Better is One Day in Your Courts…Than Thousands Elsewhere
Let’s take a few moments from our busy lives to reflect, meditate on God’s Word and be refreshed at these uplifting Bible Verses. My hope and prayer today is that you will find joy in the Lord by entering into His courts with thanksgiving in your heart. No matter how difficult the trials you are going through today, you can rest assured, knowing that God is in total control and that you only have to lean on Him for the strength and courage to move forward.
Psalm 84:1-2
“How lovely
is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the
courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”
Psalm 84:10-12
“Better is
one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a door
keeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the
Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing
does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O Lord Almighty, blessed
is the man who trusts in you.”
1 Peter 1:8-9
“Though you
have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you
believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you
are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Romans 15:13
“May the God
of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may
overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Isaiah 35:10
“And the
ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
Isaiah 12:4-6
“Give thanks
to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done,
and proclaim that His name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for He has done
glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for
joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”
Psalm 100:1-5
“Shout for
joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him
with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are
His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with
thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His
name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; his faithfulness
continues through all generations.”
Psalm 65:4
“Blessed are
those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the
good things of your house, of your holy temple.”
I hope you are feeling refreshed and focused on the goodness of God. Knowing that we can enter into His courts with our worship and prayers unlocks the power of God to move mightily in our lives. I urge you to stay faithful in your prayerful petitions and trust that God will provide a way…where there seems to be no way.
Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Amen!
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Have you ever been unable to sleep because you have so many thoughts racing through your head? Life’s daily worries and anxieties can throw our sleep schedule, not to mention our lives for a loop! Have you ever heard the saying “Your thoughts precede your actions? Our minds are a launching pad for the actions that we carry out throughout our day. What we think about can affect our day to day in many ways. That is why it is so important to fill our minds with God’s Word! God’s Word can calm our souls in ways you didn’t even know possible.
Keep reading to see some of the Bible Scriptures I turn to when my spirit feels stressed out and uneasy.
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,present your request to God.
Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV) New International Version
Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) New International Version
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Romans 8:38-39 (NIV) New International Version
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) New International Version
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Luke 12:24-34 (NIV) New International Version
24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) New International Version
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
John 14:27 (NIV) New International Version
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Colossians 3:15 (NIV) New International Version
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Psalm 55:22 (NIV) New International Version
22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.
Proverbs 12:25 (NIV) New International Version
25 Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.
1 Peter 5:6-8 (NIV) New International Version
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Hebrews 13:5-6 (NIV) New International Version
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
6 So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
Psalm 23:4 (NKJV) New King James Version
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV) New King James Version
10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
Psalm 94:19 (NKJV) New King James Version
19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.
Psalm 34:4 (NKJV) New King James Version
4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.
2 Corinthians 12:10 (NIV) New International Version
10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) New King James Version
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) New King James Version
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Isaiah 26:3 (NIV) New International Version
3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) New International Version
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Isaiah 41:13 (NIV) New International Version
13 For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Psalm 37:8-9 (NIV) New International Version
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NIV) New International Version
Final Greetings
16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
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Sometimes life seems so unfair and cruel. You feel hopeless and sad because life seems stacked against you. The people that you love most say nasty things to you and cut you down. They tell you things about yourself that you fear to be true. They tell you that you are boring, or you cause drama, you are a bad mother (or father), or any other number of things that you know in your heart not to be true. For a brief second(or few seconds) you buy into the lies that are being fed to you.
At this point you are feeling really deflated and down on yourself. A heavy spirit feels like it is draped around you. You feel angry, alone, fearful, and anxious. You are crying big tears that just roll down your face. Maybe you are even calling out to Jesus and asking Him why Lord, why? I’ll tell you why. Read what Ephesians 6:12 and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 has to say.
Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) New International Version
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV) New International Version
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
You and your family are under a spiritual attack. Make no mistake that this is Spiritual Warfare! There is a battle going on for your soul. A battle that is being fiercely fought! However, there is something you can do. Certainly now is the time to fight back! This is the point where you need to take a deep breath and dig deep into the Word of God! It is time to rebuke the devil in Jesus’s name!
Ephesians 6:11 (NIV) New International Version
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Matthew 18:18-20 (NIV) New International Version
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
It’s hard because you feel like you are doing what God wants you to do, then all of a sudden all these bad things happen.
Picture this, you have just had a great afternoon. While at the grocery store, you met someone in line and you were able to witness to that person and share with her some scripture or testimony that she really needed to hear. After the encounter, you walk away feeling like you just glorified God’s name (and you did). You come home and start putting the groceries away before the kids get home from school. As you start going through the mail and open a bill from the hospital that was supposed to be covered by the insurance company. It says that you owe $1600 because the service performed was not approved by the insurance company. You haven’t budgeted for that expense. How are you possibly going to pay that charge?
You are under a spiritual attack my friend.
Congratulations, you are on the devil’s radar. He does not like when you further the kingdom of God. The devil wants to distract you and get you off course. Therefore, he will do everything he can to succeed. Satan seeks to destroy you and your family, while Jesus has other plans. Plans that you would have a full life! It’s time to start rebuking the devil with scripture.
Ephesians 6:10-18 New International Version (NIV)
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Don’t listen to the devil’s lies. He has been a deceiver from the beginning!
Revelation 12:7-9 (ESV) English Standard Version
Satan Thrown Down to Earth
7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
John 8:44 (ESV) English Standard Version
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Matthew 25:41 (NIV) New International Version
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Revelation 20:10 (NIV) New International Version
10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
John 10:10 New International Version (NIV)
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The devil wants to make you feel isolated. Like you are the only person feeling these feelings. The devil is a liar! In 1 PETER 5:9. It states the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of suffering!!
1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV) New International Version
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
Guys, you are not alone. The devil only wants to make you feel like you are because it will be easier to manipulate you. This is the reason it is so important for us as the family of believers to arm ourselves with the Word of God! If we know the Word backwards and forwards, when the devil tries to feed us his baloney, we can very easily detect his lies. Remember that the devil is very tricky. He can and often does use people close to you, even fellow believers to do his dirty work. Satan even tried to use the apostle Peter for example. None of us are immune to his attacks.
Mark 8:33 (NIV) New International Version
33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Genesis 50:20 (NET) New English Translation
20 As for you, you meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day.
Sometimes it feels overwhelming, but know that the Lord has made a promise to you. Claim those promises and keep pressing forward.
Psalm 37:12-16 (NIV) New International Version
12 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. 15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
16 Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;
Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV) New King James Version
17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.
The devil will try to destroy your marriage and family. You must pray and guard against the devil’s attacks!
Mark 10:9 (NKJV) New King James Version
9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Look to the scriptures and say this prayer to protect you and your family.
Psalm 91 (NLT) New Living Translation
Psalm 91
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. 3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. 4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. 5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. 6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 7 Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. 8 Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.
9 If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, 10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. 11 For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. 12 They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. 13 You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. 15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. 16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”
Hang in there friends and above all, keep your faith strong. Until next time, just know that the battle is already won!
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