READY? AIM! FIRE!
Happy New Year, my dear sisters in Jesus! Last night I wrote a letter to the Lord Jesus right before I went to sleep and recalled His faithfulness through a tumultuous year. Right before I turned out the light, I opened up Daily Light for the last Scripture reading for the year and it offered this verse:
The Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way you went until you came to this place. Deut. 1:31
I could have cried. Yes, He surely did. And He carried you, too. Tightly in His faithful arms.
Only God knows what this particular year has in store for us. He alone sees how the path will wind, and climb, and fall, and rise again. We do not have control over the future as we glance ahead to 2011 but make no mistake. He does and we, His lavishly loved daughters, can indeed prepare to live what He thoughtfully brings our way victoriously. On this first day of the new year, we are not victims. We are called to live as victors, holding up the Shield of Faith in one hand and the Sword of the Spirit in the other.We need BOTH.
It’s finally time to post your first memory verse of 24 in 2011! If you haven’t already read the instructions thoroughly, please look at the post on December 26th titled “Siesta Scripture Memory Instructions.” It will tell you everything you need to know. Just a quick refresher: Your comments will almost entirely consist of these entries:
First name, city, verse, reference, and version.
Please keep it limited to these facts so that the verses stand out prominently for us to behold. You can occasionally say something as brief as “I’m excited!” Or “I need prayer!” but nothing longer than that please. Let’s let the Scriptures themselves rise like we’re looking at them with our 3-D glasses on.
Here’s my first Scripture entry of 24 in 2011:
Beth, Houston: All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. James 1:17 The NET Bible
Be sure and hand write your verse in your spiral to help engrave it on your sweet mind. Also consider writing your contact information on the inside cover in case you leave it somewhere and God causes someone gracious to find it.
I love to claim Psalm 65:11 on the first day of the new year:
You crown the year with Your good blessings, and You leave abundance in Your wake. The NET Bible
Lord, I want an abundance of Your Holy Spirit! (See Luke 11:13!) Abba, go before us this year and leave the fragrance of Your very presence in Your wake!
OK, Siestas! Hit it! I’ve prayed for you and can’t wait to pursue the Lord Jesus Christ with you this year. If some of you don’t know which verse to use this time around, consider Psalm 65:11. It’s a great first round.
Remember to wait 24 hours from the time you post your comment until you assume it got lost and enter it again. So many comments come in at once on these Scripture memory posts that the server bogs down, causing it to take extra time.
I love you, Sisters! Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can do this! Remember, KEEP IT SIMPLE AND MEANINGFUL!
Kay from Deer Park – Romans 15:13 NIV
13 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.
For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” Romans 10:13 NIV
Isabel, El Dorado Hills
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. — Isaiah 43: 18-19
Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light, and there was light.” All my verses will have to do with light.
Melanie from Rapid City, SD
“I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.” Jeremiah 29:11 New Century Version
LeAnn Puyallup, WA
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2 (NIV)
Amber from Hernando,
“Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,(truth)we wait for you; your name and your renown are the desire of our hearts.” -Isaiah 26:8-NIV
AnaLisa, Saint Paul: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 ESV
Amber from Hernando, MS
“Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,(truth)we wait for you; your name and your renown are the desire of our hearts.” -Isaiah 26:8-NIV
“I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope.” ~ Psalm 130:5 (NIV, 2010)
Taylor, Sarajevo Bosnia, I have seen His ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners, creating the praise of the lips. Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near, says the Lord, “and I will heal him.” Isaiah 57:18-19 (NASB)
Sarah – Duncan, British Columbia CA
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
* Proverbs 31:25-26 (NIV)
Heather, Tumwater
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but (He has given us a spirit) of power and of love and of calm and well-ballanced mind and discipline and self control.
2 Timothy 1:7 Amplified Bible
Jenny, Tulsa: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13, NASB
Jody, Yuma Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you, he will never let the righteous fall.
Psalm 55:22 NIV
Carol, Santa Maria, Psalm 138:8 KJV, “The LORD will perfect that which concerns me: Thy mercy, O LORD, endures forever: forsake not the works of Thine own hands.”
Jessica, Hernando, MS
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” -Romans 5:1-2 – ESV
Martina, (Roseau, MN):
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 4:29 NIV
Kelley, Laguna Niguel- And I am SURE of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Phil. 1:6 (ESV)
Lisa, Lynnwood, WA “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130 NIV
Andrea from Surprise, Arizona: “‘And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.'” Zechariah 2:5 ~ ESV
Trisha, Midland, TX: Psalm 51:6,8,10 “Behold, You desire truth in the inner being; make me therefore to know wisdom in my inmost heart… Make me hear joy and gladness and be satisfied… Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering and steadfast spirit within me.” Amplified
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
Rachel, Flagstaff (AZ):
“God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”
~Numbers 23:19 (NIV)
Jami from Fayetteville, NC
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:10-13
Tiffany – Sandwich, IL
Psalm 65:11 “You crown the year with Your good blessings, and You leave abundance in Your wake.” The NET Bible
Do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and He punishes everyone He has accepted as a son.
Hebrews 12:5-6
Dawn, Dubuque, IA
My soul finds rest in God alone: my salvation comes from him. Psalm 62:1 (NIV)
Mary Margaret – Birmingham, AL
“Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.”
Philippians 4:1 ESV
Lauren, Austin: Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4 (NIV)
“May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14 NLT
Jessica (North Bend, WA)
Who is among you that fears the LORD, that obeys the voice of His servant, that walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.
Isaiah 50:10 (NASB)
Pam, Bellevue, WA, “For 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, NIV
Kim, WA
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 42:11 NIV
Deborah – Nashville, TN
“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” -Philippians 3:14 (NLT)
Starting a weight loss journey–
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Cassie, Fulshear, TX: “Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.” Hosea 6:3 (NLT)
Karen from AZ : John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” NIV
Sandra, Afghanistan:
“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.” Philippians 3:8 + five words from verse 9
Oops, NLT. Did I make it in time? We had a 12 hr power outage…
You’re just fine, Sandra. Sorry about your outage!
Sherry, Fulshear, TX: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord trun his face toward you and give you peace” NUM 6:24-26 (NIV)
Halei from Fort Worth, Proverbs 18:21(Message)..”Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.”
Allison from Midland, Texas:
“People with their minds set on you,
you keep completely whole,
Steady on their feet,
because they keep at it and don’t quit.
Depend on God and keep at it
because in the Lord God you have a sure thing.”
Isaiah 26:3-4 (the message)
Sarah, San Diego.
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”
Isaiah 9:2 NIV
2 Corinthians 7:1
With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let’s make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let’s make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God. The Message
For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.
Ps. 62:1 ESV
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6
from Appleton WI…. Th Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way you went until you came to this place. Deut. 1:31
Margaret, Coeur d’ Alene, ID
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you WILL find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Mt. 11:28-30 NKJV
Carolyn Santa Maria, CA
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things.
Philippians 4:8 NKJ
Cindy, Jackson Hole
Psalm 62:1,2: My soul finds rest in God alone.
My salvation comes from him
He alone is my rock and my salvation
He is my fortress. I will never be shaken
NIV