Offended 10

1 Corinthians 1:23 “So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense (foolish)” (NLT).

The King James say, “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness” (1Cor.1:22-23). The word “offended” means stumbling block. In Matthew 12:38, “One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove that you are from God” (NLT). What did they really expect Christ to do?

I like to quote the commentary from the QuickVerse Life Application Bible: Many Jews considered the Good News of Jesus Christ to be foolish, because they thought the Messiah would be a conquering king accompanied by signs and miracles. Jesus had not restored David’s throne as they expected. Besides, Jesus was executed as a criminal, and how could a criminal be a savior? Greeks, too, considered the Good News foolish: They did not believe in a bodily resurrection, they did not see in Jesus the powerful characteristics of their mythological gods, and they thought no reputable person would be crucified. To them, death was a defeat, not victory.

The Good News of Jesus Christ still sounds foolish to many. Our society worships power, influence, and wealth. Jesus came as a humble, poor servant, and He offers His kingdom to those who have faith, not to those who do all kinds of good deeds to try to earn salvation. This looks foolish to the world, but Christ is the mighty power of God, the only way we can be saved. Knowing Christ personally is the greatest wisdom anyone can have. [End of note]

“So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made them all look foolish and has shown their wisdom to be useless nonsense. Since God in His wisdom saw to it that the world would never find Him through human wisdom, He has used our foolish preaching to save all who believe. God’s way seems foolish to the Jews because they want a sign from heaven to prove it is true. And it is foolish to the Greeks because they believe only what agrees with their own wisdom” (1Cor.1:20-22 NLT).

Paul continues to emphasize that the way to receive salvation is so simple that any person who wants to can understand it. Skill and wisdom do not get a person into God’s Kingdom—simple faith does. Salvation is totally from God through Jesus’ death. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation; we need only to accept what Jesus has already done for us (1Cor.1:28-31).

Song: Jesus Saves

We have heard the joyful sound: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Spread the tidings all around: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Bear the news to every land; Climb the steeps and cross the waves;

Onward! ‘tis our Lord’s command: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

[Lyrics: Priscilla Jane Owens from Sing His Praise]

May the Lord bless you today!

Offended 9

August 30 2013 Offended 9 – Manna by Dorothy Callies

John 16:1 Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that you should not be offended.”

There are a lot of issues that Jesus had spoken about what the disciples would faced. And He encouraged them not to be offended or don’t be surprised if something would happen to them. Jesus said, “These things I have told you that when the time shall come, you may remember what I have said.” The disciples had no idea what Jesus meant until then. Jesus wants to spare them.

The Scripture also apply to us. Jesus warned the believer because He wants to prevent the believer from slipping away. The word “offended” means to stumble or to trip. Persecution by religious people can be a stumbling block to the believer. The believer can find himself being questioned for their belief in Christ.

What this means when Satan “sift” us or “shaken” our belief in Christ, we better make sure that we have Christ in our hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love. Why is this important? God talked a lot about being “shaken.” He is going to “shake” the people of the world to find out where they stand. If you want, I suggest looking up the Manna on Taking Root 1, 2, & 3 and be refreshed with the Parable of Sower on “Stony Ground.”

If you watch the news or read the newspaper that the young Christians children in their schools are being questioned about why they brought the Bible with them to school, why they testify about Christ to the kids, and why they pray over their food during the lunch time at school. They were told that it was forbidden or they would receive disciplinary action. Hey! What happened to the freedom of speech in America? This is what Jesus was talking about being “offended.” Know something? Bless the kids, they stood for Christ. Their faiths were rooted in Christ. Wow!

Now how about us? Are we like those kids who were ready to take a stand for Christ? Remember the news of Colorado Christian teenager girl in high school was shot for taking a stand for Christ? She was not offended because I believe she had read what Jesus said, “Do not be offended” when some things may happened to you. Many Christians may have realized they didn’t have the “deep root” like she had. God had “shaken” their faith to become stronger in Christ.

