Shalom,

Today I want to share this wonderful promise from the "From Faith To Faith" devotional by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland.

Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they [your children] shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border. Jeremiah 31:16-17

Jesus has redeemed us from the curse. Many of us have been well taught about that redemption where sin, sickness and poverty in our own lives are concerned. But we often fail to realize that redemption has power over the destruction the devil tries to bring on our children's lives as well.

Deuteronomy 28 states the curse of the law in verses 16-68. Notice what that curse says about children. "Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand" (verse 32). 

"Thou shall beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity" (verse 41).

Many Christian parents are still suffering needlessly under that curse. Their children are being taken captive by drugs, alcohol and perversions. But it doesn't have to be that way! Since Jesus broke the curse of the law, these parents have the authority in the Name of Jesus to order Satan out of their children's lives.

Don't let the devil run roughshod over your children! When you see the first warning signs of rebellion in them, confess the promises of God over them and refuse to give the devil any room to operate.

Remember, the children don't understand the unseen forces that are coming against them. So it's your responsibility to stand against those forces on their behalf. Exercise that responsibility. Then take every opportunity to minister love to them.

God knows how to deliver your children. Do your part and trust Him to do His. He will bring them back from the land of the enemy!

AMEN! I also want to encourage you with THIS from Proverbs 22:6:

6 Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.

This promise tells us that if WE do our part, no matter what things ever look like, our God WILL do HIS part! Notice, also, that it does NOT say that we train them up perfectly. Parents are human beings and will make mistakes now and then. The word "way" is the Hebrew word "derek", which means: a course of life; mode of action. What this means is that if we train our children according to the Word of God and teach them to put Him first, then HE will take over where we lack or leave off and will continue to pursue them even to old age! Refuse to believe anything else concerning your children! Continue to rebuke the enemy concerning them, pray in the Spirit for them and fully expect those who have strayed away to come running back to the God of their childhood! AMEN! Here is Kenneth Copeland singing "I Have Returned":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

"My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers is a great reminder today that WE are the priests of our own lives and our own temples!

I have to account to God for the way in which I rule my body under His domination. Paul said he did not “frustrate the grace of God” — make it of no effect. The grace of God is absolute, the salvation of Jesus is perfect, it is done for ever. I am not being saved, I am saved; salvation is as eternal as God’s throne; the thing for me to do is to work out what God works in. “Work out your own salvation”; I am responsible for doing it. It means that I have to manifest in this body the life of the Lord Jesus, not mystically, but really and emphatically. “I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection.” Every saint can have his body under absolute control for God. God has made us to have government over all the temple of the Holy Spirit, over imaginations and affections. We are responsible for these, and we must never give way to inordinate affections. Most of us are much sterner with others than we are in regard to ourselves; we make excuses for things in ourselves whilst we condemn in others things to which we are not naturally inclined.

“I beseech you,” says Paul, “present your bodies a living sacrifice.” The point to decide is this — “Do I agree with my Lord and Master that my body shall be His temple?” If so, then for me the whole of the law for the body is summed up in this revelation, that my body is the temple of the Holy Ghost.

As priests of these "temples", it is up to us to find out what God's Word has to say about what belongs to us as born again children of God. We also must take the responsibility of speaking His Word into every area of our lives. HE confirms His Word, so WE must be speaking the Word to give Him something to confirm! AMEN! Find what belongs to you. Boldly speak His Word in to your life, fully expecting HIM to confirm that Word for you, fulfilling the promise, always remembering that HE lives in that Temple, IN you! Here is Hillsong with "Glory":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We looked yesterday at the instructions that David gave to his son Solomon concerning walking in the ways and the Word of God. In Proverbs 5 David begins to instruct Solomon specifically concerning getting involved with "strange" women. He was speaking of strangers who were not Jewish, served other gods and warned that they would eventually turn his heart away from the One, True God. Look at verses 7-14:

7 Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, and depart not from the words of my mouth. 8 Let your way in life be far from her, and come not near the door of her house [avoid the very scenes of temptation], 9 Lest you give your honor to others and your years to those without mercy, 10 Lest strangers [and false teachings] take their fill of your strength and wealth and your labors go to the house of an alien [from God]— 11 And you groan and mourn when your end comes, when your flesh and body are consumed, 12 And you say, How I hated instruction and discipline, and my heart despised reproof! 13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers nor submitted and consented to those who instructed me. 14 [The extent and boldness of] my sin involved almost all evil [in the estimation] of the congregation and the community.

