Shalom,

We read Luke 2 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan today and I LOVE it all, but the last two verses contain a key that will guarantee our own supernatural growth in the things of GOD!

51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was [habitually] obedient to them; and his mother kept and closely and persistently guarded all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom (in broad and full understanding) and in stature and years, and in favor with God and man.

How will this help us? "GO THOU AND DO LIKEWISE"! If we desire to increase in wisdom and stature and years, and in favor with GOD and man, then we MUST obey our FATHER and HIS WORD and then spend time in HIS presence through prayer, praise and worship, study and meditation in the Word of God and in close intimate fellowship with HIM by the Spirit of God Who lives IN US! Refuse to let ANYTHING hold you back from all that GOD, in His great LOVE, has provided for us! Here is Hillsong with "Song For His Presence":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share this from our partner, Rick Renner, and his "Sparkling Gems From The Greek - Volume 2".

Your Most Valued Partner

So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. — 1 Corinthians 3:7

What has God called you to do that you never dreamed you would be doing? I’ve learned that as we walk with God as our most important Partner in life, we often find ourselves doing what we would have never thought possible.

In 1992 — just after relocating my family to live and minister in the former USSR in the fall of 1991 — God miraculously opened a door for Denise and me to begin a television broadcast that would transcend the 11 times zones of the former USSR. (This was launched with the signing of a supernatural contract, as I related in in the July 5 Gem.) We didn’t realize at the time that our step of faith to start that one program was actually the inception of what would become the first Christian TV network in the territory of the former USSR.

Decades later, we are still broadcasting our own TV programs in addition to other programs that we broadcast for other ministries. Seven days a week, 24 hours a day, we broadcast to a viewing audience of millions of people! Over all these years, we have literally broadcasted hundreds of thousands of hours of Bible-teaching TV programs all across this vast land. By the grace of God, I am thoroughly convinced that it has made a permanent impact on the spiritual environment of the former USSR. So much teaching of the Bible has gone into homes that the Church in this part of the world will never be the same.

Since we started broadcasting in 1992, we have received millions of letters and correspondence from people whose lives have been changed by the powerful teaching of God’s Word via the airwaves. It is no exaggeration to state that several million people have come to Christ as a result of our television network. Books have been distributed free of charge by the millions. We give all the glory to God for what has happened and for what will ensue, and we are thankful for the gifts of our partners who have worked hand in hand with us so we could establish and continue to fulfill this mighty work.

To do all of this has taken faith, courage, finances, equipment, a skilled technical team, and a group of giving partners who have stood by us through the years so we could consistently and professionally reach the multitudes who live in spiritual darkness. In addition to the technical expertise needed, this assignment has also required a large team of dedicated employees who read and answer every single letter that is received from those who correspond in response to the programs.

This is no small undertaking and requires a “1,000-percent” commitment from everyone involved, despite the obstacles and setbacks that invariably occur with such a monumental task. Hell does not sit silent as you take the life-saving message to those in darkness, so you must also stand ready to combat spiritual enemies that come to oppose you. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that God’s mercy and grace remain the most important factor in this mix!

We can buy the finest equipment, produce the highest quality programs, and purchase the best time slots available on television — but if God doesn’t supply His part, it will all be to no avail. I am reminded of Psalm 127:1, which states: “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”

In First Corinthians 3:7, Paul also stated this truth: “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” As we saw in the July 5 Sparkling Gem, the word “increase” is from the Greek word auxano, which simply means to increase or grow — and in this context indicates the continual blessing of God.

But let me go into greater detail today concerning this word “increase.” The form of the Greek word auxano that Paul used to write this passage denotes something that is amplified, augmented, enlarged, or enhanced. It carries the idea of something that escalates and multiplies. It clearly means that even though one plants and another waters, it is God who causes the vision to blossom, to become larger, and to grow strong and healthy.

Another way to say it is that we can nurture the soil, plant the seeds, and water what has been planted, but only God can produce the sunshine and weather conditions to cause growth. Therefore, even with all the faithful people who do their essential parts, God is still the most important Partner in whatever it is we are called to do!