Now, maybe some Christians are going through a very emotional testing time and they wondered why God allowed some things to happen to them. God has a plan for you. He chose you to become like His Son (Rom.8:29). Oh Lord, I pray that we be filled with the Holy Spirit who would help us to be strong in the Lord and endure all things for Christ in Jesus’ name. Amen!

May the Lord bless you today!

Offended 8

August 29 2013 Offended 8 – Manna by Dorothy Callies

I Corinthians 10:13b “…God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it …” (NLT).  

From Luke 22:31-33, Jesus had talked about Satan’s attacks on Peter and the disciples. Jesus gave a warning that Satan’s desire is to sift the believer, that is, to separate him from God. Satan desires to tempt all the disciples. The word “sift” means to shake, to separate the good grain from the chaff. Satan wants to “shake” the disciples and to challenge God to remove the sense of Jesus’ presence from the disciples. Their love and devotion for Jesus was very deep.

Peter thought he would not be “offended” and that he could be strong enough to follow Jesus even to die for Him. This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 NLT. “If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin. But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.”

Jesus said, “I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail” [Luke 22:32 NLT]. Satan wanted to crush Simon Peter and the other disciples like grains of wheat. Satan hoped to find only chaff and blow it away. But Jesus assured Peter that his faith, although it would falter (stumble), would not be destroyed. It would be renewed and Peter would become a powerful leader.

Did you ever face that God’s presence was taken from you? But actually, God has never left you in spite of how you felt. The Scripture quoted, “God is faithful.” You hang on to that Scripture whenever you felt like God has abandoned you. God knows what we can bear and how much we can bear; therefore, He limits every single temptation within our limits to overcome it.  “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9).

Chorus: Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

(Thomas Obediah Chisholm, Sing His Praise)

May the Lord bless you today!

Offended 7

August 27-28, 2013 - Manna by Dorothy Callies

Matthew 26:33 - Peter answered and said unto him, “Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended” (KJV).

Jesus said, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to have all of you to sift you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthens and builds up your brothers.” Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.” But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. The rooster will not crow tomorrow morning until you have denied me three times that you even know me” (Luke 22:31-33 NLT).

At that same night, Jesus was arrested at the Garden of Gethsemane and all the disciples fled. Jesus was taken captive and led through into the courtyard to the High Priest’s house to be tried. Peter was following Jesus from afar and warming himself by the fire. Peter was confronted with different people that claimed he was with Jesus, but Peter denied that he even knew Jesus until Peter heard the rooster crowed (Luke 22:54-60). At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered that the Lord had said, “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny me three times.” And Peter left the courtyard, crying bitterly (Lk.22:61-62 NLT).

In the midst of all Jesus’ own pain and suffering, the Lord took time to look at Peter. His look told Peter that His Lord had not forgotten him. The Lord still loved and cared for Peter. Christ had prayed for Peter, and the power of that prayer was now moving in Peter’s heart and life. Peter now remembered His Lord’s word and that word began to take effect. Peter ran out of the porch or courtyard as fast as he safely could. He rushed out through the gate into the night to get alone with God. He was broken and full of anguish and pain for having failed his Lord: he “wept bitterly.” Peter repented and expressed godly sorrow.

Do you ever felt like what Peter had gone through? Peter loved Christ so much that he cannot imagine he would ever fail Him, but he did. How grateful Peter was when Christ prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail. All through Peter’s life, his trust and his faith in Christ was what makes him so faithful to Him to the very end of his life. I like the song called, “I Am Praying for You.” It felt like Jesus is praying for you right now whatever you are going through. It is the words of comfort.

Song: I Am Praying for You

1. I have a Savior; He’s pleading in glory,

A dear loving Savior tho’ earth-friends be few;

And now He is watching in tenderness o’er me,

And oh, that my Savior were your Savior too.

