Based on: Philippians 4:8 (GNT)

 In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.

Excerpt:

I firmly believe that the thoughts we are thinking today determine where we will be, and what we will be doing a year from now. Like it or not, every thought is an active element of our future. That is why it is so important to think responsibly and intentionally.

Based On:  John 10:17-18 NIV

17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Excerpt: 

Any permanent positive change in our lives can only be brought about by the power of God. We may call it will power, but at the end of the day it’s really God’s power. Try as we might, we can’t get better, do better, or be better without God.

Based on: Luke 4:1-2 (NIV)

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days,…

Excerpt:

By the power of God, we can truly release something or somebody. When we release God’s way, we will soon develop a distaste for old behaviors, practices, and relationships. We will bless them and let them go.

Based on: John 19:30 (NIV)

When he had received the drink, Jesus said “ It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Excerpt:

What a lesson this is for us who are waiting until the end of the Lenten season to see new life. Jesus has shown us that if we nail our habits, hurts, and hindrances to the Cross today, then “It is finished” today. We are forgiven and freed to begin a brand-new life today.

Based On: Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV)

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Excerpt:

 So, just in case we’ve forgotten, or we’ve never been told, this is a news flash. We are commanded to love God first. Our love for God should be a forethought and not an afterthought.

Based On: Genesis 16:8a (NIV)

And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

Excerpt:

The good news is that God is waiting for us to stop running and get somewhere and sit down. This is when and where we are best situated to have a come-to-meeting moment with our God. Oh, but don’t get it twisted. The tender mercy of our God meets us in our place of pain but does not focus on our pain.

Based On: Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Excerpt: 

Year after year we start out strong, but we sputter and quit before the end of the first quarter of the year. This is a vicious cycle that is hard to break because the time between January and December seems so long. But, I believe that if we fix our eyes on the finish line we will be compelled to finish and finish strong.

Based On: Luke 13:10-13 (NIV)

On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

Excerpt:

St. Luke’s gospel gives us a glimpse into a woman’s personal perpetual pain that was played out on a public stage. The woman had no name but her pain had notoriety. Everyone knew who she was. She was the woman who had “been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years.”

Based on: Psalm 32:8 (NIV)

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;  I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

Excerpt:

The only way that we will truly know our path for 2023 is to listen for God’s directions. Listening for God’s voice requires a commitment to finding and resting in the quiet. In today’s loud and noisy world quiet time is a gift. Yet, it is necessary for hearing God.

Based on:  Genesis 31:49 (NIV)

It was also called Mizpah, because he said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other.”

Excerpt:

My sisters and brothers, “game know game.” Every now and then God will allow someone to come into our world who can read us from head to toe. Even more they will play the same games on us that we have played on others for years. This is a good thing. Because it allows us to see ourselves as we really are.