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BLESSINGS AFTER BATTLES : A PROPHETIC MESSAGE FOR THE NEW YEAR 2018

PSALM 90:15

Make us glad according to the days wherein thou has afflicted us ,and the years we have seen
evil.

OUTLINE

1. REJOICING

2. RENOWN

3. RICHES

4. ROLE

5. REBUILDING

6. RESTORATION

7. REST

THE MESSAGE

BLESSINGS AFTER BATTLES

1. REJOICING

The Lord will turn our sorrows into joy. He will make us glad for all the years we have seen
affliction and pain. He will bring our mourning to an end. He will fill us with the oil of joy. Those
who have sown in tears will reap with joy. He will satisfy us with His mercy so that we can
rejoice and be glad all the days of our lives.

SCRIPTURES FOR MEDITATION

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Psalm 90:12-17

12

Teach us to number our days,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

13
Relent, Lord! How long will it be?

Have compassion on your servants.

14

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

15

Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,

for as many years as we have seen trouble.

16

May your deeds be shown to your servants,

your splendor to their children.

17

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;

establish the work of our hands for us—

yes, establish the work of our hands.

Psalm 30:5,11

For his anger lasts only a moment,

but his favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping may stay for the night,

but rejoicing comes in the morning.

11

You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,


Isaiah 61:1-3

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of joy

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 60:20
Your sun will never set again,

and your moon will wane no more;

the Lord will be your everlasting light,

and your days of sorrow will end.

Psalm 126:1-6

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who dreamed.

Our mouths were filled with laughter,

our tongues with songs of joy.

Then it was said among the nations,

“The Lord has done great things for them.”

The Lord has done great things for us,

and we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, Lord,

like streams in the Negev.

Those who sow with tears

will reap with songs of joy.

Those who go out weeping,


carrying seed to sow,

will return with songs of joy,

carrying sheaves with them.

2. RENOWN

The Lord will bless with honour and renown for all the shame and humiliation we have faced in
our lives. He will lift us up from the depths of the earth. We will no longer be called Forsaken or
Desolate. We will be known as the people in whom the Lord delights.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego went through a fiery trial. They refused to worship the image
set up by the King and were willing to be thrown into fiery furnace.The Lord delivered them from
being burnt by the fire to the astonishment of the King. After this trial by fire , they were greatly
exalted and promoted by the king.

Daniel was thrown into the lion's den for praying to the God of Israel instead of praying to the
king. But the Lord sent His angel and shut the mouth of the lions. The King was overjoyed to
see Daniel safe and exalted him in his kingdom.

The Lord Jesus was tested for forty days in the wilderness by the devil. He overcame every
temptation victoriously and returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee and his fame and
renown spread throughout the region.

The Lord Jesus , even though He was equal with God, humbled Himself and took the form of a
slave and became obedient even to the death on the cross. Therefore God highly exalted Him
and gave Him a name above every name that every knee should bow and every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

10 Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute,
zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold,

11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace.

12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither
serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”

13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So


these men were brought before the king,

14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you
do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up?

15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of
music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not
worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to
rescue you from my hand?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need
to defend ourselves before you in this matter.

17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and
he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.

18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods
or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude
toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual

20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.

21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and
thrown into the blazing furnace.

22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed
the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,

23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers,
“Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the
fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted,
“Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire,

27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that
the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not
scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,
who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s
command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except
their own God.

29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the
God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into
piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

Daniel 6:1-28

1 It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,

2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made
accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss.

3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his
exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.

4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in
his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption
in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.

5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel
unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”

6 So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius
live forever!

7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the
king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human
being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’
den.

8 Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in
accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”

9 So King Darius put the decree in writing.

10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs
room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his
knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.

12 So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a
decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to
you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”

The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and
Persians, which cannot be repealed.”

13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to
you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.”
14 When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel
and made every effort until sundown to save him.

15 Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty,
that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can
be changed.”

16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The
king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his
own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed.

18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any
entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.

19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den.

20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of
the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the
lions?”

21 Daniel answered, “May the king live forever!

22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because
I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was
lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

24 At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown
into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the
den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

25 Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth:

“May you prosper greatly!

26 “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God
of Daniel.

“For he is the living God

and he endures forever;

his kingdom will not be destroyed,

his dominion will never end.


27

He rescues and he saves;

he performs signs and wonders

in the heavens and on the earth.

He has rescued Daniel

from the power of the lions.”

