A few years ago, I was here in this sanctuary during our 21 days of prayer and fasting. It was one of our weeknight prayer meetings, and I was walking around the sanctuary during worship in a moment of reflection. I asked the Lord, “How do people keep their hearts burning? How do they stay passionate?” I loved the Lord. I loved to worship God and pray. I loved His word. I had devoted my life to Him and did my very best to keep His standards. But I still had times when I felt… lukewarm. Complacent. Dry. When I asked this, I expected the Lord to say, “Those people pray more, read their Bible more, and worship more.” Instead, He said one word: community.

That one word was revelation to me. It opened my eyes to a new perspective – I needed people to keep my fire burning.

That’s what I want to talk about today – community.
Specifically, I want to talk about the cost of community.

_________________________


Let’s talk about what happens when we’re outside of community.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter tells us that our enemy, the devil, roams around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

When you’re by yourself, you’re susceptible to the schemes of the devil.
Like I said last time, the devil be scheming, and you may think you know all his tricks and are good, but let me just give you this to think about.

The devil’s been around a long time.
He knows you. He knows your parents. He knows their parents. And their parents. And on and on and on.

Not because he’s all knowing or all powerful and anything that matches God.  But just because he’s been around a long time. I don’t pretend to know a lot about angels or fallen angels, but I think we can reason that the devil knows your family history – he’s been roaming the earth and watching. You may not know who your ancestors are, but he does. He’s tempted them all. He knows what worked on them all down through your family line.

He knows what’s hard for you to discern as a spiritual attack – that’s why you deal with the same thing over and over again. That’s why you can’t get free.

You need someone who is going to stand back to back with you.

Because you’re susceptible to the attacks of the enemy when you’re alone.

_________________________

So what happens when you’re in community?

Let’s look at a community in the Bible.

Turn in your Bibles to Acts 2:44-47
“And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity — all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”

Let’s read Acts 4:32-35 now.
“All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34 There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.”


So what happens in God-honoring community?
People start taking care of one another.
They start getting together regularly – outside of just when the apostles preached.
They take communion in each others’ homes.
They share meals together – with joy and generosity. Not grumbling and complaining.

We were made to be this kind of community.
I’m not suggesting that we all need to do exactly what these believers did, but I do want to suggest that we adopt the heart behind their actions.
_________________________

We love the idea of it.
Even unbelievers love the idea of a “village”.

We pray for it. We long for it. We complain when we don’t have it.

But very few people stop to ask the harder question:
What does community actually cost?

It costs:

