Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
Galatians 5:13-15
This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. Then it gives peace. It is gentle and willing to obey (submissive). It is full of loving-kindness and of doing good. It has no doubts and does not pretend to be something it is not (without hypocrisy, sincere) . Those who plant seeds of peace will gather what is right and good. James 3:17-18 NLV
James 1:5 says if we ask for wisdom, God gives it generously. Its great to rest in God’s liberal wisdom. Sometimes while asking for wisdom, it’s important to make sure that there’s not another spiritual matter going on, or the wisdom we ask for can get caught up & distorted in confusion given by no other than its author. The author of confusion is a stranger’s voice. We certainly don’t ever want to follow that advice.
God’s wisdom is pure. It leads to peace, gentleness, & submission. God’s wisdom leads to our undoubting willingness. A stranger’s voice leads to the opposite. It’s important to distinguish between the 2.
No matter how long we’ve been walking with God, we still need to be careful of the stranger’s voice.
Dear Heavenly Father-
Help me to only listen to your voice and when I hear it, to be completely and totally obedient. My heart’s desire is the center of your will. Forgive me for anything I’ve caused to get in the way of your good, pleasing, and perfect will in my life. I’m sorry.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:24
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. Then it gives peace. It is gentle and willing to obey. It is full of loving-kindness and of doing good. It has no doubts and does not pretend to be something it is not. 18 Those who plant seeds of peace will gather what is right and good. James 3:17-18 NLV
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:17-18 NKJV
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
James 3:17-18 NIV
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
James 1:22-25
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24
John 14:15 – “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
1 John 5:3 – For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
Luke 6:46 – “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?