We often share our favorites verses and tell why they’re our favorites. I have a whole passel of my favorite verses but there are seven I wish to share with you today that I think can change our lives dramatically.
Life Changing Bible Verses
First, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). How many times do we presume we can figure things out for ourselves? Do we sometimes give lip service to God as though we are letting him be in charge yet make other provisions just in case things don’t go as we wish them to? We get burned by those we trust because sometimes they betray that trust. May we not judge God and our ability to trust completely in him based on the failures of our family and acquaintances who have disappointed us in the trust department. Our own understanding can get us into trouble. When we have a heartfelt trust and faith in Almighty God, we can’t possibly go wrong no matter how many fiery missiles Satan may hurl our way. David trusted with only a slingshot and five pebbles. Joshua trusted in spite of the majority report. Mary trusted though what the angel of the Lord told her was almost unbelievable. Why me, Lord?
Second, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). I think we often forget that the Holy Spirit of God dwells within us. Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. We read that. We hear it at times from the pulpit, but do we believe it? Just think of the magnificent blessings we have been lavished with by the Lord. Hearts beating. Children born. Food for all. Health. Jobs. Houses. Transportation. Modern means of conveyance. Church. Salvation. The promise of heaven. The problem that’s often with us is that we can’t seem to process all of the marvelous gifts that we have. We are aware of God’s blessings. We use them daily. We take them for granted daily. But have we stopped often enough to consider that he can do far more for us that our imaginations can conjure up. So we might rethink asking for molehill requests and go ahead and ask for some immeasurable ones.
Third, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). How often has this one promise rescued us from horrible despair and doubt? At those moments when the winds of adversity were sweeping down upon us, we turned to the Lord knowing that he was with us and feeling the very concerns that were invading our minds. He knows we are dealing with illness in the family. He understands we have days of doubt. Satan is in the business of keeping us as discouraged as possible. But we will not relent. We will not falter. For the Lord our God will be with us no matter where we may find ourselves. Being gregarious, I don’t wish to be alone for very long. This is why I married. This is why I enjoy the fellowship of Christ in Blythe. But during those moments in my life when I felt crushingly alone, Father God was always present to comfort me. We can be strong and courageous in spite of being surrounded by the chaos and evil at every hand in society today.
Fourth, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14). We are an impatient society. We have too many irons on too many fires at the same time. We are itching to get on with other matters. Patience doesn’t seem to be that much of a virtue with our modern generation. We want instant coffee, instant tea, instant food and instant gratification. We pray, “Dear Lord, give me patience, and give it to me right now!” Kids want to start out today with what Mom and Pop spent years of struggle to obtain. Kids today heave so many electronic toys when all Jere and I had was a back yard. Our fast-paced culture has forgotten how virtuous patience is. Waiting will pay great dividends. It’s worth waiting for Mr. Right instead of hurriedly accepting Mr. He’ll Do For Now. We glom onto things we later regret because God wasn’t in the middle of it. We forget to wait for the Lord. It was only when I stopped looking and trying to do it all by myself that I was able to find a godly wife. I could have settled for less. Church, wait for the Lord and let him be part of your life decisions.
Fifth, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Do we have troubles in our lives? Certainly. Are some of them so big they overwhelm us at times? You bet. At one point in my life I was so distraught that I was beside myself with worry and disillusionment. But then I realized I had not laid upon my Lord that burden I was trying to self manage. Voila! He can carry those heavy loads far better than we can. Paul even tells us to be anxious for nothing. That’s a hard pill to swallow until we realize that he knew God could carry any load that was pressing upon us. Jesus carried the heavy cross and asks us to bear our lighter crosses daily.
Sixth, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice today and be glad” (Psalm 118:24). I find life a joy. Some of us suffer from clinical depression. Our bodies play tricks with our minds sometimes. It has to do with chemicals and such. Yet Paul tells us clearly to rejoice in the Lord always. Laura and I were talking about this just recently. She came up with a great insight that had slipped by me over the years. She says the key to rejoicing is that Paul tells us to do it “in the Lord.” Wow! It’s in the Lord that we have all the myriad of reasons for rejoicing. Joy is not necessarily a constant giddy feeling of euphoria. One can have joy with tears. One can stand at the lifeless form of a loved one who has just passed and smile knowing he/she is in a better place. A mother can weep at the wedding of her daughter with joy in her heart that she is becoming a wife and establishing her own home.
But what if you have terminal something? Go ahead and rejoice anyway. Why, because God knows more about it that we do. I don’t know why the innocent have to suffer, but God knows. What if you can’t pay all the bills? Rejoice anyway. How can we? Because the one who has made this day has always made it possible for us to live forever in his presence throughout all eternity. Now that’s life changing!
Seventh, “These things I write unto you who believe on the name of the Son of God so that you may know you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13