Author: Beth Morrison

One-minute read.

Fulfills Desires

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

When we delight in the Lord, we align our hearts to His. Instead of submitting to our flesh, we submit to God’s will. A divorced friend of mine struggles with the “blessings” her ex-husband has. From outward appearances, his life overflows with material things while she struggles to live within her means. Living separate from God, her ex’s wicked ways can easily cause an adverse reaction and jealousy. My friend chooses to give her life to Jesus; the more she submits, the more peace she finds, letting go of the bitterness and anger and instead delighting in the Lord.

During my single years, I had the same type of dilemma. Watching my married friends, I felt envious. Some of my well-meaning friends would give me this verse and assure me God would fulfill the desires of my heart. Once I submitted my will to the Lord, trusting Him whether He gave me a husband or not, He fulfilled the desires of my heart; He gave me peace that surpasses all understanding. Eventually, I did get married, but years passed before the Lord brought me my mate. God wanted me to find satisfaction in Him first, and I did.

We have a choice in responding to challenging situations; instead of wallowing in self-pity and envy, we can submit to the Lord and trust Him to resolve the problem. The Lord does fulfill the desires of our hearts when we align our hearts with His, finding contentment in the gifts He gives us.

Application:

God fulfills the desires of our hearts when we delight in Him.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for fulfilling our hearts’ desires and helping us find satisfaction in You, content with the blessings You give us. When our hearts become bitter and envious, help us focus on the gifts we have instead of focusing on the things we don’t. Let us live in Your peace that surpasses all understanding. IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Delivers Us

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

Psalm 34:17

God hears our cries for help and comes to our aid. One of my most uttered prayers remains the same; I learned it from my mother, “Lord, help me.”  When I can’t find my keys, “Lord, help me.”  Amid a difficult situation when I don’t know what words to say, “Lord, help me.”  When tragedy happens and knocks me to my knees, “Lord, help me.”  And God always does.

During my last hospital stay after suffering a second deadly blood clot that required surgical removal, I found myself struggling to process the events. 

“Lord, help me process through this,” I cried from my hospital bed.

Knock, knock, knock.

“I’m the hospital chaplain. Do you mind if I stop in for a visit?”

Barely had I whispered the prayer than the Lord answered in the form of the hospital chaplain, who talked to me for over an hour, helping me process the events just as I had asked. By the time he left, I had talked through the complex emotions. He asked questions that helped me find clarity. The Lord delivered me from my troubles with a visit from a chaplain.

God hears our cries and tunes into our needs long before we ask for help. Nothing happens to us the Lord doesn’t know. And He always has an answer when we turn to Him.  God delivers us from our troubles when we seek Him for help.

Application:

God delivers us from our troubles.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for hearing our cries for help and delivering us from trouble. Please help us remember to ask You for deliverance. Protect us from our destructive ways, lead us away from temptation, and deliver us from evil. In You, we trust.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Stronghold

The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1

In God’s presence, we experience His light and salvation. Nothing compares to time spent with the Lord. Confidence comes from knowing the Almighty. Once saved, always saved. Experiencing the Savior’s saving grace will change your life forever.   With God on our side, we needn’t fear; He becomes our stronghold.

Maoz, the original Hebrew word for stronghold used in this verse, refers to a fortress, a place of protection, and a helmet. We can hide in the arms of the Savior and let Him fight our battles. 

On a recent RV trip, we didn’t book enough nights. Speaking at a friend’s church about my new book, Living Divinely, we had to check out before the service and move to a different site. We tried everything not to have to switch, but nothing worked.

We finally gave up and gave it to God. The day before we left for the trip, the KOA called and told us our site had opened up for another night. When we placed the dilemma in God’s hands, He solved the problem. 

Big or small, we can take refuge in God. Our fears dissolve when we let the Lord protect and fight for us. God promises to take care of us; we should let Him. With the Lord as our salvation, whom shall we fear?

Application:

We can take refuge in God’s stronghold.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for protecting us and giving us a hiding place. Forgive us for trying to solve our problems without You.  When fear takes root in us, help us overcome it with our faith in You.  Help us live fully, knowing You have our back.

IJNIP Amen

One-minute read.

Protective Comfort

Even 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.

Psalm 23:4

Portraying the Lord as a Shepherd, David gives us a picture of a caring, providing, and protecting heavenly Father, concerned with the welfare of His sheep. The rod and staff come in handy for keeping the wild animals at bay, clubbing the predators, and gently controlling the sheep, steering them from harm’s way. Shepherds keep constant vigilance over their flock, night and day, leading them through the hills and valleys.