28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Luke 4:1-15

1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the
end of them he was hungry.

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the
world.

6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me,
and I can give it to anyone I want to.

7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you
are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here.

10 For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you

to guard you carefully;

11

they will lift you up in their hands,


so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the
whole countryside.

15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

Philippians 2:5-11

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

10
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

3. RICHES

The Lord will bless us with riches and abundance for all the deprivations and tribulations that we
have gone through. He brought the Israelites into the promised land flowing with milk and honey
, after they had gone through the wilderness experience for forty years. He warned them not to
forget the Lord in their time of prosperity and not to trust in their own ability. We must arise and
shine for the Lord when He blesses us and when His glory is upon us.

SCRIPTURES FOR MEDITATION

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Psalm 66:10-12

10

For you, God, tested us;

you refined us like silver.

11

You brought us into prison

and laid burdens on our backs.

12

You let people ride over our heads;

we went through fire and water,

but you brought us to a place of abundance.

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

1 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase
and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors.
2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to
humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his
commands.

3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you
nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every
word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.

5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines
you.

6 Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him.

7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and
deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills;

8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey;

9 a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are
iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has
given you.

11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his
laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.

12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down,

13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you
have is multiplied,

14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you
out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its
venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.

16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to
humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you.

17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth
for me.”

18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and
so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to
them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.

20 Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the
Lord your God.

Isaiah 60:1-22

“Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth

and thick darkness is over the peoples,

but the Lord rises upon you

and his glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

“Lift up your eyes and look about you:

All assemble and come to you;

your sons come from afar,

and your daughters are carried on the hip.

Then you will look and be radiant,

your heart will throb and swell with joy;

the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,


to you the riches of the nations will come.

Herds of camels will cover your land,

young camels of Midian and Ephah.

And all from Sheba will come,

bearing gold and incense

and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.

All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you,

the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;

they will be accepted as offerings on my altar,

and I will adorn my glorious temple.

“Who are these that fly along like clouds,

like doves to their nests?

Surely the islands look to me;

in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,

bringing your children from afar,

with their silver and gold,

to the honor of the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel,

for he has endowed you with splendor.

10
“Foreigners will rebuild your walls,

and their kings will serve you.

Though in anger I struck you,

in favor I will show you compassion.

11

Your gates will always stand open,

they will never be shut, day or night,

so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations—

their kings led in triumphal procession.

12

For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish;

it will be utterly ruined.

13

“The glory of Lebanon will come to you,

the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,

to adorn my sanctuary;

and I will glorify the place for my feet.

14

The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you;

all who despise you will bow down at your feet

and will call you the City of the Lord,

Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15

“Although you have been forsaken and hated,


with no one traveling through,

I will make you the everlasting pride

and the joy of all generations.

16

You will drink the milk of nations

and be nursed at royal breasts.

Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior,

your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

17

Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,

and silver in place of iron.

Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,

and iron in place of stones.

I will make peace your governor

and well-being your ruler.

18

No longer will violence be heard in your land,

nor ruin or destruction within your borders,

but you will call your walls Salvation

and your gates Praise.

19

The sun will no more be your light by day,

nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,

for the Lord will be your everlasting light,


and your God will be your glory.

20

Your sun will never set again,

and your moon will wane no more;

the Lord will be your everlasting light,

and your days of sorrow will end.

21

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me;

Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;

Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Genesis 22:1-18

1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of
Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young
men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and
went to the place of which God had told him.

4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.

5 And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder
and worship, and we will come back to you.”

6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the
fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.

7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!”

And he said, “Here I am, my son.”

Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the
two of them went together.

9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and
placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.

10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”

So he said, “Here I am.”

12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you
fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a
thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering
instead of his son.

14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day,
“In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

15 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,

16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and
have not withheld your son, your only son—

17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the
heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate
of their enemies.

18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My
voice.”

Psalm 105:16-22

16

Moreover He called for a famine in the land;

He destroyed all the provision of bread.

17

He sent a man before them—

Joseph—who was sold as a slave.

18
They hurt his feet with fetters,

He was laid in irons.

19

Until the time that his word came to pass,

The word of the Lord tested him.

20

The king sent and released him,

The ruler of the people let him go free.

21

He made him lord of his house,

And ruler of all his possessions,

22

To bind his princes at his pleasure,

And teach his elders wisdom.

Genesis 49:22-26

22

“Joseph is a fruitful bough,

A fruitful bough by a well;

His branches run over the wall.

