Shalom,

Today I want to share the Spoken Word Church website devotional!

Reach for Help

Reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness. So, do it. Only a fool ignores a lifejacket when he is drowning. Overcomers don't do it alone. They conquer their pride. They reject the trap of isolation. They reach. They know the inevitable reward of reaching.

Turn to God. Honor those who are qualified to help you. Your future depends on it.

"When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;  (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them." (Deuteronomy 4:30-31)

Refuse to be prideful by thinking that you have to do everything without help from anyone. God did NOT design for His creation to operate this way. Those of us who have received JESUS as Lord and personal Savior, have been made to be members of His body and of His family! None of us are designed to make it on our own! Ephesians 4 tells us how the body is to operate! Meditate on YOUR part in this glorious body and then DO IT, expecting and accepting all of the help that HE provides! He provides PEOPLE! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Love On The Line":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin is another of the most simple, yet profound, TRUTHS concerning our New Covenant with God that was sealed with the Blood of JESUS! 

God, Our Righteousness

"Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe..." (Romans 3:22). 

To be a complete overcomer - to walk in the highest kind of faith - you must know the reality of your own righteousness in Christ. 

Read Romans 3:21-26. Mark these scriptures in your Bible. Think on them - feed on them - until they become a part of your inner-consciousness. 

If your Bible is a King James Version, keep in mind that the same Greek word which is translated in verse 26 as "just" (and other forms thereof) can also be translated "righteous." So you may substitute the word "righteous" for "just." Many translations read this way. 

For example, Young's Literal Translation of the Bible translates Romans 3:26 this way, "for the shewing forth of His [God's] righteousness in the present time, for His being righteous, and declaring him righteous who is of the faith of Jesus." 

What do these scriptures tell us? That God Himself is righteous. And that God has declared us to be righteous because we have believed in Jesus. 

Confession: God the Father declared Himself righteous through Jesus Christ. And God the Father - my very own Father - declares me righteous, for I believe in Jesus. Therefore, I am righteous. I am a recipient of the righteousness of God. 

AMEN! Now we are SO free to STOP trying to "earn our way" with God and simply live out what HE has placed with in us! The WORK is HIS and the responsibility to make that known to the world is OURS! Let's get to it! Here are Hillsong Kids with "Tell The World":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

So many times I have heard people refer to certain ministers as "Prosperity Preachers". Have you ever heard of anything so ludicrous? What SHOULD they be, "Poverty Preachers"? When we serve the Living God Who gives us RICHLY all things to ENJOY (1 Timothy 6:17)? Or the God Who came SO THAT we could have AND ENJOY life (John 10:10)? Look at what we read today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan in Hebrews 13:5-6:

5 Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] 6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?

We are told to be free from the LOVE OF MONEY! I have known many more poor people who have the love of money than I have people who are prosperous! The love of money is the strong desire to have money and 'THINGS'  at all costs! The BIBLE way to prosperity is to love GOD and His WORD first! Pursue the Biblical path to prosperity, which is simply to be in control of every area of your life so that no one can dictate to you what you can and can't do! It means to have the means to fulfill God's plan for you life AND to ENJOY this life! Look at John 10:10 from the mouth of JESUS Himself!

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].

Refuse to allow the small thinking and incorrect knowledge of God's Word  that some people exhibit to hinder YOU from pursuing ALL that God has provided for you through our New  and BETTER Covenant! Be all that YOU can be, and allow GOD to BE God! AMERN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Shadow Step":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read Hebrews 12 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today! I LOVE these first two verses:

12 Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, 2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

All that JESUS did, He did for US! Because He DID, we CAN! HALLELUJAH! Now we need to continually find what pleases God, what and how HE wants things done, and then DO those things! AMEN! THAT is the true measure of our love for Him! I hope that you will make it YOUR 'determined purpose' to get to know Your Lord and Savior more! The more that you know Him, the higher and stronger your confidence level will be that His promises are true, and that they are ever true for you! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "So Will I":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We have shared a prayer to be born again, receiving JESUS as Lord and personal Savior, on this blog many times, and a few times lately. Today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin has the perfect follow-up teaching confession for you to make! Meditate on these Truths about who YOU are - IN HIM! Then begin to declare them over yourself, building you faith in what His Word says about YOU! 

Born Again

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (1 Peter 1:23). 

We are begotten of God. 

We are born of God. 

We are children of God. 

