Saturday, October 31, 2020

 Shalom,

Today we read Psalm 121 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. This is one of the 'Songs of Ascents' that it is believed the Jewish people sang on their way up to the Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate! 

A Song of Ascents.

1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills [around Jerusalem, to sacred Mount Zion and Mount Moriah]—From whence shall my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to slip or to be moved; He Who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand [the side not carrying a shield]. 6 The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

I LOVE these 'Songs of Ascents'! This is the faith of the people in the promises of their God! WE have an even BETTER Covenant than they had, which is based on even better PROMISES than theirs (Hebrews 8:6)! Why is it better? Because this Covenant has been sealed with the BLOOD of GOD's OWN SON! Let's make sure that WE are singing our very own 'Songs of Ascent', especially during these times in which we are living! Let's show, shout and sing our confidence in the ONE Who loves us MOST! HIS promises are sure and firm and His Word never fails! WE, os all people, have something to sing about! CONTINUALLY! HALLELUJAH! Here, to help you with that, is Hillsong with "King of Kings":

Shalom in Him!

Friday, October 30, 2020

 Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is another powerful TRUTH that every believer must KNOW and DO in order to walk in all that God has designed and desired that we should walk in! 

Unforgiveness

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. — MARK 11:25

Jesus had just made those marvelous, thrilling, amazing, astounding statements recorded in Mark 11:23 and 24. (And no one has ever yet plumbed the depths of those statements.)

But at the same time — at the same scene — and with the same breath — Jesus said, “And when ye stand praying, forgive . . . .”

If there is an air of unforgiveness about you, your faith won’t work! Your prayers won’t work!

Unforgiveness is the only hindrance to faith that Jesus ever mentioned. Therefore, the subject of unforgiveness must be of primary importance. (If my prayers and my faith don’t work, the area of unforgiveness would be the first place I’d examine in my life.)

However, I never permit unforgiveness about anyone to enter into my mind at all. I refuse to think about anything evil. I refuse to be resentful toward anyone. No matter what they have done to me — no matter what they have said about me — I will not permit it to affect me.

Confession: My prayers work. My faith works. I do not permit unforgiveness into my being. I refuse to have ought against anyone.

AMEN! FORGIVE! Every second spent in unforgiveness is wasted time that you can never get back. It steals, kills and destroys good things! Refuse to get caught up in the devil's tricks, schemes, strategies and traps! YOU control how you react and respond! Be a DOER of God's Word and FORGIVE! You will set a captive free! YOU!!! Amen! here is Hillsong with "Not Today":

Shalom in Him!

Thursday, October 29, 2020

 Shalom,

I want to encourage you to really meditate on all of Psalm 119 and see if you can find the WORD in every verse! This Psalm IS all about the Word of the Living God! The highest authority! Psalm 138:2 says this:

I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth and faithfulness; for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name!

When you find out what the Word of God has to say about every situation that you face, you will discover just how to pray about it! When WE pray God's Word, HE hears and when HE hears, WE HAVE IT! 1 John 5:14-15:

14 And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. 15 And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with a great song about the Word called "Say The Word":

Shalom in Him!

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Shalom,

We read half of Psalm 119 today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan, and the other half tomorrow. I want to share the first two verses with you!

Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are the undefiled (the upright, truly sincere, and blameless) in the way [of the revealed will of God], who walk (order their conduct and conversation) in the law of the Lord (the whole of God’s revealed will). 2 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are they who keep His testimonies, and who seek, inquire for and of Him and crave Him with the whole heart.

I  want you to see and really realize what happens when you decide to be obedient to the Word of God and the Spirit of God! We are BLESSED! This means that we have needs met, desires fulfilled, protection, provision and safety, favor, anointing, perfect timing, success in whatever we lay our hands to and influence beyond our understanding! The world may never want to acknowledge this, but THEY ENVY US! Don't ever allow the enemy to cause you to become timid in your faith because of what other people may SAY! THIS (above) is what they REALLY feel and think! NEVER doubt the Word of the Living God! YOU are much more of an influence than you ever thought possible! 

Now let's look at 1 John 3:1-3:

1 See what [an incredible] quality of love the Father has given (shown, bestowed on) us, that we should [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! The reason that the world does not know (recognize, acknowledge) us is that it does not know (recognize, acknowledge) Him. 2 Beloved, we are [even here and] now God’s children; it is not yet disclosed (made clear) what we shall be [hereafter], but we know that when He comes and is manifested, we shall [as God’s children] resemble and be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He [really] is. 3 And everyone who has this hope [resting] on Him cleanses (purifies) himself just as He is pure (chaste, undefiled, guiltless).

HALLELUJAH! THIS IS who we are when we are IN HIM! The world envies us, but they do NOT understand us! Nedver let that keep you from BEING exactly who HE made YOU to be! YOU SHINE! Don't stop! Here is Hillsong with "Who You Say I Am":

Shalom in Him! 

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

 Shalom,

Today I want to share again from Joseph Prince's "Grace Inspirations" devotional! (You can find it here: Grace Inspirations)

THE LIFE OF JESUS IS IN YOU

John 10:10 …I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Though Jesus is completely God, He was born completely human. He went through temptation after temptation and conquered every one of them (see Hebrews 4:15). And all that overcoming power is found in His life. And He put that life in you—the life of Christ is in you!

During Jesus’ ministry on earth, He conquered sickness, the winds and waves, the powers of darkness and death. It is His life that brings victory over the devil and all his works. And He put that life in you—the life of Christ is in you!