God protects us from things we will never know about until we reach heaven. Guiding and directing us, we need not fear evil. Sometimes, the Lord allows uncomfortable events that challenge our faith into our lives. Health diagnoses, tragedies, and relationship problems we didn’t see coming all take us through the valleys of life. During these times, our Shepherd leads us through them, putting us back on stable ground.

“Even though I walk through the valley of death, God’s with me,” I said at my mother’s funeral. Standing before the congregation just days after her passing, I felt the Lord’s comfort as I uttered the words. In our darkest days, God wraps His arms around us, carrying us through them. We can count on the Lord’s protective comfort, no matter what the situation. In Him, we can trust.

Application:

God protects and comforts us.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for shepherding us through the trials of life, comforting and protecting us from evil. Let us lean into You on the dark days, allowing You to carry us when we cannot walk. Help us live in Your peace that surpasses all understanding as we place our trust in You.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Rescues Us

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

Psalm 18:3

David, the author of Psalm 18, has confidence in the Lord’s deliverance. Throughout his lifetime, God showed up repeatedly for the shepherd boy turned king. Calling upon the Almighty, David defeated Goliath, escaped Saul’s attacks, and experienced military victory after victory, always giving God the glory. Remembering how the Lord rescues us from past challenges helps us confidently praise Him for what He will do for us now.

“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.”

2 Thess. 3:3

Spiritual warfare exists all around us. Whispering lies in our ears; the enemy tries to pull us away from our faithful, heavenly Father. But when we call on the Lord, He saves us from the devil’s ploys. As campers, we fight the battle against insects. On a recent trip to Georgia, the “no see ums,” tiny flies, attacked at every turn. Using a fogger, a bug repellent, I sprayed the ground around my chair to protect me from their little bites, then applied bug spray to my body, successfully thwarting their efforts. In the same way, God protects us from our unseen enemy.

Surrounding us with His angels, the Lord protects us from enemy attacks and rescues us from his ploys. We can confidently praise God, knowing He rescues us from our enemies. Like David, we can worship our Rescuer, knowing victory comes from Him.

Application:

God rescues us from enemy attacks.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for faithfully protecting us, rescuing us from the enemy, and keeping us safe. Remind us to call out to You when the enemy attacks, thwarting his efforts and giving us victory. All glory to You.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Supply Our Needs

 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

Paul assures the Philippians, who gave so much to others, that they now find themselves in need, that the Lord will provide. Generosity breeds generosity. We can’t outgive God, no `matter how much we try, and when we find ourselves lacking, the Lord will send provisions. Christ’s followers through the centuries have relied on this promise, and God always comes through.

Personally, these eighteen words carried me through years of facing layoff after layoff. Every six months, when another round occurred, I meditated on today’s verse—memorizing and reciting Phil. 4:19 helped me dampen the fear and anxiety, trusting God would provide no matter what happened. Even if I lost my job, the Lord would give me another one, just like He did in the past.

Whatever need You have, rely on God’s promise to meet it. Whether financial, relational, or health-related, go to the One who has all the answers and the riches. Trust the Lord’s promises, and let your faith overcome your fears. Eighteen words can help you face the giant before you and defeat it. The Almighty controls every resource and will distribute them to you, fulfilling needs, meeting provisions, and giving you a way to persevere on the journey. Rely on the Lord’s word to help you keep going. Expect God’s provision, and it will come.

Application:

God provides all our needs.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for supplying all our needs through Your glorious riches. As worry and anxiety overcome us, remind us of Your promise and help us defeat them with Your words. Let us live confidently in You, knowing wherever You guide us, You will also provide.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Constant Presence

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

Following God’s law and obeying His commandments gives us access to His strength. By meditating on the scriptures, we will learn how the Lord wants us to live:

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua 1:8

“Meditate” means to “mutter.”[1]  The phrase “from your mouth” refers to the custom of muttering as people studied and reflected on the scriptures. Therefore, when we meditate on God’s word, muttering it repeatedly, we experience the Lord’s presence more vitally. When we invite Jesus into our Hearts, His Spirit dwells within us, never leaving nor forsaking us. But often, we leave Him, distracted by the world around us. Meditating on scripture helps us remember the Lord’s presence and live a life of faith over fear.

Our fears and anxieties show us where we don’t trust God. To defeat the enemy, we must combat our worries with scripture, meditating on the words until they take root in our hearts and eliminate our fears. God goes with us wherever we go, a constant presence in our lives. The more we tune into Him, the freer we become from the anxieties of this world.

Application:

God never leaves us.