We are heirs of God. 

We are joint-heirs (the word "joint" means equal) with Jesus (Romans 8:17). 

In declaring this, we do not magnify ourselves. We magnify God and what He has done for us through the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not make ourselves new creatures. God made us new creatures. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. 

We are new creatures created by God in Christ Jesus! 

Confession: I am begotten of God. I am born of God. I am born of incorruptible seed by the living Word of God. I was born into the spiritual realm, given eternal life, and made a branch of the vine through the incorruptible Word of God.

AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Wonder", because who HE has made us is a WONDER! 

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to emphasize the message from our Spoken Word Church website devotional! It is vital for our success and victory in life!

Know Your Opponent

Satan is your real adversary. He is a fallen angel, dispelled from heaven by a righteous God. His methods are predictable. He incites the violent nature of men against you. He inflames the normal passions of man into perversion. He introduces thoughts that could ultimately destroy you.

He reacts to the spoken Word of God. He is easily demoralized with the weapons of praise. He flees when you resist him.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12)

Remember that we are called to fight the GOOD fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12)! We are told in Romans 10:17 that we obtain faith by hearing the Word of God! Our 'fight' is to keep our faith level so high that the fears, tricks, schemes, traps and strategies of the devil find no place of entry into our heart! The devil's only weapon is the lie (anything contrary to the TRUTH, which is God's Word according to John 17:17)! He has many tricks and strategies to TRY to get us to forget the TRUTH and believe his lies! When we KNOW the Word and the promises of God, it is impossible for the lies to take hold! We see him clearly for who and what he is - a LIAR and the father of all LIARS! SO, knowing your opponent, and what he can and CANNOT do, you are well armed and ready to WIN THIS FIGHT! After all, our God calls us MORE THAN CONQUERORS (Romans 8:37)! Let's start sounding and acting like it! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Desert Song":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

My meditation today is centered on Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food".

Family

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13). 

No truth in all the Bible is as far reaching as the blessed fact that when we are born again we come into the family of God! God the Father is our Father! 

He cares for us! He is interested in us - each of us individually - not just as a group, or a body, or a church. He is interested in each of His children, and He loves each of us with the same love. 

However, our Heavenly Father is not the Father of everyone, as some supposed. Jesus said to some very religious people, "Ye are of your father the devil..." (John 8:44). Yes, God is the Creator of all mankind, but a man must be born again to become His child. He is God to the world, but Father only to the new creation man. 

God is your very own Father. You are His very own child. And since He is your Father, you can be assured that He will take a father's place and perform a father's part. You can be certain that as your Heavenly Father, God loves you, and He will take care of you. 

Confession: I am born of God. I am born into God's family. God the Father is my Father. I am His very own child. He is my very own Father. He loves me. He provides for me. He takes care of me. 

AMEN! What an amazingly glorious TRUTH! WE are members of God's very own family, because of the Blood of JESUS, shed for ALL people, for all sin, for all time! HE proivdced for ALL people EVERYWHERE to belong to His family, but He left the choice to receive that only and completely in our hands! Whosoever WILL means WE have a part to play. What an incredibly easy part we have! Thank You, JESUS! Have YOU received HIM yet? If so, I am so glad that we are members of the same family! If not,WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU WAITING FOR? There will never be another way, or another chance after this life is over! No one will ever be able to 'pray you in' once you leave this life! (No matter how much money they may pay! Don't fall for those tricks, schemes and lies of the devil!) JESUS said that HE is the ONLY Way to the Father! BELIEVE Him! RECEIVE Him! If you haven't yet, but you are ready to, please pray this prayer, and then let us know that you have! 

Almighty God, I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus Christ came to this earth, died on the cross for me, was raised from the dead, and is now seated at Your right hand. I accept and receive Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour and I invite Him to come into my heart and become Lord over my life. I thank You now Father, for welcoming me into Your family. You are my Father. I am Your child. Jesus is my Lord! Amen.

Now get into the Word, and into a good local church that teaches the Word. Begin to grow up in the things of God and in the TRUTH about who YOU are - IN HIM! You WILL be BLESSED! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Shape Of Your Heart":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest"  by Oswald Chambers is another very good message! 

After Surrender – What?

I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. — John 17:4

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Surrender is not the surrender of the external life, but of the will; when that is done, all is done. There are very few crises in life; the great crisis is the surrender of the will. God never crushes a man’s will into surrender, He never beseeches him, He waits until the man yields up his will to Him. That battle never needs to be re-fought.

