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All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work,” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV).
When I worked in a medical office several years ago, we had what we called tray setups. On the trays were all the instruments we needed for various procedures. We prepared them ahead of time and stored them in a cabinet for later use. When a patient came in for a certain procedure, we didn’t have to scramble around to find what we needed. We simply walked to the cabinet and pulled out the prepared tray. Voila! We were ready to go!
That’s how it is with Scripture memorization. When you have Scripture hidden in your heart, you can “pull out” the exact verse you need when you need it. Here are examples of some verses you might need in your “storage cabinet.”
When you are afraid:
For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV
When you are angry:
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 NIV
When you are confused:
I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Psalm 32:8 NASB
When you are frustrated:
Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3 NASB
When someone hurts you:
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 NASB
When you are lonely: Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. Hebrews 13:5 NIV
When times are hard:
For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. 2 Corinthians 4:17 NASB
When you want to give up: I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 NASB
When you are worried:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6 NASB
When you mess up big time:
One thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 NASB
When you have a need:
And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 NASB
These are just a smattering of verses that will equip you to handle what life brings your way. Some are from the New American Standard Version and some are from the New International Version.
I encourage you to print out this list, add to this list, and memorize the list. Then when the time comes, you won’t have to scramble for what you need. It’ll be right on the tip of your tongue and in the storage cabinet of your heart.
Let’s Pray
Dear God, thank You that you have given us every thing we need to live a life of godliness and the truth. Help me to commit Your Word to memory. And remind me of those truths when I need them most.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Want More?
How do you defeat the enemy when he is pestering you with lies – lies that cause you to fear, doubt, and worry? You defeat him with the truth! When it comes to Satan, you don’t have to out muscle him, out shoot him, or out smart him. You just have to out truth him. If you would like to learn more about how to win the war over your thought life and stand solidly in the truth, then check out my book, I’m Not Good Enough and Other Lies Women Tell Themselves. You’ll learn how to realize the enemy’s true identity, recognize the lies, reject the lies, and replace the lies with truth.
“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see,” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV).
One night a family was startled from sleep by the piercing blare of their smoke detector. The house was on fire and smoke swirled up the wooden staircase. The father bolted from his bed and ran to his children’s room. He grabbed his eighteen-month-old baby out of his crib, and dragged his four-year-old son by the hand. They were half-way down the stairs when the little boy remembered his favorite teddy bear in his room and broke away to go back and get it. In the mayhem and confusion, the father didn’t realize his son wasn’t with him until he reached the front yard.
By the time the little boy found his teddy bear, the flames had filled his room and trapped him inside. Smoke burned his lungs as he coughed and cried out the open window.
“Daddy! Daddy!” he cried. “Help me!
His dad called up to the lad, “I’m right here, son. Jump and I’ll catch you.”
“But Daddy,” the boy cried, “I can’t see you!”
“That’s OK, son,” he called. “I can see you! Now jump!”
The boy blindly jumped from the open window and landed safely in his father’s arms.
I love that story. It is my story.
So many times my Heavenly Father calls me to jump. Sometimes He tells me to jump out of a situation, and sometimes he calls me to jump into an opportunity. Either way, I usually baulk at the idea…at least a little.
“But God, I can’t see You,” I cry.
“That’s OK,” He replies. “I can see you. Now jump!”
And so I jump. And He is there every time.
What about you? Is God calling you to jump out of a fiery situation? Is God calling you into a new opportunity? Well sister, if He is, jump. You might not be able to see Him, but He can see you. And that is all that matters.
Let’s Pray
Father, thank You for always being there for me. Help me to have the courage and the faith to jump out of any fiery situation that could singe my character, char my faith, or leave me smelling of smoke. Help me to have the courage and the faith to jump into any blessed opportunity that could increase my faith, build my character, and leave me wearing the fragrance of Christ.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
All through the Bible God called men and women to take a leap of faith. Every time God promised that He would be right there with him or her.
Read Exodus 3:12 and 4:12 and notice what God told Moses.
Read Joshua 1:5 and 1:9 and notice what God told Joshua.
Read Judges 6:16 and notice what God told Gideon.
If you really want to gas up your faith tank, read all of Hebrews 11.
Go back to today’s truth. How does it relate to today’s story?
If you are ready to take a leap of faith today, click over to my blog post and say, “Ok God, here I come!”
Want More?
God is the Ancient of Days…and you can trust Him. If you enjoy these on-line devotions, then you’ll love our GiG book, Trusting God. It has 12 weeks of devotions dedicated to Trusting God in every situation. Click here to take a peek.
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“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world” (John 15:19 NIV).
Have you ever felt that you were overlooked or ignored…like you were a nobody? Well, take heart girlfriend. You are not alone. Most of us have felt that way at one time or another. I’ve been the girl not invited to the party, the kid not chosen for the team, to applicant not chosen by the employer, the writer not chosen by the publisher, and the child not chosen by the parent.
In the Bible, we read the story of when the prophet Samuel went to anoint the next king of Israel. By God’s instruction, Samuel traveled to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse. He knew where to go and what family the king would come from. He knew the next king would be one of Jesse’s sons…he just didn’t know which son.
Samuel arrived in Bethlehem and asked Jesse to bring all of his sons out for his inspection. Jesse brought out each of his seven sons, one-by-one. As Samuel prayerfully approached each young man, God said, “No, that is not the one…No, that is not the one…No, that is not the one.” Seven times God refused Jesse’s sons. Finally, exasperated and confused, Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“Oh yeah, I do have one more son,” Jesse said. “I almost forgot all about him. Little David is out taking care of the sheep. I’ll send someone to get him.”
David was so insignificant to his own father, that when the prophet requested an audience with all of his boys, the dad didn’t even think to invite him. However, he was the very one God had selected to be the next ruler of His chosen people. How exciting! You may have felt overlooked, disregarded, and ignored, but God has chosen you! “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him,” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV). And that means you.
Ponder these verses…
- “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12 NIV
- “In him we were also chosen having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:11,12 NIV).
- “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33 NIV).
Let’s Pray
Dear Father, thank you that I am chosen and dearly loved. While there have been many times in my life where I was not chosen, I rejoice in the truth that You chose me! Me! Help me to be an encourager to those who feel neglected or discarded by those in their world. Open my eyes to see the lonely, to hear the rejected, to love the forgotten. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
What do You Think?
When was a time in your life when you felt rejected?
The Bible says that we have a High Priest (Jesus) who has felt all the pain and suffering just as we have. How was Jesus rejected?
At the same time, how was Jesus chosen by God?
Consider writing down the verses in today’s devotion and post them somewhere you can see them often.
Now, leave a comment and let me hear you shout… “Praise God! I am chosen!”
Want More?
Today’s devotion was taken from my book Becoming Spiritually Beautiful: Seeing Yourself as God Sees You. Nothing is more beautiful than a confident woman who knows she is chosen and dearly loved. If you would like to learn more about how to see yourself as God sees you, this book is for you! It also comes with a Bible study guide for those who want to dig deeper.
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