Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:4-7

Confession time: I’ve been very anxious lately. From macro to micro, there’s a lot going on that can take me down a hole of worry, which can easily lead to fear and, ultimately, to the darkness of discouragement. Various issues with my children, work (or lack thereof), escalating inflation, the loss of our nation as we’ve known it…I could easily curl up in a ball with a package of Oreos and cry.

And I know I’m not alone. What about you? Are you feeling the weight of more worry than usual? Have you perhaps started the descent to depression or discouragement?

Brothers and sisters, God is sovereign. He is in control, regardless of what our circumstances imply. The Bible is very clear that we are in a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12), and the god of this world (Satan) is out to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8). One of the enemy’s greatest weapons is discouragement! It can lead to doubting—or even hating—God, as well as taking us down paths of self-destructive behaviors. And what better plan of attack than for him to plant seeds of worry and anxiety to get the whole ball rolling?

This world is dark, for sure, but we are not of this world (John 15:19)! Our faith in Jesus has already rescued us—transferring us from darkness into glorious light (1 Peter 2:9; Colossians 1:13). We are children of God and citizens of heaven (Ephesians 1:5; Philippians 3:20). What can man—or Satan—do to us (Psalm 56:11; Hebrews 13:6; Matthew 10:28)? What better reasons to rejoice?!

And while we keep our eyes on our beautiful Savior, let’s also stay rooted in the Truth of God’s Word, so when the wind and waves pummel us, we will stand firm—bending, but never breaking. For instance, “let us consider it all joy, when we encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance” (James 1:2-3). And “let us rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)! Finally, “may the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

Ah, I needed that—how about you? 

Lord, You are working all things together for Your purpose. Help me keep my eyes on You, trusting in You, and letting go of the worries of this life for the hope I have in You.

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.

Romans 16:17-18

Have you ever stayed in an Airbnb? With a couple exceptions, our experiences have been great. The places are typically very well kept, beautifully decorated, and completely void of anything that may reflect the personal characteristics of the owner (other than their sense of style). We recently spent a long weekend out of town, making someone’s Airbnb home our base for the trip. Interestingly, the walls, bookshelves, and even kitchen mugs revealed quite a bit about our host. 

As I perused the place upon our arrival, I was excited to see decorative Bible verses hung in several rooms. I said to my husband, “Oh! A fellow believer lives here!” (The connection between Christians, seen/unseen, known/unknown, is always a spiritual joy.) And then I noticed a small bookshelf in the living area holding about 25 books, the spines neatly lined up as if awaiting appraisal. There was C.S. Lewis (a solid theologian) and Lee Strobel (a stellar apologist). Yay! But as my eyes moved to other titles and authors, my soul deflated. Joyce Meyer. Rick Warren. The Shack. (Yep, I did that. I just named names.)

Without going into the theological details (because you can—and should—do your own deep-dive into current popular teachers), I will use this bookshelf discovery to underscore that there are waves of deception flooding the current Christian culture. Today, as in the First-Century Church, people are turning away from sound doctrine. They are gathering teachers around them to say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Tim 4:3-4).

You see, now—as in the beginning of human history—the enemy’s goal is to either (1) keep people from turning to God or (2) keep believers lukewarm in their faith. The first goal seems pretty easy right now, considering how humanistic and idolatrous people are (just watch the news for five minutes…or spend two minutes on TikToc or Instagram). But what about creating and maintaining “lukewarm” Christians? Seems fairly doable too. When a Christian doesn’t look any different than the world, he or she simply isn’t a threat to Satan. Think about those small group “fellowships” that include drinking games or the woke churches flaunting pride flags and BLM signs. Believers are meant to shine as a light in the darkness (Phil 2:15) and not conformed to what’s happening around us (Rom 12:2). We are not to be of this world—and, because of that, we’ll be hated by the world (John 15:19). If we are loved by the world, something is amiss (and Satan is a happy camper). 

Moreover, the enemy can keep Christians from getting in his way if they are misled by false teachers and twisted doctrine. Remember, Satan’s first lie ever to humans was, “Did God really say…?” He’s still at it today, and he takes great advantage of the fact that many Christians don’t know God’s Word well enough to answer back with confidence. Friend, we must know the Truth of the Bible so we can recognize the lies. Otherwise, when that cultural wave rolls in, we’ll simply be swept away.

Lord, Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path. May I grow in knowledge and understanding, able to stand firm on the Truth in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.       

