A new life

 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 

1 Peter 1:3 NKJV 

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Please join me this week in praying for the new year. Pray for physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Pray that through the turmoil, we will see an unprecedented number of people come to know Jesus and that God will be glorified through it all. Pray for the Church to be united and of one mind so that non-believers may see the peace and hope we have in Jesus.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #NewYear2021 #new #hope #God #love #mercy #faithfulness

Strain to what lies ahead

 

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the new year. Pray for physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Pray that through the turmoil, we will see an unprecedented number of people come to know Jesus and that God will be glorified through it all. Pray for the Church to be united and of one mind so that non-believers may see the peace and hope we have in Jesus.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #NewYear2021 #new #hope #God #love #mercy #faithfulness

Your new self

 

To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the new year. Pray for physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Pray that through the turmoil, we will see an unprecedented number of people come to know Jesus and that God will be glorified through it all. Pray for the Church to be united and of one mind so that non-believers may see the peace and hope we have in Jesus.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #NewYear2021 #new #hope #God #love #mercy #faithfulness

A new creation

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 

The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the new year. Pray for physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Pray that through the turmoil, we will see an unprecedented number of people come to know Jesus and that God will be glorified through it all. Pray for the Church to be united and of one mind so that non-believers may see the peace and hope we have in Jesus.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #NewYear2021 #new #hope #God #love #mercy #faithfulness

New each morning

 

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; 

his mercies never come to an end; 

they are new every morning; 

great is your faithfulness. 

“The Lord is my portion,” 

says my soul, 

"therefore I will hope in him.”

Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the new year. Pray for physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Pray that through the turmoil, we will see an unprecedented number of people come to know Jesus and that God will be glorified through it all. Pray for the Church to be united and of one mind so that non-believers may see the peace and hope we have in Jesus.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #NewYear2021 #new #hope #God #love #mercy #faithfulness

Rivers in the desert

This year, when the ball drops and the clock strikes twelve, we'll rejoice like never before for having survived a year like none other. Because we are God's children, we have the assurance of knowing that whatever 2021 brings, we'll persevere, adapt, and continue to praise God, our Father who loves us and cares for us.
     This is Google's 2020 video. I love that the word most searched for was "why". To me, that says that people are searching for something deeper, and it's my prayer that maybe in that search, they'll find God.

Google - year in search 2020

As we get ready to say goodbye to 2020, let go of any ill-will and focus instead on the road that God is laying out before us. Through Him, all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26b)

 

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. 

Behold, I am doing a new thing; 

now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? 

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the new year. Pray for physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Pray that through the turmoil, we will see an unprecedented number of people come to know Jesus and that God will be glorified through it all. Pray for the Church to be united and of one mind so that non-believers may see the peace and hope we have in Jesus.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #NewYear2021 #new #hope #God #sovereignty #perservere #survival #plan

A future and a hope

 

Each year I write about the coming new year, usually choosing a theme instead of a resolution. I don't always post these to my blog, because sometimes I don't finish writing it, or sometimes I finish writing but just don't get around to posting it. For 2020 I had trouble settling on a theme and wrote about a couple of ideas but never finished them. Then, March came and blew everything out of the water anyway. There was no way I could have planned for that, and definitely no way I could have adhered to any pre-2020 "ideal" of how I should handle such a tumultuous year. 

     As of this writing, there have been 19.1M cases of the virus in the U.S. and 333,000 deaths. There have been 80.7M cases worldwide and 1.76M deaths. Countries all over the world have had to be in lock-down to slow the spread of this virus. Economies have tanked. Unemployment has soared. Businesses have gone under. Hospitals and funeral homes are overwhelmed. 

     In our country alone, we've seen division and violence like never before. People are getting killed for asking customers to wear a mask. Health and political officials are receiving death threats for doing their jobs. I never thought I'd see and hear the things that have transpired this past year in a country like ours. If I weren't a child of God, I honestly don't know how I would have survived the year.