Finally, Jesus went to the cross. And that life in Him put an end to everything that was natural of the Adamic race—sickness, poverty, failures, pains, curses and death. All that was natural ceased to be in that life of His. But all that was supernatural remained in Him. And He put that life in you—the life of Christ is in you!

Then, Jesus rose from the dead. And in that life of His was added the power of resurrection. And He put that life in you—the life of Christ is in you!

After His resurrection, Jesus went back to heaven to His Father. Today, He is seated at the right hand of God, resting in His finished work, occupying a place of the highest authority. And He put that life in you—the life of Christ is in you!

And because Jesus went back to the Father, the Holy Spirit came to indwell you (see John 16:7), so that you will live life with His anointing in you and walk in His overcoming power.

All that Jesus is, God meant for you to be. All that He has, God meant for you to have. All the exciting things that you read in the Bible about Jesus, all the treasures of Him hidden in the Old Testament and the unsearchable riches in Him that you find in the New Testament, all of that life of His, is not out there somewhere. God has deposited all of it in you, so that you can live the abundant life that Jesus came to give you!

AMEN! I LOVE the Amplified Bible for John 10:10:

10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

God wants us to ENJOY this wonderful, abundant, overflowing LIFE! Just as JESUS has within Himnself! THIS life will draw other to HIM! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "World Outside Your Window":

Shalom in Him!

Monday, October 26, 2020

 Shalom,

We read Psalm 117 in today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. The shortest Psalm! I want to share this with you today from The Passion Translation!

Glorious Praise

117 A praise psalm
1 Let everyone everywhere shine with praise to Yahweh! Let it all out! Go ahead and praise him!
2 For he has conquered us with his great love and his kindness has melted our hearts.
His faithfulness lasts forever and he will never fail you. So go ahead, let it all out!
Praise Yah! O Yah! 

Go ahead! Let it all out! Praise HIM with everything that is within you! Make praise your first priority upon waking each day and you will find that your entire day will be different! 

Then we began 1 John today! Let's look at a couple of verses of this from The Passion Translation, too! 

1 We saw him with our very own eyes.  We gazed upon him and heard him speak. Our hands actually touched him, the one who was from the beginning, the Living Expression of God. 2 This Life-Giver was made visible and we have seen him. We testify to this truth: the eternal Life-Giver lived face-to-face with the Father and has now dawned upon us. 3 So we proclaim to you what we have seen and heard about this Life-Giver so that we may share and enjoy this life together. For truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus, the Anointed One. 4 We are writing these things to you because we want to release to you our fullness of joy. 

HALLELUJAH! WE KNOW HIM! We have a personal relationship with Him and He invites us to have daily intimate fellowship with Him because WE ARE HIS! Make JESUS your #1! Your FIRST LOVE! When you do, everyone else in your life will benefit from HIS presence IN YOU! AMEN! Here are Hillsong Kids with "My Number One":

Shalom in Him!

Sunday, October 25, 2020

 Shalom,

Today I want to share "From Faith To Faith" by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

Get Rid of the Frogs

When shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses? Exodus 8:9

Have you ever wrestled with one of those problems that stubbornly refuses to go away? It seems to be immune to all solutions. You swat at the thing in every conceivable way, but instead of being eliminated, it expands and multiplies until it's wildly out of control.

An Egyptian pharaoh faced just that kind of problem, the Bible tells us, thousands of years ago. He was in a hot dispute with God over the future of the Israelites, and as a result of that dispute, he woke up one morning to find his country swarming with frogs. Slimy, smelly, hopping-all-over-the-place frogs.

It was a serious problem. I'm not talking about a frog or two in the front yard. I mean frogs were everywhere—in their beds, on their tables. Big old frogs in the ovens. Little bitty frogs in the bread dough and the drinking water. Frogs. Frogs in your hair. Frogs in places you wouldn't even want to think about!

Then God made a move. He sent His man Moses in to Pharaoh to ask, "When shall I entreat the Lord to get these frogs out of here?"

Do you know what Pharaoh said?

"Tomorrow."

Can you imagine that? He could have said, "Right now! Today!" But instead he decided he'd spend one more night among the frogs.

You say, "That's the stupidest thing I ever heard. Why in the world would he say tomorrow?" I don't know. Probably for the same reason you want to wait until tomorrow to get saved or healed or prosperous.

Here's what I want you to notice. When Moses asked Pharaoh that question and he answered, "Tomorrow," Moses said, "All right. So that you know there's a God in heaven, be it done according to your words."

Let me ask you this: How long are you willing to let that persisting problem harass you? When are you going to get rid of the frogs in your life? Do you realize they'll stay around as long as you'll let them? They'll be there until you finally make a quality decision to go with the Word of God and get them out.

Why don't you do it today?

AMEN! GET RID OF THOSE 'FROGS' in your life! NOW! TODAY! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Uncomplicated":

Shalom in Him!