Romans 8:5-6

What is your mind set on—the things of this world or the things of God? Are you constantly pursuing the next dollar, promotion, or feel-good activity? Is the culture driving what you watch, how you interact on social media, and your water-cooler conversations? Or do you follow the directives found in God’s Word, from the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:2-7) to the Greatest Commandment (Matt 22:36-40)? Are you, as the Apostle Paul exhorts, keeping your mind on what is true, right, pure, and praiseworthy (Phil 4:8)?

How we answer these questions is crucial. Not just in determining our level of peace and contentment in this life, but also in deciding our eternal reality. 

Let me start with a story. I once heard about a man who was visiting Israel when he came upon sheep being herded across a pasture. The man asked his friend, “I thought shepherds led sheep, yet these are being driven.” The guide responded, “Oh, that’s not the shepherd. That’s the butcher.”

This is a perfect analogy for Christians. The Lord—or Good Shepherd—carries us and gently leads us (Isaiah 40:11), He leads us beside still waters of refreshment (Psalm 23:1-6), and He laid down His life for us (John 10:11-17).

Once saved by grace through faith in Jesus, we are not left on our own to navigate our new life in Christ—to wander through this evil world whose god is the enemy of our soul. We are given the Holy Spirit to live in us and guide us. He gives us wisdom and counsel, and He convicts us when redirection is needed. 

But friend, we have a choice. We can ignore this gentle guidance. Instead, we can think, speak, and live as the rest of the world does—driven by the lusts of the flesh and the old, natural man. Although we each are made a new creation at salvation (2 Cor 5:17), complete transformation is a lifelong process until ultimate perfection when we see Jesus face to face (2 Cor 3:18). This process (“sanctification”) requires that we constantly renew our minds (Rom 12:2) and not conform to the world’s quest to satisfy selfish desires of the flesh—things like sexual impurity, jealousy, fits of rage, ambition, drunkenness, and putting anything before God (Gal 5:13-21).

See, Satan (who is very real, by the way) hates you. He follows behind you, nudging you on with promises of fulfillment and selfish gratification. But he’s really only driving you toward your earthly—and eternal—destruction.

It’s a real battle. We can be led by the Spirit or driven by the world. We can either give in to pride and the want for pleasures, or we can surrender to the One who loves us—giving up our old ways and giving Him our burdens. 

So, who will you choose today—the Shepherd or the butcher?

“Lord, You have given us all we need to live this life for You—the Holy Spirit in us! May we yield to Him with every thought, word, and action.”

And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Luke 23:43

I went to a funeral the other day. And it was a time of deep grief, sorrow, and wishful thinking.

We’ve known him his whole life. Through various traditions, our families spent special times together over the past decades, despite any geographical distances. This kind, creative, wholly unique (and somewhat mischievous) young man was well loved by everyone who crossed his path. Stories were shared that brought laughter at the remembrance, as well as admiration at his outside-the-box perception of life. 

But the day was blanketed with tears and sadness. His life was like an amazing firework that was lit 23 years ago, emblazoning the sky with a glorious light show, only to quickly burn out, leaving us wanting for more.

The church service, however, did not celebrate the confident hope of Heaven—that, as the Bible promises, “to be absent from the body (is) to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:7-8). Despite the cross at the front of the church, the message given was an antithesis to the Truth found in God’s Word. The robed man delivering the sermon spoke of uncertainties. The “hope” he did share was built not on the solid foundation of the finished work of Christ, but on the shifting sands of church traditions originated to delude and fleece believers.

“Is he in heaven? I don’t know,” the robed man said. “But he is likely in purgatory, being purified for Heaven.” He stated that because of our sin in life, we are not perfected at death to enter into God’s glorious Kingdom. The man went on to tell the crowd of tear-stained faces that action was required—we must pray the departed soul through that time of purification in order for him to be perfected for Heaven. 

There was a depiction of Jesus on the cross right in front of the congregation. And I wanted to shout, “You’ve got it wrong! Yes, we are sinners, and our unrighteousness forbids us to stand in the presence of a Holy God. But Jesus! Jesus died on that cross and rose again, defeating sin and death! Through His action—not ours—we are made perfect when we accept the gift of grace through faith.” 

Jesus, although mentioned throughout the service, was not proclaimed as Savior, Conqueror, King or the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It is the responsibility of those of us left behind (along with our prayers to Mary, Jesus’ mother, and other “saints”), he said, to help usher this young man into God’s presence. 

Friends, this is not so! No work on our behalf is required—He did it all. No penalty is owed—He paid it. No post-death suffering must be endured—His suffering was sufficient. This is the Gospel—the GOOD NEWS! 