23

The archers have bitterly grieved him,

Shot at him and hated him.

24

But his bow remained in strength,


And the arms of his hands were made strong

By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob

(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

25

By the God of your father who will help you,

And by the Almighty who will bless you

With blessings of heaven above,

Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,

Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26

The blessings of your father

Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors,

Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.

They shall be on the head of Joseph,

And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.

Genesis 50:15-21

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate
us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.”

16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded,
saying,

17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and
their sin; for they did evil to you.”’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God
of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are
your servants.”

19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?
20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it
about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted
them and spoke kindly to them.

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the
called according to His purpose.

1 Samuel 16:1-13

1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him
from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the
Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”

2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.”

But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’

3 Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for
Me the one I name to you.”

4 So Samuel did what the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town
trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come peaceably?”

5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves, and come
with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the
sacrifice.

6 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is
before Him!”

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature,
because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the
outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

8 So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the
Lord chosen this one.”

9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”

10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The
Lord has not chosen these.”

11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet
the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.”
And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.”

12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And
the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!”

13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit
of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

2 Samuel 3:1

1 Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew
stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

2 Samuel 5:1-5

1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Indeed we are your
bone and your flesh.

2 Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and
brought them in; and the Lord said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler
over Israel.’”

3 Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant
with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel.

4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned
thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

2 Samuel 7:1-29

1 Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest
from all his enemies all around,

2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of
God dwells inside tent curtains.”

3 Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”

4 But it happened that night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying,

5 “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Would you build a house for Me to dwell
in?

6 For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from
Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle.
7 Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to
anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying,
‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’

8 Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “I took
you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel.

9 And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from
before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the
earth.

10 Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell
in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them
anymore, as previously,

11 since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you
to rest from all your enemies. Also the Lord tells you that He will make you a house.

12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you,
who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.

13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the
rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.

15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before
you.

16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall
be established forever.”’”

17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God? And
what is my house, that You have brought me this far?

19 And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord God; and You have also spoken of Your
servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord God?

20 Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord God, know Your servant.

21 For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great
things, to make Your servant know them.

22 Therefore You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God
besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
23 And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to
redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and
awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from
Egypt, the nations, and their gods?

24 For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, Lord, have
become their God.

25 “Now, O Lord God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and
concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said.

26 So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel.’
And let the house of Your servant David be established before You.

27 For You, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will
build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You.

28 “And now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this
goodness to Your servant.

29 Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue
before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house
of Your servant be blessed forever.”

1 Peter 5:10

10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you
have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

5. REBUILDING

The Lord will cause us to rebuild the desolate heritages . The Holy Spirit will come upon us and
strengthen us and empower us to rebuild and reestablish the broken areas of our life. We will
rebuild broken relationships and broken families. We will reignite shattered dreams and and
fulfill broken promises. We will revive dormant ministries and outreaches. We will complete
discontinued projects and assignments. The Lord will fill us with new enthusiasm and fervour
and determination to build His kingdom. We will overcome every obstacle and shed every
discouragement. We will cry out to God and not rest until He blesses us and turns our
wilderness into the Garden of Eden.

SCRIPTURES FOR MEDITATION

******************************

Isaiah 49:1-13

“Listen, O coastlands, to Me,


And take heed, you peoples from afar!

The Lord has called Me from the womb;

From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.

And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword;

In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me,

And made Me a polished shaft;

In His quiver He has hidden Me.”

“And He said to me,

‘You are My servant, O Israel,

In whom I will be glorified.’

Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain,

I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain;

Yet surely my just reward is with the Lord,

And my work with my God.’”

“And now the Lord says,

Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,

To bring Jacob back to Him,

So that Israel is gathered to Him

(For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord,

And My God shall be My strength),


6

Indeed He says,

‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant

To raise up the tribes of Jacob,

And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;

I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,

That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

Thus says the Lord,

The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One,

To Him whom man despises,

To Him whom the nation abhors,

To the Servant of rulers:

“Kings shall see and arise,

Princes also shall worship,

Because of the Lord who is faithful,

The Holy One of Israel;

And He has chosen You.”

8 Thus says the Lord:

“In an acceptable time I have heard You,

And in the day of salvation I have helped You;

I will preserve You and give You

As a covenant to the people,

To restore the earth,


To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages;

That You may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’

To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’

“They shall feed along the roads,

And their pastures shall be on all desolate heights.

10

They shall neither hunger nor thirst,

Neither heat nor sun shall strike them;

For He who has mercy on them will lead them,

Even by the springs of water He will guide them.

