Shalom,

I am loveing Proverbs 22 today! Verse 4:

4 The reward of humility and the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.

There are definite rewards for doing things GOD's way! Verse 6 holds another promise that I hold dear and in faith! 

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

Then some encouragement for those who have been the victims of this latest detestable and inexcusable conduct going on in this nation! Verse 8:

8 He who sows iniquity will reap calamity and futility, and the rod of his wrath [with which he smites others] will fail.

It will NOT keep going on and THEY will reap the just rewards of their conduct! Verses 17-19 are a promise!

17 Listen (consent and submit) to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge; 18 For it will be pleasant if you keep them in your mind [believing them]; your lips will be accustomed to [confessing] them. 19 So that your trust (belief, reliance, support, and confidence) may be in the Lord, I have made known these things to you today, even to you.

And then a final warning to those who arre destroying landmarks and memorials! Verse 28:

28 Remove not the ancient landmark which your fathers have set up.

Then we have more wonerful promises in Ephesians 5:1-2:

1 Therefore be imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]. 2 And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.

Remember two things as you choose how to respond to those who treat you badly!  

1. LOVE NEVER fails! (1 Corinthians 13:8)
2. VENGEANCE belongs to the LORD! He WILL repay! HE will! (Romans 12:17-19)

AMEN! And then Ephesians 5:11-16:

11 Take no part in and have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds and enterprises of darkness, but instead [let your lives be so in contrast as to] expose and reprove and convict them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of or mention the things that [such people] practice in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed and reproved by the light, it is made visible and clear; and where everything is visible and clear there is light. 14 Therefore He says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine (make day dawn) upon you and give you light. 15 Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), 16 Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.

AMEN! ANd then, for good measure, let's be DOERS of 1 Chronicles 16:23-34:

23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth; show forth from day to day His salvation. 24 Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all peoples. 25 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He also is to be [reverently] feared above all so-called gods. 26 For all the gods of the people are [lifeless] idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 27 Honor and majesty are [found] in His presence; strength and joy are [found] in His sanctuary. 28 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength, 29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. Bring an offering and come before Him; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness and in holy array. 30 Tremble and reverently fear before Him, all the earth’s peoples; the world also shall be established, so it cannot be moved. 31 Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice; and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigns! 32 Let the sea roar, and all the things that fill it; let the fields rejoice, and all that is in them. 33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing out for joy before the Lord, for He comes to judge and govern the earth. 34 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!

AMEN and AMEN! Be DOERS of God's Word and recieve GOD's promised results! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Bright As The Sun":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really love today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers.

The Ministry of the Inner Life

You are…a royal priesthood… —1 Peter 2:9

By what right have we become “a royal priesthood”? It is by the right of the atonement by the Cross of Christ that this has been accomplished. Are we prepared to purposely disregard ourselves and to launch out into the priestly work of prayer? The continual inner-searching we do in an effort to see if we are what we ought to be generates a self-centered, sickly type of Christianity, not the vigorous and simple life of a child of God. Until we get into this right and proper relationship with God, it is simply a case of our “hanging on by the skin of our teeth,” although we say, “What a wonderful victory I have!” Yet there is nothing at all in that which indicates the miracle of redemption. Launch out in reckless, unrestrained belief that the redemption is complete. Then don’t worry anymore about yourself, but begin to do as Jesus Christ has said, in essence, “Pray for the friend who comes to you at midnight, pray for the saints of God, and pray for all men.” Pray with the realization that you are perfect only in Christ Jesus, not on the basis of this argument: “Oh, Lord, I have done my best; please hear me now.”

How long is it going to take God to free us from the unhealthy habit of thinking only about ourselves? We must get to the point of being sick to death of ourselves, until there is no longer any surprise at anything God might tell us about ourselves. We cannot reach and understand the depths of our own meagerness. There is only one place where we are right with God, and that is in Christ Jesus. Once we are there, we have to pour out our lives for all we are worth in this ministry of the inner life.

