God's Blessings and Promises for You

The New Life Series

For more Free Christian Resources, please visit: Loaves And Fishes Ministries Free Sermons And Daily Devotions (www.loaves-and-fishes.org)

Table of Contents
God's Blessings for You God's Promises for You Belief Children Confession Correction Courage Daily Needs Death Depression Discipleship Enemies Eternal Life Faith Faithfulness of God Fear Forgiveness Guidance Healing Holy Spirit Hope Humility Inheritance Joy Kingdom of God Life Ever-Renewed Loneliness Love Nighttime Anxiety Obedience Patience Peace Perseverance Prayer Answered Prisoners Protection Refuge Rest Salvation Service 4 9 9 10 11 12 13 14 14 16 16 17 19 22 23 24 25 27 28 29 31 33 34 35 36 37 39 40 42 42 44 45 46 47 49 50 52 53 54 55

Strength Success Temptation Transformation Trouble Trust Victory Wisdom Word of God

57 58 59 60 60 62 63 64 65

The blessings contained in the Scriptures are for those who approach God in faith. And the fullness of God's promises are ours when we believe in and receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. If you would like to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, it only takes a simple and sincere prayer from the heart. The following is a prayer you can say: "Lord Jesus, come into my heart and into my life. I thank you that you love me so much that you died on the cross for me. I receive you as my Lord and Savior and I believe that, as I confess the failures of my past, you will forgive me for all I have done wrong. I thank you for your gift of eternal life and that you are now dwelling in me and will live with me forever. All honor and glory are yours forever, Lord Jesus. Amen."

When we believe in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we receive many blessings and promises from God.
3

God's Blessings for You

We are chosen by God.
"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." Ephesians 1:4

We are called by name, we are God's.

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." Isaiah 43:1 RSV

We are ransomed out of bondage.

"You are not your own, you were bought at a price."
I Corinthians 6:19-20 RSV

We are born of the Holy Spirit.

"Jesus answered, 'In truth I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born from water and spirit. Flesh can give birth only to flesh; it is spirit that gives birth to spirit.' "John 3:6

We are children of God.

"But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God." John 1:12 RSV

We are loved.
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions."
Ephesians 2:4-5a

"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5:5

We are given the gift of salvation.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8 RSV

We are reconciled to God.

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them." II Corinthians 5:18-19a

We are rescued and established.

"For we must never forget that he rescued us from the power of darkness, and re-established us in the kingdom of his beloved Son." Colossians 1:13 Phillips

We receive the blessings of God's grace.

". . . we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." Romans 5:1b-2

We share in the nature of God.

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature . . ." II Peter 1:3-4

Our old self is crucified with Christ.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

Our sins are forgiven.

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." Ephesians 1:7

We are cleansed and made right before God.

". . . you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." I Corinthians 6:11

We are baptized into Christ's death and raised to new life.

"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Romans 6:4 5

We are given eternal life.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

We are given citizenship in God's kingdom.

"And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one on me . . ." Luke 22:29 NKJV

We experience God's kingdom within us.

"The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:20b-21

We are a new creation.

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

We are no longer under the law but under grace.

"For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:14

We have access to God.

"It is in the same Jesus, because we have faith in him, that we dare, even with confidence, to approach God." Ephesians 3:12 Phillips

We are protected from evil.

"But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." II Thessalonians 3:3

We are free from the power of sin.

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2

We do not suffer condemnation.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1 NKJV 6

We are given the Holy Spirit.

"Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' " Acts 2:38 "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:13

We are gifted by the Holy Spirit.

"The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." I Corinthians 12:7-11 NKJV

We are filled and led by the Holy Spirit.

"And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you . . . because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." Romans 8:11,14

We are transformed by the fruit of the Spirit.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

We enter into abundant living.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10 RSV

We are joint heirs with Christ.

"Now if we are children, then we are heirsheirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Romans 8:17

We enjoy close fellowship with Jesus and the Father.

"Jesus replied, 'If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.' " John 14:23

We are part of the body of Christ.

"For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one bodywhether Jews or Greeks, slave or freeand we were all given the one Spirit to drink." I Corinthians 12:13

We are members of a royal priesthood.

"You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." I Peter 2:9 RSV

We are created by God for good works.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

We are chosen and appointed to bear fruit.

"It is not that you have chosen me; but it is I who have chosen you. I have appointed you to go and bear fruit that will be lasting . . ." John 15:16a Phillips

God gives us good things.

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:11

We are brought through our difficulties to victory.

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Romans 8:37 RSV

God's Promises for You

8

When we face any challenge in life, we can claim a promise of God which is appropriate to our situation. To claim a promise means we apply it to our lives and count on God to be faithful. With nearly every promise in the Scriptures, we are given some instruction as to how we are to cooperate with God to make the promise become a reality. Faith, prayer, obedience and a teachable and humble heart are all involved. We will look back over events and see how wonderfully faithful God is.

Belief
To believe in God and all that He promises is a wonderful adventure. It is confidently anticipating His loving goodness and faithfulness in every area of our lives. Our responsibility is to act on our belief by offering to God our relationships and our circumstances so that He can work. "To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God." John 1:12 RSV "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 RSV "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3:18 NKJV "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." John 5:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, 'he who believes in Me has everlasting life.'" John 6:47 NKJV "Jesus replied, 'I am the Bread of Life. No one coming to me will ever be hungry again. Those believing in me will never thirst.' " John 6:35 LB "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." John 12:46

"Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.' " John 20:29 "And all the prophets have written about him, saying that everyone who believes on him will have their sins forgiven through his name." Acts 10:43 LB "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, and your entire household." Acts 16:31 "And Jesus said to him . . . 'All things are possible to him who believes.' " Mark 9:23 RSV "The victory that defeats the world is our faith, for who is victor over the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" I John 5:4b-5 NEB "I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." I John 5:13

Children
One of our privileges as Christians is to pray for children and grandchildren. And if we will ask, God will give us wisdom to know how to pray. Jesus treated children with special care, so we know that with special love, He hears and answers our prayers. "But from everlasting to everlasting, the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children -- with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts." Psalm 103:17-18 "Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace. Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the Lord." Psalm 144:12,15 "For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring." Isaiah 44:3 NKJV "All your sons shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the prosperity of your sons." Isaiah 54:13 RSV "For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear 10

children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord." Isaiah 65:22-23 "For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him." Acts 2:39 RSV "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." Acts 16:31 RSV

Confession
Confession cleanses and renews us. It sets us back on the right path. When we confess our failures to God, we are to try to see ourselves and our circumstances from His point of view. We are to acknowledge our responsibility and ask for His strength and help not to repeat our mistakes. "Before you turn to God and stretch out your hands to him, get rid of your sins and leave all iniquity behind you. Only then, without the spots of sin to defile you, can you walk steadily forward to God without fear. Only then can you forget your misery. It will all be in the past. And your life will be cloudless; any darkness will be as bright as morning!" Job 11:13-17 LB "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18 "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." Proverbs 28:13 "I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins." Isaiah 43:25 RSV "I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you." Isaiah 44:22 RSV "You were dead in sins, and your sinful desires were not yet cut away. Then he gave you a share in the very life of Christ, for he forgave all your sins, and blotted out the charges proved against you, the list of his commandments which you had not obeyed. He took this list of sins and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ's cross. In this way God took away Satan's power to accuse you of sin, and God openly displayed to the whole world Christ's triumph at the cross where your sins were all taken away." Colossians 2:13-15 LB "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" Hebrews 9:14 11

