Devotions - Prayer
You acted foolishly,” Samuel said…. 1 Samuel 13:13
The prophet Samuel had anointed Saul the first king of Israel. Saul was now 30 years old and was leading the nation in battle against the Philistines.
Saul, fearing the impending attack, took it upon himself to offer the burnt offering. After he had done this, Samuel showed up.
...“You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of His people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command” (1 Samuel 13:13-14).
Saul believed he needed to take control of the situation.
Whenever we try to take control of a situation out of God’s will, we demonstrate that we are led by fear.
Many a boss is so driven by fear that he attempts to manage by over controlling his people.
*This results in codependent relationships in which the employees are fearful of making the wrong decisions, and are driven to please the manager at all costs.
*This results in loss of respect for the manager.
*Do you see any signs of over control in how you relate to others?
*Can you allow others the freedom to fail?
*Do you find yourself changing directions in midstream when you see something you don’t like?
*Are you fearful of failure?
These are all symptoms of a Saul-control spirit.
Beatitude #3 Matthew 5:5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
#3 of 8 Truths to master life:
I sincerely ask the Holy Spirit to show me what I need to do and empower me to follow through in obedience.
Result: I am released from my need to control everything.
I am “Free.”
*The reason for this is that I now trust God, Who knows all, and He has promised those who are meek, that they will inherit the earth. Faith in God has freed one from the burden of trying to push, manipulate or force, in order to get one’s way.
Are we sorry for grieving the heart of God… for denying God the right to own our personality… to own our mind… to own our thoughts… to own our emotions? (If not) we’re robbing God.
I Pray that God will allow us to walk in the freedom of trusting in Him and those around us. Amen
Read MoreScripture has plenty to say about the orphan and our responsibility to them.
*We’re instructed that our neglect of the orphan reflects the purity of our faith before the Father (James 1:27).
*We’re warned that mistreatment of the orphan is punished by the wrath of God (Exodus 22:22–24).
*We are also exhorted to seek justice for the orphan (Psalm 10:8, 82:3).
Since Scripture is our guide for living faithfully in this fallen world, we cannot afford to ignore the orphan if we desire to follow Christ.
During Old Testament times, the word “orphan” most often referred to children that were fatherless and not only isolated to those who had lost both parents.
***However, when our culture thinks about orphans, hardly anyone thinks about the boy or girl growing up in a single-mother home.
Contrary to society’s claims, fathers play a crucial role in the mental, emotional, and spiritual development of a child.
Voddie Baucham has noted some startling statistics on fatherlessness.
*Nearly 75 percent of fatherless American children will experience poverty before the age of eleven, compared to 20 percent of those raised by two parents.
*In fact, fatherlessness is the number one cause of poverty in America.
Although it happens on occasion, very few children are living in poverty with a father in the home.
*Children living in homes where fathers are absent are far more likely to be expelled from school.
*They are also more likely to drop out of school, develop emotional or behavioral problems, commit suicide, and fall victim to child abuse or neglect.
*Fatherless males are far more likely to become violent criminals (fatherless males represent 70 percent of the prison population serving long-term sentences) (Baucham, What He Must Be, 22).
The assumption that the father is of little use in the home and lives of children is costly.
This mindset is especially unfortunate because the church has adopted it, at the very least, in practice, even in Reformed circles.
*We reveal this when we show little care for those without fathers.
If the church wants to bring up young male and female leaders in their congregations and effectively evangelize their city, they must address the issue of fatherlessness. This is not an option.
But how does this look?
We Can Learn from Paul
Paul is a great model for what it meant to be a spiritual father. He exhorts the church at Corinth to “be imitators” of his fatherly example (1 Corinthians 4:15–17).
In this passage, Paul points out that the Corinthian Christians have many “guides” but few fathers.
The difference between teachers and fathers is intimacy. Paul perhaps recognized that mere words are insufficient — opening our mouths isn’t enough if we never open our hearts to train.
It takes men and families building relationships with kids and young adults intentionally looking for spiritual sons and daughters to adopt “unofficially.”
To our surprise, I think we’d find most kids and young adults with absent fathers would be open to older godly men acting as a spiritual father in their lives.
These relationships need to be developed patiently, with the local church encouraging and supporting this initiative in the context of discipleship.
There are many men in our local congregations who God may be calling to say them — and fill the gap.
Lord, thank You for Your love and being my Father and adopting me as your son. Thank You for my earthly father , which I had, that did the best he new how. Help us all to see the need of the ones without an earthly father present in their lives and ask the Holy Spirit what He would like us to do. Show me that the fatherless should be considered orphans and what they may need. Amen
Read MorePsalm 139:7–10 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths [or in Sheol, or in hell], you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me; your right hand will hold me fast.