Did Solomon obey the instructions of his father? 1 Kings 11:1-10 give us the answer!

11 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; 2 Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. 7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. 8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. 9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, 10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded. KJV

As you go through your own personal study of the Word of God, remind yourself that every instruction that the God of the Bible gives to us is meant to direct us to the place of being in His perfect will where the blessings flow into our lives and the power of God can flow FROM us to those in need! AMEN! Don't end up like the Solomon who wrote Ecclesiastes as he looked back on a very disappointing life spent OUT of the will of God! He realized at the end of his life how badly he had missed it, but he DID return to the God of his father! Make the right choices NOW so that you will have no regrets when you finally meet HIM face to face! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Back To Life":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We know that the Book of Proverbs was written by Solomon because Proverbs 1:1 says this:

1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; KJV

Today we read Proverbs 4. Let's look at verses 1-13:

1 Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, and pay attention in order to gain and to know intelligent discernment, comprehension, and interpretation [of spiritual matters]. 2 For I give you good doctrine [what is to be received]; do not forsake my teaching. 3 When I [Solomon] was a son with my father [David], tender and the only son in the sight of my mother [Bathsheba], 4 He taught me and said to me, Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live. 5 Get skillful and godly Wisdom, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation); do not forget and do not turn back from the words of my mouth. 6 Forsake not [Wisdom], and she will keep, defend, and protect you; love her, and she will guard you. 7 The beginning of Wisdom is: get Wisdom (skillful and godly Wisdom)! [For skillful and godly Wisdom is the principal thing.] And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation). 8 Prize Wisdom highly and exalt her, and she will exalt and promote you; she will bring you to honor when you embrace her. 9 She shall give to your head a wreath of gracefulness; a crown of beauty and glory will she deliver to you. 10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life shall be many. 11 I have taught you in the way of skillful and godly Wisdom [which is comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God]; I have led you in paths of uprightness. 12 When you walk, your steps shall not be hampered [your path will be clear and open]; and when you run, you shall not stumble. 13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.

David was instructing his son from his own place of wisdom, some of which came through his obedience to the Word of God and some through correction he had received because of his disobedience. In both cases, he had learned valuable lessons that he desired to impart to his son. This early teaching really found place in Solomon's heart because when he was made king and God asked him what he desired to receive from God, he said this in 2 Chronicles 1:7-10:

7 In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. 8 And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. 9 Now, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. 10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? KJV

Solomon understood that he needed God's wisdom in order to ever be able to lead these people. God's reply is found in 1 Kings 4:29-34:

29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. 30 And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about. 32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. 33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springs out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. 34 And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom. KJV

Solomon had more wisdom to make wise decisions than any other man or woman on earth! For a while he made wise decisions and people sought him out specifically FOR this wisdom! Solomon did not maintain this wisdom, however, which is evidenced in reading the book of Ecclesiastes! Solomon made the very unwise decision to have foreign wives (not to even mention the number!) who turned his heart away from the One, True God Who had blessed him with wisdom in the first place! What is our message today? You CANNOT maintain knowledge and understanding of the Word and Will of God without purposefully and diligently seeking out this wisdom every day! We who are born again believers not only have access to all of the wisdom of Solomon, but we also have the Teacher of that wisdom living inside of us! We have even less excuse than Solomon had to let this wisdom slip away! Make it YOUR determined purpose to learn something knew about the God of the Bible, your Covenant with Him and what belongs to you as a result of it, what you can DO as a Covenant believer and how to do it, ever day! Remember, without HIM we are NOTHING, but we are NOT without Him. PURSUE HIM! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Search My Heart":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I want to remind you and encourage you with THIS from "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin:

More Than Enough

"And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies..." (Josh. 10:13). 