• Inconvenience – community is inconvenient.
  • You want to enjoy your Saturday at home, but one of your friend’s kids has a birthday party – that’s inconvenient.
  • You’re about to settle in for the night and start watching your favorite tv show, but your friend is calling you and needs help – that’s inconvenient.
  • It’s raining outside and you’ve had a long day, but you were invited to an event – that’s inconvenient.
  • If you’re always focused on you, anything and everything will always be inconvenient.
  • But every time you show up for your friends, that strengthens your community.
  • Every time you show up, that tells people that you care.
• Faithfulness
  • When you say you’re going to do something, do it.
  • When you say you’re going to be somewhere, be there.
  • People learn whether or not they can count on you, and it’s important that they feel like they can in a strong community.
• Loyalty
  • You have to be in your friend’s corner.
  • When someone comes talking crap about them, either defend them or tell that person that they should talk to them about it.
  • Don’t just listen and move on.
  • And definitely don’t join in on talking crap.
  • Be in their corner.
• Commitment
  • We all make mistakes.
  • We all go through things that can make us hard to deal with sometimes.
  • When your friend is going through something, don’t just drop them.
  • When they’re in a really rough season of life, and maybe they’re really negative or ungrateful or whatever may grate on you – don’t write them off and have bitterness in your heart towards them.
  • Talk to them. Talk about what you’re seeing. Pray for them.
  • So many friendships end because one person is going through something for a time, and the other person aborts instead of sticking through it.
  • Do you want someone to write you off when you’re going through something?
  • No, so don’t do that to someone else.
• Vulnerability/Honesty
  • This one can be very hard for me, and it’s something I’ve been intentionally working on.
  • I know that I’m not the only one here who struggles in this area.
  • You gotta open up.
  • You gotta let people into your head.
  • You gotta tell people when you’re struggling.
  • You gotta let people see you when you’re not perfect.
  • You’re gonna have to let people see you cry and get mad.
  • I know, I hate it.
• Servanthood
  • If you’re not serving your friends, you’re not doing it right.
  • In John 13, Jesus washes his disciples’ feet.
  • After he does this, He says, “And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”
  • Jesus gave us an example – we don’t just serve our leaders. We serve our friends, too.
  • And when we can serve with our friends, that builds community, too.
• Accountability
  • When you’re in community, you’re accountable to one another.
  • The people around should be able to tell you what they see, and you should be able to tell them what you see – always in love and for their betterment.
• Consistency
  • This is the part I hear people start giving up.
  • I hear it all the time – I did that. I showed up to everything. I served. I put myself out there.
  • Good. Keep doing it.
  • Relationships take time to build.
  • Where you stop is where you stop.
• Sharing your daily
  • I’ve only within the last couple of years realized how vital this is to building community.
  • Just like the early church spent time together daily, we need to be sharing our lives with our people daily.
  • Thankfully, we have technology now, so it makes this 100x easier for us to do.
  • What I mean by this is you need people who you can call or marco polo and ask what they’re cooking for dinner.
  • You need people to just chat with – talk about the kids, talk about the dogs, talk about what you’re doing for the week or what books/shows you’ve been into. Talk about what podcasts you’ve been listening to. Ask what they think about this or that.
  • I think we’re conditioned to only share the big things in our lives with one another. We don’t think people will care about the new clothes you just got or how many times you had to scrub your floor to get the paint you spilled out of the cracks.
  • We get satisfied with being an emergency friend – a friend only there for you during emergencies. You’ll move mountains for someone during an emergency and show up in a crisis, but you don’t really reach out any other time. Because keeping up with someone consistently can be a lot, so it’s easier to just be there when they need you.
  • But when you show your friends the normal, mundane, not in any way extravagant parts of your life, they connect with you more and that strengthens your community.
  • And they begin to share their lives with you, and you’ll probably get to be there for one another before the emergencies even happen.

It’s not just attending church.
It’s not sitting in the same room once a week or twice a week.
Real community is work.
It’s working through messes.
It’s getting close enough for people to hurt you.

Somewhere along the way, we started believing that community should be easy.
That if it’s of-God, it should come naturally.
That if it’s meant to be, it shouldn’t inconvenience me.
That if people really loved us, they wouldn’t hurt us.

That’s what culture tries to sell us.

Culture tells us:
Protect your peace at all costs
Have boundaries and cut people off quickly
Don’t let anyone inconvenience you
Keep your circle small and surface-level

But Scripture tells us:
Prefer one another
Philippians 2:3-4 – “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”

Bear one another’s burdens and make allowances for each other's faults
Galatians 6:2 – “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”
Be patient, humble, gentle & make allowances for one another’s faults

Ephesians 4:2 – “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”

Culture diagnoses everything as burnout, trauma, or personality.
Sometimes that’s true.

But sometimes it’s actually pride, fear, or self-protection.
And if the heart issue isn’t addressed, community will always feel like a burden instead of a blessing.

Jesus said, “12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:12-13)

Jesus, our example.

A good, healthy, God honoring community has a cost.
The community that’s going to help you when you’re down, protect you when you’re vulnerable, and strengthen you when you’re weak comes at a cost.

It’s in community that iron sharpens iron. It’s in community that the fruits of the spirit grow. You can’t be sharpened unless you come up against something that cuts on you a bit. Fruit can’t grow unless a seed goes into the ground and dies first.

Listen, I’m not trying to talk down to anyone or make anyone feel bad.