God’s presence is His Spirit. God told the prophet Jeremiah that He fills all things, that He fills the heaven and He fills the earth. It’s not the visible, manifest form of God that fills the heaven or the earth, but it’s that invisible, imperceptible presence of God the Holy Spirit which permeates the entire universe.
No matter where we go, that invisible hand is stretched out to hold us. No matter how far we may sink down or how high we may rise, we cannot go below the level of God’s presence or ascend above it.
God’s presence is always with us. He hears every word we speak; He knows every thought. He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Open the Door—If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him. Revelation 3:20
Fling wide, then, the portals of your soul. He will come with that love that you long to feel; He will come with that joy into which you cannot work your poor depressed spirit; He will bring the peace that now you do not have.
Sometimes we may feel bereft and forsaken, but it’s only in appearance. The presence of God is always there, the presence of God is always with us and ultimately His presence is our peace. Amen
Read More“Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold, and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path. Psalm 119:127-128
What’s your attitude towards God’s commands?
*Do you fear them?
*Do you resent them?
*Do you try to get away from them?
****That’s a foolish attitude.
Remember, God gave His commands to us:
*Not to create problems for us but to solve them
*Not to harm us but to help us.
God Loves us and wants the Best from us–He calls us His Masterpiece!
God’s love is in His commands.
They are given to save us from ourselves, to save us from evil, to show us the way out of our difficulties and our problems.
But God’s commands are infinitely more precious and the psalmist had learned that.
Instead of running from God’s commands, resenting them, obeying them reluctantly, he said, “I love your commands more than pure gold.”
And then he said, “Because I consider all Your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.”
You see, when we love God’s commands and obey them; automatically they:
*Reveal to us what is wrong.
*They show us how to distinguish between good and evil, between what is beneficial and what is harmful.
*And when we are walking in the light of God’s commands, they keep us from everything harmful, from everything hurtful, from every wrong path.
*and we too experience God’s Love for us and in us.
“I acknowledged my sin to Thee, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said ‘ I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’; and Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin.'” Psalms 32:5
God’s 10 Commandments are our perfect loving Boundaries set by God.
“God’s statutes and commandments are my delight worth more than gold and silver and they give me understanding”.
“Secrets to a Blessed Life” lies in the Power of God’s Word-Jesus.(see John 1)
I’d like to challenge you to pray through Psalm 119.
This Psalm is an acrostic poem (each section correlates to a letter of the Hebrew alphabet) with 22 sections.
*Take one section a day.
*Read a verse, then pray that verse to God in your own words.
*If you do this from your heart, I believe you will begin to love God’s Word more than you ever have. (I can say this because I have done it.)
Psalms 119:33 Teach me, O Lord, the lifestyle prescribed by your statutes, so that I might observe it continually. Amen
Read MorePsalm 143:1–3 Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications! Answer me in Thy faithfulness, in Thy righteousness! And do not enter into judgment with Thy servant, for in Thy sight no man living is righteous. For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground.
The psalmist there was struggling with a dark force that attacks almost every one of us at some time or another, the force of condemnation.
Each of us has an enemy, an accuser, one who seeks to make us feel guilty, unworthy, one who reminds us of our failures and our shortcomings and our unworthiness, and if we let him go on speaking to us he’ll crush our life down to the ground.
The answer is the answer that the psalmist found. He turned to God and he prayed. And he said, “Give ear to my supplications. Answer me in Thy faithfulness and in Thy righteousness.”
When we are facing condemnation and a sense of unworthiness, it is most important that we don’t listen to the enemy any longer; that we turn to God and that we appeal to God for help. Not on the basis of our righteousness or our faithfulness, but on the basis of God’s righteousness and God’s faithfulness. That is the way out from condemnation. That’s the way back into victory.
We don’t ask God to enter into judgment with us, we ask Him to answer us on the basis of His righteousness and His faithfulness and when we do that, we are released from that dark power of condemnation. Amen
Read: Romans 8:1-3,34-35, John 3:18-21, Psalms 32
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How serious are you about breaking free from the temptation in your life?
Because if you are, let me be very blunt with you:
- You will never do it without support.
- You will never do it on your own.
- You won’t succeed in changing by yourself.
But that doesn’t mean there’s no hope for change.
In fact, once you understand you change on your own, you’ll be free to see how God is working to transform your life and how he uses other people to help you change.
