Shalom,

The next time you are tempted to be discouraged and to give up your strong stand on the promises from the Word of God, read Psalm 112! Just look at the promise in the first three verses:

¹ Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who fears (reveres and worships) the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. ² His offspring shall be mighty upon earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed. ³ Prosperity and welfare are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

The fear of the Lord is simply reverence and respect for Who He is and the awareness of His presence! Love His Word, love your fellowship with Him and you will be, of all people, most blessed! What about the wicked, or those who go against God's Word? Verse 10 gives their promise!

¹⁰ The wicked man will see it and be grieved and angered, he will gnash his teeth and disappear [in despair]; the desire of the wicked shall perish and come to nothing.

It may SEEM as though everything is working out fine for those who reject God and His Word, but when it's all said and done, it will not be so! THAT is why we are to pray for them and preach the Gospel, buying up every opportunity! Remember, God desires that none should perish, so let's do OUR part and make sure they hear! Amen! Here is Hillsong with "Blessed":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 111:1 says this:

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.

The only way that we can possibly praise  and give thanks to the Lord with our whole heart in the presence of others (the council of the upright and in the congregation) is if we are being continually thankful and praising Him when we are alone! Realize that doing so with our whole heart is NOT just joining in with the singing and praising as part of the service! Other people may not be able to tell the difference, but you AND the Holy Spirit DO know! Make it your daily "practice" to stay in an attitude of thankfulness and to sing praises to Him throughout your day. When we do so, really flowing with others in a Worship Service will be so much more powerful and it WILL affect the anointing on the service! We ALL have a responsibility to come together with something to add to the service (1 Corinthians 14:26)! Leading a life of praise makes this so much easier to do! Amen! Here is Hillsong Live with "Praise Him":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

2 Corinthians 1:20 says this:

20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. KJV

"Amen" is the Greek word "ameen" and it means: firm; trustworthy; surely; faithful; of a truth; truly (when used in the beginning of a sentence); so be it and may it be fulfilled (at the end of a sentence). When God spoke the promises of His Word, He said YES to them and also the Amen! We have a responsibility to find these promises in the Word, meditate on them (Joshua 1:8) until they become our own, speak them out over our lives, and then AGREE with God (Matthew 18:19) by declaring AMEN, SO BE IT! Understand that we can SPEAK the Amen without really believing it! It is the Word spoken in faith that has come BECAUSE  of the Word (Romans 10:17) that produces results! AMEN! So continue in your daily meditation of the Word with a singleness of purpose that will not stop until you HAVE the promise on the inside, speak the promise in faith, thank Him for that promise and then fully expect to see it manifest! HE cannot do this for us! His part is to provide the blessing (Ephesians 1:3), which He has already done, and OUR part is to receive! So, what are you waiting for? GO GET IT! AMEN! By the way, here is the verse from the Amplified Bible:

20 For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes [answer] in Him [Christ]. For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God. AMP

Here is a very old song from Hillsong called, of course,"Yes and Amen":

God says yes and I know that I'm blessed
Yes got a heart that's at rest
Yes and a future that's sealed
Yes if I'm healed then I'm healed
I'm not afraid of circumstances
Cuz I've already found the answers
In Christ all of God's promises
Are yes, yes and Amen

Now is the time to let faith win
God has placed His promises in the center of His will
Seek His kingdom and His ways
All the power of heaven is yours to call today

All God's promises 
Yes and amen
Celebrate God's promises 
Yes and amen.

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Although Jesus is speaking most specifically to the Jewish people here, preparing them for the time of the Tribulation, WE, as born again believers, can stand on these promises because they are in accordance with the Word and Will of God! Luke 21:14-18:

¹⁴ Resolve and settle it in your minds not to meditate and prepare beforehand how you are to make your defense and how you will answer. ¹⁵ For I [Myself] will give you a mouth and such utterance and wisdom that all of your foes combined will be unable to stand against or refute. ¹⁶ You will be delivered up and betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and [some] of you they will put to death. ¹⁷ And you will be hated (despised) by everyone because [you bear] My name and for its sake. ¹⁸ But not a hair of your head shall perish.