This message isn’t a passive aggressive message about anyone.

This is coming from the last two years of the Lord showing me my own issues.

For most of my life, I’ve kept people out of my head and out of my heart.
And because of that, I went through a lot of really hard things alone.

Not because I didn’t have people who cared—
but because I wasn’t willing to open up.
I wasn’t willing to show people my weaknesses.

And that caused me to feel like no one really knew me.
In my head
They didn’t know the things that I had been through.
They didn’t know what I was dealing with in the moment.
They only knew what I chose to show them – which was void of the deepest parts of me.

Part of me was sad about that
But part of me took pride in it.

I told myself that people wouldn’t understand.
I told myself that all I needed was the Holy Spirit, my counselor.

But the truth?
I was just afraid. I was afraid of being rejected. I was afraid of being misunderstood. I was afraid of being abandoned. That if someone really saw what was going on in my head and in my nasty heart, they wouldn’t want to be my friend anymore.

It sounds silly to say it out loud. Of course they wouldn’t abandon me. Of course they wouldn’t judge me for not being perfect. Of course they wouldn’t be annoyed at me for my weaknesses.

But that’s part of the devils schemes – to get you away from people and keep you away by telling you nasty little lies. And unless you bring those lies out into the light where everyone can see, they’ll keep bombarding your mind.

God never designed us to do life alone. He said it in the beginning, “It’s not good for man to be alone.”

So hear me when I say, like Drew says all the time, I am not saying all of these things from perfection. I’m still working on a lot of this, and I still mess it up.

But take it from someone who has tried to do life alone.
There’s a better way.

Community comes at a cost, but it is worth it. You just have to decide if you’re willing to pay it.

Are you willing to show up when you don’t feel like it?
Are you willing to inconvenience yourself for someone else?
Are you willing to open up and let someone see you?

Placeholder

Placeholder

Placeholder

Placeholder

The local church is important to Jesus and to the community it is located in.

Jesus sacrificed His life for the church. It is part of God's plan to raise up local churches that are healthy and growing spiritually.

It is important that we realize the local church is not just a building but a community of disciples who gather together on a regular basis.

The Greek word for "church" is ekklēsia, which literally translates to "the called out ones" or "an assembly".

God calls us out and brings us together to do great things for Him in our
communities and beyond.

Today we will focus on praying for Revive Church and the Body of Christ.

Pastor Drew paints an amazing picture about puzzle pieces coming together to make a beautiful picture in the local church. Every piece of the puzzle is important, and the picture is never complete without every piece.

Today we want to pray God would bring the pieces in and bring the pieces together to accomplish His plans in 2025. Let’s unite in praying for the right pieces and people in each ministry of Revive Church.

Psalms 127:1 - “Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless
the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.”

Matthew 16:18 - “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My
church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

Ephesians 4:16 - “from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

Ask the Lord to help us be a local church that is Kingdom focused and healthy in all
areas.

Pray that the Lord will send the people we need in every ministry to accomplish His plans for Revive Church in 2025 and beyond.

Ask the Lord for continued provision to accomplish the vision.

Pray specifically for each ministry of the church, pray for its growth and health.

Pray also for volunteers in every ministry, worship, sound, ushers, greeters, media
ministry, nursery, children's ministry, youth ministry, outreach ministry, Young at Heart
ministry, men's and women’s ministry.

Pray any religious mindsets of "what church is" would be brought down, and that we would walk and live as the Church daily.

Pray for the Pastoral team and board of directors to be lead by Holy Spirit.
Pray each ministry and ministry leader would be lead by Holy Spirit.
Pray the overall ministry of Revive Church would always seek God first and keep Jesus
at the center.

Pray the Body of Christ would be healthy and growing in the Lord in 2025.

Before there was an organized church, there was a husband and wife.

Family is important to the heart of God. He created marriage and family in the very beginning.

Marriages and family have always been under attack because the enemy wants to kill,
steal, and destroy the plans and purposes of God and His people.

