Shalom,

2 Corinthians 10:4 is a familiar verse to most of us:

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,

We trust that these mighty weapons that God has given us to use will win us the victory every time! BUT, do we REALLY understand how to use those weapon? Do we even REALLY understand what those weapons are, how they work and what that looks like? Ephesians 6:12 tell us who are enemy is:

12 For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

2 Corinthians 4 (above) in the KJV says 'carnal', but the Greek word definition here is not the English Dictionary definition! This is "sarkikos" and it means pertaining to the flesh, or temporal. Our weapons are not weapons that will work against flesh and blood, because our enemy is a spirit being! HIS weapons are not natural weapons! Remember that JESUS stripped him of his authority when JESUS made an open show of his defeat (Colossians 2:15)! This verse also says that JESUS disarmed them! The enemy has only one weapon that he can use against us, and that is the lie! IF he can get us to believe something contrary to the Word of God, then he can trip us up into giving up our authority, or using it in ways that are detrimental to God's plans for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11 AMP). Let's go back now to 2 Corinthians 10 to see how our weapons work! Verse 5:

5 [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),

The enemies' weapons are actually ONLY thoughts, ideas and suggestions!  Remember that 1 Peter 5:8 says this:

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: KJV

The enemy is going about trying to find SOMEONE that he can get to forget the TRUTH of God's Word and, instead,  believe his thoughts, ideas and suggestions! If he can't then he CANNOT devour that person! AMEN! 2 Timothy 6:12 tells us to:

12 Fight the good fight of the faith

This is a GOOD fight because it is a fight that we can, and SHOULD, win, EVERY TIME! AMEN! How do we fight the faith fight? Romans 10:17:

17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

We GET faith by hearing and hearing and hearing (through meditation - Joshua 1:8) the Word of God! We BUILD UP our faith by praying in the Spirit (Jude 20)! Then we USE that faith to tear down the thoughts, ideas and suggestions of the enemy that contradict God's Word! This is called "reject and replace"! We reject the lies and then replace them, in our thought life, with the TRUTH! That TRUTH is what we CHOOSE to think about, and cast down every thought contrary to it! THAT is the "fight of faith". IF we fight it, we WILL win it! EVERY TIME! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Your Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I was really encouraged by our reading in Psalms (Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan)! Psalm 136:1-3 gives the first instruction!

1 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever. 2 O give thanks to the God of gods, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever. 3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever

Simple, yet such powerful instructions! When you begin to do this, the rest of this Psalm gives many of the reasons that HE is so deserving of our praise, thanksgiving and worship! As you read through this Psalm, begin to add your own personal reasons to praise Him! You will find yourself having a real GLORY PARTY before you know it! You will be stirring up the force of His joy that is already IN you, as a born again believer! That joy will become strength to you that will carry you through anything and everything that the enemy can even think to throw at you! Ready? Here is the rest of the entire Psalm to get you started!:

4 To Him Who alone does great wonders, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 5 To Him Who by wisdom and understanding made the heavens, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 6 To Him Who stretched out the earth upon the waters, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 7 To Him Who made the great lights, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever— 8 The sun to rule over the day, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 9 The moon and stars to rule by night, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 10 To Him Who smote Egypt in their firstborn, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 11 And brought out Israel from among them, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 12 With a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 13 To Him Who divided the Red Sea into parts, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 15 But shook off and overthrew Pharaoh and his host into the Red Sea, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 16 To Him Who led His people through the wilderness, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 17 To Him Who smote great kings, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 18 And slew famous kings, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever— 19 Sihon king of the Amorites, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 20 And Og king of Bashan, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 21 And gave their land as a heritage, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 22 Even a heritage to Israel His servant, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 23 To Him Who [earnestly] remembered us in our low estate and imprinted us [on His heart], for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 24 And rescued us from our enemies, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 25 To Him Who gives food to all flesh, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; 26 O give thanks to the God of heaven, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!

