Shalom,

Today I want to share Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "From Faith To Faith" devotional. THIS is another very important message!

Exercise Your Rights

He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

Jesus came to earth and gave Himself as a sacrifice for sin in order to buy back for you everything that Adam lost. He came to destroy all the works of the devil...sickness and disease included. Once you receive Him as Lord of your life, all the rights and privileges God originally intended you to have (the right to things like fellowship with God, health and prosperity) are restored.

But you are the one who has to exercise those rights!

You see, the devil is an outlaw and even though Jesus has taken away his authority in the earth, even though he has no legal right to kill or steal from the children of God, he’ll do it anyway...as long as you’ll let him get away with it.

You must enforce his defeat by speaking the Word of God in faith. Act on His Word now. Demand that sickness and disease leave you in the Name of Jesus. Then refuse to back off that demand. Resist the devil with all you’ve got. He might fight you for a while, but sooner or later, he will have to flee from you!

AMEN! Such a vital TRUTH! Be a DOER of this word and watch Almighty God work for you! Here is Hillsong with "Say The Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For HIs Highest" by Oswald Chambers is another great lesson for every believer to gauge our walk of faith!

Do It Yourself

Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. — 2 Corinthians 10:5

Determinedly Discipline Other Things.

This is another aspect of the strenuous nature of sainthood. Paul says, “I take every project prisoner to make it obey Christ” (Moffatt). How much Christian work there is to-day which has never been disciplined, but has simply sprung into being by impulse! In Our Lord’s life every project was disciplined to the will of His Father. There was not a movement of an impulse of His own will as distinct from His Father’s — “The Son can do nothing of Himself.” Then take ourselves — a vivid religious experience, and every project born of impulse put into action immediately, instead of being imprisoned and disciplined to obey Christ.

This is a day when practical work is overemphasized, and the saints who are bringing every project into captivity are criticized and told that they are not in earnest for God or for souls. True earnestness is found in obeying God, not in the inclination to serve Him that is born of undisciplined human nature. It is inconceivable, but true nevertheless, that saints are not bringing every project into captivity, but are doing work for God at the instigation of their own human nature which has not been spiritualized by determined discipline.

We are apt to forget that a man is not only committed to Jesus Christ for salvation; he is committed to Jesus Christ’s view of God, of the world, of sin and of the devil, and this will mean that he must recognize the responsibility of being transformed by the renewing of his mind.

AMEN! Remember, Not MY will, Father, but YOURS! We will ONLY be rewarded in HEaven for what we did in this body in obedience to God's will and Word with the right attitude and motive! Make sure that you are daily in intimate fellowship with Holy Spirit so that He can freely lead you into all Truth and in the steps that HE desires for you to walk in! Here is Hillsong with "Like Incense - Sometimes By Step":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In case you are looking for some GOOD news, here is Psalm 68:1 from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today!

1 God is [already] beginning to arise, and His enemies to scatter; let them also who hate Him flee before Him!

AMEN! Our great God has systematically, step by step, exposed all of the evil perpetrated on our nation and people! Now look at the promise of verses 3-5:

3 But let the [uncompromisingly] righteous be glad; let them be in high spirits and glory before God, yes, let them [jubilantly] rejoice! 4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name, cast up a highway for Him Who rides through the deserts—His name is the Lord—be in high spirits and glory before Him! 5 A father of the fatherless and a judge and protector of the widows is God in His holy habitation.

I personally LOVE verse 11!

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

Then we have THIS from verses 33-35:

33 [Sing praises] to Him Who rides upon the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, He sends forth His voice, His mighty voice. 34 Ascribe power and strength to God; His majesty is over Israel, and His strength and might are in the skies. 35 O God, awe-inspiring, profoundly impressive, and terrible are You out of Your holy places; the God of Israel Himself gives strength and fullness of might to His people. Blessed be God!

I hope that you spend time every day stirring up the promises of God in your heart as thought they have already happened and you are CELEBRATING!! Here is Hillsong with What A Beautiful Name":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we read Psalm 67:1-3 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan.

