Monday, March 26, 2012 - Daily Encouragement

8:00 am Prayer /Devotion

March 26, 2012 Stop the Masquerade Micca Monda Campbell

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14 (NIV)

During elementary school, my daughter was friendly and outgoing. But when she entered middle school she changed. Being friendly to everyone in sixth grade wasn't cool. Peyton quickly found out if she didn't conform to her friend's new standards she'd be an outcast. Worst of all was the betrayal. When she didn't change to be like her friends, they spilled her secrets.

That's when it happened. Peyton started wearing masks to fit in and please people.

She hid her accepting and sweet personality, and lost her true identity. Almost like a masquerade ball, she'd wear a different personality or mask, acting in ways her friends would want.

There was only one problem. Peyton was miserable hiding behind her masks and pretending to be someone she wasn't. Sound familiar?

I think most of us understand Peyton's need to fit in. It's one reason we wear our own masks. To please others. To hide our pain. To disguise fears and failures. We put on fronts to protect ourselves from an unaccepting world. And in doing so, we mask our true identity and lose our individuality.

Why do we keep up the masquerade? Because we want acceptance.

And often we're willing to lose who we truly are in order to keep important relationships, like friends or family members. Most of us can recall a situation when a trusted person hurt us by judging our God-given personalities, traits and talents.

In our attempt to hide our insecurity or avoid betrayal and hurt, we create a mask—a look we're willing to let the world see in order to be accepted.

I was determined to help Peyton stop doing this very thing. I encouraged her to return to truth. God didn't create us to conform to other's standards, but to stand out through our own God-given uniqueness. Our key verse reminds us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. This truth gave her the courage to remember who she was before she put on the masks.

Soon Peyton found friends who were like-minded, and started participating in activities that reflected her interests. By being true to her identity and rekindling her dreams, Peyton has followed her God-given purpose. Today, she's studying foreign language in college and hopes to teach in Japan or work on the mission field.

Maybe someone along the way has discouraged you. Put you down for being creative, quietly reading books, or loving adventures. Or maybe for dreaming big, or laughing loudly, or enjoying working with your hands. Perhaps a parent, teacher, pastor, friend or even a stranger didn't accept how God created you to be and you transformed yourself to fit in their preferences.

God sees behind our masks; He loves us and longs for us to be free from the fear of being rejected. If you're constantly changing masks to fit in, then you know the awful burden of maintaining the false you. Aren't you ready to stop the masquerade? Listen closely and hear God confirming to your heart today, "You are wonderfully made."

Dear Lord, I desire freedom to lay down my masks and be myself. Help me identify my false sense of self. Enable me to recapture the person I was before I started masking my fears and insecurities. I no longer want to fit in where I don't belong. I want to be all You created me to be. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:
Do You Know Him?

An Untroubled Heart: Finding Faith that is Stronger than My Fears by Micca Campbell

Click here to join our new online study of Micca's book, An Untroubled Heart with Melissa Taylor. It just started yesterday but it's not too late to join!

Visit Micca's blog for more encouragement and enter to win a copy of An Untroubled Heart.

When you purchase resources through Proverbs 31 Ministries, you touch eternity because your purchase supports the many areas of hope-giving ministry we provide at no cost. We wish we could, but we simply can't compete with prices offered by huge online warehouses. Therefore, we are extremely grateful for each and every purchase you make with us. Thank you!

Reflect and Respond:
Create a mask that represents the qualities of your false self. You can draw or use parts of a magazine and words. Then, offer that mask to God and ask Him to help you recall yourself before you wore the mask.

What are some expectations you put on yourself or false concepts you have of yourself?

Do you think you need to be a certain way to be loved and accepted by others?

Power Verses:
Psalm 139:15-16, "My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (NIV)

Thursday, March 22, 2012 - Is the problems with your husband an Irritation or an Issue?

7:00 am Prayer
8:30 am Devotion

March 22, 2012 Advice to Wives: Stop Praying Lysa TerKeurst

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)

Irritated. Frustrated. Hurt.

Those were the words bumping around in my mind as I grabbed my Bible and sat down to do some sort of quiet time.

I felt like such a fake mindlessly scanning these words on thin pages. My heart wasn't connecting. My mind wasn't tuned in. All I could think about was the argument I'd had with my husband.

Why couldn't he see my point? Why didn't he understand? Why was he being so stubborn?

