Pathways Press.com

Written by Lysa TerKeust, a contemporary author and speaker. This is an excerpt from her book “Embraced.”

Lord, draw me close. Your Word promises when I draw close to You, You are there. I want my drawing close to be a permanent dwelling place. At any moment when I feel weak and empty and alone, I pray that I won’t let those feelings drag me down into a pit of insecurity. But rather, I want those feelings to be triggers for me to immediately lift those burdensome feelings to You and trade them for the assurance of Your security. I am not alone, because You are with me. I am not weak, because Your strength is infused in me. I am not empty, because I’m drinking daily from Your fullness. You are my dwelling place. And in You I have shelter from every stormy circumstance and harsh reality. I’m not pretending the hard things don’t exist, but I am rejoicing in the fact that Your covering protects me and prevents those hard things from affecting me like they used to. You, the Most High, have the final say over me. You know me and love me intimately. And today I declare that I will trust You in the midst of my pain. You are my everyday dwelling place, my saving grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [Psalm 91:1]

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Written by Kelly Balarie, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from her work “3 Ways to Recognize When God is Talking to You.”

I walked with a friend. Struggling with a sickness that was incredibly hard, I sought just the right words to encourage her. No words would suffice. What do you say when there is nothing to say? I’ve learned  listening is always more powerful than speaking when one is going through the wringer of life.  So, I asked her questions and then let her speak. I actively repeated what she spoke to let her know that I was hearing her heart. Eventually, the moment of awkward silence arrived where I had nothing left to ask. I needed to say something. God, help me?!! I looked towards my feet, pondering what to say. A leaf caught my attention. Amazingly, it was shaped like a heart. I knew God wanted me to share His love for her. He gave me an answer to my inner unsaid pleading for just the right words!! “God loves you so much.” I told her. A well-spoken word at just the right moment has the ability to break through to a person’s heart like nothing else. God reminded me of His heart for my friend through nature. This is one of the many ways that God speaks to us.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. [Psalm 19:1]

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  [Psalm 46:7]

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Written by Max Lucado, a contemporary pastor and author.  This is an excerpt from his book “Grace for
the Moment for Moms.”

We worry. We worry about the IRS and the SAT and the PTA. We worry that we won’t have enough money. And when we have money, we worry that we won’t manage it well. We worry that the world will end before the parking meter expires. We worry what the dog thinks if he sees us step out of the shower. We worry that someday we’ll learn that fat-free yogurt was fattening. Honestly, now. Did God save you so you would fret? Would He teach you to walk just to watch you fall? Would He be nailed to the cross for your sins and then disregard your prayers?  … you can’t take the love out of God and still have Him exist. For He was… and is… love. Probe deep within Him. Explore every corner. Search every angle. Love is all you find. Go to the beginning of every decision He has made, and you’ll find it. Go to the end of every story He has told, and you’ll see it. Love. No bitterness. No evil. No cruelty. Just love. Flawless love. Passionate love. Vast and pure love. He is love. God will love you. Always. No matter what.

You are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession.[1 Peter 2:9]

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  [Psalm 46:7]

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This is a prayer of the United Nations.

Almighty and eternal God, you have called all people to be members of one another, and to lift their spirits to you as Father. You alone are the source of our confidence, our strength, and our hope during these perilous times…Strike from our hearts that national self-righteousness that causes hatred and division between persons and countries. Teach us to love one another as you have loved us. Consecrate each of us anew, that in our dealings with one another and with other nations we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you. Amen.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household [Ephesians 2:19]

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  [Psalm 46:7]

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Written by C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), a British writer and theologian.  This is an excerpt from “Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer.”

William Law remarks that people are merely “amusing themselves” by asking for the patience which a famine or a persecution would call for if, in the meantime, the weather and every other inconvenience sets them grumbling. One must learn to walk before one can run. So here. We — or at least I — shall not be able to adore God on the highest occasions if we have learned no habit of doing so on the lowest. At best, our faith and reason will tell us that He is adorable, but we shall not have found Him so, not have “tasted and seen.” Any patch of sunlight in a wood will show you something about the sun which you could never get from reading books on astronomy. These pure and spontaneous pleasures are “patches of Godlight” in the woods of our experience.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!  [Psalm 34:8]

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  [Psalm 46:7]

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Written by Max Lucado, a contemporary pastor, author, and speaker. This is an excerpt from his work “On the Anvil.”