AMEN! Now here is Hillsong Worship with "Behold (Then Sings My Soul)":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

This message from "Grace Inspirations" devotional by Joseph Prince is a very good explanation of what JESUS accomplished for us through his death, burial and resurrection!

Scourged For Your Wholeness

…and by His stripes we are healed.Isaiah 53:5

Under Roman law in Bible times, a criminal was either scourged for a lesser crime and then set free, or crucified straightaway if guilty of a greater crime. But Jesus was both scourged and crucified. Pontius Pilate had hoped that after scourging Jesus and presenting His bloodied body to the people, they would be satisfied and willing to let Him go. But the people were not and demanded His crucifixion instead.

Don’t think for a moment that the people had power to inflict such suffering on Jesus. It was all part of God’s plan and the scourging was necessary for only by His stripes are we healed.

The Roman whip used for scourging was made of leather straps embedded with glass, bone and metal hooks. With just one strike, the instrument would have been wrapped around Jesus’ body, causing the glass, bones and hooks to cut deep into His flesh. And as the whip was pulled back, the hooks would have stripped His flesh off, exposing muscle and bone. Indeed, the psalmist says, “They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me,” (Psalm 22:16–17) and “The plowers plowed on My back; they made their furrows long”. (Psalm 129:3)

Although 39 was the maximum number of times one could be whipped according to Jewish law, I believe that Jesus was whipped more times than that because the Romans, who were not likely to regard Jewish law, carried out the scourging.

Whichever the case, His back would have been reduced to a mass of bloody, mutilated flesh. That day, Jesus’ blood flowed freely from His body for your deliverance from every kind of disease and physical affliction. God allowed every one of those stripes to fall on His Son’s body so that your body need not be scourged with diseases.

My friend, if you are sick or suffering from some physical condition, know that Jesus took the scourging as full payment for you to be free of that condition. He bore those stripes so that, today, there is no sickness, no disease left for you to bear. By His stripes you have been healed!

Thought For The Day

Jesus bore the terrible scourging to purchase for you deliverance from every kind of disease.

Knowing just what JESUS did for us, and why, is what is needful to walk in the benefits of all that He has accomplished! Even the people that Jesus healed during His ministry were healed because of THEIR faith in the Messiah Who was expected to come! Under our New Covenant blessings, We receive by faith in the Messiah Who has already come, conquered, and is coming again! AMEN! Get to know just what belongs to you BECAUSE OF JESUS! Then walk in the VICTORY of it! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Like It Is (In Heaven)":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin is one of my very favorites! It's all about Job!

How About Job?

"And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before" (Job 42:10). 

"But you've forgotten, Brother Hagin, that God made Job sick," someone said. 

"No, He didn't, the devil did." 

"Yeah, but God gave him permission!" 

But God didn't commission Job's problem. God will permit you to rob a gas station (you have a free will), but He won't commission you to do it. 

Actually, God has only given the devil "permission" in a sense. If you allow Satan to attack you, God will permit it, because Satan is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), and you are living on his territory. 

Job himself opened the door to the devil by being afraid. Job said, "For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me" (Job 3:25). 

Many Bible scholars agree that the entire Book of Job took place over a nine to 18 month period. Afterwards, we see that God turned Job's captivity. Therefore, when Job was sick, he was in captivity to the devil. When Job was in poverty, he was in captivity to the devil. But God turned Job's captivity! God gave Job twice as much as he had to begin with. That's God at work! 

Confession: God turns our captivity! He doesn't put us in bondage. God sets us free! Through Jesus, I am free! I will never accept sickness and disease as being from God! I know where it comes from and I stand against it! 