So whatever God has called you to do, give it your very best, but never forget the crucial role of prayer and the reality of your utter dependence on God as your number-one Partner in life. Just like a farmer, you can prepare the ground and plant the seed of God’s Word; then you can water and nurture the seed that was sown. But only God can produce the sunshine and weather conditions necessary to bring the growth that is needed. Therefore, in the end, He gets the glory for all increase!

Today I urge you to make sure you have these two essential ingredients — prayer and complete trust in God — thoroughly integrated into the mix of what you are doing. Remember that you have no Partner comparable to the One who called you, for He is the ultimate Source of all true increase!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY
Dear Father, I thank You for reminding me again today that even as I do my part, I have to always remember that I must trust You to do Your part or no increase will come to what You have called me to do. I promise to nurture the soil, plant the seed, pull the weeds, and water what is planted — but I look to You to provide the sunshine and proper weather conditions to produce the increase I need. I understand that one plants, another waters — but only You give the increase. Thank You for bringing this back to the forefront of my mind today and for encouraging me to remember that You are the crucial ingredient in all that I do! In the end, we can do all our parts, but the increase is totally dependent on You!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY
I boldly confess that I will do what God has asked me to do. I will nurture the soil, plant the seeds, pull the weeds, and water what has been planted — and I will do it faithfully with others who work alongside with me. But no results will be gained if God does not join Himself to what we are doing. So today I look to God as the great Provider of increase. He will provide the sunshine and weather necessary to make these seeds and acts of faith grow. Without Him, I can do nothing, but with God as my primary Partner, it is guaranteed that I will see and experience increase!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

AMEN! This IS the LIFE out Heavenly Father desires for us to live while we are still on this earth! Remember, YOU may be the ONLY JESUS that some people have ever seen! Strive for the "Well Done good and faithful servant" from JESUS and you will always hit the mark! Here are Hillsong Kids with "Voices of Freedom":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to again share Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food" devotional!

Blotted Out

I , even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. — ISAIAH 43:25

“I guess I’m just paying for the life I lived before I got saved,” a minister who was having a hard time once said to me.

Many Christians, like that minister, are defeated, permitting things to take place in their lives, because they think that’s the way it has to be. They don’t know the difference between repentance and doing penance. They try to do penance for their past life. But in reality, since they repented of their sins, God has no knowledge that they’ve ever done anything wrong!

“I blotted out your transgression,” God said, “for My own sake.” God didn’t do it for your sake, but for His own sake. “I will not remember your sins,” He promised. If God doesn’t remember them, why should you? You shouldn’t!

When you were born again, you were redeemed from the penalty of sin. If you had to go on paying for your wrongdoing, you’d have to go to hell when you died, because that’s part of the penalty too. However, thank God, we are redeemed not only from the power of sin, but also from the penalty of sin. Jesus took our place. He suffered the penalty of sin.

Confession: When I repented, my Heavenly Father blotted out my transgressions. He does not remember my sins. Therefore, I won’t remember them either. And I won’t remind Him of them.

AMEN! Remind yourself every day that the price for SIN has already been PAID and ACCEPTED! JESUS had ALREADY PAID IT ALL and there is NOTHING left to do but for US to BELIEVE the WORD and RECEIVE the BLESSING! Here is one of my favorite songs by Hillsong from over the years called "Like Incense - Sometimes By Step":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

What’s The Good Of Temptation?

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man. — 1 Corinthians 10:13

The word “temptation” has come down in the world; we are apt to use it wrongly: Temptation is not sin, it is the thing we are bound to meet if we are men. Not to be tempted would be to be beneath contempt. Many of us, however, suffer from temptations from which we have no business to suffer, simply because we have refused to let God lift us to a higher plane where we would face temptations of another order.

A man’s disposition on the inside, i.e., what he possesses in his personality, determines what he is tempted by on the outside. The temptation fits the nature of the one tempted, and reveals the possibilities of the nature. Every man has the setting of his own temptation, and the temptation will come along the line of the ruling disposition.

Temptation is a suggested short cut to the realization of the highest at which I aim — not towards what I understand as evil, but towards what I understand as good. Temptation is something that completely baffles me for a while, I do not know whether the thing is right or wrong. Temptation yielded to is lust deified, and is a proof that it was timidity that prevented the sin before.