We are all separated from God by our sin. But Jesus, fully God and fully man, lived the perfect life we could not live and died to take the punishment we deserve. He rose again, defeating sin and death. And when we surrender to Jesus, He exchanges our rags for His righteousness, so that we can live eternally with Him. (Romans 5:8; 6:23; 8:1; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 John 4:10)

You can have confident hope—knowledge that this life is fleeting, and upon death, you’ll be in the eternal presence of the Lord. Won’t you accept the free gift of salvation—of soul restoration—provided by Jesus? 

Lord, thank You that You paid the price for our sin, and that by Your grace through faith we can stand in Your presence immediately upon death, fully righteous because of Jesus. 

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.  

1 Thessalonians 4:13

I went to a funeral the other day. And it was a time of joy, laughter, remembrance, and confident hope.

Because we have only been in our new community and church for just a short time, we didn’t know Candie well. But both my husband and I did have the great privilege of meeting this kind, gifted, caring (and somewhat mischievous) woman and spending a little time together. Story after story, shared among the huge crowd and from the pulpit, testified to her lifelong mission to spread the love of Jesus, disciple girls and young women, and serve others. 

Don’t get me wrong, there were also plenty of tears shed. Her absence leaves a gaping hole in the lives of her family and friends—and in our community. The daily impact Candie made over the decades has created a ripple effect spreading throughout the community, across the country, and around the world.

But the crowd wasn’t grieving a permanent loss. Candie simply moved away—she went Home. As she took her last breath here, she was immediately in the presence of the One to whom she’d surrendered all (2 Corinthians 5:8). Physical pain and emotional suffering slipped off of her like a heavy winter coat discarded for summer’s radiant warmth. She is now free of all earthly burdens and the sin inherent to our broken world. And, no doubt, after she met Jesus face to face, she turned to see a line of people waiting to greet her—people who would not otherwise be in Heaven if not for her.

This funeral was a genuine celebration. Of her exceptional life on earth and her eternal life with Jesus. It was truly as if an awesome moving-away party was planned, and the guest of honor had to leave sooner than expected…but we had the party anyway. We know exactly where she is—and we know she loves it there.

Those of us celebrating her life who have accepted the gift of salvation through Calvary’s cross have confident hope that we’ll see Candie again—we’ll be joining her in Heaven when God calls us Home. And because she would want everyone there to be in that category (and the pastor knew that), he clearly shared the Gospel to close out the celebration. 

What is “the Gospel”? We are all separated from God by our sin. But Jesus, fully God and fully man, lived the perfect life we could not live and died to take the punishment we deserve. He rose again, defeating sin and death. And when we surrender to Jesus, He exchanges our rags for His righteousness, so that we can live eternally with Him. (Romans 5:8; 6:23; 8:1; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 John 4:10)

What about you? Do you have this confident hope—knowledge that this life is fleeting, and upon death, you’ll be in the eternal presence of the Lord? Or do you “think” or “wish” that heaven is your ultimate destination, but you’re not sure? Friend, you can be sure! Won’t you accept the free gift of salvation—of soul restoration—provided by Jesus? After all, I’d really like you meet Candie.

Lord, by Your grace we can have blessed assurance of where we’ll be once we take our last breath here. Thank You that our mourning can give way to gladness.

For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Hebrews 10:14

(This is a repost of my very first devotional—enjoy!)

Before I became a Christian, I believed whole-heartedly that there were many ways to God—different paths, each as valid as the next. In fact, I was so vehement that I designed a logo representing it and had it tattooed onto my body. Now, that’s commitment. 

But, thankfully, the Lord was leading me to the Truth. And, after three decades of going to church (because my “path” was Catholicism), I heard the Gospel for the first time. I truly understood that through Jesus, my sins were paid, and I was made righteous in the eyes of a God that requires perfection. 

Even after I heard the Truth, I questioned God…surely He wouldn’t condemn all those Baha’i, Buddhists, and Muslims who are just as passionate about their path to Heaven. How could Christianity be so narrow-minded? Couldn’t there still be many ways to God? 

So, on the front steps of my newfound church, I asked that question of the pastor. And he explained a simple, profound truth: Within all the world religions, people must work to earn heaven—they must pursue “good enough” by their own efforts and deeds. No so with Christianity. By what He accomplished on the cross, Jesus Christ paid in full the cost of eternal life with God. There’s nothing we can do to earn it or be good enough. We are sinners, and the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.(Romans 6:23).

Jesus paid our debt, stamping it, “Paid in Full”—we owe nothing…and everything. In fact, when Jesus cried from the cross, “It is finished,” the original word equates with a debt being satisfied. 

Others do and do and do, never to be perfected. Christians, however, have been made perfect and holy because He paid it all for us. It’s done. We don’t have work for our salvation—and fail repeatedly. Instead, in response to what Christ did, we do good—not to earn but in grateful response. 

