*This post is coming to you a few days early as our staff travels with Beth, which you will read more about below.
Hey, Everybody! It’s May! We are making progress, Girls! By now you are getting some verses down in your bones. I was thrilled two weekends ago when we had our clandestine Siesta picture after the end of our Albuquerque Living Proof Live and a bunch of them brought their spirals. Talk about teacher’s pets! Here they are:
OK! I’ve done a little video – a really, really short one this time – where I say my verses to you while I’m on a walk in our woods so this stands as my official entry for Verse 9! I’m doing memory work right now out of Ephesians Chapter Four and it is so powerful. As you’ll hear in this segment, God seems to have a tremendous partiality to the number ONE.
Y’all, I love doing this with you. I love an SSMT year. You are so dear to us. By the time you’re submitting your verses, I’ll be speaking in London at Hillsong Colour Conference. Our whole LPM staff is coming and many of our volunteers. Melissa is with me and will be heading up a short tour with our volunteers after the Hillsong conference ends, giving emphasis to several figures in Christianity who had tremendous influence on Spiritual formation. We are looking extremely forward to it. Her suitcase weighed 10 whole pounds more than mine strictly from books. Made me grin. The girl is a book nerd if you’ll ever meet one. We were so sad Amanda couldn’t come on this trip but she needed to be home with her very busy family this round. We miss her like nobody’s business. Would all of you please pray for us as we labor in this gorgeous field of harvest? Please ask Jesus to pour out His Holy Spirit lavishly upon us and to give us such hearts of love for every person we serve.  When I say, ask Jesus to pour out His Spirit, I mean like GUSHES. FLOODS, TIDAL WAVES of Living Water. Understand what I’m saying? PRAY BIG. Get in there with your faith if you’d be willing and ask God to be enormously present among us here. Ask for many to be saved, many to be delivered from strongholds, healed, and made whole in Jesus. Ask for multitudes to awaken to the breadth and length and height and depth of the borderless love of Jesus. Thank you! I owe you a debt of love which I gladly, joyfully pay.
Ok, Girls! Hit it with those verses!
Tricia Rea, Auburn, AL
“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
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you;in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zechariah 3:17 NIV
Michone, Butte, MT
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 NKJV
Sam, Colorado Springs
The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 8:6, NIV
Deborah, Hartsville, SC “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”-Matthew 5:48 NASB
Sharon Hyde, Independence, MO
“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” Psalm 23:3 (NLT)
Karen Whatley, Little Rock, Arkansas
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Cindy from San Angelo, TX
Please forgive me for adding another Scripture but I am behind in posting. If this is not OK, please let me know.
Romans 10:9 NIV
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 NIV
Redfield, AR
Job 23:11 (NKJV)
[11]Â My foot has held fast to His steps;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
Dawn Terpstra, Orland Park, IL “”God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” Philippians 2:13 (NIV)
Palm Harbor, FL
MICAH 6:8
He has shown you, oh man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
“For it is by grace you have been saved by faith. And this is not from yourselves – it is the gift of God.”
Ephesians 2:8. NIV
Cindy from San Angelo, TX
One more!
Romans 8:9 NIV
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.
James 1:3-4 AMP
Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance, steadfastness and patience.
But let endurance steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects] lacking in nothing.
Frisco, TX
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV
Praise be to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Compassion, and the God of all Comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.)
Patty Lincoln, Columbia, SC: “By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us–set us right with Him, make us fit for Him–we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus.” Rom. 5:1 MSG
Calgary, AB, Canada
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter —
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Isaiah 58:7 (NIV)
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philipians 3:14 NIV
Barb, Lakeland, FL
“Christ has set us free! He wants us to enjoy freedom. So stand firm. Don’t let the chains of slavery hold you again.” Galatians 5:1. NIRV
Jackie Adington – Waynesburg, KY – God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. (â€Psalm‬ â€46‬:â€5‬ ESV)
Allyson
League City TX
Psalm 86:7 ESV
“In the day of my trouble I call upon You, for You answer me.”
Roseanne, Tacoma, WA
offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and preform your vows to the Most High.
And call upon Me in the day of trouble,
I will deliver you and you shall glorify ME.
Psalm 50:14-15
Morgan Cosby, Arlington, VA
2 Corinthians 10:5 (TLB…verses 3-4 provide context)
These weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding Him. With these weapons, I can capture rebeles and bring them back to God and change them into men whose heart’s desire is obedience to Christ.
Psm 67 niv
‘May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us, that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise You, O God; may the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You. Then the land will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him.’
Katie Nicholls ~ Tucson, AZ
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Eph 5:1-2 ESV
Lauren H., Cincinnati, OH: “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.” Colossians 1:9 (NIV)
Anna, Cincinnati, OH
“The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)
Janet Bell
Pinson, Al
This is my command–be strong and courageous!
Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your
God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:19 NIV
Heidi Duffield; DeWitt, AR
“Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death – even to death on a cross.” Philippians 2:7,8 (HCSB)
Kim, Nashville, TN
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ..
Ephesians 4:15 (ESV)
For the whole law is fulfilled in one Word “you shall love your neighbor as yourself”
Galatians 5:14
Robin, Chambersburg, PA
One thing I have desired of the LORD,
that will I seek:
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 inquire in His temple.
Psalm 27:4, NKJV
Beth Belflower
Caddo Mills, Texas
Psalm 16:5-6(ESV)
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
Elizabeth Johnston
Guilin, China
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. -Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)
Jennifer – Almont, MI
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal. 2Corinthians 4:18
Zephania 3:17 – I rejoice over you with singing…
Carol McAlisterville, PA
He himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness. By his wounds your were healed.
1 Peter 2:24(NET)
Pam Nelson, Brighton ,CO
Ephesians 3:18, HCSB
may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love,
San Bernardino Ca.
But unto every 0ne of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of christ.Eph 4:7 kjv.
Christy, Cape Girardeau, MO. Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. James 3:1 (NIV)
Kira Chaloupka; Auburn, AL
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)
Morgan Myers from Chandler, OK
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. (â€Hebrews‬ â€4‬:â€12‬ NLT)
Jill Greer, Medina, TN
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV
Missy S, Chapel Hill, NC
“And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” ~1 John‬ â€2‬:â€17‬ (ESV)
College Station, Texas
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
Brown City, MI Hebrews 12:11 (GWT) “We don’t enjoy being disciplined. It always seems to cause more pain than joy. But later on, those who learn from that discipline have peace that comes from doing what is right.
Anita, Lawrenceville.
Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. Psalms 33:20 ESV
Denise Ciofani, Lexington, NC. “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].” James 5:16 AMP
Sorry, this verse is James 5:16b – not the entire verse!
Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” (â€Mark‬ â€8‬:â€27-29‬ NIV)