AMEN! If we do not understand this one TRUTH, we will be open territory for the enemy to have his way! he has NO authority over the life of a born again believer, UNLESS we give it to him by wrong thinking, speaking and believing. Know who you are - IN JESUS! When you understand and operate in your authority, satan will NOT be able to steal, kill and destroy in YOUR life! AMEN! Here is an older song by Hillsong Kids so that we can sing with that childlike faith that KNOWS our God LOVES us! "Shout Your Fame":

Shalom  in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith To Faith" devotional by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland is a great reminder for those who are questioned concerning what the Bible teaches about prosperity! Remember as you study this that the true definition of prosperity is: Being WHERE God wants you to be, doing WHAT God wants you to do. It also involves being in control of your life in every area so that when God says GO or DO, you CAN! AMEN! Here is today's teaching:

Priorities of Prosperity

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24

God isn’t against your having money. He’s against money having you. He’s against your making it your priority and putting your trust in it instead of in Him.

Why? Because He knows money makes a lousy god. Its power is limited. It will only buy so much. It will only go so far.

If you need healing from an incurable disease, money won’t help you at all. If your family is falling apart, money won’t mend it. But if you’ll seek God first, His prosperity will reach into every area of your life.

God is so generous that He desires you to have the best on this earth, just as you desire the best for your children. His plan is for you to have all of your needs met according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Get in on that plan by keeping your priorities straight. Seek Him first and His righteousness.

Make pleasing God your No. 1 priority. Set your eyes on Him above all else and all these things will be added to you.

AMEN! We have it on the very best authority that God wants us blessed! John 10:10 and 3 John 2:

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]. AMP

2 Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.

There we have it! God desires for us to prosper, and He has given us the HOW of it! "even as your soul prospers"! "Prosper" your soul (mind, emotions and will) by renewing your mind DAILY with the Word of God! You will begin to think and speak and act like GOD! THEN you will have HIS results! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Desert Song":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

One of the greatest messages that we, as born again believers, have from our new and better Covenant (Hebrews 8:6) is found in 2 Chronicles 5:17-21:

17 Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! 18 But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him]. 19 It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor). 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We [as Christ’s personal representatives] beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor [now offered you] and be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

Have you received JESUS as YOUR personal Lord and Savior? If so, then you are a new creature that never existed before! You have the Spirit of Almighty God living IN you as your Comforter, Counsellor, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener and Standby! He will also be your Leader, Guide and Teacher IF you ask Him and allow Him to do so (John 14:26)! All of this is free to us for making JESUS our Lord and receiving Holy Spirit to indwell us, and then we can allow Him to fill us to overflowing and endue us with His power (Matthew 3:11; John 14:16; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:38-39; Acts 19:1-7; Acts 2:4)! We are blessed beyond measure and fully equipped to carry out his plans and purposes for our lives. Plans that are ALWAYS and ONLY for our good and benefit and blessing (Jeremiah 29:11 AMP)! NOW, let's go back and read the rest of 2 Corinthians 5 to see what comes next. Verse 20 tells us that we are now Christ's ambassadors here on the is earth. One of the meanings of the Greek word translated "ambassadors here is "elder". That is not speaking of natural age, but of spiritual maturity. That means that someone who is newly born again SHOULD spend time getting to know JESUS and His Word before they try to share the Gospel. Paul spent time in the presence of the LORD and not man during the first years of his salvation experience and he became one of the most prolific writers and powerful ministers of the New Covenant! And then we read that we have ALL been reconciled to God through the Blood of JESUS, and that THIS is our message to the world! The Message of Reconciliation. That God has reconciled us (made us right) to Himself and has given US the ministry of telling everyone that this most precious gift is THEIRS, if they will choose JESUS! AMEN! a most powerful calling we have received! Let's GO! (Hillsong United):

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I REALLY like this from today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! 2 Corinthians 4:6-7:

6 For God Who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts so as [to beam forth] the Light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God [as it is manifest in the Person and is revealed] in the face of Jesus Christ (the Messiah). 7 However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves.

