Starting this new life was simple. You prayed the “Save Me, Jesus, Prayer” and believed your sins were forgiven.

God is all-powerful. Healing is as simple for Him as forgiving sins.

Mark 2:9-12, “Which is simpler, to say to the paraplegic, ‘I forgive your sins,’ or ‘Get up, take your stretcher, and start walking’? (10) Well, just so its clear that I’m the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both…” (He looked at the paraplegic), (11) “Get up. Pick up your stretcher and go home.” (12) “And the man did it – got up, grabbed his stretcher, and walked out, with everyone there watching him. They rubbed their eyes, incredulous – and then praised God, saying, ‘We’ve never seen anything like this!’ ” The Message

Jesus wants to heal us!

Luke 5:12-13, “One day in one of the villages there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus he fell down before him in prayer and said, ‘If you want to, you can cleanse me.’ (13) Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, ‘I want to. Be clean.’ Then and there his skin was smooth, the leprosy gone.” The Message

Telling others you are believing for healing is unnecessary. The results will speak for themselves.

Luke 5:14, “Jesus instructed him, ‘Don’t talk about this all over town. …Your cleansed and obedient life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done.’ ” The Message

God wants us to prosper in every area of our life.

3 John 1:2, “…for good fortune in everything you do, and for your good health – that your everyday affairs prosper, as well as your soul!” The Message

Our soul is our mind, will, and emotions. The only way to renew our mind is through the Word of God. We pray Bible verses over our problems. We believe until we see it.

Speak these verses over your body until you see it.

• Psalms 103:3 – God heals all diseases.
• Psalms 103:4 – God renews my youth.
• Proverbs 4:22 – God makes my bones healthy.
• Jeremiah 30:17 – God cures the incurable.
• Matthew 4:24 – Jesus heals mental, emotional, and physical.
• Matthew 9:35 – Jesus heals hurt lives and diseased bodies.
• Luke 4:40 – Jesus healed anyone and everyone.
• Acts 28:9 – God healed anyone and everyone.
• 1 Timothy 1:7 – Jesus gives us a sound mind.

Do you have a healing testimony?

©2009-2018 thisyearsbiblereadingguide.com. All Rights Reserved.

#bible

You prayed the “Save Me, Jesus, Prayer” and couldn’t believe the freedom you felt. Then everything seemed to go wrong. Did you do something wrong? Are you being punished?

No, you are doing something right and the devil is mad. Satan tested Jesus!

You will have a test.

Matthew 4:4, “Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. …” The Message

Deny yourself to prepare for the test. Don’t give in to your whims.

Matthew 4:2, “Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights.” The Message

Get your answers from the Bible.

Matthew 4:4, “Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: ‘It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.’ ” The Message

Satan will use Bible verses – taken out of context – to trick you.

Matthew 4:5-6, “For the second test the Devil took Him to the Holy City. He sat Him on top of the Temple. (6) And said, ‘Since you are God’s Son, jump.’ The Devil goaded Him by quoting Psalm 91: ‘He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone.’ ” The Message

Read the verses before and after the quote to understand them.

Matthew 4:7, “Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: ‘Don’t you dare test the Lord your God.’ ” The Message

Satan’s goal is to keep you following him. He uses things, power, fame, and pride to tempt you.

Matthew 4:8-9, “For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, ‘They’re yours – lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.’ ” The Message

Don’t back down.

Matthew 4:10, “Jesus’ refusal was curt: ‘Beat it, Satan!’ He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and only Him. Serve Him with absolute single-heartedness.’ ” The Message

Remember testing means you’re doing something right! And if you fail the test, repent and start again.

Are you in a test right now?

©2009-2018 thisyearsbiblereadingguide.com. All Rights Reserved.

#bible

So you are walking with Jesus. It is all new, fresh, and exciting! But, what next?

Start Each Day With God

Give the day to Him. Ask Him to guide you.

1. You can pray “The Lord’s Prayer,” see Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4.
2. You can pray the “Days of the Week” Prayer.
   1. Sunday – For the church service and your pastors.
   2. Monday – For your family.
   3. Tuesday – For your church family and friends.
   4. Wednesday – For your country, state, county, and city.
   5. Thursday – for area schools and colleges.
   6. Friday – For your personal needs.
   7. Saturday – For the missionaries and their families.
3. Just talk to God. Thank Him for what He’s done and share your concerns with Him.

Learn About God

1. Of course, I will recommend the 2019 “Relevant” Bible Reading Guide!
2. But, if you are just starting out, read one chapter of John each day. After you finish John, read one chapter of Romans a day.
3. For those coming back to God – read one chapter of Proverbs for wisdom.
4. To learn how to worship God – read five chapters of Psalms each day.
5. Be honest with yourself. If you know you won’t read a chapter a day, start small. The “Habit-Forming Guide” will get you started.
6. The “Babysteps” Bible Reading Guide starts with the shortest chapters and goes to the longest.

