Category Archives: scripture

Cleanse Your Spirit With the Word of God

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” The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”  Psalm 12:6

purifying fire“You have to drink plenty of water,” my mom would say to me whenever I was sick as a child.  Drinking fluids helps flush out the harmful bacteria in your body that causes you to be ill.

Guilt, shame, and condemnation are like harmful bacteria in your spirit.  Unless they are flushed out by the Word of God, these things will reside within you and cause spiritual damage.  They can hinder your personal relationship with the Lord. The very words of the Lord refine us and cleanse us deep within our spirit. Without them we become vulnerable to all of the impurities in this world.  It is imperative for you to allow the words of the Lord to settle deep down in your heart.  His words will drive out all the things that are unclean and replace them with His truth.

Pray this prayer with me: “Lord, I thank you that I have access to your Word at all times. I ask that as I read Your Word, you would cleanse and purify my heart. Make me whiter than snow. In Your name I pray. Amen.”

Guaranteed to Change Your Life

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Twenty or so years ago I was introduced to a prayer that was guaranteed to change your life and your marriage.

WOW! Did I ever need a guarantee like that. I immediately began to pray this prayer for my husband and me.  Our life was such a mess at that time, like a cluttered closet.  I didn’t know where to start and he wasn’t interested at all in cleaning closets. I had heard the old saying that prayer changes things, so I began to pray and trust God to clean out our cluttered closets.

Today, 20 years later, as I read the Amplified version of this prayer, I am amazed at how this prayer had been answered in our lives.

God’s Word contains God’s plan and it will accomplish His purpose. I have realized I can have a good idea of what I think needs to change in my life or my husband’s life.  It may be a good idea, but if it didn’t originate in the heart of God, it doesn’t have the power of God behind it. God’s Word has His power behind it, and His power changes things.

Pray this prayer and insert your name first and then your spouse and watch God do the work:

“Since the day I heard it, I have not ceased to pray for ____________that (I, he, she) will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That ____________will walk worthy of the Lord, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of Christ.”

Colossians 1:9-11

It is Time to Receive the Truth

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Do not believe the lies that the enemy throws at you.

Trust God, for his word is True!

“Receive and welcome the Word, which implanted and rooted [in your hearts], contains the power to save your soul.” James 1:21 Amp

receive the truthOne morning, I overslept.  The sun was already out, shining brightly through the window.  I ran to the garden, and as I ran down the sidewalk I saw that the dew was gone.  I had missed meeting with God.   I immediately had an old thought, a lie I had believed for years.

The lie was: “If I mess up, God will not speak to me.”  To my surprise, when I set down in the swing, I saw one drop of dew on the tip of a leaf.  I reached my hand out and the last pearl of the morning dropped into my hand as the Lord lovingly said, “I have been waiting for you.”

The enemy could not use this lie anymore. God did love me, and He wanted to bless me.  The truth I received had finally replaced the lie that if I messed up He would not be there for me.  God’s presence was there.  The lie was exposed and the enemy was defeated.

The enemy plants many lies in our minds. One lie is connected to another like a chain; that’s why one thought leads to another, and then another. If you did not receive affirmation from your father as a child, you may have believed the lie of rejection. “There is something wrong with me” is just one example. If you have this lie, it is hidden away from sight, but is silently working to convince you that you are not good enough.  If you struggle with this lie, it must been seen as a lie and not the truth.  You must recognize the voice of your enemy and stop listening to him.

Fully receive the truth, deep in your innermost being, that you are deeply loved and fully accepted by God.  God is for you, and He accepts you because of who you are, not because of your accomplishments.  With this truth deep in your spirit, the motivation for everything you do will change.  From this point on, you will serve God because you are accepted and not in order to be accepted.

Each lie has a structure of set behaviors and responses. We are transformed daily by the renewing of our mind.  We tear down the old house and replace it with a brand new house full of the promises of God. Every thought that comes from a lie must be replaced with truth if you want to live in peace.  Taking one lie at a time and replacing it daily with truth is key.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:16 that if we renew our mind daily, we will not faint when adversity comes.  Today, you can begin to tear down the lies that the enemy has planted in your mind.

What Are Your Thoughts About Yourself?

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“How precious also are thy thoughts unto me O God? How great is the sum total of them! If I should count them they are more in number than the sand; when I awake I am still with thee.” (Psalm 139: 17)

Where are your thoughts about yourself coming from? Are you listening to others’ comments or are you listening to the Lord? Are you measuring your worth by a worldly standard you see on TV or are you using God’s Word as the standard?