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, 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,

This is such a powerful picture of our LORD and SAVIOR! He IS the GREAT I AM! And He always will be! Here is Hillsong with "ALways Will":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I love reading through the Bible every year with our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! Today we read Psalm 66 and I want to encourage you to do this:

1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all the earth; 2 Sing forth the honor and glory of His name; make His praise glorious! 3 Say to God, How awesome and fearfully glorious are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power shall Your enemies submit themselves to You [with feigned and reluctant obedience]. 4 All the earth shall bow down to You and sing [praises] to You; they shall praise Your name in song. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

HALLELUJAH! Singing and declaring PRAISES to the One, True, Living, Almighty God of the Bible puts YOU in position to know Him more and to hear His voice clearer! Make it a practice to speak to Him, sing to Him and LISTEN to Him! You will never be the same! Be a DOER of this powerful, wonderful Word of the Living God! In Mark 16 Jesus was giving last instructions to His followers before He ascending into Heaven. Verses 19-20 tell what we can expect to happen when we KNOW, SAY and DO His WORD! 

19 So then the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and He sat down at the right hand of God. 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).

AMEN! Let's commit to live our best life yet this year by obeying the WORD of GOD and spending more and more intimate fellowship with HIM! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Uncomplicated":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share from Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest"

His!

Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me. — John 17:6

The missionary is one in whom the Holy Ghost has wrought this realization — “Ye are not your own.” To say “I am not my own,” is to have reached a great point in spiritual nobility. The true nature of the life in the actual whirl is the deliberate giving up of myself to another in sovereign preference, and that other is Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit expounds the nature of Jesus to me in order to make me one with my Lord, not that I might go off as a showroom exhibit. Our Lord never sent any of the disciples out on the ground of what He had done for them. It was not until after the Resurrection, when the disciples had perceived by the power of the Holy Spirit Whom He was, that Jesus said “Go.”

“If any man come to me and hate not…, he cannot be My disciple,” not — he cannot be good and upright, but — he cannot be one over whom Jesus writes the word “Mine.” Any one of the relationships Our Lord mentions may be a competitive relationship. I may prefer to belong to my mother, or to my wife, or to myself; then says Jesus, you cannot be My disciple. This does not mean I will not be saved, but it does mean that I cannot be “His.”

Our Lord makes a disciple His own possession, He becomes responsible for him. “Ye shall be witnesses unto Me.” The spirit that comes in is not that of doing anything for Jesus, but of being a perfect delight to Him. The secret of the missionary is — I am His, and He is carrying out His enterprises through me.

Be entirely His.

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Indescribable":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

To encourage you about what GOD is about to do! Psalm 64 from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today!

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.
7 But God will shoot an unexpected arrow at them; and suddenly shall they be wounded.
8 And they will be made to stumble, their own tongues turning against them; all who gaze upon them will shake their heads and flee away.
9 And all men shall [reverently] fear and be in awe; and they will declare the work of God, for they will wisely consider and acknowledge that it is His doing.
10 The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall be glad in the Lord and shall trust and take refuge in Him; and all the upright in heart shall glory and offer praise.

HALLELUJAH! Remember and never forget that OUR GOD is and always will be GOD ALMIGHTY! What HE says goes! Get ready and stay ready for what He is going to do next! DO YOUR PART! Here is Brooke Ligertwood with "Honey in the Rock":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we read THIS from Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food" devotional!

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! THIS is how we receive the promises of God found in His Word! For ourselves, our families, your churches and our jobs! HE really desires that we walk in THE BLESSING! So let's DO IT! Here is Hillsong with "Your Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share again from Joesph Prince's "Daily Grace" devotional:

Speaking Out in Faith

And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak. 2 Corinthians 4:13

Do you know that as God’s child, you can speak positively into your negative situation and see it change for the better?

Let me show you some scriptures about faith and speaking that will help you. Romans 10:9 tells us that “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”. Our Lord Jesus also said, “Whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says” (Mark 11:23).

Now, reread what the apostle Paul wrote in today’s verse. Do you notice a pattern here? Faith involves believing in your heart as well as speaking with your mouth. You and I, we are made in God’s image. When God first saw darkness, He didn’t say, “Gosh, it’s so dark.” What did God do? He called forth light by speaking. He said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3).

In the New Testament, our Lord Jesus spoke to the storm and it subsided. He spoke to the fig tree and it withered. He spoke to the demons and they fled. He spoke to the sick and they were healed. He spoke to the dead and they lived.

