God leads

God is so sovereign and loving and good

that even when His children

aren't consciously following Him,

He is leading them.

"In Your unfailing love you will lead

the people You have redeemed.

In Your strength You will guide them

to Your holy dwelling."

Exodus 15:13 NIV

talk to yourself

The most effective sermons

may be the ones

we preach to ourselves.

"Praise the Lord, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise His holy name.

Praise the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all His benefits."

Psalm 103:1-2 NIV

on losing and earning

We will never have a bad enough day

to lose our salvation;

we will never have a good enough day

to earn it.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--

and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--

not by works, so that no one can boast."

Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

not allowed

If God knew of one thing

we ought to be anxious about,

being anxious would be allowed.

"Do not fret--it leads only to evil.

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God."

Psalm 37:8, Philippians 4:8 NIV

where to go

Feelings of guilt and shame

tend to lead us away from God--

the exact opposite of where

we should be going.

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence

to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus...

let us draw near to God with a sincere heart

in full assurance of faith,

having our hearts sprinkled

to cleanse us from a guilty conscience

and having our bodies washed with pure water."

Hebrews 20:19, 22 NIV

avoidance tactic

We avoid many struggles

when we go to God first.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make straight your paths."

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV

Attention!

We stand before a loving God

who will not condemn His own,

but graciously leads those who want to follow.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting!"

Psalm 139:23-24 ESV

God does

Prayer doesn't work. God does!

Praise Him.

"And call upon Me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you and you will honor Me."

Psalm 50:15 NIV

pleasing prayers

May God inspire the prayers

He is pleased to answer.

"This is the confidence we have

in approaching God:

that if we ask anything according to His will,

He hears us.

And if we know that He hears us--

whatever we ask--

we know that we have what we asked of Him."

1 John 5:14-15 NIV

good things

Children ask for things.

Parents give them only the good things.

Prayer is like that.

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

the Lord bestows favor and honor;

no good thing does He withhold

from those whose walk is blameless.

O Lord Almighty,

blessed is the man who trusts in You."

Psalm 84:11-12 NIV

good medicine

Your smile just might be

the dose of encouragement

someone needs today.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."

Proverbs 17:22 NIV

God helps

When our words and actions

demonstrate a lack of faith,

as they so often do,

God will be there to help.

"Surely God is my help;

the Lord is the one who sustains me."

Psalm 54:4 NIV

who's following

When we follow Jesus,

we can be certain His goodness and mercy

will be following us.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life;

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."

Psalm 23:6 KJV

not just neighbors

God doesn't want to be our next-door neighbor;

He'd rather we pack our things

and move right into His house.

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

If you make the Most High your dwelling--

even the Lord, who is my refuge--

then no harm will befall you,

no disaster will come near your tent."

Psalm 91:1, 9-10 NIV

wait for it

We wait. God works.

"Since ancient times no one has heard,

no ear has perceived,

no eye has seen any God besides you,

who acts on behalf of those who wait for him."

Isaiah 64:4 NIV

immense

It's difficult to understand

the immensity of God's love for us

because no one has ever loved us

the way He does.

"But because of His great love for us,

God, who is rich in mercy,

made us alive with Christ

even when we were dead in transgressions--

it is by grace you have been saved."

Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV

God pays attention

If we could see all that God does

every time we pray,

we would pray a lot more.

"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous

and His ears are attentive to their prayer."

1 Peter 3:12a NIV

just one thing

If one thing could happen

that's not part of God's plan for our lives,

God would not be sovereign,

there would have to be a force greater than He.

"No, in all these things

we are more than conquerors

through Him who loved us."

Romans 8:37 NIV