Daily Bible Verses

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12

Richard Rohr explores the apostle Paul’s teachings on “the world, the flesh, and the devil,” to clarify the often systemic and hidden nature of evil, including systems of money.  
For most of history we believed that evil was almost exclusively the result of “bad people” and that it was our job to make them into good people. We thought this alone…

‘And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.’  EPHESIANS 6:18
 

Jesus, I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ – especially those who are being persecuted.

Another way that Christians have sought to pray continually is to practise the presence of God throughout their day. This means developing a joyful awareness of God’s presence in all the activities of the day and…

The king gave a banquet lasting seven days. […] The garden had hangings of linen, fastened to silver rings on marble pillars. […] There were couches of gold and silver. Served in goblets of gold, the royal wine was abundant. […] On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits, he commanded that Queen Vashti be brought before him, in order to display her beauty. But Queen Vashti refused to come.  ESTHER 1:5, 6a, 7, 11–12

Margaret Killingray from London Institute for Contemporary Christianity writes: 

The…

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?’

…

3:13 Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews – young and old, women and children – on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.

8:7 King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther … . …

Heavenly Father
Give us grace today to be fruitful whatever our circumstances (Egypt), particularly in the fruit of the spirit of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self Control

1 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob): 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, …

Heavenly Father
Give us grace today to not be afraid (particularly if what we are afraid of could be a figment of our immagination)

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph. 
9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. 
10 Come, let’s deal wisely with them, lest they…

Heavenly Father
Give us grace today to find hope when we are afflicted. 

12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. 
They started to dread the children of Israel. 
13 The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve, 
14…

Heavenly Father
Give us grace today to fear you and have the courage to do what is right

15 The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah, 
16 and he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool, 
if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if…

Heavenly Father
Give us grace today to know when is the time to wait and not take drastic action 

1 A man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife. 
2 The woman conceived and bore a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.