Godly Sleep

Psalms 3:5

I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.

Psalms 4:8, Amplified Bible

In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You, LORD, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust.

Psalms 16:7-9, Amplified Bible

I will bless the Lord, Who has given me counsel; yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.

I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad and my glory [my inner self] rejoices; my body too shall rest and confidently dwell in safety.

Psalms 127: 2, Amplified Bible

It is vain for you to rise up early, to take rest late, to eat the bread of [anxious] toil—-for He gives [blessings] to His beloved in sleep.

Proverbs 3:24, Amplified Bible

When you lie down, you shall not be afraid; yes, you shall lie down, and your sleep shall be sweet.

Personalized Confession:

I lie down in peace and have sweet sleep, for the Lord protects me and makes me dwell in safety.  He is the One Who sustains me.  Even in the night seasons my heart instructs me with Godly counsel.  I will bless the Lord Who gives me counsel.  He is continually with me, and I shall not be moved.  My body shall rest.  I am not anxious or worried because the Lord gives blessings to me, His beloved child, in sleep.  I am His beloved and He blesses me in the night with pleasant, Godly dreams and sweet sleep.

My Rock

Psalm 95:1; 94:22; 89:26; 78:35; 62:2,6-8; 71:3; 31:2,3

Today let’s make a confession from a combination of all these scriptures on God as our Rock.  In these times, we must rely on Him as the solidity of our lives, when other things are crumbling and breaking apart.  He is our Rock.  He does not break or even bend.  He is stable forever.  In Him we find our stability and strength.

Personalized Confession:

I will make a joyful noise to the Rock of my salvation.  The Lord is my high tower and defense and the Rock of my refuge.  I cry to Him Who is the Rock of my salvation.  I remember that God is my Rock, and the Most High God is my Redeemer.  He only is my Rock, my Salvation, My Defense, my Fortress.  I shall not be moved.  With God rests my salvation and my glory.  He is my Rock of unyielding strength and impenetrable hardness, and my refuge is in Him.

I trust Him.

I lean on Him.

I rely on Him.

I have confidence in Him.

I pour out my heart before Him.

God is a Refuge for me—-a Fortress and High Tower.

He is my Rock and Fortress.

He is the Rock of Refuge in which I dwell and a sheltering stronghold in which I may continually resort.

God is my Refuge, my place of security and strength and protection.  He is strong.  He gives me strength as my Rock.

Colossians 1:9-11, Amplified Bible

For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make [special] request for you, [asking] that you may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things—-

That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition].

[We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy,

Personalized Confession:

I am filled with the full, deep, and clear knowledge of the Lord’s will in all spiritual wisdom, in total and complete insight into the ways and purposes of You, God, in understanding and discernment of spiritual things.

I am walking , living and conducting myself in a manner worthy of You, Lord, fully pleasing to You and desiring to please You in all things.  I delight myself in You, Lord, and You give me the desires of my heart.

I am bearing fruit in every good work.

I am steadily growing and increasing in the knowledge of You, God, with fuller, deeper, and clearer understanding of You.

My prayer is that I will be invigorated and strengthened with all power, all might according to Your glorious power.

Thank You, Lord, for filling me with your wisdom, with your understanding, with your desires and with your knowledge.  Thank You for the nourishment I need to bear delicious fruit for the world to eat of Your goodness.  I believe that the people I meet will desire You as their Lord and Savior when they taste and see that You are good, when they see the love You have for them because they have met me.

The Plan Of God

Ephesians 2:10, Amplified Bible

For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship) recreated in Christ Jesus [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us, [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

Personalized Confession:

God has a perfect plan for my life.  It is a good plan, and it is in The Blessing of the Lord.  The Blessing of the Lord is His Kingdom working in my life.  I pray that His Kingdom comes and His will is done in my life today and every day.  I am a child of God; He is my Father.  I am a member of His household.  As a member of His household, I have a position and responsibility.  He knows that position, and He is showing it to me.  The Holy Spirit is showing me the pathway that I am to take.  As I pray in the spirit, I will know the pathway.  I am God’s workmanship.  I have been born again.  I will do those good works which God planned beforehand for me to do.  I am taking the paths that God has prepared ahead of time for me to walk in.  I am living the good life which He has prearranged and made ready for me to live.