We see El Shaddai with Israel in Canaan's land. (And incidentally, Canaan is not a type of Heaven. It couldn't be. In Heaven there won't be battles to fight, cities to take, or enemies or giants to overcome - they're here in this world. No, Canaan is a type of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and our rights and privileges in Christ Jesus.) 

When Israel ran into difficulty in Canaan, Joshua, their leader, spoke to the Lord. And God stopped the whole universe because a man of God prayed! God can do that - He's the God who is more than enough! All through the Old Testament, we see El Shaddai moving in the lives of men and women, prophets, priests, and kings. But He's not just the God of yesterday; He's the God of now! He didn't identify Himself as "the God who was more than enough," or "the God who will be more than enough." 

Too often we relegate everything back to the past, saying, "Oh, it was wonderful back when God did such things," or to the future, saying, "When we all get to Heaven, everything will be wonderful." No, things will be different here and now if you will trust in this God who is more than enough! 

Confession: I believe God. I trust in God now. He is more than enough today! He is more than enough to overcome any situation I could face. He is more than enough for me. 

AMEN! HE has already provided everything we can possible need in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 1:3). Our responsibility is to bring those things into this natural realm that we live in. We do this by knowing the promises of the Word and and by obeying the instructions in the Word. Remember that "faith comes by hearing" the Word (Romans 10:17), so be diligent and consistent about putting that Word IN you! Here is Hillsong Christmas song called "We Have A Saviour":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I realize that there are many people who love to do Scripture memorization. This is a wonderful exercise for your brain, but it will NOT cause you to be able to be a DOER of the Word of God! How do I know that? Joshua 1:8 tells us this:

8 This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

"Meditate" is the Hebrew word "hagah", which means: to murmur; to ponder; to muse; to speak; to utter; to mutter; to devise. In other words, if I am going to meditate on the Word of God, I am going to read it, then spend some time thinking about it while asking Holy Spirit to show me what it means to ME and how to obey it. I am also going to talk about it to others, especially those whom I know are students of the Word. As understanding comes, then I will put it into practice and continue with this meditation with every thing I read. That is what Joshua 1:8 is saying! It is only through meditation that we can "observe and do" what the Word is saying. THEN, the promise is, we will make our own "way prosperous AND have good success"! It doesn't happen any other way! To re-emphasize this, we read this in today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan from Proverbs 2:1-8:

1 My son, if you will receive my words and treasure up my commandments within you, 2 Making your ear attentive to skillful and godly Wisdom and inclining and directing your heart and mind to understanding [applying all your powers to the quest for it]; 3 Yes, if you cry out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4 If you seek [Wisdom] as for silver and search for skillful and godly Wisdom as for hidden treasures, 5 Then you will understand the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of [our omniscient] God. 6 For the Lord gives skillful and godly Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He hides away sound and godly Wisdom and stores it for the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him); He is a shield to those who walk uprightlyand in integrity, 8 That He may guard the paths of justice; yes, He preserves the way of His saints.

Notice that the Lord hides this Wisdom away FOR us to find out! Only those who are willing to pay the price to be diligent and meditate will gain a true understanding of the word! We will NEVER understand the limitless Word of God completely, at least not in this lifetime, but every bit we DO understand and act upon will only increase our success and influence! Verses 9-12 continues:

9 Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and fair dealing [in every area and relation]; yes, you will understand every good path. 10 For skillful and godly Wisdom shall enter into your heart, and knowledge shall be pleasant to you. 11 Discretion shall watch over you, understanding shall keep you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil and the evil men, from men who speak perverse things and are liars,

Let's stay above all that is going on in the world today by making the Word of God, and our meditation of it and obedience to it, our #1 priority! AMEN! Only GOOD will come of that decision! Here is Hillsong United with "Say The Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