So, I added the word Teleo to my “tattoo testimony.” It translates from Greek into, “I am complete.” 

“Lord, thank you for paying a debt I could never pay on my own—for the gift of salvation. May I respond by sharing this amazing news with others to free them from the trap of ‘doing enough’.”

For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.   

Jude 4

The other day, during an early-morning gym conversation about spiritual things, I invited a relatively new friend to church. (I know what you’re thinking, “early-morning gym spiritual conversation”? But we actually cover all types of intense topics, from politics, culture, and guns to parenting and familial drama. It definitely helps my treadmill time fly by though!) 

After hearing her rationale for why her family doesn’t attend any church, I walked away discouraged—but also with the recognition that it’s a very common reason: She knows all too many people who consider church their Sunday social club; their cars proclaim their church du jour, but their ungodly actions reveal a life no different from the rest of the world. Then there are all those exposed “Christian leaders” who have fallen hard, again giving the Church a bad rap. Despite my responses of, “Well, we’re all hypocrites—no one is perfect,” and, “Sadly, pride goes before the fall,” I do get it. But there’s no quick-fix proof text to counter such negative experiences.

The fact is, Christians can give Christianity a very bad name. I’ve written a lot about the ubiquitous wolves (false teachers) today, as well as very popular movements that pervert the Truth but are very attractive—especially to young people. But I want to bring this issue down to the individual believer. You and me.

As followers of Jesus Christ (Christians), we recognize that because of sin (our inability to be perfectly holy), the perfection of this world and the intended relationship between Man and God is broken. We cannot be good enough to restore that relationship. But Jesus, fully God and fully man, paid the penalty for our sin, exchanging His righteousness for our unrighteousness. Our sins are forgiven, and, through the grace of God, our slate is wiped clean. As the Apostle Paul puts it, “where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:21).

Ah, but this is the slippery rope many Christians use to try and maintain their tight grasp on the world. Their thinking is, “Well, it doesn’t matter how I live, I’m covered by God’s grace—so let’s party!” But they need to read the very next verse from Paul: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1).

When we truly understand the Great Exchange of the Gospel and the fact that we can relinquish our valiant (and exhausting) strivings to earn our way to heaven, we are truly free (John 8:36)! And it’s out of our grateful joy that we choose to live righteously. Will we miss the mark? Every day! Will we be seen as hypocrites? Yes! The difference is, though, that we quickly recognize our failings, ask forgiveness, and change course. Every day, month, and year, we strengthen our walk with the Lord, becoming more and more like Him. 

Grace is not meant to be a justification to live however we want. If you attend a church where habitual sin is acceptable and tolerated “because of grace,” either within the congregation or from the pulpit—run. But, more importantly, let’s look in the mirror. Are we using God’s amazing grace as an excuse to maintain worldly living? Or does His grace motivate us to pursue holiness with a thankful heart?

Lord, Your grace is amazing and Your mercy unfathomable. Help me never use these to justify my selfish ambition and desires.

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 1:6-7

Sometimes getting better (stronger, healthier, more refined) is a painful process. Think about gardening. According to one horticultural site, “pruning is the removal or reduction of certain plant parts that are not required, that are no longer effective, or that are of no use to the plant. It is done to supply additional energy for the development of flowers, fruits, and limbs that remain on the plant.” Then, there’s gold. Refining gold with fire is an ancient method and one still preferred today. Molten gold is stirred and skimmed to remove the impurities that rise up to the top. 

Of course, when it comes to our physical bodies, refinement can come similarly to our two examples above: sometimes a cutting away is needed (think of surgery to remove a cancerous tumor), and other times it’s a burning (cauterization) that destroys threatening growths and heals damaged tissue. 

So, friends, why would we think it any different for our spiritual betterment, healing, refinement? 

When we’re saved, accepting the work of Jesus to pay the price for our sins, we turn away from our previous life. We become a new creation and, through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we’re to walk out the fruit of righteousness (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). But, although salvation is a single, once-and-for-all decision and immediate inward transformation, our outward transformation is not so immediate. In fact, the battle between our old, sinful self and our new self is hard-fought until we meet Jesus face to face (Romans 7:15-20). But the Lord, our soul-Gardener, does not leave us to our own devices in this endeavor.

“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit (John 15:2).” This process of spiritual pruning, called sanctification, requires us to step through trials, storms, and plenty of pain. This proverbial fire and cutting is meant to help us abandon our self-reliance and surrender control to the Lord. When we embrace this fiery process, the dross of our life can be scooped away, leaving us looking (and acting) more and more like Jesus. The damaging, useless, even life-threatening parts are removed to strengthen us, grow us, and make us more beautiful. It is for our good and His glory. 