What is being discussed here is the religious idea that we must look, sound and act like a "good Christian"! That means that we have to constantly be thinking about how others perceive our behavior. That is NOT how our Heavenly Father desires for us to act! HE desires that we really come to KNOW HIM! When we do, then we will REALLY come to know who WE ARE - IN HIM! THAT is what pleases the Father the most! Let's be like Paul again and make it our determined purpose to KNOW HIM (JESUS) more every day than we did the day before! In this way HIS ways will become our ways naturally, rather than a show that we put on for the benefit of those who are, and look for, religious actions! Instead, we will look like JESUS to the world! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "No One But You":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read Ephesians 3 today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan and it is just as exciting to me as the very first time that I read or heard this! 

8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints (God’s consecrated people), this grace (favor, privilege) was granted and graciously entrusted: to proclaim to the Gentiles the unending (boundless, fathomless, incalculable, and exhaustless) riches of Christ [wealth which no human being could have searched out], 9 Also to enlighten all men and make plain to them what is the plan [regarding the Gentiles and providing for the salvation of all men] of the mystery kept hidden through the ages and concealed until now in [the mind of] God Who created all things by Christ Jesus. 10 [The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere. 11 This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in [the person of] Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear).

GOD's plan was ALWAYS to have a people for Himself who would be ABLE to worship HIM in Spirit and in Truth! He desired for us to have a free will so that our choice for HIM would be REAL and not forced! He did NOT desire ROBOTS! Now we, those of us who have received JESUS as Lord and personal Saviour, choose to LOVE  JESUS because WE WANT TO and NOT because someone is forcing or programming us to! YOUR love for HIM is REAL, and that is JUST what HE wants! AMEN! He also REALLY wants US to know how much HE loves US! Look at verse 19:

19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]! 

AMEN! And then He further explains just how much HE wants to bless US! Verse 20-21:

20 Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]— 21 To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).

AMEN! SO, let's GIVE HIM the GLORY that HE alone deserves! Here is Hillsong Worship with "No One But You":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Ephesians 2:5-7 show us what God has accomplished in us through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and what HIS plan for us is for the ages to come!

5 Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation). 6 And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One). 7 He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in [His] kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus.

God DID all that He accomplished in and through US for THIS PURPOSE: that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in [His] kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus.

AMEN! God is about to show off to the world just what HE can and will do for those who dare top put our trust in HIM! HE is going to be demonstrating to EVERYONE what it means to be a GOD follower! Are YOU ready for this? If not - GET READY! I AM READY! SO READY! Let's GO! And here, appropriately, is Hillsong UNITED with "GO"!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We begin Ephesians today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. Remember that the Epistles are where every born again believer should spend most of our time because they are the letters written specifically to the Body of Christ, the Church! They reveal to us what God has done and is going to do in us, for us and through us! Look at verses 4-10:

4 Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. 5 For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]— 6 [So that we might be] to the praise and the commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor, 8 Which He lavished upon us in every kind of wisdom and understanding (practical insight and prudence), 9 Making known to us the mystery (secret) of His will (of His plan, of His purpose). [And it is this:] In accordance with His good pleasure (His merciful intention) which He had previously purposed and set forth in Him, 10 [He planned] for the maturity of the times and the climax of the ages to unify all things and head them up and consummate them in Christ, [both] things in heaven and things on the earth.

THIS is ALL God's very specific plan and purposes for us! One minister put it this way: The CHURCH of Jesus Christ is going to be showcased throughout all of eternity as God's perfect accomplishment! There was nothing like us before and there will be nothing like us after! We are UNIQUE, and uniquely anointed, appointed, gifted, called and placed all for HIS purpose and for HIS GLORY! Let's make sure that we are making GOD's priorities our own! There is no end to the great BLESSING that will operate in our lives, bringing GLORY to HIM, when we 'get with HIS program'! Find out what our Father has called YOU to do, and DO IT! Remember that we are, of ALL people who have ever lived, MOST BLESSED! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Come ALive":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers is a message that I have tried to share with many believers, but it has not always been well received!

Beware of Criticizing Others

Judge not, that you be not judged. —Matthew 7:1

Jesus’ instructions with regard to judging others is very simply put; He says, “Don’t.” The average Christian is the most piercingly critical individual known. Criticism is one of the ordinary activities of people, but in the spiritual realm nothing is accomplished by it. The effect of criticism is the dividing up of the strengths of the one being criticized. The Holy Spirit is the only one in the proper position to criticize, and He alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding. It is impossible to enter into fellowship with God when you are in a critical mood. Criticism serves to make you harsh, vindictive, and cruel, and leaves you with the soothing and flattering idea that you are somehow superior to others. Jesus says that as His disciple you should cultivate a temperament that is never critical. This will not happen quickly but must be developed over a span of time. You must constantly beware of anything that causes you to think of yourself as a superior person.

