Remembering God and His Works

These Psalms emphasize active remembrance. They call God’s people to recall His deeds, promises, and faithfulness.

• Psalm 77:11–12
  “I will remember the deeds of the Lord… I will meditate on all your work.”
  Memory fuels trust during distress.

• Psalm 103:2
  “Bless the Lord… and forget not all his benefits.”
  Forgetfulness leads to ingratitude. Memory restores worship.

• Psalm 105:5
  “Remember the wondrous works that he has done.”
  Memory anchors identity and covenant.

• Psalm 143:5
  “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done.”
  Remembering God steadies the soul in weakness.

---

Meditation on God’s Word

These Psalms connect meditation with obedience, wisdom, and spiritual strength.

• Psalm 1:2–3
  “His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
  Meditation produces stability and fruit.

• Psalm 119 (central meditation Psalm)
  Key verses:

  • v.15 “I will meditate on your precepts.”

  • v.48 “I will lift up my hands… and meditate.”

  • v.97 “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.”
    God’s Word shapes memory, behavior, and desire.

---

Night Meditation and Inner Reflection

These Psalms show meditation as quiet, deliberate reflection, often in solitude.

• Psalm 4:4
  “Meditate in your heart on your bed, and be still.”
  Night reflection disciplines the heart.

• Psalm 63:6
  “When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night.”
  Memory becomes worship.

• Psalm 77:6
  “I meditate in my heart, and my spirit makes a diligent search.”
  Meditation includes honest self-examination.

---

Why This Matters

In the Psalms, memory is not passive recall. It is intentional rehearsal.
Meditation is not emptying the mind. It is filling it with truth.

Remembering God shapes belief.
Meditating on His Word shapes action.
Together, they form spiritual resilience.

Read More ->>

Everyone will eat, and there will even be some left over! 2 Kings 4:42-44

One day a man from Baal-shalishah brought the man of God a sack of fresh grain and twenty loaves of barley bread made from the first grain of his harvest. Elisha said, “Give it to the people so they can eat.”

“What?” his servant exclaimed. “Feed a hundred people with only this?”

But Elisha repeated, “Give it to the people so they can eat, for this is what the Lord says: Everyone will eat, and there will even be some left over!” And when they gave it to the people, there was plenty for all and some left over, just as the Lord had promised. 2 Kings 4:42-44

Enjoying Mark 8:21: How does it test faith? There is a soft presents of God that believes the hopeful promise as Jesus reminds us. Matthew 13:16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. But we still fail to remember what miracles God has accomplished in our near past. 

Mark 8:18‘You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear?’ Don’t you remember anything at all? Jesus reminds them of 5 loaves and two fish that fed 5000 with 12 baskets leftover. And 7 loaves that fed 4000 with 7 baskets left over. His final question in Mark 8:21 is “Don’t you understand yet?”

Jesus Feeds 5,000+ and Promise we will do more

Discipleship Practice

Remember what God has done. Write down when God answers your prayers.

Protect your thoughts. Do not let wrong ideas about Jesus grow in your mind.

Do not just watch and listen. Say out loud what you believe: “Jesus is the Messiah.”

• Discipleship is active.
• Remember God’s answers.
• Protect your thinking.
• Speak your faith clearly.

Read More ->>

Don’t Pray More, Pray Better: How to Pray Effectively

Don’t Pray More, Pray Better: How to Pray Effectively - Bill Johnson

 Prayer is not about saying more words. It is about aligning with God’s heart and partnering with Him to release His will on earth.

Matthew 6:7–10, John 15:7

---

1. Prayer Is Partnership, Not Performance

Effective prayer invites believers to co labor with God in what He already desires to do. God chooses to work through human agreement and obedience.
Genesis 1:26–28, Matthew 18:18–20, 2 Corinthians 6:1

---

2. Pray from Discernment, Not Assumption

Powerful prayer flows from listening to the Holy Spirit. Like Simeon and Anna, discernment grows through devotion, waiting, and sensitivity to God’s presence.
Luke 2:25–38, Romans 8:26–27, John 16:13

---

3. Agreement Sustains the Miracle

Words spoken after prayer matter. Doubt and negativity can undermine faith, while agreement with God protects what has been prayed into motion.
Mark 11:22–24, Proverbs 18:21, Hebrews 10:23

---

4. Jesus Secured the Victory

Sin and sickness were dealt with at the cross. Prayer is not convincing God to act but enforcing what Christ has already accomplished.
Isaiah 53:4–5, Colossians 2:13–15, John 19:30

---

5. Prayer Releases God’s Glory

Answered prayer advances the gospel and shifts spiritual atmospheres. Persistent, focused prayer has global impact, even across generations.
Habakkuk 2:14, Acts 4:29–31, Matthew 24:14

---

6. Pray Specifically and Expect Testimony

Targeted prayers invite targeted breakthroughs. Testimonies strengthen faith and multiply impact.
Philippians 4:6, Revelation 12:11, Psalm 66:16

---

Bottom Line
Do not pray longer. Pray aligned. Listen first. Agree fully. Speak life. Expect fruit.

Read More ->>

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!

Enjoyed completing our 3rd Alpha at Portland house. We gave out 6 Jesus Focused Bibles and the Pursuit of God by Tozer as well as Purpose Driven Life by Warren.

My desire for these men: Luke 8:39

“Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

We've always gotten a few family and friends to join for part of the time. Only KC and Missy were consistent. I got to see KC this year at my second Spiritual Emphasis week at Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie.  