I love that the more time I spend in the Word of God and in HIS presence in fellowship through prayer and praise, thanksgiving and worship, the more I will understand the TREASURE that lives in ME as a born again, Spirit filled believer! When powerful things happen through these 'earthen vessels' HE gets all of the glory! My prayer for YOU is that you will get to know the ONE Who lives in you so intimately that you will be able to be instantly obedient to His every instruction, receiving the abundant harvest that HIS heart desires for YOU (John 10:10 AMP)! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "This Is Living":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

For today's post I want to again look at "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:

You Won’t Reach It On Tiptoe

Add…to your brotherliness…love. — 2 Peter 1:5, 7 (see moffatt)

Love is indefinite to most of us, we do not know what we mean when we talk about love. Love is the sovereign preference of one person for another, and spiritually Jesus demands that that preference be for Himself (cf. Luke 14:26). When the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ is easily first; then we must practise the working out of these things mentioned by Peter.

The first thing God does is to knock pretence and the pious pose right out of me. The Holy Spirit reveals that God loved me not because I was lovable, but because it was His nature to do so. “Now,” He says to me, “show the same love to others” — “Love as I have loved you.” “I will bring any number of people about you whom you cannot respect, and you must exhibit My love to them as I have exhibited it to you.” You won’t reach it on tiptoe. Some of us have tried to, but we were soon tired.

The Lord “suffereth long….” Let me look within and see His dealings with me. The knowledge that God has loved me to the uttermost, to the end of all my sin and meanness* and selfishness and wrong, will send me forth into the world to love in the same way. God’s love to me is inexhaustible, and I must love others from the bedrock of God’s love to me. Growth in grace stops the moment I get huffed. I get huffed because I have a peculiar person to live with. Just think how disagreeable I have been to God! Am I prepared to be so identified with the Lord Jesus that His life and His sweetness are being poured out all the time? Neither natural love nor Divine love will remain unless it is cultivated. Love is spontaneous, but it has to be maintained by discipline.

*mean: as used here, something or someone ordinary, common, low, or ignoble, rather than cruel or spiteful.

Whether or not we choose to walk in love in this life will not change our relationship with the One, True God, but it WILL affect our life here on earth! We are free to choose, but we SHOULD choose LOVE in obedience to the Word of God! What we choose WILL determine how much of our New Covenant inheritance we will be able to access in this life! Choose LOVE and LIFE! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Real Love":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really LOVE today's "Grace Inspirations" by Joseph Prince! What a great take and sound admonition! 

DON’T BE DUST-CONSCIOUS

Luke 13:11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.

Imagine being bowed over for 18 years. All you would see is the dust on the ground. That was the predicament of the woman in Luke 13. Dust was all her eyes fell on, all the time, everywhere she went, until she became dust-conscious. Thank God she finally saw the beautiful feet of Jesus, who brought her good news and raised her up.

Now, dust is the devil’s food. The Bible tells us that God cursed the devil to eat dust all the days of his life. (Genesis 3:14) Dust represents death. (Genesis 3:19) The devil wants you to be like him—to fall flat on your belly, crawl and eat dust. To eat dust is to feed on your shortcomings and lack, until you constantly feel that there is so much in your life that you need to clean up. You may not be physically bowed over, but like the woman, you become dust-conscious and life every day is a struggle.

Having a dust-consciousness also affects the way you see others. You look at people’s faults all the time. You point out their shortcomings and rake up their past failures. When you are dust-conscious, you find your relationships robbed of peace and joy.

And if you, like the woman, keep looking at the dust, before long, that inward position of dust-consciousness becomes so entrenched that you become the devil’s food because dust is what he eats. God’s Word describes him as being like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

If you don’t want to be devoured by him, then lift your eyes above the dust! Instead of looking at your failures, look to Christ who has delivered you from every defeat. See yourself the way God sees you—righteous and holy in Christ. (Colossians 3:12; 2 Corinthians 5:21) You are not dust because you are not in and of the flesh—you are in and of the Spirit. (Romans 8:9)

My friend, the more you realize who you are in Christ, the more you will straighten up and walk the way God sees you—a new creation with His authority, power and overcoming Spirit!

