Streams in my desert: warning

Showing posts with label warning. Show all posts

Saturday, July 26, 2025

Grateful for Sunrises - with each sunrise comes the promise of more life for us and new opportunities to know God better. Are you in a season of lament right now because of something that happened to you? Are you mourning circumstances that have led to destruction and despair? No matter our state of being, we can hold tight to God’s promises that are real each new day, in every sunrise and in the very breath in our lungs. We have the opportunity to proclaim God’s enduring love, to be grateful for his grace, and to choose to walk more closely with him through every day he gives us. Great is his faithfulness

Read: Lamentations 3:19-27

“The LORD is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.” - (Lamentations 3:24)

I love the beauty of the sunrise.

As the first piercing bursts of color in the morning sky break the dawn, I am reminded of God’s providence for yet another day.

The book of Lamentations is aptly named for the poetic lament offered by Jeremiah.

After years of prophetic warning to Jewish kings of varying character and loyalty, Jeremiah witnessed the fall of Jerusalem and cried out in mourning.

He’s not shy about expressing his physical, emotional, and spiritual turmoil.

Then, in the midst of his extreme lament, Jeremiah offered daily encouragement.

In verses 22-23, he proclaimed,

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

With each sunrise comes the promise of more life for us and new opportunities to know God better.

Are you in a season of lament right now, either because of choices you made or because of something that happened to you?

Are you mourning circumstances that have led to destruction and despair?

No matter our state of being, we can hold tight to God’s promises that are real each new day, in every sunrise and in the very breath in our lungs.

We have the opportunity, just like Jeremiah did, to proclaim God’s enduring love, to be grateful for his grace, and to choose to walk more closely with him through every day he gives us.

Great is his faithfulness!

— Joy Petroelje, from the series A Guide to Gratitude

Thought to ponder:

How can you hold onto hope and gratitude, even when life feels overwhelming?

Pray about it:

Thank God for giving you life today and for his never-ending love.

Action to take:

Watch the sunrise today and use it as a reminder of God’s faithfulness and new mercies every morning.

Let it prompt a prayer of thanksgiving.

Words of Hope Devotional

The mission of Words of Hope is to provide people both near and far with daily access to God’s Word. At Words of Hope, we believe that Jesus Christ is the hope of the world. We believe that the Bible reveals God’s truth. We believe that God commissions us to make disciples of all nations. We affirm the Apostles’ Creed.

All people in all places should have access to God’s Word. With Words of Hope, you can grow in faith by connecting daily to the truths of Scripture with our daily devotional and by sending God’s good news worldwide through all forms of media.

woh.org

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God is Faithful, Even When We are Not - God will not allow some present struggle of yours to upset his calling and plan for you. You may have gotten off track, but God’s plan isn’t. No matter what kind of trials you’ve been through, you can know that God will be there for you. He sees your heart and responds to your broken, contrite spirit. His eternal purpose for your life will not be thwarted. Take your eyes off your failures and weaknesses and fix them on his faithfulness. He cannot deny himself. He is utterly faithful to his word, and he will see you through every battle

From Mourning to Dancing - when we think about God’s faithfulness over the years, we know that He’s willing and able to turn our grief to dancing once again — to give us sufficient grace in this life and full joy in heaven. The Lord gives us hope when we feel hopeless. He teaches us that our identity is in Him and not in what we do. When we face loss, we shouldn’t run from the sadness, but neither do we want to become bitter or hardened. He gives us courage to face an unknown future. When we wear the rags of “ashes,” He gently gives us a coat of praise

Steadfast Love - God's love knows no limits. It extends to the heavens. God's limitless love also extends to a world of lost sinners. He loved the world so much that "he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." The Lord's love is so strong that nothing can separate His children from it. God's love is limitless and His faithfulness is without end. God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He is faithful to keep every promise He has made

Friday, June 6, 2025

As a Thief in the Night - Jesus promised us that the Day of the Lord would come suddenly, and this “thief in the night” cannot be stopped. There is no defense against the supernatural day of His coming. But unlike thieves in our world, Jesus will only take what is already His. Only those who disregard Jesus’ warning have any need to be concerned. Fear has no place for those who are prepared. As we heed Jesus’ warning, let us prepare ourselves for His coming, “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God”

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up." - 2 Peter 3:10

A thief gains his advantage by striking when people least expect it, and the thought of a burglar breaking into our house while we sleep is terrifying.