The truth is, God has wired us to need each other to grow. We need each other to break free of habits and hang-ups and hurts. You need accountability in your life.(called Relationships) The very thing that you want least is the very thing if someone in your group does something wrong, you who are spiritual should go to that person and gently help make him right again. But be careful, because you might be tempted to sin, too. By helping each other with your troubles, you truly obey the law of Christ” Galatians 6:1-2 .
What’s the law of Christ? Love your neighbor as yourself. How do we love our neighbor as ourselves?
- By helping each other through temptation.
- By helping others be consistent in the things they want to be consistent in.
- By helping them break bad habits and start good habits.
That’s the best way you can love your neighbor and obey the law of Christ. You need a friend who checks up on you, and you need a group that supports you.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively. If one of them falls down, the other can help him up. But if someone is alone and falls [into temptation], it’s just too bad, because there is no one to help him”(GNT).
You need somebody in your life to help you with the habits you want to change. You’re not going to change them on your own.
Everybody is tempted. It is a myth that says you’re going to get to a point in your spiritual life where you’re not tempted. In fact, the more mature you become, the more Satan is going to put you on his “most wanted” list.
If we were more consistent in confessing our temptations, we wouldn’t have to confess our sins.
Lord, Help me no matter what my circumstances to: find a small group, do Bible studies, find a good mentor and have a job that pleases you. Amen
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Jesus said in John 15:14, “You are my friends if you do what I command” .
- You can’t say you love Jesus and then go live like the devil.
- You can’t say you’re a Christian and then keep on living a self-centered life.
- You can’t say you’re a follower of Jesus and then pick and choose the verses that you want to listen to and ignore the ones you don’t.
- Jesus says you’re his friend if you obey him and his commandments.
Why do we obey God? Nonbelievers get this wrong all the time. They say, “I don’t want to be a Christian because I don’t want to obey God. You believers obey him out of guilt or fear or obligation, and I don’t want that for my life.”
Why do we believers really obey God? Because he loves us! He wants the best for us. He loves you like nobody else will ever love you. The Bible says the only reason there’s love in the world is because God is love.
- We don’t obey God out of fear or guilt or obligation.
- We obey God out of love because he loved us and saved us.
Some people say, “Because you’re a Christian. You can’t do any of the fun stuff the rest of us do.”
Just look at them in the eye and say, “I could take all the drugs I want to take. I could get stoned all I want to get stoned. I could drink all I want to drink. I could go to all the parties I want to go to. I could go to bed with as many women as I want. I can disobey my parents.” But here’s the difference: Jesus changed my “want to.” I didn’t want to do those things then. I don’t want to do those things now. They are cheap, phony thrills that seem to give a temporary kick to life but then they kick back. They may look like freedom, but they don’t last, and they lead to despair, not dignity — depression, not delight.
John 15:9-11 says, “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me … When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”
God doesn’t want you to obey him because you’re afraid of him. He doesn’t want you to obey him because you’re scared of punishment. God wants you to obey him because of love. It’s HIS love that leads to true joy. AMEN
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Psalm 142:3–4 When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me. Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.
I wonder whether you’ve ever felt like that: “No one cares about me. They don’t mind whether I live or whether I die. All I have is problems. I’m walking in a path and there are hidden snares on it. There are problems I don’t really understand and I don’t know how to solve. I can’t see any source of help. I look to the right, I look to the left. No one bothers about me. I’m just a speck of dust in the universe. I’m just a name on a list somewhere. There’s a birth certificate in some dusty office that relates that I was born, but no one cares.”
That’s not altogether true. There is someone who cares. There is someone who knows your way. That’s what the psalmist said, “When my spirit grows faint within me it is you who know my way.”
You may feel lonely, neglected, uncared for. You may not understand your own way, you may not know the problems that lie ahead, you may not have an answer to them all, but there is one who knows: it’s the Lord. He knows your way.
- He is with you;
- He will see you through if you will turn to Him in prayer.
- You are not forgotten, you are not neglected, you are not unwanted.
- He made you, He cares for you, He’s with you.
HOW DO YOU THINK JESUS SEES YOU?
- Ephesians 2:10: You are His Masterpiece.
- Psalms 139: He knit you together in your mothers womb.
- Ephesians 1:4: He knew you before the world was formed.
AMEN
Read MoreJesus replied, Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. (John 3:3)
A new birth is absolutely essential to enter the kingdom. John points to a radical new beginning which comes from above.
• It signifies God must do this.
• It is speaking of something radical, a new beginning.
• It is a second birth, but it comes from above.
• It is God that does it, not man; and it results in a new creation, a new beginning.
This idea appears many times in the New Testament.