I closed my Bible and decided a much more productive thing to do with this situation would be to pray. That's what godly women do. And oh how spiritually sound I felt listing all the many things the Lord could do to fix my man- all that was wrong with him.

Sounds spiritual. However, it was anything but.

Suddenly in the middle of my prayer, all I could sense God saying was, "Stop."

Stop? Stop praying? Well, that certainly couldn't be from the Lord ... so I kept going.

But the word "stop" was pulsing through my mind with each beat of my heart. And deep down, I started to sense why.

God wasn't looking for me to be a "fix him" wife.

God was looking for me to be a "love him" wife.

I needed to stop praying. At least, I needed to stop praying the way I had been. Yes, there were things my husband needed to work on. But nothing good was happening when all I did was complain about him.

I needed to be a wife daring enough to ask God to reveal to me how to love him. And I needed to ask God where I was going wrong—where I was being selfish—where I needed to work.

When I shifted my focus on letting God change me, that's when I started to see real progress.

In this season of struggling through all of this, God taught me three powerful lessons:

1. Is this an irritation or an issue?

There is a big difference between an irritation and an issue. Identifying the difference helps me pick my battles. If this is just an irritation, maybe I need to practice being more flexible, patient or willing to extend grace?

2. Am I praying about or for my husband?

If I do sense something that needs to change, I need to pray for my husband—not about him. Praying about him is just ranting. Praying for him means digging into God's Word and praying scriptures specific to his struggles. That's powerful! When we pray the WORD of God, we pray the WILL of God.

3. Where is my focus?

I'll never be able to control how another person acts and reacts, but I certainly can control how I act and react. My focus shouldn't be on having the right partner. My focus should be onbeing the right partner.

Slowly, as I shifted my heart in these areas, I saw such progress in our marriage. Do I still get irritated, frustrated and hurt? Of course.

But when I stopped trying to fix him, I was freed up to just love him. And love him more completely like Ephesians 4:2 reminds, "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." And loving him is so much more fun and realistic than fixing him!

Dear Lord, help me to focus on being the right partner. Shift my heart to reflect Yours Lord. Help me to put aside my pride so I can hear You whisper to my heart those things I can do to improve my marriage. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:
If you've been looking for something to give your marriage a boost in creativity, connection, and communication don't miss Lysa's marriage books, Capture Her Heart for husbands and Capture His Heart for wives.

Read Lysa's free article today, "Jesus loves those in messy marriages."

Lysa is speaking in over 40 cities this year and she'd love to meet you! To check for a city near you, click here.

When you purchase resources through Proverbs 31 Ministries, you touch eternity because your purchase supports the many areas of hope-giving ministry we provide at no cost. We wish we could, but we simply can't compete with prices offered by huge online warehouses. Therefore, we are extremely grateful for each and every purchase you make with us. Thank you!

Reflect and Respond:
If you do sense something that needs to change, pray for your husband—not about him. Praying about him is just ranting. Praying for him means digging into God's Word and praying scriptures specific to his struggles.

Power Verse:
Ephesians 1:4, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. " (NIV)

Wednesday, March 21, 2012 - Failures can Mature you if you let it!

7:00 am. Prayer

9:30 am Devotion /Daily Encouragement

7:00 pm Zumba (Hopefully) :)

March 21, 2012 Getting Up Again Renee Swope

"...though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again..." Proverbs 24:16 (NIV)

I've always admired people who aren't afraid to fail. You know the ones who don't even consider defeat when they blow it; people who see a personal setback as just another goal to conquer.

I can be really hard on myself when I fail to be the woman God calls me to be or the woman I want to be. Like the other day, when I disappointed my mom, got impatient with my husband and spoke harshly to one of my kids. Soon after, my internal dialogue (you know that voice in your head that won't let you off the hook) started reminding me of how badly I'd acted and how far I'd fallen short that day.

The greatest defeat comes when I allow my mistakes, sins or broken relationships to convince me that I might as well give up.

Perhaps you have also allowed failure to knock you down, tie you up with the ropes of regret and hold you hostage like I have.

When I surveyed over 1200 women for my book, A Confident Heart, I discovered that our past failures, and our fear of failing again, are two of the most common things that make us doubt ourselves.

But today's key verse shows us that it's not supposed to be this way. Proverbs 24:16 has helped me release the regret, guilt, fear and shame that have weighed me down and held me back.

