Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. O righteous God, Who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure. My shield is God Most High, Who saves the upright in heart. Our hearts haven't turned away from You. We haven't stopped following you . . . We did not forget our God. We did not lift our hands in prayer to foreign gods. God would have known if we had. He knows what's in our hearts. For the Lord is righteous, He loves justice; upright men will see His face.
   [The Lord told Jeremiah:] "But I am the Lord, and I can look into a person's heart. I can test a person's mind. So I can decide what each one deserves. I can give each one the right payment for what he does." You have put the evil we have done right in front of You. You clearly see our secret sins.
   Pay heed, you senseless among the people; and when will you understand, stupid ones? He Who planted the ear, does He not hear? He Who formed the eye, does He not see? He Who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke, even He Who teaches man knowledge? The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are a mere breath. Behold, He Who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
   Thus says the Lord, "Preserve justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come and My righteousness to be revealed."
   This, then, is how we will know that we belong to the truth. This is how our hearts will be confident in God's presence. If our heart condemns us, we know that God is greater than our heart, and that He knows everything. And so, my dear friends, if our heart does not condemn us, we have courage in God's presence.
   [Jesus said:] "My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never die; and no one can snatch them away from Me. What My Father has given Me is greater than all, and no one can snatch them away from the Father's care. The Father and I are one."

Taken from Ps. 7, 44, 11, Jer. 17, Ps. 90, 94, 121, Is. 56, I Jn. 3, Jn. 10, The New International Version, The Everyday Bible, The New American Standard and
Today's English Version. For free Lifescope book, write to Box 1575,
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