Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.—Amos 5:14

Today’s Verse Illustration

Dear God,

Thank you for your great love and blessing over our lives. Thank you that your favor has no end, but it lasts for our entire lifetime. Forgive us for sometimes forgetting that you are intimately acquainted with all of our ways, that you know what concerns us, and you cover us as with a shield. We ask that we would walk in your blessing and goodness today. That your face would shine on us. That you would open the right doors for our lives and for our loved ones, that you would close the wrong doors and protect us from those we need to walk away from. Establish the work of our hands and bring to fulfillment all that you have given us to do in these days. We pray that you would make our way purposeful and our footsteps firm out of your goodness and love. Give us a heart of wisdom to hear your voice, and make us strong by your huge favor and grace.

In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Psalm 143:10

10. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

Here are 21 Bible Verse Reminders of His Blessings, Favors, and Sovereignty Over Our Lives:

“For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” Psalm 5:12

“Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands…” Psalm 90:17

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11

“…but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5

“…By your favor you make us strong…” Psalm 89:17

“My times are in your hands…” Psalm 31:15

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 1:3

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

“How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you.”  Psalm 31:19

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him.” Matthew 7:11

“And the Lord said…This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” Exodus 33:17

“The mind of man plans his way but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

“The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord.” Proverbs 16:33

“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:2

“Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.” Luke 1:45

“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23:6

“These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” Revelation 3:7

Today being the 12th day of the month; may, marks a historical and joyful day in the Kingdom Fishers Tabernacle…

Cheers to one of the greatest achievers I’ve ever met! Bishop Dr Nnamdi Chikere JP. You’re such an amazing person for you have made it through every challenge that came to your life. You’ve been such a great inspiration to people like me. Wonderful Birthday!

The House Built on The Rock (The Parable of The Wise and Foolish Builders, Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 6:47-49)

If God loves me, why would He let this happen?

If you have asked this question recently, you’re not alone.

You can know lots of Bible verses. You can be heavily involved in Christian community. You can be confident that you know Jesus personally.

None of these things will guarantee you never feel trapped in feelings of helplessness, loss or suffering.

You might even feel betrayed by God. After all, you’ve been taught that He’s able to change your circumstances — and yet your circumstances make you wonder if He’s indifferent to them.

So during tough times, how do you move toward a God you feel uncertain about?

Is there a way for painful experiences to help you trust God?

Pain exposes our deeper concerns

C.S. Lewis described pain as, “God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

Suffering turns our worldview upside down.

As we try to make sense of our emotions and circumstances, questions naturally arise.

• Why does God even allow suffering?
• Why does God allow my suffering?
• Who’s to blame for my circumstances?
• How am I supposed to move forward?

These are questions of meaning and purpose, and sometimes these questions have no answer that truly meets us in our pain. But there’s a deeper set of questionsthat can help ground us in grief.

Asking the “who” questions — Who is God? Who does He say I am? — can help provide us with a framework to experience God with us, even when we don’t understand why something is happening.

Here are some specific questions you might ask:

• What is still true of God in my pain?
• Who am I when the things I loved or defined me are taken away?
• What kind of person will I become because of this pain?
• Who would I become if I never experienced suffering?

You can take a step toward trusting God by being honest and wrestling with these questions, trusting that He is with you in the process.

Painful circumstances deepen relationships

Sometimes we demand answers for why things happen, when what we actually need is to know we’re not alone.

We need to know there’s hope for the future.

The Bible tells us that God is close to the brokenhearted and that Jesus endured suffering so we could know we aren’t alone in it. We can take our pain to Jesus because He understands it more deeply than anyone else.

But God also encourages us to share our suffering with other people.

Community provides the opportunity to experience God through the tangible support and care of those around us.

Bringing others into how you’re feeling can create connection and depth that is hard to experience when everything is going well.

When we know we are not alone, we have more energy and courage to face the reality of our situation. And it’s only when we accept the reality of our situation that we can truly experience God.

We can only find real comfort when we bring our real selves to God and to others.

Even sending out a message to a few friends and asking for help or support can make a difference in how connected you feel.

Pain reminds us of God’s character and faithfulness

When we’re asked to trust someone, we evaluate what we know about that person’s character.

What kind of person is he or she at the core? Are we basing this on intuition or past experience?

The root of our ability to trust God lies in what we believe about His character. Our circumstances may change, but God’s character does not.

When we evaluate who God is according to our changing circumstances, we create an unreliable picture, dictated by what we see in that moment.

But life is not comprised of one moment. We live in the middle of a story as characters unable to see the ending or make complete sense of the plot.

Nobody likes a jerk, but so often this is the impression many Christians give when sharing the faith. There are many people who claim to follow Christ but share their faith in a way that completely contradicts Jesus’ message and manner. This happens even with well-meaning, kind-hearted, Christians. They want their friends and family to know Jesus Christ, but they fall into unhealthy patterns of sharing the faith, patterns that push people away from God rather than draw people near. I want to begin by saying that I understand. Sharing the Christian faith is hard.

Rico Tice, in his book, Honest Evangelism: How to Talk about Jesus even When It’s Tough, says, “I find evangelism hard. The problem with being an evangelist is that people assume that you find evangelism effortless; but I don’t find it easy, and never have. For me, telling people about Jesus has often been nerve wracking” (11)”