Psalm 5:1-3 NLT “O Lord hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning.

Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you.

Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning, I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.”

Psalm 5:7-8 “Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your temple with deepest awe.

Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make you way plain for me to follow.”

Psalm 5:11-12 “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy.

For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love.”

These passages were written by King David to be sung accompanied by a flute. I find it to be a wonderful prayer.

We begin by asking the Lord to hear us, be near us, to heed our cry for help; trusting that prayer to no one but Our Lord in heaven.

Bringing our requests before him each morning and waiting expectantly.

Truly, there isn’t a better way to start your day than time in his presence, his word accompanied by a cup of coffee, and a morning conversation!

Here’s the kicker tho, as we bring our needs, trials, and requests to the foot of the throne he gives us a warning~wait expectantly!

When we pray our prayers according to his will, we can expect him to answer said prayers, however…we might have to wait! God’s wait isn’t always easy, but it is always worth it.

This is where our faith and trust muscles come into play! Knowing that you know that ‘God will supply all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus!’ (Phillipians 4:19)

His word tells us because of his unfailing love we can boldly approach him, on his throne in his temple. Why? Because he loves us and we belong to him! The God of the Universe loves YOU! There’s an awe moment!

We ask him to lead us down the right path making his way plain for us to see.

Let all who take refuge in you Lord rejoice and sing praises to you joyfully because you spread your protection over us and surround us with your shield of love.

Hallelujah and Amen! 🥰

Have a most blessed day. ❤️☀️

Psalm 4:3-8 NLT “You can be sure of this:

The Lord set apart the godly for himself.

The Lord will answer when I call to him.

Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent.

Offer sacrifices in the right spirit and trust the Lord.

Many people say, ‘Who will show us better times?’ Let your face smile on us, Lord.

You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.

In peace, I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.”

Oh, what valuable golden nuggets the Lord has given us to carry and hold onto today!

First off he sets us apart! We are his children and he knows those who belong to him. We walk and mingle among the masses, but within the masses, God sees each of us individually.

1 Peter 2:9 ESV “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

The Lord will answer when I call to him! God is always with us! Always!

Isaiah 41:10 ESV “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you I will help you, I will uphold you with my right hand.”

Next is a gem we can all tuck in our pockets! ‘Do not sin by letting anger control you!’ Give it a night, give yourself enough time to cool off, walk it off, go somewhere private, and pray it off! I can’t imagine there is one of us who hasn’t regretted the words spoken in the heated moment of an angry situation.

God is instructing us to take time and walk away from the situation until the next morning. I have a personality where anger could go from tropical breezes to a catastrophic hurricane in seconds. I have taught myself to stick up for myself, but when I feel serious rage coming on, I turn, walk away, and pray!

I believe this is the right sacrifice for us to offer! The prayer that says I’m angry, I’m indignant, I’ve been wronged, they are wrong but Lord, help me to see both sides. Please, help me to not focus on just myself. Help me to hear you and see your ways. Help me to calm down!!!

You have given me greater joy than those with abundant crops and new wine.

We see it all the time sadly millionaires and billionaires taking their own lives. Having lots of money isn’t a warm hug, a smile from a loved one, or laughter with friends. Money can solve many problems but it’s a cold bedfellow.

The Lord has already assured us that he hears us when we call. That, he sets us apart. He tells us to trust him.

Nahum 1:7 ESV “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”

Romans 8:28 ESV “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

In peace I lie down O Lord, because you will keep me safe.

And, To that I say, ‘Amen’ 🥰

“O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. So many are saying, ‘God will never rescue him!’

But you O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain.

I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me. I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on everyside.

Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked! Victory comes from you, O Lord. May you bless your people.”

This is a prayer of King David’s as he was running from his son Absolam. I’d like to point out a couple of key takeaways from David’s prayer; one, he starts his conversation with God about his problems, worries, and needs; secondly, he goes from his trials and complaints to praise and worship, knowing God will always take care of him. Exhibiting total faith in his Lord!

Do you have enemies that you are battling, running, or hiding from? We all have them, our health battles, finances, the lack of, the demanding phone calls, the bills that seem to pile up to monstrous sizes, our children are in a stage of rebellion and walking a wide birth from their upbringing, your workplace might be a battlefield, maybe your marriage feels like an enemy or just life’s daily grind.

What did David do in his uncomfortable situation? He cried out to the Lord! And then what happened? God answered him from his holy mountain.

I don’t care where you are or what you’ve done, nor the lies the enemy is whispering in your ear; God will hear you, God is with you, and he will answer.

David was so sure of God’s protection that we read; he lay down and slept! This is a great verse to reflect on because we all know that when we’re worried about something, sleep is usually hard to achieve. Once again, total faith, in the Lord!

Next, we read David being very real with God! I believe that is exactly how the Lord wants us to pray; not with proper lip service but with words, emotions, and feelings straight from the heart!

Then ending said prayer with praise and thanksgiving, having the unwavering faith in God to take care of you. To get up and walk in the knowledge that even though you don’t know how you know he will!