No matter which plan you use – God will speak to you. The Bible is alive!

Hebrews 4:12-13, “God means what He says. What He says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. (13) Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it – no matter what.” The Message

Listen to God

He doesn’t speak in a booming voice. His words do not come with thunder and lightning. God whispers. He is the voice of your conscience. He nudges. He makes directions clear. He opens doors and shuts doors. And He speaks in dreams.

Matthew 1:20, “While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: ‘Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived.’ ” The Message

* * * * * * *

Matthew 2:12, “In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they worked out another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country.” The Message

* * * * * * *

Matthew 2:13, “After the scholars were gone, God’s angel showed up again in Joseph’s dream and commanded, ‘Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him.’ ” The Message

* * * * * * *

Matthew 2:19-20, “Later, when Herod died, God’s angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. (20) ‘Up, take the child and his mother and return to Israel. All those out to murder the child are dead.’ ” The Message

Talk with Bible Teachers

Show up for Sunday School. Attend Bible studies. Listen and ask questions. Remember everything they teach has to agree with the Bible. That’s why we have to know the Bible.

Hebrews 10:25, “Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.” The Message

Christianity is not a solitary pursuit. Get with a group – we need each other.

Do you have a group to study with? Has God spoken to you in a dream?

©2009-2018 thisyearsbiblereadingguide.com. All Rights Reserved.

#bible

I didn’t understand my mother until I became one. I didn’t fully appreciate my mother-in-law until I became one.

David’s mother, Phyllis, had brain cancer when they used massive doses of radiation and chemotherapy. She lived in care facilities for years. I really couldn’t get to know her. She called me Sam.

My mother-in-law is Jane. When she married David’s father, she became a mother and grandmother! My daughter was a month old and she latched on to Jane. We used to joke that she loved Jane more than me! We have a picture of Grandpa holding Laura and she’s reaching her arm out to Jane.

Jane went above and beyond for me. Every Saturday, she took Luke and Laura, who are 21 months apart, for a few hours. I used that time to comb garage sales for children’s clothes. I was a stay-at-home mom and money was tight. I don’t know what I would have done without her.

* * * * * * *

“Ruth” is about a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law, Naomi. They lost everything and Ruth chose to stay with Naomi.

“…God raising up leaders who direct and guide through the tangle of difficulties always involved in living joyfully and responsively before God. Very impressive. …Our unimpressive, very ordinary lives make us feel like outsiders to such a star-studded cast. …But the story of the widowed, impoverished, alien Ruth is proof to the contrary. …In its artful telling of this ‘outside’ widow, uprooted and obscure, who turns out to be the great-grandmother of David and the ancestor of Jesus, the book of Ruth makes it possible for each of us to understand ourselves, however ordinary or ‘out-of-it,’ as irreplaceable in the full telling of God’s story. We count – every last one of us – and what we do counts.” The Message Introduction to Ruth

Ruth moved to a foreign country to take care of Naomi. She didn’t ask her to do it. She told her to go back to her father’s house. But, if Ruth did that, she would have to go back to her father’s gods. Her love for God was the reason she refused to leave Naomi.

Loving God is the glue that holds a marriage together – when you “fall out of love.” The good news? You will fall in love with them again. And each time you fall in love a little deeper.

You hear these verses in many weddings. They sound so romantic. But they are the words of a daughter-in-law to her mother-in-law.

Ruth 1:16-17, “But Ruth said, ‘Don’t force me to leave you; don’t make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I’ll live. Your people are my people, your God is my God; (17) where you die, I’ll die, and that’s where I’ll be buried, so help me God – not even death itself is going to come between us.’ ” The Message

Love is not something you feel. Love is something you do. Don’t confuse romance with love. Or worse, don’t confuse lust with love.

God showed us how to love: Give your best. He gave his only Son.

Give even when it hurts. Jesus was gone for 33 years. There were years of silence while the human Jesus learned to talk. God had to reveal Himself to His human Son.

A common complaint of mothers-in-law is they don’t see their son and his family often. Yet, that is by design.

Genesis 2:24, “Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh.” The Message

Men need that time apart to learn to stand on their own two feet. They are creating a new family. The rewards of letting go? Grandchildren!

If your relationship with your mother-in-law is rocky  – keep loving God.

If your relationship with your daughter(s)in-laws are rocky – keep loving God.

If you’re lucky enough to have a grandmother-in-law – count your blessings! That relationship may only last a short time.

Even if your in-laws abandon you – God will not.

Ruth 2:20, “…God hasn’t quite walked out on us after all! He still loves us, in bad times as well as good!” The Message

Merry Christmas, Jane!

©2009-2018 thisyearsbiblereadingguide.com. All Rights Reserved.

#bible