“Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27) We pray that these Scripture verses presented in Our Lord Jesus Christ Speaks about believing, forgiveness, following Him, truth, persecution, light, rewards, man’s wicked ways will give you comfort and hope as you reflect upon the words and promises of God.
About Believing
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” (John 14:1)
And Jesus said, “Who touch Me?” When all denied it, Peter, and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touch Me?’ But Jesus said, ‘Somebody touch Me, for I perceived power going out from Me,’” And He said to her, ‘Daughter, be of good cheer, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” (Luke 8:45-48)
“Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.” (John 14:11)
“Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him to believes.’” (Mark 9:23)
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (John 5:24)
About Forgiveness
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25)
“Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.’” (Luke 17:3-4)
“But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” – He said to the man who was paralyzed, ‘I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’” (Luke 5:24)
About Following Him
Then Jesus said to His disciples, ”If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25)
Then He said to them, “Follow Me, ad I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)
When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34-32)
About Truth
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (John 18:37)
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him. “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
About Persecution
“And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22)
“Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:26)
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. Remember the words that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.’” (John 15:19-20)
About Light
“I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.” (John 12:46)
“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth come to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” (John 3:19-21)
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
About Rewards
So, He said to them, “Assuredly, I say you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of thew kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Luke 18:29-30)
“And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42)
About Man’s Wicked Ways
“There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” (Mark 7:15,21-23)
About Satan
“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.” (John 8:44-45)
And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:18-20)
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, give me wisdom and direction. Lord, guide me according to Your will for my life and according to Your purpose. Thank You for Your amazing grace, love, joy, and peace. Give me courage, Lord, to claim the spiritual riches that You have promised in Your Word. Keep me ever mindful that Your truth is and will forever be the ultimate truth. Lord God, I cry out to You now during our times of great challenges and hardships to help us to be more aware of our lack of faith and trust in our lives. Father, help us where we are weak and teach us to fast and pray. Help us to depend on You every day for our daily needs. Help us to seek You and Your kingdom with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength daily. Father, we know that You care and love us and will answer us according to Your perfect will about all things. In the Lord Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
All Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible.
By Constance A. Burns, NAAV Volunteer Contributor for Moments of Meditation, Scripture Readings, and Spiritual Wellness, email: info@naavets.org.