Surrender for Deliverance. “Come unto Me,…and I will give you rest.” It is after we have begun to experience what salvation means that we surrender our wills to Jesus for rest. Whatever is perplexing heart or mind is a call to the will — “Come unto Me.” It is a voluntary coming.

Surrender for Devotion. “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself.” The surrender here is of my self to Jesus, my self with His rest at the heart of it. “If you would be My disciple, give up your right to yourself to Me.” Then the remainder of the life is nothing but the manifestation of this surrender. When once the surrender has taken place we never need “suppose” anything. We do not need to care what our circumstances are, Jesus is amply sufficient.

Surrender for Death (John 21:18-19). “…another shall gird thee.” Have you learned what it means to be bound for death? Beware of a surrender which you make to God in an ecstasy; you are apt to take it back again. It is a question of being united with Jesus in His death until nothing ever appeals to you that did not appeal to Him.

After surrender — what? The whole of the life after surrender is an aspiration for unbroken communion with God.

I love that the definition of true humility is 'accepting something you don't deserve'. On our own, we do NOT deserve anything good, but JESUS has paid the ultimate prices so that we can receive all that His Word promises! Who couldn't CHOOSE to 'surrender' to a God like this? AS you meditate on THAT thought, here is Hillsong with "I Surrender".

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I have ALWAYS loved today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin!

No Tresspassing!

"Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him]" (Ephesians 4:27 AMP).

 I remember reading in Reader's Digest about a lovely little patch of grass that people were prone to cut across. So the gardener built a small fence around this beautiful square of grass - just some small stakes and string. But people persisted in stepping over the string and walking across the grass. So the gardener painted a crude sign: Gentlemen will not, and others must not, trespass on this property! 

That gave me the idea of putting up a sign on my body. You can't see it, because it's in the spirit. But the devil can see it. My sign says: NO TRESPASSING! DEVIL, THIS MEANS YOU! I did that by faith. I've had that sign up for years now, and the devil doesn't trespass on God's property - my body. 

As the custodian of your body, it's your job to see to it that Satan does not trespass on God's property. 

Confession: As a custodian of God's property, I do not allow trespassers. I leave no room, nor do I even give a foothold for the devil. I allow him no opportunity.

Take up the mantle of authority that the Lord your God has already given you! YOU have authority over all the power of the enemy and nothing can "by any means hurt you!" AMEN! Look at Luke 10:19:

19 Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.

AMEN! HE desires that we walk in HIS authority so that HE can confirm the WORD that WE speak with signs, wonders and miracles! Thank You, JESUS! Here is Hillsong with "Desert Song":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today, on this special day of remembrance, I want to share Joseph Prince's "Grace Inspirations". During the traumatic days immediately following the horrific terrorist attacks, many stories began to surface of miraculous situations where people who SHOULD have been there, just simply were not there. The reasons ranged from simply being late to having other things come up or getting caught in traffic. Some of the stories involved people who felt in their inner man that they should not go! Of course, these stories never did make it into the main stream media. But it is essential that every born again believer KNOW that protection, provision and safety are THEIRS, by Covenant promise! However, just like anything else that we receive from God, it must be by faith! We must know what the Word o God says, then rely on Him daily to confirm His Word in our lives! It is my personal opinion that this is very hard to do unless believers are filled with the Spirit of God! It is supernatural! Here is the selection for today, called "He Gives His Angels Charge Over You":

Psalm 91:11–12 For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

You are about to step onto the road when something pulls you back just in time to avoid being hit by a speeding car. You are shocked. When you come to your senses, you ask yourself, “Could it be that an angel just saved me from a fatal accident?”

I believe that angels walk with us. The verse tells us that God has given His angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways. This means that they go ahead of you to protect you from the snares of the enemy.

But we may not know it when we encounter an angel. (Hebrews 13:2) This was probably the case with a couple in our church who were holidaying at a beach resort on Penang Island when a tsunami struck at about 12.30pm on 26 December 2004.

It was slightly past 11am when the wife suddenly had a craving for food from the mainland. The couple decided to check out earlier, so that they could reach the mainland in time for lunch. While loading their luggage into their car at the hotel driveway, a man impatiently motioned to them to hurry up and get moving.