Take a minute to read it now and notice how it says the righteous will fall. Yes, even those of us who have received the gift of Christ's righteousness and redemption will fall down. But we were never intended to stay down.

Instead of giving up, Jesus empowers us to get up again.

In getting up, we can apologize and ask for forgiveness. In getting up, we can choose to try again with our kids, in our jobs, in our marriages, in our ministries, and in all of our mistakes. Because we trust that although we fall, God will help us up.

Listen to His promise in Psalm 37:23-24 and as you read it insert your name in the blanks: "The steps of ____________ are established by the Lord, and He delights in ____________'s way. When ____________ falls, __________ will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds ________'s hand." (NASB)

When you get up again failure can actually help you become the confident woman God created you to be because it can make you stronger and better—when you go to God for help. Failure might even be the thing that stretched you to do more than you think you can and push you to try other methods of doing things when one way doesn't work.

Yes, failure can be hurtful, but it can also be beneficial.

Failure produces wisdom when we ask for it and maturity when we learn from it.

I think God wants us to remember that following Him is not about avoiding failures and being perfect. It's about accepting our weaknesses and becoming more dependent on His perfect love and power at work in us.

The truth is, we will sometimes fail to be who we want to be. But we will get closer to who we are meant to be every time we fall or fail and then choose to take God's hand so we can get up again!

Dear Lord, I'm so thankful for Your grace that reminds me there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Because my steps are established by You, Lord, I will believe that You delight in me even when I fail or fall. Today, I want to take Your hand and trust Your heart as You pull me back up again and use my failures to help me become the confident woman You created me to be. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:
Today's devotion is based on chapter 7 of Renee's book: A Confident Heart: How to Stop Doubting Yourself & Live in the Security of God's Promises.

BIG NEWS!! A Confident Heart Ebook for Kindle is on sale for $2.99 through March 25th. Don't have a Kindle? No problem. Download a FREE Kindle App for your PC, Mac, Ipad, Iphone and other electronic devices here! Don't miss this amazing deal and limited time offer today!

Join Renee Swope's online study of her life-changing book, A Confident Heart - beginning April 23rd. In it, you will learn how to overcome self-doubt and live with lasting God-fidence as you discover your God-given purpose, passion, and personality; learn how to break free from people-pleasing and performance-based living; find out how to replace "against me" thoughts with scripture-based God is "for me" thoughts, and more! Click here for more details or to sign up today.

Visit Renee's blog/website today and enter her "Contagious Confidence Givaway" which includes copies of her book, her Confident Heart messages on CD and a Target gift card!

Reflect and Respond:
Are there any areas of your life where you feel like you're failing and want to give up? Write down what got you to that hard place and then ask God to show you how you can get back up again (in your heart) with the help of His grace and truth.

Power Verses:
Psalm 37:23-24, "The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand." (NASB)

Psalm 73:26, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (NIV)

Tuesday, March 20, 2012 - June 16 Reading One Year Bible

4:45 am Prayer/Devotion

June 16 Reading - 1 Kings 15:24-17:24; Acts 10:24-48; Psalm 134:1-3; Proverbs 17:9-11

1 Kings 15:24-17:24

New Living Translation (NLT)

²⁴ When Asa died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David.    Then Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, became the next king.

Nadab Rules in Israel

 ²⁵ Nadab son of Jeroboam began to rule over Israel in the second year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Israel two years. ²⁶ But he did what was evil in the LORD’s sight and followed the example of his father, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.  ²⁷ Then Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, plotted against Nadab and assassinated him while he and the Israelite army were laying siege to the Philistine town of Gibbethon. ²⁸ Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of King Asa’s reign in Judah, and he became the next king of Israel.
 ²⁹ He immediately slaughtered all the descendants of King Jeroboam, so that not one of the royal family was left, just as the LORD had promised concerning Jeroboam by the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. ³⁰ This was done because Jeroboam had provoked the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, by the sins he had committed and the sins he had led Israel to commit.
 ³¹ The rest of the events in Nadab’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

Baasha Rules in Israel

 ³² There was constant war between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel. ³³ Baasha son of Ahijah began to rule over all Israel in the third year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. Baasha reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years. ³⁴ But he did what was evil in the LORD’s sight and followed the example of Jeroboam, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.