• Paul speaks of babes in Christ, (1 Corinthians 3:1).
• Peter says, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow, (1 Peter 2:2).
• Again Peter says we are born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, (1 Peter 1:23).
• And he speaks of being born to a living hope, (1 Peter 1:3).
• Paul speaks not only of being new creatures in Christ but of a new creation; of passing from death unto life, of a new, radical start.
Jesus makes clear that this is the only way to enter the kingdom of God.
To be in the kingdom of God, of course, is to belong to God; it is to be a part of his rule, his reign, his domain. Paul speaks of being transferred from the kingdom of darkness, ruled by the god of this world, into the kingdom of the Son of his love, (Colossians 1:13).
Thus, Jesus was referring to a transfer of citizenship, a radical departure from what we once were.
Jesus sensed in Nicodemus (John 3) a deep hunger, an emptiness. Here was a man who was doing his level best to obey what he thought God wanted, yet he had an empty and unsatisfied heart that led him to seek out Jesus by night, at the risk of the displeasure of his peers, to talk with him about the kingdom of God.
Sensing this our Lord immediately puts him on the right track, saying to him, in effect, You are wasting your time if you think you can enter the kingdom of God the way you are. You cannot do it. You must be born again.
Father, thank you for the miracle of new birth which comes only from above. It is only through your great power and love that such a thing could happen to me. Amen (See Ephesians 2:1-10 too)
“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.” – Ecclesiastes 7:9
Anger can result from many circumstances. Anger is like warning lights on the front of your car dashboard. They signal that there is something going on under the hood, and we should take a look to examine the source of the problem.
Anger can be traced to a few sources.
First, when we lose control of a circumstance that we have placed certain expectations on and those expectations do not result in our desired outcome, we are tempted to get angry.
The source of this type of anger is both fear and protection of personal rights.
You see, when we believe we have a right to something, we have not given the Lord permission to allow an outcome different from what we want.
If an outcome is different from our expectations, this may stimulate fear.
The next time you get angry ask the Lord what is the source of that anger? Did the Lord allow that failure to let you see what is “under your hood”? God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind (see 2 Tim. 1:7).
In Genesis 4 the account says that Cain was angry at God’s rejection of his offering, and his face was downcast.
Cain was angry and resentful.
Cain was jealous because his brother was accepted and he was rejected. As the New Testament tells us, he was angry because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous (1 John 3:12), and so he was filled with jealousy.
But notice God’s grace. He simply asks him a question, Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?
That is the best question to ask a jealous, resentful individual. Why? Think it through, now, why are you so angry? Why are you filled with resentment against this person?
Why should you assume that you have special immunity to the normal problems, injustices, and trials of life?
How often I flare up with jealous anger Lord, when I feel I am being robbed of what I deserve. Forgive me, and continue to remind me that Your ways are, indeed, not my ways. Amen
Psalm 23:1-3 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
Psalm 23 is one of the most beloved and memorized Psalms. King David’s personal experience as a shepherd gave him unique training to be king and special insight into God’s role as our Good Shepherd.
These first three verses highlight God’s gentle and generous care for us.
- Green pastures mean plenty to eat without the constant struggle of moving from place to place in search of food.
- The still waters provide abundant water without the fear that fast-moving streams might evoke.
- The paths of righteousness are the safe and beneficial routes God leads us in life.
God’s spiritual sheep enjoy all these blessings in abundance through God’s Word (our food), the Holy Spirit (our water) and God’s righteous and beneficial way of life.
Lord, Thank You for being our Shepherd and help us to allow You to Shepherd us each and every hour through your voice, your word and Christian relationships. Amen
Read MoreOnly as we’re willing to “empty” ourselves are we ready to be “filled” with God.
* “I shall lift up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.”Psalm 116:13
Are You Living a Divided Life?
I see so many of us Christians today who divide up our lives into tightly packed little compartments: the sacred and the secular.
The sacred is what we do on Sunday, and the secular is up for grabs.
It’s just whatever happens! So we have our sacred life at church, and we do our business with the world the rest of the time.
But the real Christian life—the Jesus life—is to do all things in word and in deed to the glory of God.
There’s no difference between what you are on Sunday and what you are every other minute of the week!
That’s why this commandment in [Matthew 22:37] is just so important. It’s Jesus’ reminder to you and me that when we truly love God, it will be with every fiber of our being.
*It’s not that we just give Him one day a week and live however we want the rest of the week.
No, we seek to glorify Him with our entire lives. That’s real love!
Maybe you’ve found yourself at times acting like a different person depending on whether you’re in a “religious” or “secular” setting. But in reality, you should be the same person in both settings.