Thought For The Day: Instead of looking at your failures, look to Christ who has delivered you from every defeat.

AMEN! We were NOT made to crawl in the dust with the devil and his demons! WE were set on high by the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! WE are seated in heavenly places IN HIM! Let's keep OUR eyes looking UP into the face of JESUS and the devil will never win another battle with us! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Brighter":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin is a lesson that is THE most vital lesson to know concerning health and healing for every born again believer!

Source of Sickness

"And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?" (Luke 13:16). 

The Bible is progressive revelation. It is in the New Testament that we get full light, full truth, and full revelation. There, Jesus plainly taught that sickness is of the devil, not God. 

In Luke 13, we see Jesus going into the synagogue on the Sabbath. A woman was there whose body was bowed together in a fixed position. She couldn't straighten up. She may have had arthritis. Jesus called her to Him, and said, "Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity!" 

Then Jesus laid hands on her, and immediately she stood straight. The ruler of the synagogue, like the leaders of some churches today, got angry about it! 

Then, as recorded in our text, Jesus elaborated on the fact that Satan is the author of sickness. Jesus made three enlightening statements: 
(1) The woman ought to be loosed, she ought not to be bound, she ought to be free from this physical infirmity 
(2) It was Satan who had bound her, not God 
(3) The reason this woman ought to be loosed was because she was a daughter of Abraham. 

Confession: Since Satan is the author of sickness, I ought to walk free from sickness. And Jesus has made the provision for me to do so. Divine health is my covenant right! 

Unless we have firmly established for ourselves that sickness and disease comes only, and ever, from the enemy, we will never be able to stand fast on the Word for healing! Another thing to establish for ourselves, as New Testament believers, is that healing and health were already a part of the Old Covenant! When Moses, in obedience to and by the authority of Almighty God, led the people out of Egypt, the Word of God tells us that there was NOT ONE 'feeble one among them"! Psalm 105:37:

He brought [Israel] forth also with silver and gold, and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.

If Old Covenant believers obeyed God and operated in faith concerning their Covenant with God, they could receive healing! Because they did not have the Spirit of God living IN them, it was not so easy for them to believe! WE have it so much easier! Holy Spirit lives IN every born again believer, and overflows with Wisdom and power every believer who has also received the infilling of Holy Spirit, having  been "endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49)! Once you establish that TRUTH in your own heart, the devil will never be able to KEEP you sick again! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Look To The Son":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

 Sometimes we rejoice at what the Word says about us, as in John 20:29:

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.

We are quick to recognize that this verse is referring to US, as well those believers who never knew Jesus, but believed the message of the Gospel given to them then. It is very exciting to realize that WE are blessed of the LORD and pleasing in His sight! There are some things in the Word, however, that are not as easily received by our human nature! Today I want to share again from "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers.

The Patience Of Faith

Because thou hast kept the word of My patience. — Revelation 3:10

Patience is more than endurance. A saint’s life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, and He stretches and strains, and every now and again the saint says — “I cannot stand any more.” God does not heed, He goes on stretching till His purpose is in sight, then He lets fly. Trust yourself in God’s hands. For what have you need of patience just now? Maintain your relationship to Jesus Christ by the patience of faith. “Though He slay me, yet will I wait for Him” (rv).

Faith is not a pathetic sentiment, but robust vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love. You cannot see Him just now, you cannot understand what He is doing, but you know Him. Shipwreck occurs where there is not that mental poise which comes from being established on the eternal truth that God is holy love. Faith is the heroic effort of your life, you fling yourself in reckless confidence on God.

God has ventured all in Jesus Christ to save us, now He wants us to venture our all in abandoned confidence in Him. There are spots where that faith has not worked in us as yet, places untouched by the life of God. There were none of those spots in Jesus Christ’s life, and there are to be none in ours. “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee.” The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. If we take this view, life becomes one great romance, a glorious opportunity for seeing marvellous things all the time. God is disciplining us to get us into this central place of power.