Though we have not seen the same degree of Christian persecution in this country that our brothers and sisters in other countries have, it HAS begun! Be prepared to carry the message of the Gospel WHEREVER you find yourself! Stay saturated with the Word of God, filled with the Spirit of God and stir up the joy! BE the light that the world needs to see and COUNT on the promise that not one hair of your head shall perish! The same Spirit Who raised Jesus from the dead lives IN YOU (Romans 8:11), and HE is well able to rescue you from every situation! AMEN! His arm is NOT shortened (Numbers 11:23 ans Isaiah 59:1)! He raised them in sacrifice of His life for us and He stretches them out for us to run to now! AMEN! Here is a new song from Hillsong United called "Up In Arms":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 108:12-13 is an important Truth to remember whenever you face adversity, test or trials. It is ESPECIALLY important for us to remember this in the days in which we are living, right now, in THIS nation!

¹² Give us help against the adversary, for vain is the help of man. ¹³ Through and with God we shall do valiantly, for He it is Who shall tread down our adversaries.

We should NOT be looking to natural means as our source of help! God WILL move, in answer to our prayer, THROUGH natural means, but HE must be our Source of supply! Find out what His Word has to say about each and every situation you face. Pray His Word back to Him. 1 John 5:14-15 tells us this:

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.

Once you have prayed "according to His will", His Word, then begin to praise and thank Him for the answer, no matter how things APPEAR to look! Be a DOER of 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.

Remember, He inhabits your praises (Psalm 22:3) and where HE is, the enemy will be on the run! Amen! Here is Hillsong United with "Praise Him":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I want to share today from Kenneth E. Hagin's Faith Food again!

"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence" (Col. 1:18). 

Here's where we believers have missed it! We've recognized that Jesus is the Head of the Church, and we've exalted Him to His position of Power, all right. But we've failed to see that the Head is wholly dependent upon its body for carrying out its plans. 

We've failed to see that we are seated in Christ in heavenly places. We've failed to see that Jesus has authority over Satan's power. If this authority is ever exercised, it will have to be exercised through the Body. 

We've been so sure that we couldn't do anything, that we've left everything up to Christ the Head of the Church - and the Head is powerless without the Body. 

Take your own physical head as an example. It is powerless to carry out any of its plans without the cooperation of the body. Your head might see a songbook on a rack in front of you, but unless your body cooperates, your head will never be able to sing from that book. The ministry God wants to accomplish through His Son in this world will be carried out through the Body of Christ. And we the Body of Christ have the same authority the Head has! 

Do you remember this from 1 Corinthians  12:27:

27 Now you [collectively] are Christ's body and [individually] you are members of it, each part severally and distinct [each with his own place and function]. AMP

Do you also remember when Jesus said this in Matthew 28:18-19a:

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore KJV

And this from Heb 10:12-13:

12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. KJV

And this from Mark 16:19-20:

19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. KJV

Do you see what HIS part is and what OUR part is? Pretty simple! He leads, guides and directs us, from Heaven, by His Word and the Holy Spirit. WE do the "work of the ministry" (Ephesians 4:12)  and HE confirms the WORD we speak with signs and wonders and miracles! Want a part in the rewards given out at the Reward Seat? Then DO the things that you can DO here and now! Amen! Here is Hillsong Live with "No Reason To Hide":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I like this from My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers for today:

We all have moments when we feel better than ever before, and we say, “I feel fit for anything; if only I could always be like this!” We are not meant to be. Those moments are moments of insight which we have to live up to even when we do not feel like it. Many of us are no good for the everyday world when we are not on the mountaintop. Yet we must bring our everyday life up to the standard revealed to us on the mountaintop when we were there.