The Power Of Your Mouth

Proverbs 21:23, Amplified Bible

He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from troubles.

Proverbs 13:3

He who guards his mouth keeps his life, but he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Proverbs 15:4, Amplified Bible, KJV

A gentle tongue [with its healing power] is a tree of life….

A wholesome tongue (the healing of the tongue) is a tree of life….

Proverbs 16:24, KJV, Amplified Bible

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body.

Personalized Confession:

I guard my mouth and tongue and keep myself from trouble.  I keep my life by guarding my mouth because death and life are in the power of my tongue.  I speak words of life and not death over myself, my family, my friends and others.  My tongue is gentle and wholesome, with healing power flowing from it as a source of life for myself and others.  Pleasant words roll off my tongue and out of my mouth as sweet substance to my mind and healing balm to my body, to my bones particularly.  My mouth is filled with the goodness of God.  The Word of God is in my heart in abundance, and out of the abundance of my heart flow words of life.

Favor, Preferential Treatment

One of the ministers I listen to has said that this is your year of unprecedented favor.  Favor is God’s nature and ability released on your behalf to produce good in your life.  God’s favor causes you to rise to the top, to get preferential treatment, while others are waiting.  His favor is available for anyone who will believe for His goodness to be expressed in one’s life.  Unprecedented is a word that means above and beyond, never happened before.  There is no benchmark made for it because it has not happened yet.  So, this year, 2013, believe for God’s unprecedented favor to be upon your life.  I know it will be a better year for you.  You believe the same.

Psalm 30:5,7, Amplified Bible

…His favor is for a lifetime; in His favor is life….

By Your favor, O Lord, You have established me as a strong mountain;….

Psalm 145:16, Amplified Bible

You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with favor.

Psalm 5:12

For You, Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor will You compass (surround) him as with a shield.

Personalized Confession:

God, You are so good to me.  You surround me with favor, with preferential treatment.  Everywhere I go, favor goes before me, paving the way for me.  It makes the way for parking spaces, lines at registers, promotions on my job, good weather for my crops, best prices for things I must buy, (add your own list).  Your favor is my portion.  Thank You, Lord.  I am so grateful.  I have Your favor all my lifetime.  It brings me life forever.  By Your favor, O Lord, You establish me as a strong person.  I am blessed all the days of my life.

The Protection of His Presence

In Isaiah 4:5 in the Amplified Bible we read this in the last part of the verse:  …”for over all the glory shall be a canopy (a defense of divine love and protection).”

You hook that verse with Psalm 91:1 regarding the shadow of the Almighty God, and you see the protection of His glory, of His Presence, which comes as we worship Him.  We dwell in the secret place of the Most High God, WHOSE SHADOW no foe can withstand.  That shadow is God’s glory or His power.  His power is like a canopy over us, defending us.  His Glory is His defense for us of His divine love and protection.

When we are in the Presence of the Lord, there is no enemy who can touch us.  In fact, Jesus told us in Luke 10:19 that He has given us authority to tread on serpents and scorpions (demonic forces) and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm us or hurt us.  Satan may try to deceive us and lie to us and tell us that we can be touched, but that would be contrary to the Word of God.  We are protected as we walk out our victory over whatever comes against us.

Know that God is your protection.  He is always there with you to defend you and keep you from evil or evil ones harming you.  Believe Him!  Trust Him!  He is your Defense and Strong Tower of Refuge.  His glory is His presence manifested or made visible for you.  His glory is the FULLNESS of HIS LOVE expressed on your behalf.  His divine love never fails.  Know that He is guarding you and protecting you, regardless of what may come against you.  Place your life in His hands.  You are His responsibility.  He is your Defender.

Personalized Confession:

God has spread His glory over me like a canopy.  It is my defender against all the wiles of the enemy.  His love is sheltering me and protecting me from all the plans that satan has set against me.  I dwell in the secret place of the Most High God, in His glory, in His presence.  God has given me authority over all the power of the enemy.  He cannot touch me.  I am hidden beneath the wings of my Savior.  I am free.

