Joy in His Presence

You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand” (Psalm 16:11).



Do you need more joy in your life today? God promises that joy is found in His presence, and if you’ve accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then His presence lives inside of you! That joy manifests when you focus your mind and heart on the Father and begin to praise Him for what He’s done in your life. The Bible says that He inhabits the praises of His people. When you begin to praise and thank Him, you are in His presence where there is fullness of joy. It doesn’t matter where you are or what’s going on around you, you can access the joy that’s inside of you at anytime, day or night. And know this: God wants you to experience His supernatural joy and peace at all times. That’s why He chose to live inside of you and give you an endless supply. Don’t waste another minute feeling overburdened and discouraged. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength today!!=)



Father in heaven, thank You for an endless supply of joy. Today, I choose to cast my cares on You and give You the praise, glory, and honor You deserve. Let joy flow through me today so that I can be a witness of Your goodness to those around me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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True Friendship

True friendship involves relationship. Those mutual attributes we mentioned above become the foundation in which recognition transpires into relationship. Many people say, "Oh, he's a good friend of mine," yet they never take time to spend time with that "good friend." Friendship takes time: time to get to know each other, time to build shared memories, time to invest in each other's growth. Trust is essential to true friendship. We all need someone with whom we can share our lives, thoughts, feelings, and frustrations. We need to be able to share our deepest secrets with someone, without worrying that those secrets will end up on the Internet the next day! Failing to be trustworthy with those intimate secrets can destroy a friendship in a hurry.

Faithfulness and loyalty are key to true friendship. Without them, we often feel betrayed, left out, and lonely. In true friendship, there is no backbiting, no negative thoughts, no turning away. True friendship requires certain accountability factors. Real friends encourage one another and forgive one another where there has been an offense. Genuine friendship supports during times of struggle. Friends are dependable. In true friendship, unconditional love develops. We love our friends no matter what and we always want the best for our friends.

True Friendship - Examples of Real FriendshipTrue friendship stories are found throughout the Bible. In Genesis 18:17-33, we read about God sharing His intentions with Abraham. Abraham responds by telling God his thoughts and feelings about the situation. God and Abraham are able to do this because they trust and respect each other. First Samuel 20 focuses on the friendship of David and Jonathan. These two men truly cared for each other and had great trust and confidence in one another. David was running for his life from Jonathan's father, Saul. Jonathan recognized that David was innocent. Because of the true friendship they shared, David survived Saul's assassination attempts and went on to become one of Israel's greatest kings.

Real and true friendship involves freedom of choice, accountability, truth, and forgiveness. Peter and Jesus give us this example: Peter, afraid for his life after Jesus is led away from the Garden of Gethsemane, denies knowing Jesus (John 18). As He is led away by His accusers, Jesus casts a look toward Peter that says, "I knew you would deny Me, and I forgive you" (John 21).

Real friendship looks at the heart, not just the "packaging." Genuine friendship loves for love's sake, not just for what it can get in return. True friendship is both challenging and exciting. It risks, it overlooks faults, and it loves unconditionally, but it also involves being truthful, even though it may hurt. Genuine friendship, also called "agape" love, comes from the Lord. The Lord Jesus calls us His friends and He laid down His life for us (John 15). Relationships in real life involve different levels of friendships, and that's okay. But humans are designed by God for lasting relationships. Often our isolationist society offers only vague, empty relationships. God wants us to have friends here on earth. Most of all, He wants us to be friends with Him! God's Word tells us that a friend sticks closer than a brother, and that in order for one to be a friend, one must show themselves friendly (Proverbs 18:24). The question is: what type of friend do you desire to be?

Proverbs 18:19 in the New Living Translation says: "It's harder to make amends with an offended friend than to capture a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with iron bars." When we've offended a true friend - whether by breaking a trust or by speaking the truth with love - we risk losing that friendship. We must be careful not to break the trust. But when not speaking the truth will cause greater hurt in our friend's life, we must be willing to sacrifice our needs for those of our friend. That is true friendship. AMEN?

