"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."~from ISAIAH 61 Bible verse for this Blog

APOLOGY to READERS who followed a SEARCH to HERE & didn't find it

On July 18, 2017, I drafted almost 3000 blog posts that I had published since 2008 when I began blogging, rather than edit each one. So if you clicked here from somewhere else and ended up with the post unavailable or error, I am sorry but this is why. It'd be too much work for me to go back and fix them. There's an explanation on 7/19/17 as I'm still learning.

Thursday, December 30, 2021

MY FAVORITE VERSES on STRENGTH part 1

I have chosen 25 Verses on STRENGTH to share today and tomorrow from over 200 occurrences of the word STRENGTH in Scripture. Just as Pastor Morgan decided on 12 of these as strategies for Extra STRENGTH, I too have shortened my list to these. Of course, you already know my very Favorite: Isaiah 40:31


"But those who wait for Yahweh’s grace will experience divine strength.
    They will rise up on soaring wings and fly like eagles, run their race without growing weary,
    and walk through life without giving up."
The Passion Translation 




"The Lord is my strength and my song; He has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise Him— my father’s God, and I will exalt Him." Exodus 15:2 NLT

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV


"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 ESV


"Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always."
1 Chronicles 16:11 NIV


"Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." 
Nehemiah 8:10 NIV


"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

"The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace." Psalm 29:11

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." Psalm 46:1-3

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26

"I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
Psalm 121:1-2 NIV

"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation."
Isaiah 12:2


"He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless."
Isaiah 40:29


More coming tomorrow
Part 2


Wednesday, December 29, 2021

MY VERSE for 2021 ...

ISAIAH 40:31


and Isaiah 40:29 promises

He gives STRENGTH to the weary,
And to him/her who has no might He increases power.

Actually it was Isaiah 40:28-31, but I certainly read all of Isaiah 40:1-31 to get the full context. In fact I read through the entire book of Isaiah this year with a wonderful, delightful devotional by Brian Simmons & Gretchen Rodriguez

The Vision: 365 Days of Life-Giving Words from the Prophet Isaiah (The Passion Translation) 


I have frequently meditated on this verse throughout the year and read various articles, commentaries and biblical teachings or reading plans on STRENGTH and Isaiah 40:31, seeking "What does Isaiah 40:31 mean?" through searches. If you read my previous post, you'll recall that I wasn't sure what kind of STRENGTH I needed or might need in 2021 or why God placed STRENGTH on my heart for the One Word I needed to focus on (perhaps it was meant for someone else near to me, or me to be able to minister comfort and encouragement for the many of us, who have felt so weary, so weak with the many weights upon us or for the near future to be prepared). Then I came upon this article, "The Strength You Need for Today" (similar to 2 of the books I shared) but this was written pre-Covid so how much more we need this now. The full article is good, but it's the following first line that struck me:

"The strength you want most may not be the strength you need most, because the weakness you feel may not be the real source of your weakness." ...
 
However, the main reason that I wanted to share on this verse before 2021 ended was so that I might impart some meaning behind this powerful promise to us! I have loved this verse since 1990 and when I retired, I became very interested in observing "Eagles" yet I am far from an expert just an interested observer and reader. So rather than write the meaning of this verse for me myself, I decided that I would link to the most recent article I found that, in my opinion, is the best. It is so well written that I could never improve upon it except if I gave a personal application or experience that would testify to the STRENGTH I find or found in my life. But that would take an entire book on a lifetime of God at work in me - renewing my STRENGTH and building my trust in God & rebuilding trust in humans. So I have opted out of my personal sharing for this article that covers:


"Gracious Father, I magnify Your Holy name and exalt Your majesty. I pray that my faith in You increases from day to day. I stand before You so that my strength, heart, soul, and mind will be renewed. Give me the strength to walk the difficult and narrow paths of life because I can’t do it alone. By Your Spirit, help me to run the race that is set before me with endurance and absolute dependency on You so that I can win the prize. This I pray in Christ's name. AMEN "






To my faithful visitors;
all of you who spend your valuable time here with me
I do appreciate you so much!

Thank you for taking your time to visit!

Love, Sweet blessings & Hugs!

DIOS TE BENDIGA
GOD BLESS YOU

always

Peggy