“Two are better than one… If one falls down, his friend can help him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

"God likes two together. The Bible says in Matthew 18 that there is power when two or more pray in agreement. One can put a thousand to flight, but two can put ten thousand to flight! Where there are two or more gathered in His name, God is there. And just like Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs of two to fulfill their mission, God will send a friend or partner to come along side you to help you fulfill your life’s mission. You may not see that special friend or partner right now; but remember, you are never alone because you and God are a majority. Why don’t you step out and be that friend that someone needs today. Is there someone in your life that you can reach out to and offer encouragement and support? Can you be that friend that helps someone when they fall? Sometimes a simple phone call or note of encouragement is all it takes. Be willing to support your friends. Get behind their dreams and encourage them to press forward. As you sow those seeds of hope and faith, God will bring people in your life to encourage you, too, and you’ll move forward in victory all the days of your life."

Father God, thank You for the privilege to come before Your throne. Thank You for empowering me by Your Spirit. I ask that You show me ways to be a blessing and encouragement to the people around me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4, NIV).

"Did you know that you can rejoice always? In fact, as believers, we are commanded to rejoice. Rejoicing opens the door for victory in your life. When you rejoice and worship the Lord, you are making a declaration that your God is bigger than your problems! You are making a declaration that you trust Him! Now you may be thinking, 'How can I rejoice if I don’t feel like rejoicing?' Well, that word 'rejoice' in the original Greek is 'chairo' and it is actually a verb, an action word. You can choose to rejoice with your words and with your actions, no matter what you may be feeling. You may have to do what David did in Psalm 103, and actually tell yourself, 'Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me.' When you make the choice to rejoice always, God will pour out His supernatural joy and strength upon you so you can live in victory in every area of your life today! "

Lord, thank You for Your Word today that brings freedom to my soul. I choose to rejoice in You always. I choose to declare Your goodness and faithfulness in all things. I bless Your name today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

On a gorgeous afternoon, my husband was eager to get out and enjoy the woods. The kids are always up for a hike and rushed to put on long sleeves, pants, and rubber boots so they could tromp around with Dad. My young son, Skylar, was bound and determined that he'd be in full camoflage and he found his camo pants with no problem. But his camo shirt wasn't where it was supposed to be. He checked his pants drawer, just in case it had found its way into the wrong spot, but to no avail. Then he did what any self-respecting six-year-old would do....."Moooom!"

I went through the same procedure he'd already been through and even checked his closet in case I'd been really ambitious the day I'd put the shirt away, but it was nowhere to be found. I heaved a big sigh and said, "Buddy, just pick a different shirt. I can't find that one."

That's when my boy, laying comfortably on the floor as he waited for me to search, said, "Can I pray to God and Jesus first, and then we'll look again?"

Okay, here's the part of the story I wish could be different. This is the point I wish I could write that my response was an enthusiastic, "Yes, Skylar! That's exactly what we need to do!" But instead, I actually hesitated, I mean I had just looked through those entire drawers and that shirt was not there. So I ended up softly saying, "Go ahead, Buddy," and biting my tongue so that I didn't add, "but don't be disappointed if we still can't find it."

I watched as my little man of faith rolled to his side, folded his hands, and prayed silently with his precious eyes screwed shut. I said my own little prayer that went something like this:  "God, this could be a faith-breaker for this little boy. Please help us find that shirt!" But I confess I offered it up while already trying to decide how to phrase the lesson when the shirt still wasn't there.

I can imagine Jesus shaking his head, saying to me, "Oh, ye of little faith," and smiling because he was about to astound me. When Skylar said "Amen", the shirt drawer was opened for a third time and....Voila! There was the camo shirt! How had we missed it! Sure it was buried, but I'd dug through the whole drawer. I told Skylar with much ado that Jesus sure did hear his prayer and see his faith. But he simply put on his shirt and said, "Yep, Thanks, Jesus" very matter of factly, but happily. He was not surprised. He expected it all along. And I really hat that I didn't.

Why are we like that sometimes? We know we are to walk by faith, not by sight. We know to ask in expectation, right? Today's scripture illustrates exactly what happened. I didn't approach the throne as a little child and that prevented my entering into a higher realm in my relationship with God. Instead of Skylar's, "Thanks, Jesus, I knew you'd come through" approach--which just added another solid layer to his faith--I was lagging behind, stuefied at what seemed a miracle. My faith increased too, but Skylar was in camaraderie mode and I was just kind of a dumbfounded observer.

 I never want to lose my sense of awe, but I guess I want to move from being surprised when my prayers are answered to simply being appreciative and grateful. Just like a little child.

Dear Lord, Your Word tells us that the love You’ve lavished on us is so great and we are Your children.  Help us come to You with the faith of a child.  Help us to pray in full expectation of Your power being manifested in our lives, so that when we experience it, we marvel at it and appreciate it, but we’re not surprised by it. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life...” (Psalm 23:6).

"Do you know what goodness is? It’s God’s favor. In the above verse, David was saying, “Favor follows me everywhere I go.” David knew he had an advantage. He knew God would assist him. He knew he could expect preferential treatment. David had this favor mentality. All through the Psalms, he constantly talks about God’s favor. You see, something is going to follow you throughout life. If you go around thinking, “Nothing good ever happens to me. I never get any breaks.” Then you’re going to have defeat, mediocrity, and lack following you around. But if you’ll switch over into this favor mentality and say, “God’s favor gives me an advantage. God’s favor is bringing success. God’s favor is making my crooked places straight...” then you’ll have blessings chasing you down! You’ll walk in promotion! You’ll experience increase! You will be destined for success! Choose to have a avor mentality today so you can enjoy the goodness and mercy God has stored up for you!"

Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace and mercy. Thank you for showing me your goodness. Thank you for showing me your favor. I accept your promises for me today and let go of every negative thought. Thank you for your peace today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Psalm 29

 2 Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name;
         Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
         
 3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
         The God of glory thunders; 
                 
 5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars,
         Yes, the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon.

 6 He makes them also skip like a calf,
         
 7 The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire.
         
 8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
         
 9 The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth,
         And strips the forests bare;
         And in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”
         
 10 The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood,
         And the LORD sits as King forever.

 11 The LORD will give strength to His people;
         The LORD will bless His people with peace.