Similarly, when we are faced with darkness in any area of our lives today, or trapped in a storm of challenges, let’s not be mired in looking at the problems and despairing. We should also call forth what we want to see! If we find ourselves caught in a dangerous situation, we should declare, “The Lord is my refuge and my fortress.” If there is a sickness in our body, we can call forth our healing by saying, “Thank You, Jesus, by Your stripes I am healed!” Start speaking forth your protection, your health, and your victory today!

AMEN!  SPEAK! Speak God's Word into every situation that you face and SEE His results! Here is Hillsong with "Say The Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share from "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. 

My Joy . . . Your Joy

That My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. — John 15:11

What was the joy that Jesus had? It is an insult to use the word happiness in connection with Jesus Christ. The joy of Jesus was the absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice of Himself to His Father, the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do. “I delight to do Thy will.” Jesus prayed that our joy might go on fulfilling itself until it was the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?

The full flood of my life is not in bodily health, not in external happenings, not in seeing God’s work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the communion with Him that Jesus Himself had. The first thing that will hinder this joy is the captious irritation of thinking out circumstances. The cares of this world, said Jesus, will choke God’s word. Before we know where we are, we are caught up in the shows of things. All that God has done for us is the mere threshold; He wants to get us to the place where we will be His witnesses and proclaim Who Jesus is.

Be rightly related to God, find your joy there, and out of you will flow rivers of living water. Be a centre for Jesus Christ to pour living water through. Stop being self-conscious, stop being a sanctified prig, and live the life hid with Christ. The life that is rightly related to God is as natural as breathing wherever it goes. The lives that have been of most blessing to you are those who were unconscious of it.

AMEN! Pay close attention to the thoughts that you think, because they WILL become words that you speak and thing you will do! Maintain intimate fellowship with Holy Spirit, learning something new about Him every day!

Here is Hillsong with "From The Inside Out":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is another important aspect of walking in faith!

Giving The Word First Place

Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors. — PSALM 119:24

When the crises or tests come, too many Christians say, “What are we going to do now?”

The crises of life come to us all. But if you are Word-oriented, the first thing you will think about is, “What does the Word say about it?”

I pastored nearly twelve years, and I found that churches have problems just like families do. They have discipline problems, financial problems, and so forth.

I never discussed church problems with the people, because the more you talk about problems, the bigger they seem to get. But sometimes my deacon board would talk about church problems, and sure enough, the more they talked about them, the bigger the problems seemed to get. Then one of the deacons would look at me and say, “Oh, Brother Hagin, what in the world are we going to do?”

I’d smile and say, “We’re just going to act like the Bible is true!”

Making that little statement would cause those deacons to sigh with relief. “It is true, isn’t it,” they’d say. “Sure it is,” I’d say.

It’s amazing how things would straighten out when we acted like the Bible is true!

Confession: Lord, thy testimonies are my counselors. I put them first. I put God’s Word first. I act like it’s so.

AMEN! Put the Word of God first place and believe that, as John 17:17 tells us, is is TRUTH! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "All This Future":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers is a great look at faith!

Sublime Intimacy

Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? — John 11:40

Every time you venture out in the life of faith, you will find something in your commonsense circumstances that flatly contradicts your faith. Common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense; they stand in the relation of the natural and the spiritual. Can you trust Jesus Christ where your common sense cannot trust Him? Can you venture heroically on Jesus Christ’s statements when the facts of your commonsense life shout “It’s a lie”? On the mount it is easy to say — “Oh, yes, I believe God can do it”; but you have to come down into the demon-possessed valley and meet with facts that laugh ironically at the whole of your mount-of-transfiguration belief. Every time my programme of belief is clear to my own mind, I come across something that contradicts it. Let me say I believe God will supply all my need, and then let me run dry, with no outlook, and see whether I will go through the trial of faith, or whether I will sink back to something lower.

Faith must be tested, because it can be turned into a personal possession only through conflict. What is your faith up against just now? The test will either prove that your faith is right, or it will kill it. “Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me.” The final thing is confidence in Jesus. Believe steadfastly on Him and all you come up against will develop your faith. There is continual testing in the life of faith, and the last great test is death. May God keep us in fighting trim! Faith is unutterable trust in God, trust which never dreams that He will not stand by us.