Saturday, October 24, 2020

 Shalom,

I want to share two things with you today! The first is from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan in 2 Peter 2:1:

But also [in those days] there arose false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among yourselves, who will subtly and stealthily introduce heretical doctrines (destructive heresies), even denying and disowning the Master Who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

The reason that I am sharing this today is that I have been hearing many people who claim to be Christians who are also accusing certain pastors and teachers of being false teachers or false prophets and they do not realize that they are treading on very dangerous ground! We are warned by JESUS Himself about judging others (Matthew 7:1-3). Also the warnings for touching God's anointed ones is very serious! GOD says TOUCH NOT (Psalm 105:15)! Some are labeling ministers who accurately teach what God has to say about finances and giving as 'properity preachers'. I am sure that they can find themselves 'poverty preachers' if that is truly what they are looking for, but I prefer those who teach THE WORD OF GOD! And His WORD has very much to say about how to operate in the financial realm in order to prosper and do well! In fact, those who did things God's way were ALWAYS BLESSED! I will leave this subject with THIS verse that shows the true character and desire of our GOD for US! John 10:10:

10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

The ONLY thing that the Lord addresses to the wealthy is not to TRUST in their wealth, but in God alone! He also instructs us in our giving, and we cannot give what we do not have! The other thing that I would like to share today is THIS from today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:

The Proper Perspective

Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ… —2 Corinthians 2:14

The proper perspective of a servant of God must not simply be as near to the highest as he can get, but it must be the highest. Be careful that you vigorously maintain God’s perspective, and remember that it must be done every day, little by little. Don’t think on a finite level. No outside power can touch the proper perspective.

The proper perspective to maintain is that we are here for only one purpose— to be captives marching in the procession of Christ’s triumphs. We are not on display in God’s showcase— we are here to exhibit only one thing— the “captivity [of our lives] to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). How small all the other perspectives are! For example, the ones that say, “I am standing all alone, battling for Jesus,” or, “I have to maintain the cause of Christ and hold down this fort for Him.” But Paul said, in essence, “I am in the procession of a conqueror, and it doesn’t matter what the difficulties are, for I am always led in triumph.” Is this idea being worked out practically in us? Paul’s secret joy was that God took him as a blatant rebel against Jesus Christ, and made him a captive— and that became his purpose. It was Paul’s joy to be a captive of the Lord, and he had no other interest in heaven or on earth. It is a shameful thing for a Christian to talk about getting the victory. We should belong so completely to the Victor that it is always His victory, and “we are more than conquerors through Him…” (Romans 8:37).

“We are to God the fragrance of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 2:15). We are encompassed with the sweet aroma of Jesus, and wherever we go we are a wonderful refreshment to God.

Having GOD's perspective means agreeing with HIS WORD and being a DOER of that WORD! Doing so will cause us to be RIGHT in our thinking concerning the things we looked at above! Don't ever be caught trying to put words in God's mouth that He did not say! Instead, put HIS WORD in YOUR HEART and what will come out of your mouth will be something that HE can confirm! With signs and wonders and  miracles! Mark 16:20:

20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord kept working with them and confirming the message by the attesting signs and miracles that closely accompanied [it]. Amen (so be it).

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Blessed":

Shalom in Him!

Friday, October 23, 2020

 Shalom,

Today I want to share this exciting devotional from Joseph Prince!

SEE YOURSELF IN CHRIST

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

I remember going through a terrible time of depression when I was 18 years old. Believing that I was demon-possessed, I sought out a great man of God to have him cast the devil out of me. But when this man of God laid hands on me, he began to prophesy over me. He said, “Joe, I see you preaching to thousands and used by God to impact thousands of lives. Joe, you are called by God and the devil is attempting to stop you.”

“What? I came here for deliverance! I am only interested in saving my own life, not preaching nor impacting lives,” I thought to myself then.

You see, what happened was that at that moment, God allowed this man to step into the timeless zone He exists in to bring my future before me. As far as God was concerned, my future had already happened, though I was only 18 years old then. Today, I am a pastor of a church which has more than 30,000 members. Today, I am seeing what was told to me long ago.

God does not see as we see. Abraham was a childless, 100-year-old man. His wife, Sarah, at 90 years old, was doubly dead in her womb (see Genesis 17:17). Yet, God saw him and talked to him as if he were already the father of many nations.

My friend, God wants you to see the way He sees. Right now, you may see yourself going through a trial in your marriage, work, finances or health. But God sees a blessed marriage, success at work, supernatural provision and a healed body because He tells you that you are already blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

You see, God sees you in Christ. So when you see yourself in Christ, who is outside time, you step into the timeless zone. In that timeless zone in Christ, whatever needs and trials of yours are already removed, repaired, restored or resurrected! In that timeless zone in Christ, you are already blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places!

AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Need Your Love":

Shalom in Him!

Thursday, October 22, 2020

 Shalom,

These instructions from today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan in 1 Peter 5:7-9 will put us in great position to walk in victory IF we become consistent DOERS of them!

7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. 8 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. 9 Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.

2 Corinthians 2:11 tells us that we are NOT ignorant of the schemes, tricks, traps and strategies of the devil! When we DO what we see above, the enemy cannot touch us! Another sure way to stay ahead of the enemy is to operate in the reverential fear of the Lord! Proverbs 19:23 tells us this:

23 The reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it rests satisfied; he cannot be visited with [actual] evil.

How do we maintain that reverential fear of the Lord? Spend time in His presence and in praise and worship for WHO HE IS! We can do that by using our own words and songs, or by using the built inworship found in the Psalms! Today's Psalm is a great one to us! Psalm 113:1-5:

1 Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! 2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forever 3 From the rising of the sun to the going down of it and from east to west, the name of the Lord is to be praised! 4 The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens! 5 Who is like the Lord our God, Who has His seat on high, 6 Who humbles Himself to regard the heavens and the earth!

AMEN! Another great way is to use songs that cause YOU to remember His greatness! Like THIS from Hillsong Yong and Free called "Indescribable":

Shalom in Him!