Annoyed by his impatience, they quickly loaded their stuff and drove off. The minute they reached the mainland, they heard that a tsunami had struck Penang Island at the same beach where they were just a while ago. While thanking God for their narrow escape, it suddenly dawned on them that the impatient man could have been an angel charged by God to hurry them off!

God tells us that we have an innumerable company of angels. (Hebrews 12:22) And He has given them charge over us to protect us from accidents and other dangers. So don’t live fearful and limit your life. Believe that God loves you and that His angels walk with you and watch over you!

Thought For The Day: Don’t fear what the world fears because God loves you, and His angels walk with you and watch over you!

AMEN! From this moment on, when you remember these things, or when you look forward to plans you have of your own, REMEMBER that HE has already given His angels charge over you (Psalm 91:11-12 above)! Here is Hillsong with "Sinking Deep":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" goes right along with some things that we heard at The Spoken Word Church this morning! 

MISSIONARY MUNITIONS

When thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. — John 1:48

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Worshipping as Occasion Serves.

We imagine we would be all right if a big crisis arose; but the big crisis will only reveal the stuff we are made of, it will not put anything into us. “If God gives the call, of course I will rise to the occasion.” You will not unless you have risen to the occasion in the workshop, unless you have been the real thing before God there. If you are not doing the thing that lies nearest, because God has engineered it; when the crisis comes instead of being revealed as fit, you will be revealed as unfit. Crises always reveal character.

The private relationship of worshipping God is the great essential of fitness. The time comes when there is no more “fig-tree” life possible, when it is out into the open, out into the glare and into the work, and you will find yourself of no value there if you have not been worshipping as occasion serves you in your home. Worship aright in your private relationships, then when God sets you free you will be ready, because in the unseen life which no one saw but God you have become perfectly fit, and when the strain comes you can be relied upon by God.

“I can’t be expected to live the sanctified life in the circumstances I am in; I have no time for praying just now, no time for Bible reading, my opportunity hasn’t come yet; when it does, of course I shall be all right.” No, you will not. If you have not been worshipping as occasion serves, when you get into work you will not only be useless yourself, but a tremendous hindrance to those who are associated with you.

The workshop of missionary munitions is the hidden, personal, worshipping life of the saint.

Find out what the Word of God says about YOU! Now dare to stand on God's promises to you, and to expect them to come to pass! The God Who said THIS from John 17:17, is NOT holding out on you! AMEN!

17 Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth.

 Here is Hillsong UNITED with "The God Who Saves":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share Day 288 from Jonathan Cahn's "The Book of Mysteries". 

THE DAYS OF ONE-ETERNITIETH

"Which is more valuable," asked the teacher, "that which is common o0r that which is rare?"

"That which is rare," I replied.

"And which is more valuable: that which is rare or that which is extremely dare?"

"That which is extremely rare," I said.

"How valuable is this life?" he asked. "How valuable is your time on earth?"

"I don't know."

"Is it rare or is it common?" he asked.

"I would say it's common as it's what everybody has. And it's made up of countless moments, every day, every ear."

"So then it wouldn't be especially valuable," he said. "Now let's say your time on earth is one hundred years. But time goes on for one thousand years. Your time on earth becomes rare, one-tenth of time. And what happens after a million years have gone by? How long was your time on earth?"

"One ten-thousandth."

"One then-thousandth of time, one in ten thousand ... very rare. Now what happens when we consider eternity? What happens to your time on earth in light of eternity?"

"It becomes once in eternity."

"So your life on earth becomes one-eternitieth," he said. "How rare is that?"

"Very," I answered.

"Infinitely rare," he said. "So how valuable is your time on earth?"

"Of infinite value."

"That's correct. Your days on earth come around only once in an eternity ... only once. Every moment you have, comes around only once in an eternity ... and never again. Every moment is a once-in-eternity moment, a one-eternitieth moment. Therefore, every moment is of infinite value ... infinitely priceless. then how must you live?"

"Appreciating every moment."

"Therefore make the most of every moment. For it will never come again. Whatever good you would do, do it now. Treat every moment as if it was infinitely rare and of infinite value ... because it is. For every moment, and your life itself, comes around only once in an eternity."

The Mission: Whatever good you would do, do it now. Treat this day as if it comes around only once in an eternity - because it does.