Temptation is not something we may escape, it is essential to the full-orbed life of a man. Beware lest you think you are tempted as no one else is tempted; what you go through is the common inheritance of the race, not something no one ever went through before. God does not save us from temptations; He succours us in the midst of them (Hebrews 2:18).

AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITIED  with "One Thing":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In today's "Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan" we read Psalm 77. Verses 11-20 are especially powerful to remember!

11 I will [earnestly] recall the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will [earnestly] remember the wonders [You performed for our fathers] of old. 12 I will meditate also upon all Your works and consider all Your [mighty] deeds. 13 Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary [in holiness, away from sin and guilt]. Who is a great God like our God? 14 You are the God Who does wonders; You have demonstrated Your power among the peoples. 15 You have with Your [mighty] arm redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! 16 When the waters [at the Red Sea and the Jordan] saw You, O God, they were afraid; the deep shuddered also, for [all] the waters saw You. 17 The clouds poured down water, the skies sent out a sound [of rumbling thunder]; Your arrows went forth [in forked lightning]. 18 The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind, the lightnings illumined the world; the earth trembled and shook. 19 Your way [in delivering Your people] was through the sea, and Your paths through the great waters, yet Your footsteps were not traceable, but were obliterated. 20 You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Remember and remind yourself DAILY of all of the wonderful ways that HE has BLESSED, PROTECTED, and HONORED YOU! Then sing THIS song from Hillsong UNITED called "On Repeat":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I LOVE the Book of Hebrews! There are so many powerful TRUTHS about what JESUS has done for us in this Epistle. I espcially love this portion found in Hebrews 10:19-25:

19 Therefore, brethren, since we have full freedom and confidence to enter into the [Holy of] Holies [by the power and virtue] in the blood of Jesus, 20 By this fresh (new) and living way which He initiated and dedicated and opened for us through the separating curtain (veil of the Holy of Holies), that is, through His flesh, 21 And since we have [such] a great and wonderful and noble Priest [Who rules] over the house of God, 22 Let us all come forward and draw near with true (honest and sincere) hearts in unqualified assurance and absolute conviction engendered by faith (by that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness), having our hearts sprinkled and purified from a guilty (evil) conscience and our bodies cleansed with pure water. 23 So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word. 24 And let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful deeds and noble activities, 25 Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.

We MUST know what JESUS has accomplished for us - HERE, in THIS life- AND in the life to come! We CANNOT walk boldly and confidently in what we do NOT know! Meditate on these verses above and I guarantee that you will come away with a confidence and understanding that will cause you to live ABOVE the evil circumstances of this day in which we live! Here is Hillsong with "That's The Power":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share Jerry Savelle's devotional!

You Are A New Creation

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV)

God’s Word is clear: once you come to Jesus, once you make Him Lord of your life, you become a new creation. The literal translation of this scripture says you are “a new species of being that never existed before.”

You may not feel like a new creation, but don’t be moved by what you feel. God’s Word says the old has passed away and you have already been made a new creation—regardless of how you feel or how you act.

The moment you were born again, your old self—with its sinful nature—died and a new person with the life and nature of God was created.

Physically, you looked the same because your body is only a house for the real you, your spirit. But on the inside, you changed completely. You became a righteous creation with the nature of God.

On February 11, 1969, at 3 o’clock in the morning, the old Jerry Savelle died when I met Jesus and a new Jerry Savelle came into existence. I am not the same man I once was.

You may say, “But, Brother Jerry, I don’t feel like I’m a new creation.” You may not feel like it, you may not act like it, but the fact is, you are a new creation—because God’s Word says its true.

Confession: Thank You, Father, for making me a new creation in Christ. Because I have the life and nature of God within me, I refuse to be moved 

AMEN! NEVER doubt what GOD has said about YOU - IN HIS WORD! Here is Hillsong with "Who You Say I Am":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "From Faith To Faith" devotional by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland is one that we all need to remind ourselves of! 

Real Intercession

And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor. Isaiah 59:16

When someone hurts us, our natural human reaction is to strike back...to ask God to clobber them. But that’s not God’s way.

