In the Shadow of Your Wings

10 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
2 I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.
3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. Psalm 57:1-3 (KJV)

Morning Exhortation

Great is our God. So sure is our need for His mercy, that with total confidence we can believe that He will grant the grace to meet our every need. What then can hinder His grace? You do not ask for it because you think the mere asking for mountains to move is too easy. Or you ask amiss because of wrong motives. Or you allow what you see or feel about the situation to cause you to be blown and tossed about like the doubleminded. Cast all of your burdens on the Lord. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will renew you with His strength. All things are possible with God, and His will is absolute goodness. It is better to trust in the Word of God then it is to trust in any contrary thoughts that arise from our feelings. Believe the gospel and seek to enter through the gate of righteousness. There you will learn what you are to do, which is the good and perfect will of God. Though the promises of God may seem long in coming, be of good cheer. Wait on the Lord and all that He has promised will surely come.

Today’s Bible Reading

1 Timothy 2

Psalm 117-118

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in me the gifts of faith, hope, and love; and, that I may obtain what you promise, make me love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

He Remembers That We Are but Dust

10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. Psalm 103:10-14 (KJV)

Morning Exhortation

Being more than conquerors in Christ Jesus doesn’t require great faith, it only requires properly placed faith. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught that even faith the size of a tiny mustard seed of the one who believes all things are possible because God is God, will move mountains, do the greater works, and receive all the promises. Many miss the mark by placing their faith in faith rather than in God as Jesus instructed when He told His disciples to have faith in God. Let God be God. The full assurance of faith in God comes from: 1) His light – having an accurate knowledge of God as revealed in the Holy Bible; 2) His rod – having a total reliance upon His almighty power: 3) His staff – having total confidence in His unlimited wisdom; and 4) His peace – having complete trust in His absolute goodness. Together these represent all the spiritual blessings from heaven given to those in Christ Jesus. Give thanks to the God of our salvation, who has mercifully provided His all sufficient grace to abundantly supply all of our needs.

Today’s Bible Reading

1 Timothy 1

Psalm 116

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in me the gifts of faith, hope, and love; and, that I may obtain what you promise, make me love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

He Holds Our Souls in Life

8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:
9 Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.
10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
11 Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.
12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
13 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,
17 I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: Psalm 66:8-13, 17-18 (KJV)

Morning Exhortation

God alone is omnipotent, which means that nothing is too hard for Him to do. Even the unfathomable power it took for creation, was as easy of a manifestation of God’s power as any other miracle in the Bible. He didn’t rest on the seventh day because He was tired, He rested because it was finished. Since all work is light work for God our Father, how much more willing is Jehovah-Jireh to provide all that we need. God is more than enough for our full salvation. So, let us lift up our hearts to God with our attention and desire. This is to hunger and thirst for the righteousness of the blessed way. Challenging a giant like Goliath before developing the reliance on God to overcome the lion and the bear, is to put the cart before the horse. Pray and wait for the Lord. He is our great help and shield. God loves you, and in his mercy has forgiven all who come to Christ Jesus. Calling on the name of the Lord with a penitent heart is proof of election, for not all men are blessed with faith in God. We are his people, children of the living God, the Most High to whom all power and glory belongs. This is worth remembering always. The more of the glory of God we are able to see, the smaller the problems of this life become. There will always be various types of giants in the land. Trust the Lord to deliver each one into your hand just as He did for David. For David had no sword in his hand when he went out and proclaimed to all that he was going to cut off the head of Goliath. He knew God would provide, and Jehovah-Jireh gave Goliath’s own sword to David. David trusted God with all his heart. Goliath fell, David removed his head, and the day was won by faith. 