Chorus:

For you I am praying, For you I am praying,

For you I am praying, I’m praying for you.

(Lyrics: Samuel O’Malley Cluff, Sing His Praise)

May the Lord bless you today!

Offended 6

August 23-26, 2013 – Manna by Dorothy Callies

Matthew 26:31-32 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.  But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.

There was a Passover event that all the disciples gathered together with Christ. They just had the communion, breaking of breads and drank the fruit of the vine and that Jesus offered a New Covenant with them. The Passover represented Christ as the Lamb that was about to be sacrificed. The disciples had no clue that was going to happen to the Son of God.

This was why Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee to meet you there” (NLT). Jesus was foretelling them of their falling away. He knew that after His resurrection, they would remember His words and be able to return more easily and understand more fully and to become stronger.

The word offends means to stumble, to fall or to cause to stumble. When Jesus was arrested, the apostles questioned and wondered if Christ was really the Messiah. He did not resist arrest, and He did not use His mighty power. He was not leading the people in an uprising against the Romans, nor was He freeing Israel and setting up the nation as the center of God’s kingdom.

The disciples would be offended because Jesus was rejected. He was rejected by the crowd. But God had a plan. Behind the scenes, in the invisible world, it was God who smote the Shepherd; that is God put Christ to death. It was in “the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God” that Christ was to die (Acts 2:23). Christ had to give His life for man if man was to be saved.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have ever lasting life (John 3:16). But God showed His love toward us while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Ro.5:8). The disciples learned later that everything served a purpose even they being offended, they would come back to Christ.

Christ had promised a Comforter who would bring all things to remember everything what Jesus had said to them. They would become stronger because of the words of Christ. Have you ever been offended by anything that you thought that God had failed to keep His Words? We need a Comforter to speak to us, to encourage us, and to remind us day by day that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness.

So let us learn to trust in God even when we don’t understand some things yet.

Offended 5

August 20-22 2013 - Manna by Dorothy Callies

Matthew 13:57-58 NLT
 "And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in Him. Then Jesus told them, ‘A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.’ And so He did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief."

In the beginning of Matthew 13, Jesus went out of the house and sat by his favorite sea side. And great many people came to hear Him, but it was so crowded and He had to go into a ship, and sat there. So Jesus spoke several parables to them.

When He had finished these parables, He left and went into Nazareth, His own country, His hometown, to preach at their synagogue. They had heard his preaching and they were so surprised that Jesus had so much wisdom and He had healed people. So they began to question about where He gets so much wisdom in his preaching. Jesus’ education was in the home and the local synagogue (all Jewish boys were trained in the local synagogue) (Matt.13:54-56).

Jesus was a child when they moved to Nazareth from Egypt and He grew up with his four brothers and a few sisters. They were all brought up in the same house with Jesus being the oldest. He would have played with them as any normal child would. He helped His father, learning and working as a carpenter beside his father’s side. He knew what it’s like to build a house, a tower, a barn, an oxen yoke, beams and strong foundations.

Jesus knew His neighbors well and His neighbors knew Him and His family well. They were close, shared together—shared their homes with joys and grieves that comes with families and friendship. They could not imagine that someone from their own home—someone whom they had known from a child—could be the Messiah, the Son of God. Why? It was because Jesus was from humble beginnings. His family was humble and ordinary—just an average family and nothing more.

His father, Joseph, was a carpenter; His mother, Mary, was a housewife and mother. The parent wasn’t famous or has done anything special for Jesus who claimed to be the Messiah, God’s very own Son (Lk.4:16-21). This was the beginning of their rejection because the people did not understand where He got His wisdom and power. They were offended and they refused to believe who He really was.

Jesus wanted His hometown to have the privilege of being aware of whom He was. He loved His families, His friends, and His country. He wanted to show His love and power to them. His work of miracles was limited because they did not believe Him. They refused to let God’s love and the power to work in their lives. How did Jesus really felt? Unbelief hurts Christ. It cut His heart. He longs to give life and to help us along day by day.

