1 John 4:7,8

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Love understands and forgives and bears no grudge.  Love remains calm in the face of anger and holds people as they shed tears.  Love does not try to be first.  Love can do and believe the impossible and creates a world of understanding.  Love is a light in the darkness and a hand up to the fallen.  Love saved us.

Mathew 6:14

If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  

Forgiveness is vital to God.  God does not hold a grudge against us for our past sins, and He does not want us to hold anything against anyone else.  When we do not forgive, it makes it harder for us to receive from God.  Our unforgiveness becomes a block in our relationship with God.

2 Peter 2:9

The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.  

As Christians, God will always provide a way out of temptations.  We must trust in His leadership and listen to the inward leading to keep us safe.  Temptations never lead us closer to God but pull us away.  God sees all, and even though the unjust may seem to thrive in their sin, there will be judgment.  

Romans 6:14

Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.  

Sin is a small word with big consequences.  There is no little sin!  We can reduce the impact of sin in our lives by dealing with it early.  Deal with sin quickly in life, so it does not have dominion because we are under the law of grace.  Grace will cover the sin as we confess the sin and turn away from it.  Keep the guard up and the sin tolerance low, and the devil will be no match for us.

Psalm 119:165

Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.

The love of the Lord and following His word is what will help us conquer in all circumstances.  When we finally become fully convinced in our hearts that what God says we can do according to if the world is real, we will not stumble.  When we get to the point that we believe and not doubt, we will see the power of God on this earth. 

Hebrews 8:12

I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.  

God is serious when He said when we are born again; He will no longer remember our sins.  God does not hold our past up to us and say what a horrible person we were.  His plan would not work for our lives if He did.  We should not keep feeling sorrow and regret over our past mistakes. God’s plan for us counts on us believing in His mercy and love. 

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.  

One of the devil’s best weapons he uses to keep us down is to keep bringing up the past.  He will use thoughts, family, or even our friends to remind us of what we were.  We do not have to listen or let those images talk us out of our new identities in Christ.  We are new, and the old self does not have any power over the new.  We have a better life now with better choices to make.  

Philippians 4:12,13

I know how to be abased, and I know how to be abound.  Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  

There are days when the Lord cannot send help to us fast enough.  When we realize that our strength is not enough and our prayers are the only thing keeping us up from complete defeat, as we start to mature as Christians, we will learn the path is not always straight, but God will lead us and strengthen us as we travel.

1 Peter 4:12,13

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

Jesus is the first among many brethren.  Jesus endured trials and had tribulation, but He always overcame the obstacles and finished His path.  As believers, we realize that we will have opposition because of who we are in Christ.  We partake in the suffering of Christ and carry on His mission here on earth.  

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you.  He will not leave you nor forsake you.

Sometimes we underestimate the power of God and what He can do on our behalf.  Since we can only see what goes on in this realm, we cannot see God working on our behalf.  We also cannot see God walking with us as we go. If we pictured that every day our confidence would skyrocket in the word and its promises.  We would see our prayers going out and the answers coming back, and we would not doubt.