AMEN! Faith come from spending time in the Word of God! Hearing, meditating, speaking and declaring the WORD of GOD! Put your faith to work and watch HIM confirm His Word for you! Here is Hillsong with "That's The Power":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "From Faith To Faith" devotional.

Abide in Jesus

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered. John 15:6

If I were to ask you to make a list of a hundred things you need to do to please the Lord today, you could do it, couldn’t you? In fact, you probably have so many spiritual “dos” and “don’ts” cluttering up your mind that you’d hardly know where to start.

But you can relax. I’m not going to suggest you make a list of them. Instead, I’m going to help you simplify things by giving you only one: Abide in Jesus.

The one thing you’re truly responsible for is your union with Him. If you keep your union and fellowship with Him intact, everything else will be taken care of.

“But Gloria, I’m facing some big problems right now. My life’s turned upside down. I’m so rushed I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. I don’t have time to fellowship with the Lord today.”

That’s when you need to do it the most! You need to maintain your union with the Lord particularly when the storms of life come. I know that’s often not easy to do. Whether the storm is a sickness in your body or financial problems or family strife, the temptation will be to settle your attention and your mind on that problem. You won’t even want to think about anything else.

That’s what the devil planned on. That’s the reason he sent that storm in the first place. To distract you from fellowshiping with God. To draw your attention away from your union with Him.

Don’t fall into the devil’s trap. Instead, keep your thoughts and affections trained on the Lord. As you do that, the force of faith will begin to flow out of you. And that flow will repel every form of darkness. It will bring you in triumph through every storm.

Fellowship with Jesus today.

AMEN! The most important decision we can ever make after receiving JESUS as Lord and Saviour is to spend intimate time with Him every single day! Holy Spirit, Who is our TEACHER will teach us of JESUS and HIS WORD! Our LOVE AFFAIR with JESUS is our MOST i,portant relationship! WORK ON IT! Here is Hillsong with "Like Incense":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share wqith you our devotional on The Spoken Word Church website! I LOVE this!

Plan on Supernatural Protection

Every day of your life, Satan will make attempts to destroy you. The story of Job illustrates this. You are not capable of totally protecting yourself. You will require supernatural interventions. Plan on supernatural protection daily. It is one of your rewards for hourly obedience.

"But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries." {Exodus 23:22}

We should EXPECT and DECLARE supernatural protection, provision and safety over ourselves and our loved ones! When WE speak HIS WORD, then JESUS confirms that Word with signs, wonders and miracles! {Mark 16:20} Here is Hillsong with "Not Today":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we will be looking at " My Utmost For Highest" by Oswald Chambers.

Are You Ever Disturbed?

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you. — John 14:27

There are times when our peace is based upon ignorance, but when we awaken to the facts of life, inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When Our Lord speaks peace, He makes peace, His words are ever “spirit and life.” Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? “My peace I give unto you” — it is a peace which comes from looking into His face and realizing His undisturbedness.

Are you painfully disturbed just now, distracted by the waves and billows of God’s providential permission, and having, as it were, turned over the boulders of your belief, are you still finding no well of peace or joy or comfort; is all barren? Then look up and receive the undisturbedness of the Lord Jesus. Reflected peace is the proof that you are right with God because you are at liberty to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. If you allow anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you, you are either disturbed or you have a false security.

Are you looking unto Jesus now, in the immediate matter that is pressing and receiving from Him peace? If so, He will be a gracious benediction of peace in and through you. But if you try to worry it out, you obliterate Him and deserve all you get. We get disturbed because we have not been considering Him. When one confers with Jesus Christ the perplexity goes, because He has no perplexity, and our only concern is to abide in Him. Lay it all out before Him, and in the face of difficulty, bereavement and sorrow, hear Him say — “Let not your heart be troubled.”

AMEN! NEVER let your HEART be moved from considering JESUS! HE is the answer for every situation! Here are Hillsong Kids with "My Best Friend":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I love reading through the Bible every year with our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! You can follow along on our website, or order your own. Today I want to share a few of the verses that stand out to me this time through! Psalm 55:22-23:

22 Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail). 23 But You, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in, lean on, and confidently rely on You.