The sadness of leaving the Psalms today is replaced with awe at how very simple and profound Wisdom really is! Look at Proverbs 1:1-7:

1 The proverbs (truths obscurely expressed, maxims, and parables) of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: 2 That people may know skillful and godly Wisdom and instruction, discern and comprehend the words of understanding and insight, 3 Receive instruction in wise dealing and the discipline of wise thoughtfulness, righteousness, justice, and integrity, 4 That prudence may be given to the simple, and knowledge, discretion, and discernment to the youth— 5 The wise also will hear and increase in learning, and the person of understanding will acquire skill and attain to sound counsel [so that he may be able to steer his course rightly]— 6 That people may understand a proverb and a figure of speech or an enigma with its interpretation, and the words of the wise and their dark sayings or riddles. 7 The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning and the principal and choice part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; but fools despise skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction, and discipline.

Not one of the "self-help" books that have ever been written can even begin to compare with the results you can have by meditating daily on the Wisdom found in this Book! It takes diligence and commitment to spend time meditating on the Word of God every day, but that is TRULY what is needful in order to stand out as a carrier of Light (Joshua 1:8)! In these days, when common sense is rarely to be found, operating with the Mind of Christ will cause the born again, Spirit-filled believer to stand out as a beacon! THIS is what is needed for people to come to YOU and ask about that hope (1 Peter 3:15)! THEN you can share the Gospel and they will TRUST that you are telling them the TRUTH! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "What A Saviour":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I love going through the Psalms in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. I have found that praise is the highest form of prayer and "Book of Psalms" in the Hebrew is "tehillim", which means "Book of Praises"! David is the author of 73 of the 150 psalms. Many of His psalms begin with a crying out to the Lord for deliverance in a time of trouble, but end with him encouraging himself in the Lord by reminding himself (and us) of the times that the Lord delivered him before and of the promises of the Word. If you would like to increase your praise life, try singing the Psalms to the Lord! Remember, He inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3)! Psalm 150 closes the Book and is full on praise! This psalm tells us where to praise the Lord, how to praise the Lord, why to praise the Lord and who SHOULD praise the Lord! I am going to share all of Psalm 150 here so that YOU can use this psalm to develop your very own worship service! 

Psalm 150

1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in the heavens of His power!

2 Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness!

3 Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp!

4 Praise Him with tambourine and [single or group] dance; praise Him with stringed and wind instruments or flutes!

5 Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals!

6 Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

AMEN! And even though Psalm 150 closes the Book of Psalms, and we will be beginning the Book of Proverbs, YOU and I can take out the Psalms and read/study/sing/praise with them every day if we really want to! The choice is up to us! Here is Hillsong with "Praise Him":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In keeping with our theme this week of maintaining a grateful, thankful heart and attitude, Psalm 149 shows several ways to do so! 

Psalm 149

1 Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, praise Him in the assembly of His saints! 2 Let Israel rejoice in Him, their Maker; let Zion’s children triumph and be joyful in their King! 3 Let them praise His name in chorus and choir and with the [single or group] dance; let them sing praises to Him with the tambourine and lyre! 4 For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation and adorn the wretched with victory. 5 Let the saints be joyful in the glory and beauty [which God confers upon them]; let them sing for joy upon their beds. 6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and a two-edged sword in their hands, 7 To wreak vengeance upon the nations and chastisement upon the peoples, 8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron, 9 To execute upon them the judgment written. He [the Lord] is the honor of all His saints. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