What he is saying here is that there are times when the revelation of God's Word simply flows! Times when we are very aware of the presence of God. Many times this may be after a time of very intimate fellowship with Him or after an especially anointed Worship Service in the presence of like-minded believers. It is very easy to see things clearly and be extremely motivated to be a DOER of the Word of God in this environment. But we are not meant to live continually in one big Worship Service, we are meant to go from that service and share the Light and the Life with those we come in contact with! Church is supposed to be the place where believers come together to be taught, trained, encouraged and re-charged for the daily work of the ministry (2 Corinthians 5:18)! Then we are to be sent forth as missiles into the lost world and save some (1 Corinthians 9:22)! Look at Hebrews 1:7:

7 and unto the messengers, indeed, He saith, 'Who is making His messengers spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire;' YLT

Here is more from the devotional:

Never allow a feeling that was awakened in you on the mountaintop to evaporate. Don’t place yourself on the shelf by thinking, “How great to be in such a wonderful state of mind!” Act immediately— do something, even if your only reason to act is that you would rather not. If, during a prayer meeting, God shows you something to do, don’t say, “I’ll do it”— just DO IT! Pick yourself up by the back of the neck and shake off your fleshly laziness. Laziness can always be seen in our cravings for a mountaintop experience; all we talk about is our planning for our time on the mountain. We must learn to live in the ordinary “gray” day according to what we saw on the mountain.

Be a DOER of the Word, ESPECIALLY when you DON'T "feel" like it! Determine to be moved only by the Word of God and the Spirit of God and you will find that the joy of your daily fellowship with Him will not leave as quickly as it has in the past! When the devil realizes that he cannot get you to stop or give up by "messing" with your feelings, he will leave you alone and go find someone that he CAN intimidate! Be NOT ignorant of the way he works (2 Corinthians 2:11)! YOUR weapons are not carnal (worldly and prone to failure) but are "mighty through God to the pulling down" of the enemy's strongholds in your life (2 Corinthians 10:4)! Amen! Here, to encourage you in this, is Hillsong Chapel with "Salvation Is Here":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I have always enjoyed reading the account of the ten lepers that Jesus healed! Look at Luke 17:11-19:

¹¹ As He went on His way to Jerusalem, it occurred that [Jesus] was passing [along the border] between Samaria and Galilee.¹² And as He was going into one village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance.¹³ And they raised up their voices and called, Jesus, Master, take pity and have mercy on us!¹⁴ And when He saw them, He said to them, Go [at once] and show yourselves to the priests. And as they went, they were cured and made clean.¹⁵ Then one of them, upon seeing that he was cured, turned back, recognizing and thanking and praising God with a loud voice;¹⁶ And he fell prostrate at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him [over and over]. And he was a Samaritan.¹⁷ Then Jesus asked, Were not [all] ten cleansed? Where are the nine?¹⁸ Was there no one found to return and to recognize and give thanks and praise to God except this alien?¹⁹ And He said to him, Get up and go on your way. Your faith (your trust and confidence that spring from your belief in God) has restored you to health.

Notice that they were ALL cleansed of leprosy!  This is the Greek Word "katharizo" and it means to cleanse or purify! The leprosy was GONE from everyone of them! Of the ten healed lepers this day, only one responded as he should! Look at verse 19 above! When this leper came back to thank Jesus, Jesus did something unexpected for him! The KJV of verse 19 says "made whole". This is the Greek word "sozo", which means: saved, delivered, protected, rescued, and, as the Amplified Bible says, "restored to health"! That means that all of the damage done to his body by the raging disease of leprosy was gone and his body was made whole and new again! It PAYS to maintain a grateful and thankful heart and to give God the glory for everything good that happens in our lives! Amen! Here, to help you with that, is Hillsong United with "Thank You":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I am going to share a new song from Hillsong United that I shared at The Spoken Word Church yesterday! It's called "Scandal of Grace". One of the dictionary definitions of the  word "scandal" is: a circumstance or action that offends propriety or established moral conceptions or disgraces those associated with it. 