AMEN and AMEN!!! THIS is the life that the LORD our GOD desires for us to live! A life of abundant blessing and supply so that we are ALWAYS ready, and ABLE, to be obedient to His Word and to Holy Spirit in order to take His LIFE to the lost! Whenever it SEEMS like nothing is happening, HOLD ON! You are SO close to the fulfillment of those things that HE has promised and spoken into your life! NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER GIVE IN! YOU are just about to reap ABUNDANTLY! Amen! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Love So Great":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share a message so simple that you would think that everyone would understand it. This is from Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food" and it is one of the MOST vital Truths!

Don't Blame God

"He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. Believe thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwells in me, he does the works" (John 14:9-10). 

Many of the laws that govern this earth today came into being when Adam sinned and the curse came upon the earth. 

Because people don't understand this, they accuse God of causing accidents, sicknesses, the death of loved ones, storms, catastrophes, earthquakes, floods, etc. Even insurance policies call such things "acts of God." They are not acts of God! They are acts of the devil! 

Jesus set aside these natural laws to bless humanity. We don't see Jesus bringing any storms on people. In fact, we see Jesus stilling the storms. Therefore, God didn't send the storm. Jesus wouldn't rebuke something God did! But Jesus did rebuke what the devil stirred up. 

When you see Jesus at work, you see God at work. Jesus' description of the Father, and His statement that "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9), make it impossible to accept the teaching that sickness and disease are from God. The very nature of God refutes such an idea! 

Confession: God is love. And I don't blame love for what the devil does. I look at Jesus, and I see love at work. 

AMEN! The first step in receiving the promises of God is BELIEVING them! And then believing that they are meant for YOU, as a born again believer! Refuse to settle for anything less than God's very best! His arm is not shortened (Isaiah 59:1). He has never changed (Hebrews 13:8; Malachi 3:6). He is only GOOD (1 Chronicles 16:34) and wants ONLY good for YOU (John 10:10 AMP; 3 John 2)! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Real Love":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Here is a portion of "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers for today:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. — Galatians 5:1

A spiritually minded man will never come to you with the demand — “Believe this and that”; but with the demand that you square your life with the standards of Jesus. We are not asked to believe the Bible, but to believe the One Whom the Bible reveals (cf. John 5:39-40). We are called to present liberty of conscience, not liberty of view. If we are free with the liberty of Christ, others will be brought into that same liberty — the liberty of realizing the dominance of Jesus Christ.

Always keep your life measured by the standards of Jesus. Bow your neck to His yoke alone, and to no other yoke whatever; and be careful to see that you never bind a yoke on others that is not placed by Jesus Christ. It takes God a long time to get us out of the way of thinking that unless everyone sees as we do, they must be wrong. That is never God’s view. There is only one liberty, the liberty of Jesus at work in our conscience enabling us to do what is right.

Don’t get impatient, remember how God dealt with you — with patience and with gentleness; but never water down the truth of God. Let it have its way and never apologize for it. Jesus said, “Go…and make disciples” (rv) not — make converts to your opinions.

AMEN! In just this last week I must have seen at least a dozen posts or comments by believers in Jesus condemning other believers who disagree with their particular pet doctrine. We are told to make disciples to JESUS and NOT to ourselves! We all may have different ideas about how the Word of God is going to play out, but there is really only ONE Who knows! That would be God the Father! So, let's leave that all in His MOST capable hands of power and be about the particular part of HIS business that HE has called us to! AMEN! We will ONLY be rewarded in Heaven for what we did here on earth that was HIS will for us to be involved with. The TRUE meaning of success is: Being where God wants you to be, doing what God wants you to do! It does NOT make one bit of difference what everyone else in the world is doing! YOU be obedient and YOU will be rewarded! HALLELUJAH! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Let There Be Light":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 124 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today is a great lesson for us to learn! 