The last line we read is that Victory comes from you, O Lord. May you bless your people! Hallelujah!!!

Let Go! Let God! May you be blessed today! ☺️❤️☀️

Hi, it’s been a bit since I’ve basked in the warmth of Sunshine. I’m not talking about the yellow orb in the sky but the warmth of our Lord’s word, comfort, and love held within the pages of his Bible being shared within this blog.

As we all can attest, life gets busy, we scurry and hurry and then wake up one morning sick or at the very least drained. When I run out of gas and I recently have, I head to the word of God. His word refreshes, rebuilds, revives, and renews!

One of my go-to books in the Bible is the book of Psalms. Within these verses are eloquent words of prose and praise. But, we also find true words of emotions spoken by real people engaged in real situations.

King David wrote about 80 of these psalms while he was on the run, with a bounty on his head.

I take much comfort from the passages of Psalms, I am starting a quest to read in the Psalms each morning after my daily Bible reading and devotions and I’m hoping to share some of the beautiful passages with you. ❤️🌹

Psalms 1:1-6 NLT “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.

But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither and they prosper in all they do.

But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly.

For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.”

We place our hope, faith, and belief in the word of our Lord Jesus Christ. We, who follow his teachings and guidance are being compared to trees planted by the riverbank, each bearing fruit in their season.

We are in just as much need of daily watering from the well of living water; as our flora and fauna require from nature.

John 4:14 ESV “But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Join me as we take a journey through the Book of Psalms. 😎🏝

I extended my reading time this morning as my spirit wasn’t quite ready to leave the Lord’s presence within his word.

I have much going on and a trip that begins tomorrow. Needless to say, my mind has been swirling in overload; on overtime!

I needed some more quiet time blended with words of tranquil peace. I picked up “Grace for a Woman’s Soul ~ a compilation of devotions and scriptures.

And, Here is the gem I was seeking, and wish to share:

Isaiah 40-28-31 NIV

Do you not know? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

They will run and not grow weary,

They will walk and not grow faint.

Thank you, Lord, for your words of presence and strength. Thank you for always being close to us, seeing us, hearing us, guiding and comforting us. We praise your Holy name Lord Jesus with humble thanksgiving. Amen 😌❤️

I just finished reading “Entertaining Angels” by Anne Neilson

Please note that this is a wonderful coffee table book filled with personal devotions and depictions of her beautiful angelic artwork!

It’s a must-have!

As she ends, she speaks of Psalm 91 and includes it in her final pages! As I was copying it into my little book of go-to verses, the inspiration came to share it with you. ❤️

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.’

Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings, you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. ❤️😌

May these words of strength, love, and protection carry and comfort you. Have a blessed day. ☺️☀️

Do you ever feel as tho you are in a sea of people but alone?

Do you ever feel that there is something wrong when there isn’t?

Do you feel that a shadow has been cast over your world, but the skies are blue, and the sun is shining?

Do you ever feel God is absent and wonder where He is?

I think we all do, from time to time, experience these feelings, and that’s just what they are feelings!

Here are a couple of definitions of feelings: the emotional state or reaction, a belief, especially a vague or irrational one, and the emotional side of one’s character.

None of these words exhibit much strength, truth, or foundation. They aren’t supposed to; they are feelings, and feelings change with the wind!

What is one of the best and safest tactics when bombarded with feelings that are less than desirable, upside down, and most often misguided?

Our best defense is Scripture, the sword of the Spirit, the word of God! Take a stand against the enemy’s assault.

Satan tells you, ‘You are undesirable,’ ‘You are all by yourself,’ ‘You will never change, so why try,’ ‘You aren’t very interesting or smart, so why would people want to listen to you?’ ‘You are going to grow old alone,’ ‘You will always be overweight,’ ‘You will always be sick,’ ‘You will…’

All lies, but to the person who trusts the Lord and days go by without any change, then what? You stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, carry your shield of faith, which can extinguish flaming arrows of the evil one, and wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God!

Here’s some ammunition.

Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV: “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Matthew 28:20 ESV: “Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all our ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Do not lean on your understanding! Our emotions and feelings must be kept in their proper place, and we must control our thoughts rather than letting them control us.

2 Timothy 4:16-17 ESV: “At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So, I was released from the lion’s mouth.”

Isaiah 41:13 ESV: “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

Zephaniah 3:17 ESV: “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

Proverbs 8:17 ESV: “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.”

Those who diligently seek me find me! I have often discovered that when God feels distant or far away if I examine what’s truly going on, I will discover that my feelings have gotten in the way! He’s not far away, I am!

Remember this, Jesus is but a whisper away. 😌❤️☀️

Dear Lord Our Father In Heaven,

Where are you? Help!

We, your children, invite you in!

We invite you into our churches, jobs, schools, and lives.

Lord, it feels strange to have to invite you into the walls that proclaim to be a House of Yours! But, I ask is your presence truly there or a facsimile of? Is your Word being taught or a watered-down version that pleases the masses?