There is no escaping the penetrating search of my life by Jesus. If I see the little speck in your eye, it means that I have a plank of timber in my own (see Matthew 7:3-5). Every wrong thing that I see in you, God finds in me. Every time I judge, I condemn myself (see Romans 2:17-24). Stop having a measuring stick for other people. There is always at least one more fact, which we know nothing about, in every person’s situation. The first thing God does is to give us a thorough spiritual cleaning. After that, there is no possibility of pride remaining in us. I have never met a person I could despair of, or lose all hope for, after discerning what lies in me apart from the grace of God.

AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! There is NO PLACE for a born again believer to be judging another born again believer! NONE! Those who like to think that they have a Biblical right to do so are very sadly mistaken! God does mean exactly what He says and when He says JUDGE NOT, He means exactly that! Instead, pray for those whom you think to be wrong so that God Himself can get involved to correct THEM, if you are right, and YOU, if you are wrong! In either case, it is GOD's business alone! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Awake My Soul":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest" for today is vital for our everyday initmate fellowship with JESUS!

“Will You Lay Down Your Life?”

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends….I have called you friends… —John 15:13, 15

Jesus does not ask me to die for Him, but to lay down my life for Him. Peter said to the Lord, “I will lay down my life for Your sake,” and he meant it (John 13:37). He had a magnificent sense of the heroic. For us to be incapable of making this same statement Peter made would be a bad thing— our sense of duty is only fully realized through our sense of heroism. Has the Lord ever asked you, “Will you lay down your life for My sake?” (John 13:38). It is much easier to die than to lay down your life day in and day out with the sense of the high calling of God. We are not made for the bright-shining moments of life, but we have to walk in the light of them in our everyday ways. There was only one bright-shining moment in the life of Jesus, and that was on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was there that He emptied Himself of His glory for the second time, and then came down into the demon-possessed valley (see Mark 9:1-29). For thirty-three years Jesus laid down His life to do the will of His Father. “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16). Yet it is contrary to our human nature to do so.

If I am a friend of Jesus, I must deliberately and carefully lay down my life for Him. It is a difficult thing to do, and thank God that it is. Salvation is easy for us, because it cost God so much. But the exhibiting of salvation in my life is difficult. God saves a person, fills him with the Holy Spirit, and then says, in effect, “Now you work it out in your life, and be faithful to Me, even though the nature of everything around you is to cause you to be unfaithful.” And Jesus says to us, “…I have called you friends….” Remain faithful to your Friend, and remember that His honor is at stake in your bodily life.

This line says it all: It is much easier to die than to lay down your life day in and day out with the sense of the high calling of God. It is in the daily surrender of our will to HIS that we find the answer to every question and the solution to every problem! TRUST JESUS! He will NEVER lead you wrong! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Every Breath":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I believe that today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers is another simple, yet often missed and very important aspect of our gorwing up inthe things of God!

Get A Move On

And beside this,…add… — 2 Peter 1:5

In the Matter of Drudgery

You have inherited the Divine nature, says Peter (v.4), now get your attention down and form habits, give diligence, concentrate. “Add” means all that character means. No man is born either naturally or supernaturally with character; he has to make character. Nor are we born with habits; we have to form habits on the basis of the new life God has put into us. We are not meant to be illuminated versions, but the common stuff of ordinary life exhibiting the marvel of the grace of God. Drudgery is the touchstone of character. The great hindrance in spiritual life is that we will look for big things to do. “Jesus…took a towel,…and began to wash the disciples’ feet.”

There are times when there is no illumination and no thrill, but just the daily round, the common task. Routine is God’s way of saving us between our times of inspiration. Do not expect God always to give you His thrilling minutes, but learn to live in the domain of drudgery by the power of God.

It is the “adding” that is difficult. We say we do not expect God to carry us to heaven on flowery beds of ease, and yet we act as if we did! The tiniest detail in which I obey has all the omnipotent power of the grace of God behind it. If I do my duty, not for duty’s sake, but because I believe God is engineering my circumstances, then at the very point of my obedience the whole superb grace of God is mine through the Atonement.