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Shalom,

In our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today we read the account of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednago and the fiery furnace that did NOT burn them because they refused to bow to anyone but the Lord their God! I want to share THIS from Rick Renner's "Sparkling Gems From The Greek Volume 2" that speaks of what to do when ordered to do something contrary to God's Word!

When It Comes Right Down to It, Whose Law Will You Obey?

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…. — Hebrews 10:25

In today’s Sparkling Gem, I want to share some history with you about where believers met to worship when the law forbade them to do so. I think you will find this little history lesson to be very interesting!

Hebrews 10:25 commands believers to meet together regularly. However, during New Testament times, Roman law expressly forbade believers from congregating. Although there were periods of reprieve in different regions of the empire in the early centuries of the Church, it was generally illegal for Christians to come together anywhere in the Roman Empire — including the privacy of their own homes. Those who were caught doing so often faced severe reprisal.

These restrictions put believers in a difficult position. Although Scripture instructed them to obey, honor, and pray for the authorities of the land (see Romans 13:1,2), their government wouldn’t permit them to obey God’s commands. As the new laws took effect, Christians found themselves being forced to choose between obeying the law of God or following the law of man — just as Peter and John had to decide whom they would obey when the Sanhedrin commanded them to stop preaching in the name of Jesus (see Acts 4:19). When Roman or local laws were in line with God’s law, early Christians diligently obeyed them. But if a law conflicted with the principles clearly outlined in God’s Word, most believers chose to obey God over the government’s mandates. This choice was not without consequence, however, because it gave rise to accusations that Christians were insubordinate lawbreakers.

As a result of Roman authorities passing laws that forbade gatherings that were not sanctioned by the government, it quickly became difficult for believers to find safe locations where they could worship together in peace. Early Christians had to be creative in the ways they met and in the way they communicated where their meetings would be held. One method they used to communicate with each other was secret imagery that pagans didn’t understand.

An example of this secret communication was a special symbol that believers would often scratch into the marble pavements of public places. This symbol was essentially a circle with a series of intersecting lines at its center, somewhat resembling an eight-spoked wheel. To the eyes of the public, these drawings looked like mere children’s games that had been scratched into the pavement — but to believers, this symbol was actually a secret code. If one separates the lines from the circle, one finds that this symbol is actually composed of five Greek letters — ΙΧΘΥϹ — that overlap one another. In Greek, this sequence of letters is icythus, the Greek word for a fish, but to Christians, these letters hidden within the circular icythus symbol conveyed so much more.

The word ΙΧΘΥϹ is an acronym for Ιησούς ΧριστόςΘεός yhiosωτήρ, which means: Jesus, Christ, God, Son, Savior.

“I” is the first letter (Iota) of the word Ιησούς — which is the Greek name Jesus.

“X” is the first letter (Chi) of the word Χριστός — which is the Greek word for Christ.

θ” is the first letter (Theta) of the word Θεός — which is the Greek word for God.

“Y” is the first letter (Upsilon) of the word yhios — which is the Greek word for Son.

” is the first letter (Sigma) of the word Σωτήρ — which the Greek word for Savior.

Soldiers and political officials might have thought this symbol was a mere street game, but in reality, it was a secret code designed to help believers connect with each other and coordinate meetings. For instance, if it was scribbled next to a shop, it might have conveyed that the shop owner was a Christian. If it was drawn next to a home, it might have indicated that a Christian gathering was secretly being held there. Wherever this symbol was inscribed, it sent the message that believers were nearby.

Because of the law forbidding unauthorized gatherings — which included members of this upstart Christian sect — Hebrews 10:25 put believers in direct opposition to the law. Consequently, they were often driven to assemble in secret meetings, which they frequently disguised to look like something else. Using emblems like the circular icythus symbol, believers were able to covertly communicate where they lived or worked with each other. And by regularly changing the place and time of their meetings, they made it difficult for authorities to catch them.

Congregations rarely met at the same place for long, choosing instead to constantly move to new secret locations in order to avoid detection. Church meetings in the First Century were mostly conducted in private residences, and just like today, the homes of believers could come in all sizes. Some places were quite modest, whereas others were large enough to accommodate a small congregation. In Acts 20:7-12, we read of a boy who fell from a window of a third-floor apartment where Paul was preaching to a local congregation. This reveals that even apartment buildings could be used for church use if the circumstances were right.

As the years passed and forces continued to mount against Christians, they were often forced to become even more covert about the locations of their meetings. For example, in the mid-Second Century at the trial of Christian leader Justin Martyr, he admitted to the Roman magistrate that he had been conducting meetings in a room located above a bathhouse in Rome.

Since Roman bathhouses were notorious cesspools of sinful activities, it might seem highly unusual that a respected church leader like Justin Martyr would choose to meet with other Christians there for purposes of teaching or corporate worship. However, the strategic potential of such a meeting place should be considered. This may have been an ideal covert location for Christian gatherings simply because it was such an unlikely possibility.

Another place where believers met in secret was in suburban cemeteries on the outskirts of the cities. These were considered ideal meeting places because they were largely hidden from the eyes of hostile governmental authorities.

By the Second Century — and some scholars believe there is evidence for as early as the late First Century — believers began to use underground catacombs for the burial of their dead. Although there were few rich Christians in the earliest years of the Church, later some wealthy Christian landowners granted permission for underground tombs to be built on their land. Some of the larger rooms in these underground chambers became another means used by early believers to assemble together in secret.