I LOVE that verse 4 tells us that the Lord takes pleasure in us! That is the Hebrew word "ratsah", which means: to be pleased with; to be favorable to; to accept favorably; to be delighted with; to be pleased to make friends with. Our God not only loves us with an everlasting love, but he LIKES us, too! He likes spending time with us, He enjoys blessing us and He LOVES when WE enjoy His presence! I encourage you to begin spending more time in intimate fellowship with Him for the purpose of knowing, and loving HIM more! THAT will be a "win win" situation in every aspect! Here is Hillsong with a Christmas song that I love called "Born Is The King":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Happy first day of your "I intend to be thankful every day and not only on Thanksgiving"  commitment! What are YOU thankful for today in YOUR life? I am forever thankful to my Lord and Savior, Jesus, for saving me from death, hell and the grave! I am also thankful for health and well being, right here in this life! I am also thankful to have a home and responsibilities waiting for me in Heaven when I have finished my course! I am thankful that I belong to a great, Scriptural local church! I am thankful for the understanding that has always come of the Word of God from the moment I was filled with the Spirit of Almighty God! I am thankful for every person reading and studying this blog, and then sharing it with others! Psalm 148 is a wonderful way to assist you in maintaining YOUR thankful heart! 

1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights! 2 Praise Him, all His angels, praise Him, all His hosts! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you stars of light! 4 Praise Him, you highest heavens and you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created. 6 He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away [He fixed their bounds which cannot be passed over]. 7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps! 8 You lightning, hail, fog, and frost, you stormy wind fulfilling His orders! 9 Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars! 10 Beasts and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! 11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers and judges of the earth! 12 Both young men and maidens, old men and children! 13 Let them praise and exalt the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted and supreme! His glory and majesty are above earth and heaven! 14 He has lifted up a horn for His people [giving them power, prosperity, dignity, and preeminence], a song of praise for all His godly ones, for the people of Israel, who are near to Him. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

AMEN! I truly believe that if we maintain this attitude, 2016 will prove itself to be the very best year of our lives so far! Here is Hillsong Worship with another song to assist you in this! "Here Now (Madness)":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that you have been maintaining a thankful and grateful heart on a daily basis, and that you do NOT think about those things on just this one day of the year! Staying in that consistent "attitude of gratitude" will keep you in the center of God's will for your life and in position to affect the greatest number of people with the TRUTH of God's Word! Read and re-read Psalm 147 today to see just how important it is to make sure that YOU are on God's side! HE is always on yours! I LOVE this quote that some have said came from the mouth of Abraham Lincoln! Who ever DID say it, it originated in the very heart of God! 

Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.  Abraham Lincoln

God's side is the ONLY important side! Remember, when you disagree with God and His Word, GOD is ALWAYS right! We have been reading in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan, in Revelation, the exhortation found in God's letters to the churches! Make the adjustments necessary to get yourself back over on the "right side"! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Oceans - Where Feet May Fail":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

THIS from today's "From Faith To Faith" by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland is important to keep in mind as you go through a busy holiday season.It is more important now than at any other time that born again believer stay on fire for the things of God, keeping HIM ever present in your thoughts and affections so that we can stay in position to help the helpless!

Stir Up the Power

Greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears.... I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you.... For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.  2 Timothy 1:4,6-7, New King James Version

There are times when you know what God has called you to do, but you just don't feel you have the inner resources you need to do it. Somehow you've simply run dry. You know the Word says that "out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). But, during those times, you can't even find the creek bank, much less the river. The Word of God tells us how to handle those situations through a clear command: "Stir up the gift inside you."

You stir yourself up! Everything you need is already in you. Jesus put it there. Everything you'll ever need to accomplish what God has called you to do has been placed inside you by God Almighty. Faith is in there. Power is in there. Love is in there. Believe that. Speak it out. Say it to yourself now, right out loud:

"In the Name of Jesus, I stir up the gift that's within me by faith. I'm stirring up my faith. I'm not going to wait until I feel stirred up. I'm stepping out by faith and expecting my feelings to follow! I'm stirring up the love of God that's in me. I'm stirring up the power. I'm stirring up myself and running the devil out of my affairs. I'm stirring myself up in the Spirit of the living God! I am stirred up!"