I LOVE this! The perfect example of this is praying in other tongues. There are times in intercession when the tone of our prayer in the spirit takes on an intensity by the direction of the Holy Spirit that is both interesting and can be exciting! But there are other times when we are simply praying in this wonderful GIFT without any outward evidence, simply out of obedience and faith! BOTH are very necessary and vital parts of our obedience and ministry. Our feelings have nothing to do with it, but when we are faithful to just 'keep on', HE will have confidence to use us more! THAT is called growing up! Maturity! Let's all move on up in that area, bringing joy to our Father and giving HIM something more to work with! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Come Alive":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share our devotional again from The Spoken Word Church website!

Confront Destructive Habits

Don't waste your life. It is too short, valuable and irreplaceable. Confront problems. What you refuse to master today, will master you tomorrow.

Remember, what you do habitually, determines what you become permanently. Get up. Fight back. Never quit. Never give up. You will win.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

AMEN! We KNOW, as born again believers, that there IS now NO CONDEMNATION from God for us, no matter how many mistakes we may make! BUT, our choices all have natural consequences and we are NOT exempt from those! We also KNOW that we will reap what we sow, so change for the better is ALWAYS a wise choice! Renewing our minds with the Word of God will transform our thinking to think as HE thinks! Romans 12:2:

2 Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

AMEN! Be the BEST YOU and LET the LIGHT of HIS LIFE inside of you SHINE! Here is Hillsong Worship wtih "Bright As The Sun":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share Joseph Prince's "Grace Inspirations" devotional!

THE BLOOD ALONE SAVES

Exodus 12:13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you…

On the night of the first Passover, many of the children of Israel were probably anxious. Imagine one Israelite asking another nervously, “Did you hear that the angel of death is passing through tonight?”

“Yes! We were told to put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of our home and everything would be all right. Is that true?”

Like the Israelites, you might be wondering, “Can the blood really protect me? How much blood do I have to put on my doorposts? Will the angel of death get me if I am fearful?”

My friend, don’t add to God’s conditions. He said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you.” He did not say, “When I see the blood, plus your understanding, efforts, obedience, faithfulness and refusal to give in to fear, then I will pass over you.”

It is the blood of Jesus alone that delivers you. If you think that it is because of your faith, then you will always be wondering, “Do I have enough faith?” No my friend, it is His blood alone that saves. And when God sees that you see that it is the blood alone that saves, He calls that faith in the blood, and every plague will pass over you!

God wants you to know that it is Jesus’ blood alone that saves because every time you think that your deliverance depends partly on God and partly on you, you will not have a settled peace in your heart. But when you know that it is the blood alone that saves, you will have an unshakable peace.

It was the blood that saved the children of Israel from the destroyer on that Passover night and it is still the blood that saves today. And all you need to do for the blood to avail is to say, “Father, I thank You that the blood of Jesus alone covers me and my family. No evil, plague or disaster will befall me or my family because of the blood!”

AMEN! It is completely and ONLY because of the Blood of JESUS that we have the right to be born again! HE paid the price of OUR sin so that WE cou9ld become HIS! There IS no greater love than this! THan HIS! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Like Incense (Sometimes By Step)":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin continues speaking of the spirit, soul and body of mankind, for we are, just like the Godhead, triune beings!

Saving Your Soul

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. . . . Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. — JAMES 1:18,21

What about our souls? Aren’t our souls saved when we’re born again? No. There are many Christians who have been saved and filled with the Holy Spirit for years whose souls are not saved yet!

Some have lived and died without their souls being saved. Did they go to Heaven? Certainly. They were children of God, and their spirits were born of God.

The soul, you see, is not born again. The saving of the soul is a process.

The Epistle of James was written not to sinners, but to Christians. And James was telling us that our souls are not saved yet. James 1:21 bothered me for some time, until I found out the difference between the spirit and the soul.

A man’s spirit — the innermost man — receives eternal life and is born again. But his intellect and his emotions — which constitute his soul — still have to be dealt with. They must be renewed.

Confession: I am a spirit. I have a soul. I live in a body. “I” am begotten of God by the Word of truth. “I” am born again. Now I receive with meekness the engrafted Word which contains the power to save the soul which I possess. My intellect is being renewed with the Word of God.