Especially during periods of fierce persecution in the Second and Third Centuries, these underground catacombs sometimes provided an effective “cover” for Christian meetings because they gave the impression that these believers were merely a group of people gathered for a funeral ceremony. In fact, at times actual funerals became legal opportunities for Christians to gather.

Roman soldiers were superstitious about the dead and were afraid to enter the catacombs, so some of the larger chambers in these underground systems became ideal locations for believers to meet on occasion without fear of authorities watching what they were doing. Deep beneath the earth, those burial quarters would be transformed into places for worship, testimony, and the teaching of God’s Word — a place where believers could strengthen each other’s faith before reemerging into the sunlight. But even these Christian burial grounds came to be officially forbidden to believers.

So we see that because of the hostile forces arrayed against the Church during the first three centuries of its existence, it was a matter of survival for early believers to find concealed places where they could meet to worship, hear God’s Word, and fellowship with one another. It’s not so different than the way the Church operates today in countries where governments are hostile to the Gospel.

We should never take for granted how fortunate we are to be able to attend church without the threat of death or imprisonment. This privilege has cost and continues to cost others highly. Let’s pray for God to give us a renewed love for the local church — and a firm decision that if we have to choose between obeying man’s laws or God’s laws, we will always choose to obey God rather than man!

In these trying times we have been living in the past few months, many of us have had to decide whether or not we will obey God over man! The answer is ALWAYS to obey GOD! When we do, then HE can make the way out for us! Be BRAVE! Be BOLD! HE will NEVER let you down! WE are HERE for such a time as THIS! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "World Outside Your Window": because THEY are why WE are here!

Shalom in Him!

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Shalom, 

If you are EVER tempted to believe with the world, worldy believers and the devil, that God is NOT GOOD, then read Psalm 111 again!

Psalm 111

1 Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) I will praise and give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart in the council of the upright and in the congregation. 2 The works of the Lord are great, sought out by all those who have delight in them. 3 His work is honorable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever. 4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious, merciful, and full of loving compassion. 5 He has given food and provision to those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever and imprint it [on His mind]. 6 He has declared and shown to His people the power of His works in giving them the heritage of the nations [of Canaan]. 7 The works of His hands are [absolute] truth and justice [faithful and right]; and all His decrees and precepts are sure (fixed, established, and trustworthy). 8 They stand fast and are established forever and ever and are done in [absolute] truth and uprightness.He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant to be forever; holy is His name, inspiring awe, reverence, and godly fear. 10 The reverent fear and worship of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom and skill [the preceding and the first essential, the prerequisite and the alphabet]; a good understanding, wisdom, and meaning have all those who do [the will of the Lord]. Their praise of Him endures forever.

There is NO room for doubt in this Psalm that our GOD is GOOD! ALWAYS! Be obedient to verse 10 and YOU will never have to doubt GOD again! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Never Have I Ever":

Shalom in Him! 

Monday, October 19, 2020

 Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers is another very important TRUTH for every born again believer to get strong on the inside!

The Unheeded Secret

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world." —John 18:36

The great enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ today is the idea of practical work that has no basis in the New Testament but comes from the systems of the world. This work insists upon endless energy and activities, but no private life with God. The emphasis is put on the wrong thing. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation….For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). It is a hidden, obscure thing. An active Christian worker too often lives to be seen by others, while it is the innermost, personal area that reveals the power of a person’s life.

We must get rid of the plague of the spirit of this religious age in which we live. In our Lord’s life there was none of the pressure and the rushing of tremendous activity that we regard so highly today, and a disciple is to be like His Master. The central point of the kingdom of Jesus Christ is a personal relationship with Him, not public usefulness to others.

It is not the practical activities that are the strength of this Bible Training College— its entire strength lies in the fact that here you are immersed in the truths of God to soak in them before Him. You have no idea of where or how God is going to engineer your future circumstances, and no knowledge of what stress and strain is going to be placed on you either at home or abroad. And if you waste your time in overactivity, instead of being immersed in the great fundamental truths of God’s redemption, then you will snap when the stress and strain do come. But if this time of soaking before God is being spent in getting rooted and grounded in Him, which may appear to be impractical, then you will remain true to Him whatever happens.

Our intimate fellowship with JESUS by His Spirit Who lives IN us is the vital necessity of out lives IN HIM! Make sure that YOURS is your #1 priority! Everything else inlife will fall right into place! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Everything I Could Want":

Shalom in Him!

Sunday, October 18, 2020

 Shalom,

Today's "From Faith To Faith" devotional by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland is VITAL for our spiritual growth!

From Tradition to Truth

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103:2-5

Is there actually a divine purpose behind the bad things that happen in your life? Could it be that the sicknesses and calamities you experience are somehow a part of God's plan for you?

Before you can ever begin to experience the healing, delivering power of God, you've got to know the answer to those questions. You have to settle them once and for all. If you even suspect that God is the source of your misfortunes, you won't be able to believe Him for deliverance from them. Your faith will be crippled because you'll think that by escaping those things, you'll be opposing His will.

In order to receive all the benefits God desires to give you, you must be absolutely sure that He is a good God. You must be certain that His will for you is health, not sickness; prosperity, not poverty; happiness, not sorrow—100 percent of the time! Psalms 103 alone is enough to prove that's true. But if it's not enough to convince you, there are many others too. One of the best known verses is Psalms 136:1 that says, "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."

If religious traditions have robbed you of the goodness of God, if they've taught you He brings trouble into your life so He can teach you something, start today washing those traditions away with the truth. Get out your Bible and let God Himself tell you through His own Word that He is the God who heals you (Exodus 15:26). Dig in to the Scriptures and discover for yourself that He is a God of mercy (Psalms 86:5), lovingkindness (Jeremiah 9:24), and compassion (Psalms 145:8).