11

I will make each of My mountains a road,

And My highways shall be elevated.

12

Surely these shall come from afar;

Look! Those from the north and the west,

And these from the land of Sinim.”

13

Sing, O heavens!

Be joyful, O earth!

And break out in singing, O mountains!

For the Lord has comforted His people,

And will have mercy on His afflicted.


Isaiah 51:1-3

“Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness,

You who seek the Lord:

Look to the rock from which you were hewn,

And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.

Look to Abraham your father,

And to Sarah who bore you;

For I called him alone,

And blessed him and increased him.”

For the Lord will comfort Zion,

He will comfort all her waste places;

He will make her wilderness like Eden,

And her desert like the garden of the Lord;

Joy and gladness will be found in it,

Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

Isaiah 61:1-6

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,

Because the Lord has anointed Me

To preach good tidings to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,


To proclaim liberty to the captives,

And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

And they shall rebuild the old ruins,

They shall raise up the former desolations,

And they shall repair the ruined cities,

The desolations of many generations.

Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,

And the sons of the foreigner

Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

But you shall be named the priests of the Lord,


They shall call you the servants of our God.

You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,

And in their glory you shall boast.

Ezekiel 36:33-38

33 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also
enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt.

34 The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by.

35 So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the
wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’

36 Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the
ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.”

37 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I
will increase their men like a flock.

38 Like a flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall
the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”’”

Genesis 32:22-30

22 And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven
sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok.

23 He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had.

24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.

25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and
the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.

26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.”

But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”

27 So He said to him, “What is your name?”

He said, “Jacob.”

28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled
with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

29 Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.”


And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there.

30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life
is preserved.”

6. RESTORATION

The Lord will restore to us what we have lost in our lives. He will restore the wasted years of our
lives. He will restore in double measure all the blessings we have lost . He will restore our health
and wealth like He did for Job. He will restore our lost opportunities. He will restore our lost
honour and reputation. He will help us to accomplish what we failed to accomplish in the past.
Like Apostle Paul , we should forget the past and press towards the goal of fulfilling the high
calling of God in our lives.

SCRIPTURES FOR MEDITATION

******************************

Joel 2:21-27

21

Fear not, O land;

Be glad and rejoice,

For the Lord has done marvelous things!

22

Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;

For the open pastures are springing up,

And the tree bears its fruit;

The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.

23

Be glad then, you children of Zion,

And rejoice in the Lord your God;

For He has given you the former rain faithfully,

And He will cause the rain to come down for you—


The former rain,

And the latter rain in the first month.

24

The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,

And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

25

“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,

The crawling locust,

The consuming locust,

And the chewing locust,

My great army which I sent among you.

26

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 be put to shame.

27

Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel:

I am the Lord your God

And there is no other.

My people shall never be put to shame.

Job 42:10-17

10 And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job
twice as much as he had before.
11 Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before,
came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for
all the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and
each a ring of gold.

12 Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen
thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female
donkeys.

13 He also had seven sons and three daughters.

14 And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name
of the third Keren-Happuch.

15 In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father
gave them an inheritance among their brothers.

16 After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for
four generations.

17 So Job died, old and full of days.

Jeremiah 30:17-22

17 But I will restore you to health

and heal your wounds,’

declares the Lord,

‘because you are called an outcast,

Zion for whom no one cares.’

18 “This is what the Lord says:

“‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents

and have compassion on his dwellings;

the city will be rebuilt on her ruins,

and the palace will stand in its proper place.

19

From them will come songs of thanksgiving

and the sound of rejoicing.


I will add to their numbers,

and they will not be decreased;

I will bring them honor,

and they will not be disdained.

20

Their children will be as in days of old,

and their community will be established before me;

I will punish all who oppress them.

21

Their leader will be one of their own;

their ruler will arise from among them.

I will bring him near and he will come close to me—

for who is he who will devote himself

to be close to me?’

declares the Lord.

22

“‘So you will be my people,

and I will be your God.’”

Philippians 3:12-14

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to
take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ
Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:9-10
9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I
persecuted the church of God.

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I
worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

Luke 5:1-11

1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around
him and listening to the word of God.

2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their
nets.

3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from
shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the
nets for a catch.”

5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But
because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to
break.

7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and
filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a
sinful man!”

9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,

10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”

11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Matthew 20:1-16

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire
workers for his vineyard.

2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing
nothing.
4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’

5 So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing.

6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them,
‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and
pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius.