AMEN! There is such freedom that is released in born again believers when they realize that they new creations, SPIRITUALLY, the moment that they receive JESUS as Lord and personal Saviour! There is not quite aas much joy when they realize that their souls, consisting of their minds, emotions and wills, MUST BE SAVED DAILY! How? By being transformed by the renewing of our minds with the Word of the Living God! (Romans 12:1-2) Our bodies will get in line when our spirit and sould agrees together! I hope that YOU will make whatever adjustments are necessary to get your own soul 'saved' and then step boldly and confidently into the ministry that God has for YOU! AMEN! Here his Hillsong with "Children of the Light":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers is such a simple, yet profound instruction!

Getting There

Come unto Me. — Matthew 11:28

Where the Sin and the Sorrow Cease and the Song and the Saint Commence

Do I want to get there? I can now. The questions that matter in life are remarkably few, and they are all answered by the words — “Come unto Me.” Not — “Do this, or don’t do that”; but — “Come unto Me.” If I will come to Jesus my actual life will be brought into accordance with my real desires; I will actually cease from sin, and actually find the song of the Lord begin.

Have you ever come to Jesus? Watch the stubbornness of your heart, you will do anything rather than the one simple childlike thing — “Come unto Me.” If you want the actual experience of ceasing from sin, you must come to Jesus.

Jesus Christ makes Himself the touchstone. Watch how He used the word “Come.” At the most unexpected moments there is the whisper of the Lord — “Come unto Me” and you are drawn immediately. Personal contact with Jesus alters everything. Be stupid enough to come and commit yourself to what He says. The attitude of coming is that the will resolutely lets go of everything and deliberately commits all to Him.

“And I will give you rest” i.e., I will stay you. Not — I will put you to bed and hold your hand and sing you to sleep; but — I will get you out of bed, out of the languor and exhaustion, out of the state of being half dead while you are alive; I will imbue you with the spirit of life, and you will be stayed by the perfection of vital activity. We get pathetic and talk about “suffering the will of the Lord”! Where is the majestic vitality and might of the Son of God about that?

AMEN! The Christian life was NEVER, EVER meant to be a life of struggle and trial to ACT like a 'good Christian'! We were designed by Almighty God to have CONTINUAL, INTIMATE fellowship with HIMK, by the Spirit of GOD Who lives IN US! We do NOT have to travel to some wilderness place, wear sackcloth and ashes, beat ourselves silly, or any other FLESHLY thing! IN fact, those things do NOTHING towards getting closer to HIM! What does? He said it over and over above! JESUS said: COME TO ME! That means set aside every other thought and simply spend time in His presence! BELIEVE that HE IS inside of you! THAT is the greatest distance that we have to travel to fellowship with HIM! And in HIS presence is fullnes of JOY, and every other good thing that we have need of! HALLELUJAH! We are to DO the WORKS that JESUS did, and that will ONLY happen when we know and develop confidence in Him by BEING WITH HIM! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Awake My Soul":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

Great people have great habits. Daily habits. That is what separates them from the masses.

People do not really decide their futures. They merely decide their habits. Then, their habits decide their future. Read biographies of champions. The secret of their success is always hidden in something they do daily.

"Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." (Daniel 6:10)

One of the most important lessons that I have learned over the years is that NO ONE can affect my life, success and future MORE than ME! I make the final decisions on what I watch, what I read, what I do to learn and grow. I can have the very best teachers in the world, but unless I make the decision to be serious about it, I will go nowhere, learn nothing and be a loser in this life! Our God has WELL equipped each and every one of us EXACTLY as we need Him to for us to be completely successful! It is what I CHOOSE to do with what HE has given me that decides how I turn out. Decide for yourself today what changes you need to make in order to be the person that GOD has created YOU to be! Don't compare yourself with others, and NEVER compete with others! There is only ONE YOU! BE the BEST! Here is Hillsong Worship with "See The Light":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin has what may be THE most important message every born again believer MUST know in order to walk confidently in the Word of God!

Three Dimensions Of Man

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. — 1 THESSALONIANS 5:23

It will help your spiritual growth immeasurably to know the difference between your spirit and your soul.

Many people believe that “spirit” and “soul” are the same thing. Even preachers believe this! They preach about the soul as if it were the spirit.