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9 RSV "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense -Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." I John 2:1-2

Correction
(Discipline)
Sometimes it is necessary for God to correct or discipline us. He does this because He loves us and wants us to experience greater blessings and achieve a higher quality of life. If we learn from God's correction, His promise is that we will grow in peace and in character. "How enviable the man whom God corrects! Oh, do not despise the chastening of the Lord when you sin. For though he wounds, he binds and heals again. He will deliver you again and again, so that no evil can touch you." Job 5:17-18 LB ". . . do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights." Proverbs 3:11-12 RSV "For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life." Proverbs 6:23 "Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law; you grant him relief from the days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked." Psalms 94:12-13 "When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world." I Corinthians 11:32 ". . .do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him. For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." Hebrews 12:5-6 RSV "For our fathers used to correct us according to their own ideas during the brief days of childhood. But God corrects us all our days for our own

Hebrews 12:11

12

benefit, to teach us his holiness. Now obviously no 'chastening' seems pleasant at the time; it is in fact most unpleasant. Yet when it is all over we can see that it has quietly produced the fruit of real goodness in the characters of those who have accepted it in the right spirit." Hebrews 12:10-11 Phillips

Courage
We are not expected to live this life without God's help. But God does ask us to step out courageously and act as if His promises of guidance and enabling are true. It is in taking such action that we discover that God is faithful.. "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them: for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6 RSV "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua l:9 "Fear not, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." II Kings 6:16 RSV "Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!" Psalm 27:14 NKJV "Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord." Psalm 31:24 RSV "My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26 NKJV

Daily Needs
Most of us are so concerned about tomorrow that today passes by without our enjoying it. Jesus wants us to depend on Him for our daily needs and not to be anxious about tomorrow. "You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame." Joel 2:26 RSV

13

"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:31-33 "And it is in God's power to provide you richly with every good gift; thus you will have ample means in yourselves to meet each and every situation, with enough and to spare for every good cause." II Corinthians 9:8 NEB "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 RSV

Death
The Scriptures teach that all suffering can be a prelude to new life. It depends upon our response. We can view it as an opportunity to die to an old way of thinking or living. Our times of trouble and sickness here on earth can be a series of deaths leading us to higher and higher living and preparing us for our final death. They can be the prelude to our full inheritance as children of God. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4 RSV "For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death." Psalm 48:14 NKJV "God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me." Psalm 49:15 NKJV "When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge." Proverbs 14:32 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." John 14:1-3 "For the life of this world men are made like the material man; but for the life that is to come they are made like the one from Heaven. So that just as we have been made like the material pattern, so we shall be made like the Heavenly pattern. For I assure you, my brothers, it is utterly impossible for flesh and blood to possess the kingdom of God. The transitory could never possess the everlasting. For this perishable nature of ours must be wrapped 14

in imperishability; these bodies which are mortal must be wrapped in immortality. So when the perishable is lost in the imperishable, the mortal lost in the immortal, this saying will come true: 'Death is swallowed up in victory. For where now, O death, is your power to hurt us? Where now, O grave, is the victory you hoped to win?' All thanks to God, then, who gives us the victory over these things through our Lord Jesus Christ!" I Corinthians 15:48-50,53-55,57 Phillips "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." II Corinthians 4:16-18 RSV "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39 "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me, shall never die." John 11:25-26 NKJV "Since we, God's children, are human beings -- made of flesh and blood -he became flesh and blood too by being born in human form; for only as a human being could he die and in dying break the power of the devil who had the power of death. Only in that way could he deliver those who through fear of death have been living all their lives as slaves to constant dread." Hebrews 2:14-15 LB

Depression
Depression can be caused by a physical problem. However, it most often follows self-pity, rejection or loss of hope. As long ago as in the days of Isaiah, God was telling us He offers the answer to depression. "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, . . . to comfort all who mourn and provide for those who grieve in Zionto bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor." Isaiah 61:1a,3 15

"Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:5 "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." Psalm 126:5-6 "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

Discipleship
There is a difference between being a believer in Jesus and a disciple of Jesus. If I am a believer, I will agree intellectually with Christ's teaching, but I will not necessarily pattern my life after Him. If I am a disciple of Jesus, I will be willing to deny myself, bear a cross for His sake, and try my utmost to be obedient to His teachings. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done." Matthew 16:24-25,27 "He who had received the five talents came forward bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' " Matthew 25:20-21 RSV "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fieldsand with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life." Mark 10:29-30 "Then Jesus spoke to them again saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.' " John 8:12 NKJV " 'I tell you the truth,' Jesus said to them, 'no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 16

will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.' " Luke 18:29-30 "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:31-32 RSV "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27 RSV "If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him." John 12:26 RSV "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35 RSV "If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples." John 15:7-8 RSV

Enemies
When an enemy attacks us (a person or a hostile force), injury and destruction can come to us physically, emotionally and spiritually. God promises victory over anything in life that might harm us. However, we cannot take this divine help for granted. We are to seek it. "For the Lord your God is he that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory." Deuteronomy 20:4 RSV "The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you; they shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways." Deuteronomy 28:7 RSV "So he answered, 'Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.' " II Kings 6:16 NKJV "Rather, worship the Lord your God, it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies." II Kings 17:39

17

"For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord." Psalms 27: 5-6 NKJV "The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked, and saves them, because they take refuge in him." Psalm 37:40 RSV "With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down your enemies." Psalm 60:12 "The Lord is on my side, he will help me. Let those who hate me beware." Psalm 118:7 LB "Just as the mountains surround and protect Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds and protects his people." Psalms 125:2 LB "Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared." Proverbs 3:25-26 "When a man is trying to please God, God makes even his worst enemies to be at peace with him." Proverbs 16:7 LB "Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.' " Isaiah 41: 11-13 RSV " 'No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,' declares the Lord." Isaiah 54:17 ". . . 'I will deliver you in that day,' says the Lord, 'and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fail by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me,' says the Lord." Jeremiah 39:17-18 NKJV "Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me." Micah 7:8 NKJV

18

"That is why we can say without any doubt or fear, 'The Lord is my Helper and I am not afraid of anything that mere man can do to me.' " Hebrews 13:6 LB