Don't you just KNOW that the "Religious" leaders were scandalized by the things that Jesus said and did? He exposed them for the frauds that they were! THEY could have, and SHOULD have, been doing the things that Jesus did in His ministry to set people free and meet their needs! Even the closest disciples of Jesus were shocked and "scandalized" by the nature of the plan of Salvation! It's only after we receive Jesus as Lord and personal Savior that we are able to more fully understand and comprehend just what He DID do for us! Here is the lyric video of this song. Allow the words to really minister too YOU about the wonderful love of our wonderful Lord and Savior! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 103 is one of my favorite Psalms! Look at verses 1-1-5:

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]! AMP

The instruction here is to NOT forget all of the wonderful things that the Lord has done for us, and to bless, or affectionately and gratefully praise, Him for them! Do YOU remember to do that on a daily basis? Training ourselves to be thankful and grateful EVERY DAY gets us in position to walk in that blessing EVERY DAY! Are you ready for that? let's DO it! Amen! Here is Hillsong with an old song called "Everyday"! 

What to say, Lord? It's
You who gave me life and I
Can't explain just how
Much You mean to me now
That You have saved me, Lord
I give all that I am to You
That everyday I could
Be a light that shines Your name

Everyday, Lord, I'll
Learn to stand upon Your word
And I pray that I
I might come to know You more
That You would guide me in every single step I take, that
Everyday I can
Be Your light unto the world

Everyday, it's You I live for
Everyday, I'll follow after You
Everyday, I'll walk with You, my Lord

Everyday, Lord, I'll
Learn to stand upon Your word
And I pray that I
I might come to know You more
That You would guide me in every single step I take, that
Everyday I can
Be Your light unto the world

Everyday, it's You I live for
Everyday, I'll follow after You
Everyday, I'll walk with You, my Lord

It's You I live for, everyday
It's You I live for, everyday
It's You I live for, everyday
It's You I live for, everyday

Everyday, it's You I live for
Everyday, I'll follow after You
Everyday, I'll walk with You, my Lord

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Have you ever been in a discussion with people regarding the age of the earth or whether or not there was a pre-Adamic creation? The best advice I can give to you is STOP! Look at Psalm 102:25-28:

²⁵ At the beginning You existed and laid the foundations of the earth; the heavens are the work of Your hands. ²⁶ They shall perish, but You shall remain and endure; yes, all of them shall wear out and become old like a garment. Like clothing You shall change them, and they shall be changed and pass away. ²⁷ But You remain the same, and Your years shall have no end. ²⁸ The children of Your servants shall dwell safely and continue, and their descendants shall be established before You. AMP

We will never convince some people by arguing about Scripture, so let's talk about what we CAN agree on! Right here the Word of God says explicitly that HE was already there "at the beginning"! GOD knows and that's enough! The important thing for US to know is that when all is said and done, HE will remain! Amen! Determine for yourself that God's Word is Truth (John 17:17) and has NO contradictions. What appears to be a contradiction is an area of MY (YOUR) ignorance! BUT, through it all, HE KNOWS! By putting HIM first and trusting in HIM to deliver, we can rest assured that OUR end will be better than our beginning! Look at the promises from Deuteronomy 11:18-21:

¹⁸ Therefore you shall lay up these My words in your [minds and] hearts and in your [entire] being, and bind them for a sign upon your hands and as forehead bands between your eyes.¹⁹ And you shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you rise up. ²⁰ And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates, ²¹ That your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.

What GREAT promises! And WE have an even BETTER Covenant, based on BETTER promises (Hebrews 8:6)! We are, of all people, MOST BLESSED! Amen! Let's show it! Here is Hillsong United with "Nothing Like Your Love":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I can think of no better message to share with you today than the one fond in Kenneth E. Hagin's Faith Food! 

Your Domain
April 11, 2013

"For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive God's overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness; putting them into right standing with Himself, reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)" (Rom. 5:17 AMP). 