We try to secure ourselves against this possibility with double dead-bolt locks, bars on the windows, burglar alarms and more police.

Jesus promised us that the Day of the Lord would come suddenly, and this “thief in the night” cannot be stopped.

There is no defense against the supernatural day of His coming!

But unlike thieves in our world, Jesus will only take what is already His.

Only those who disregard Jesus’ warning have any need to be concerned.

Fear has no place for those who are prepared.

People are victimized by thieves when they carelessly leave themselves unprotected.

Scripture declares that people in pursuit of their own pleasures, living life indifferently to consequences, open themselves up to the destruction of the ultimate thief, the devil.

As we heed Jesus’ warning, let us prepare ourselves for His coming, “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God” - (2 Peter 3:12).

Written by Jack Hayford

Jack Hayford served as Chancellor of The King’s University (formerly The King’s College and Seminary) in Southlake, Texas, which he founded in 1997. From 2004 to 2009, he also served as President of The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. He was probably best known, however, as “Pastor Jack,” founding pastor of The Church On The Way in Van Nuys, California, where he served as senior pastor for more than three decades. A prolific and best-selling writer, Pastor Hayford was the author (or co-author) of more than fifty books and composed 500 hymns and choruses, including the internationally known and widely recorded “Majesty.”

jackhayford.org

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The Day Of The Lord - the day when Christ will come out of Heaven in His glorious Second Coming immediately after the seven-year Tribulation period, accompanied by great cosmic disturbances. When He does that, here will be all the rulers and armies of the nations of the world gathered together against Him under Antichrist and the false prophet. "... they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” And Jesus unleashes the wrath of God upon them and destroys them

In the Twinkling of an Eye - when Jesus descends with a shout, the dead in Christ rise first, then the living saints will be caught up to meet them in the air. We are assured of the rapture by the saving work of the Lord, which is the Gospel and by the Word of the Lord, which is Scripture. Though we don’t know the exact date when the rapture will occur, we know it is close and certain. It will happen “in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trump.” We will reunite with our fellow Christians who have died. After we are caught up in the air, the Bridegroom will take us, His Bride, to the place He has prepared for us

When Churches Dismiss Bible Prophecy … They Do So To Their Own Detriment - consider that all the New Testament writers testify to the fact that living with the anticipation of the Lord’s return will motivate holy living. Most Christians believe with their minds that Jesus is returning, but they do not believe with their hearts, and therefore their belief has no impact on their behavior. If a person or congregation can truly be convinced that Jesus is returning any moment, they will be transformed because they will be motivated to share the Gospel with others and to commit their lives to holiness

Sunday, March 2, 2025

You cannot curse what God has blessed - the Almighty is warning us and the nations — including Israel itself — that there are consequences to our many national sins

Opinion: Discovery of “cursed tablet” is warning to antisemites

Tablet found on Mount Ebal in the Samaria mountains
in the West Bank containing the word "curse" 10 times

“Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse... you shall proclaim the blessings upon Mount Gerizim, and the curses upon Mount Ebal” (Deuteronomy 11: 26, 29).

Some 3,400 years ago, the God of Israel renewed a covenant with the Israelites upon their entrance into the Promised Land in a solemn ceremony involving two mountains — Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim.

Half of the Israelite tribes stood on Mt. Gerizim, representing blessings for obedience, and the other six tribes stood on Mt. Ebal, representing curses that would befall the nation for disobedience.

The recent discovery of an ancient “curse” tablet corroborates this biblical narrative, and I believe it has very deep spiritual significance for our generation.