Today we want to focus on covering marriages and family in prayer. Let's pray for the relationships between husbands and wives, mothers and children, and fathers and children as well.

Malachi 4:6 - “And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of
the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

1 Corinthians 4:15 - “For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet
you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the
gospel.”

Ephesians 5:25-26 - “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,”

Ephesians 5:33 - “Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as
himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

Ephesians 6:1 - “'Honor your father and mother,' which is the first commandment with
promise:”

Unity in marriage and family
Pray for God's grace and intervention for those struggling.
Pray forgiveness and restoration would be in every home.

Husbands to love their wives and wash them with the Word of God.
Wives to honor their husbands.

Pray a there would be a heart connection with parents and children.
Pray children would be brought up in the ways of the Lord.
Pray for fathers to be equipped and empowered to lead the home in devotion, prayer,
and worship.

Pray for the salvation and restoration of families in our community.

Consecration is the act of setting something apart for the worship or service of God. It
involves dedicating oneself afresh to the Lord and His work. It's a personal commitment
to align one's life with God's purposes and interests. Consecration is associated with
holiness, purity, and sanctification.

Consecration is not a one time thing but a process that deepens as we grow in intimacy
with the Lord.

Exodus 19:10
Then the LORD said to Moses , “Go to the people and consecrate them today and
tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.

Hebrews 11:17–19 - Describes how to be set apart by trusting and obeying God no
matter the circumstances.

Hebrews 12:1-2 - Encourages us to offer our bodies daily to the Lord as a living
sacrifice.

God's people should be holy by being set apart from sin and living by God's standards.
This means living a set apart life, studying the Bible, and walking in obedience to the
Word.

1 Peter 1:15-16 - “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.'”

Purification is the process of becoming pure in all areas of our life including heart, mind,
and motive. We purify ourselves by filling our minds and hearts with God’s word.

Psalms 119:11 - “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.”

Psalms 119:8 - “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according
to your word.”

Matthew 5:8 - “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.”

Pray we would live lives set apart in worship, prayer, and devotion to the Lord.
Pray we would walk in alignment with God's will and purpose on a daily basis.
Pray we would set our priorities to seek first the Kingdom of God.
Pray against distractions that would take us away from purity and holiness.

Pray the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart would be pleasing to the
Lord.

Pray Revive Church and the Body of Christ would choose to live consecrated, holy,
and pure before the Lord.

Pray we all would live in the freedom Christ has provided for us.
Pray we would walk in freedom from worldliness and the works of the flesh.

Allow Holy Spirit to lead you as you pray into consecration, holiness, and purity.

Consecration is the act of setting something apart for the worship or service of God. It
involves dedicating oneself afresh to the Lord and His work. It's a personal commitment
to align one's life with God's purposes and interests. Consecration is associated with
holiness, purity, and sanctification.

Consecration is not a one time thing but a process that deepens as we grow in intimacy
with the Lord.

Exodus 19:10
Then the LORD said to Moses , “Go to the people and consecrate them today and
tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.

Hebrews 11:17–19 - Describes how to be set apart by trusting and obeying God no
matter the circumstances.

Hebrews 12:1-2 - Encourages us to offer our bodies daily to the Lord as a living
sacrifice.

God's people should be holy by being set apart from sin and living by God's standards.
This means living a set apart life, studying the Bible, and walking in obedience to the
Word.

1 Peter 1:15-16 - “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.'”

Purification is the process of becoming pure in all areas of our life including heart, mind,
and motive. We purify ourselves by filling our minds and hearts with God’s word.

Psalms 119:11 - “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.”

Psalms 119:8 - “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according
to your word.”

Matthew 5:8 - “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.”

Pray we would live lives set apart in worship, prayer, and devotion to the Lord.
Pray we would walk in alignment with God's will and purpose on a daily basis.
Pray we would set our priorities to seek first the Kingdom of God.
Pray against distractions that would take us away from purity and holiness.