So let us believe in Him and love Him with all our hearts.

Offended 4

Matthew 11:6 “… Blessed is he who is not offended in Me.”

The subject on “offended” interest me for further study of Jesus’ teaching from Matthew 13:2b “… because of the word, by and by he is offended” (KJV).  I believe what Jesus has to say about being ‘offended’ would be an important study.

It was about John the Baptist who was offended because he had thought that the Messiah was going to overthrow the Romans’ reign and set up Israel as a free nation. Notice something here: John thought … the Messiah would free him from prison. So John sends two disciples to find out what’s up? Did John announced the right Messiah which is Jesus Himself or should he find another Messiah?

What did John thought about the Messiah? What John had heard was that the works of Christ were works of love. He knew that the Messiah was to baptize with both the Spirit and fire—the Messianic (Messiah’s) fire of judgment. To John, it seemed that Jesus was fulfilling only half of the Messianic prophecies. John was puzzled, but he still believed in Messiah because he asked, “Are you the one or do we look for another Messiah?” John did not fully understand Jesus, but he trusted Christ anyway.

Jesus understood John and gave assurance to John that He was the Messiah. Jesus demonstrated the power and gave five assurances to John. Jesus gave sight to the blind, made the lame to walk, cleansed the lepers, opened the ears of the deaf, raised the dead to life and preached the gospel to the poor. Jesus did not just profess to be the Messiah, He proved it by ministering to people in the power of God (Jn.14:10-11).

Jesus encouraged John not to be offended by Him just because John did not see Messiah’s fire of judgment against the Roman Empire. But Christ assured John: “Blessing is coming; and judgment is coming. Do not be offended because you do not understand everything about Me.”  

Jesus encourages all of us not to be offended by Him, but to believe and trust Him. When we see things are happenings every day and we wondered why Jesus did not come soon as we “thought.” Just as Jesus Christ assured John, He assured us that blessing is coming and judgment is coming so …

Let us trust our Messiah today!

Under Construction 'Till 19th

I am working on the Manna and it is under construction.

Dorothy

Peace of God

Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts …” Philippians 4:17 “And the peace of God … shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

            When we call on God from hearts that sincerely tried to abide in His Word, then the peace of God will flood our troubled souls. Holy Spirit helps us to mediate His Word and witness to our hearts that Jesus is near and that God’s love will be active in our lives.

            When we put our troubles before God in prayer, this peace will stand guard at the door of our hearts and minds, preventing the cares of life and the heartaches of disappointment from destroying our lives and hope in Christ. [Some notes from The Full Life Study Bible, D.C. Stamps]

                Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). The disciples’ hearts were troubled because Jesus was leaving them and going back to heaven. Jesus had been with them for three years, preparing them for the missionary work. Eventually, they received the gift of Holy Spirit who helped them throughout their lives.

            The Word of Jesus still apply to us, “I give you peace. I give you a state of quiet mind. I give you peace from the disturbance of war. I give you peace and freedom from upsetting thoughts or feelings. I make you feel calm and quiet. I give you relieve and wholly free from a burden of distress.”

           

Let the Word of Jesus’ peace be rooted and grounded into our hearts!

Dorothy

PS. The next Manna will be on August 13, 2013. We will be attending the Memorial Service with Tony’s family in honor of his oldest brother, Jack Callies in Minnesota/Wisconsin.

Taking Root 3, Offended

Matthew 13:21b “… because of the word, by and by he is offended” [KJV].

The word, offended interests me from the Word of Christ, the interpretation of Matthew 13:5-6, the seeds fell on rocky ground and they had no root. Tony has a book called, Satan’s Bait and we use this for our devotion and I learned that there are many subjects related to what causes the “offended.”