(from ALL ABOUT GOD)

Come to the Father

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. I will ease and relieve and refresh your soul.” (Matthew 11:28 AMP).

Does your soul need refreshing today? Come to the Father. Are you overburdened by the cares of this world? Are you facing challenges in your relationships? Finances? Career? The Father wants to refresh you. He wants to cause you to rest. Think about that for a moment. What would cause you to rest? If you knew everything was going to work out for your good, you would stop worrying. You would rest! Even if things don’t work out the way you planned, or on your timetable, you can trust that God will turn things around in your favor. When you submit your life to Him, by the blood of Jesus, and truly make Him Lord and Ruler of every area of your life, you will find rest for your soul! Come to the Father today in prayer and with thanksgiving. Thank Him right now for taking your burdens and giving you peace. Thank Him for loving you today and giving you new life. Thank Him for His faithfulness. Go out today with an attitude of faith and expectancy because God is working behind the scenes on your behalf—and you can come to Him!


Father in Heaven, I come to You now. I give You my cares and burdens. I thank You for working behind the scenes on my behalf. Thank You for loving me and setting me free. Thank You for giving me rest for my soul and peace in my heart today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Seasons of Sowing
Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy” (Psalm 126:5).
The Scripture talks about seasons of sowing and reaping in your life. In Psalms, it talks about sowing in tears and reaping in joy. That verse is saying that the sowing seasons are usually the most difficult. It’s hard to keep a good attitude when all your friends are being blessed, but you’re not. You may feel like they don’t work as hard as you do. You may feel like they don’t give like you do or don’t deserve the blessing. That’s a time of testing. It’s hard to go through disappointments and stay positive and hopeful. These are seasons of sowing. If you’ll do the right thing even when it’s hard—when you sow in tears—you will always reap in joy! I’m asking you to have a new attitude toward what God has placed in your heart. It may be taking a long time, but God still has a plan to bring it to pass. Don’t give up. Your time is coming. It’s never too late! God is saying, “This is your season. Keep your faith stirred up.” Keep sowing because in due season, you will reap the bountiful harvest with a song of joy in your heart!

A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to serve You and sow into the lives of those around me. I ask for Your strength today to do Your will and keep a good attitude. Help me recognize my season of sowing so that I can be ready in the time of harvest. I love You and bless Your holy name today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Nothing’s Too Small

“And even the very hairs of your head are numbered” (Matthew 10:30) We hear all the time that nothing is too big for God. But have you ever thought that a problem was too small for God? Are there things in your life that you haven’t prayed about simply because you thought it didn’t matter to God? Every detail of your life is important to God. He knows the very number of hairs you have on your head! That’s pretty amazing to think about. If He keeps track of every hair that falls from your head, surely He cares about the things that you care about in your life. God wants to be involved in every area of your life—not just the big things, but the small things too. Don’t wait to pray until you have a major crisis. Talk to Him every day about everything. God wants to be involved in your mornings. He wants to be involved throughout your workday. He wants to be involved when you go to the grocery store. He wants to be involved in every area of your life. Open your heart and talk to Him about everything because nothing is too small for Him!
God, thank you for loving me. Thank you for choosing me as Your child and for caring about every detail in my life. I open my heart to You and ask You to be involved in every area of my life today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Don't Harm Your Body
“It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one's own glory” Proverbs 25:27 (ESV).

The averages about 175 pounds of sugar every year. That is more than the body weight of an average American, so it's no wonder that so many adults and children are unhealthy. Proverbs 25 tells us that eating too much honey (or sugar) can be detrimental to our health. Controlling the amount of sugar you eat is a simple and healthy principle that can add years to your life and health to your years. Live wisely and safely within the bounds that God has given you in His Word. Enjoy life and have fun, but follow the rules that God gives you to be healthy, wealthy and wise!
A Prayer for Today
God, give me strength to keep myself healthy for You as well as for my own blessing and benefit in enjoying the life You gave me. Thank You for giving me wisdom and guidance from the Bible. In Jesus' Name. Amen.