In The Word #25: PRAYING SCRIPTURE – 2 Thessalonians 2: 16-17

In The Word #25: PRAYING SCRIPTURE – 2 Thessalonians 2: 16-17

by | Oct 19, 2023 | In the Word, Praying Scripture | 0 comments

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,

who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope,

17 comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NIV)

PRAYING SCRIPTURE:

Thank You, Lord, for Your boundless love for me. 
You promise me in this verse that my ultimate source
of HOPE & ENCOURAGMENT is from You through Your grace.
Help me to remember this promise always.
And help me to live into the HOPE that only You can provide,
rather than putting my hope in the things of this world
that will only lead to disappointment.


Your HOPE is not fickle or fake; it is not limited or dwindling.
Your HOPE is filled with Your deep love for me;
filled with the promise of eternal life with You, as a result
of the death and resurrection of Your one and only son Jesus on my behalf.
Your HOPE reminds me that I am free from the chains of my sin
through Your forgiving mercy and grace.
Your HOPE gives me comfort and encouragement knowing
that I am seen, known, and worthy as Your created child.
Your HOPE promises that I am never alone
through the mountains and valleys of my life.
Your HOPE is true…lovely…reliable…steady.


You, Lord, are my Guide and source of strength.
You, Lord, are my Provider and Leader.
You, Lord, are my Savior, Comforter, and HOPE-giver!
Amen and Thank you, Jesus.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

  • Where have you placed your hope in the past besides our God?
  • What were the results?
  • Did you find these sources to be reliable and trustworthy? Why or why not?
  • What are the changes you are able to make in your life to move your hope to Jesus and the One True God?

Hugs and blessings, Sweet Circle,

Stacy

In The Word #24: PRAYING SCRIPTURE – Ephesians 2:8-9

In The Word #24: PRAYING SCRIPTURE – Ephesians 2:8-9

by | Oct 3, 2023 | In the Word, Praying Scripture | 0 comments

“God saved you by His grace when you believed.

And you can’t take credit for this. It is a gift from God.

Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

PRAYER:

Abba, Father, You are LOVE. And through that love you are full of mercy and grace for your creation – mankind. Lord, You gave me the freedom to choose You and obey You OR I may choose to follow someone or something else. Serving someone else may be serving myself – chasing what I think will make me happy, doing what I want to do when I want to do it. Or, I may choose to serve other idols by trying to find something, buy something, or do something to make me happy, prove my worth, or earn my way through good deeds.

Lord, thank you for this clear message that I am saved by YOUR mercy and grace…only. I am broken and I am a sinful being. There is NOTHING I can do to earn my way into a perfect eternity with you when I am an imperfect being on my own. I have nothing to brag about. Yet my present and my future are not lost because when I choose You and Your Son as my Savior, then Your grace, mercy and forgiveness saves me.

Lord, help me remember that my salvation is in You. My path to eternity with you is my CHOICE. It is my choice to follow you and accept Your Son, Jesus, as my Messiah and Savior. The sacrifice of His life on the cross, the blood He shed for me and my sin, and the glorious rising from death to conquer sin for ALL, forever, is the way to eternity. Jesus is my Way to eternity. Jesus is the path to complete wholeness. Jesus is my joy.

Amen. Amen.

Hugs & blessings, Sweet Circle,

Stacy