In the time when Paul wrote this, kings reigned over certain countries or domains. You are to reign in your domain too. This doesn't mean you're to reign and rule over other people, but you're to rule and reign in your life, your dominion. You're to rule and reign over circumstances, poverty, sickness, disease - everything that would hinder. You're to reign because you have authority! How do you have it? Through the One, Jesus Christ. Don't let the devil cheat you out of the blessings God intended you should have. God never intended that you should be poverty stricken and destitute. He didn't intend that the devil should rule and reign over your family and dominate them. Just get angry at the devil. Tell him, "Take your hands off of my children! You've got no right here. I'm ruling over this domain!" If he says anything about it, quote him Romans 5:17.

"Reign" is the Greek word "basileuo". This means: to rule; to be king; to exercise kingly authority. Just who is supposed to be ruling and reigning in YOUR life? YOU are! HE has given us the choice! IN HIM, we have been given the authority to rule over all the power of the enemy! Let's use that authority to chase the devil and his demons completely out of all the affairs of our lives! Find out what the Word of God says belongs to you as a born again believer, and then keep those promises EVER before your eyes! HE will NOT rule FOR us! He WILL rule WITH us, but the choice is up to us! How long will YOU continue to live "under the circumstance", "under the weather", or "under the thumb" of anyone? Wake up, stand up, speak up and BE the king of your own life! MAKE it count for the Kingdom of God! Show the world the results of one who puts God and His Word first, so that THEY will have something to catch their attention and point them to the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! Amen! Then YOU can make this confession from Faith Food:

Confession: I reign in my domain. I have the authority to do so. I reign by the One, Jesus Christ. The enemy cannot rule over my family. He cannot rule over me! 

Amen! Here is Hillsong Live with "Rise":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Let's look at Psalm 100:

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.

I truly believe that we, as born again believers, as the Body of Christ and as the Church, are to LIVE this Psalm out each and every day! We should be "making a joyful noise", the Hebrew word "ruwa`", which means to split the ears with sound, to shout!. We should be serving Him with gladness, and this will show on our face! We should be coming into His presence with singing, all during the day and every day! We should be knowing (perceiving, recognizing and understanding) that OUR God IS God! HE made us. HE saved us. WE belong to HIM and He loves, cares for, provides for, watches out for and protects us with everything that is within Him! We need to realize this from His Word and then live life like we really believe it! We need to be aware of His presence IN US continually and to spend much time thanking, praising and adoring HIM! We need to be telling the world about our wonderful God and inviting THEM to know HIM! Why? Because HE IS, and He is GOOD! His Word is TRUTH and every promise in it! When WE understand and LIVE in Psalm 100, we will not need to argue with anyone about God, creation, stupid theories, worldly thoughts and ungodly opinions! His manifested presence in our lives will leave them all SPEECHLESS! Jesus did it and so can we! The choice is ours! Will YOU make it? Here is Hillsong Live with "Endless Light":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I am going to share something a little different today! Here is a picture in honor of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was murdered 63 years ago today because of his Godly stance against the Nazi treatment of the Jewish people and others during WWII. I encourage everyone to read the book "Bonhoeffer - Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy" by Eric Metaxas. It is an excellent and very moving and inspiring look into the life and heart of this man of God! Prepare to be changed! I was! Never again will I be silent in the face of evil! 

Refuse to be silenced by the mainstream media, politicians, atheists, terrorists or the devil himself! YOU are the only voice of TRUTH for someone! SPEAK OUT! Here is Hillsong United with "Take Heart":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In Luke 10 we see Jesus sending the disciples out again. Do you see what He was doing? He was giving them "Basic Training" for what they would all be doing when He rose from the dead and were filled with the Holy Spirit (endued with power from on high - Luke 24:49). They were sent out as novices to practice! We have the perfect training camp in our local church and in our own homes! We should be doing the works of Jesus there first, then within our other circles of influence (work, extended family, neighbors, friends, relatives and acquaintances)! EXPECT the miraculous power of Almighty God to flow through YOU, just as it did through Jesus! In order to have the necessary faith and boldness to do this, we will have to be saturating ourselves in the Word of God concerning these things, for faith comes by hearing the Word (Romans 10:17)! THAT is one of the reasons that Jesus, well pleased with her, said THIS about Mary sitting at His feet in order to hear the Word! Luke 10:39-42:

³⁹ And she had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was listening to His teaching. ⁴⁰ But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving; and she came up to Him and said, Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me [to lend a hand and do her part along with me]! ⁴¹ But the Lord replied to her by saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; ⁴² There is need of only one. Mary has chosen the good portion [that which is to her advantage], which shall not be taken away from her.

