A LAMP TO MY FEET. A LIGHT FOR MY PATH.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Love does not delight in evil

but rejoices with the truth.

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– 1 Corinthians 13:6 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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Those who follow the Lord,

follow Love in its truest form,

and they rejoice only with the truth.

They delight neither in their own evil, which they recognise,

nor in that of others

– on the contrary, they are seriously grieved by it.

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Those who rejoice in the truth

mourn over their own iniquities,

the corruption of their heart,

their secret sins,

which none know but God…and their own soul.

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Those who rejoice in the truth

are greatly troubled at the unholiness and immorality of the world,

and similarly saddened by all forms of injustice.

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Those who follow the Lord,

exult in the truth of the Gospel,

strive to truly live by it,

and are overjoyed whenever they see others walking in it,

and delighting in it.

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PRAYER…

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Be merciful to me, O God,
because of Your constant love.
Because of Your great mercy
wipe away my sins!

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Sincerity and truth are what You require;
fill my mind with Your wisdom.
Remove my sin, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

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Create a pure heart in me, O God,
and put a new and loyal spirit in me.

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Open my eyes, so that I may see
the wonderful truths in Your law.

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Enable me to speak the truth at all times,
because my hope is in Your judgments.

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Create a pure heart in me, O God,
and put a new and loyal spirit in me.

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Amen.

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[Today’s Prayer taken from two Psalms – no. 51 verses 1,6-7,10; no. 119 verses 18,43]

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Create a pure heart in me, O God,
and put a new and loyal spirit in me.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Love is patient,

love is kind.

It does not envy,

it does not boast,

it is not proud.

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It does not dishonour others,

it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered,

it keeps no record of wrongs.

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– 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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Perhaps we have heard these lovely verses too often,

and now we barely pay attention to the words

and to the lesson we could be learning

on how anybody who claims to be Christian should love.

If only we would stop

…and reflect deeply enough.

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God wants us to do all that is within our power,

as we request Him to help us with our unceasing efforts,

to always be patient and kind;

never to envy, nor boast, nor be proud;

not to dishonour others, nor self-seeking,

nor to be easily angered.

And we must pray that, under no circumstance,

we will never keep a record of wrongs.

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QUOTE…

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“Love each other as I have loved you.”

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– Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God (Jn 15:12)

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PRAYER…

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Take my life and make it Yours, Lord,
and fill me with Your love.
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I surrender all of me, Lord.
Fill me with Your love,
and show me how to love

like You have loved me.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, fill me with Your love…and show me how to love.

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TODAY, SAINT PAUL PRAYS FOR US…

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I kneel before the Father,

from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

I pray that out of His glorious riches

He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being,

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

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And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people,

to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge

– that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

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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,

to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus

throughout all generations,

for ever and ever!

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Amen.

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– Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIV)

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TODAY I TAKE ST. PAUL’S PRAYER…

AND MAKE IT MY OWN, AS I KNEEL HUMBLY BEFORE GOD…

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I kneel before You, Father,

from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

I pray that out of Your glorious riches

You may strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being,

so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith.

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And I pray that, being rooted and established in love,

I may have power, together with all Your holy people,

to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge

– that I may be filled to the measure of all Your fullness.

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Now to You who are able to do immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine,

according to Your power that is at work within me,

to You be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus

throughout all generations,

for ever and ever!

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Father, help me grasp and treasure

how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ for me.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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“If you put an end to oppression,

to every gesture of contempt,

and to every evil word;

if you give food to the hungry

and satisfy those who are in need,

then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon.”

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– Isaiah 58:9b-10 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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In the true spirit of love and sacrifice,

Christians should not point fingers or back-bite or gossip,

but rather show neighbourly concern,

and provide for the needy.

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When we do so,

the gloom and darkness of depression will seem like the sun at noon.

Positive attitudes and charitable actions

are the ways to shine.

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God’s light is in every believer

– if only we would let it shine!

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PRAYER…

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God of wisdom and love,
source of all good,
send your Spirit to teach me Your truth
and to guide my actions

that I may always love and give gladly in Your Name,

and that I will take Your light where there is darkness

and Your joy where there is sadness.
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I ask this through my Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God,

for ever and ever. Amen..

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord of wisdom and love, help me shine Your light.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“You have heard that it was said,

‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’

But I tell you, love your enemies

and pray for those who persecute you,

that you may be children of your Father in heaven.

He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good,

and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”.

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– Matthew 5:43-45 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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For Our Lord, everyone is our neighbour.

He is telling us that we Christians should have no personal enemies.

Our only enemy is evil as such – sin – but not the sinner.

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Jesus Himself puts this into practice with those who crucified Him,

and He continues to act in the same way

towards sinners who rebel against Him and despise Him.

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The apex of Christian perfection is to love, and pray for,

even those who persecute us and calumniate us.

It is the distinguishing mark of the children of God.

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PRAYER…

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How many times

have I uttered “Speak to me Lord, Your servant is listening”?

How many times must I hear You, O Lord,

telling me about how You want me to love everybody,

before I get down to accepting,

humbly…without argument or condition…

to obey Your command?