Archeologists sifting through debris from Mt. Ebal in biblical Samaria made one of the most significant discoveries: the now already famous folded “curse tablet” dating back to the late Bronze Age bears one of the Proto-Hebrew names for God.

Dr. Scott Stripling and a team from the Associates for Biblical Research uncovered the tablet in late 2019 and have begun releasing their findings after nearly three years of painstaking research.

In both the Book of Deuteronomy and the Book of Joshua, Mt. Ebal is described as a place where the Israelites agreed that those who broke God’s Law would be cursed while the adjacent Mt. Gerizim represented the blessings they would receive through obedience.

The inscription represents a legally binding document, a covenant that was made between the ancient Israelites and the God of Israel who promised to bless them if they kept the terms of the covenant as recorded in Deuteronomy 27 and 28.

The tablet says:“Cursed, cursed, cursed cursed by the God YHW. You will die cursed. Cursed you will surely die. Cursed by YHW cursed, cursed, cursed.”

According to Dr. Stripling, the ominous inscription confirms the biblical account of Mt. Ebal and he said the discovery “is a 10 on a scale of one to 10… To find the name of God written twice on such an ancient artifact is historic from this early time period.”

It represents the whole nation binding themselves to the Lord's covenant.

The discovery of the Mt. Ebal tablet follows the initial discovery of Joshua's altar by the late Israeli archaeologist Adam Zertal. It was found among discarded materials from those early excavations at the altar site.

The tablet is a stunning example of archaeology validating the truth of the Bible. But to hardened hearts, the discovery may seem negative or even superstitious because of the repetition of the word cursed.

People who hate the Bible will scorn because the Bible to them is nothing but negativity and religious restrictions.

Skeptics and agnostics do not understand that God’s purpose in setting restraints upon behavior is for our mental, physical and spiritual benefit.

But to those who are spiritually attuned, the discovery comes across as a stark warning.

Do you recall a number of years ago that a medieval manuscript of Psalm 83 was found in a bog in Ireland?

That discovery was a message from God reminding the nations mentioned in that psalm that they conspire in vain against Israel because, as the Bible teaches in Genesis 12:3 and Numbers 23:8, you cannot curse what God has blessed.

God has determined at this time to bless the return of the Jews to the Holy Land.

So, in the mercy of God, the discovery of the “cursed tablet” is a warning to antisemites in a season of increased antisemitism.

It is also a warning to the Church and to the nations.

In the churches for the most part very little repentance is preached concerning our gross national sins. Instead, sermons tend to emphasize how to be blessed.

So why didn’t God allow a “blessed, blessed, blessed” tablet to be discovered from Mt. Gerizim rather than a “cursed, cursed, cursed” message from Mt. Ebal?

Whether we like it or not, the Almighty is warning us and the nations — including Israel itself — that there are consequences to our many national sins.

By CHRISTINE DARG

Christine Darg is co-founder of the Jerusalem Channel

jpost.com

Related Links:

Empowered To Prosper - we have a better covenant, established upon better promises - Jesus is the surety of a new covenant with better blessings

The Millennium - those who live to the end of the Tribulation and have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior will be allowed to enter the Millennium in the flesh

When Grief Grows and Loss Lingers - God's love leads us on toward new life with resurrection hope

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Jehovah Tsidkenu: The Lord Who Is Righteous - God sets the standard of moral correctness. While He is loving and good, He is also a perfect, holy and just God who must respond to sin in a way that honors His virtuous nature … any behavior less than His moral standard is subject to His judgment and wrath. It should warn us that not everyone has actually heard from God. Everything we are taught must line up with the Word of God. We need to test every prophecy, every sermon, against the teaching of the Bible. The righteousness of God requires us to be true to His word or be subjected to His judgment

“I have not sent these prophets, yet they run around claiming to speak for me.

"I have given them no message, yet they go on prophesying.