Put your doubts to rest and open your heart to receive the truth about your heavenly Father. It's the only thing that can truly set you free.

AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Need Your Love":


Shalom in Him!

Saturday, October 17, 2020

 Shalom,

Even after all of these years of going through the Bible with our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan (both the original and the new and improved version!), I LOVE learning something new every day! I hope that YOU are continuing to allow yourself to grow and learn and be corrected by HIS WORD! Remember, God only corrects with His Word by His Spirit! And He encourages and builds us up in the very same way! Today I was very excited to read Psalm 108:1-5:

1 O God, my heart is fixed (steadfast, in the confidence of faith); I will sing, yes, I will sing praises, even with my glory [all the faculties and powers of one created in Your image]! 2 Awake, harp and lyre; I myself will wake very early—I will waken the dawn! 3 I will praise and give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; and I will sing praises unto You among the nations. 4 For Your mercy and loving-kindness are great and high as the heavens! Your truth and faithfulness reach to the skies! 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let Your glory be over all the earth. 

I was excited because I have been doing this right along, and increasing more and more as I see 'the day approaching'! The day of His soon return! But until that day, we are to be ever shining as the LIGHT in our own individual worlds and realms of influence! The ONLY way to do that is to do THIS that we see above! The new thing that I learned was directly from Holy Spirit Who said that many praise Him, but not all with 'all of our faculties and powers of one created in His image'! So, my exhortation to YOU is to find what works for YOU to praise and honor Him with everything that is within you in your own individual praise and worship life, so that when you are gathered together in a Worship Service, you can freely worship HIM with the songs that Holy Spirit has chosen for the service on that particular day! A true worshiper ALWAYS worships with their whole being! I remember that Jesse Duplantis shared that when he saw Heaven, whenever someone said "Praise the Lord", all of Heaven stopped and praised Him, too! Pretend that you are already in Heaven, because we ARE seated there in the spiritual realm! 'In Him'! Then we can say, when facing troubling situations, verse 13:

13 Through and with God we shall do valiantly, for He it is Who shall tread down our adversaries.

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "For Who You Are":

Shalom in Him!

Friday, October 16, 2020

 Shalom,

Psalm 107 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today has a strong message for us! Is is so important that it is shown in verse 8 and then repeated in verses 15, 21 and 31!

Oh, that men would praise [and confess to] the Lord for His goodness and loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men!

THIS is one of the very most important things that we should be doing every day! When we maintain this attitude, it will affect every area of our lives and show JESUS off to others! It is so important that verse 43 tells us this:

43 Whoso is wise [if there be any truly wise] will observe and heed these things; and they will diligently consider the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord.

When we do this, then we are in a great position to expect the end result of James 4:7 happening for us! 

So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.

AMEN! Then we can sing with Hillsong THIS song "Not Today":

Shalom in Him!

Thursday, October 15, 2020

 Shalom,

We read Psalm 106 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today. I LOVE when the Psalms begin with praise and worship to the LORD our GOD! Verses 1-3:

1 Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever! 2 Who can put into words and tell the mighty deeds of the Lord? Or who can show forth all the praise [that is due Him]? 3 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are those who observe justice [treating others fairly] and who do right and are in right standing with God at all times.

Who can EVER put into words how GREAT our GOD actually is? Impossible in this lifetime! HEAVEN is filled with the praises of our God! But we can PRACTICE here! HALLELUJAH! Psalm 106 goes on to record some of the times that God's people turned away and failed Him, BUT, when they repented and turned again to Him, He was right there to bring them back! NEVER forget that when God SEEMS to be far away, HE never moved! Get YOURSELF right back into HIS presence through prayer, praise & worship, study and meditation of His Word and intimate fellowship with HIM! He will restore you and lead you on into greater times in His presence! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with a great new song that speaks of the glorious LOVE of GOD for US! "Never Have I Ever":

Shalom in Him!

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Shalom,

I really like the message in today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers!

The Key to the Missionary’s Work

Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…" —Matthew 28:18-19

The key to the missionary’s work is the authority of Jesus Christ, not the needs of the lost. We are inclined to look on our Lord as one who assists us in our endeavors for God. Yet our Lord places Himself as the absolute sovereign and supreme Lord over His disciples. He does not say that the lost will never be saved if we don’t go— He simply says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations….” He says, “Go on the basis of the revealed truth of My sovereignty, teaching and preaching out of your living experience of Me.”

“Then the eleven disciples went…to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them” (Matthew 28:16). If I want to know the universal sovereignty of Christ, I must know Him myself. I must take time to worship the One whose name I bear. Jesus says, “Come to Me…”— that is the place to meet Jesus— “all you who labor and are heavy laden…” (Matthew 11:28)— and how many missionaries are! We completely dismiss these wonderful words of the universal Sovereign of the world, but they are the words of Jesus to His disciples meant for here and now.

“Go therefore….” To “go” simply means to live. Acts 1:8 is the description of how to go. Jesus did not say in this verse, “Go into Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria,” but, “…you shall be witnesses to Me in [all these places].” He takes upon Himself the work of sending us.

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you…” (John 15:7)that is the way to keep going. Where we are placed is then a matter of indifference to us, because God sovereignly engineers our goings.

“None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus…” (Acts 20:24). That is how to keep going until we are gone from this life.

