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The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare. — Psalm 25:14-15 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Where does true deliverance come from? Only from God. Deliverance is found in God through deep reverential respect for his holiness and strength, through living faithfully in covenant relationship with him, and through maintaining our focus and dependence upon him. Any other roads to deliverance are false shortcuts that ultimately prove themselves to be a snare. Like the tightrope walker whose eyes are not on the ground or the surroundings, but on the rope in front of him where he will walk, so too our eyes must be on the LORD. Only by looking to him will he lead us to safety and from the snares of the one who longs to have us and destroy us. Our eyes must be ever on the LORD because we trust that he will lead us away from "temptation" and "deliver us from the evil...

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. — Psalm 19:14 Thoughts on Today's Verse... God does so much for us. He is the Rock and Redeemer that undergirds our lives. He is the One who has saved us from sin and death. Our worship comes from our gratitude for what he has done, recognition of who he is, and anticipation of what he is going to do. But worship can never be compartmentalized to just fit into church places or quiet times ( Colossians 3:16-17 ). Worship involves every aspect of life ( Hebrews 12:28-13:16 ). That is why it is so important to tune our hearts so the words of our mouths and the motives of our hearts align with God's will and work. Then our private worship, whether alone in quiet or in a group with fellow believers, becomes the tuning fork for our hearts and lives so that our public worship, our lives lived out in the world, will play the song of God to a world that has not yet heard ...

How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. — 2 Samuel 7:22 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Remember how the Ten Commandments began? "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me" ( Exodus 20:2-3 ). Our God is the Sovereign LORD! No one is like him, and no false god rivals him. So we, Jesus' disciples and children of God today, need to join King David in his praise: "How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you...!" Some truths are better acknowledged, believed, and proclaimed than discussed, so today we affirm that truth to ourselves and proclaim it to others rather than waste time on discussing it: "How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you...!" My Prayer... Holy, righteous, and living God, we hold you in the highest place in our hearts. Please forgive ...

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing, and perfect will. — Romans 12:2 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Don't let the world mold you. Wow, isn't that a tough command to obey? It reminds us that what we allow into our minds makes it a place of spiritual warfare. Sloppy thinking is more than sloppiness; it's dangerous because the world feeds us messages that constantly distort God's truth and the holy values he calls us to live. Rather than being incensed by the world acting like the world, let's be transformed by renewing our minds and by doing what Paul said he did - "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" ( 2 Corinthians 10:5 ). Let's not let our minds be molded and conformed to the world, but let them be renewed as we are transformed by the power of God's Spirit. My Prayer... ...

"I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." — Jeremiah 29:11 Thoughts on Today's Verse... When Israel lay devastated in the face of a ruthless enemy that would rob them of all their glory and strip bare the very soul of God's people, God issued his promise. While the destruction visited upon them was in response to their rebellion and sin, God's punishment wasn't punitive alone; it was also redemptive. In their destruction, God promised prosperity, hope, and a future. That future was in him, not their worthiness or deservedness. Just as a doctor must sometimes cause pain when he or she sets a broken bone so it may heal properly, God's discipline is not capricious but curative and ultimately life-giving. If you are dealing with a hard time when God may be disciplining you, please remember this promise from Jeremiah 29 , which is also reflected in Paul's ...

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. — Proverbs 3:5-6 Thoughts on Today's Verse... When things are tough, I call on the LORD and lean on his mercy and grace. Deep in my heart, however, I fear I may have made him into my rip-cord Savior - the one I go to only in times of trouble. When I'm reveling in my blessings and things are going well, I am much like the Israelites. I forget to acknowledge that all my blessings and opportunities have come because of the LORD's grace. In my joy and success, I must learn to acknowledge him and not rely on my own wisdom and strength. The wisdom of Proverbs challenges me to honor God and acknowledge him "in all my ways," not just call on him in hard times. I must trust in the LORD and acknowledge my need for him in the good and the bad times, the easy and the challenging circumstances. I invite you to join me in committ...