1 Kings 16

 ¹ This message from the LORD was delivered to King Baasha by the prophet Jehu son of Hanani: ² “I lifted you out of the dust to make you ruler of my people Israel, but you have followed the evil example of Jeroboam. You have provoked my anger by causing my people Israel to sin. ³ So now I will destroy you and your family, just as I destroyed the descendants of Jeroboam son of Nebat. ⁴ The members of Baasha’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”
 ⁵ The rest of the events in Baasha’s reign and the extent of his power are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. ⁶ When Baasha died, he was buried in Tirzah. Then his son Elah became the next king.
 ⁷ The message from the LORD against Baasha and his family came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani. It was delivered because Baasha had done what was evil in the LORD’s sight (just as the family of Jeroboam had done), and also because Baasha had destroyed the family of Jeroboam. The LORD’s anger was provoked by Baasha’s sins.

Elah Rules in Israel

 ⁸ Elah son of Baasha began to rule over Israel in the twenty-sixth year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in the city of Tirzah for two years.  ⁹ Then Zimri, who commanded half of the royal chariots, made plans to kill him. One day in Tirzah, Elah was getting drunk at the home of Arza, the supervisor of the palace. ¹⁰ Zimri walked in and struck him down and killed him. This happened in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. Then Zimri became the next king.
 ¹¹ Zimri immediately killed the entire royal family of Baasha, leaving him not even a single male child. He even destroyed distant relatives and friends. ¹² So Zimri destroyed the dynasty of Baasha as the LORD had promised through the prophet Jehu. ¹³ This happened because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed, and because of the sins they led Israel to commit. They provoked the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, with their worthless idols.
 ¹⁴ The rest of the events in Elah’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

Zimri Rules in Israel

 ¹⁵ Zimri began to rule over Israel in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa’s reign in Judah, but his reign in Tirzah lasted only seven days. The army of Israel was then attacking the Philistine town of Gibbethon. ¹⁶ When they heard that Zimri had committed treason and had assassinated the king, that very day they chose Omri, commander of the army, as the new king of Israel. ¹⁷ So Omri led the entire army of Israel up from Gibbethon to attack Tirzah, Israel’s capital. ¹⁸ When Zimri saw that the city had been taken, he went into the citadel of the palace and burned it down over himself and died in the flames. ¹⁹ For he, too, had done what was evil in the LORD’s sight. He followed the example of Jeroboam in all the sins he had committed and led Israel to commit.  ²⁰ The rest of the events in Zimri’s reign and his conspiracy are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

Omri Rules in Israel

 ²¹ But now the people of Israel were split into two factions. Half the people tried to make Tibni son of Ginath their king, while the other half supported Omri. ²² But Omri’s supporters defeated the supporters of Tibni. So Tibni was killed, and Omri became the next king.  ²³ Omri began to rule over Israel in the thirty-first year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned twelve years in all, six of them in Tirzah. ²⁴ Then Omri bought the hill now known as Samaria from its owner, Shemer, for 150 pounds of silver.^[a] He built a city on it and called the city Samaria in honor of Shemer.
 ²⁵ But Omri did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him. ²⁶ He followed the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat in all the sins he had committed and led Israel to commit. The people provoked the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, with their worthless idols.
 ²⁷ The rest of the events in Omri’s reign, the extent of his power, and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. ²⁸ When Omri died, he was buried in Samaria. Then his son Ahab became the next king.

Ahab Rules in Israel

 ²⁹ Ahab son of Omri began to rule over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria twenty-two years. ³⁰ But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him. ³¹ And as though it were not enough to follow the example of Jeroboam, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow down in worship of Baal. ³² First Ahab built a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria. ³³ Then he set up an Asherah pole. He did more to provoke the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him.  ³⁴ It was during his reign that Hiel, a man from Bethel, rebuilt Jericho. When he laid its foundations, it cost him the life of his oldest son, Abiram. And when he completed it and set up its gates, it cost him the life of his youngest son, Segub.^[b] This all happened according to the message from the LORD concerning Jericho spoken by Joshua son of Nun.

1 Kings 17

Elijah Fed by Ravens

 ¹ Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!”  ² Then the LORD said to Elijah, ³ “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. ⁴ Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.”
 ⁵ So Elijah did as the LORD told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. ⁶ The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. ⁷ But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land.