Eternal Life
Christians are being recreated for a marvelous new quality of life: eternal life. It begins when we believe in and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We enjoy close fellowship with God and the blessings of His kingdom. We experience eternal life in part here on earth and in its fullness after death. ". . . we have this assurance: Those who belong to God shall live again. Their bodies shall rise again! Those who dwell in the dust shall awake and sing for joy! For God's light of life will fall like dew upon them!" Isaiah 26:19 LB "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment." John 5:28-29 RSV "And this is the will of him who sent me;, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:39-40 RSV "How earnestly I tell you this -- anyone who believes in me already has eternal life!" John 6:47 LB "My sheep recognize my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one shall snatch them away from me for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else, so no one can kidnap them from me." John 10:27-29 LB "Jesus told her, 'I am the one who raises the dead and gives them life again. Anyone who believes in me, even though he dies like anyone else, shall live again.' " John 11:25 LB "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place 19

for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." John 14:2-3 RSV "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 RSV ". . . the glorious fact is that Christ did rise from the dead; he has become the very first to rise of all who sleep the sleep of death. As death entered the world through a man, so has rising from the dead come to us through a man! As members of a sinful race all men die; as members of the Christ of God all men shall be raised to life, each in his proper order, with Christ the very first and after him all who belong to him when he comes." I Corinthians 15:20-21 Phillips "So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body." I Corinthians 15:42-44 "If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: 'The first man Adam became a living being'; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual." I Corinthians 15:42-46 "Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed -- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true. 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' " I Corinthians 15:51-54 "For we know that if the earthly frame that houses us today should be demolished, we possess a building which God has provided -- a house not made by human hands, eternal, and in heaven." II Corinthians 5:1 NEB "A man's harvest in life will depend entirely on what he sows. If he sows for his own lower nature, his harvest will be the decay and death of his own nature. But if he sows for the Spirit, he will reap the harvest of everlasting life by the Spirit." Galatians 6:8 Phillips "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord." I Thessalonians 4:16-17 RSV 20

"For Christ has completely abolished death, and has now, through the gospel, opened to us men the shining possibilities of the life that is eternal." II Timothy 1:10 Phillips "For you have a new life. It was not passed on to you from your parents, for the life they gave you will fade away. This new one will last forever, for it comes from Christ, God's ever-living Message to men." I Peter 1:23 LB "And this is what he has promised us, eternal life." I John 2:25 RSV "And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." I John 5:11 NKJV "Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple; and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Revelation 7:15-17 RSV "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:4 RSV

Faith
Faith is more than intellectual assent. It is surrender and commitment to God and Jesus Christ. Faith is not a single, decisive response as much as it is a progressively fuller trust. It is a loving devotion of ourselves to our Creator and Redeemer.

"Jesus answered and said to them, 'Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.' " Mark 11:22-23 NKJV "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." Romans 5:1-2 21

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel. I see it as the very power of God working for the salvation of everyone who believes it, both Jew and Greek. I see in it God's plan for imparting righteousness to men, a process begun and continued by their faith. For, as the scripture says: The righteous shall live by faith." Romans l:16-17 Phillips "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:26 NKJV ". . . it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 RSV "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6 "The victory that defeats the world is our faith, for who is victor over the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" I John 5:4-5 NEB

Faithfulness of God
The faithfulness of God is a theme that runs throughout the Scriptures. God will be eternally faithful to His promises. Our responsibility is to learn how we can enter into the blessings He promises. "For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does." Psalm 33:4 "I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered." Psalm 89:34 "Even when we are too weak to have any faith left, he remains faithful to us and will help us, for he cannot disown us who are part of himself, and he will always carry out his promises to us." II Timothy 2:13 LB "Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is the faithful God who for a thousand generations keeps his promises and constantly loves those who love him and who obey his commands." Deuteronomy 7:9 LB

22

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you." Isaiah 54:10 "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23 "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23 "The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made." Psalm 145:13b "O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago." Isaiah 25:1 ". . . Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it." Isaiah 46:11 NKJV "He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." I Corinthians 1:8-9 "And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6 RSV "But Christ was faithful as a son in the household of his own Father. And we are members of this household if we maintain our trust and joyful hope steadfast to the end." Hebrews 3:6 Phillips

Fear
There is a healthy kind of concern that keeps us from doing something that is potentially harmful. Fear, however, is a feeling of alarm or dread caused by the expectation of danger, disaster or pain. God does not want us to live in fear. It is self-defeating because it is rooted in unbelief. We are not trusting that God loves us enough to protect and guide us. "It is the Lord who goes before you; he will be with you, he will not fail you or forsake you; do not fear or be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31:8 RSV "The Lord is my light and my salvation; he protects me from danger -whom shall I fear? When evil men come to destroy me, they will stumble and fall! Yes, though a mighty army marches against me, my heart shall 23

know no fear! I am confident that God will save me. The one thing I want from God, the thing I seek most of all, is the privilege of meditating in his Temple, living in his presence every day of my life, delighting in his incomparable perfections and glory. There I'll be when troubles come. He will hide me. He will set me on a high rock out of reach of all my enemies. Then I will bring him sacrifices and sing his praises with much joy." Psalm 27:1-6 LB "He will shield you with his wings! They will shelter you. His faithful promises are your armor. Now you don't need to be afraid of the dark any more, nor fear the dangers of the day; nor dread the plagues of darkness, nor disasters in the morning." Psalm 91:4-6 LB "There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love." I John 4:18 RSV "In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid." Psalm 118:5-6a "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. . . For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear; I will help you.' " Isaiah 41:10,13 "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. . ." Isaiah 43:1b-3a "Do not be afraid of sudden panic, or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes; for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught." Proverbs 3:25-26 RSV "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." John 14:27 RSV "All who follow the leading of God's Spirit are God's own sons. Nor are you meant to relapse into the old slavish attitude of fear you have been adopted into the very family circle of God and you can say with a full heart, 'Father, my Father.' " Romans 8:14-15 Phillips "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." II Timothy 1:7

24

". . . because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?' " Hebrews 13:5b-6

Forgiveness
The Scriptures place great importance on forgiveness. When we refuse to seek God's forgiveness or to forgive another, we keep ourselves from receiving the fullness of God's blessings. It is not that God withdraws these blessings, but that we have turned away from Him in pride, anger or fear. ". . . this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel . . . 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. . . they shall all 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 31:33,34b NKJV "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:8-12 "I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins." Isaiah 43:25 RSV "Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon." Isaiah 55:7 "I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you." Isaiah 44:22 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:44-45a NKJV "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." Matthew 6:14 NKJV "Don't repay evil for evil. Wait for the Lord to handle the matter." Proverbs 20:22 LB 25

"Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned, forgive, and you will be forgiven;. give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you give, will be measure you get back." Luke 6:35-38 RSV "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." Ephesians 1:7a "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. . ." Romans 8:1 RSV "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Hebrews 8:12 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9 RSV

Guidance
God promises to guide us if we trust our lives to Him. His ways are not always our ways and He will sometimes act in ways we cannot predict or understand. It can be scary because He may "lead us in paths we have not 2 known." God's promise is that He will guide us into emotional and spiritual security, healing and refreshment, to enjoy abundant living. "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant." Psalm 25:9-10 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8 "For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death." Psalm 48:14 NKJV "I saw myself so stupid and so ignorant; I must seem like an animal to you, O God. But even so, you love me! You are holding my right hand! You will keep on guiding me all my life with your wisdom and counsel; and afterwards, receive me into the glories of heaven!" Psalm 73:23-24 LB "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:6 NKJV
2

Isaiah 42:16

26

"How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.' " Isaiah 30:19b-21 "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16 "And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your desire with good things, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." Isaiah 58:11 RSV "This is what the Lord says your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: 'I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.' " Isaiah 48:17 "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:1-4 "For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13