(Psalm 90:10-12; Romans 13:11-14:2, 2 Corinthians 6:1-2; Ephesians 5:16)

Your time is valuable because YOU are valuable! YOU mean everything to HIM! He gave Himself freely for you! Let's treat the time that we have left here on earth doing those vital things that affect the eternal future of those in our realm of influence! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Your Word":

 Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really love today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin.

Overcomer

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony" (Revelation 12:11). 

Because Satan is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), he will try to exercise authority over you in this life. He will try to dominate you. He will try to keep you from walking in your redemptive rights. 

But you can overcome the devil every time, no matter what the test. You can overcome him because of the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony! 

You simply have to know what the blood has bought for you: deliverance from the power (authority) of darkness (Satan), and translation (by virtue of the New Birth) into the kingdom of light. Then you have to add your testimony to that knowledge. 

Stand your ground. Confess what the blood of the Lamb has wrought. Thank God, there is power in the blood! But the power in the blood won't just work automatically - you have to add your testimony to it. 

Confession: I am an overcomer. I overcome the devil in every confrontation; he never overcomes me. I overcome him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of my testimony. 

Remember that this is NOT a battle! The battle has already been won by JESUS! He soundly and forever defeated satan and all of his cohorts! He even made a great victory parade over them! Colossians 2:15:

When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities [those supernatural forces of evil operating against us], He made a public example of them [exhibiting them as captives in His triumphal procession], having triumphed over them through the cross.

We are NOT fighting satan or sin. WE are fighting "the good fight of faith" (1 Timothy 6:12). This is a GOOD fight because the victory has already been won! OUR fight is to build up our faith by the Word of God (Romans 10:17) so that we will never allow the enemy to hoodwink us into taking back what JESUS has already delivered us from! AMEN! Let's continue to show forth HIS glorious praise and His wondrous works by walking in the victory that JESUS has already bought and paid for! HALLELUJAH! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Future Marches In":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

The message that I have for today may surprise some of you, but if you are truly teachable, then you will meditate on it and search the Scriptures to see if it lines up! We are reading Psalm 68 today and I have always rejoiced at this particular verse! Verse 11:

11 The Lord gives the word [of power]; the women who bear and publish [the news] are a great host.

I want to share this from a few other translations:

Ps 68:11 The Lord gives the word; the women who announce the news are a great host: English Standard Version

Ps 68:12 Adonai gives the command; the women with the good news are a mighty army. Complete Jewish Bible

Ps 68:11 The Lord doth give the saying, The female proclaimers [are] a numerous host. Young's Literal Translation

Ps 68:11 The Lord gives the command; The women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host: New American Standard (Updated)

Ps 68:11 The Lord gave the command; a great company of women brought the good news:  Holman Christian Standard Bible

The KJV leaves out 'women'. WHY? Look at the phrase "great was the company" from the Strong's Concordance. It is the Hebrew word "tseba'ah, which means: (feminine) a mass of persons. This word is a feminine word, meaning that the mass of persons were FEMALE! If you pay attention to the Word of God, and NOT the traditions of men, then you will realize that the God of the Bible has ALWAYS used women to accomplish His will upon the earth! From JUDGES like Deborah, to harlots like Rahab, to foreigners like Ruth, to queens like Esther, to widows like the one who fed the prophet, to virgins like Mary, to those women who supported the ministry of Jesus and to Mary, the sister of Martha, who chose the BETTER part! The only being who REALLY has a problem with women is satan! HE HATES WOMEN! That's why he tried to deceive Eve, and why women have been abused, misused, abandoned, denied rights, treated as 2nd class (or less), beaten, raped, sold, attacked, and treated as property over the years. God has a very different view of HIS women! The very first person to proclaim "He is RISEN" was a woman! Women were in the upper room, and all through the Book of Acts, women were found preaching, teaching and ministering the TRUTH! Galatians 3:28 says this (KJV and AMP):

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. KJV

28 There is [now no distinction] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ [are in Him Who is Abraham's Seed], then you are Abraham's offspring and [spiritual] heirs according to promise.  AMP

If you are a man, then I hope that this enlightens you to the importance that the LORD our GOD puts on BOTH men and women who belong to HIM! If you are a woman, I hope that this encourage you to FINALLY step out into the plans and purposes that the LORD your GOD has for YOU! Be bold, be brave, be encouraged that: "Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." (1 Thessalonians 5:24). AMEN! Let's go for it, ladies! AND gentlemen! Time to get busy about Kingdom of God business and keep looking up! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Oceans - Where Feet May Fail":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We begin going through Hebrews today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. Verse 1 says this:

1 In many separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the Truth] and in different ways God spoke of old to [our] forefathers in and by the prophets,

We know that the Bible is a volume of 66 books, with 39 of them making up the Old Testament and 27 making up the New Testament. What is recorded in the Old Testament is what God revealed through men, His chosen vessels. We know that this comes directly from God because, though it takes place over 4,000 years, and came through different men of God from different generations, the whole thing is a beautiful tapestry foretelling of the Messiah Who would come to save mankind! The New Testament is different in THIS way, from verses 2-4:

² [But] in the last of these days He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order]. 3 He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God's] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by his mighty word of power. When he had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high, 4 [Taking a place and rank by which] He Himself became as much superior to angels as the glorious Name (title) which He has inherited is different from and more excellent than theirs.

THIS is our GOD! The Jewish Messiah! The Savior of the world! He IS the LORD of ALL! AND He is MY LORD! I hope that He is YOURS! After reading this, I don't see how anyone could refuse such a One! If you have never received JESUS as YOUR Lord and personal Savior, then please pray this prayer with me now, believing in your heart and speaking THIS with your own mouth (Romans 10:9-10)!

Almighty God, I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus Christ came to this earth, died on the cross for me, was raised from the dead, and is now seated at Your right hand. I accept and receive Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour and I invite Him to come into my heart and become Lord over my life. I thank You now Father, for welcoming me into Your family. You are my Father. I am Your child. Jesus is my Lord! Amen.

If you have already received JESUS as Lord and Savior, but have never received the INFILLING of Holy Spirit, being 'endued with power from on high', then pray THIS prayer with me now: 

Father, I am Your child. I desire to be filled with Holy Spirit and speak with other tongues as the Holy Spirit gives me the utterance. By faith, I receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. As I lift my hands to praise You, I fully expect to speak in my heavenly prayer language. Amen.

Now you are fully equipped with everything you need to grow up in the things of God, mature in the Word of God and be a powerful witness and minister of Reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)! Let's get this job done so that everyone who WILL receive CAN receive! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Go":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 66:1-2:

1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all the earth; 2 Sing forth the honor and glory of His name; make His praise glorious!

What a way to begin a study of the Word of God! The very BEST way! If you will begin every study time in this way (praising HIM), you will learn more, in a shorter time, than you ever have before! AMEN! This is part of our Bible Reading Plan for today! I LOVE it! We also read Mark 16 today. Jesus left us with this command in verses 15-16:

15 And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race]. 16 He who believes [who adheres to and trusts in and relies on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] and is baptized will be saved [from the penalty of eternal death]; but he who does not believe [who does not adhere to and trust in and rely on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] will be condemned.

Preaching the Good News of the Gospel of JESUS, the Christ, is the #1 reason that born again believers remain on the earth instead of immediately taking up our home, which is in Heaven! WE are here for the LOST! Why? Because our Father desires that NONE should perish! Some will, but NOT by HIS choice! We are given the priceless privilege and the awesome responsibility to be HIS representative here. We make His praise glorious (Psalm 66:2 - above) and we tell of HIS wondrous works (Psalm 105:1) so that people without Him will be drawn TO Him! AMEN! He also promises us this in verses 17-18:

17 And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages; 18 They will pick up serpents; and [even] if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well.

Speaking in tongues is a vital tool for our direct communication, spirit to Spirit, with HIM. He is able to then lead, guide and direct us clearly by Holy Spirit within us as we walk out this life and our individual calling. And then, the most exciting promise of all is found in verse 20! 

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

HE will do that very same thing for US when we SPEAK HIS WORD! Let's get busy with this wonderful, eternity changing 'job' that we have! What glorious work! HALLELUJAH! Here is Hillsong with one of my favorite older songs, "Tell The World":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We have a confession that we make regularly at The Spoken Word Church. It is this:

"Anything GOOD, give God the praise, thanksgiving and worship! Anything BAD, DON'T BLAME GOD!" 

So many times people in the world call everything that happens in nature 'acts of God'. If they are not GOOD, then they are not GOD! A real clue for you is found in John 10:10:

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

If what you are witnessing in nature is bringing life and blessing to people, then thank the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible for it! If what you are witnessing is bringing death, destruction, hardship and injury, then KNOW FOR CERTAIN that this is the work of darkness and NOT of God! AMEN! We see this in Psalm 65 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today:

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A song.