The Widow at Zarephath

 ⁸ Then the LORD said to Elijah, ⁹ “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.”  ¹⁰ So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” ¹¹ As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”
 ¹² But she said, “I swear by the LORD your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”
 ¹³ But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. ¹⁴ For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the LORD sends rain and the crops grow again!”
 ¹⁵ So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. ¹⁶ There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the LORD had promised through Elijah.
 ¹⁷ Some time later the woman’s son became sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally he died. ¹⁸ Then she said to Elijah, “O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?”
 ¹⁹ But Elijah replied, “Give me your son.” And he took the child’s body from her arms, carried him up the stairs to the room where he was staying, and laid the body on his bed. ²⁰ Then Elijah cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, why have you brought tragedy to this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?”
 ²¹ And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” ²² The LORD heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived! ²³ Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. “Look!” he said. “Your son is alive!”
 ²⁴ Then the woman told Elijah, “Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the LORD truly speaks through you.”

Footnotes:

1. 1 Kings 16:24 Hebrew for 2 talents [68 kilograms] of silver.
2. 1 Kings 16:34 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads He killed his oldest son when he laid its foundations, and he killed his youngest son when he set up its gates.

Acts 10:24-48

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ²⁴ They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him. ²⁶ But Peter pulled him up and said, “Stand up! I’m a human being just like you!” ²⁷ So they talked together and went inside, where many others were assembled.
 ²⁸ Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. ²⁹ So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me.”
 ³⁰ Cornelius replied, “Four days ago I was praying in my house about this same time, three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man in dazzling clothes was standing in front of me. ³¹ He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God! ³² Now send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.’ ³³ So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you.”

The Gentiles Hear the Good News

 ³⁴ Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. ³⁵ In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. ³⁶ This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. ³⁸ And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.  ³⁹ “And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross,^{[a] 40} but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, ⁴¹ not to the general public,^[b] but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. ⁴³ He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”

The Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit

 ⁴⁴ Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. ⁴⁵ The Jewish believers^[c] who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in other tongues^[d] and praising God.    Then Peter asked, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” ⁴⁸ So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Afterward Cornelius asked him to stay with them for several days.

Footnotes:

1. Acts 10:39 Greek on a tree.
2. Acts 10:41 Greek the people.
3. Acts 10:45 Greek The faithful ones of the circumcision.
4. Acts 10:46 Or in other languages.

Psalm 134:1-3

New Living Translation (NLT)

Psalm 134

Psalm 134

    A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. ¹ Oh, praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD,
      you who serve at night in the house of the LORD.
 ² Lift up holy hands in prayer,
      and praise the LORD.
 ³ May the LORD, who made heaven and earth,
      bless you from Jerusalem.^[a]

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 134:3 Hebrew Zion.

Show Commentary

Proverbs 17:9-11

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ⁹ Love prospers when a fault is forgiven,
      but dwelling on it separates close friends.
 ¹⁰ A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding
      than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.
 ¹¹ Evil people are eager for rebellion,
      but they will be severely punished.

Friday, March 16, 2012 - June 15 One Year Bible

6:30 am Prayer
8:00 am Devotion /Song
Holy Thou Art God

June 15 Reading -1 King 14:1-15:24; Acts 10:1-23; Psalm 133:1-3; Proverbs 17:7-8

AM - Abs, Legs/Back

1 Kings 14-15:24

New Living Translation (NLT)

1 Kings 14

Ahijah’s Prophecy against Jeroboam

 ¹ At that time Jeroboam’s son Abijah became very sick. ² So Jeroboam told his wife, “Disguise yourself so that no one will recognize you as my wife. Then go to the prophet Ahijah at Shiloh—the man who told me I would become king. ³ Take him a gift of ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and ask him what will happen to the boy.”  ⁴ So Jeroboam’s wife went to Ahijah’s home at Shiloh. He was an old man now and could no longer see. ⁵ But the LORD had told Ahijah, “Jeroboam’s wife will come here, pretending to be someone else. She will ask you about her son, for he is very sick. Give her the answer I give you.”
 ⁶ So when Ahijah heard her footsteps at the door, he called out, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you pretending to be someone else?” Then he told her, “I have bad news for you. ⁷ Give your husband, Jeroboam, this message from the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘I promoted you from the ranks of the common people and made you ruler over my people Israel. ⁸ I ripped the kingdom away from the family of David and gave it to you. But you have not been like my servant David, who obeyed my commands and followed me with all his heart and always did whatever I wanted. ⁹ You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made other gods for yourself and have made me furious with your gold calves. And since you have turned your back on me, ¹⁰ I will bring disaster on your dynasty and will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel. I will burn up your royal dynasty as one burns up trash until it is all gone. ¹¹ The members of Jeroboam’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures. I, the LORD, have spoken.’”
 ¹² Then Ahijah said to Jeroboam’s wife, “Go on home, and when you enter the city, the child will die. ¹³ All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only member of your family who will have a proper burial, for this child is the only good thing that the LORD, the God of Israel, sees in the entire family of Jeroboam.
 ¹⁴ “In addition, the LORD will raise up a king over Israel who will destroy the family of Jeroboam. This will happen today, even now! ¹⁵ Then the LORD will shake Israel like a reed whipped about in a stream. He will uproot the people of Israel from this good land that he gave their ancestors and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River,^[a] for they have angered the LORD with the Asherah poles they have set up for worship. ¹⁶ He will abandon Israel because Jeroboam sinned and made Israel sin along with him.”
 ¹⁷ So Jeroboam’s wife returned to Tirzah, and the child died just as she walked through the door of her home. ¹⁸ And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, as the LORD had promised through the prophet Ahijah.
 ¹⁹ The rest of the events in Jeroboam’s reign, including all his wars and how he ruled, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. ²⁰ Jeroboam reigned in Israel twenty-two years. When Jeroboam died, his son Nadab became the next king.