Healing
It is clear from the ministry of Jesus that God's desire is for us to live without disease. When we pray for healing, it may come to us emotionally, physically and/or spiritually. Some healing comes suddenly, but most healing is a process which requires patience and perseverance. Sometimes, in God's infinite wisdom, complete physical healing is not granted. God allows this because He has something better in mind. He gives us strength to bear it, we mature in our faith, and His greater plan is revealed. "Worship the Lord your God and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you." Exodus 23:25 27

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." Psalm 103:2-5 "I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners, creating the praise of the lips. Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near, says the Lord, and I will heal him." Isaiah 57:18-19 ASV "Lord, you alone can heal me, you alone can save, and my praises are for you alone." Jeremiah 17:14 LB "This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you." II Kings 20:5b "He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave." Psalm 107:20 "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows . . . he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:4a-5 "I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds, says the Lord." Jeremiah 30:17a RSV "I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security." Jeremiah 33:6b "When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, 'Do you believe that I am able to do this?' They said to him, 'Yes, Lord.' Then he touched their eyes, saying, 'According to your faith be it done to you.' And their eyes were opened." Matthew 9:28-30a RSV "Is any of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven." James 5:14-15 "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." I Peter 2:24 RSV

Holy Spirit
28

The Holy Spirit dwells within every Christian as Comforter, Counselor and Helper. He illumines our minds so we can understand God's truth. He energizes our wills and guides us along life's path so we can act upon what we have learned. He grants us the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit so we can have the kind of character and life God wants us to have. "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even upon the menservants and maidservants in those days, I will pour out my spirit." Joel 2:28-29 RSV "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:13 "Jesus said to her, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I will give him will never be thirsty again. For my gift will become a spring in the man himself, welling up into eternal life. If any man is thirsty, he can come to me and drink! The man who believes in me, as the scripture said, will have rivers of living water flowing from his inmost heart.' (Here he was speaking about the Spirit which those who believe in him would receive. The Holy Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)" John 4:14, 7:38-39 Phillips "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever -- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." John 14:16-17 "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' " Acts 2:38 "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you." John 16:13-14 RSV ". . . no mere man has ever seen, heard or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready for those who love the Lord. But we know about these things because God has sent his Spirit to tell us, and his Spirit searches out and shows us all of God's deepest secrets." I Corinthians 2:9-10 LB "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." I Corinthians 2:12 NKJV 29

"The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." I Corinthians 12:7-11 NKJV "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." II Corinthians 3:17-18 RSV "So there is now no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit--and this power is mine through Christ Jesus--has freed me from the vicious circle of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2 LB "All who follow the leading of God's Spirit are God's own sons. Nor are you meant to relapse into the old slavish attitude of fear -- you have been adopted into the very family circle of God and you can say with a full heart, 'Father, my Father.' The Spirit himself endorses our inward conviction that we really are the children of God. Think what that means. If we are his children we share his treasures, and all that Christ claims as his will belong to all of us as well! Yes, if we share in his sufferings we shall certainly share in his glory." Romans 8:14-17 Phillips "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:26-27 "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Romans 14:17 "God's purpose is therefore plain: that the blessing promised to Abraham might reach the gentiles through Christ Jesus, and the promise of the Spirit might become ours by faith." Galatians 3:14 Phillips "But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22 LB "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in 30

the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

Hope
The modern meaning of the word "hope" is a vague future expectation. Christian hope is different. It is the confident assurance that God is faithful to bless those who believe in Him. We hope even when there is no visible evidence upon which to base our hope. "And you will have confidence, because there is hope; you will be protected and take your rest in safety." Job 11:18 RSV "Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord." Psalm 31:24 NKJV "The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love. . . We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield." Psalm 33:18,20 "Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off." Proverbs 23:18 RSV "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31 " 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.' " Jeremiah 29:11-13 "The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." Lamentations 3:25-26 "But for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me." Micah 7:7 "Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God." Romans 5:1-2 RSV " . . . In our moments of impatience let us remember that hope always means waiting for something that we do not yet possess. But if we hope for 31

something we cannot see, then we must settle down to wait for it in patience." Romans 8:24-25 Phillips "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." II Thessalonians 2:16 "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23 RSV "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you." I Peter 1:3-4 RSV "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled, set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." I Peter 1:13

Humility
Christ's humility and inner strength came from knowing He was God's Son and greatly loved by Him. He knew that, as He trusted in and depended upon His Father, God worked through Him. The effect of Christ's humility was strength and influence. Our humility rises from our recognition that we are accepted and loved by God even though we are sinners. With grateful trust and dependence on Him, we forget ourselves and allow Him to work in us. The effect of our humility, then, is strength and influence. "But the meek shall possess the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity." Psalm 37:11 RSV "The Lord is good and glad to teach the proper path to all who go astray, he will teach the ways that are right and best to those who humbly turn to him. And when we obey him, every path he guides us on is fragrant with his lovingkindness and his truth." Psalm 25:9-10 LB "The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked to the ground." Psalm 147:6 NKJV 32

"For the Lo rd takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation." Psalm 149:4 NKJV "The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor." Proverbs 15:33 "A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor." Proverbs 29:23 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5 RSV "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:29-30 RSV "Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:4 RSV "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Matthew 23:12 RSV "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6 "Indeed all of you should defer to one another and wear the 'overall' of humility in serving each other. God is always against the proud, but he is always ready to give grace to the humble. So, humble yourselves under God's strong hand, and in his own good time he will lift you up." I Peter 5:5-6 Phillips

Inheritance
In our finite minds, it is difficult to grasp infinite things, especially the fact that we are to inherit the blessings of the kingdom of God just as Jesus Christ has. We are co-heirs with Christ. Everything that is Christ's will be ours because we belong to Him. We receive our inheritance in part here on earth and in its fullness after death. "Yet wherever men did accept him he gave them the power to become sons of God. These were the men who truly believed in him, and their birth depended not on the course of nature nor on any impulse or plan of man, but on God." John 1:12-13 Phillips "Indeed, every one of us has shared in his riches there is a grace in our lives because of his grace. For while the Law was given by Moses, love and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:16-17 Phillips 33

"All who follow the leading of God's Spirit are God's own sons. Nor are you meant to relapse into the old slavish attitude of fear you have been adopted into the very family circle of God and you can say with a full heart, 'Father, my Father.' The Spirit himself endorses our inward conviction that we really are the children of God. Think what that means. If we are his children we share his treasures, and all that Christ claims as his will belong to all of us as well! Yes if we share in his sufferings we shall certainly share in his glory." Romans 8:14-17 Phillips

Joy
The dictionary defines "joy" as a feeling of high pleasure, gladness and delight. There is a further dimension to Christian joy. It is a deep and abiding assurance that we are loved, protected and guided by our heavenly Father. Even when things are difficult, we have this certainty that future blessings will bring fullness of joy once again. "You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11 NKJV "You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." Psalm 30:11-12 "Our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in his holy name." Psalm 33:21 NKJV "Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord. They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness." Psalm 89:15-16 "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." Psalm 126:5-6 "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." Isaiah 12:3 RSV "Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 29:19 "The time will come when God's redeemed will all come home again. They shall come with singing to Jerusalem, filled with joy and everlasting gladness; sorrow and mourning will all disappear." Isaiah 51:11 LB

