36 Bible Verses That Have Shaped My Spiritual Walk
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For my birthday posts the past couple of years, I've shared about different quirks that make me who I am (you can see those posts here and here). This year, I decided to shake things up a bit and share instead 36 of my favorite verses and why they are significant to me!
Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." With God's creation constantly under attack, it's so good to remind ourselves that He is the Creator of all things!
Genesis 50:20 - "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." As believers, we can rest assured that even if men mean to do us harm, the Lord can use it to bless instead.
Exodus 14:14 - "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still" (NIV). I'm not terribly good at being still, but last year the Lord reminded me over and over again that this is a discipline I need to cultivate in my life.
Exodus 20:8 - "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy." Honoring the Sabbath isn't something that many people do anymore, but it's still one of the 10 Commandments all the same, and thus it's important for believers even today.
Joshua 1:9 - "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” As someone who wrestles with anxiety, this verse is a powerhouse of confidence and encouragement!
Esther 4:14 - "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" The Lord has a definite purpose for each one of us, just as He had for Esther.
Psalm 116:15 - "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." This was the verse my mom found very dear when her mom died just a few months after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.
Isaiah 9:6 - "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." To see the Messiah prophesied about hundreds of years before His birth is amazing to me.
Isaiah 26:3 - "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." I needed this verse a lot during 2013, when my family went through several different difficulties.
Isaiah 40:31 - "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." This has been one of my favorite verses since childhood. One of Jon's first gifts to me when we were in high school was a bookmark with this very verse. (I still have the bookmark!)
Isaiah 41:10 - "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Another excellent verse someone who struggles with anxiety.
Jeremiah 29:11 - "'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" I love how this verse shows God's compassionate and loving attributes.
Jeremiah 33:3 - "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." This was my grandma's favorite verse, the lady who passed away from a brain tumor (see no. 7). As such, it's dear to me, too.
Joel 2:25 - "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you." The years when Jon was working nights, we had more month than money, and we had lots of toddlers were hard on me. When I stumbled across this verse one day, it seemed to leap off the page at me, and I've loved it ever since. The Lord has, indeed, repaid the locust years, but He will do so even more when I reach Heaven!
Micah 6:8 - "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" Not only does this verse get to the very heart of Christian living, but it's also an excellent, excellent guideline for parenting as well.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 - "Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet. And He will make me walk on my high hills." Another of my favorites that seems to go hand-in-hand with Joel 2:25 (see no. 14).
Matthew 9:36 - "But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd." Compassion isn't one of my strong suits, to put it mildly. And yet, when I read about how Jesus repeatedly had compassion on the lowly and unlovable, it reminds me again that I need to grow in this area.
Matthew 28:19-20 - "'Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen." One of my goals this year is to step further out of my comfort zone to better fulfill the Great Commission.
Luke 1:38 - "Then Mary said, 'Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her." Mary's response to the angel's announcement that she would conceive a Child by the Holy Spirit has always inspired me. She chose to walk in faith instead of fretting about what others would wrongly think of her.
John 1:1-3 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." I love these verses that show that Jesus is fully God and was present at the moment of creation.
John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." The Gospel summed up in a single sentence. No wonder this is the most quoted verse in the entire Bible!
Romans 8:26 - "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." So often, I feel frustrated at my lack of strength and ability to pray well. And then this verse comes to mind, reminding me that the Holy Spirit is right there with me, helping me and equipping me in everything I do.
Romans 8:28 - "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." I thought on this verse time and again when we went through the hardship of 2013. I can definitely say that the Lord has used it all - the illness, the financial struggle, the frustration, all of it - for His glory and my good.
Romans 8:38-39 - "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." These verses were a former friend's life verses, so I think of her whenever I read them. Sadly, she has turned away from the faith, but I am praying that one day she will realize her true need for the Savior and will become one of His own.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 - "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." I used to think that my introvertedness hindered me in life. Over time, though, the Lord has shown me that He is using me, introvert and all, to accomplish His will. He truly is perfected in my weaknesses!
Matthew 1:21 - "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." This is one of my favorite Scriptures about Jesus because it explains the very reason He came to Earth.
Ephesians 2:8-9 - "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." This verse has kept me humble, because even my faith is not my own. God has graciously given it to me as a gift from Himself.
Ephesians 6:2-3 - "'Honor your father and mother,' which is the first commandment with promise: 'that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.'" We don't see many examples of children honoring their parents anymore, do we? This verse reminds me not only to honor my parents, but also to do my best to instill in my spark plugs a healthy respect for Jon and me.
Philippians 1:6 - "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." I love this promise that God will continue the good work He has begun in my life.
Philippians 4:6-7 - "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Probably the most-quoted verse for anxiety, it's no less powerful just because it's familiar to most of us.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." These were my life verses throughout high school and college. While I'd not experienced much hardship at the time, they provided a good foundation when hardship and discouragement hit later on.
Hebrews 4:15 - "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." I love that Jesus understands our human limitations. When He asks us to do something, we can move forward in confidence, knowing that He empathizes with our humanity. He set a perfect example of being tested while remaining sinless.
Hebrews 12:1-2 - "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." In high school, I attended a summer camp that put these verses to a beautiful melody. While I've never been able to find the music to it, that song plays over and over in my mind. I especially love the phrase, "who for the joy that was set before Him." We can have joy even when enduring hardship!
James 1:2-3 - "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." This was another verse that really encouraged me during some of the seasons of struggle we've encountered.
1 Peter 5:7 - "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." We can give all of our worries and concerns to the Lord, who is more than capable of carrying them for us.
1 John 1:9 - " If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Another verse full of promise that mentions several of God's attributes - His faithfulness, His justice, His forgiveness.
And one to grow on:
Revelation 12:6a - "Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God..." This is the verse that the Lord gave me in 2013 that spawned my ebook, A Place Prepared. It showed me that no matter how ill-equipped for life I felt, God had actually been preparing me, both spiritually and physically, for all that He permitted me to experience.
So there you have them: 36+ verses that have shaped my spiritual walk! I'd love to know - what are your favorite verses and why? Please share with us in the comments!
