Check out “The Birth of Jesus: Luke 1-2” on Spark Bible.

The Baptism of Jesus: Luke 3-9

Check out “The Birth of Jesus: Luke 1-2” on Spark Bible.

A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, Is God in his holy habitation. Psalm 68:5 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.68.5.KJV

I finished the Everything I Need Bible reading plan from @YouVersion! Check it out here: http://bible.com/r/5wZ

I have enjoyed sharing this Bible Study with you all. If you would like to explore other Bible Studies on You Version, feel free to do so, because there is something for everyone to do and enjoy. Have a blessed day, stay safe, and God bless.

Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 18:19 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.18.19.KJV

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, And into his courts with praise: Be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; And his truth endureth to all generations. Psalm 100:4‭-‬5 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.100.4-5.KJV

O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, And art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, But, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, And laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; Even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; But the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins: Thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Marvellous are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, When I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; And in thy book all my members were written, Which in continuance were fashioned, When as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: When I awake, I am still with thee. Psalm 139:1‭-‬18 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.139.1-18.KJV

Very often, when I think that I desperately want or need something new in my life, what I’m really craving is God’s presence, God’s voice, and God’s Word. In His presence, fear flees faster than the tiny lizards that line my path on a South Florida sidewalk, peace falls like a warm blanket on a snowy day, and dreams leap and dance with newfound delight.   Dreams that we didn’t even know existed in our hearts.   In His presence, we dream in new ways. We align with His heart because He abides in ours and transforms us from the inside out. We find purpose through the Truth of His Word. In His presence, anything we ever needed simply overflows in every aspect of our lives. Out of that abundance we create with the Master Creator, and the Master Creator creates through us.   He is always and forever crafting new things out of the old and dried up areas in your life. God doesn’t simply change your circumstances and battles, but writes NEW stories, NEW memories, and NEW adventures.   God’s presence makes broken things whole. Not because of anything we have done, but because He is whole. He is unbroken; He is undamaged. He is not divided or disjoined; He isn’t injured or impaired. He isn’t wounded; He is complete. He isn’t hurt. He is sound.  And through Jesus Christ, we are also whole. We are made new in His presence. There is nothing like pressing into His presence in pursuit of our portion through Him. There is nothing like pursuing the Provider. Pursue your Provider with praise & thankfulness, with worship, and with the truth of His Word. And don’t always try to pursue by yourself, even when it is awkward or embarrassing. Fight through the desire to retreat to the comfort of solitude on your couch (or with the empty company of Netflix). Where there are two or more gathered in His name, God has promised to be there. I’ve seen amazingly powerful miracles done in the hearts and bodies of those who seek God together… I’ve had them happen in my own life. Get in community and stay in community. It’s how we were made to grow.  Proclaim that God is the God over every good and bad season, both the dry and the fruitful seasons, and the busy and the restful seasons. He wants to hear us proclaim this truth, because His truth is good and strong. When we speak His truth, we find joy and we become grateful. He desires our thankfulness, our praise, and our worship because He knows it will remind us that He is on the throne and has already gone ahead of anything we may be facing today.    My heart beats for you, the reader of these words. More than anything, I want you to know Him, and just how good He is. He doesn’t leave us on our own, He doesn’t sit back and watch us fend for ourselves when we ask for His help.  He has promised us that when we seek Him, we will find Him. Regardless of where we are, and how we got there, God has a perfect portion waiting for us. Closing Reflection and Prayer God, every good and perfect gift comes from You, and we can’t even fathom what You have in store for us in the future… but we do know that You have already secured it, already paid for it, already laid out a path for us to get it. God, we want to be where You are. We want to see Your face, to hear Your voice, to be in the very presence of perfect Love. Love undefiled. Love as pure as the cry of a newly born babe.   Come meet the person reading this right where they are at this moment, for You know them completely. You know the struggles, the battles, the failures, and the mountains they are fighting against. You know what is needed to win, and You already have it secured. More than the good gifts You bring to us all, bring Your presence to them right now. In the tension, in the darkness, in the battle, in the wilderness, we will not stop praising You, worshipping You, crying out for You, trusting You, humbling ourselves to You, and remembering how You have faithfully brought us here. We wait expectantly for You, O Lord. You are our perfect portion. You are everything we need.

I just finished day 2 of the @YouVersion plan ‘Everything I Need’. Check it out here: http://bible.com/r/5wZ

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up, Above mine enemies round about me: Therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD. Psalm 27:4‭-‬6 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.27.4-6.KJV

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:25‭-‬26‭, ‬28‭-‬34 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.6.25-34.KJV

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; With favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. Psalm 5:11‭-‬12 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.5.11-12.KJV

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:25‭-‬27‭, ‬29‭-‬34 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.6.25-34.KJV

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; With favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. Psalm 5:11‭-‬12 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.5.11-12.KJV

Because God has gone before us and protects us from behind, He has our battles already handled. He has the blind side covered. He isn’t surprised by curveballs. The more that we attempt to wield the battle sword and lead the charge without Him, the more we will grow weary and struggle. He went ahead of us and secured for us the exact measure of salvation that we need. The exact portion that was designed for us.   There is literally nothing better than the portion He secured for your life, because your God-ordained portion is for you and you alone. Your portion will provide wholeness and abundance for you, but not necessarily for your neighbor. Likewise, your neighbor’s portion is not necessarily the same make and model that you need. It is in God’s measured and perfect portion for you that you become fully awake and fully alive.   God wants to give you His portion for your life. He’s not in the business of withholding good gifts, He’s in the business of perfecting them. If you ask Him for bread, He will not give you a stone… so ask! He can’t wait for you to enjoy the portion, the measure, that is wonderfully and uniquely yours.  Just don’t go into the asking with a preconceived notion of what that portion is.   It’s when we go ahead of God and develop our own dreams and goals without aligning to God’s purpose that we find ourselves mightily disappointed. Remember today that He is YOUR portion, that He has a carefully measured gift that has been painstakingly purchased for you. Jesus Christ worked for you. He labored for you. He endured for you. He bled for you. He died for you. But most importantly, He didn’t just take all of your battles on His shoulders for you, He defeated each and every thing that threatened you so that you can live fully alive.   God is everything you need. Yesterday, today, and forever. And all of this talk about portion is making me hungry. I’m off to get a cookie.   Reflection: What is the difference between wanting something and needing something? I think of it like a chocolate cake. I want it all the time, but I truly may never need it. Do you believe the portion God has for you is based more on want or need? Read Matthew 6:26-33. What is God telling you through His words here in these verses? Often knowing God’s portion requires us to come near to Him, to read His Word and pursue His presence. How are you doing that today?