34

"When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty." Jeremiah 15:16 ". . . Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10b NKJV "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." John 15:10-11 ". . . while I am still in the world, I speak these words, so that they may have my joy within them in full measure." John 17:13 NEB "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy." I Peter 1:8 "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joyto the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." Jude 24-25

Kingdom of God
(Kingdom of Heaven)
The kingdom of God was the central theme of the teachings of Jesus. It is the reign of God, the sovereign lordship of God in our lives. God's kingdom is planted within us when we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It is nurtured within us through prayer, worship, study of the word of God and loving service to others. God's kingdom will come in its fullness when Christ returns. It is something which we are all to pray for and eagerly anticipate. "How happy are the humbleminded, for the kingdom of Heaven is theirs!" Matthew 5:3 Phillips "Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well." Matthew 6:31-33 RSV "Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Matthew 7:21 RSV 35

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32 "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:20b-21 " 'I tell you the truth,' Jesus said to them, 'no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.' " Luke 18:29-30 "As my Father appointed a kingdom for me, so do I appoint for you that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Luke 22:29-30 RSV "Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' " John 3:5-7 "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Romans 14:17 "The kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power." I Corinthians 4:20 NKJV "Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?" James 2:5 NKJV "I am sure the Lord will rescue me from every evil plot, and will keep me safe until I reach his heavenly kingdom. Glory be to him for ever and ever, amen!" II Timothy 4:18 Phillips

Life Ever-Renewed
God is eternally creative. If we are willing, He is continually creating us anew. We can look at each day as a new beginning you could say, the first day of the rest of our eternal life! "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them." Isaiah 42:9 NKJV "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" Isaiah 43:18-19 36

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come." II Corinthians 5:17 RSV "No wonder we do not lose heart! Though our outward humanity is in decay, yet day by day we are inwardly renewed." II Corinthians 4:16 NEB "For you have a new life. It was not passed on to you from your parents, for the life they gave you will fade away. This new one will last forever, for it comes from Christ, God's everliving Message to men." I Peter 1:23 LB "He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down for these words are trustworthy and true.' " Revelation 21:5

Listening in Prayer
Prayer is to be a time of listening to God as well as talking to Him. When Jesus prayed to His Father, I am sure some of the time was spent in listening. He said, "I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me."* Listening in prayer is a privilege that we develop through practice. * John 8:28 "Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, both low and high, rich and poor alike: my mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding." Psalm 49:1-2 ". . . whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm." Proverbs 1:33 "My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body." Proverbs 4:20-22 "Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord." Proverbs 8:33-35 " . . . that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life." Deuteronomy 30:20a "Sons and daughters, come and listen and let me teach you the importance of trusting and fearing the Lord." Psalm 34:11 LB

37

"I will listen to what God the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints -- but let them not return to folly." Psalm 85:8 "I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me." Habbakuk 2:1 NKJV "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27

Loneliness
Some of us become dejected or depressed by the awareness that we are alone. Accompanying our feelings of loneliness is often disappointment with how we think God is managing our lives. Perhaps we need to begin accepting some of the responsibility for our negative feelings when we are alone. Times of solitude are opportunities for creativity, conversion and communion with God. "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8 "Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I." Isaiah 58:9 "I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." II Corinthians 6:18 RSV "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:20b "Remember that in those days you were living utterly apart from Christ; you were enemies of God's children and he had promised you no help. You were lost, without God, without hope. But now you belong to Christ Jesus, and though you once were far away from God, now you have been brought very near to him because of what Jesus Christ has done for you with his blood." Ephesians 2:12-13 LB

Love
38

The primary mission of the life of Christ was to reveal God's love for us. This love was supremely revealed at His crucifixion. God loves us more than we will ever comprehend. He wants us to return His love freely with our own. God is the Initiator in this relationship. Our gratitude and our trusting Him with our lives is the first step in participating in this magnificent relationship of love. "He is beloved of God and lives in safety beside him. God surrounds him with his loving care, and preserves him from every harm." Deuteronomy 33:12 LB ". . . the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him." Psalm 32:10b "Day by day the Lord pours out his steadfast love upon me." Psalm 42:8a LB "From everlasting to everlasting, the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children -- with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts." Psalm 103:17-18 "The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made." Psalm 145:17 ". . . you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you." Isaiah 43:4a RSV " 'Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,' says the Lord, who has compassion on you." Isaiah 54:10 "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you." Jeremiah 31:3 NKJV "The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." Zephaniah 3:17 RSV "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 RSV "The Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from the Father." John 16:27 LB "I have given them the glory you gave me -- the glorious unity of being one, as we are -- I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one -- so 39

that the world will know you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me." John 17:22-23 LB "I have revealed you to them, and will keep on revealing you so that the mighty love you have for me may be in them, and I in them." John 17:26 LB "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions." Ephesians 2:4-5a ". . . I pray that out of the glorious richness of his resources he will enable you to know the strength of the Spirit's inner reinforcement that Christ may actually live in your hearts by your faith. And I pray that you, firmly fixed in love yourselves, may be able to grasp (with all Christians) how wide and deep and long and high is the love of Christ and to know for yourselves that love so far beyond our comprehension. May you be filled through all your being with God himself!" Ephesians 3:16-19 Phillips "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5:5 "Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, pain or persecution? Can lack of clothes and food, danger to life and limb, the threat of force of arms? . . . No in all these things we win an over-whelming victory through him who has proved his love for us. I have become absolutely convinced that neither death nor life, neither messenger of Heaven nor monarch of earth, neither what happens today nor what may happen tomorrow, neither a power from on high nor a power from below, nor anything else in God's whole world has any power to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!" Romans 8:35,37-39 Phillips "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 RSV "As it is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." I Corinthians 2:9 "My prayer for you is that you may have still more love -- a love that is full of knowledge and wise insight." Philippians 1:9 Phillips "To us, the greatest demonstration of God's love for us has been his sending his only Son into the world to give us life through him. We see real love, not in the fact that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to make personal atonement for our sins. . . It is true that no human being has ever had a direct vision of God. Yet if we love one another God does actually live within us, and his love grows in us toward perfection. . . So have we come to know and trust the love God has for us. God is love, and the man whose life 40

is lived in love does, in fact, live in God, and God does, in fact, live in him. So our love for him grows more and more, filling us with complete confidence for the day when he shall judge all men for we realize that our life in this world is actually his life lived in us. Love contains no fear indeed fully developed love expels every particle of fear, for fear always contains some of the torture of feeling guilty. This means that the man who lives in fear has not yet had his love perfected. Yes, we love him because he first loved us." I John 4:9-10,12,16-19 Phillips

Nighttime Anxiety
Worrisome things seem to become magnified at night. God knows our weakness and wants to comfort us. "I will both lie down in peace and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8 NKJV ". . . when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. . . for the Lord will be your confidence ." Proverbs 3:24,26a "On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me." Psalm 63:6-8

Obedience
God wants His highest and best for our lives. Our selfishness (self-will, self-indulgence, self-pity, self-complacency, self-righteousness) keeps us from obeying Him. God will help us to be obedient. When we find ourselves failing in our behavior or our thinking, we can ask Him to give us insight into ourselves and victory over our weakness. Then the joy of obedience will be ours. "See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you this day, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to take possession of it." Deuteronomy 30:15-16 RSV "Because of your obedience, the Lord your God will keep his part of the contract which, in his tender love, he made with your fathers. And he will love you and bless you." Deuteronomy 7:12-13a LB

