I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my complaint before Him; before Him, I tell my trouble. When my spirit goes faint within me, it is You who know my way. I cry to You, oh Lord; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." Listen to my cry, for I have been desperate need. Psalm 142:1-3,5-6 Have you ever felt that no one cared what happened to you? David had good reason to feel that way, and he wrote, "I cry to you, oh Lord." Through prayer, we can pull of our tailspin and be reminded that God cares for us deeply. Forget all the formalities and just tell God how you feel. Nor do you need to keep checking to see whether or not you got through. "My ear is not heavy that it cannot hear." Jesus said, "If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it." Remember that our feelings do not tell us the truth about God. We may feel as if things are crashing down around us; we may feel as if God is 1000 miles away, but the Bible tells us, "I shall never leave you, nor forsake you." We have to believe what the Bible says; simply believe. Therein lies the peace that surpasses all understanding. God Bless you, J.H.

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, He asked him, "Do you want to get well?" "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." John 5:6-8 After 38 years, this man's problem had become a way of life. No one had ever helped him. He had no hope of ever being healed and no desire to help himself. The man's situation looked bleak and hopeless. But no matter how trapped you feel in your infirmities, God will minister to your deepest needs. Don't let a problem or hardship caused you to lose hope. God may have special work for you to do in spite of your condition, or even because of it. Many have ministered effectively to hurting people because they have triumphed over their own hurts. This man allowed Jesus to come in to his life and exchange his explanation for an experience with God Himself that ultimately put him back on his feet. Heavenly Father, whatever ails us today, I ask that you remove it right now in the name of Jesus. According to Your Will, Lord God, may it be done. Amen. God Bless you, J.H.

He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God to do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His command to keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who he heals you." Exodus 15:26 God promised that if the people obeyed Him they would be free from the diseases that plagued the Egyptians. Little did they know that many of the moral laws He later gave them were designed to keep them free from sickness. God's laws for us are often designed to keep us from harm. Men and women are complex beings. Our physical, emotional, and spiritual lives are intertwined. Modern medicine is now acknowledging what these laws already assumed. If we want God to care for us, we need to submit to his directions for living. The healing from God covers the whole range of man from his soul and mind to his body, even to his material need. "God is no respector of persons." Whatever He has done for others, He can do it again for you. "I am the Lord, I change not." Heavenly Father, touch the need of every reader right now in the name of Jesus and for Your glory. Amen. God Bless you, J.H.

Than the word of the Lord came to Elijah: "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there." 1 Kings 17:3-4 On the authority of God's Word, needs can be met by means that will stagger the imagination of man. God can do anything, and today, you can believe him for a miracle in your life. Heavenly Father, I thank you for this day. I thank you for your grace and your mercy. I thank you for watching over us. I thank you for meeting our every need. I pray that you reinforce the hedge of protection around me, my friends and family, and protect us from the hurt, arm or danger. Allow us to see your magnificent work in the small circumstances of our life today. Encourage us to acknowledge You in all of our ways. Let our lives glorify You and honor You today. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen. God Bless you, J.H.

Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:19-20 Jesus looked ahead to a new day when he would be present with his followers not in body, but through his Holy Spirit. In the body of believers (the church), the sincere agreement of two people is more powerful than the superficial agreement of thousands, because Christ's Holy Spirit is with them. Two or more believers, filled with the Holy Spirit, will pray according to God's will, not their own; thus, the requests will be granted. Heavenly Father, I thank you Lord for this day. I thank you for watching over us and protecting us. I thank you for your grace and your mercy. I thank you for your forgiveness. Lord, I ask for you to increase my faith today, in order to seek out other believers and pray in accordance to Your will. I pray for those of us who are linked through the reading of this passage, that they may come together in unity and pray for our needs as well as well as the needs of others. I pray that You would be with us and hold us to account for the lives that we lead and the light that we shine within this dark and depraved world. I pray that you remove any excuses about why we are not able to do the things You ask us to do. I ask that you provide us with the grace, wisdom, discernment and strength to do Your will in our lives that we may fulfill our purpose today. In the precious name of Jesus I pray, Amen. God Bless you, J.H.

So, do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere, so that when you have done the will of God, you receive what He has promised. For just a very little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. Hebrews 10:35-36 The writer encourages his readers not to abandon their faith in times of persecution, but to show by their endurance that their faith is real. Faith means resting at what Christ has done for us in the past, but it also means trusting for what He will do for us in the present and in the future. If you are hanging out there on the low limb, don't forget the One who made the tree. Look up, the Lord is waiting to give you a hand . . . and a new heart. Heavenly Father, touch the ones who are struggling just now, and give them strength to persevere, in Jesus' Name. Amen. God Bless you, J.H.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus tells us to persist in pursuing God. People often give up after a few halfhearted efforts and conclude that God cannot be found. But knowing God takes faith, focus, and follow-through, and Jesus assures us that we will be rewarded. Don't give up in your efforts to seek God. Continue to ask Him for more knowledge, patience, wisdom, love, and understanding. He will give them to you. That's His promise. Heavely Father, I thank you for this day. I pray that you would watch over my family and I today. Grant me wisdom and strength to make wise choices. Allow me to see your presence around me in all circumstances and to remain in your Word. Prevent me from becoming selfish and overly concerned about things that are out of my control. Give me the grace to acknowledge that you are with me, even at times when I feel completely alone. Allow me to stand on the promise, "I shall never leave you, nor forsake you." In Jesus name, I pray. Amen. God Bless you, J.H.