Give our Pastors, Ministers, and Preachers the guts to speak your truth, whether it’s a popular stance or not! Popularity is a dangerous stance behind a pulpit of shifting, sinking sand!

Lord, it is a battlefield down here, and we need to know the truth, be taught the truth, walk in the truth, and proclaim it. Give us boldness like never before!

Please, Lord, help us to be examples of your words and actions, showing through our faith and walk the truth that is in you and the freedom that we are blessed with because of you.

What freedom, the freedom to love and worship you! The freedom to proclaim your name! The freedom to be who we are and speak up so our voices are heard over the roar of anger.

Lord, we invite you into our workplace! This is another area where we can show your grace, love, and kindness to an arena that’s worn out, overworked, underpaid, and frankly over it! Please help us show a positive light on dark and never-ending days.

Our schools are dungeons of fear, places of immoral decay, and crumbling walls of neglect. Our teachers are overwhelmed by class sizes and the lack of funding or support. They fight daily to bring some semblance of order into an often chaotic environment.

I pray over our youth and their protection. I also pray over our teachers, Lord, and give them strength, wisdom, and protection.

Our lives, Lord, please reach down and gently touch each of us who look to you daily for guidance, deliverance, healing, finances, hopes, and dreams. Thank you for always being there for us!

Holy Spirit, fill us with the fruit of your spirit: patience, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control, and love. May we experience the same in return as we strive to share.

Lord, help us be a shining light of warmth, love, and laughter in a world that has become very dark, cold, and scary.

In your name Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen 😔

Did you know that we all have a big red tag attached to us that reads “As Is”

Jesus bought and paid for us, through his sacrifice on the cross even tho we were cast into the discarded, broken, used, returned, and slightly damaged pile!

He doesn’t see the cracks. He doesn’t see the stitches that barely hold us together. He doesn’t see the smudge and smears of life’s dirt that has left its dull stain. He doesn’t see the tangled mass of nerves or the knots of fears.

He’s not waiting for us to clean up our language. He’s not waiting for us to lose those extra pounds. He’s not waiting for us to clean our house, our car, or our life. He’s not waiting for the perfect moment for us to grow up!

He loves us right now, just as we are: tired, sad, overworked, underpaid, depressed, lost, lonely, scared, hurting, confused, addicted, and afflicted!

Romans 5:8 ESV “But God shows his love for us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

1 Samuel 16:7 ESV “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

This scripture is such a valuable gem!

First, don’t look at his appearance or stature! Jesus, sees us the same, with the same love whether we are beautiful or disfigured; tall or short; thin or round; blue-collar vs. CEO.

Second, God does not focus on what man focuses on! We judge and are judged by our behaviors, our social status, possibly our name, our connections and our appearance.

But God looks on the heart!

Is your heart striving moment by moment to align with God? He sees your true love and effort!

Are you truly repentant when you drop the ball, AGAIN? He sees your true love and effort.

Are you looking at yourself through the eyes of the world or God’s eyes?

Psalm 34:15 ESV “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.”

We must remember we are made righteous through Jesus! Not, ever by our works, deeds, giving, offering, sacrificing, etc.

John 3:16 ESV “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Acts 10:34 ESV “So Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Truly I understand that Gods shows no partiality.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

So, maybe the next time you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see, pray about it and ask God to reveal what is going on inside that’s being reflected on the outside, or try remembering that we are all a work in progress until the day he comes to get us!

He loves us “as is” but too much to leave us that way. ☺️

Be blessed! ☀️❤️

Do you know how to start a new day? Leaving the cares, woes, trials, mistakes, and unfinished deeds behind you, all traces of, locked in yesterday? I’m not so sure we do or possibly can, and I know we can’t without the Lord’s gracious help and our sheer determination.

We make mistakes and carry the embarrassment and memories like a yoke around our necks. We speak up and our words often then leave us feeling open and vulnerable. We set out to participate and leave wishing we had stayed home. The day turned out way different than anticipated.

There are a million and one scenarios that hit the replay button in our minds; both good and bad but the uncomfortable ones seems to last the longest. Don’t misunderstand, I think that by analyzing any said scenario or situation is good for growth but to drag it around like a shadow isn’t.

Leaving yesterday behind is easier than it sounds. To take from yesterday what is needed and leave the rest behind as yesterday is over and today begins anew! If we let it!!!

This is one of those God muscles we need to build, grow, maintain, and flex!

God tells us that we are to begin anew every day!

Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

2 Corinthians 4:16 ESV “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; the new has come.”

Psalm 143:8 ESV “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”

Psalm 46:5 ESV “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.”

Psalm 118:24 ESV “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

This is the day the Lord has made! I don’t know what your day looks like, the dragons you may need to slay; the channels you may need to cross; the mountains left to climb! But, I do know we don’t have to face them alone, God is always in our midst!

It’s a brand new day, start fresh and be blessed. ☺️❤️