41

"This means that whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men to do the same will himself be called least in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever teaches and practices them will be called great in the kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 5:19 Phillips "Not all who sound religious are really godly people. They may refer to me as 'Lord,' but still won't get to heaven. For the decisive question is whether they obey my Father in Heaven." Matthew 7:21 LB "Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock." Matthew 7:24-25 RSV "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother." Matthew 12:50 RSV "I have loved you just as the Father has loved me. You must go on living in my love. If you keep my commandments you will live in my love just as I have kept my Father's commandments and live in his love. I have told you this so that you can share my joy, and that your happiness may be complete." John 15:10-11 Phillips "But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it -- he will be blessed in what he does." James 1:25 ". . . this world is fading away, and these evil, forbidden things will go with it, but whoever keeps doing the will of God will live forever." I John 2:17 LB ". . . dearly beloved friends, if our consciences are clear, we can come to the Lord with perfect assurance and trust, and get whatever we ask for because we are obeying him and doing the things that please him. And this is what God says we must do: Believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another. Those who do what God says -- they are living with God and he with them. We know this is true because the Holy Spirit he has given us tells us so." I John 3:21-24 LB "And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans." Romans 8:28 LB

Patience
Patience is applying faith and tolerance to our circumstances and persevering with calm endurance. Each time we endure with patience, it 42

increases our faith, strengthens our character and prepares us for the next challenge in life. ". . . we can be full of joy here and now even in our trials and troubles. Taken in the right spirit these very things will give us patient endurance; this in turn will develop a mature character, and a character of this sort produces a steady hope, a hope that will never disappoint us. Already we have some experience of the love of God flooding through our hearts by the Holy Spirit given to us." Romans 5:3-5 Phillips "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6: 9 "For we continue to share in all that Christ has for us so long as we steadily maintain until the end the trust with which we began." Hebrews 3:14 Phillips "We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." Hebrews 6:12 "Let us be firm and unswerving in the confession of our hope, for the Giver of the promise may be trusted." Hebrews 10:23 NEB "Do not let this happy trust in the Lord die away, no matter what happens. Remember your reward! You need to keep on patiently doing God's will if you want him to do for you all that he has promised." Hebrews 10:36 LB "Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete." James 1:2-4 LB "Now as for you, dear brothers who are waiting for the Lord's return, be patient, like a farmer who waits until the autumn for his precious harvest to ripen. Yes, be patient. And take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near." James 5:7-8 LB

Peace
The peace that God offers in Jesus Christ is different from the peace the world offers. The peace of the world is absence from strife, while the peace that we receive from Christ is a quiet assurance in spite of our 43

difficulties. Even when there is no evidence that we should have peace, we can experience His peace, which is beyond our understanding. No circumstance can rob us of this gift; only our lack of trust in God and our negative thinking can spoil it. "Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints, to those who turn to him in their hearts." Psalm 85:8 RSV "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in you." Isaiah 26:3 NKJV "And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places." Isaiah 32:17-18 RSV "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you." Isaiah 54:10 "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." John 14:27 RSV "I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33 RSV "Don't worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God, which transcends human understanding will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 Phillips

Perseverance
Because we are asked to live by faith and not by sight, we must persevere even when there is nothing to encourage us. We are to hold fast through difficult times with patience and hope. Our greatest assurance is that God is faithful and that He will help and bless us.
3

II Corinthians 5:7

44

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord." Psalm 40:1-3 "When I saw this, what turmoil filled my heart! I saw myself so stupid and so ignorant; I must seem like an animal to you, O God. But even so, you love me! You are holding my right hand. You will keep on guiding me all my life with your wisdom and counsel; and afterwards receive me into the glories of heaven! Whom have I in heaven but you? And I desire no one on earth as much as you! My health fails, my spirits droop, yet God remains! He is the strength of my heart; he is mine forever!" Psalm 73:21-26 LB "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning." Psalm 130:5-6 "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" Isaiah 30:18 "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:2-3 "So do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." Hebrews 10:35-36 "But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me." Micah 7:7 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4 "Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." James 5:10-11 "He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." I Corinthians 1:8-9 45

"But Christ was faithful as a son in the household of his own Father. And we are members of this household if we maintain our trust and joyful hope steadfast to the end." Hebrews 3:6 Phillips "For since the world began no one has seen or heard of such a God as ours, who works for those who wait for him!" Isaiah 64:4 LB "Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord." Proverbs 8:34-35 "Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over him who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!" Psalm 37:7 RSV ". . . In our moments of impatience let us remember that hope always means waiting for something that we do not yet possess. But if we hope for something we cannot see, then we must settle down to wait for it in patience." Romans 8:24-25 Phillips

Prayer Answered
God always answers our prayers -- "yes," "no," or "wait." All of these are said to us in love. His "no" means that He has something better in mind. His "wait" means that in His perfect timing all involved will be blessed. When our answer comes in a different way than we expect or want, we can be assured that God's answer is better than what we requested. "When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles." Psalm 34:17 RSV "Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice." Psalm 55:17 NKJV ". . . but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!" Psalm 66:19-20 "The Lord is fair in everything he does, and full of kindness. He is close to all who call on him sincerely. He fulfills the desires of those who reverence and trust him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them." Psalm 145:17-19 LB "He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you." Isaiah 30:19b RSV 46

'I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." Isaiah 45:3 "Before they call I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear." Isaiah 65:24 NKJV "Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say: 'Here I am.' " Isaiah 58:9a NKJV " 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.' " Jeremiah 29:11-13 "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things which you have not known." Jeremiah 33:3 RSV "But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:6 RSV "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8 RSV Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'God, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:23-24 "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you . . . Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." John 15:7, 16:24 "And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him." I John 5:14-15 RSV

Prisoners
47

We do not have to be in a prison facility to feel that we are in bondage. We can be caught in emotional, mental or spiritual bondage that keeps us from experiencing God's blessings. Throughout our lives we are to be breaking free from whatever binds us in order to enjoy a greater quality of living. "If at that time you want to return to the Lord your God, and you and your children have begun wholeheartedly to obey all of the commandments I have given you today, then the Lord your God will rescue you from your captivity! . . . Though you are at the ends of the earth, he will go and find you and bring you back again to the land of your ancestors. . . He will cleanse your hearts and the hearts of your children and of your children's children so that you will love the Lord your God with all your hearts and souls." Deuteronomy 30: 2-6 LB "May the godly man exult. May he rejoice and be merry. Sing praises to the Lord! Raise your voice in song to him who rides upon the clouds! Jehovah is his name -- oh, rejoice in his presence. He is a father to the fatherless; he gives justice to the widows, for he is holy. He gives families to the lonely, and releases prisoners from jail, singing with joy! But for rebels there is famine and distress." Psalm 68:3-6 LB "Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand, and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning. You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. Job 11:13-18 "Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress; he brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to the sons of men! For he shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron." Psalm 107:13-16 RSV "Don't look to men for help; their greatest leaders fail; for every man must die. His breathing stops, life ends, and in a moment all he planned for himself is ended. But happy is the man who has the God of Jacob as his helper, whose hope is in the Lord his God -- the God who made both earth and heaven, the seas and everything in them. He is the God who keeps every promise, and gives justice to the poor and oppressed, and food to the hungry. He frees the prisoners, and opens the eyes of the blind; he lifts the burdens from those bent down beneath their loads. For the Lord loves good men." Psalm 146:3-8 LB "In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In His love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them. . ." Isaiah 63:9 48