THIS is a PROMISE to us! Count on it! Count on HIM! Mark 5:24-29:

24 And Jesus went with him; and a great crowd kept following Him and pressed Him from all sides [so as almost to suffocate Him]. 25 And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 And who had endured much suffering under [the hands of] many physicians and had spent all that she had, and was no better but instead grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment, 28 For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health. 29 And immediately her flow of blood was dried up at the source, and [suddenly] she felt in her body that she was healed of her [distressing] ailment.

This woman was expected to stay away from people, and when she came near people was expected to yell: "UNCLEAN" so others would stay away from her. Her faith in what JESUS could, and would, do was so strong that she made her way into the middle of this crowd of people who "pressed Him from all sides" until she could touch his clothes! She believed! She SAID! She DID! She RECEIVED! Then this happened:

33 But the woman, knowing what had been done for her, though alarmed and frightened and trembling, fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me, springing from faith in God) has restored you to health. Go in (into) peace and be continually healed and freed from your [distressing bodily] disease.

HALLELUJAH! NEVER allow fear, which is a spirit, an evil spirit, to keep YOU from acting on God's Word! When we speak HIS WORD, HE will confirm it with signs, wonders and miracles! Mark 16:20:

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).

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Say The Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share again from Joseph Prince's "Daily Grace" devotional:

Falling from Grace

Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. Galatians 5:4 KJV

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, “fallen from grace”? Today, when someone sins, ministers say that the person has “fallen from grace.” Yet, interestingly, when the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, he never told the Corinthians that they had fallen from grace despite all their sins.

Today’s scripture gives us the true definition of “falling from grace.” It tells us that to fall from grace is to fall into the law, that is, to try to be justified by obeying the law. Notice from here that grace is the high ground. In other words, when you are under the law, you have fallen from your high ground of grace. In the same way the mercy seat in the ark of the covenant is positioned above the Ten Commandments, so falling from grace is to go back to the Ten Commandments.

I want you to know what the Scriptures really say about falling from grace so that you don’t rob yourself of the power to reign in life. When you fail, don’t have this idea that you have “fallen from grace” and then try by your own efforts to get back into “the good graces” of God. No, God’s grace cannot be merited, earned, or deserved. It can only be received. And you become a good receiver of His grace that empowers you to reign in life when you come to the end of yourself—to the end of your own efforts to save yourself. When you see your need for Jesus and receive and rest in His finished work (especially when you have failed), that is when God’s undeserved favor—His saving grace—is unleashed in your life.

Miriam, who lives in Texas, found this to be so true in her life:

Pastor Prince, I was a believer for a long time but was very frustrated in my Christian walk because I was not living a victorious life. I was angry at the church, angry at God, and questioning what this life in Jesus Christ was about. I was also angry with my family, particularly my son for his rebellious behavior. According to the teachings I’d received and what I was doing to obey them, everything was supposed to be smooth going.

I started taking early morning walks and pouring my heart out to God. I told Him how frustrated I was and asked Him to show me where I’d gone wrong. I also told Him that I couldn’t love my son for what he was. I asked God to love my son, because even though I couldn’t, I knew He could.

I gave Him all my anger and started to see improvements in those areas where I had struggled. I told God I just wanted to live the life Jesus came to give me, because I didn’t believe Jesus went through the horrible death for me to live a defeated life.

Shortly after that, I read a book of yours and realized that I was living under a mixture of law and grace. I began learning to keep my eyes on Jesus’ finished work and to rely on Him for the kingdom life. No one had ever taught me the grace of our Lord Jesus and the love given to us by Father God through the finished work of His Son, and I had never understood what living a new creation life in Christ Jesus was.

I’ve since learned that it’s not about my trying to believe or my trying to be good to earn God’s grace. I’ve learned that it’s a free gift, and my response now is always, “Thank You, Father God, for loving me so much and giving me this abundance of Your grace and the free gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ.” Your teaching of the grace of our Lord Jesus has changed my focus to see Jesus’ love and finished work. My heart’s desire is to be the light in the world, representing Jesus in spirit and in truth, and to be transformed into His image by the Holy Spirit from the inside out! And praise God, my relationship with my son has been restored because I allowed Father God to love him. Now, I always see my son through His eyes.

