𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫

October 02, 2022

Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion looking for some victim to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

NLT Bible

It goes without saying, that as soon as we make a decision to serve Jesus, we automatically become a target for the devil. We all have areas of weaknesses in our lives, things that we struggle with and this is exactly where he tempts us. The devil is like a lion, quietly and quickly pouncing on unsuspecting victims and in an instant, people are caught in the jaws of this powerful predator. It is imperative that we draw close to God through prayer and reading the Word. We also need to ensure that we do our part by staying away from people or places that can lure us back into our old lifestyle.

The devil is sly and cunning and is always trying to trap and ensnare us. He makes worldly things seem good, attractive and appealing and we need to be vigilant and alert. We all know the things that can cause us to revert to our old way of living and the devil knows it too and is constantly on the prowl........his mission is to destroy us. We need to put on the whole armour of God, stand our ground and remain steadfast and firm in our belief. This is ongoing as the devil never gives up, but with God's help we can be victorious.

Thank you Lord that You are my Saviour. You know my weaknesses and my struggles and I pray that with Your help, I will never give in or succumb to the wiles of the devil. Help me to remain steadfast and rooted in You alone. I love you Jesus. Amen!

Be Blessed!

Lydia

Bible Verse for August 1st.

 

But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, “You are my God!”

 

Psalms 31:14

NLT Bible

 

 

As I was meditating on this verse, I kept mulling over the words of this well-loved song, “through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God. Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to depend upon His Word”. Oftentimes, we put our trust in people and things that disappoint and fail us. God never does! We can trust Him at all times, in good times and also in bad, in sickness, during financial crises, when facing relationship issues and a host of other difficulties. When life seems to be spiralling out of control and we’re overwhelmed, with nowhere to turn, trust Him to make a way and turn things around. Job was one man who trusted God in spite of all the trials and misfortunes he faced.

 

God is our Refuge, Provider and Protector! As this verse says, He is our God and therefore we can trust Him to see us through all the stormy times we may encounter. Trust Him to answer and meet all our needs, whether it’s for healing, for effecting change in wayward children, for employment opportunities as well as opening ‘shut doors! Trust Him with our future! The key is to keep on trusting Him through every difficulty, storm and trial. Psalm 40:4 tells us that we are blessed when we trust God. 

 

Thank you Lord that You are my God! Through it all, no matter what I face and come what may, I trust in You alone. I love you, Jesus. Amen!

 

Be Blessed!

Lydia 

 Bible Verse for July 25th.

 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Colossians 3:17

NLT Bible 

 

Knowing Jesus and having an ongoing and intimate relationship with Him is the first requirement of being His representative. Secondly, we need to know His Word and understand His laws and precepts. Then we must live for God, letting our words and actions reflect and honour Him in all we say and do. We are His witnesses and thereby represent Him in our homes, in our communities, at work and basically everywhere we are. When Jesus was on earth, His life was all about serving, loving and ministering to those around Him and our lives should be too.

 

God is our ultimate example and representing Him means we should pattern our lives after Him. Kindness, gentleness, compassion, love, mercy and grace should emanate from us. We need to be loyal and gracious, act honestly and with integrity and exhibit Christlike behaviour at all times. As believers, we belong to the kingdom of God and we are His ambassadors. This means that in any setting, in any situation or circumstance, in good times and bad times, He is evident in our lives through all we say and do. We have to continually look to Him for strength and guidance and run our race here on earth with perseverance and endurance, all for the glory of God. 

 

Thank You Lord that I am Your child. My desire is to be a good and worthy representative of You. May my thoughts, words and actions always be acceptable to You. I pray that I will be a true example of all that is good and righteous. I love you, Jesus. Amen! 

 

Be Blessed!  

Lydia 

 

Bible Verse for July 18th.

 

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things You have done. 

I will be filled with joy because of You. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.

 

Psalms 9:1-2

NLT Bible

 

So many of us can attest to the marvellous things God has done for us and all we can do is praise and give thanks to Him. On a personal note, I can testify to God’s goodness, faithfulness and healing power. Time and time again, I have seen His mighty hand at work in my life and I am filled with joy because of Him. Many people may feel that it’s enough to give God thanks at the time He’s blessed us and then just move on with life. However, when God does great things for us, we are to speak of it continually. In doing so, we minister to others and this can have an impact on their lives.

 

Giving praise and thanks to God must be a way of life for us! When we open our eyes in the morning, it’s the first thing we should do and all through the day we can continue to praise His Holy Name. Then, we end our day thanking Him once more for all He’s done. God deserves our praise and He is worthy of it!  As His followers, we must open our mouths, recount all the wondrous things He’s done for us and thank and sing praises to God. We all experience difficult times, but through it all, there’s always something great that God is doing that we can praise Him for. We can increase our faith by continually recalling all the great things God has done, as recorded in the Bible and throughout all of history.

 

Thank you Lord for Your many blessings. Today and always, I will tell of all the marvellous things You have done for us all. As I recall them, my heart is filled with so much joy. I love you, Jesus. Amen!

 

Be Blessed!

Lydia

 BIBLE VERSE FOR JULY 12^th.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest”

 

Matthew 11:28 NLT

 

Lord Jesus, I thank You for the assurance that I can come to You at anytime and find peace and comfort in Your place of rest. I love you Jesus. Amen!