"For the Lord hears the poor, and does not despise His prisoners." Psalm 69:33 NKJV "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound . . . to comfort all who mourn . . . to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified." Isaiah 61:1,3 RSV "The Lord says, 'Even the captives of the most mighty and most terrible shall all be freed; for I will fight those who fight you, and I will save your children.' " Isaiah 49:25 LB

Protection
It is true that Christians do not escape problems in life. There are things that God, in His providential care, allows for our good and for His glory. However, it is also true that we can pray for protection from those things that are not necessary for us to endure. We can avoid much trouble and anxiety by praying for God's protection. "He is beloved of God and lives in safety beside him. God surrounds him with his loving care, and preserves him from every harm." Deuteronomy 33:12 LB "There is none like the God of Jerusalem -- He descends from the heavens in majestic splendor to help you. The eternal God is your Refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He thrusts out your enemies before you. It is he who cries, 'Destroy them?' " Deuteronomy 33:26-27 LB "You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid, and many will court your favor." Job 11:18-19 "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them." Psalm 34:7 RSV "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.' Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and 49

rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday . . . If you make the Most High your dwelling even the Lord, who is my refuge then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." Psalm 91:1-6, 9-12 "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip he who watches over you will not slumber. The Lord watches over you the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The Lord will keep you from all harm he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Psalm 121:2-3,5,7-8 " '. . . no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,' declares the Lord." Isaiah 54:17 "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him." Isaiah 59:19 NKJV ". . . whoever listens to me will dwell safety and will be secure, without fear of evil." Proverbs 1:33 NKJV "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe." Proverbs 18:10 NKJV "Finally then, find your strength in the Lord, in his mighty power. Put on all the armour which God provides, so that you may be able to stand firm against the devices of the devil. For our fight is not against human foes, but against cosmic powers, against the authorities and potentates of this dark world, against the superhuman forces of evil in the heavens. Therefore, take up God's armour; then you will be able to stand your ground when things are at their worst, to complete every task and still to stand. Stand firm, I say. Buckle on the belt of truth; for coat of mail put on integrity; let the shoes on your feet be the gospel of peace, to give you firm footing; and, with all these, take up the great shield of faith; with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take salvation for helmet; for sword, take that which the Spirit gives you the words that come from God." Ephesians 6:10-17 NEB "The Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from evil." II Thessalonians 3:3 RSV

"Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame 50

him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony." Revelation 12:10-11a

Refuge
When we are facing a difficult trial, we need to take time each day in prayer and silence before God. Through His abiding presence, our negative feelings lessen. God is our refuge. "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." Deuteronomy 33:27a NKJV "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer . . . in whom I take refuge." II Samuel 22:2-3a RSV "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:2 "For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock." Psalm 27:5 "O taste and see that the Lord is good! Happy is the man who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8 RSV "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea." Psalm 46:1-2 RSV "I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.' Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." Psalm 91:2-4 "Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your habitation, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways." Psalm 91:9-11 RSV

Rest
It may seem for some of us that we live in an era when time has speeded up. The days pass too quickly because we are trying to fit more and 51

more things into each hour. Even God rested at the time of creation, and the Scriptures encourage us to do the same. "Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders." Deuteronomy 33:12 "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him." Psalm 62:5 "Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 116:7-9 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91:1 "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16 "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass." Psalm 37:7 NKJV "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 RSV "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For we who have believed do enter that rest . . ." Hebrews 4:1,3a NKJV

Salvation
Salvation is given to us freely out of God's mercy and love. It was accomplished by Christ on the cross and it requires only a one-time act to receive it. However, it is also an ongoing process. We continue to appropriate its blessings by faith, receiving deliverance from bondage and growth in God's kingdom. ". . . when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 52

whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior." Titus 3:4-6 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." Mark 16:16 NKJV "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." John 10:9 NKJV "For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith." Romans 1:16-17a RSV "God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since by his blood he did all this for us as sinners, how much more will he do for us now that he has declared us not guilty? Now he will save us from all of God's wrath to come. And since, when we were his enemies, we were brought back to God by the death of his Son, what blessings he must have for us now that we are his friends, and he is living within us! Now we rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God -- all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done in dying for our sins -- making us friends of God." Romans 5:8-11 LB ". . . your faith is squarely built upon this wonderful message; and it is this Good News that saves you if you still firmly believe it." I Corinthians 15:1b-2 LB "God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2:4-9 RSV "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." I Timothy 2:3-4

Service
The greatest privilege of Christ's life was to serve His Father, and the greatest privilege of our life is to serve His Son. Christ was specific about the cost of discipleship. There will be hardships, persecution and betrayals, but there will also be blessings.

53

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 "The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing." Psalm 92:12-14 NKJV "One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." Proverbs 11:24-25 "He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done." Proverbs 19:17 "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." Proverbs 22:9 "Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds." Isaiah 3:10 "I want you to share your food with the hungry and bring right into your own homes those who are helpless, poor and destitute. Clothe those who are cold and don't hide from relatives who need your help. If you do these things, God will shed his own glorious light upon you. He will heal you; your godliness will lead you forward, and goodness will be a shield before you, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then, when you call, the Lord will answer, 'Yes, I am here, he will quickly reply.' " Isaiah 58:7-9 LB "If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your soul in drought and strengthen your bones. You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail." Isaiah 58:10-11 NKJV "But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." Matthew 6:3-4 "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master." Matthew 25:21 RSV "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you 54

invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' " Matthew 25:34-36 "Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back." Luke 6:38 RSV "But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just." Luke 14:13-14 RSV "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing." John 15:5 NKJV "If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also: if any one serves me, the Father will honor him." John 12:26 RSV "Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work." II Corinthians 9:7-8 RSV "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 ". . . you need more than faith; you must also work hard to be good, and even that is not enough. For then you must learn to know God better and discover what he wants you to do. Next, learn to put aside your own desires so that you will become patient and godly, gladly letting God have his way with you. This will make possible the next step, which is for you to enjoy other people and to like them, and finally you will grow to love them deeply. The more you go on in this way, the more you will grow strong spiritually and become fruitful and useful to our Lord Jesus Christ." II Peter 1:5-8 LB

Strength
God wants us to live with an exhilarating vitality. He knows that we become tired and weak. He promises to renew and refresh us through His Holy Spirit. Our part is to depend on Him and refrain from running on our own strength alone. "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like 55

eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:29-31 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 NKJV ". . . out of the treasures of his glory he may grant you strength and power through his Spirit in your inner being. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or conceive, by the power which is at work among us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus from generation to generation evermore! Amen." Ephesians 3:16,20-21 NEB "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and a sound mind." II Timothy 1:7 Phillips "You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!" Psalm 68:35 "The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace." Psalm 29:11 "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." Psalm 18:32 "And after you have borne these sufferings a very little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to share his eternal splendor through Christ, will himself make you whole and secure and strong. All power is his for ever and ever, amen!" I Peter 5:10-11 Phillips