AMEN! it really IS 'all about JESUS'! HE is our FIRST LOVE, our LORD, our GOD and our KING! Our only desire should be to do HIS will! Spending time in intimate fellowship with Him each day will cause us to always be 'in the know' about what HE desires for us! Don't neglect that MOST important relationship in your life! When HE is #1, everyone else in our lives will be elevated, too! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Indescribable":


Shalom in Him!

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

 Shalom,

Today I am simply sharing some of my favorite portions from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! If you are meditaing on the Word as you study along with this plan, then you should be developing wuite a list of YOUR OWN favorite verses! Look at Psalm 104:1-5:

Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great! You are clothed with honor and majesty— [You are the One] Who covers Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain or a tent, Who lays the beams of the upper room of His abode in the waters [above the firmament], Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, Who makes winds His messengers, flames of fire His ministers. You laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved forever.

HE is WORTHY of ALL praise and honor and glory because He IS Who HE says He is! I especially like that part of verse 4 where we see that GOD makes His ministers to be flames of fire! We are filled with His Spirit, filled with His Word and filled with His power! And then my favorite N.T. verse for today is this from James 1!

17 Every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse].

And the greatest instruction is found in verse 22:

22 But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].

Amen! Give the greatest attention to the Word of God! Loving, reading, receiving and DOING it! Here is Hillsong with "Your Word":

Shalom in Him!

Monday, October 12, 2020

Shalom,

We read Psalm 103 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today. This has always been a favorite of mine! Beginning with verses 1-5:

1 Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits— 3 Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy; 5 Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle’s [strong, overcoming, soaring]!

What outstanding promises He has given us here! NO ONE loves us more than HE does! He is GOD and He is GOOD! ALWAYS! The more we know Him, the more we realize this and will fall for the traps, tricks, strategies and schemes of the enemy! Notice that He says this in verse 7:

He made known His ways [of righteousness and justice] to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.

I don't know about you, but I most definitely desire to know His ways and how He thinks rather than just what He does! That is like being on the outside lookin gin! I want to know the ONE Who lives IN me SO WELL that I being to think, speak and act just like Him! That IS what HE desires of us, also! Verses 11-12 are also OURS!

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercy and loving-kindness toward those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

There is no end to the goodness of God towards us who love Him! Verse 17-19 also are ours:

17 But the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord are from everlasting to everlasting upon those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, and His righteousness is to children’s children—18 To such as keep His covenant [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it] and to those who [earnestly] remember His commandments to do them [imprinting them on their hearts]. 19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.

And then finally the instructions for all of God's creation!

20 Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His commandments, hearkening to the voice of His word. 21 Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, all you His hosts, you His ministers who do His pleasure. 22 Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of His dominion; bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul!

AMEN! Because HE is WORTHY and WE are BLESSED! Beyond measure! Here is Hillsong with one of my favorite worship songs "Like Incense (Sometimes By Step)":


Shalom in Him 

Sunday, October 11, 2020

 Shalom,

Today's "Grace Inspirations" by Jospeh Prince is another great reminder of who we are and what we have because of WHOSE we are!

JESUS IS YOUR QUALIFICATION FOR GOD’S BLESSINGS

Deuteronomy 28:2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you…

God loves to bless you. He has even declared that “blessings shall come upon you and overtake you.” This means that you can’t run fast enough to escape them! When you turn one corner, there is a blessing waiting for you. When you turn another corner, you run smack into another blessing!

Now, you may think that you don’t qualify for God’s blessings because of the preceding verse which says that these blessings will come to pass only if you diligently obey God’s voice and keep all of His commandments. You know that no matter how hard you try, you just cannot keep all of God’s commandments. In fact, the Bible says that if you fail to keep just one commandment, you fail to keep all (see James 2:10).

My friend, I have good news for you: Jesus is the one who qualifies us for every single blessing because He has kept all of God’s commandments. When He died for us on the cross, He not only fulfilled all of God’s commandments, He also redeemed us from the curse of the law (see Galatians 3:13). Note that He did not redeem us from the blessings of the law, so the blessings are still ours today!

As you read the list of blessings in Deuteronomy 28, starting with “Blessed shall you be in the city…in the country…the fruit of your body…your basket…when you come in…when you go out…” (Deuteronomy 28:3–13), I believe that Jesus is saying to you, “Like the blessings? Then take them by faith!”

You may say, “But I don’t deserve them.” Yes, you don’t deserve them, but you still get them because of Jesus. That is God’s grace! The law says, “You must deserve the blessings.” But the law is no longer here. Grace is here. So take the blessings by grace through faith. Believe God for the blessings.

Today, it is no longer a question of how much or how well you have kept God’s commandments. It is a question of how much you can believe God for His blessings. All the promises of God in Christ are “Yes,” and because you are in Christ, you can say “Amen!” to His blessings (see 2 Corinthians 1:20)!

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with a great older song called "One Day":

Shalom in Him!

Saturday, October 10, 2020

 Shalom,

Today's devotional on The Spoken Word Church website is excellent!

Two unforgettable disciples, Peter and John, kept their prayer appointment with God. Daniel prayed three times daily. The psalmist prayed seven times daily. Great men simply have great habits.

You make appointments with lawyers, doctors and friends. Start making daily appointments with the God of Heaven.

"Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour(Acts 3:1)

AMEN! It is vitally important for every born again believer to spend intimate fellowship time with their Heavenly Father! Geting to know HIM more very day helsp us to learn and know more about ourselves and who WE are - IN HIM! This is a study worth doing every single day! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "All My Life":

Shalom in Him!