I realized that one time when some relatives of mine got robbed. I was praying about the situation and puzzling over it. “Lord,” I began to ask, “why did You let that happen? Why didn’t You just knock that thief over the head when he tried to do that?”

Suddenly, God enabled me to back up from that situation and look at it with spiritual, instead of just purely natural, eyes.

When I did that, I knew the answer to my question almost as quickly as I had asked it. It was because of His mercy. God has great, great mercy. Not just for me and my family but for others too.

Think about that next time someone does you wrong. Instead of asking God to knock that person in the head, like I did, consider the fact that—as ornery as he may be—he may well have a grandmother somewhere who’s praying for him to be saved. Stop and remember that God loved him enough to die for him, that He’s longing to pardon—not punish him.

Then you can begin to pray for him instead of against him, uniting yourself with his grandmother (or anyone else who happens to be praying for him). You can go to the Lord for mercy for him and you can go up against the devil on his behalf. That’s real intercession and it throws the forces of darkness into total confusion. They have absolutely no defense against it.

The Lord is looking for people who are bold enough, committed enough to do that. Dare to be one of them. When you’re tempted to clobber someone, dare to change his life instead.

AMEN! I am SO glad that HE did that for ME before I knew HIM! You, too! Here are Hillsong Kids with "I Give You My Hallelujah!":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share again from Joseph Prince's "Daily Grace Inspirations" deovtional.

Protection in the Father

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

Can I show you a beautiful picture of God’s love for you found in the story of Daniel? We saw how in Daniel’s case, the law of the land was violated and how, in spite of his love for Daniel, the king had to carry out the law and punish Daniel. If he hadn’t, he would have been an unrighteous king.

Now, imagine if someone came again a year later to accuse Daniel of this crime and asked for Daniel to be punished again, what would the king do? Would the king throw Daniel into the lions’ den again? No! Daniel had already been sentenced; he had already paid the price for his violation of the law.

My dear friend, because our Lord Jesus has been punished on the cross in your place, the devil cannot come to the King and ask for you to be punished and thrown into the lions’ den. You see, your sins were forgiven not because the King simply decided to close an eye and let you off the hook. The King forgave your sins righteously after judging them in the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who was completely without sin took your place and bore the full weight of the punishment for your sins (2 Corinthians 5:21). ALL your sins have been legally and judicially judged at the cross. Because of His finished work, once you received the Lord Jesus into your heart, God’s justice and righteousness are on your side!

Do you know how much God loves Jesus, His beloved Son and the apple of His eye? Then I pray that you will have a revelation of how much your Father in heaven loves YOU. To redeem you, God paid the price with the blood of His only Son. It must have been a most difficult decision for Him. None of us would ever fully comprehend what God experienced in sending His own beloved Son to the cross.

We catch just a small glimpse of the torment that God suffered when we read about King Darius’s suffering. King Darius wanted to save Daniel, but he could not violate his own law. Similarly, God loves His Son, but He knew the only way to save us, who had violated the law, was to sacrifice His own Son, Jesus Christ. May this revelation of His amazing love and grace give you boldness to come freely to Him and find protection under His wings.

AMEN! Never underestimate the POWER of GOD'S great LOVE for you! Here to remind you is Hillsong with "Father Of Creation":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is anopther essential TRUTH that we all MUST get inside!

Purchased

Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body. — 1 CORINTHIANS 6:19-20 (Amplified)

I like the way I saw a missionary, who had returned from the field, minister to the sick.

Ministering to one woman, he prayed first: “Father, this woman is Your child. She belongs to You. It’s not right for the devil to dominate her. You laid her sickness and disease on Jesus, for it is written,   "Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses’” (Matthew 8:17).

Then the missionary talked to the devil: “Satan, this woman’s body is a temple of the Holy Ghost. It belongs to God, and you have no right to trespass on God’s property. Remove yourself from God’s property!”

Then he talked to the woman: “Satan has oppressed your body with sickness, but God has made provision for your deliverance. Your body is a temple of the Holy Ghost, and you are commanded to glorify God in your body. Can God be glorified in your body by the devil dominating it? No. Therefore, stand against this sickness with me. We demand that Satan stop trespassing on God’s property!”

Confession: I will honor God and bring glory to Him in my body.