Success
God does not ask us to be successful. What is important to Him is that we are faithful and trustworthy. Then our efforts will bear fruit because God will bless them. "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." Joshua 1:7-8 "The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways." Deuteronomy 28:8a-9

56

"If you will only listen and obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, he will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall always have the upper hand." Deuteronomy 28:13 LB "The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." Deuteronomy 30:9b-10 "My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity." Proverbs 3:1-2 "True humility and respect for the Lord lead a man to riches, honor and long life." Proverbs 22:4 LB ". . . he who trusts in the Lord will prosper. He who trusts in himself is a fool." Proverbs 28:25b-26a "For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield." Psalm 5:12 "Blessings on all who reverence and trust the Lord -- on all who obey him! Their reward shall be prosperity and happiness." Psalm 128:1-2 LB

Temptation
Our human weaknesses make us susceptible to temptation. But temptation becomes sin only if we act on it. We can be comforted by the fact that Jesus was tempted as we are. We can count on Him to understand and help us. "The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him." Psalm 37:39-40 "For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence." Psalm 91:3 RSV "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." I Corinthians 10:13 RSV 57

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16 "For because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted." Hebrews 2:18 RSV "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. . .Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:2-3,12 "The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." II Timothy 4:18

Transformation
What God purposed for us, our Lord accomplished on the cross. The gift of our salvation brings reconciliation with God as well as healing and wholeness. It is the Holy Spirit who applies this gift in us -- our sanctification -- our gradual transformation into the likeness of Jesus. "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." II Corinthians 3:17-18 RSV "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." II Corinthians 4:16 "When someone becomes a Christian he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same any more. A new life has begun.!" II Corinthians 5:17 LB "Through him we have confidently entered into this new relationship of grace, and here we take our stand, in happy certainty of the glorious things he has for us in the future." Romans 5:2 Phillips "I feel sure that the one who has begun his good work in you will go on developing it until the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6 Phillips 58

Trouble
God allows us the consequences of our wrong actions and He sometimes allows us to suffer the injustices of the world for a reason: to strengthen our faith, wisdom, peace and hope. If we trust Him, God promises to see us through times of trouble and turn them into good. "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me." Psalm 50:15 RSV "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles." Psalm 34:4,6 NKJV "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them: for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6 RSV "I lift up my eyes to the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Psalm 121 "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." Psalm 55:22 "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 RSV "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." Psalm 32:7 "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all." Psalm 34:17-19 "The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him." Psalm 37:39-40 59

"Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel." Psalm 71:20-22 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1 RSV "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him." Nahum 1:7 "And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans." Romans 8:28 LB

Trust
The dictionary defines trust as a firm reliance on the integrity, ability and character of a person or thing a confident belief. Many of us have been taught to be self-sufficient, to trust primarily in ourselves. But this is opposite to the teachings of the Scriptures. We are to trust in God. We are to have a humble, patient confidence in God to act. It is not a striving ambition for God to give us our way. It is a loving abandonment to God's way. ". . . he who trusts in the Lord will prosper. He who trusts in himself is a fool." Proverbs 28:25b-26a ". . . the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him." Psalm 32:10b "And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." Psalm 9:10 NKJV "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you." Psalm 84:11-12 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 RSV "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will dwell in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act." 60

Psalm 37:3-5 RSV "When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" Psalm 56:3-4 "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man." Psalm 118:8 "He who trusts in his riches will wither, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf." Proverbs 11:28 RSV "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8 "Don't throw away your trust now it carries with it a rich reward in the world to come." Hebrews 10:35 Phillips "For we continue to share in all that Christ has for us so long as we steadily maintain until the end the trust with which we began." Hebrews 3:14 Phillips "Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Victory
Christians are not exempt from trials and tribulations, however we are different from non-believers. Through Jesus Christ, we can experience victory over everything that comes along in life to defeat us. "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 RSV "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-39 "Now glory be to God who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of -- infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes." 61

Ephesians 3:20 LB "I can do all things in him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 RSV "And after you have borne these sufferings a very little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to share his eternal splendor through Christ, will himself make you whole and secure and strong. All power is his for ever and ever, amen!" I Peter 5:10-11 Phillips "The victory that defeats the world is our faith, for who is victor over the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" I John 5:4 NEB

Wisdom
God's wisdom is greater than knowledge. To have knowledge is to possess certain facts. We can have knowledge and not know how to apply it to life. God's wisdom gives us the added ability to apply our knowledge in the best way at the best time for the benefit of all concerned. We need never hesitate to ask God for His wisdom, for the Scriptures tell us it is His desire to give it to us. "I will instruct you (says the Lord) and guide you along the best pathway for your life; I will advise you and watch your progress." Psalm 32:8 LB "Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly." Proverbs 2:5-7 NKJV "My son, keep sound wisdom and discretion; let them not escape from your sight, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble." Proverbs 3:21-23 RSV "I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered; and if you run, you will not stumble." Proverbs 4:11-12 RSV "If . . . any of you does not know how to meet any particular problem he has only to ask God who gives generously to all men without making them feel foolish or guilty and he may be quite sure that the necessary wisdom will be given him. But he must ask in sincere faith without secret doubts as to whether he really wants God's help or not. The man who trusts God, but with inward reservations, is like a wave of the sea, carried forward by the wind one moment and driven back the next. That sort of man cannot 62

hope to receive anything from the Lord, and the life of a man of divided loyalty will reveal instability at every turn." James 1:5-8 Phillips

Word of God
The Holy Scriptures are "living and active." When we read them with open minds and teachable hearts, something wonderful happens. Our minds are illumined, our hearts are touched, our consciences are quickened and our resolve is strengthened. As we put God's word into action, we are gradually transformed and God promises that we will prosper. "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." Joshua 1:8 ". . . his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper." Psalm 1:2-3 NKJV "The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward." Psalm 19:7-8, 10-11 NKJV "Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart." Psalm 119:1-2 "Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105 RSV "Great peace have those who love your law and nothing causes them to stumble." Psalm 119:165 NKJV "For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life." Proverbs 6:23 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11 RSV
4

Hebrews 4:12

63

"When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty." Jeremiah 15:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel. I see it as the very power of God working for the salvation of everyone who believes it, both Jew and Greek. I see in it God's plan for imparting righteousness to men, a process begun and continued by their faith. For, as the scripture says: The righteous shall live by faith." Romans l:16-17 Phillips "And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." Acts 20:32 NKJV "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17 "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the faith and correcting error, for resetting the direction of a man's life and training him in good living. The scriptures are the comprehensive equipment of the man of God, and fit him fully for all branches of his work." II Timothy 3:16-17 Phillips "The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 "You have been born anew, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God." I Peter 1:23 RSV "As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow." I Peter 2:2 NKJV

The best way to make God's promises a part of our lives is to underline them in our Bibles and then, in quiet times of prayer and meditation, claim them for ourselves and others. May the peace, hope and love of God increase in you as you experience His faithfulness to His promises.

Tarry at a promise 'til God meets you there. He always returns by way of His promises. 64

For more Free Christian Resources, please visit: Loaves And Fishes Ministries Free Sermons And Daily Devotions (www.loaves-and-fishes.org)