Friday, October 9, 2020

Shalom,

First of all today I would like to share part of "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:

Building on the Atonement

…present…your members as instruments of righteousness to God. —Romans 6:13

I cannot save and sanctify myself; I cannot make atonement for sin; I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what is wrong, purify what is impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the sovereign work of God. Do I have faith in what Jesus Christ has done? He has made the perfect atonement for sin. Am I in the habit of constantly realizing it? The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe things. The redemption of Christ is not an experience, it is the great act of God which He has performed through Christ, and I have to build my faith on it. If I construct my faith on my own experience, I produce the most unscriptural kind of life— an isolated life, with my eyes focused solely on my own holiness. Beware of that human holiness that is not based on the atonement of the Lord. It has no value for anything except a life of isolation— it is useless to God and a nuisance to man. Measure every kind of experience you have by our Lord Himself. We cannot do anything pleasing to God unless we deliberately build on the foundation of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.

He uses the word 'atonement' here, but what JESUS accomplished on that cross was NOT a simple atonement for sin, but a complete redemption from all that sin had wrought in mankind! We , who have received JESUS as LORD and SAVIOUR have been completely redeemed, bought back from the authority of satan, recreated in the New Birth in the very image opf God Himself, made members of HIS very own family and heirs of God! NOW the enemy can only operate in our lives when we allow him to, by ignorance of or disobedience to the WORD of GOD! HALLELUJAH! WE ARE FREE! So now let's rejoice in HIM with Psalm 100 from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today!

A Psalm of thanksgiving and for the thank offering.

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing! 3 Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name! 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.

Hallelujah! Here is Hillsong with "Grace To Grace" to continue the rejoicing! 

Shalom in Him!

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Shalom,

In today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan we read Psalm 99. Look at verses 1-3:

1 The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble [with reverential fear]! He sits [enthroned] above the cherubim, let the earth quake! 2 The Lord is great in Zion, and He is high above all the peoples. 3 Let them confess and praise Your great name, awesome and reverence inspiring! It is holy, and holy is He!

Then look at verse 5:

Extol the Lord our God and worship at His footstool! Holy is He!

 And verse 9:

Extol the Lord our God and worship at His holy hill, for the Lord our God is holy!

Do you see the main message here? OUR GOD is HOLY! This means seperated! There is no known word that can adequately express the greatness of the character of our GOD! HE is the standard for greatness! HE is the HOLY ONE! And WE who belong to HIM by means of the New Birth are also HOLY! HE see us that way! When we exalt HIM and gain an understanding of HIS greatness, thenn we can begin to understand just how HE sees US! Never underestimate YOUR worth in HIS eyes! YOU are who HE says you are! Now find out what that means and begin to act like it! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Who You Say I Am":


Shalom in Him!


Wednesday, October 7, 2020

 Shalom,

Today's "Grace Inspirations" by Jospeh Prince is SO good that I have to share it with you!

GOD IS BEHIND YOUR INCREASE

1 Corinthians 3:7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

Sometimes, we think that the increase or success which we enjoy is the result of our own efforts or hard work. Now, I am not advocating laziness, but the truth is that God is the one behind our increase.

We see this truth when we read the story of Ruth, a young widow from Moab, who worked as a gleaner in a barley field from morning till evening. Now, we could attribute the entire ephah—a substantial 10-day supply—of barley she collected at the end of the day to her hard work. After all, she did work all day in the field.

But when we read about how Boaz, the owner of the field, had secretly told his reapers to “let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean” (Ruth 2:16), we know that it was because of Boaz’s intervention that Ruth ended up with so much.

I believe that Jesus, our heavenly Boaz, does the same thing for us today. He causes people to favor us and “drop” blessings on us because He loves us. Then, He causes us to “pick up” these blessings. Often, it happens so seemingly naturally we forget that it is the Lord who has blessed us with the increases.

A church member who runs a florist business shared that once, God caused someone who needed a lot of flowers to “drop” a huge order with her. She also shared that she was hardly making any money even though she had been working hard for many years. But when she became a Christian after coming to our church, she began to confess every day that God’s favor was on her. Within a few weeks, that big order worth S$14,000 came in. Only God could have given her such a supernatural increase.

My friend, your hard work is not behind your increase. The Bible tells us that it is “God who gives the increase.” He is the one who is behind your increase and He delights in blessing you because He loves you!

AMEN! NO ONE loves you more! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Indescribable":


Shalom in Him!

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Shalom, 

Our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today has us reading Psalm 97. Verses 1-7 says this:

The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles and coastlands be glad! 2 Clouds and darkness are round about Him [as at Sinai]; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. 3 Fire goes before Him and burns up His adversaries round about. 4 His lightnings illumine the world; the earth sees and trembles.The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory.

Have YOU ever entertained doubts that our God IS GOD? The ONE and ONLY? If all of these wonderful things are true in the Old Testament, under the Old Covenant, they are evn MORE true under our new and BETTER Covenant! Dare to believe and to receive all that the Word of the Living God promises you! Now look at verses 10-12:

10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil; He preserves the lives of His saints (the children of God), He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. 11 Light is sown for the [uncompromisingly] righteous and strewn along their pathway, and joy for the upright in heart [the irrepressible joy which comes from consciousness of His favor and protection]. 12 Rejoice in the Lord, you [consistently] righteous (upright and in right standing with God), and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness.

AMEN! here is Hillsong Young and Free with "World Outside Your Window":

Shalom in Him!