AMEN! Now get this inside of you and take on the enemy every time he raises his ugly head and opens his lying mouth! When YOU speak the TRUTH, he runs from you as in terror! Here is Hillsong with "Not Today":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers goes right along with our service in church today! I LOVE when Holy Spirit confirms what He tells us by repeating it again! 

Missionary Munitions

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

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.

Make WORSHIP your primary focus when you are in HIS presence! You will be thrilled and amazed at how much clearer HIS voice will be and how much more WISDOM you will flow in! HALLELUJAH! And here to help you wih that is Brooke Ligertwood with "A Thousand Hallelujahs":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read Hebrews 4 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today and verses 12-16 are favorites!

12 For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. 13 And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do. 14 Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him]. 15 For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning. 16 Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].

Meditate on these verses until they get so deep inside of you that doubt will have a very hard time finding a place in you! JESUS is exactly and absolutey WHO HE SAYS HE IS! And WE are exactly and absolutel who HE says WE are! Dare to believe this TRUTH and dare to act like you believe! Here is Hillsong with "Who You Say I Am":

Shalom in HIm!

Shalom,

Here is today's "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional by Oswald Chambers.

Do It Yourself

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God. — 2 Corinthians 10:5

Determinedly Demolish Some Things.

Deliverance from sin is not deliverance from human nature. There are things in human nature, such as prejudices, which the saint has to destroy by neglect; and other things which have to be destroyed by violence, i.e., by the Divine strength imparted by God’s Spirit. There are some things over which we are not to fight, but to stand still in and see the salvation of God; but every theory or conception which erects itself as a rampart against the knowledge of God is to be determinedly demolished by drawing on God’s power, not by fleshly endeavour or compromise (2 Corinthians 10:4).

It is only when God has altered our disposition and we have entered into the experience of sanctification that the fight begins. The warfare is not against sin; we can never fight against sin: Jesus Christ deals with sin in Redemption. The conflict is along the line of turning our natural life into a spiritual life, and this is never done easily, nor does God intend it to be done easily. It is done only by a series of moral choices. God does not make us holy in the sense of character; He makes us holy in the sense of innocence, and we have to turn that innocence into holy character by a series of moral choices. These choices are continually in antagonism to the entrenchments of our natural life, the things which erect themselves as ramparts against the knowledge of God. We can either go back and make ourselves of no account in the Kingdom of God, or we can determinedly demolish these things and let Jesus bring another son to glory.

AMEN! Be a DOER of the Word of God and watch as HE manifests the answers to your questions about His Word! Here is Hillsong with "All This Future":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMUOtDHPWsA

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 68 is another powerful and positive Psalm of praise! Look at verses 1-6:

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

1 God is [already] beginning to arise, and His enemies to scatter; let them also who hate Him flee before Him! 2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish before the presence of God. 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. 6 God places the solitary in families and gives the desolate a home in which to dwell; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

He IS a "Father to the fatherless" and all we will EVER need!  Here is Hillsong with an older song that speaks of this wonderful Father! "Father Of Creation":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We begin in Hebrews today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. I love this book, especially these first 4 verses of Chapter 1, and especially from the Amplified Bible!

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, 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! Our SAVIOUR! Our LORD! My prayer for you is that you will continue to draw closer to HIM and get to know Him more than you ever have before! Here is Brooke Ligertwood with "Fear Of God":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional by Oswald Chambers is another that I want to share with you! 

Diffusiveness Of Life

Rivers of living water. — John 7:38

A river touches places of which its source knows nothing, and Jesus says if we have received of His fulness, however small the visible measure of our lives, out of us will flow the rivers that will bless to the uttermost parts of the earth. We have nothing to do with the outflow — “This is the work of God that ye believe….” God rarely allows a soul to see how great a blessing he is.

A river is victoriously persistent, it overcomes all barriers. For a while it goes steadily on its course, then it comes to an obstacle and for a while it is baulked, but it soon makes a pathway round the obstacle. Or a river will drop out of sight for miles, and presently emerge again broader and grander than ever. You can see God using some lives, but into your life an obstacle has come and you do not seem to be of any use. Keep paying attention to the Source, and God will either take you round the obstacle or remove it. The river of the Spirit of God overcomes all obstacles. Never get your eyes on the obstacle or on the difficulty. The obstacle is a matter of indifference to the river which will flow steadily through you if you remember to keep right at the Source. Never allow anything to come between yourself and Jesus Christ, no emotion, or experience; nothing must keep you from the one great sovereign Source.

