1 Peter 5:8-9 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
Galatians 5:16-17 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.
Matthew 6:25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Psalm 16:11 You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Romans 6:17-18 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
May your testimony for the Lord bring you before kings and your witness in His kingdom place you before princes. 2 Kings 8
May God anoint you to pull down spiritual strongholds and cast down principalities of spiritual wickedness when the fullness of their time has arrived. 2 Kings 9
May you not rely on or trust in the truth when presented by the enemy of your soul, for it is not pure nor whole, but deceitful in purpose, as he is. Acts 16
May you be confident that drawing men from sin and teaching them the ways of God will cause others to revile you and attack you, but know that God is with you through it and will bring glory to His name as he rescues you and brings others to Himself. Acts 16
May you know that the consolations of God in your suffering for His name and gospel are neither small nor few, as you lift your heart and voice in praise to the Father regardless of your circumstances. Acts 16
What is the goal of your striving, My child? So many seek their own comfort, and pursue their own pleasure, attempting to achieve acceptance by others, not realizing that whatever can be gained in the world will be lost with the world.
In the marketplace of society, you can easily purchase the buttons and ribbons and clothing that declare what you want to say, without doing anything to live it out, and quickly change it all when a new style shows up.
Will you look further than the surface, listening closely for the quiet call, My inquisitive one? Only a few ever step past the loud merchants crowding the front of the marketplace, ignoring their distracting calls and claims, looking past the flashy, cheaply-made trinkets that promise instant results without effort, in order to seek out the quieter vendors who do not offer success and achievement.
These places offer the basic items which equip you for the work required to journey to where your heart's desire will be found. Their proprietors understand the effort that is ahead, for they have made the pilgrimage and bear the marks of the trip. They only supply goods that have been tested and can hold up under the strain that will come. The items are not shiny, many are scuffed and dusty, but they are just as strong as ever, having suffered no damage in their use.
Will you put down your deposit for these goods, My yearning one? There is no purchase price, for you are only setting down your pride with your trinkets to take up some out-of-fashion goods. Though they fit well and move easily, they are often the butt of jokes out in the clangor and bustle of the rest of the marketplace.
There is little use for these items until you go out away from the crowd and start on the path that you are drawn to. You already know that these things will quickly bring you to a more solitary place, separate from so many things, but never isolated from the One Whom you seek.
Will you persist on the journey, My weary one? It is a long journey, but I will be with you the entire trip, covering every step of the way, becoming better known to you with each day's travel. As you read and re-read My Word each day, you will gain greater understanding of the way you go and the difficulties along the path. The fellowship you feel as you encounter landmarks you recognize from My travels on this road will sustain you for the next stretch, but the joy that is promised when you reach the destination is the motivation that takes you through the roughest terrain.
Will you trust Me to carry you through, My steadfast one? Each step, each mile, each plateau, conforms you more closely to My image, transforming you so that others can see the change, though you often cannot. It is not by your effort, My precious one, but it is because of your effort that My Spirit is changing you from glory to glory, as you steadfastly love Me and faithfully follow My guidance, strengthening your relationship with Me in each active struggle and through every dull, weary, stretch of duty.
Thus, you will be like Me when you see Me, for I have granted you precious and magnificent promises, by which you may become a child of God, a partaker of My divine nature, escaping from the corruption that is in the world by lust. While on the road, through all the dust of traveling, you see dimly, yet once you arrive, you will see Me face-to-face, knowing Me fully, just as I know you.
May the Lord hear your prayer and listen to your cry for mercy, bringing you relief through His faithfulness and righteousness rather than in judgment for no one living is righteous before God. Psalm 143
May your soul thirst for God like a parched land, with your hands spread out in supplication to Him, when the enemy pursues you and crushes you to the ground, causing your heart within to be dismayed while your soul grows faint from dwelling in darkness like the dead, until you remember the days of long ago and consider what God's hands have done as you meditate on all His works. Psalm 143
May you put your trust in the Lord lest you be like those who go down to the grave, for He will answer you quickly when your strength is fading and His face will shine upon you like the morning which brings you word of His unfailing love, lighting the way you should go as you lift up your soul to God in praise. Psalm 143
May you hide yourself in the Lord as He rescues you from your enemies, that you may learn to do the will of your God, allowing His Spirit in grace to lead you in the land of uprightness. Psalm 143
May you dedicate yourself to be a servant of the Most High God, so that for His name's sake He will preserve your life, in His righteousness He will bring you out of trouble, and in His unfailing love He will silence all your enemies by destroying all His foes. Psalm 143
May you be encouraged and supported for doing what is just, righteous, and equitable in the Lord's sight, lest the wicked bring harm to you for speaking the truth in love. Proverbs 17:26
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