AMEN! Stay full of the Word, full of faith, filled with the Spirit and power and overflowing with love. You will NOT fail to reach the lost with that attitude! HALLELUJAH! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with: "This Is Living":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I cannot think of any better way to lead into Thanksgiving than to meditate on the wonderful things that HE has done for us! Psalm 145 does just that! Here is the entire Psalm:

Psalm 145   [A Psalm] of praise. Of David.

1 I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever [with grateful, affectionate praise]. 2 Every day [with its new reasons] will I bless You [affectionately and gratefully praise You]; yes, I will praise Your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord and highly to be praised; and His greatness is [so vast and deep as to be] unsearchable. 4 One generation shall laud Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wondrous works I will meditate. 6 Men shall speak of the might of Your tremendous and terrible acts, and I will declare Your greatness. 7 They shall pour forth [like a fountain] the fame of Your great and abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of Your rightness and justice. 8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving-kindness. 9 The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created]. 10 All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your loving ones shall bless You [affectionately and gratefully shall Your saints confess and praise You]! 11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power, 12 To make known to the sons of men God’s mighty deeds and the glorious majesty of His kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations. 14 The Lord upholds all those [of His own] who are falling and raises up all those who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all wait for You [looking, watching, and expecting] and You give them their food in due season. 16 You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with favor. 17 The Lord is [rigidly] righteous in all His ways and gracious and merciful in all His works. 18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him sincerely and in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desires of those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him; He also will hear their cry and will save them. 20 The Lord preserves all those who love Him, but all the wicked will He destroy. 21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord; and let all flesh bless (affectionately and gratefully praise) His holy name forever and ever.

I especially like verse 2:

 2 Every day [with its new reasons] will I bless You [affectionately and gratefully praise You]; yes, I will praise Your name forever and ever. 

The very BEST way to stay strong in faith for every area of your life is to maintain a consistently grateful, thankful heart! When you appreciate all of the good things that He has done for you, your faith expands to believe for even more! Remember James 1:17:

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].

Begin a fresh new approach to life by thanking the God of the Bible EVERY day for the good of that day! Thank Him for the good that you are expecting Him to do each day as it starts. Now EXPECT to see answers to some long awaited for! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Thank You Jesus":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

There has been a lot of talk lately about what the "Christian" thing is to do concerning the refugees from the Middle East who want to come to America. This current administration had already denied protection to the persecuted Christians and Jews of the area. These "refugees" are Muslims who do NOT like us and who allow Jihadists to operate in their very midst! Contrary to current propaganda, these are NOT  mainly women and children, but mainly able bodied men who are able to commit acts of terror, and desire to do so right here on our soil! There are places to go and provisions available for them right there in the neighboring countries. The culture, the climate, the language and any number of other things necessary for them to live a life of provision and safety are right there where they are! Saudi Arabia has a refugee area filled with enough EMPTY air-conditioned tents to house 3 million people. So, what does the God of the Bible have to say? Look at Psalm 144:1-2:

1 Blessed be the Lord, my Rock and my keen and firm Strength, Who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight— 2 My Steadfast Love and my Fortress, my High Tower and my Deliverer, my Shield and He in Whom I trust and take refuge, Who subdues my people under me.

We are to fight for the nation that He has given us. The Jewish people were given the land of Israel by the God of the Bible Himself! The United States of America was founded by this same God for the purpose of spreading the Truth and Power of the Gospel around the world! Why is there so much dissent from the Biblical principles that our nation was founded on? Look at 2 Chronicles 36:11-16 for a perfect picture of what is happening here!

11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke at the dictation of the Lord. 13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who made him swear by God. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord, the God of Israel. 14 Also all the chiefs of the priests and the people trespassed greatly in accord with all the abominations of the heathen, and they polluted the house of the Lord which He had hallowed in Jerusalem. 15 And the Lord, the God of their fathers, sent to them persistently by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 But they kept mocking the messengers of God and despising His words and scoffing at His prophets till the wrath of the Lord rose against His people, till there was no remedy or healing.