     I haven't settled on my theme for 2021 but someone said that the word for 2020 should be "perseverance," because even with everything I stated above and all of the things I didn't include (aka Australian bush fires, Black Lives Matter protests, the explosion in Beirut, murder hornets, West Coast fires, Nashville explosion, etc...) we're here, doing the best we can, adapting day to day, and praising God for His sovereignty through it all. 

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, 

plans for welfare and not for evil, 

to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the new year. Pray for physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Pray that through the turmoil, we will see an unprecedented number of people come to know Jesus and that God will be glorified through it all. Pray for the Church to be united and of one mind so that non-believers may see the peace and hope we have in Jesus.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #NewYear #2020 #2021 #new #hope #God #sovereignty #perservere #survival #plan

A joyful shout

 

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100:1-5 NKJV

I absolutely love this song! Amen!

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Please join me this week in praising God! Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! (Psalm 103:1 NKJV)

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #praise #God #worship #Thanksgiving

Not to us

 

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, 

but to your name give glory, 

for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

Psalm 115:1 ESV

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Please join me this week in praising God! Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! (Psalm 103:1 NKJV)

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #praise #God #worship #Thanksgiving

Sing to the Lord

 

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!

Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;

Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

For the Lord is the great God,

And the great King above all gods.

In His hand are the deep places of the earth;

The heights of the hills are His also.

The sea is His, for He made it;

And His hands formed the dry land.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For He is our God,

And we are the people of His pasture,

And the sheep of His hand.

Psalm 95:1-7 NKJV

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Please join me this week in praising God! Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! (Psalm 103:1 NKJV)

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #praise #God #worship #Thanksgiving

Praise His name

 

I will praise the name of God with a song,

And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 69:30 NKJV

Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving. 

Stay safe.

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Please join me this week in praising God! Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! (Psalm 103:1 NKJV)

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #praise #God #worship #Thanksgiving

Are you happy?

 

It's easy to praise God when we're happy, but we should also praise Him when we're suffering. When everything seems to be going wrong, I know that it's temporary, that it's happening for a reason, and that God will see me through it. I know there will be better days ahead. I can praise Him for being with me always, even through the trials.

James wrote:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing

James 1:2-4 ESV

Do pray through the suffering and trials so that you can feel God's love and have comfort in His Glory.

Is anyone among you suffering? 

Let him pray. 

Is anyone cheerful? 

Let him sing praise.

James 5:13 ESV

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Please join me this week in praising God! Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! (Psalm 103:1 NKJV)

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #praise #God #worship #Thanksgiving

Let all give praise

The word Psalm means "a sacred song or hymn", so when a Catholic friend of mine said that they sing the Psalms, I was really excited, since they were meant to be sung! (I don't think Baptists or Methodists sing them usually.) So, I did a quick search and found someone who set the 150th Psalm to music.

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

Praise Him for His mighty acts;

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;

Praise Him with the lute and harp!

Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;

Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

Praise Him with loud cymbals;

Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150 NKJV

Give praise to God, right now. Start out your prayer with, "I praise You, Father!" Lift up your hands to Him and give thanks!

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Please join me this week in praising God! Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! (Psalm 103:1 NKJV)

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #praise #God #worship #Thanksgiving

Praise God

 

With everything looking so different this year, and Thanksgiving coming up this week, it's sometimes easy to get wrapped up in worldly "things." We have to remember that God is sovereign. Everything that happens works for the good of His plan. I can rest in knowing that He is in control. For that, I give thanks.
     In our women's life group this past week, a Sister in Christ brought up that it's not enough to give thanks. We should also praise God. I hadn't really thought about that before. I do thank Him often, but I rarely praise Him. He is worthy of our constant praise.
     So, I thought during this week of Thanksgiving that we would focus our prayer time in praising our Lord. I'll be sharing numerous Psalms this week because I feel like David does an excellent job of praising our Father and we can pray his words.
     Focusing on praise and thanksgiving this week instead of what earthly troubles we're experiencing will soften our hearts and lift our spirits. I hope that it will shine through us to non-believers and they'll want that peace that we have.