10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of
them also received a denarius.

11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.

12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them
equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work
for a denarius?

14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you.

15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I
am generous?’

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

7. REST

The Lord will give rest to His people. He will bring the oppression and the bondage of His
people to an end. He will bring our battles to a victorious end.

The Lord will give rest to the weary. His presence shall go with us. He will be our refuge and
shelter from the storm and the heat.

The Lord will not allow us to tested beyond our strength. He will make a way of escape for us.
No weapon formed against us will prosper.

The Lord gave rest to the early church when they went through a period of great persecution.
He transformed the persecutor Saul into the Apostle Paul.
The Lord delivered the Israelites from their bondage and oppression in Egypt and brought them
into the land flowing with milk and honey.

The Lord gave the Israelites victory and rest from their battles in the time of Joshua.

The Lord gave rest to the Israelites when they cried out to Him in the time of Jehoshaphat while
being surrounded by several armies.

The Lord gave rest to the Israelities in the time of Asa , when they turned to Him wholeheartedly
and made a covenant with Him to serve Him.

SCRIPTURES FOR MEDITATION

******************************

Isaiah 14:3-7

3 It shall come to pass in the day the Lord gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear
and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve,

4 that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say:

“How the oppressor has ceased,

The golden city ceased!

The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,

The scepter of the rulers;

He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke,

He who ruled the nations in anger,

Is persecuted and no one hinders.

The whole earth is at rest and quiet;

They break forth into singing.

Isaiah 25:4-5
4

You have been a refuge for the poor,

a refuge for the needy in their distress,

a shelter from the storm

and a shade from the heat.

For the breath of the ruthless

is like a storm driving against a wall

and like the heat of the desert.

You silence the uproar of foreigners;

as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud,

so the song of the ruthless is stilled.

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will
find rest for your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Psalm 46:7-10

The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the Lord has done,

the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9
He makes wars cease

to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

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he burns the shields with fire.

10

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

Exodus 33:14-17

14 And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

15 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from
here.

16 For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight,
except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who
are upon the face of the earth.”

17 So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have
found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”

Acts 9:1-31

1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to
the high priest

2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who
were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from
heaven.
4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you
persecuting Me?”

5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against
the goads.”

6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must
do.”

7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no
one.

8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But
they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said
in a vision, “Ananias.”

And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

11 So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the
house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.

12 And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on
him, so that he might receive his sight.”

13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much
harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.

14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before
Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said,
“Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me
that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at
once; and he arose and was baptized.

19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with
the disciples at Damascus.

20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

21 Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who
called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might
bring them bound to the chief priests?”

22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in
Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

23 Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him.

24 But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill
him.

25 Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large
basket.

26 And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all
afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple.

27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how
he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had
preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

28 So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out.

29 And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists,
but they attempted to kill him.

30 When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to
Tarsus.
31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were
edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were
multiplied.

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the
cloud, all passed through the sea,

2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,

3 all ate the same spiritual food,

4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed
them, and that Rock was Christ.

5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the
wilderness.

6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil
things as they also lusted.

7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat
down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”

8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three
thousand fell;

9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;

10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful,
who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation
will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Exodus 3:1-10
1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he
led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So
he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.

3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not
burn.”

4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of
the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place
where you stand is holy ground.”

6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and
have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.

8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them
up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the
place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites
and the Jebusites.

9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also
seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the
children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

Joshua 21:43-45

43 So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and
they took possession of it and dwelt in it.

44 The Lord gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers.
And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the Lord delivered all their enemies
into their hand.
45 Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All
came to pass.

2 Chronicles 20:1-30

1 It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others
with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat.

2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you
from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi).

3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast
throughout all Judah.

4 So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah
they came to seek the Lord.

5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the
Lord, before the new court,

6 and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule
over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so
that no one is able to withstand You?

7 Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people
Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?

8 And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying,

9 ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before
this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in
our affliction, and You will hear and save.’

10 And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not
let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and
did not destroy them—

11 here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You
have given us to inherit.

12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude
that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
13 Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the
Lord.

14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah,
the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the
assembly.

15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King
Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this
great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you
will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.

17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the
salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed;
tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.

19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites
stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.

20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as
they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of
Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets,
and you shall prosper.”

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the
Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and
were saying:

“Praise the Lord,

For His mercy endures forever.”

22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people
of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to
utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir,
they helped to destroy one another.
24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the
multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.

25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among
them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they
stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days
gathering the spoil because there was so much.