Choose YOU the "good portion", the "better thing" and spend time meditating the Word of God until you are so filled with the revelation of the Truth of His Word that you cannot keep yourself from being a DOER of it! Amen! GO! Here is Hillsong United with "Go":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Luke 9:1-2 says this:

1 Then Jesus called together the Twelve [apostles] and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases, ² And He sent them out to announce and preach the kingdom of God and to bring healing.

Notice that Jesus gave them both power AND authority. That tells us that there is a difference between the two! "Power" is the Greek word "dunamis", which means: force; miraculous power; strength; ability; inherent power (power residing in a person or thing by virtue of its nature. Jesus was giving these disciples the same power that was in Him as a man in continual fellowship with God! "Authority" is the Greek word "exousia", which means: privilege; capacity; competency; freedom; mastery; delegated influence; power of choice; power of rule or government; right to exercise power. These disciples were thoroughly furnished to go out and do exactly what Jesus commanded them to do! They were fully equipped to go out and do exactly what Jesus Himself had been doing! Remember that Jesus left His glory in heaven! Everything He did on the earth, He did as 100% Man! Let's look at what Jesus said to them on their return in verses 17-20:

17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.m 18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. KJV:

The first "power" in verse 19 is "exousia" or "authority" and the second is "dunamis" or "force and ability". Look at Matthew 28:18-20 from the Amplified Bible (KJV says "power" but it is "exousia"):

18 Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.  19 Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  20 Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. 

AMP

So YOU, as a born again believer, have been given the authority to use the power over all the so-called power of the enemy! YOUR power is MUCH greater than His and YOU have all the authority of Heaven backing you up! AMEN! Now get out there and DO something with it!  Here is an older song from Hillsong called "He's Real" (He's got all the power you need!):

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 97:1 and 9:

¹ The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles and coastlands be glad! ⁹ For You, Lord, are high above all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.

No matter WHAT happens on the face of the earth, OUR God IS God! And He always will be! AMEN! here is a promise and a command for the people of God! Verses 11-12:

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.

Throughout history, those who have opposed the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible have ALWAYS come to their just end! Don't get caught up in talking about how bad things in the world are, or how bad the people of the world are. WE are called to rejoice in all the good that our God has done and to proclaim the great Good News that ALL can come to Him to be saved! Remember, it is the GOODNESS of God that will lead people to "repent", to change their thinking to agree with God and become HIS (Romans 2:4)! Amen! Here is Hillsong United with "Nothing Like Your Love" from the new ZION album:

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

As I read the Luke 7 account of the centurion sending for Jesus to heal his beloved servant  boy, I was reminded again of just what the grace of God means and what Jesus has already done, in us and for us! Look at Luke 7:1-5 for some background:

1 After Jesus had finished all that He had to say in the hearing of the people [on the mountain], He entered Capernaum. ² Now a centurion had a bond servant who was held in honor and highly valued by him, who was sick and at the point of death. ³ And when the centurion heard of Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Him, requesting Him to come and make his bond servant well. ⁴ And when they reached Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying, He is worthy that You should do this for him, ⁵ For he loves our nation and he built us our synagogue [at his own expense].

This had to be a kind and compassionate man, but that is NOT enough! Look at verses 6-8:

⁶ And Jesus went with them. But when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent [some] friends to Him, saying, Lord, do not trouble [Yourself], for I am not sufficiently worthy to have You come under my roof; ⁷ Neither did I consider myself worthy to come to You. But [just] speak a word, and my servant boy will be healed. ⁸ For I also am a man [daily] subject to authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my bond servant, Do this, and he does it.

