favorite bible verse Archives

Favorite Bible Verse

September 15, 2015 Gracie

Do You Have a Favorite Bible Verse?

Everything in the Bible is important, but sometimes there’s a verse or two that you keep referring back to. I know that’s the way it is for me.

favorite Bible verse It may be a verse that gives you strength or comfort during a difficult time in your life. Or, it may be a verse that reflects your gratitude towards God for His many blessings.

If you’ve read my blog before, then you know I’ve posted some of the favorite Bible verses from friends of mine from all over the country. It has been my joy to be able to share these verses with you because they come straight from the heart of fellow Christians.

In this deeply dark world we’re living in now, we can use all the encouragement we can get, right?

I was reading a new book I bought yesterday and came across a Bible verse in it that has become a new source of encouragement for me.

Invisible War by Chip Ingram First, the book. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend Pastor Chip Ingram’s, “The Invisible War.” It’s a book about the spiritual attacks we face as Christians and it helps guide us how to put on the armor of God. We know we’re supposed to wear the armor, but do we really know how to use it?

I’ve personally had several spiritual attacks lately. They’ve been distressing, but we know that in life, satan hates all of us. His intent is to discourage and destroy all that is of God. He will use whatever he can to distract Christians from bringing glory to God. It could come from a low blow from a friend, a public put-down at work, or even nasty comments from someone you love. These spiritual attacks seemingly pop up, almost out of nowhere. This excellent book is a great resource for when those attacks come.

The verse that really stood out for me was from 2 Kings. It’s a loving reminder that we are not alone in the battle. God does not allow us to go into a spiritual battle unarmed.

The verse is:

2 Kings 6:15-17 —

*¹⁵Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” ¹⁶So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Briefly, the prophet Elisha and his servant were facing a seemingly impossible situation. They were surrounded by the marauding army of King Aram. Their situation seemed dire, but Elisha did not lose faith. He assured his frightened servant that there was nothing to be afraid of.

The Lord heard Elisha’s prayers and the servant was at once able to see, really see, the invisible army of angels who were there by their side the whole time.

I love this! “…those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Boom, there it is!

I don’t know about you, but those verses really comfort me. We face a lot of tough times in our lives. Sometimes it’s so overwhelming, that we forget that God allows trials in our lives to perfect our faith.

The Invisible War

There is most definitely an invisible war going on right now between Heaven and satan. Our assurance? We have an army of God’s angels fighting on our behalf.

Ultimately, the victory is ours. We know who wins! We have that encouraging and blessed assurance through Jesus Christ.

The God who created this beautiful creation, also created you and me…to be victors through our steadfast belief in Him.

beautiful creation Heavenly Father, we rejoice in the knowledge that you’ve shared your Word with us in Scripture and that we have the ultimate victory through You. We continue to pray for your protection over us and for strength and courage in the challenging times ahead. Thank you for being You and for loving us so completely.

In Jesus name, amen.

Dear child of God, try not to be discouraged. You have millions of brothers and sisters in Christ across the globe who are fighting alongside you. Delight in God. He loves you so much!

Real Life Stories of Faith

Trust In The Lord Even When You Hurt

July 21, 2015 Gracie

Trust in the Lord Even When You Hurt

It can be hard to trust in the Lord when you feel like your life is falling apart.

trust in the Lord even when it hurts Bad things happen.

A car plows into your vehicle and sends you to the hospital.
Your spouse says he or she has had an affair.
A friend is given a cancer diagnosis.
Your teenager is addicted to drugs.

These are huge wake-up calls and this small list doesn’t even cover what some of your friends and family may be going through.

It hurts a lot sometimes.

In my own family, there’s divorce, the loss of a child, the loss of a job, health concerns, and atheism.

Difficult questions come to mind when you wake up and get some bad news.

Where are you, God?

Don’t You care about me?

What did I do to deserve this?

When Did Life Get So Out of Control?

The hard fact is, no one ever promised us an easy life without cares and concerns. In the book of James 1:2-4, Scripture tells us that we’ll experience various trials.

Notice that the word “trials” is in its plural form.

And yet, we are still told to trust Him.

There was no exception to that command.

The Bible doesn’t say, “Trust in the Lord, except when __________(fill in the blanks with your particular circumstance.)

Is unshakeable trust in God an easy thing to have?