26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed
the Lord; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this day.

27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of
them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their
enemies.

28 So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the
house of the Lord.

29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that
the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.

30 Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

2 Chronicles 15:1-15

1 Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.

2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and
Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by
you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

3 For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and
without law;

4 but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was
found by them.

5 And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who
came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands.

6 So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every
adversity.

7 But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!”
8 And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took
courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and
from the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar
of the Lord that was before the vestibule of the Lord.

9 Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who dwelt with them from Ephraim,
Manasseh, and Simeon, for they came over to him in great numbers from Israel when they
saw that the Lord his God was with him.

10 So they gathered together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the
reign of Asa.

11 And they offered to the Lord at that time seven hundred bulls and seven thousand
sheep from the spoil they had brought.

12 Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their
heart and with all their soul;

13 and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel was to be put to death, whether
small or great, whether man or woman.

14 Then they took an oath before the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets
and rams’ horns.

15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought
Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around.

Isaiah 32:16-20

16

Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,

And righteousness remain in the fruitful field.

17

The work of righteousness will be peace,

And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.

18

My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation,


In secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places,

19

Though hail comes down on the forest,

And the city is brought low in humiliation.

20

Blessed are you who sow beside all waters,

Who send out freely the feet of the ox and the donkey.

Jeremiah 30:4-10

4 Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah.

5 “For thus says the Lord:

‘We have heard a voice of trembling,

Of fear, and not of peace.

Ask now, and see,

Whether a man is ever in labor with child?

So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins

Like a woman in labor,

And all faces turned pale?

Alas! For that day is great,

So that none is like it;

And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble,


But he shall be saved out of it.

‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’

Says the Lord of hosts,

‘That I will break his yoke from your neck,

And will burst your bonds;

Foreigners shall no more enslave them.

But they shall serve the Lord their God,

And David their king,

Whom I will raise up for them.

10

‘Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the Lord,

‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel;

For behold, I will save you from afar,

And your seed from the land of their captivity.

Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet,

And no one shall make him afraid.

Isaiah 54:1-17

“Sing, O barren,

You who have not borne!


Break forth into singing, and cry aloud,

You who have not labored with child!

For more are the children of the desolate

Than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.

“Enlarge the place of your tent,

And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;

Do not spare;

Lengthen your cords,

And strengthen your stakes.

For you shall expand to the right and to the left,

And your descendants will inherit the nations,

And make the desolate cities inhabited.

“Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;

Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;

For you will forget the shame of your youth,

And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.

For your Maker is your husband,

The Lord of hosts is His name;


And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;

He is called the God of the whole earth.

For the Lord has called you

Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,

Like a youthful wife when you were refused,”

Says your God.

“For a mere moment I have forsaken you,

But with great mercies I will gather you.

With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;

But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”

Says the Lord, your Redeemer.

“For this is like the waters of Noah to Me;

For as I have sworn

That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,

So have I sworn

That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.

10

For the mountains shall depart


And the hills be removed,

But My kindness shall not depart from you,

Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”

Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

11

“O you afflicted one,

Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,

Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,

And lay your foundations with sapphires.

12

I will make your pinnacles of rubies,

Your gates of crystal,

And all your walls of precious stones.

13

All your children shall be taught by the Lord,

And great shall be the peace of your children.

14

In righteousness you shall be established;

You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;

And from terror, for it shall not come near you.

15

Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me.


Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.

16

“Behold, I have created the blacksmith

Who blows the coals in the fire,

Who brings forth an instrument for his work;

And I have created the spoiler to destroy.

17

No weapon formed against you shall prosper,

And every tongue which rises against you in judgment

You shall condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,

And their righteousness is from Me,”

Says the Lord.

EPILOGUE

REWARD

The Lord will bless us with eternal rewards for all the persecution that we have suffered for
His sake. The sufferings of this world cannot be compared with the glory that will be
revealed. If we suffer with Him , we will also reign with Him.

SCRIPTURES FOR MEDITATION

******************************

Matthew 5:10-12

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.


11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil
against you because of me.

12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 19:27-29

27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for
us?”

28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits
on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging
the twelve tribes of Israel.

29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or
children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal
life.

Romans 8:14-17

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather,
the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba,
Father.”

16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

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

2 Timothy 2:12

if we endure,

we will also reign with him.

If we disown him,

he will also disown us;

James 1:12
"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."

Revelation 2:10

" Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you
in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the
point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. "

2 Timothy 4:6-8

" For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my
departure.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for
his appearing."

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