Prayer:

God, thank You for never leaving us nor forsaking us. When fears and anxieties arise, please help us find scripture to combat the enemy. Let us live a life of abundance as we meditate on Your word and apply it to our lives, overcoming the world’s worries one day at a time.

IJNIP. Amen

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[1] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=JOshua+1%3A8-9&version=ESV

One-minute read.

Answered Prayers

Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mark 11:24

Strong faith depends on prayer. Regularly talking to God develops a close relationship and dependence on Him. I know that when I pray, God will answer in one of three ways: yes, no, or not yet. We all must wait for answers to prayer. Sometimes, the Lord gives immediate responses, but usually, the response comes in time.   Without a doubt, we can have faith that the Almighty will answer.

When my nephew Cody died from juvenile diabetes, a friend asked me why God didn’t heal him. After all, I had prayed for years for the Lord’s healing.

“God did heal him. Just not the way I thought. Cody never has to take another shot, check his blood, or watch his carbs. God healed him completely when He called him home.”  Yes, I miss him every day, but I know we will meet again in heaven because Cody loved the Lord, and Jesus lived in his heart. Wherever I go, Cody goes with me; the love we shared never dies and lives forever.

The Lord’s not a vending machine in the sky that gives us whatever we want. God knows the best answer for our lives; we might not like His response, but in the long run, we’ll understand. As followers of Christ, our home lies in heaven, not on Earth. The things of this world will pass away, but our eternal home never will. God answers every prayer in the best possible way, in that we can have faith.

Application:

God answers prayers.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for answering our prayers in the best possible way for us. Help us accept what we don’t understand and grow closer to You through our prayers. Comfort us in our pain. Strengthen us in our weakness, And in all things, let us trust You. IJNIP Amen

One-minute read.

Overflowing Blessings

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

Malachi 3:10

God challenges us to test Him in giving. Nowhere else in the Bible do we find the Lord telling us to test Him.  Speaking to the Israel nation, Malachi tells them the solution to their problem. Bring the whole tithe to the storehouse; the Lord will bless them when they do. During this time, the temple served as a warehouse for the first fruits; the Levites and priests would distribute from it for sacrificial purposes, domestic needs, and whatever emergencies arose. If the Israelites didn’t obey God and tithe, the storehouse would not have the supplies needed for the Levites to help others. When we tithe to our local church, we give them the assets needed to support the church family and community. If we don’t do our part, the church can’t do theirs.

Since I started tithing while unemployed twenty-five years ago, the Lord has overflowed my life with blessings. He provided a job for me and has kept me employed ever since. Through the Lord, I’ve learned financial management, gained wisdom from Him, and made better decisions because my confidence lies in Him. We trust God with our salvation but struggle to trust Him with our money. If He can provide eternal life for us, the Lord can overflow our life with blessings if we give Him our money.

Blessings come in many forms: financial, health, relational, and employment. The list goes on and on. But if we don’t put God first in our finances, we’ll miss His overflow of blessings. Jesus urges His followers to “excel in the grace of giving” (2 Co. 8:7). Give the Lord your first fruits and then some, and see how He overflows your life with blessings. 

Application:

God will overflow blessings in your life when you tithe.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for Your promises that always hold true. Give us the faith to tithe to You.  Help us understand that You don’t need our money; You want our hearts. Let us make You the first priority in our lives as we trust You with our money.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Freedom

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:36

Through Jesus, we find freedom. God’s Son invites us into the Lord’s family and shares His perfection. We can’t do anything to earn the gift of salvation; in our humanness, we remain sinners. Jesus, as God’s Son, has a right to the divine heir privileges, and He transfers those privileges to us when we place our faith in Him and begin to follow His teachings.

For instance, when I started following Biblical financial principles, I found freedom from debt, no longer laying awake at night, wondering how to pay my next loan payment. Instead, I found freedom by putting God first in my finances, tithing, paying my creditors, and saving money. Faith in Jesus and obeying His commands gave me freedom.

The journey never ends. As I gain freedom from one thing, God reveals another area I need to give Him. Currently, I’m gaining freedom from a protective mechanism I’ve used my entire life, which my husband calls “The Bear.”  When I feel cornered, I come out fighting, often at the expense of others. But through Jesus, I’m learning a different way to react and finding newfound freedom.

Let God free you from bondage. Place your trust in Jesus, begin following Him, apply His teachings, and find freedom like never before.

Application:

Jesus sets us free!

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for the freedom we find in Jesus. Help us apply Christ’s teachings to our lives, turn from our sinful ways, and find true freedom like never before. Give us the strength to take the steps of faith we need to take and follow You.

IJNIP. Amen