This very same attitude has infiltrated every area of our society, most especially evident in government! Even many politicians who were elected to office based on their promise to uphold our Constitution, which has the Word of God as it's basis, have now turned from that stance and have worked with others to try and remove Biblical, Godly principles. But we DO have a promise concerning these things, these days and these times! 2 Chronicles 7:14 promises us this:

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

AMEN! So, discover the Truth of how the God of the Bible wants us to view these issues, then take up your own strong stand for HIS will! Refuse to be intimidated by those who do not know the Lord your God or His Word. Keep yourself ever in the presence of the Lord and He will reveal to you each step to take in order to stay in HIS divine protection, provision and safety! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Like Incense (Sometimes by Step)":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Did you realize that YOU are in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today? Look at John 20:29:

29 Jesus said to him, Because you have seen Me, Thomas, do you now believe (trust, have faith)? Blessed and happy and to be envied are those who have never seen Me and yet have believed and adhered to and trusted and relied on Me.

Jesus said that those of us who believe on Him because of what the Word said, rather than actually seeing Him personally, are BLESSED! In fact, as you can see above, we are not only blessed, but "happy and to be envied"! If you have never before been made aware of how very much you are blessed IN HIM, then I encourage you to take the time today to meditate on this wonderful TRUTH! AMEN! I also want to remind you NOT to get to critical of Thomas here. A few verses up we see that none of the others believed UNTIL they SAW Jesus either! So keep believing what the Word of God says because it IS the Word of God! Verses 30-31 remind us of just how important that is!

30 There are also many other signs and miracles which Jesus performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written (recorded) in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Anointed One), the Son of God, and that through believing and cleaving to and trusting and relying upon Him you may have life through (in) His name [through Who He is].

THESE accounts that we have in the written Word of God are more than enough to bring, and build, FAITH into us! AMEN! Here is Hillsong United with "Say The Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In John 19 today we are reading about the torture and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. What He did, He did for US! This is made clear in today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers.

The death of Jesus Christ is the performance in history of the very mind of God. There is no room for looking on Jesus Christ as a martyr; His death was not something that happened to Him which might have been prevented. His death was the very reason why He came.

Never build your preaching of forgiveness on the fact that God is our Father and He will forgive us because He loves us. It is untrue to Jesus Christ’s revelation of God; it makes the Cross unnecessary, and the Redemption “much ado about nothing.” If God does forgive sin, it is because of the Death of Christ. God could forgive men in no other way than by the death of His Son, and Jesus is exalted to be Saviour because of His death. “We see Jesus…because of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour.” The greatest note of triumph that ever sounded in the ears of a startled universe was that sounded on the Cross of Christ – “It is finished.” That is the last word in the Redemption of man.

Anything that belittles or obliterates the holiness of God by a false view of the love of God, is untrue to the revelation of God given by Jesus Christ. Never allow the thought that Jesus Christ stands with us against God out of pity and compassion; that He became a curse for us out of sympathy with us. Jesus Christ became a curse for us by the Divine decree. Our portion of realising the terrific meaning of the curse is conviction of sin, the gift of shame and penitence is given us; this is the great mercy of God. Jesus Christ hates the wrong in man, and Calvary is the estimate of His hatred.

NOTHING that Jesus did for us was out of emotion, but was part of the well-laid plans of the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)! They created us in THEIR image (Genesis 1:27), with a free will, knowing that at some point in time, one of us would sin. The plan was already in place to redeem us back from the enemy in such a way that he would be permanently defeated and have no power over us, AND that WE would have God Himself living IN us! It was/is God's perfect plan. It was perfectly planned, perfectly timed, perfectly carried out and, by Holy Spirit led understanding of the Word, we are in the process of perfectly learning just what belongs to us BECAUSE of this wonderful, glorious Plan of Redemption! HALLELUJAH!!! As you give thanks this week for all that you have, remember to thank HIM first of all for all that He IS and all that YOU are because of Him! AMEN! Here is Hillsong United with "Thank You":

Shalom in Him!