Category: Scripture

Psalm 25

Reading through the book of Psalms this month, each chapter has verses that jump out at me. Today, here are some passages of Scripture from Psalm 25 (New Living Translation)

“O Lord, I give my life to You. I trust in You, My God. Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. No one who trusts in You will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.

Show me in the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You. ” (vv. 1-5)

“The Lord is good and does what is right; He shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them His way. The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep His covenant and obey His commands. For the honor of your name, O Lord, forgive my many, many sins.” (vv. 8-12)

“Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress. My problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all! (v. 16)

Psalm 23

I have been reading through the book of Psalms this month. I read this book of Psalms many times and each time, the Scripture enlightens and encourages me.

Psalm 23 is a familiar book. It is probably the second Scripture I memorized, the first being John 3:16. Today I am sharing Psalm 23 from the New Living Translation.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in the green meadows; he leads me beside the peaceful streams.

He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bring honor to His name.

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close to me. For Your rod and Your staff protect and comfort me.

Your prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows wth blessings.

Surely goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23 – NLT)

Psalm 19 Part III – Cleanse Me, O Lord!

“How can I know all the sins lurking my heart? Cleanse me from the hidden faults.

Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” (v. 12-14) NLT

Psalm 19 Part 2 Instructions from God

Excerpts from Psalm 19:

“The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul.
The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The commandments of the Lord are right, bring joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for the living.
Reverence of the Lord is pure, lasting forever

The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.”
Psalm 19: 7-11 (NLT)


Psalm 19, Part I: The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night, they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone through the earth, and their words to all the world.

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after His wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.

The sunrises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.” Psalm 19: 1-6 (NLT)

The Lord is My Strength

Currently, I have been reading from the Book of Psalms as part of my daily devotion. Psalm 18 caught my eye. It was written by King David. Here are some of the verses that stood out to me from the New Living Translation:

“I love You, Lord, You are my strength. (v.1)The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. (v.2) I called upon the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and He saved me from my enemies. (v.3)”

“He reached down from heaven and rescued me; He drew me out of deep waters. (v.16) He led me to a place of safety; He rescued me because He delights in me. (v. 19)”

“To the faithful, You show Yourself faithful; to those with integrity, You show integrity. (v. 25)To the pure, You show Yourself pure, but to the wicked, You show Yourself hostile. (v. 26)”

“You rescue the humble, but You humiliate the proud. (v. 27) You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. (v. 28)”

“God’s way is perfect. All he Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield of all who look to Him for protection. (v.30) For who is God except the Lord” Who but God is a solid Rock! (v.31) God arms me with strength and He makes my way perfect. (v.32)”

“The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock! May the God of my salvation be exalted! (v.46) For this O Lord, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name. (v49).”

(The lyrics of the Praise and Worship song, “I Will Call Upon The Lord, by the Christian group, Petra, were derived from Psalm 18)

The Supremacy of Christ

This passage was from one of my daily devotions that reminds us of this week between Jesus’s Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem, to His Crucifixion and Resurrection (in the last paragraph below, replace the Apostle, Paul’s name with your name)

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.

He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see- such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him.He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together.

Christ is also the head of the church, which is His body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So He is first in everything.

For God in His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.

But you must continue to believe this truth and sand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received the you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it. Colossians 1:15-23 (NLT)

Prayer for God’s Protection

Psalm 5 is a psalm of David. These excerpts are his prayer for protection and are certainly applicable in these times.

Oh, Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but You. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to You and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:1-3 (NLT)

But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection one them, that all who love Your name may be filled with joy. For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love. Psalm 5:11-12 (NLT)

Christian Unity

Christian bothers and sisters, need to come together in unity, in the body of Christ. We are all in this together Christians and non-Christians. We need to be a positive witness to others. Currently in the state of the world, our words are speaking louder than our actions (rather than our actions speak louder than our words). James 1:22 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” NJKV. James 1:26 “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.” (NLT)

If you are a Christian and are bashing others and instead of lifting them up, shame on you! We need to uplift others, not tear the down. We need to pray, pray hard for those who have lost love ones, those who are fighting for their lives, those who have lost their jobs, the medical personnel, our President and his staff, the list goes on an on.

Remember Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (ESV)

“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm agains all the strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but agains even rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against the mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places……Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be present in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” Ephesians 6:10-12, 18 (NLT)

Are You Ready?

In world’s current situation, could this be the beginning of end times? We, as Christians, are called to share the Gospel of Salvation. Simply put, “….Believe in the Lord, Jesus, and you will be saved…” Acts 16:31 (ESV)

Paul says in his second letter to Timothy “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and his kingdom; preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke and exhort; with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away fro listening to the Truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:1-5 (ESV)