"If they had stood before me and listened to me, they would have spoken my words, and they would have turned my people from their evil ways and deeds.” - Jeremiah 23:21–22 (NLT)

Key points

God sets the standard of moral correctness.

Everything we are taught must line up with the Word of God.

We live in a day and age where we hear a lot about the love of God.

That He is full of grace, quick to forgive, and slow to anger.

This is true … but there are many facets of who God is.

He has many names and one of them is Jehovah Tsidkenu: the Lord who is righteous.

God sets the standard of moral correctness.

While He is loving and good, He is also a perfect, holy and just God who must respond to sin in a way that honours His virtuous nature … any behaviour less than His moral standard is subject to His judgement and wrath.

This scripture should serve as a warning to those in leadership, or who operate in the gift of prophesy, to be careful pre-empting a word with ‘The Lord says’.

It should also warn us as Christians that not everyone who makes this claim before sharing a word, has actually heard from God.

Everything we are taught must line up with the Word of God.

We need to test every prophesy, every sermon, against the teaching of the Bible.

If they do not align, be wary of the messenger AND the message.

The message of God may not be popular, but it can change lives.

The righteousness of God requires us to be true to His word or be subjected to His judgement.

Episode supplied with thanks to Abigail George.

By Chris Witts

In today's world real hope is hard to find. That's why Hope 103.2 exists: to bring the message of hope to our community through a family-friendly, safe listening environment.

We won't be quick to criticise or condemn. And we won't play on people's fears. Hope 103.2 will be ready to celebrate what's good in society and culture.

hope1032.com.au

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Fear Not - the Lord Jesus Himself promised, "Lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age." We should hearken to His Word and trust His promises for His Word is trustworthy and true. "Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." He is the One Who tells His children not to fear because He can still the raging storm and heal the brokenhearted

Are humans inherently good? - only God is truly good because it is impossible for God to sin. God is also perfect, just and holy and therefore He cannot tolerate sin. None of us are good. “No one is righteous. Not even one … no one does good. Not a single one.” "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." God graciously offers eternal salvation as a free gift through faith in Jesus Christ. They will have Christ’s righteousness freely credited to them and thereby receive eternal life and forgiveness through Christ

Wealth Transfer - The Wealth Of The Wicked Is Laid Up For The Just - it is laid up for the righteous. Jesus makes us righteous. God is in charge of the wealth transfer; so, we don’t go and ask the rich for money. Believe God. Faith only puts pressure on the word; we do not put pressure on people. Choose today to believe for the wealth transfer to come into your personal life. We have to actively believe God and release our faith for that wealth transfer. Jesus said, whatever you believe you receive when you pray, you receive it

Saturday, October 12, 2024

Better Than Any Sweepstakes - sweepstakes are hard to win. People enter sweepstakes, hoping to win huge cash prizes. The chances are slim. A person’s chance of winning the top prize is one in two billion. But there’s one treasure far better than any sweepstakes and it’s available to everyone. The person who gives this treasure is not selling it. God's Word is this treasure which is more desirable than fine gold, reviving our souls, giving us wisdom and insight, and warning us of things that will damage our hearts and minds. And we need not enter a sweepstakes to win it - we can knock on God’s door anytime

People enter sweepstakes all the time, hoping to win huge cash prizes.

The chances are slim.

For example, a person’s chance of winning the top prize from Publisher Clearing House is one in two billion.

Not only are sweepstakes hard to win, they are sometimes merely deceptive scams to get personal information.

But there’s one treasure far better than any sweepstakes and it’s available to everyone.

The person who gives this treasure already has all of our personal information, and He's not selling it.

Psalm 19:7-11 describes God's Word as this treasure which is more desirable than fine gold, reviving our souls, giving us wisdom and insight, and warning us of things that will damage our hearts and minds.

And we need not enter a sweepstakes to win it.

Instead of waiting for someone to knock on our door with a million dollar check, we can knock on God’s door anytime.

"Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway." - Proverbs 8:34

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

"the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;

"the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.