But they can’t be the same thing. It would be just as scriptural to say that the body and the soul are the same, as it would be to say that the spirit and the soul are the same. But Hebrews 4:12 says that by the Word of God, soul and spirit can be divided.

To help you understand the three dimensions of man, go through this
process of elimination:

(1) With my body I contact the physical realm.

(2) With my spirit I contact the spiritual realm.

(3) With my soul I contact the intellectual and emotional realms.

Man is a spirit. The spirit is the part of man that knows God. Man possesses a soul — the intellect, the sensibilities, the will. And man lives in a body.

Confession: I am a son of God. I am a child of God. With my spirit I contact my Father in the spiritual realm.

Just as our GOD is a Triune being (Father, Son Holy Spirit), so WE are each a truine being, also! We ARE spirit beings! We HAVE souls (mind, emotions and will). We live, while here on earth, in a physical body! KNOWING this will save us hours of frustration as the enemy tries to trip us up in sin, and then hammer at us for missing it, acting as though we would be in danger of hell, instead of being Heaven bound! Meditate on these TRUTHS until they are so strong inside of you that you will NEVER be able to doubt GOD and His Word again! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Awake My Soul":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We know that the Book of Proverbs is FILLED with nuggets of Wisdom for every area and walk of life! Today is no different! In our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan we read Proverbs 8. Here are verses 6-11:

6 Hear, for I will speak excellent and princely things; and the opening of my lips shall be for right things. 7 For my mouth shall utter truth, and wrongdoing is detestable and loathsome to my lips. 8 All the words of my mouth are righteous (upright and in right standing with God); there is nothing contrary to truth or crooked in them. 9 They are all plain to him who understands [and opens his heart], and right to those who find knowledge [and live by it]. 10 Receive my instruction in preference to [striving for] silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, 11 For skillful and godly Wisdom is better than rubies or pearls, and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

AMEN! There is NOTHING more valuable to a born again believer than the WORD of the LIVING GOD! The more time that we spend in HIS presence, mediating on HIS WORD, the sooner that WORD will come alive to us and become OPERATIVE! We can only be a DOER of the WORD that we KNOW! So, let's make it our determined purpose to really dive in and get to know the KING of all kings and LORD of all lords! JESUS! Verses 30-33 give us the last word on this Proverb! 

33 Hear instruction and be wise, and do not refuse or neglect it. 34 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. 35 For whoever finds me [Wisdom] finds life and draws forth and obtains favor from the Lord. 36 But he who misses me or sins against me wrongs and injures himself; all who hate me love and court death.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for making your WORD come alive to us by Your Spirit and by Your presence within us! Here are Hillsong Kids with "As The World Shakes":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I have already shared with you that the Gospel of John is my very favorite Gospel. These chapters that we are reading now through our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan are some of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible! Look at verse 3:

3 And this is eternal life: [it means] to know (to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with, and understand) You, the only true and real God, and [likewise] to know Him, Jesus [as the] Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), Whom You have sent.

AMEN! If YOU can acknowledge this TRUTH, and have received JESUS as Lord and Saviour, then you are really and truly born again! IN verse 13-15 Jesus was saying THIS:

13 And now I am coming to You; I say these things while I am still in the world, so that My joy may be made full and complete and perfect in them [that they may experience My delight fulfilled in them, that My enjoyment may be perfected in their own souls, that they may have My gladness within them, filling their hearts]. 14 I have given and delivered to them Your word (message) and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world [do not belong to the world], just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one.

The main point of sharing this is so that we cann all see that the will of our Father in Heavenn is that we operate in the world with all of the resources of Heaven available too us to carry out our calling! Reaching the lost! Then verses 16-17 say this:

16 They are not of the world (worldly, belonging to the world), [just] as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth.

AMEN! The WORD of the living God is all TRUTH! The ONLY TRUTH! Never forget that the enemy will try with every trick, scheme, strategy, and trap to get us to believe ANYTHING else besides the WORD! RFEFUSE! And then verses 20-21 tell us what JESUS had to say aobut US! 

20 Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word and teaching, 21 That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us. 

Spend time int he Word of God every day and become the strong force for LIFE and LIGHT that HE has made YOU to be! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Say The Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Jesus, speaking to His disciples in John 16:6-7 (our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today), said this:

6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts [taken complete possession of them]. 7 However, I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you].