Rehoboam Rules in Judah

 ²¹ Meanwhile, Rehoboam son of Solomon was king in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from among all the tribes of Israel as the place to honor his name. Rehoboam’s mother was Naamah, an Ammonite woman.  ²² During Rehoboam’s reign, the people of Judah did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, provoking his anger with their sin, for it was even worse than that of their ancestors. ²³ For they also built for themselves pagan shrines and set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. ²⁴ There were even male and female shrine prostitutes throughout the land. The people imitated the detestable practices of the pagan nations the LORD had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites.
 ²⁵ In the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. ²⁶ He ransacked the treasuries of the LORD’s Temple and the royal palace; he stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. ²⁷ King Rehoboam later replaced them with bronze shields as substitutes, and he entrusted them to the care of the commanders of the guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace. ²⁸ Whenever the king went to the Temple of the LORD, the guards would also take the shields and then return them to the guardroom.
 ²⁹ The rest of the events in Rehoboam’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. ³⁰ There was constant war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. ³¹ When Rehoboam died, he was buried among his ancestors in the City of David. His mother was Naamah, an Ammonite woman. Then his son Abijam^[b] became the next king.

1 Kings 15

Abijam Rules in Judah

 ¹ Abijam^[c] began to rule over Judah in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. ² He reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Absalom.^{[d]  3} He committed the same sins as his father before him, and he was not faithful to the LORD his God, as his ancestor David had been. ⁴ But for David’s sake, the LORD his God allowed his descendants to continue ruling, shining like a lamp, and he gave Abijam a son to rule after him in Jerusalem. ⁵ For David had done what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight and had obeyed the LORD’s commands throughout his life, except in the affair concerning Uriah the Hittite.
 ⁶ There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam^[e] throughout Abijam’s reign. ⁷ The rest of the events in Abijam’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. There was constant war between Abijam and Jeroboam. ⁸ When Abijam died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Asa became the next king.

Asa Rules in Judah

 ⁹ Asa began to rule over Judah in the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. ¹⁰ He reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother^[f] was Maacah, the daughter of Absalom.  ¹¹ Asa did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, as his ancestor David had done. ¹² He banished the male and female shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols^[g] his ancestors had made. ¹³ He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene Asherah pole. He cut down her obscene pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. ¹⁴ Although the pagan shrines were not removed, Asa’s heart remained completely faithful to the LORD throughout his life. ¹⁵ He brought into the Temple of the LORD the silver and gold and the various items that he and his father had dedicated.
 ¹⁶ There was constant war between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel. ¹⁷ King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from entering or leaving King Asa’s territory in Judah.
 ¹⁸ Asa responded by removing all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace. He sent it with some of his officials to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon, son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus, along with this message:
 ¹⁹ “Let there be a treaty^[h] between you and me like the one between your father and my father. See, I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me alone.”
 ²⁰ Ben-hadad agreed to King Asa’s request and sent the commanders of his army to attack the towns of Israel. They conquered the towns of Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Kinnereth, and all the land of Naphtali. ²¹ As soon as Baasha of Israel heard what was happening, he abandoned his project of fortifying Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah. ²² Then King Asa sent an order throughout Judah, requiring that everyone, without exception, help to carry away the building stones and timbers that Baasha had been using to fortify Ramah. Asa used these materials to fortify the town of Geba in Benjamin and the town of Mizpah.
 ²³ The rest of the events in Asa’s reign—the extent of his power, everything he did, and the names of the cities he built—are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. In his old age his feet became diseased. ²⁴ When Asa died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David.
   Then Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, became the next king.