All the believers were one in the heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. There were no needy persons among them. Acts 4:32,34 Differences of opinion are inevitable among human personalities and can actually be quite helpful, if handled well. Steady conflict between people, however, is not nearly as beneficial. Spiritual unity is essential among those you love the most - loyalty, commitment, and love for God and His Word. Without spiritual unity, the church cannot survive. It is no wonder that the global church is as fractured as it is today. Many people are more concerned about who believes what and which type of worship they provide rather than actually just helping people in need. None of these early Christians felt as if what they had was their own, and so they were able to give and to share, eliminating poverty among them. They would not let a brother or sister suffer when others had plenty. We must ask yourselves how we feel about her own possessions. Do we hold on with clenched fists and fear of losing them, or do we hold them loosely, ready to give them up easilty for those in greater need? We need to adopt the attitude that everything we have comes from God, and that we are only sharing what is already His. Heavenly Father, I thank you, Lord, for this day. I thank you for all the blessings that you have given me. I pray that you build within me a pure and generous heart. Help me to see the needs of those around me and give me the ability to fill those needs. Teach me what true unity is within my family and within my church. Bring your Church together right now, in the name of Jesus. Encourage us to become the power on earth that you created us to be. Let our faith soar today and everyday that we may move the mountains of poverty, hunger and strife that exist so prevalently in our society. Change us, O Lord, and do it quickly, I beg you. I pray in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen. God Bless you, J.H.

One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." All the law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:35-40 The Pharisees, who had classified over 600 laws, often tried to distinguish the more important from a less important. So one of them, an "expert in the law," asked Jesus to identify the most important law. Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. By fulfilling these two commandments, we keep all the others. They, in fact, summarize the entire 10 Commandments. Jesus says that if we truly love God and our neighbor, we will naturally keep these commandments. Far too many people would rather look at God's law and worry about all we should not do, instead of focusing on all we can do to show our love for God and others. I submit to you that the reason the world is in such dire trouble today is because we have made so little over this great commandment. Remember: "Love covers a multitude of sins." Begin walking forward in this commandment today and see how God responds. God Bless you, J.H.

You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I tell you: love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you, that you may be sons (and daughters) of your Father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Matthew 5:43-46 By telling us not to retaliate against our enemies, Jesus keeps us from taking the law into our own hands. By loving and praying for our enemies, we can overcome evil with good. The Pharisees interpreted some of the Old Testament teaching (such as Leviticus 19:18) as though they should love only those who love in return. But Jesus says we are to love our enemies. If you love your enemies and treat them well, you will truly show that Jesus is Lord of your life. This is possible only for those who give themselves fully to God, because only he can deliver people from natural selfishness. This is one of the most difficult things that God requires of us because it goes completely against our natural inclinations. We must trust the Holy Spirit to help us show love to those for whom we may not feel love. Particularly those who are in the habit of stealing cars in the middle of the night. Once the Spirit of Christ strengthens you in this area of your life, you will be able to practice the presence of God as never before. All men will know that "you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." That includes everyone. And that type of love takes work and a lot of practice. God Bless you, J.H.

But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go, I will go, where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God, my God." Ruth 1:16 Love is a wonderful and mysterious force imparted to us by God and gloriously shared by his people to degrees that are beyond our own comprehension. Ruth was from Moab and of a race that was detested by Israel, however that didn't stop her from worshiping the true God, nor did it stop God from accepting her worship and blessing her greatly. The Jews were not the only people God loved. God chose the Jews to be the people through whom the rest of the world would come to know Him and this was fulfilled when Jesus Christ was born as a Jew. Through Him, the entire world can come to know God. Acts 10:35 says that "God accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." God accepts all who worship him; He works through people regardless of where they come from. The book of Ruth is a perfect example of God's impartiality. Although Ruth belonged to a race often despised by Israel, she was blessed because of her faithfulness. She became a great grandmother of King David and a direct ancestor of Jesus. No one should feel disqualified to serve God because of race, gender or national background. And God can use every circumstance to build his kingdom. Believe it and accept that you are worthy. God bless you, J.H.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 This is what true love is. Love demonstrated by God is always directed outward, never inward. It is utterly unselfish. It is not concerned about its own needs and wants, but only about the needs and wants of others. For us, this kind of love goes completely against our natural inclinations. It is natural for us to think about ourselves first, and others second. But that is not God's will. Jesus did not die on the cross because he was thinking about Himself. He died on the cross because He was thinking about you. The world knows no greater love than this: than he who lays his life down for his friends. It becomes possible to practice this kind of love only if God helps us to put aside our own desires and instincts, so that we can give love to others as we should, while expecting nothing in return. That is the key. The more we pray, the more we become like Christ, the more love we will be able to give other people, and the more we will be able to follow God's will. God Bless you, J.H.

Three times a pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. II Corinthians 12:8-9 We don't know what Paul's thorn in the flesh was, because he does not tell us. Some have suggested that it was malaria, epilepsy, or a disease of the eyes. Whatever the case, it was a chronic and the debilitating problem, which at times kept him from working. This thorn was a hindrance to his ministry, and he prayed for its removal; but God refused. Paul was a very self-sufficient person, so this thorn must have been very difficult for him. It kept Paul humble, reminded him of his need for constant contact with God, and benefited those around him as they saw God at work in his life. The fact that God's power is displayed in weak people should give us great courage. Though we may recognize our own limitations, we must rely on God for our effectiveness rather than simply on our own energy, effort, or talent. Our weakness, not only helps develop our character; it also deepens our worship, because in admitting our weakness, we affirm God's strength. God Bless you, J.H.