Jesus was telling them about their lives after His death, burial, resurrection and ascension into Heaven, which they did not YET understand! Then He proceeded to inform them of the work of Holy Spirit, the Comforter Who was to come! First of all He said THIS in verses 8-11:

8 And when He comes, He will convict and convince the world and bring demonstration to it about sin and about righteousness (uprightness of heart and right standing with God) and about judgment: 9 About sin, because they do not believe in Me [trust in, rely on, and adhere to Me]; 10 About righteousness (uprightness of heart and right standing with God), because I go to My Father, and you will see Me no longer; 11 About judgment, because the ruler (evil genius, prince) of this world [Satan] is judged and condemned and sentence already is passed upon him.

THIS is what the work of Holy Spirit is TO THE WORLD without JESUS! Then JESUS proceeded to tell them what Holy Spirit's work in THEIR LIVES would be! Verses 12-15:

12 I have still many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them or to take them upon you or to grasp them now. 13 But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future].14 He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.15 Everything that the Father has is Mine. That is what I meant when I said that He [the Spirit] will take the things that are Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.

HALLELUJAH! Holy Spirit is our TEACHER! HE will teach us all things that we must know in order to run our race, fulfill our calling and stand before JESUS one day, hearing: "Well done"! AMEN! So, let's be about it! Let's put first things first and get our lives focused on doing just that! Here, to inspire you to go for it with all that is within you, is Hillsong with "No Reason To Hide":

We got nothing to lose, We got no reason to hide, We got the answer inside of us, It’s time we took our disguises off See Your glory revealed, See Your name lifted high, Because there is no one else for us, Jesus you are the only one Woah, You are alive and we are free, You are everything, everything we need There’s not a minute to waste Not a second to lose Coz there’s a city that waits for us It’s time we took all the lamp shades off Woah, love has spoken and we believe You are everything, everything we need Nothing compares to you Nothing could ever separate us now Your love is ours Nothing can separate us Nothing can come between us Nothing can separate us nowween us Nothing can separate us now

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers is EXCELLENT! 

God’s Say-So

He hath said…so that we may boldly say… — Hebrews 13:5-6

My say-so is to be built on God’s say-so. God says — “I will never leave thee,” then I can with good courage say — “The Lord is my helper, I will not fear” — I will not be haunted by apprehension. This does not mean that I will not be tempted to fear, but I will remember God’s say-so. I will be full of courage, like a child “bucking himself up” to reach the standard his father wants. Faith in many a one falters when the apprehensions come, they forget the meaning of God’s say-so, forget to take a deep breath spiritually. The only way to get the dread taken out of us is to listen to God’s say-so.

What are you dreading? You are not a coward about it, you are going to face it, but there is a feeling of dread. When there is nothing and no one to help you, say — “But the Lord is my Helper, this second, in my present outlook.” Are you learning to say things after listening to God, or are you saying things and trying to make God’s word fit in? Get hold of the Father’s say-so, and then say with good courage — “I will not fear.” It does not matter what evil or wrong may be in the way, He has said — “I will never leave thee.”

Frailty is another thing that gets in between God’s say-so and ours. When we realize how feeble we are in facing difficulties, the difficulties become like giants, we become like grasshoppers, and God becomes a nonentity. Remember God’s say-so — “I will in no wise fail you” (rv). Have we learned to sing after hearing God’s key-note? Are we always possessed with the courage to say — “The Lord is my helper,” or are we succumbing?

When WE say what GOD says, then HE will move Heaven and earth to see to it that HIS WORD will come to pass! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "King of Kings"!:

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

The very best advice that I can give you today is to be a DOER os Proverbs 4:20-23:

20 My son, attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh. 23 Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.

Attend to God's Word! Pay attention to KNOW it and to DO it! God is glorified in OUR obedience! AND His Word WORKS for us! His Word provided healing for our bodies and peace for our lives! The next most exciting thing in today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan is found in verse 3:

3 And when (if) I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.

JESUS has spen all of this time preparing OUR place in Heaven! And NOW He is PREPARING to return for US! His Church! His BRIDE! AMEN! Hallelujah! let's celebrate! Hillsong with "Who You Say I Am":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan contains great timely instruction for us! Proverbs 3:1-2:

 1 My son, forget not my law or teaching, but let your heart keep my commandment. 2 For length of days and years of a life [worth living] and tranquility [inward and outward and continuing through old age till death], these shall they add to you.