Pray the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart would be pleasing to the
Lord.

Pray Revive Church and the Body of Christ would choose to live consecrated, holy,
and pure before the Lord.

Pray we all would live in the freedom Christ has provided for us.
Pray we would walk in freedom from worldliness and the works of the flesh.

Allow Holy Spirit to lead you as you pray into consecration, holiness, and purity.

1 Samuel 16:7 - "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'"

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."

1 Peter 3:3-5 - "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves."

Genesis 1:27 - "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

Psalm 139:14 - "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

Romans 8:37 - "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

Isaiah 26:3 - "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."

Job 8:21 - "He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy."

Psalm 30:11 - "You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy."

Romans 15:13 - "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Matthew 11:29-30 - "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Isaiah 40:29 - "He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless."

Luke 6:38 - "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

2 Corinthians 9:8 - "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

Philippians 4:9 - "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus"

Malachi 3:10 - “'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.'"

Colossians 3:13-14 - "Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the LORD forgave you so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony."

Psalm 86:5 - "O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help."

Proverbs 17:9 - "Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends."

Matthew 6:14-15 - “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins."

1 John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Colossians 3:13-14 - "Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the LORD forgave you so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony."

Ephesians 4:29 - "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Proverbs 17:17 - "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity."

Proverbs 22:11 - "One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend."

John 15:13 - "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."

How do we know whether it’s God’s will to heal us or not? It makes little difference what others say about it. What did He say about it?

Remember that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10: 34) and He never changes (Mal. 3:6). So what He said to them yesterday, He is saying to you today. God’s word is God speaking to me.

(These statements are taken directly from the Bible with little or no variation. The verbs and construction have been changed to apply to you personally and to sum up the thoughts in some instances. Also, many of these statements are prefaced by phrases like, “If you walk in My commandments”, “If you believe...obey...” etc.)

Psalm 19:14 - "May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."

Proverbs 4:23 - "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

Galatians 6:9 - "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Psalm 139:23-24 - "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

1 Peter 3:7 - "In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered."

Ephesians 5:25 - "For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her
"

Song of Solomon 4:10 - "Your love delights me, my treasure, my bride. Your love is better than wine, your perfume more fragrant than spices."

Ephesians 5:25-33 - "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."

Proverbs 16:3 - "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

Jeremiah 33:3 - "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Proverbs 2:6 - "For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."

Psalm 119:105 - "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."

Psalm 143:8 - "Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you."

Proverbs 24:3-4 - "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures."

Philippians 2:3 - "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves."

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 - "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Colossians 3:12-14 - "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

Matthew 19:4-6 - “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a
man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

Colossians 3:15-17 - "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Psalm 37:23 - "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives."

Psalm 119:105 - "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."

Exodus 31:3 - "I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts."

Romans 12:2 - "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

Proverbs 19:21 - "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails."

Psalm 138:8 - "The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands."

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Psalm 27:14 - "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Luke 2:52 - "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."

Matthew 11:28 - “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”


Jeremiah 31:25 - “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

Psalm 91:1-2, 5-6 - "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.' You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday."

Psalm 4:8 - "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Psalm 3:5 - "I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me."

Proverbs 3:24 - "When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet."

Psalm 91:11 - "For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go."

Philippians 4:7 - "Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

Isaiah 41:10 - "Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."

Jeremiah 1:19 - "They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”


Psalm 91:4-5 - "He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day."

Psalm 91:2 - "I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'"

Proverbs 16:3 - "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

Ecclesiastes 9:10 - "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might."

Colossians 3:23 - "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

Jeremiah 33:3 - "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Proverbs 2:6 - "For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."

1 Corinthians 10:13 - "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure."

Galatians 6:9 - "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

James 1:14-15 - "Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death."

Psalm 51:10 - "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

Ephesians 5:21-24 - "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything."

1 Peter 3:1-6 - "Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear."

Proverbs 31:25-27 - "She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness."

Proverbs 31:30 - "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."