Scripture: Joshua 1:9; Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalm 51:1-17; Ezekiel 36:26-28; Acts 1:8; 2:1-38; 3:19-26; 4:1-21; Isaiah 41:10, 1 Corinthians 16:13; John 16:33

Joshua 1:9 (1400 BC) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (900 BC) Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Psalm 51:1b (1000 BC) … Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithful love; according to Your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion. 2 Wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin… 10 God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me… 13 Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways, and sinners will return to You…

Ezekiel 36:26 (593-570 BC) I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27a I will place My Spirit within you… 28b … you will be My people, and I will be your God.

Acts 1:8b … you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying… 4a Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit… 2:14b … Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them: … 22a "Men of Israel, listen to these words: … 36b "… let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!" 37 When they heard this, they came under deep conviction and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: "Brothers, what must we do?" 38 "Repent," Peter said to them, "and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 3:19 Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus, who has been appointed for you as the Messiah. 21 Heaven must welcome Him until the times of the restoration of all things, which God spoke about by the mouth of His holy prophets from the beginning. 22 Moses said: The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He will say to you. 23 And everyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from the people. 24 "In addition, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, have also announced these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, saying to Abraham, And all the families of the earth will be blessed through your offspring. 26 God raised up His Servant and sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your evil ways."

Acts 4:1 Now as they were speaking to the people, the priests, the commander of the temple police, and the Sadducees confronted them, 2 because they were provoked that they were teaching the people and proclaiming the resurrection from the dead, using Jesus as the example. 3 So they seized them and put them in custody until the next day, since it was already evening. 4 But many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about 5,000. 5 The next day, their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem 6 with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John and Alexander, and all the members of the high-priestly family. 7 After they had Peter and John stand before them, they asked the question: "By what power or in what name have you done this?" 8 Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders: 9 If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man-- by what means he was healed-- 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene-- whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead-- by Him this man is standing here before you healthy. 11 This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it." 13 When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus… 18 So they called for them and ordered them not to preach or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it's right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide; 20 for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard." 21 After threatening them further, they released them. They found no way to punish them, because the people were all giving glory to God over what had been done;

Isaiah 41:10 (700 BC) So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

1 Corinthians 16:13 – “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong”

John 16:33 In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.