1 To You belongs silence (the submissive wonder of reverence which bursts forth into praise) and praise is due and fitting to You, O God, in Zion; and to You shall the vow be performed. 2 O You Who hear prayer, to You shall all flesh come. 3 Iniquities and much varied guilt prevail against me; [yet] as for our transgressions, You forgive and purge them away! 4 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You choose and cause to come near, that he may dwell in Your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple. 5 By fearful and glorious things [that terrify the wicked but make the godly sing praises] do You answer us in righteousness (rightness and justice), O God of our salvation, You Who are the confidence and hope of all the ends of the earth and of those far off on the seas; 6 Who by [Your] might have founded the mountains, being girded with power, 7 Who still the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples, 8 So that those who dwell in earth’s farthest parts are afraid of signs of Your presence. You make the places where morning and evening have birth to shout for joy. 9 You visit the earth and saturate it with water; You greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; You provide them with grain when You have so prepared the earth. 10 You water the field’s furrows abundantly, You settle the ridges of it; You make the soil soft with showers, blessing the sprouting of its vegetation. 11 You crown the year with Your bounty and goodness, and the tracks of Your [chariot wheels] drip with fatness. 12 The [luxuriant] pastures in the uncultivated country drip [with moisture], and the hills gird themselves with joy. 13 The meadows are clothed with flocks, the valleys also are covered with grain; they shout for joy and sing together.

Do you see what GOD does? When you know the Word of God, it is pretty hard for the enemy to get you to believe his lies! Thank Him today for His Word, which IS His will! Now sing for joy for the good things and listen to Holy Spirit for the way OUT of every bad thing! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "You Crown The Year":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

As I was meditating on today's reading in Psalm 64, I was reminded again of THIS from Joshua 1:8:

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.

This is the BEST "formula" for success in any and every area of our lives! Find out what God's Word has to say about it! THEN keep meditating on that (thinking about, speaking about, pondering, musing, listening) until it becomes SO real that you cannot even think about believing anything less! AMEN! Psalm 64 shows us another reason that this is so very important! Verses 1-6:

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; guard and preserve my life from the terror of the enemy. 2 Hide me from the secret counsel and conspiracy of the ungodly, from the scheming of evildoers, 3 Who whet their tongues like a sword, who aim venomous words like arrows, 4 Who shoot from ambush at the blameless man; suddenly do they shoot at him, without self-reproach or fear. 5 They encourage themselves in an evil purpose, they talk of laying snares secretly; they say, Who will discover us? 6 They think out acts of injustice and say, We have accomplished a well-devised thing! For the inward thought of each one [is unsearchable] and his heart is deep.

This IS what the enemy does! He studies YOU! He learns just what makes you get off course and then sets about doing some, or all, of those things to get you to quit! REFUSE HIM! Don't give up even a tiny bit of your control over your life to him! Submit your will to God and His Word! THEN resist every thought the devil brings your way! You CAN! James tells us so in James 4:7!

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

Rick Renner has an excellent take on this from the Greek language in his original "Sparkling Gems From The Greek":

It's time for you to resist the enemy of your soul. Let him know that you're not going to bite that bait anymore, so he may as well go fishing somewhere else. You're no longer going to be a sucker! You have just been informed that there is a deadly hook inside that bait that is designed to hook you, pull you into the devil's net, and turn you into dead meat for the devil to chomp on for a long time. But he has hooked you with that bait for the last time!

James 4:7 has good news for you. It says that if you will resist the devil, he will "flee" from you. The word "flee" in Greek is so exciting! It is from the word pheugomai, which from the earliest times of Greek literature meant to flee or to take flight. It was used to depict a lawbreaker who flees in terror from a nation where he broke the law. The reason he flees so quickly is that he wants to escape the prosecution process. Remaining in the nation would most assuredly mean judgment; so rather than stay and face the consequences, the lawbreaker flees for his life.

This means the devil knows that he is a lawbreaker! He also knows that if a believer stands against him - in other words, if the believer resists the enemy by using his God-given authority in the name of Jesus and with the Word of God - it won't be long until that believer begins to rule and dominate the devil. Rather than allow this to happen, the devil begins to withdraw and look for a way to escape the prosecution process. Instead of sticking around and trying hopelessly to defend himself against the name of Jesus and the Word of God, the devil tucks his tail and runs! That is pre­cisely what James means when he says that the devil will "flee."

