The Lord is my shepherd

Psalms 23:1-6

1The Lord is my shepherd;

I have all that I need.

2He lets me rest in green meadows;

he leads me beside peaceful streams.

3He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths,

bringing honor to his name.

4Even when I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid,

for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff

protect and comfort me.

5You prepare a feast for me

in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

6Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord

forever.

Proverbs 5:22-23

22An evil man is held captive by his own sins;

they are ropes that catch and hold him.

23He will die for lack of self-control;

he will be lost because of his great foolishness.

With God, nothing is impossible!

I am learning a lot about the history of God's people! It is very interesting and I look forward to reading more about it everyday. I am currently in Exodus. God is about to deliver the Israelites from Egypt. God is amazing and always answers! I have found that I really enjoy reading Psalms and Proverbs! My mom says she likes reading Psalms too. Here are some verses that I like from today's reading.

Psalms 21:1-13

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 How the king rejoices in your strength, O Lord!

He shouts with joy because you give him victory.

2 For you have given him his heart’s desire;

you have withheld nothing he requested.

Interlude

3 You welcomed him back with success and prosperity.

You placed a crown of finest gold on his head.

4 He asked you to preserve his life,

and you granted his request.

The days of his life stretch on forever.

5 Your victory brings him great honor,

and you have clothed him with splendor and majesty.

6 You have endowed him with eternal blessings

and given him the joy of your presence.

7 For the king trusts in the Lord.

The unfailing love of the Most High will keep him from stumbling.

8 You will capture all your enemies.

Your strong right hand will seize all who hate you.

9 You will throw them in a flaming furnace

when you appear.

The Lord will consume them in his anger;

fire will devour them.

10 You will wipe their children from the face of the earth;

they will never have descendants.

11 Although they plot against you,

their evil schemes will never succeed.

12 For they will turn and run

when they see your arrows aimed at them.

13 Rise up, O Lord, in all your power.

With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts.

Proverbs 5:1-6

1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
listen carefully to my wise counsel.

2 Then you will show discernment,

and your lips will express what you’ve learned.

3 For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey,

and her mouth is smoother than oil.

4 But in the end she is as bitter as poison,

as dangerous as a double-edged sword.

5 Her feet go down to death;

her steps lead straight to the grave.

6 For she cares nothing about the path to life.

She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it.

Matthew 17:14-20

Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy

14 At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt

before Jesus and said, 

15 “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into

 the fire or into the water. 

16 So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him."

17 Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with

 you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”

18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy

 was well.

19 Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?”

20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith

 even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to

 there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Renewed Spiritual Growth!

So, I've decided to start a spiritual journal, where I can post scriptures that stand out at me and write about my walk with Jesus. It's the beginning of a new year and as a start to walking close with Jesus again, I started a Bible plan on www.youversion.com. I'm on Day 23 of 365 on The One Year Bible and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

A little background info: Due to slight depression, I stopped going to church last year (probably about 6 months ago...around July of last year) and I haven't been back since. It's just hard to get going again once I stop, but I lately I've really wanted to go; I've just had trouble getting up early enough. The first thing I did to get closer to God again was to start listening to worship music again, in both the car and on my computer, MP3 player and my phone. It was actually Zach who requested that I put music about Jesus on, which I thought was so adorable and special. So, I think I put some gospel reggae on and then that was the start of my renewed relationship with Him. And then, like I said above, I started reading the Bible daily, which has really helped bring me closer to Him! The next step is going to church and Lord willing, I will go next Sunday!

So, on that note, here is some scripture I read tonight that really struck me:

Psalms 19

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

The skies display his craftsmanship.

2Day after day they continue to speak;

night after night they make him known.

3They speak without a sound or word;

their voice is never heard.

4Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,

and their words to all the world.

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.

5It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.

It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.

6The sun rises at one end of the heavens

and follows its course to the other end.

Nothing can hide from its heat.

7The instructions of the Lord are perfect,

reviving the soul.

The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

8The commandments of the Lord are right,

bringing joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are clear,

giving insight for living.

9Reverence for the Lord is pure,

lasting forever.

The laws of the Lord are true;

each one is fair.

10They are more desirable than gold,

even the finest gold.

They are sweeter than honey,

even honey dripping from the comb.

11They are a warning to your servant,

a great reward for those who obey them.

12How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?

Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

13Keep your servant from deliberate sins!

Don’t let them control me.

Then I will be free of guilt

and innocent of great sin.

14May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.