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, 

that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

Hebrews 13:15 NKJV

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Please join me this week in praising God! Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! (Psalm 103:1 NKJV)

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #praise #God #worship #Thanksgiving

Pass it on

So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.

Psalm 71:18 ESV 

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Please join me this week in praying for the elderly. Let's pray for their spiritual, mental, and physical health. Let's pray for our patience and perseverance in dealing with any special needs they may have.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #elderly #God #gospel #wisdom #generation

 

Wisdom comes with age

Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.

Job 12:12 ESV

I said, ‘Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.’

Job 32:7 ESV

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12 ESV 

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Please join me this week in praying for the elderly. Let's pray for their spiritual, mental, and physical health. Let's pray for our patience and perseverance in dealing with any special needs they may have.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #elderly #God #honor #wisdom #respect

Respect the elderly

 

This falls under the heading, laws of kindness, and justice. When you're old(er), how do you want to be treated? Think about what you say and do and then imagine someone being like that toward you. I don't even mean "bad" treatment, just treatment that's different than how you are with someone younger. 

     For instance, a manager of a restaurant saying to an elderly woman, "Give me a hug, Grandma," or "Aren't you just so cute?!" (Two different restaurants). I hear people use a different voice with older friends and relatives than they do with others. It's as if they assume the person they're talking to won't understand what they're talking about. Be conscious of showing respect. 

“You shall stand up before the gray head and 

honor the face of an old man, and you shall f

ear your God: I am the Lord.

Leviticus 19:32 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the elderly. Let's pray for their spiritual, mental, and physical health. Let's pray for our patience and perseverance in dealing with any special needs they may have.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #elderly #God #honor #love #respect

Strength

 

I don't know which is more difficult, watching our parents age physically or mentally. I guess it depends on which is more predominant in their daily life. My dad never lost his mental clarity. He had a bought with 'hospital induced dementia' after his hip surgery, but that went away.
     Two days before he passed away, we were trying to decide what to watch on tv, almost arguing about it for some reason. I asked him what he wanted to watch and he said he didn't give a @#%& about what tv show we watched, that he was going to be dead in 48 hours anyway. That really put things into perspective.
     So, with my dad, it was most difficult watching his body deteriorate, especially toward the end when he couldn't take care of himself. He was stubborn, though. He'd rather spill his pop than have me help him hold his cup. (This drove my mother crazy, which maybe contributed to his willingness to let it spill, lol.)
     I don't really have a point with all of this. It's part of life. Today's bible verses have to do with strength, and that's what made me think of it.

Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent.

Psalm 71:9 ESV

The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.

Proverbs 20:29 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the elderly. Let's pray for their spiritual, mental, and physical health. Let's pray for our patience and perseverance in dealing with any special needs they may have.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #elderly #God #strength #parents

God carries us

Even to your old age, I am He,*

And even to gray hairs I will carry you!

I have made, and I will bear;

Even I will carry, and will deliver you.

Isaiah 46:4 NKJV

 * Note: This is one of the reasons I like the NKJV... whenever God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit are referred to with pronouns, the word is capitalized. Reading the ESV, I often have to figure out who the pronoun is referring to. Plus, I believe that any reference to God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit should be capitalized anyway, out of respect. I use the ESV here because the language is easier to understand for many people.

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Please join me this week in praying for the elderly. Let's pray for their spiritual, mental, and physical health. Let's pray for our patience and perseverance in dealing with any special needs they may have.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #elderly #God #comfort

Be rooted in Him

 

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

Colossians 2:6-8 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for the church. Let's pray for revival that our focus will be on things above. Pray for God's mercy and grace. Ask for guidance, patience, unity, faith, and a softened heart (if necessary). 

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #God #spiritual #Jesus #Heaven #focus #love