Today’s Bible Reading

2 Thessalonians 3

Psalm 114-115

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in me the gifts of faith, hope, and love; and, that I may obtain what you promise, make me love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

I Will Offer the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

16 O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.
18 I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.
19 In the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord. Psalm 116:16-19 (KJV)

Morning Exhortation

It is unlikely that the average person who travels to the White House will get anywhere near the President of the United States. None of us regular folks can just show up at Pennsylvania Avenue and expect to talk to the President. The President maybe one the most powerful man in the free world, yet still he is only human. Now consider the great privilege we have in Christ Jesus to come into the presence of the living God, the Creator of the vastness of the universe as well as the too tiny to see mysteries discovered by quantum physics. The one and only God who humbles Himself to look down at the heavens and the earth. We are blessed with the ability to talk to Almighty God anytime and in anyplace. Thank God for giving us prayer! It is our divine pass granting us access to the divinely ordained channel for communing with God. The misguided approach to prayer is like the person whose conversations are lopsided because they talk continuously, never pausing to listen, and never giving the other person space to say anything. We are commanded to pray for the grace of God we need, and then we should remain silent before God and listen. Those who don’t know God think it strange that God would talk to people. Don’t expect an audible voice though. The highest form of hearing doesn’t require physical ears. The tone, quality, and content of the voice makes the sender and the message clear. There is no substitute for knowledge of the written word of God for this necessary discernment. When pride is allowed to rule the heart, skepticism will sit as queen pushing the heart further and further from God. Woe to the one who waits for a burning bush when the glory of God can clearly be seen in the Holy Bible. There will be false prophets right up until the end, but that doesn’t mean we should ever succumb to the influence of the world and despise prophecy by our unbelief. Prayer is the most important business of a Christian. Your prayers don’t have to be perfect. Being sincere is more important than being poetic to our heavenly Father, therefore pray my brothers and sisters. Not with endless petitions for material blessings, but come to commune with the living God who loves you. Leave off the trivial things of this perishing world to spend more time in prayer, and true blessings will follow.

Today’s Bible Reading

2 Thessalonians 2

Psalm 112-113

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

To You, O Lord My Strength, Will I Sing

14 And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.
15 Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied.
16 But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.
17 Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy. Psalm 59:14-17 (KJV)

Morning Exhortation

Faith grows as we come to know God better. We first get to know about God by studying the word of God. We gain a deeper level of knowing God through personal experience as we willing conform our life to the Word. To love God is to obey Him, and the more we love God the greater becomes our desire to please Him in all things. Thus, the greatest commandment is for our benefit more than it is for the benefit of God. Let the knowledge that nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus be the reason for the assurance of the peace within you. This is your helmet of salvation provided by God. Take also the sword of the Spirit. Use the Word to cut through deception and discern what is right from what is wrong. The Word is an everlasting rock we can always depend on, and an anchor for our soul that will never fail.

Today’s Bible Reading

2 Thessalonians 1

Psalm 110-111

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Give Ear and Listen to God’s Guidance

5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:
8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God. Psalm 78:5-8 (KJV)

Morning Exhortation

Faith is a spiritual substance just as real as any physical substance. Faith is as essential to spiritual life as water is to physical life. Where we are weak, He is forever strong. To cover our poverty and need, Jesus has provided His faith and love for our breastplate. His salvation is our helmet. Teach us to live by the faith of the Son of God. We affirm and confirm the Word of God in all our speech and actions. Almighty God our Father loves us dearly. As beloved children, He will always care for us. God is good. Therefore, we have a sure anchor for our hope that all will be well for us. He has given to us all things pertaining to life because He cares for us with a love so great that He suffered the Cross to redeem us. Not a single one of His promises will ever fail. Thus saith the Lord, therefore it is so. Receive the good news that to the one who asks it will be given. To the one who seeks, he shall find. And to the one who knocks, the door shall be opened. We need to pray for what we need, and then rejoice for it with continuous thanksgiving and eager expectation. Wait for the Lord and know that He will always fulfil His word. Sometimes the needed grace seems slow in coming, but God is always right on time. All who wait for the Lord are never disappointed. Great is our God! And all things are possible to the one who believes in Him. Believe the God of all comfort and the peace of God will keep your heart and soul.