Dave received an answer to prayer this week. After 10 years he got in touch with his daughter and opened the door to connect with his son. He asked us to pray for him before Thanksgiving and that he'd be an honorable man and reconcile with his family over the holidays. 

I met a great guy who lives in Rochester. He was talking about bringing his family to church. I was going to mention the place I started BSF satellite group in and he said it first, "Autumn Ridge." 

We prayed for healing for the guys, Dave's hip has been hurting for a long time. So we prayed about that, believing in a physical miracle. Stacy had a lot on his heart for his family, twins and special needs. We prayed for miracles of healing in relationship and for the wisdom of God to fill his heart and mind, replacing worry with peace. Jim prayed for Jacob, Art and the others. Juan Carlos left the program early and we prayed for him and the others who are on their own. 

Mark 5:19-20

But Jesus would not allow him. “Go home to your own people,” He said, “and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy He has shown you.” / So the man went away and began to proclaim throughout the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.

Acts 22:15

You will be His witness to everyone of what you have seen and heard.

Romans 10:14-15

How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? / And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Tale of two cities, no one is neutral with Jesus

Money, the power of God's word and dreams

Read More ->>

Waiting is active and obedient sustained by God's promises (Psalm 119)

Psalm 119 presents God’s word as more than instruction. It is life, light, promise, comfort, identity, and joy. Obedience is not transactional. It is relational. The psalm teaches that a faithful life is formed not by circumstances, but by sustained love for God’s revealed truth.

God's Word is the major theme of Psalm 119. Across the psalm, God’s word is portrayed as:

Life-Giving: "My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to your word" -Psalm 119:25 

• Preserves life (Psalm 119:25,50,93; Deut 8:3). Revives the soul (Psalm 119:40, 19:7, 23:3, Isaiah 40:31)

• Sustains during suffering and affliction. Romans 8:28 (all things work for good), 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (God of all comfort), Isaiah 41:10 (I am with you, fear not), Psalm 34:19 (righteous suffer but God delivers), and 1 Peter 5:10 (God restores after suffering)

• John 6:63. The words I have spoken to you are full of the Spirit and life

Guiding

• A lamp and light for the path. (Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 6:23)

• Provides direction, understanding, and wisdom. (Psalm 119:133, Isaiah 30:21, Psalm 25:9, Proverbs 4:11-12, Hebrews 12:13)

• John 10:27, My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.

• John 14:26, But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you.

Trustworthy and Eternal

• Firm in the heavens. Righteous, true, and everlasting. Tested and proven. God’s word is unchanging, proven, and forever reliable. We see Unchanging truth: Psalm 119; Isaiah 55:10-11; 1 Peter 1:23-25, God’s Word abides forever: Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:24-25

• Matthew 24:35. My words will never pass away

• Isaiah 40:8. The word of our God endures forever

• Psalm 119:152. You established them to last forever

• Psalm 119:160. All your words are true

• Psalm 119:89. Your word is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens

Transformative

• Produces holiness and purity. Trains the heart to hate false paths. Corrects wandering and restores faithfulness. God’s word reshapes desires, behavior, and understanding.

• Romans 12:2. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind

• Hebrews 4:12. The word of God is alive and active

• Psalm 119:67. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word

• Psalm 119:11. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin

• Psalm 119:9. By living according to your word

Personal and Relational

• A promise given to a servant. A source of hope, comfort, and delight. Something to be loved, sung, meditated on, and internalized. God’s word is experienced as promise, comfort, delight, and love.

• John 14:23. Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching

• Psalm 119:161. My heart trembles at your word

• Psalm 119:103. How sweet are your words to my taste

• Psalm 119:74. I have put my hope in your word

• Psalm 119:49. Remember your word to your servant

Source of Hope and Comfort in Suffering

God’s word anchors faith amid affliction and opposition. God’s Word protects: Psalm 119:104, 118

• Psalm 119:50. My comfort in my suffering is this: your promise preserves my life

• Psalm 119:81. I have put my hope in your word

• Psalm 119:92. I would have perished in my affliction

• Romans 15:4. Scripture gives us endurance and encouragement

• 2 Corinthians 1:20. All God’s promises are yes in Christ

Produces Peace and Stability

Love for God’s word yields inner peace and steadiness.

• Psalm 119:165. Great peace have those who love your law

• Isaiah 26:3. You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast

• Colossians 3:16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly

We also see themes of affection, devotion, perseverance, commitment, identity and hope  in Psalm 119

Whole-Hearted Devotion

Repeated phrases include:

• With all my heart
• I delight
• I love your law

Obedience flows from affection, not duty alone.

Learning and Formation

The psalmist constantly asks God to teach, give understanding, and open eyes. Scripture is not static knowledge but ongoing formation.

Suffering and Opposition

Affliction, persecution, mockery, and injustice appear throughout. God’s word becomes the anchor that keeps the psalmist faithful under pressure.

Memory and Meditation

The word is remembered at night, sung while traveling, meditated on continually. Faithfulness is sustained through intentional remembrance.

Identity and Belonging

God’s statutes are called a heritage. The psalmist identifies as God’s servant. Obedience is tied to belonging.

Hope and Salvation

God’s word is the basis for hope, rescue, and final deliverance. Waiting is active and obedient.

Scripture presents God’s word as living, enduring, relational, and powerful. In Psalm 119, obedience flows from love, and faithfulness grows through sustained immersion in God’s revealed truth. The word is not merely read. It is trusted, treasured, obeyed, and lived.

Read More ->>