Footnotes:

1. 1 Kings 14:15 Hebrew the river.
2. 1 Kings 14:31 Also known as Abijah.
3. 1 Kings 15:1 Also known as Abijah.
4. 1 Kings 15:2 Hebrew Abishalom (also in 15:10), a variant spelling of Absalom; compare 2 Chr 11:20.
5. 1 Kings 15:6 As in a few Hebrew and Greek manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts read between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.
6. 1 Kings 15:10 Or The queen mother; Hebrew reads His mother (also in 15:13); compare 15:2.
7. 1 Kings 15:12 The Hebrew term (literally round things) probably alludes to dung.
8. 1 Kings 15:19 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads There is a treaty.

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Acts 10:1-23

New Living Translation (NLT)

Acts 10

Cornelius Calls for Peter

 ¹ In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer^[a] named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment. ² He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God. ³ One afternoon about three o’clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. “Cornelius!” the angel said.  ⁴ Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel.
   And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering! ⁵ Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. ⁶ He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.”
 ⁷ As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants. ⁸ He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.

Peter Visits Cornelius

 ⁹ The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, ¹⁰ and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. ¹¹ He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. ¹² In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. ¹³ Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”  ¹⁴ “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.^[b]”
 ¹⁵ But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” ¹⁶ The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.
 ¹⁷ Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. Standing outside the gate, ¹⁸ they asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there.
 ¹⁹ Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, “Three men have come looking for you. ²⁰ Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. Don’t worry, for I have sent them.”
 ²¹ So Peter went down and said, “I’m the man you are looking for. Why have you come?”
 ²² They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.” ²³ So Peter invited the men to stay for the night. The next day he went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.

Footnotes:

1. Acts 10:1 Greek a centurion; similarly in 10:22.
2. Acts 10:14 Greek anything common and unclean.

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Psalm 133:1-3

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Psalm 133

Psalm 133

    A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David. ¹ How wonderful and pleasant it is
      when brothers live together in harmony!
 ² For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil
      that was poured over Aaron’s head,
      that ran down his beard
      and onto the border of his robe.
 ³ Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon
      that falls on the mountains of Zion.
   And there the LORD has pronounced his blessing,
      even life everlasting.

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Proverbs 17:7-8

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ⁷ Eloquent words are not fitting for a fool;
      even less are lies fitting for a ruler.
 ⁸ A bribe is like a lucky charm;
      whoever gives one will prosper!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

4:45 am Prayer
5:15 am Devotion / One Year Bible - June 14 Reading
Song "Big" My God is Big
5:45 am Exercise with big sister Tanya o Mighty (lol)

I Kings 12:20-13:34; Acts 9:26-43; Psalm 132:1-8; Proverbs 17:6

Biblegateway is down this morning..so I couldn't paste the scriptures I read

Psalm 132:1-8
¹ A Song of degrees. LORD, remember David, [and] all his afflictions:
² How he sware unto the LORD, [and] vowed unto the mighty [God] of Jacob;
³ Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;
⁴ I will not give sleep to mine eyes, [or] slumber to mine eyelids,
⁵ Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty [God] of Jacob.
⁶ Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.
⁷ We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool.
⁸ Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.
⁹ Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.
¹⁰ For thy servant David's sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.
¹¹ The LORD hath sworn [in] truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
¹² If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.
¹³ For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired [it] for his habitation.
¹⁴ This [is] my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.
¹⁵ I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.
¹⁶ I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
¹⁷ There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.
¹⁸ His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown flourish.

ACTS 9:26-43
²⁶And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.
²⁷ But Barnabas took him, and brought [him] to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
²⁸ And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem.
²⁹ And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him.
³⁰ [Which] when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.
³¹ Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.
³² And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all [quarters], he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda.
³³ And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy.
³⁴ And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately.
³⁵ And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.
³⁶ Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
³⁷ And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid [her] in an upper chamber.
³⁸ And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring [him] that he would not delay to come to them.
³⁹ Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
⁴⁰ But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning [him] to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
⁴¹ And he gave her [his] hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.
⁴² And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.
⁴³ And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.