Scripture on Abandonment

“And the answer will be,’Because His people abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead and bowed down to them. That is why the Lord has brought all these disasters on them.'” (1 Kings 9:9, NLT)

“Don’t love money; be satisfied with whatever you have. For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.'” (Hebrews 13:5, NLT)

Psalm 67

“May God be merciful and bless us. May His face smile with favor on us.

May Your ways be known through the earth, Your saving power among people everywhere. May the nations praise You, O God. Yes may all the nations praise You. Let the whole wold sing for joy, because You given the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world.

May the nations praise You, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise You. Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, Our God will richly bless us. Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the wold will fear Him.” (NLT)

Scripture from Psalm 66

“Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! Sing about the glory of His name! Tell the world how glorious He is Say to God,’How awesome are Your deeds! Your enemies cringe before Your might power. Everything on earth will worship You; they will sing Your praises, shouting Your name in glorious songs.’

Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles He performs for people! He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and His people went across on foot. There we rejoiced in Him. For His great power He rules forever. He watches every movement of the other nations; let no rebel rise in defiance.

Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me. For I cried out to Him for help, pressing Him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord wold not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer  Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw His unfailing love from me.” Psalm 6: 1-7, 16-20, NLT)

Excerpts from Psalm 65

“What mighty praise, O God, belongs to You in Zion. We will fulfill our vows to You, for You answer our prayers. All of us must come to You. Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, You forgive them all. What joy for those You choose to bring near, those who live in your hold court. What festivities await us inside You holy Temple.

You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even theses who sail on distant seas. You formed the mountains by Your power and armed Yourself with mighty strength. You quieted the rain oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations. Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, You inspire shouts of joy.” (Psalm 65: 1-8, NLT)

Excerpts from Palm 63

“O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for You; My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and wary land where there is no water. I have seen You in Your sanctuary and gazed upon Your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise You! I will praise You as long as I live, lifting up my hands to You in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise You with songs of joy.

I lie awake thinking of You, meditating on You through the night. Because You are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings. I cling to you; Your strong right hand holds me securely.” (Psalm 63, 1:8, NLT)

Psalm 61

“O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I cry to You for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety for You are my safe refuge, a fortress when my enemies cannot reach me. Let me live forever in Your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of Your wings!

For you have heard my vows, O God. You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear You name. Add many years to the life of the king! May his years span the generations! My he reign under God’s protection forever. May Your unfailing love and faithfulness watch over him. Then I will sing praises to Your name forever as I fulfill my vows each day.”

Excerpts from Psalm 56

“O God, have mercy on me, for people are hounding me. My foes attack me all day long. I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly attacking me.

But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. I praise God for what He has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

I praise God for what He has promised; yes, I praise the Lord for what He has promised; yes I praise the Lord for what He has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do for me?

I will fulfill my vows to you, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for Your help. For You have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O For, in your life-giving light.” (Psalm 56: 1-4, 10-13, NLT)

Scripture on Competition

“Don’t you realize the in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-26, NLT)

But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His special favor on me-and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God working though me by His grace.” (1 Corinthians 15:10, NLT)