1 If it had not been the Lord Who was on our side—now may Israel say— 2 If it had not been the Lord Who was on our side when men rose up against us, 3 Then they would have quickly swallowed us up alive when their wrath was kindled against us; 4 Then the waters would have overwhelmed us and swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; 5 Then the proud waters would have gone over us. 6 Blessed be the Lord, Who has not given us as prey to their teeth! 7 We are like a bird escaped from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! 8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

What is the lesson to learn from this? It is vital that, as born again believers, that we refuse to be concerned about what others think about what we do, and, instead, focus on what GOD thinks of what we do! If WE make sure that WE are on God's side, which is ALWAYS the RIGHT side, then HE will be on ours! And when God is on our side, it doesn't do anyone, any good to come against us! One of the ways that we can be assured that we are on God's side is to continually choose to walk in love! When people come against you, pray for them! Choose to see every person, even those who act ugly towards you, as God sees them! He sees them as worthy of the Blood of JESUS! That does NOT mean that we have to be friends with them or spend time with them, but we MUST look at them with HIS eyes! When we do that, no matter how hard it may be on the flesh, we will NEVER fail! How do I know this? Because we have THIS promise in 1 Corinthians 13:8 & 13:

8 Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. 

13 And so faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

AMEN! Choosing love means choosing LIFE for every area! We CAN because HE lives IN us! We love with HIS ability! HALLELUJAH! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Love So Great":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I love the way that 1 Corinthians 12 address the Body of Christ! Verses 12-14:

12 For just as the body is a unity and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so it is with Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). 13 For by [means of the personal agency of] one [Holy] Spirit we were all, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, baptized [and by baptism united together] into one body, and all made to drink of one [Holy] Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one limb or organ but of many.

So many times over the years I have heard teachings that made it sound like every believer should be doing the same things and anyone who did differently was frowned upon, maligned or simply ignored. The TRUTH, though, is that not one of us has all the answers! 1 Corinthians 13:9 tells us that NOW we only know in part! The Amplified Bible says this in verses 9-10:

9 For our knowledge is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect), and our prophecy (our teaching) is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect). 10 But when the complete and perfect (total) comes, the incomplete and imperfect will vanish away (become antiquated, void, and superseded).

We each only see part of the whole picture, and the part that we see is the part that we are responsible for! Some missionaries I know are so focused on what God has called THEM to do that they sometimes THINK that they are the only ones out there! That is NOT so, but that single-minded vision gives THEM the focus that they need to stay on course! Every born again believer has been called to the full time ministry of Reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19), and carries it out uniquely and individually! When every member does there own part, the job gets done! This is the job of reaching the lost with the glorious Gospel of JESUS CHRIST! When you are tempted to look around and see what other believers are doing in comparison to yourself, remember these two portions of Scripture and the exhortation in them! 2 Corinthians 2:10 and John 21:22:

10 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

22 Jesus said to him, If I want him to stay (survive, live) until I come, what is that to you? [What concern is it of yours?] You follow Me!

AMEN! Let's concentrate, in these last moments of the last days, on reaching for OUR prize that comes with completing OUR race well! Here is Hillsong Live with "Running":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I want to share two important points from today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! The first is found in Psalm 122:1:

1 I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord!

"Glad" here is the Hebrew word "samach", which means: to rejoice, be joyful, refers to a spontaneous emotion or extreme happiness which is expressed in some visible and or external manner. It usually finds a visible expression. So, if YOU are glad to be in the 'house of the LORD' everyone around you will know it! Now, when you realize that you ARE the house of the LORD, you should not be able to contain the jubilant joy that rises up inside of you! If it doesn't seem as though you are experiencing this yet, it simply means that you have not yet meditated on the Word of God concerning these Truths! What is holding you back? Whatever it is, it is NOT of God! HE is the One Who has instructed us to do so! AMEN! The other point I want to share today is found in our New Testament reading in 1 Corinthians 11! Verse 1:

Pattern yourselves after me [follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ (the Messiah).