 

Bible Verse for July 11th.

 

Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

 

Galatians 1:10

NLT Bible 

 

As believers, our desire must always be to please God. So many of us want to be liked, to be accepted, to fit in with the crowd and have the approval of our loved ones, employers, friends and acquaintances. However, in our attempt to do this, we wind up compromising our belief and faith in Almighty God and ultimately, end up displeasing and dishonouring Him.

 

If pleasing people is important to us, it means we’ve relegated God to second place in our lives. When we recognize this, we need to pause, assess our actions and make God the number one priority in our lives. Our goal should always be to have God’s stamp of approval. One of the most important ways of doing this is by drawing close to Him through prayer, fellowship and time in His Word. Our goal must always be to please and honour God, regardless of the displeasure it might bring to others. Living a life for Jesus is all that matters and pleasing people becomes secondary to that. 

 

Thank you Lord for Your guidance and direction. My desire is to honour You with my thoughts, words and actions. Your approval is what matters to me and may I never compromise my faith. I love you, Jesus. Amen!

 

Be Blessed!

Lydia

 

Bible Verse for July 4th.

 

Let all that you do be done with love.

 

I Corinthians 16:14

NKJV Bible

 

Love must be the underlying motive for all that we do. We can do good and noble things all day long, but if it’s not fuelled by love for God and each other, then something is lacking. Love has to encompass our feelings, thoughts and actions. We don’t just go through the motions when love is the reason for all that we do. Love fills us with a positive and joy filled attitude that’s reflected in our demeanour. We do good things and expect absolutely nothing in return, except the happiness of others. Our actions are selfless. 

 

Jesus left us the perfect example. During His time on earth, everything He said and did was done in love. God sees our hearts and knows our intents. When our actions towards others are spurred on by love, there is never any thought of recognition or reward. Love has the power to change and transform lives and we’ve all witnessed this time and time again. Relationships thrive and grow when love is at the core of every word and deed. As believers, it is imperative that all we do be done in love. 

 

Thank you Lord for Your awesome love! I pray that love will always be my motive for everything I do. Fill my cup to overflowing. I love you, Jesus. Amen! 

 

Be Blessed! 

Lydia

 

SATURDAY SCRIPTURE READING

 

JULY 3, 2021

 

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me,

For the LORD has anointed me

To bring good news to the poor.

 

He has sent me to comfort the broken-hearted

And to proclaim that captives will be released

And prisoners will be freed.

 

He has sent me to tell those who mourn

That the time of the LORD’s favor has come,

And with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.

 

To all who mourn in Israel,

He will give a crown of beauty for ashes,

 

A joyous blessing instead of mourning,

Festive praise instead of despair.

 

In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks

That the LORD has planted for His own glory.

Isaiah 61:1-3 NLT

 BIBLE VERSE FOR JULY 2^nd.

 

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

 

Philippians 1:20 NIV

 

Lord Jesus, in everything I give You praise. Let there be nothing in my life that will compromise my dedication to You. Give me the strength to stand against all that is not of You. Make me more like You. I love you Jesus. Amen!

 BIBLE VERSE FOR JULY 1^st.

 

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

 

1 Peter 3:15 NIV

 

Lord, I acknowledge You as my personal Lord and saviour. I am not ashamed of my faith in You. Make me more like You and let others see Your marvelous work of grace and mercy in me. I love you Jesus. Amen!

 BIBLE VERSE FOR JUNE 30^th.

 

Lead me by Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God who saves me.

All day long I put my hope in You.

 

Psalm 25:5 NLT

 

Lord Jesus, I place my hope and trust in You each day. Thank You for Your daily provision. Bless my family and friends. Save, heal and deliver them from sicknesses and diseases. I love you Jesus. Amen!

 BIBLE VERSE FOR JUNE 29^th

As for me, I look to the LORD for help.

I wait confidently for God to save me,

And my God will certainly hear me.

 

Micah 7:7 NLT

 

Lord I thank you for all that You provide each day for me. I know that Your goodness surrounds me as I wait patiently in Your Presence. I love you Jesus. Amen! 

 

Bible Verse for June 27th.

 

I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.

 

Jeremiah 31:25

NIV Bible 

 

Life is not always smooth sailing. We go through periods when we’re tired, weary, stressed and emotionally as well as physically drained. This is especially true at this time when so many are coping with the effects of a seemingly never ending pandemic. Others may be struggling with the loss of a loved one or the end of a relationship or job and feel as if they’re drowning in a sea of sadness and exhaustion.

 

Thankfully, God has promised to refresh and give rest to the weary and also joy to those who are sorrowing. The choice lies with us! We can try to deal with everything on our own or we can give it all to God. When we surrender it all to Him, He refreshes us, fills us to overflowing with His strength and gives us the grace and fortitude to carry on. In God, we find solace, rest and peace. He turns our sorrow into joy and gives us hope and reassurance. There is no need for us to allow the cares and sorrowful experiences of life to keep us in the pit of despair. When we fully surrender to God and spend time in His presence communing with Him, He refreshes our soul. 

 

Thank you Lord for caring for me. I surrender all my burdens, cares and sorrow to You. I receive Your peace, rest and joy. Because of You, I have hope. I love you, Jesus. Amen!

 

Be Blessed!

Lydia