Think of the healing and far-flung rivers nursing themselves in our souls! God has been opening up marvellous truths to our minds, and every point He has opened up is an indication of the wider power of the river He will flow through us. If you believe in Jesus, you will find that God has nourished in you mighty torrents of blessing for others.

AMEN! We born again belivers in Jesus are, of ALL people, MOST BLESSED! Not by our own doing, but because of Who JESUS is! Here is Hillsong with "As The World Shakes":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read Psalm 65 today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan and I LOVE this first verse!

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.

We often speak if the 'secret place' of His presence and the time that we should be spending there. This verse is just so powerful in that it shows that the source of all of our REAL praise and worship begins in the place of really becoming aware of HIS presnece IN US! Psalm 46:10 tells us this:

10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. KJV

In the stillness and the silence we come to know His voice and to be aware of His presence! And from THIS comes TRUE praise and worship! In SPIRIT, by HOLY SPIRIT in us and in TRUTH by the Word of God! Here is one of my favorite songs by Hillsong called "Song For His Presence":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is another powerful lesson for those who truly desire to KNOW the LORD! 

Performance

Then said Jehovah . . . I watch over my word to perform it. — JEREMIAH 1:12 (ASV)

In all probability, you have faith in your employer. You believe what he says, and you act on it. If he promises to raise your salary, you don’t question him.

Also, you and your word are one. You are behind your word and your promises. If your word is no good, then you are not good.

But God’s Word is more reliable than the word of a man! God’s Word and God are one. If God’s Word is no good and it cannot be relied upon, then God is no good, and He cannot be relied upon.

But God can be relied upon! He stands behind His Word! He stands behind every Word He promises!

You come to know Jesus through the Word of God. Jesus introduces you to God the Father. Then you begin to act upon God’s Word. You test it. After a time of acting upon what God says in His Word, it becomes as natural to you as acting upon the word of the man for whom you are working.

Confession: I believe God. I act upon His Word. Then He watches over His Word to perform it in my life.

AMEN! Now let's get busy being DOERS of this powerful WORD! Here is Hillsong with :

Shalom in Him!

Shalom, 

Today I want to share agan 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! Stick with GOD and will never go wrong! Here is Hillsong with "Who You Say I Am":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really love today's "Daily Grace Inspirations" devotional by Joseph Prince!

The Power of Redeeming Thoughts

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8 NLT

What mental movies are you playing in your head today? Are they thoughts of defeat and despair or thoughts of victory and favor? Faith is simply saying what God says about you and seeing what God sees in you and your situation.

It takes a thought to heal a thought. Unlike the world, which teaches you to empty your mind to achieve peace, God’s way is to fill your mind with fresh, powerful, and redeeming thoughts.

The apostle Paul tells us, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Phil. 4:8 NLT). So it’s not just trying to blot out bad thoughts with your willpower. It takes a thought to replace a thought. It takes a right belief to replace a wrong belief. You need God’s truth to replace the enemy’s lies that have kept you in bondage.

My friend, if a wrong, bad, or negative thought is lodged in your mind today and you can’t seem to shake it, stop trying! Perhaps you’re lying in a hospital bed and can’t help but think of the worst-case scenario. You’re attempting to suppress it, but it’s not working. Well, stop! Stop trying to erase it from your mind. That just won’t work. What you need to do is replace that destructive thought with a thought that’s from God. That’s the only way to deal with a wrong thought and begin the healing process.

Start to meditate on truths such as, “Surely Jesus has borne my sicknesses and carried my pains. The chastisement for my wholeness fell upon Him, and by His stripes I am healed. With long life He will satisfy me” (Isaiah 53:4–5 and Psalm 91:16). Begin to play mental movies of yourself getting well, being discharged from the hospital, having fun with your kids, or going on a nice holiday!

AMEN! Here is Brooke Ligertwood with "A Thousand Hallelujahs":

Shalom in Him!