We’d like to think so, but not always. We’re not perfect. We have the very human, knee jerk, “fix it now” mentality and can rush headlong into finding a quick solution, all the while forgetting to pray and ask God for His strength and guidance to see us through.

God Loves us Always Remember, He Loves Us

The wonderful truth is that God loves you. Nothing or no one can take that away from you. You are His child.

He knows your past, present, and future. For His reasons alone, He allows certain things to take place in our lives.

God may appear to be silent at times, but you and me have to trust Him and that means in good times and in bad. If we pray or even talk to Him quietly in our thoughts, He will listen.

A Christian Perspective From Georgia

I asked a good friend of mine about her favorite Bible verse. Kim M. from Georgia chose Proverbs 3:5-6.

*Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make straight your paths.

missing puzzle pieces Here’s what Kim had to say about why this verse means so much to her:

“Our understanding and logic is not the same as God’s. We work hard to put things in a way that seems logical to us, only to find that there is always that piece or something that is missing. With God, He can see the whole picture so there are no missing pieces. If we place God in charge instead of us trying to be in charge, all of the pieces will fall into place, in accordance to His will and His timing. Trust God completely.”

That is so true.

Learning to Cope

How can you learn endurance to get through the hard times? There are a lot of options.

Pray. God is listening.
You can read and memorize Scripture, especially the verses that encourage you the most.
You can listen to some great Christian music. I have links to some great contemporary artists on this website.
You can attend a Men or Women’s Bible study. Once there, you can meet some of the most amazing people who have struggles of their own. The friendships often become lifelong.
You can help someone less fortunate than yourself. As sad as you may feel about some of your own trials, there’s always someone who is worse off than you. That will help with your perspective.
Lastly, you can get together with some of your Christian friends. You can lift each other up with support and love. Some day, all Christians will be in Heaven together where there is no more suffering and sadness.

That will be a very happy day.

Do you feel this article may be helpful to someone?

Please feel free to share it with them.

Real Life Stories of Faith

God’s Love Song to You

July 13, 2015 Gracie

Did You Know That God’s Love Song Was Written For Us?

God's love song to you Are you listening?

It’s an incredible truth that humbles me every time I think about it. The lyrics of a beautiful love song are right there in the pages of your Bible.

When I open Scripture, I find words of historical significance – not just about the events that happened way in the distant past, but prophetic words defining what will happen in our future. That’s His redemptive love for us. He loves us enough to tell us how we can know and spend our eternity with Him.

There are also words about wisdom, having a servant’s heart, forgiveness, and grace – virtues that are often forgotten in this world of distractions we’re living in.

The Bible rightly reminds us of His judgment. Although we don’t always understand His timing and we may not witness His justice personally, God promises to punish unrepentant sinners.

Why would anyone turn away or deny His gift of grace?

You May Think It’s Too Late to Turn Your Life Towards Him

It’s not too late. No, not ever, for as long as you have a breath in your body.

God is a loving Father, Who will forgive you if you truly repent when you sin and open your heart to receive His grace.

He knows you and He knows me…by name.

How incredible is that?

He knew our names before we were even born. That’s how big and omniscient God is.

God’s Words Can Speak to Your Heart

Do you have a favorite Bible verse?

Is there a certain verse you turn to when you need encouragement or a reminder of God’s promises?

Those are words to His love song, for you.

He wants a relationship with you. He doesn’t need us, but we need Him desperately.

I love to hear from friends which Bible verse speaks to them the most. Here’s one from Russell C. who lives in Seattle, Washington.

It’s really beautiful and you’ll find it in Zephaniah 3:17, ESV –

*The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

Here’s why this verse in particular has spoken to Russell’s heart:

“This is usually my favorite verse because it is a clear indication of the creative and non-generic nature of Father’s love towards me individually. He has written a song, about me, and sings it over me to rejoice in what He has created and in my potential. It has long been my goal to learn this song, to sing it with the Father, and to totally agree with His opinions and His vision for me.”

God’s Vision For Our Lives

I think about that verse also and it gives me a lot of peace. God created Heaven and Earth and yet He knows each one of us individually.

Think about the last time you went to a concert. Remember that huge crowd of people in the audience?

God knows you individually God can pick you out of that crowd in the twinkling of an eye. That’s how powerful God is.

Let’s go bigger.

Think of every man, woman, and child in this great big world we live in. God still knows you personally (in this whole world full of people) and He knows your heart.

How amazing is that?

Now that’s a love song worth sharing.

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Real Life Stories of Faith