What exactly was the centurion saying? He was saying that the power to heal was the SERVANT of Jesus and it didn't make any difference whether Jesus was present in the exact spot, or whether He spoke from right where He was, the healing power of God would obey HIS authority and the boy would be healed! How did Jesus respond to this? Verses 9-10:

⁹ Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and He turned and said to the crowd that followed Him, I tell you, not even in [all] Israel have I found such great faith [as this]. 10 And when the messengers who had been sent returned to the house, they found the bond servant who had been ill quite well again. 

Jesus SAID that it was the man's FAITH in the power and authority that Jesus had, that brought healing to the boy, and this centurion was a Roman and not even a Jew! What does this tell us? Look at Mark 11:23-24:


23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be  removed, and be  cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he says. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them. KJV

We MUST have the same confidence in OUR Words that this centurion had in the Word of Jesus! AMEN! How do we develop that confidence? By meditating His Word - day and night (Joshua 1:8)! Dare to speak the Word, believing, as this centurion did, that YOUR faith is a servant to YOU, when YOU speak the Word of God! AMEN!!! Then YOU can sing this song with boldness and give God the glory for all that HE has done! Here is Hillsong Chapel with "Lost Are Found":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 94:3-7 sounds a lot like our times!

³ Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph and exult? ⁴ They pour out arrogant words, speaking hard things; all the evildoers boast loftily. ⁵ They crush Your people, O Lord, and afflict Your heritage. ⁶ They slay the widow and the transient stranger and murder the unprotected orphan. ⁷ Yet they say, The Lord does not see, neither does the God of Jacob notice it.

Christians and Jews are seeing persecution rise, even here, in this nation! The Democratic Party tried to vote God right out of their platform! Bills are being presented in order to take away each of our God-given rights that were ensured by our Founders through the Constitution and the Bill of Rights! This current White House occupant has signed more Executive orders than ANY president in history and more than all of his predecessors combined! These bypass our elected officials! This current administration supports fully funded abortion, even partial birth abortion, and now some have come forward to claim the murder of an abortion survivor as an "after birth abortion"! Does that NOT sound exactly like what we read above? They don't realize that the God of the Bible DOES, most certainly, SEE IT ALL! What will He do? Look at verses 8-11 and verse 23:

⁸ Consider and understand, you stupid ones among the people! And you [self-confident] fools, when will you become wise? ⁹ He Who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He Who formed the eye, shall He not see? ¹⁰ He Who disciplines and instructs the nations, shall He not punish, He Who teaches man knowledge? ¹¹ The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are vain (empty and futile—only a breath).

²³ And He will turn back upon them their own iniquity and will wipe them out by means of their own wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out.

What should OUR attitude be through all of this? Look at verses 12-19:

¹² Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law, ¹³ That You may give him power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity, until the [inevitable] pit of corruption is dug for the wicked. ¹⁴ For the Lord will not cast off nor spurn His people, neither will He abandon His heritage. ¹⁵ For justice will return to the [uncompromisingly] righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. ¹⁶ Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? ¹⁷ Unless the Lord had been my help, I would soon have dwelt in [the land where there is] silence. ¹⁸ When I said, My foot is slipping, Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, held me up. ¹⁹ In the multitude of my [anxious] thoughts within me, Your comforts cheer and delight my soul!

Did you ever realize just how powerful the Old Testament promises are! We have a better Covenant, based on better promises! THESE sound very good, and for us, they are AT LEAST this good! Amen! Don't ever forget just who YOU are, IN HIM! Don't fall for the lies and scare tactics of the enemy! He cannot operate in YOUR life when YOU understand and use your God-given authority! Amen! Here is "King of Heaven" by Hillsong Untied from the new Zion album:

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I have this picture as my profile picture on facebook:

Psalm 93 declares this!