In verse 1 the word "let" means WE have the choice here! I must take charge of myself and allow my heart to keep, or be a DOER of, the Word of God! My 'heart' is the combination of my born again spirit, which is perfect, without sin, in the image of God, and my soul, which consists of my mind, my emotions and my will! My spirit ALWAYS desires to do things God's way! My soul must be renewed by meditating on the Word of God every day so that I have the understanding of His instructions and then can DO them! It is ALWAYS in my best interest to be a DOER of GOd's Word! Verse 2 tells me why! Length of days give me the ability to get a lot done each day and years of life allows me to fulfill MY RACE! HALLELUJAH! Then verses 3-6 show us what to do in times such as the ones we are now living in!

3 Let not mercy and kindness [shutting out all hatred and selfishness] and truth [shutting out all deliberate hypocrisy or falsehood] forsake you; bind them about your neck, write them upon the tablet of your heart. 4 So shall you find favor, good understanding, and high esteem in the sight [or judgment] of God and man. 5 Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. 6 In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

The world around us looks like chaos right now, but THIS is ther very BEST time for God's people, who are called by HIS Name, TO SHINE! When we operate in faith and love, the world will take notice that there is DEFINITELY something different about us! We WILL walk in the great FAVOR of Almighty God, even when many around us are faltering and failing! Remember that 1 Corinthians 13:8 tells us that LOVE NEVER FAILS! LOVE does NOT mean that we agree with everyone or tell them that trhey are right when they are NOT. LOVE is seeing each person as precious and valuable to GOD, because they are! Even in the midst of doing evrything wrong, JESUS died for them, too! Acknowledge God's WAYS and His WORD in every decision that you make and in every step that you take. THEN you will walk in great success! Continue reading and meditating through the rest of this Proverb and the readings in both John and 1 Chronicles and you will find that there is great Wisdom growing in you! God's Word is like that! Here is Hillsong again with one of my favorite new songs! "See The Light":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share Oswald Chambers' devotional, "My Utmost For His Highest"! 

Are You Obsessed by Something?

Who is the man that fears the Lord? —Psalm 25:12

Are you obsessed by something? You will probably say, “No, by nothing,” but all of us are obsessed by something— usually by ourselves, or, if we are Christians, by our own experience of the Christian life. But the psalmist says that we are to be obsessed by God. The abiding awareness of the Christian life is to be God Himself, not just thoughts about Him. The total being of our life inside and out is to be absolutely obsessed by the presence of God. A child’s awareness is so absorbed in his mother that although he is not consciously thinking of her, when a problem arises, the abiding relationship is that with the mother. In that same way, we are to “live and move and have our being” in God (Acts 17:28), looking at everything in relation to Him, because our abiding awareness of Him continually pushes itself to the forefront of our lives.

If we are obsessed by God, nothing else can get into our lives— not concerns, nor tribulation, nor worries. And now we understand why our Lord so emphasized the sin of worrying. How can we dare to be so absolutely unbelieving when God totally surrounds us? To be obsessed by God is to have an effective barricade against all the assaults of the enemy.

“He himself shall dwell in prosperity…” (Psalm 25:13). God will cause us to “dwell in prosperity,” keeping us at ease, even in the midst of tribulation, misunderstanding, and slander, if our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). We rob ourselves of the miraculous, revealed truth of this abiding companionship with God. “God is our refuge…” (Psalm 46:1). Nothing can break through His shelter of protection.

I LOVE that we are to be "obsessed" with GOD! Remember, HE is OBSESSED with US! HALLELUJAH! Here is Hillsong with "Closer":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In following our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan we have finished with Psalms for the first time through. Today we begin the book of Proverbs and I fully expect to gain even more Wisdom with another time through! Proverbs 1:1-7:

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

The most important element in gaining Wisdom from the Word of God and especially from Proverbs is found in verse 7! In order to gain Wisdom, we must FIRST have a reverence and respect for the Lord our God and for His Word! As we meditate on God's Word, new illumination comes by Holy Spirit Who lives IN every born again believer! Joshua 1:8 explains to us the importance and benefit of meditation! 

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.

Make it your determined purpose to not simply memorize Bible verses, but to meditate! Here is Hillsong with "Your Word":

Shalom in Him