The word, offended = 1. to do wrong: SIN; 2: to cause to be angry or annoyed: DISPLEASE <that language offends me> … Sin = 1. a breaking of a moral law; 2: an action that is or is felt to be bad; Displease = to cause to feel disapproval, dislike, or annoyance <was displeased by the delay> [Merriam-Webster Dictionary].   Really, the word offended is a broad subject even related to offense like in a game, defense and offense.

But here Jesus talked about trials and persecutions that might come and because of the word, he is offended. A person may become angry because it is not what he thought it should be. To become “offended” may be something like: “I thought this is how it should be. I thought … I thought …” Where do “I thought” come from? This is where one needs to read a book, “Satan’s Bait” where it shows how he uses a mind, a “thought” that influence the person’s thinking. It had taken me years to realize how to identify whose “thought” came from. I often say, “Hey, wait a minute! Where did that “thought” came from?” I would check the Word of God against my “thought,” my “imaginations.” 

II Corinthians 10:5 “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Here the word, imagination means the act, process, or power of forming a mental picture of something not present and especially of something one has not known or experienced; 2: a creative ability; 3: a creation of the mind. [Merriam-Webster Dictionary] Thought is past and participate of THINK. The mind, what we think is a powerful stuff. It could influence our destiny, hell or heaven.

Taking root, Christ’s teaching is the key to our spiritual growth. Paul, the Epistle’s prayer is found in Ephesians 3:14-21 and there is one verse 17 that he prayed, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being ROOTED and GROUNDED IN LOVE …” If we have this in our heart, then we would not be offended. Why? It is because Christ lives in our heart by faith; we are rooted and grounded in the love of God. How wonderful it is to have Christ dwell in our heart!

So let us trust God today!

Dorothy

Taking Root 2

Matthew 13:20 “As for what was sown on thin (rocky) soil, this is he who hears the Word and at once welcomes and accepts it with joy” [Amplified Bible].

This is an example of a person who began in the emotional joy of the Word and in his decision to change his life. But a person has continued to live in the emotions of his experience and his new found Christian friends. A person does little about the hard demands of Christ that come only through diligent study and prayer. A person knows little about sacrificial obedience: “Study to show thyself approved” (2Tim.2:15).

           

The word emotional is an important word to know as a Christian. The word, emotion means a strong feeling like excitement; 2: a mental reaction like an anger or fear marked by strong feeling and usually causing physical effects. The other word, emotional means relating to the emotions like an emotional upset; 2: likely to show or express emotion: easily moved like an emotional person. [Merriam-Webster]

The emotional issue talked about a person who always lives on his or her feelings. It would be interested to learn this because many Christians depend on the “feelings.” Is this a good thing? Feeling is a broad subject so let’s focus on a person who depends on feelings all the times. A person who depends on the feelings all the times may not be a reliable person to trust to. An emotional person is up and down.

Why? Like Jesus said, “Yet it has no real root in him, but is temporary (inconstant, lasts but a little while); and when affliction or trouble or persecution comes on account of the Word, at once he is caused to stumble [he is repelled and begins to distrust and desert Him Whom he ought to trust and obey] and he falls away” [Matt.13:21 AMP].

Living on feelings set apart from a person who depends on beliefs in the Word of God and a disciplined life. Once I depend on feelings when I thought God was leading me, but those feelings has gotten me into troubles. Why? If I had a strong belief in God’s Word against my feelings, I would not have gotten into troubles or problems. So the answer is having a strong faith to stand on God’s Word often gives me peace. The feelings are often set aside.

“I hate this person and he or she is giving me a hard time. I can’t stand it.” Doesn’t this sound like a person with a feeling of hatred? Where is God’s love in this? Didn’t the book of John tell us that we are to love our brethren? Didn’t Jesus tell us “to love our enemies? Do good to them that hate us? Bless them that give us hard time? These are “the root” that Jesus was talking about, His Word.

So let’s study His Word and take a deeper root in Him!

Dorothy

Taking Root 1

Matthew 13:5-6 “Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away” [KJV].