¹ The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord is robed, He has girded Himself with strength and power; the world also is established, that it cannot be moved. ² Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting. ³ The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up the roaring of their waves. ⁴ The Lord on high is mightier and more glorious than the noise of many waters, yes, than the mighty breakers and waves of the sea. ⁵ Your testimonies are very sure; holiness [apparent in separation from sin, with simple trust and hearty obedience] is becoming to Your house, O Lord, forever.

Not only is our God all powerful, all knowing and everywhere present, He is also VERY meticulous! All it really takes is reading one time through Numbers and you will notice how very specific He is! We read Numbers 29-30 today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. Not only does He give instructions as to WHAT the people were to bring for and offering and the number of each thing offered, He also told them what specific days to bring it! Look at verses 1, 7, 12, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, and 35! If God is this specific about offerings and days, He is also MOST specific about the Appearing of Jesus for the Church and about the Second Coming! WE may not know the day or the hour, but HE does! We are, however, to recognize the times and the seasons, and we are most definitely IN those times and seasons right now! This IS, without doubt, THE most exciting time to be alive and active as the Church of Jesus Christ! If you have been holding back and holding out on Him, STOP IT! Jump in with all that you have and be all that HE intends for you to be - RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW! The Glory of God is just waiting to happen in your midst to reveal Himself  the the lost! HE wants that NONE should perish, but that all would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Amen! Here is another new song from the Hillsong United album Zion called "A Million Suns":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I want to share today's selection for My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers!

. . . the Lord Jesus . . . has sent me that you may receive your sight . . . —Acts 9:17

When Paul received his sight, he also received spiritual insight into the Person of Jesus Christ. His entire life and preaching from that point on were totally consumed with nothing but Jesus Christ— “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Paul never again allowed anything to attract and hold the attention of his mind and soul except the face of Jesus Christ.

We must learn to maintain a strong degree of character in our lives, even to the level that has been revealed in our vision of Jesus Christ.

The lasting characteristic of a spiritual man is the ability to understand correctly the meaning of the Lord Jesus Christ in his life, and the ability to explain the purposes of God to others. The overruling passion of his life is Jesus Christ. Whenever you see this quality in a person, you get the feeling that he is truly a man after God’s own heart (see Acts 13:22).

Never allow anything to divert you from your insight into Jesus Christ. It is the true test of whether you are spiritual or not. To be unspiritual means that other things have a growing fascination for you. Since mine eyes have looked on Jesus, I’ve lost sight of all beside, So enchained my spirit’s vision, Gazing on the Crucified.

I also remember that Smith Wigglesworth would not allow even a newspaper to come into his home! He so desired to guard his heart from ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that the enemy would try to use to distract him from the goal that God had set before him! We are all free to make, or NOT to make, that same committment! How much do your RE ALLY want to know Him? As the saying goes, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating"! What will YOUR life "taste like"? As for me and my house, WE will serve, seek, obey, speak to and about, praise and worship the LORD of all lords and the KING of all kings! AMEN! Here is another new song from the Zion album by Hillsong United called "Up In Arms":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 91 is our promise of protection, provision and safety given by the One, True, Most high, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! But notice the conditions! Verses 1-4:

¹ He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. ² I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust! ³ For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. ⁴ [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler. AMP

To "dwell" is the Hebrew word "yashab" and it means: to remain, to sit, to abide, to have one's abode and also to give an indwelling to! Have YOU received Jesus as Lord and personal Savior? Find out how through the link to the left at The Spoken Word Church website! In addition to the dwelling, there is another condition for walking in the fullness of this kind of Divine protection! Look at verse 2! It says "I will say"! We MUST mix faith with this Word and then speak this over our lives! Look at Romans 10:10:

10 For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation. AMP

That word "salvation" is the Greek word "soteria" and it means: rescue, safety, deliverance, and preservation. So continue to meditate on the promises of Psalm 91 so that faith in them will come (Romans 10:17) and then declare these promises over your life and your family, because this Word of God says that THEN you can count on all of the promises here coming to pass! Amen! Here is another new song from the Hillsong United album, Zion. It is called "Relentless":

Shalom in Him!