cover needed treatments. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

He Is the Gift That Continuously Gives

Deuteronomy 33:27 - The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, Destroy.

Psalm 13:5 - But I have trusted in our steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

I John 4:15-16 - Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.mso we have come to know and to believe the love that God ha score us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 

I John 4:18 - There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 

Dear God, thank You for unconditional love that does not hinge upon what I do or do not do. When love hinges upon behavior, it cannot be real. Help me to never punish myself by separating myself from You and Your loving arms. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Wait Attentively in His Presence

Luke 2:13-14 - And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

II Corinthians 4:6 - For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 

II Corinthians 8:9 - For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Philippians 2:5-7 - Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Dear God, thank You for glimpses of glory during my times spent with You. Thank You for allowing Your Son to come to earth as a little baby so that I may have relationship with You. In that one moment, the world was changed. On this day, the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus, may I remember Your glory shining through the darkness. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!