"More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

"Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Psalm 19:7-11 English Standard Version

Hi! I'm Gail Burton Purath. I started Bible Love Notes to give people a minute of scriptural encouragement in their busy day.

I don't have all the answers, but since I asked Christ to be my Lord and Savior in 1974, I've been learning from the One Who has all the answers!

biblelovenotes.blogspot.com

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Your Bible is a Gold Mine - the Bible is the divine mine that contains the theological mother load. God loves to lace and layer revelatory riches in what at first seems like a fairly straightforward historical narrative. The wonderful thing about this mine is that we often find treasure in unexpected places. The Bible contains over 31,000 verses — so much gold and so little time. We will never exhaust the gold it contains during our brief lives, but we must discover all we can

Honey Words - when you share the Gospel, you’re offering someone the opportunity to choose eternal life in Jesus Christ and to experience all the goodness that God offers starting right now. The world might try to convince us that sharing Jesus is annoying, invasive, or maybe judgmental. But don’t be deceived. Sharing the Good News of Jesus with someone else is the most kind and loving thing you can do. Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body

Receive Your Miracle - when you made Jesus the Lord of your life, you believed, confessed, and received the greatest miracle in the universe – the miracle of a reborn spirit. Every other miracle you receive will come in exactly the same way. You start by simply believing what God’s Word says concerning your area of need, by letting that Word change your heart and mind. It’s what we believe in our heart and say with our mouth that we receive. God’s power is always present everywhere

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

The season of repentance. - we wash our outward bodies in order to look and smell nice as we go out into the world around us. But how many of us are walking around just gorgeous on the outside but the stench of sin reeking within us? As the shofar blasts this season, let us heed the call to improve and beautify ourselves, not only outwardly but from our ignorance of and rebellion against God's perfect will for our lives. Let's ask the Lord to do some revealing and cleansing in our hearts and lives as we continue in the season of repentance

What's is that awful smell?

"Having, therefore, these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." - 2 Corinthians 7:1

As we celebrated Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) and are in the midst of "Yamin Noraim" or the days of awe, the days between the Feast of Trumpets and Yom Kippur, it is the season of repentance.

This is the season that the shofar (ram's horn) is blown to heed the call of warning to repent from our sins and be clean.

The shofar's unique sounding blast is a wake-up call to all who will hear.

Those of you who know what a shofar looks like, know it's quite intriguing.

As a matter of fact, I have a shofar displayed on a shelf in my living room as a centerpiece (and a reminder) and most who enter often comment on its beauty.

My wife makes sure our shofar is dusted and shined it to keep it looking its best.

However, I don't know how many of you have ever smelled the odor of a ram's horn before it's properly cleaned, but I can tell you from personal experience that it is by far one of the most putrid, revolting and rancid smelling things I've smelled in my lifetime.

And it is a common dilemma among shofar owners as to how best to rid it of that awful smell.

Some say washing it out with vinegar does the trick, others say soaking your shofar in alcohol guarantees a clean smell, and still others firmly stand by some strange hodgepodge of ingredients they've concocted.

Interestingly enough, the Hebrew root of the word shofar is the word "shifra", which means to beautify, which is directly related to the Hebrew word "shapair" which means to improve!

Now, I think most of us remember to wash our outward bodies in order to look and smell nice as we go out into the world around us.

But how many of us are walking around just gorgeous on the outside but the stench of sin reeking within us?

As the shofar blasts this season, let us heed the call to improve and beautify ourselves, not only outwardly but from our ignorance of and rebellion against God's perfect will for our lives.

There is much work to be done for the Kingdom and we can't accomplish any of it with our outward beauty!

Let's ask the Lord to do some revealing and cleansing in our hearts and lives as we continue in the season of repentance.