So lets not let the day of the week dictate how devoted we are to following Christ.
Honor JESUS every day with your entire being!
Our need to love is every bit as strong as our need to be loved.
Dear Lord, thank You for calling us Your children – And for making a home within us, so we may rest secure in You. Because You are our dwelling place, we are never alone. Help us have Your Value system be the Same 24/7 for Your Glory and our Joy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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Have you ever felt like you have been obedient to the Lord for something He called you to do and all you get are more roadblocks?
This is the way Moses felt. When Moses went to tell Pharaoh to release the people because God said so, Pharaoh simply got angry and made the people make bricks without straw.
Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and You have not rescued Your people at all. – Exodus 5:23
*Moses caught the blame for this from the people.
*Moses was just learning what obedience really means in God’s Kingdom.
*You see Moses had not even begun to release plagues upon Egypt.
*He hadn’t even gotten started yet in his calling, and he was complaining about his circumstances.
Why would God tell Moses that He is going to deliver them and not do it?
It was all in timing. God never said when He was going to deliver. He just said He would.
In the next chapter, we find Moses arguing with God about not being capable of the job God had called him to:
But Moses said to the Lord,
“If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?” Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and He commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 6:12-13)
God had a good reason for His delays. He said,
“And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out My hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it” (Ex. 7:5).
God not only wanted the people of Israel but also the Egyptians to know Him. It would be the greatest show of God’s power on earth.
God often causes delays in our lives that we cannot understand. Sometimes it seems our obedience is not getting rewarded.
Jesus said He learned obedience through the things He suffered (see Heb. 5:8).
Imagine that – Jesus having to learn obedience.
What does that say for you and me?
Sometimes God’s delays are simply because He wants more glory in the situation, more recognition, more Christ-likeness in you and me through greater patience and obedience.
Faint not, for the promise may yet come.
Are you in need of hope today? Will you choose to remember God’s faithfulness, love, and mercy, despite the despair and destruction around you? Today, dare to hope.
Dear Lord, I want to dare to hope, but life around me seems uncertain and tentative. Will You help me remember Your faithfulness, love and mercy? Thank You in advance for what You are going to do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read MoreWhat is the key to success and victory when the enemies aligned against us seem too great to overcome? It may seem unlikely, but here is one answer: giving thanks.
Revelation 12:11 tells us we defeat the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. What might that testimony sound like? “Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
Thanksgiving is our song for every battle. It is a key to our victory!
Do you see the tremendous potential of giving thanks to release God’s miracle-working power in our lives?
A beautiful example of this principle is in the story of the ten lepers who met Jesus in Luke 17, verses 12–19….
- All ten lepers were cleansed.
- All were healed physically.
- But something completely extra—and the most important thing of all—happened to the one man who returned to give Him thanks.
Jesus said to him in verse 19: “Rise and go, your faith has made you well.”
So you see, there was an important difference between the nine who were healed physically and the tenth who came back to give God thanks. He was not merely healed physically, but he was saved. His soul was saved. He was brought into a right eternal relationship with God.
The same is true in our lives. Giving thanks for blessings already received sets the seal of permanence upon them.
Lord, I want to commit myself fully to this principle of giving thanks in all situations. I offer my thanksgiving as my victory song to You, O Lord. Amen.
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For One Cause—CHRIST!
“ I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.” (Colossians 2:2)
HOW TO RESTORE A BROKEN RELATIONSHIP
1 Talk to GOD before talking to the person.
In doing so, you may find a change of heart or the other person may have changed without your help.
This may provide you the clarity you need.
2. Always take the initiative.
Make the first move; don’t wait for the other party. By delaying it deepens resentment and makes matters worse.
Acting quickly reduces the damage.
3. Sympathize with their feelings.
Listen first. Hear what they are feeling. Focus on their feelings and not the facts.
Begin with sympathy; not the solutions.
4. Confess your part of the conflict.
Admit your own mistakes. Determine how much of the problem is actually your fault or issue.
5. Attack the problem, not the person.
You cannot fix the problem if you are fixing blame. Choose between the two.
How you say things is as important as what you say.
6. Cooperate as much as possible.
Sometimes it costs us our pride; often our self-centeredness.
Do your best to compromise, adjust to others and show preference to their needs.
Lord, help me guard my heart above all else, for it determines the course of my life. Help me restore relationships that I may serve the Body of Christ as You have intended me too. Lord, continue to teach me about Your perfect Character through the Beatitudes in Mat. 5:3-12. Help me to become more and more like You each day. Amen
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