A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken. The mind of him who has understanding seeks knowledge and inquires after and craves it, but the mouth of the [self-confident] fool feeds on folly. All the days of the desponding and afflicted are made evil [by anxious thoughts and forebodings], but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of circumstances].
(Proverbs 15:13-15 - AMP)

God Bless you ZephThree17. The Merry Heart of your is a Blessing to us all. Here my favorite verse about that Merry Heart of Yours:


A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Proverbs 17:22

God Bless. ODIE

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2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

LORD of Hosts, we pray that others will see Your joy in our lives. Your Blessings, and Favor; for You have clothed us with the garments of salvation and covered us with a robe of righteousness. (Isaiah 61:10) Therefore man cannot curse what Almighty GOD has blessed. Hallelujah! LORD Our Righteousness, what an Awesome GOD we serve, You have spoken these words: "And I Will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Hallelujah! Amen and Amen

RE: A Merry Heart
I'll be brutally honoust with you, ZephThree. I need prayer
for this one. It's difiicult so far for me to have a merry heart when
devastating things happen like divorce, betrayal, rejection, back stabbing, loss of a child or a major figure in your life. GOD KNOWS I have not mastered the "merry" heart. Will you pray that I will be able to have a "merry" even in the midst of betrayal and loss of a family member or friend? Thank you. Christian737
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Begin by praying this Christian737,
"Satan get thee behind me! You do not have in mind the things of GOD, but only the things of man!"

ALMIGHTY GOD, I Refuse To Receive The Curse Of An Angry Spirit! It Doesn't Belong To Me! I Refuse To Receive It! Or send it toward another. Hallelujah! Amen and Amen LORD of Hosts! Hallelujah!

Instead I lay this curse of anger at the foot of Your cross, And Leave It There, LORD Jesus Christ. I am set free, now, from this curse of anger, In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!

Prayer of Encouragement:

LORD, I thank You for Your encouragement in my life. Help me always to share it with others. Like David, I Want To Encourage Myself In You, My GOD. (1 Samuel 30:6)
Only Then, I Realize, Will I Be Able To Encourage Others.

Teach Me How To Build Others Up, To Encourage Them In The Precious Faith You've Imparted To Us. It Is Your Will, Father, For Those Of Us Who Are Strong In You To Bear The Infirmities Of The Weak And Not To Please Ourselves. Let Me Encourage My Neighbor In This Way, For His Good, To Build Him Up. (Romans 15:1-2)

As You Fill Me With Your Spirit, I Will Speak Encouragement, Edification And Comfort To Others. (1 Corinthians 14:3)

Help Me Always To Remember That The Gifts And Power You Have Imparted To Me, LORD, Are To Be Used To Help And Encourage and Edify others. May I never use them selfishly or destructively. I know it is Your love alone that makes this possaible; Your love always edifies and strengthens. (1 Corinthians 14:26)

Let me show others how to be of good cheer, LORD, for YOU Have Overcome The World. Even though we have tribulation in the world; IN YOU, LORD, We Have Peace.
(John 16:33)
Help me share Your peace with others.

It is my goal LORD, to follow after the things that make for peace, and things wherewith I will be able to edify and encourage others. (Romans 14:19)
May Your people always be encouraged by what I say and do. Let my words always edify and minister grace, and let my life be an encouragement at all times. (Ephesians 4:29)

When a fellow-believer is discouraged, prompt me, LORD, and enable me to speak a word in season to him. (Proverbs 15:23)
Help me to comfort others with the same comfort I've received from You.
(2 Corinthians 1:4)

Other Scriptures:
1 Corn. 8:1
Ephes. 4:12-16
1 Thess. 5:11

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We Must Never Put Our Trust In Egypt - In Captivity and Oppression!

Isaiah 30 - Trust In the LORD, Not In Egypt

A. A rebuke to those in Judah who looked to Egypt for deliverance.

1. (1-2) GOD exposes the sin of those who put their trust in Egypt.

“Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who walk to go down to Egypt, and have not asked My advice, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!”

a. Who walk and go down to Egypt . . . To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh: This prophecy was given at a time when the Assyrian army was attacking Israel and Judah. The northern kingdom of Israel would be conquered by Assyria, and the people of Israel would be taken into exile. The Assyrians would then come against the southern kingdom of Judah, and because of this threat the leaders of Judah looked to Egypt for protection against the Assyrian invasion.

b. In looking to Egypt, (looking to Captivity and Oppression) Judah forsook the LORD: Who take counsel, but not of Me, and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit. In one sense, it was wise and good for Judah to understand that they needed help and were willing to look outside of themselves for help. In the larger sense, it was foolish and evil of Judah to look to others - especially Egypt - for help, instead of looking to the LORD.

1. You take counsel - but is it of the LORD? You devise plans - but are they of GOD’s Spirit? It is one sin to reject the LORD, and another sin all together to trust in something else. (trusting in captivity and oppression) Therefore, to do what Judah did in this situation is to add sin to sin.

2. (3-5) The folly of trusting in Egypt.

Therefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame, and trust in the shadow of Egypt shall be your humiliation. For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes. They were all ashamed of a people who could not benefit them, or be help or benefit, but a shame and also a reproach.

a. Therefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame, and trust in the shadow of Egypt shall be your humiliation: From the perspective of heaven, the strength of Pharaoh was nothing. As the LORD saw it, Egypt was no substance, just a shadow.

b. They were all ashamed of a people who could not benefit them: The ambassadors of Egypt came to Judah, and saw that Judah had nothing to “give” them. It was foolish for the leaders of Judah to trust in a nation that looked at them this way!

(12-14) The judgment to come upon Judah for their trust in Egypt

(Egypt = Captivity = Oppression) and for their rejection of His message.

Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: “Because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perversity, and rely on them, therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach ready to fall, a bulge in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant. And He shall break it like the breaking of the potter’s vessel, which is broken in pieces; He shall not spare. So there shall not be found among its fragments a shard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water from the cistern.”

a. Because you despise this word . . . Therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach ready to fall: GOD promises that because Judah trusted in Egypt instead of Him, everything will be broken and collapsed. Judah will be like a collapsed wall, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant. Judah will be like a shattered clay pot, which is broken in pieces.

4. (15-17) Judah brought low because of their self-reliance, and trusting in oppression and captivity [when they should have put their trust in GOD], and rejection of GOD’s message.

For thus says the LORD GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not, and you said, “No, for we will flee on horses”; therefore you shall flee! And, “We will ride on swift horses”; therefore those who pursue you shall be swift! One thousand shall flee at the threat of one, at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left as a pole on top of a mountain and as a banner on a hill.

a. In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength: GOD offered to Judah the promise of protection from Assyria. They didn’t need to look to Egypt to help at all. They could have trusted GOD for His promise.

1. Trusting GOD’s promise means Returning. If there is conspicuous disobedience in our lives, we must return to the LORD’s ways. Outright disobedience is never consistent with real trust in GOD’s promise. Returning also has the idea of drawing close to the LORD

2. Trusting GOD’s promise means rest. When we trust GOD, we don’t have to strive for ourselves. We don’t have to run all about trying to protect or guard ourselves. We have the best Protector, the best Guard in GOD. We can rest in Him, and when we do, it shows we are really trusting in GOD’s promise.

3. Trusting GOD’s promise means quietness. You don’t need to argue for your side when GOD is on your side. Be quiet before Him and before others. It shows that you really trust Him.

4. Trusting GOD’s promise means confidence. You aren’t given to despair or fear, because you trust GOD’s promise. You know He can and will come through, and you have a profound confidence in the GOD who loves you.

5. All of these things together mean a real trust in GOD’s promise, and it means that we shall be saved, and it means that we will find strength. There is no person walking this earth more powerful than a child of GOD boldly and properly trusting the promise of the living GOD!

A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Proverbs 17:22



God Bless. ODIE

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2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Hi I'm Timothy zornes remember to put on your hole armer of God or the enemy will come in and hurt you in more ways then one