My friend, just as Miriam did, it is time for you to come out of mixture, confusion, and defeat. It’s time to break free from the crippling grip of all that has held you back. How? By falling into the arms of grace. Grace is the high ground that God wants you standing upon. Only the grace of God has the power to get you out of the cycle of sin and failure. The good news is, you can embrace the undeserved, unearned, and unmerited favor of our Lord today and begin to have dominion over sin!

AMEN! Here is Brooke Ligertwood with "Honey in the Rock":

Shalom in Him! 

Shalom,

I LOVE today's "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional by Oswald Chambers!

Prayer Choice And Prayer Conflict

When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and pray to thy Father which is in secret. — Matthew 6:6

Jesus did not say — “Dream about thy Father in secret,” but “pray to thy Father in secret.” Prayer is an effort of will. After we have entered our secret place and have shut the door, the most difficult thing to do is to pray; we cannot get our minds into working order, and the first thing that conflicts is wandering thoughts. The great battle in private prayer is the overcoming of mental wool-gathering. We have to discipline our minds and concentrate on wilful prayer.

We must have a selected place for prayer and when we get there the plague of flies begins — This must be done, and that. “Shut thy door.” A secret silence means to shut the door deliberately on emotions and remember God. God is in secret, and He sees us from the secret place; He does not see us as other people see us, or as we see ourselves. When we live in the secret place it becomes impossible for us to doubt God, we become more sure of Him than of anything else. Your Father, Jesus says, is in secret and nowhere else. Enter the secret place, and right in the centre of the common round you find God there all the time. Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. Unless in the first waking moment of the day you learn to fling the door wide back and let God in, you will work on a wrong level all day; but swing the door wide open and pray to your Father in secret, and every public thing will be stamped with the presence of God.

AMEN! Here is Hillsong  with "Secret Place":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "From Faith To Faith" devotional by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland is especially good!

No Consolation Prize

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James 1:4

I talk a lot about faith. But there’s another force that goes along with it that’s just as important. It’s patience—the ability to stand fast on the Word of God even when your victory seems slow in coming.

Patience is not automatic. It won’t go to work unless you let it go to work. So many people don’t understand that. They somehow think faith and patience will go to work for them without their help. They just let the devil tear their lives apart and then they say silly things like, “Well, I guess God sent that trial to strengthen my faith.”

Don’t you ever get caught saying that!

In the first place, James says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God...” (James 1:13). And in the second place, that trial isn’t going to make your faith stronger. In fact, it’ll destroy it if you’ll let it.

If I were to give you a set of weights, would that set of weights make you any stronger? No. As a matter of fact, if you dropped one of them on your foot, you could end up painfully weaker. It’s what you do with them that counts, right?

Well, the same thing is true when you run into some kind of trying circumstance the devil’s brought your way. If you just lie down and let it run over you, it will damage you. But if you’ll let patience have her perfect work, if you’ll remain consistently constant, trusting in and relying confidently on the Word of God, you’ll end up perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

“Wanting nothing.” That phrase alone should convince you that patience is no consolation prize. It’s a first-rate power that will put the promises of God within your reach. It’s a force that will make a winner out of you.

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "All This Future":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share from Jerry Savelle's devotional!

“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43: 18-19 NKJV).

Regardless of what may have happened in your past, God has a plan and purpose for your life—and it lies in your future. Even if the path before you appears to be dry, barren, and filled with obstacles, God will make a way for you to fulfill His call. All you have to do is believe Him for the impossible.

Forget about the past, and don’t limit God. Your past doesn’t have anything to do with what God has in store for you in the future. That’s why Paul said, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14 NKJV).

God wants to do a new thing in your life. And if He wants to do a new thing, my advice is to let Him do it! Look at each new day as another opportunity for God to do extraordinary things in your life. Expect God to do the very things that you could not previously do. Expect those things that people say are rare occurrences to become the norm in your life.

So, stop thinking about the past and allow your thoughts to come into agreement with God’s thoughts: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV).

Confession: I will no longer focus on my past, but will forget what lies behind and set my sights on the future God has for me. God is doing new things in my life, and I will greet each new day with the expectation of His manifest peace, favor, and goodness in my life.

AMEN! Our GOD is already doing those new things in our lives, and He wants to do evern more! HALLELUJAH! Are you READY? Here is Hillsong with that very song! "Ready Or Not":

Shalom in Him!