Today’s Bible Reading

1 Thessalonians 5

Psalm 108-109

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Let the Righteous Be Joyful

1 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name Jah, and rejoice before him.
5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. Psalm 68:1-5 (KJV)

Morning Exhortation

“Protect yourself at all times” is normally the final instruction the referee gives to each fighter just before the bell rings to begin the fight. From the opening bell in the first round, to the final bell in the last, each fighter remains on guard to defend and strike. The fighter who doesn’t ready himself for the battle is sure to lose. In a similar way, the gospel of peace prepares us to stand ready against the spiritual forces of wickedness all around us. Know that even the slightest bit of discouragement doesn’t come from Him who has called you. Don’t allow the things that are common to life in this fallen world to dismay you. Instead, we are commanded by the word of God to rejoice. The trying of our faith is as necessary as is the refining of gold is in order to purify it and bring out its natural brilliance. Let the trials of this life, and the temptations to doubt that they bring, increase your dependence and confidence in Almighty God. This is the divine order for making the path of the righteous shine brighter and brighter until the fullness the image of Christ shines forth. Believe this and learn to rejoice in the midst of every trial and temptation. Because God is, all must be well with the soul fully committed to Him. Let the redeem say so, go forth, and live it.

Today’s Bible Reading

1 Thessalonians 4

Psalm 107

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

O God, Who Is Like You?

19 Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!
20 Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21 Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.
22 I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.
24 My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt. Psalm 71:19-24 (KJV)

Morning Exhortation

God with us means that all must go well concerning us. As a father loves and cares for his child, so our God loves and cares for us. Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. This is such a wonderful revelation of the double blessing of those in Christ Jesus. Choosing to obey God in all things out of reverence and respect for Him as the ultimate good and loving Father, which the Bible calls simply “the fear of the Lord,” is not at all burdensome. Those who don’t choose the fear of the Lord in this life will have no choice but to be afraid of Him on judgment day. As the days past, the love of many in this world is growing colder and colder just as the holy Scriptures have revealed would happen in the last days. Because judgment is delayed, these cold hearts are fully set to do evil. Without Christ, the everlasting Rock, it is easy to be sweep over the cliff by the mainstream of this world and dragged into the deep abyss below. So, draw from the over abundant well of the grace of God as needed. Keep yourself in the love of God. Put on truth. Resolve to stand firm in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Live and walk in the Spirit by faith.

Today’s Bible Reading

1 Thessalonians 3

Psalm 106

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

God Is My Strength and Portion Forever

24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.
28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works. Psalm 73:24-28 (KJV)

Morning Exhortation

To err is human because in our own strength we will always be limited in knowledge and finite in power. Take up what God has provided by His grace to equip us for all that is to come. Put on the whole armor of God. Set your heart fully to stand firm in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Consider it all joy to fight the good fight of the faith, which means to resist the devil and the fiery thoughts of unbelief slung at us by lifting up the shield of faith with praise and thanksgiving to God. Do this and the enemy will flee from you. Be on guard against him sneaking back in when given an opportune moment to entice you into turning your thoughts out of the way of faith. It is to the enemy’s advantage if he can get you to focus only on your feelings, on your problems, on your circumstances, or on the difficulties set against you. Getting us to believe in accordance to how we feel rather than what God has said is one of the devil’s favorite tactics. Fight the good fight of faith as God has commanded, and God will give us the victory every time. Let us encourage one another to stand firm in faith, praising and thanking God. So let it be just as it is written, we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus. 

Today’s Bible Reading

1 Thessalonians 2

Psalm 105

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord Has Commanded the Blessing

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Psalm 1 (KJV)

Morning Exhortation

God has provided everything we need to live for Him if only we will choose to do so. On the great day of the Lord, all will have no choice other than to bow before the Most High with reverence and awe. Those who have refused to take hold of the salvation in Christ Jesus will bow in terror and go into eternal damnation. Those of us who do willing love the Lord God with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul, and all our strength will on that day enter into an eternal reward. Not because some man has said so, but because the one and only true God has said it will be so.

Today’s Bible Reading

1 Thessalonians 1

Psalm 104

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.