We are NOT to 'copy' other believers, but to 'imitate' those who follow the LORD and His Word closely. You may be asking what the difference is in these two ideas. To 'copy' someone means that, like a mimic, you closely follow everything that do and you begin to do and say the same things! To imitate means that you take in what they say and do, and, as the admonition says, you follow and do those things that line up with God's Word and that show something that JESUS Himself would do if He were on the earth today! By meditating the Word, you allow Holy Spirit, Who is your FOREVER Helper, to show you how those good and godly things we want to imitate are to be walked out in our unique lives, in keeping with our individual gifts, calling, personalities and Anointing! There is really a very BIG difference, when we actually break it down! There have been too many believers doing things that they have seen others do without a thought to why they are doing them in the first place! When you read 1 Corinthians 12, you will see that HE made us all different, unique and individual on purpose! Be YOU, IN HIM, and you cannot fail! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Alive":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 121 has more promises for us! Verses 2-8:

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.

When we trust and rely on the LORD, HE has promised that He will not allow us to slip or fall! In fact, Psalm 55:22 makes it even more clear!

22 Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail).  [1 Peter 5:7.] AMP 

AMEN! Psalm 121 goes on to say that He, the LORD, will keep us! This is the Hebrew word "shamar", which means: to hedge about, to guard, to protect, to attend to, to observe, to take care of! All of this was promised to the nation of Israel, IF they would honor the LORD their God and serve ONLY Him! That does NOT seem like too much to ask, given all the miraculous things that the LORD had done for them up to this point! How soon many of them forgot! The same is true today! We have a BETTER Covenant than they had, because it is based on better promises! THEY were looking forward to the Savior Who was to come! Their faith in that ONE Who had yet to come gave them this favor with God! How much more will He "keep" His own people, His children? Thank YOU, JESUS! HALLELUJAH! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Brighter":

Shalom in Him

Shalom,

Today's devotional from Jerry Savelle's website should be a great source of encouragement and blessing to you!

Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you: “Behold, you despisers, marvel and perish! For I will work a work in your days, a work which you will by no means believe, though one were to declare it to you” (Acts 13:40-41 NKJV).

When Paul spoke these words to a group of worshipers in Antioch, citing the words written by the prophet Habakkuk (see Habakkuk 1:5), he was referring to the recent death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was clearly the most extraordinary demonstration of God’s love and goodness the world had ever seen.

Although God’s love has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (see Romans 5:5), God continues to look for opportunities to pour out His love and goodness in many other extraordinary ways. However, we oftentimes limit Him by setting our expectations only on what is common in our lives.

The word common means “general, ordinary, familiar.” It can also mean “mediocre or inferior quality.” On the other hand, one of the meanings of the word extraordinary is “beyond the common method and beyond the common course of things.”

God is saying, “What once was rare is going to become the norm.” I believe things that were once rare—breakthroughs in finances, in healing, and in the restoration of relationships—are going to become the norm. God said He is going to do a work that will be so marvelous, so wonderful, and so extraordinary that some people will not be able to believe it, even if it is clearly described to them in detail.

Now is the time to stretch our faith, stretch our imagination, and think bigger than we’ve ever thought before. Now is the time to believe beyond the common, and see God pour out His love and goodness in extraordinary ways.

Confession: I choose to raise my vision and my expectations above what is common in my life. I declare that what was once rare will become the norm as I see breakthroughs in every area of my life. I expect God’s marvelous work in my life to manifest, and I believe that I receive it now.

What are YOU believing God for that takes an uncommon faith to believe for? NOW is the time to build up your faith for the EXTRAORDINARY! I AM! I choose to use this post to give HIM all the praise, honor and glory for what is about to take place, in MY life and YOURS! AMEN! HALLELUJAH!!! Here, to help us do so, is Hillsong Young and Free with "Wake", so that WE can awaken the expectancy in us!

Shalom in Him!