If you can believe that God carefully and lovingly molded you in the womb and covered you with His hand (Psalm 139:13), then your ears will be opened to hear what God’s thoughts are about you.

But now says the Lord that created you, and He that formed you… I have redeemed you and called you by your name; and you are mine…since you are precious in my sight, I love you. (Isaiah 43:1-4 paraphrase)

God says you are precious. His thoughts about you are precious, which means you are of great worth and value, a priceless treasure. The Psalmist David said that God’s thoughts about us are so vast that if they could be numbered they are more than the grains of sand. Just think for a moment of the sea shore and that each grain of sand represents a thought that God thinks about you. Just reach down and pick up a handful of sand. When you come into agreement with God’s thoughts about you, then the way you view yourself will change.

Today, line up your thoughts with God’s thoughts and say: “I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are thy works and that my soul knows right well.” (Psalm 139:14)

This Is The Way, Walk Ye In It

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Unto you do I cry, O Lord my rock, be not deaf and silent to me… Psalm 28:1

Wait on the LordThe Lord is not silent; He breaks the silence by saying, “this is the way; walk ye in it.”

Whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk ye in it” Isaiah 30:21

When we have decisions to make and doubts are flooding our soul, and others suggest courses of action that are conflicting; when caution dictates one approach but faith the other, it is the time to stop and be still.

The scripture says, “Be still and know I am God” (Psalm 46:10).  This gives us the permission that it is “ok” to quiet the intruding opinion of others around us, and then calm ourselves into the stillness of God’s presence and wait to hear His gentle voice.

It takes courage to wait in silence, trusting that He will not be silent.  It takes courage to bypass all the words of well meaning friends.  It takes courage not to be pulled by those who are insisting on an immediate decision or action. It takes courage to wait on, trust in, and rely on the Lord to direct you in those difficult decisions.  God is ever present in times of trouble; when important decisions need to be made, you will hear His voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it.”  Once you hear clearly and the decision is made, a friend may then be used by the Lord to give support and confirmation.  So be still and wait on the Lord, He is not silent.   ;

Lord, as I still myself before You, help me to block out all intruding thoughts and opinions. I pray as David did that You will not be silent.  I ask You to speak to me and give me direction in each decision I am making today.  I desire to hear You say: “this is the way, walk in it.”

minister to others out of overflow

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living waterWhen you are ministering to others, it is so important to be refilled with God’s Word daily. There are so many reasons: His Word is the lamp to your feet and the light to your path; but, even more importantly, God’s Word is the Living Water that gives life to your spirit.

The reality is that we cannot live without water. That is how God created us.  You can not survive over three days without natural water before your body begins to shut down.  Even a flowering plant requires water to live.  You can see the effects within a few days if the plant is not receiving enough water.  A flower that has not been properly watered will be droopy and limp; whereas, a flower that has been watered is full of life and beauty.  A thirsty Christian is just as noticeable; they’re dry and limp.

As you receive God’s Word, you can actually feel your spirit drinking in, reviving and blooming again.  So, if you are dry and droopy, just stop; drink and be refreshed.  Drink in the Word, and be filled up before you try to minister to others.  Always be sure to minister to others out of your overflow, not out of your substance.

Watch God Work

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PrayerGod’s Word does not return to Him void! His Word will accomplish what He sent it to planet earth to accomplish.

Twenty five years ago I was given a scripture based prayer and encouraged to pray it diligently for each family member. At the time my husband and I only had one daughter, so that seemed do-able. I printed the prayer out, placed it in my Bible and prayed it every day, with my husband and daughter’s name in the prayer.

As I read this prayer today, in the Amplified version, I was amazed at how this simple prayer had been answered. I would like to encourage you to take this scripture prayer that Paul wrote in Colossians and pray it out loud daily, inserting each family member’s name as you pray. You will not be praying your opinion or thoughts for them, but God’s will. Then all you do is stand back and watch God work in their lives.

Twenty five years later, my husband and I have often been asked how we were able to raise three children who love the Lord and have never rebelled. I believe with all my heart this scripture based prayer answers that question.

“Since the day I heard it, I have not ceased to pray for ( husband/ wife/ child’s name) that he/she will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That (husband/wife / child’s name) _will walk worthy of the Lord, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of Christ” (Colossians 1:9-11 paraphrased).

This is the Amplified version of Paul’s prayer:

Verse 9 – “For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make [special] request for you, [asking] that you may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things.

Verse 10 – That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition.

Verse 11 – We pray that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, to exercise every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy” (Colossians 1: 9-11).

Written by Denise Boggs.