     Some received the Word in stony places. In some parts of Palestine lying right beneath the ground is a layer of limestone. When seed falls upon this ground, something dramatic happens. The limestone holds the rain and heat from the sunlight right under the surface; therefore, the fallen seed sprouts quickly and dramatically. But it has no root.

     The application is clear: this person has what appears to be a dramatic conversion. He makes a decision for Christ, and he stands out as an example of a changed life and quick growth. However, the change lasts only for a season, perhaps an extended season, but in the end it fails. [Footnote from Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible]

     Why this person fails? He has not rooted and grounded himself in the Word and in prayer. He has not learned the doctrines of Christ. He has not come through the diligent study to show himself approved and disciplined prayer. He does not have the spiritual strength to withstand the trials and persecutions of life. When there’s pressure from circumstances or things that happened to him like former friends of the world who mocked and abused him, that would causes him to cave in or fell through.  

    New Living Translation quoted, “But anyone who listens and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will crumble into a heap of ruins” [Luke 6:49].

I read the devotion from the Daily Bread about “Taking Root” and it had led me to study more of this research which I had written on the first part of the Manna. I admit that I was surprised to learn something about the limestone they had in Palestine. So the people there knew what Jesus was talking about from the nature’s view.

Jesus talked about the seed and soils. In a parable in Matthew 13 about what happens when the seed of the gospel is sown on various kinds of ground, He said that seeds that land on stones and “not much earth” grow quickly but then die in the sun (Mt. 13:5-6). He is speaking of one who has heard and received the gospel, but in whose life the message doesn’t take root. When trouble comes, this person who is not a “rooted” believer, he would fall away.

The word of encouragement from Jesus saying, “The good soil represents the hearts of those who truly accept God’s message and produce a huge harvest—thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted” [Mt.13:23]. The key word: produce means to bring something out by work. So studying the Word of God will produce a huge harvest inside of our souls and when we share them, it will grow so much as we have “planted” His Word in us. And when we are “rooted” in Christ, we would not fall away.  

So let’s trust God to be rooted in Christ and be strong in the Lord!

Dorothy 

Revive Me

Psalm 138:7a “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me.”

The word revive, means 1: to bring back or come back to life, consciousness, or activity: make or become fresh or strong again. 2: to bring back into use <trying to revive an old custom> revive is a verb.  

Prayer to my heavenly Father:

I went through the middle of trouble, O Lord, revive me. I am silence, O Lord, bring back my inner spirit to life. Open my consciousness to the Holy Spirit once again, O Lord. Bring me into activity into Your Word and make my inner spirit be fresh again. O Lord, make me strong again.

For Thou are with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (Ps. 23:4). In times of danger and difficulty, I fear no evil because You are with me in every situation of life. You use the rod (a short club) as a weapon of defense against the wolves, the forces of demons around me. Your rod symbolizing Your strength, Your power, and Your authority against the force of evil. I praise You for being my marvelous Father who delivered me from evil.

Your staff, (a long slender stick with a hook on the end) You use it to draw me as a sheep to stay close to my Shepherd, Jesus. Your staff guides me in the right way. Your staff rescues me from trouble. Your rod and Your staff reassure me of Your love and Your guidance in my every day life.

You restore my soul. You re-energize my soul through Your power and Your grace. You lead me through the Holy Spirit who guides me into the path of righteousness. You encourage me to study Your Word of wisdom for they are life to my soul. I thank You and I praise You for the marvelous prayer that the Holy Spirit has given to me.

I pray for my friends who read this prayer to be revived, to be delivered, and to be healed in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior who saved us from the depth of our sins and covered us with the precious blood of Jesus, who died to set us free and rose again as a Victor and Conqueror of our lives in the name of Jesus Christ, amen and amen!

My friend, look up to Jesus who is the author and the finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and now He is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hallelujah!

So let us trust our heavenly Father today!

Dorothy