But that’s our purpose as Christians, isn’t it? Glorifying God with our life. I don’t know about you, but I’m incredibly grateful for the refining pain of the process.

Lord, may I daily surrender my life to You, allowing You to refine me for my good and Your glory.

For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”  Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…

Galatians 3:10-13

I don’t know about you, but I’m generally a rule-follower. And I prefer that other people follow the rules as well. (In fact, I can get pretty frustrated by rule-breakers—and those simply not doing “what they should.” I recognize this is a problem, and I’m working on it.) But laws are there for a reason—am I right? 

Yes, they are! Laws are made to maintain civil order and to keep people functioning in society in a prudent, mutually respectful manner. You may have heard the oft-shouted phrase, “You can’t legislate morality.” But every law, from speed limits to murder statutes, is based on moral law. (This, however, is a long-winded discussion for another time.) My point here is to say that all law is made to reveal our offence. If there was no speed limit, then driving 110mph on the highway wouldn’t matter. However, the speed limit sign that says 70mph shows that driving 110mph is wrong.

Friend, the same is true of God’s laws. Let’s take the Big 10. The 10 Commandments allow us to recognize our transgression from them. For instance, when we turn green over jealousy of what our neighbor has, we can acknowledge this is an offence to God (“Thou shalt not covet…”). And this is a very good thing. The problem arises when we believe that abiding by all the laws is what saves us—that being a good rule-follower gets us to heaven. It does not, and it cannot. 

Firstly, no one can keep all of God’s law any more than we can keep every civil law on the books. Humanity, in our sin nature, is simply not capable of it. Secondly, as previously noted, the law is designed to make us conscious of our sin. “No one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law” (Romans 3:20). 

More than that, the law cannot change us. Whether you’re a rule-follower or rule-breaker by nature, laws may alter our outward behavior, but they won’t change us inside. Think back to the speed limit. Many of us may sustain 73 mph in a 70mph zone, knowing the law but breaking it just enough not to get in trouble. Some of us are driving 70, according to the speedometer, but our burning desire is to go 90—hence, we’re breaking the law in our heart, as Jesus would say (for instance, Matthew 5:27-28).

So, since no one is perfect (without sin), how do we meet the requirement of the law—that is, God’s standard of perfect righteousness? Well, we need to lay down the law. We need to stop trying to impeccably uphold the law (which is impossible) or do just enough to not get “in trouble” (which won’t cut it). We must turn to Jesus and accept the gift of His pure righteousness imputed to us on Calvary’s cross. Only through surrendering to Jesus can we be truly changed—transformed within by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17). Not only are we made new, but the penalty for all our sin and lawlessness has been paid by Jesus, so we can stand before the ultimate Judge (God) with a completely clean record. 

Lord, thank You that I can lay down the law—of my efforts and “good enough”—and simply accept the work of Christ for my salvation.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

We received another one of “those” calls. No matter your age, you likely know what I’m talking about. It’s often “too early” or “too late” for the phone to be ringing—so you sense something is wrong. You answer, hoping beyond hope that you’re wrong. But then you hear it: A family member or friend on the other end of the line, usually in that empty, still-in-shock voice, informs you a loved one has died.

Like many of you, I’ve had a lot of loss in my life. I’ve been on the receiving end of those calls about my mother, father, and one of my two brothers…let alone the countless family members and friends of all ages. This latest one came from my husband’s best friend telling him that their 23-year-old son was gone. A young man, but still their child. And my heart tore in two at the unfathomable grief of our sweet friends. They are brokenhearted and crushed.

As I woke up to a new day, I was instantly reminded of their loss and pain—again, unable to imagine the new waves of grief crashing down on them again this morning.

But the Holy Spirit also brought to my mind another One—One who knows soul-crushing anguish. One who came from Heaven to earth, experiencing human pain, suffering, temptation, and grief to sympathize with us…and, ultimately, take it all away from us. Jesus. The Good Shepherd and the Lamb of God. With that, as you and I face terrible news (or any pain and heartache)—and our own words fail—let’s turn to the comfort and truth of the God’s Word.

The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For the sake of His name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Certainly, goodness and faithfulness will follow me all the days of my life, And my dwelling will be in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23

(Jesus said,) “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep…And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” John 10:11, 16

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 

1 Peter 1:18-21

Father God, be near to the brokenhearted. And to those who are both hurt and lost, save them. Give them peace with You so they can experience peace through the pain of this world.