Why Do You Seek Me?  Rejoice

The Lord has asked me this question.  Why do you seek Me?  I really had to do an evaluation of that question and what my answer to it would be.  To be quite honest with you, I had to adjust my life.  I saw that I was seeking Him as a supplier of my needs rather than as a friend Whom I loved and wanted to spend time with.  Yes, it is true that He does supply our needs.  Yes, it is true that He will give us the abundant life.  Yes, it is true that He wants to give us prosperity in every area of our lives.  But this one thing I know, and I have realigned myself accordingly with this knowledge:  I am to seek Him because I love Him and want to be with Him.  Out of His presence will come the supply.  He is the supplier.

God desires friendship and fellowship.  He is our Heavenly Father.  He created us to be His children and to enjoy our relationship as Father and child.  Jesus told us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things would be added unto us (Matthew 6:33).  He also told us to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength.  Out of this love relationship comes all that fulfills us and supplies our needs.  As a friend of mine says:  “It is a given.”  In case you don’t know what that means, it means:  It is a done deal.  It is a finished work.  “And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19, Amplified Bible).

Every day now I seek Him first and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as I pray and ask according to His direction.  What a divine plan and what a divine relationship.  It is a joy to be with Him.  That leads me to the second thing that is strong in my heart.

Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice (Philippians 4:4)!  This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalms 118:24).  Every day we are to get up and rejoice, stir up our joy, that part of us that sees the good in all things and is content in the Lord.  Joy is not a feeling.  It is a fruit of our reborn spirit.  It is part of God’s nature, His DNA.  I have joy because I am His child, so I rejoice.  I call it “rejuicing.”  When my son was growing up, we called it joy juice.  With your breakfast every day, take a big glass of joy juice.  It will strengthen you for the day because the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Personalized Confession:

I will rejoice in the Lord always.  Today is the day He has made for me.  I will rejoice in this day.  I will be glad in this day because He has made it just for me.  This joy of the Lord is my strength.  I am strengthened all day and all night with joy juice.  I seek first the Lord and His Kingdom (His way of doing things) and His righteousness (His way of being right).  I love the Lord my God with all my heart, all my mind, all my soul, and all my strength.

Light, Be!

2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Personalized Confession:

The same God Who said, Who commanded—-

Let Light shine out of darkness!

Light in Me, BE!

Is the One Who has shined, beamed forth His Light in my heart which was once darkened with sin and in my body which was once darkened with sickness and disease.

His command was this:  LIGHT IN ME, BE!

I accept!  I receive the Light of His glory.  I receive the benefits of His Presence in my life.  I receive healing and health.  I receive righteousness, my sins forgiven and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb from the dominion of darkness, the realm of the curse and death.  I am free from satan’s dominion forever.  Jesus has forever set me free to worship Him.

God has done all the work.

All I do is believe and receive the FINISHED WORK.

His Light shines and reveals, illuminates His majesty and glory.  I see.  I have knowledge of His majesty and glory.  His majesty and glory are manifest in the person of Jesus Christ and revealed in the face of Jesus Christ.  I am walking in the majesty and glory of God.

Overcome

Revelation 12:11

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony….

Personalized Confession:

I overcame, I conquered, I subdued, I got the victory, the success over, the accuser, who is the devil, satan the deceiver, by the atoning (cleansing) blood of Christ, the Anointed One, Who suffered in my place to reconcile or restore me to agreement, in unity with God.  Jesus Christ, Your blood was poured out as an offering on my behalf to take care of my sin and all the consequences of that sin—-sickness and disease, poverty, lack, want, failure, defeat, and all misery).  Your blood was poured out to make me right with God.  Thank You for shedding Your blood for me.  Thank You for pouring out Your Life for me so that the death-dealing blows of satan are stopped.

I overcame, I conquered, I subdued, I got the victory, the success over, the accuser, the devil, satan the deceiver, by what I say (word—-logos) of the Word of God (testimony).