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Lord Jesus, O Divine Mentor,

change my heart.

I want to love like You love.

Remove from me any hatred or prejudice.

Grant to me, Lord, the gift of obedience.

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For this I pray. Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, guide me on how to love like You love.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The Lord loves those who hate evil;
He guards the lives of His faithful;
He rescues them from the hand of the wicked.

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– Psalm 97:10 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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The world oozes with seductive traps,

sometimes disguised as harmless distractions,

but always as instant solutions

which will give us the better life we all seem to crave for,

and which we all claim to deserve.

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The world no longer seems to need to whisper immorality.

Under the banner of “freedom of expression”

it shouts it out loud and with apparent conviction.

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Many appear to applaud and to welcome

what are ultimately short-term egoistic solutions,

which inevitably necessitate a disregard of God’s commandments and often result in a never-ending spiral of discontent.

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In the face of this onslaught of evil,

only the Lord can protect us,

strengthen us, assist us,

and come to our rescue when we call on Him.

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Without Him we are lost!

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PRAYER…

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Lord Jesus,

create in me a new heart,

heal my mind,

and protect my soul.

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Lord, I am weak,

and without You I am nothing.

But with You by my side,

I will overcome all that tries to lead me away from You.

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Come, Lord Jesus,

and protect me.

Come and be my rescuer and my guide.

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Come Lord Jesus.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Come Lord Jesus, my rescuer and my guide!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
will find life and righteousness and honour.

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– Proverbs 21:21 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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True repentance and faith

will lead those who rely on the mercy of God in Christ,

to pursue righteousness and kindness through their own conduct

– “righteousness” being the virtue of rendering to all, their due;

– and ”kindness " is showing genuine, gentle compassion towards others.

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Such righteous and kind persons will find and enjoy

– a true and spiritually prosperous and rewarding "life" in God’s Spirit;

– “righteousness” reflected in an upright and truly Christian character;

– and “honour” …in this world, by way of respect and admiration of others,

and more importantly in the world to come,

where the good bask forever in God’s glory.

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PRAYER…

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Lord,

oh that You would bless me indeed,

and enlarge the scope of my life;

that Your hand would be with me,

and that You would keep me on the right path.

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Grant that I will not cause pain;

that I may be righteous in Your eyes;

that I may obey Your laws

as I look forward to sharing in the eternal glory of Your Divine Presence.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Bless me Lord, that I will find true life in You!

TODAY’S WORD…

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O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
for His steadfast love endures for ever.

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– 1 Chronicles 16:34 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Let God be glorified in our praises.

Let us gladly trust in God.

Let us be full of thankfulness for His generous love.

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Those that give glory to God’s Name

are allowed to glory in it.

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PRAYER…

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Blessed are You, Lord God:
Blessed are You for ever.
Holy is Your Name:
Blessed are You for ever.
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Great is Your mercy for Your people:
Blessed are You for ever.

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All honour and glory and thanks are Yours,

and praise and worship belong to You.

To You be power and glory and praise

for ever and ever.
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Amen!
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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Blessed are You, Lord God:
Blessed are You for ever.
Holy is Your Name:
Blessed are You for ever.
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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”

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– Mark 5:36 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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Oh how hard it is

for so many of us in so many different circumstances,

to “just have faith”

– even though we are constantly being encouraged;

even though we claim to believe in the power and the will of Christ.

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When we hear Jesus Himself telling us

“Don’t be afraid. Just have faith”

we are surely fortified,

and the more conscious we become of God’s care for us,

the more we trust in Him;

and the more faith we have,

the less our fears.

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“Just have faith.”

Jesus is insisting that having faith in God is the most important.

When we allow Him to,

God will carry us through our anxious moments,

and lead us through the most treacherous of paths

and the most troublesome of situations.

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QUOTE…

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“Faith comes from hearing,

that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”

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– St. Paul, in Romans 10:17

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PRAYER…

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My Lord, open my heart
to gladly receive and understand Your Word and Your teachings,

to humbly accept their divine origin,

and to always be guided by them.

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My Lord,

as I proclaim You to be my Shepherd,

help me realise that with You by my side I lack nothing.

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My Lord, strengthen my faith in You;

remove my self-centeredness;

calm my fears;

and help me always trust in Your unfailing love.

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For this I pray in Your Holy Name. Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Strengthen my faith in You, O God!

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TODAY’S WORD…TODAY’S PRAYER…

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I will sing of Your might;
I will sing aloud of Your steadfast love in the morning.
For You have been a fortress for me
and a refuge on the day of my distress.
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O my Strength, I will sing praises to You,
for You, O God, are my Fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.

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– Psalm 59:16-17 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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How wonderful it is for one to acknowledge God’s loving care

by feeling the need to sing heartfelt and joyful praise to Him

first thing in the morning.

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Believers know that God loves them, each and every one,

and singing His praises, is the first thing that comes to mind

when they wake up in the morning.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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O God, my Fortress, my Strength

…I thank You and sing Your praises!

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