AMEN! Do you see this? Now let's look at Rick's expanded version of verse 7 with the meaning of the original writings intact!

"Stand firmly against the devil! That's right - be unbending and unyielding in the way you resist him so that he knows he is up against a serious contender. If you'll take this kind of stand against him, he will tuck his tail and run like a criminal who knows the day of prosecution is upon him. Once you start resisting him, he'll flee from you in terror!"

AMEN! Don't even give the enemy an inch! YOU know his future fate, and he has heard it, but YOU can remind him! YOU have all the authority over him in YOUR life! USE IT! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Not Today!":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

THIS, from today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin sounds so simple and logical, but it is really of utmost importance! 

SETTLED

"For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar…" (Romans 3:3-4). 

To establish a firm foundation for your faith, I suggest you adopt the following motto which I wrote in red ink in the flyleaf of my Bible many years ago. 

• The Bible says it. 
• I believe it. 
• And that settles it.

Determine to always do these two things: (1) Accept God's Word for what it says, and (2) Walk in the light of what the Word says. Don't try to get around certain things or explain them away.

Don't try to read things into the Word just because you want to believe those things that way. Study the Word - and accept it just as it is written.

For example, the denomination I was reared in didn't teach faith and healing. I was bedfast sixteen months as a teenager, and five doctors said I had to die. But I turned to the Word of God, and the more I studied, the more I saw that the Word is true.

I declared, "I am going to walk in the light of what the Word says, regardless of church teaching, because the Word is God speaking to me today." When I settled that issue in my mind, sixty percent of the battle was won: I was on the road to divine healing.

Confession: God's Word is true. I believe God. I walk in the light of what the Word says, because the Word of God is God speaking to me today. 

AMEN! I can make his three points even more simple! 

• The Bible says it.
• That settles it!

The TRUTH of God's Word is FOREVER settled! MY believing it qualifies ME to be a partaker of it! BUT, whether or not anyone ever partakes of these promises, it is still FOREVER settled in the mind of God! He has already done everything that is needful to do in order for us to live in the fullness of His eternal LIFE! John 10:10:

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

AMEN! Now all that is left is for US to learn the Word, meditate on the Word until it becomes REAL to US, speak the Word and receive the answers! THEN go tell the world of all the wonderful works of God! HALLELUJAH! Here is Hillsong with "Tell The World":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share the devotional from our Spoken Word Church website. This is a very important message that will make all the difference in our maturing in the things of God!

Endure Correction

Wisdom begins with correction. Errors must be exposed. Mistakes must be admitted. Think back over your life. Think of the person who taught you the most. He was probably the one who corrected you the most.

Hell is full of people who rejected correction. Heaven is full of people who accepted it.

"For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (Hebrews 12:6)

"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (Hebrews 12:11)

There is not one born again believer who has gone from the moment of the New Birth and never missed it again! We all have made fleshly errors because, though we no longer have the old sin nature, we still have the nature of the flesh to deal with! We WILL until that moment that we are in the presence of JESUS. John 1:32 tells us this:

Beloved, we are [even here and] now God’s children; it is not yet disclosed (made clear) what we shall be [hereafter], but we know that when He comes and is manifested, we shall [as God’s children] resemble and be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He [really] is.

So, since we know that we will still miss it on occasion, hopefully less and less in the same areas, we need to know how to deal with ourselves! NOT in condemnation! Romans 8:1-2 tells us this:

1 Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death.

Our missing it once we are new creatures in Christ, members of His family and of the Church of JESUS Christ, will NEVER affect our RELATIONSHIP with Him! It can, however, affect our intimate fellowship with Him if we don't receive the correction that the Word of God, by the Spirit of God, gives us! Never be afraid of the correction of God. He ALWAYS corrects BY His Word and in perfect LOVE! The correction is because He LOVES us too much to allow us to continue to hurt ourselves by our disobedience. So, look forward to the little daily adjustments that we will see to make, and then as quickly as possible, repent of sin and move on IN HIM again! AMEN! We are, of all people, MOST BLESSED! We have all of the resources of Heaven available to us to 'get it right'! Then we will be a bright light to those around us and a beacon of hope in a very dark world! Thank You, JESUS! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Future Marches In":

Shalom in Him!