Worthy Devotions is a daily devotional ministry delivering inspiring, uplifting, and encouraging messages straight from Israel.

worthydevotions.com

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Feast of Trumpets - “the day or hour that no man knows” - believers suddenly disappear from the earth. Many Christians will be caught unawares by the Rapture event because they’re not walking in light of biblical prophecies and they do not understand the times concerning the restoration of Israel. The patterns of the Feasts of the LORD would help to ground believers biblically to understand the times. Christians should be familiar with the LORD’s Levitical Festivals. Jesus observed all of these festivals

Yom Kippur the Day of Atonement - the name “Yom Kippur” means “Day of Atonement,” and it is a day set aside to “afflict the soul,” to atone for the sins of the past year. Yom Kippur is a Sabbath day; no work can be performed on the day of Yom Kippur. During the holiday Jews fast for approximately 24 hours, from sundown to sundown. The only time the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies. The origins of Yom Kippur are unclear. It is not mentioned in the list of holidays to be observed when the Temple destroyed by the Babylonians was rebuilt

The Lord Will Do A New Thing - the nature of life is to repeat itself - to continue in a cycle. Although time is moving in a direction toward a definite destiny determined by the Creator, it does so in cycles. So, entering this new year, a fresh cycle, we may also grasp the opportunity to change, to do something radically new and different. New beginnings are a time for new choices, new experiences, new hopes, and dreams. Our Lord is really on top of things. He can even redeem our mistakes. We ought to be filled with expectation for change, great change in our lives, by His divine power to work in and through us

Monday, August 26, 2024

Adding to God’s Word - when John completed the Apocalypse, he was very old; all the other apostles and prophets of the New Testament had already died, so God’s written Word was now complete. No new revelation would be needed before Christ returns. We shall do well if we just learn what we already have received from His holy apostles and prophets. Jesus warned about “false prophets” who would come after He left. The Bible as we now have it is sufficient for every need

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.” - (Revelation 22:18)

This very sober warning right at the end of the Bible was given by Christ Himself (note verse 20) to indicate that the written Scriptures were now complete, and it would be a serious sin for some pseudo-prophet to come along presenting some alleged new revelation from God.

That this warning applies to the entire Bible, not just to the book of Revelation, should be obvious but is made especially clear when it is remembered that Jesus promised His chosen disciples that the Holy Spirit “shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance.”

And furthermore, that “he will guide you into all truth :.. and he will shew you things to come” - (John 14:26; 16:13).

This special revelation to the “apostles and prophets” of the New Testament would constitute the “foundation” of the church and would be complete when the last of these “holy apostles and prophets” were gone. (Study carefully Ephesians 2:19–3:11.)

When John completed the Apocalypse, he was very old; all the other apostles and prophets of the New Testament had already died (all by martyrdom), so God’s written Word was now complete.

No new revelation would be needed before Christ returns.

We shall do well if we just learn what we already have received from His holy apostles and prophets.

Note also the emphasis on “the words,” not just the concepts.

God was able to say what He meant, and we are wise if we take His words literally.

Jesus warned about “false prophets” who would come after He left (Matthew 24:24), and there have been many of these through the centuries.

The Bible as we now have it is sufficient for every need.

BY HENRY M. MORRIS, PH.D.

Days of Praise

the Institute for Creation Research

At the Institute for Creation Research, we want you to know God’s Word can be trusted with everything it speaks about—from how and why we were made, to how the universe was formed, to how we can know God and receive all He has planned for us.

icr.org

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God’s Word Cannot Fail - no matter how any person might respond, God's Word always is true. People may fail us and even our closest friends may break their promises. But God’s Word is sure and settled forever in Heaven. You can depend upon Him and His Word. Declare His promises to be true in your life. Today, make sure that you place your hope and faith in God’s Word. Teach His Word to your family. Meditate on it. Memorize it. Put it into practice

A Spiritual Roadmap - the Word of God will be like a spiritual roadmap or a personal tour guide to lead and guide you as you study and pray. It penetrates deep inside to assess and validate what's in your heart. The Holy Spirit sheds light on whether thoughts, motives, and intentions are good or bad. A Word from God directly to you by the Holy Spirit reveals to your spirit things you need to know. God speaks directions throughout the Word, so you can live in victory lane