Time on God’s anvil should clarify our mission and define our purpose. When a tool emerges from a blacksmith’s anvil, there is no question as to what it is for. There is no question as to why it was made. One look at the tool and you instantly know its function. As a human emerges from the anvil of God, the same should be true. Being tested by God reminds us that our function and task is to be about his business, that our purpose is to be an extension of his nature, an ambassador of his throne room, and a proclaimer of his message. We should exit the shop with no question as to why God made us. We know our purpose. We are God’s people, and we are to be about his business. If we live our lives in this way, then we can enter our final years with the assurance of knowing that life was well spent and that heaven is but a wink away. And is there any greater reward than this?

Be About His Business [Luke 2:49]





































The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  [Psalm 46:7]

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Written by the Lead Like Jesus team, an organization founded by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges that promotes a transformational leadership model based on following Jesus.

Listening is more than just hearing; it is more than just understanding the words that are spoken. Listening involves hearing, understanding, and rightly applying what is heard to the situation at hand. Listening ultimately achieves wisdom’s purpose when we choose to act based on what we have heard. Jesus’ teaching about serving others as the God-ordained way to lead is valid for every situation in which we find ourselves. Do you trust what Jesus has to say about leadership? Your answer will be revealed in your actions.

Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. —Proverbs 8:6




































The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  [Psalm 46:7]

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Written by E. Stanley Jones, (1884-1973), an American missionary, theologian, and author.

The business of the Scriptures is to take us by the hand and take us beyond the words to the Word. The Scriptures are not the revelation of inspired record of the Revelation—the Revelation is seen in the face of Jesus Christ, the Word become flesh. The opening sentence of the Book of Revelation says, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants.” This is interesting and important. For in the rest of the Scripture, Jesus is revealing God, showing us in concrete, human terms what God is like. What a revelation of God we find in Him? There can be nothing higher, and there can be noting other – this is it!

He who has seen Me has seen the Father. [John 14:9]



































The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  [Psalm 46:7]

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Written by John Henry Jewett (1864-1923), British preacher and author.

Abram began his journey without any knowledge of his ultimate destination. He obeyed a noble impulse without any discernment of its consequences. He took “one step,” and he did not “ask to see the distant scene.” And that is faith, to do God’s will here and now, quietly leaving the results to Him. Faith is not concerned with the entire chain; its devoted attention is fixed upon the immediate link. Faith is not knowledge of a moral process; it is fidelity in a moral act. Faith leaves something to the Lord; it obeys His immediate commandment and leaves to Him direction and destiny. And so faith is accompanied by serenity. “He that believeth shall not make haste”—or, more literally, “shall not get into a fuss.” He shall not get into a panic, neither fetching fears from his yesterdays nor from his to-morrows. Concerning his yesterdays faith says, “Thou hast beset me behind.” Concerning his to-morrows faith says, “Thou hast beset me before.” Concerning his to-day faith says, “Thou hast laid Thine hand upon me.” That is enough, just to feel the pressure of the guiding hand.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. [Hebrews 11:6]


































The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  [Psalm 46:7]

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Written by J. Ryan Lister, a contemporary professor of theology and author.

If we are honest, many of us can think of God as our “magic genie” from time to time. We keep him on the shelf until troubles arise or there is something our neighbor has that we really want. The problem is, real relationships don’t work this way—especially with the triune God. The Lord over all will not be left on the shelf of anyone’s life. Instead, Scripture is clear that all of life—and, principally, the gospel life—is about being in God’s relational presence. This is why David proclaims, “in your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). When we push all our peripheral issues to the periphery, this is all that is left and all that really matters.

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.  [2 John 1:3]

































The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  [Psalm 46:7]

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