Shalom,

I like to rest on Sunday, so I will share another favorite song! Here is Hillsong's "Beneath The Water/ I Will Rise. This is all about Jesus, as in 1 Corinthians 2:2:


2 For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified. AMP

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We had Sisterhood: Spoken Word Style at The Spoken Word Church today! What a blessing to be in the company of so many beautiful sisters who love the Lord, His Word and each other! We looked at the TRUE Proverbs 31 woman! Proverbs 31:10:

10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. 

KJV

The word "virtuous" does NOT mean what most people think! It is the Hebrew word "chayil". Strong's Concordance says: a force, an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon says: strength, might, efficiency, wealth, an army. The Theological Workbook of the Old Testament says: When the term is used of a woman it is translated "virtuous", but it may well be that a woman of that caliber has all the attributes of her male counterpart. This is not just a "good girl"! This is a mighty woman of God who will make Jesus her #1 priority; her "first husband"! When we put HIM #1, everyone else in our lives fits exactly into their rightful spots and are more extremely blessed than ever! Amen! Here is a picture of our group:

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I have a very busy day ahead, so I am going to re-share one of my NEW favorite songs from the Hillsong Cornerstone album. It is called "Running", and I am using it to make sure that as I am "running" today, I am running in line with HIS plan and HIS will! Amen! If I don't, it is just empty works, with no reward! People may be blessed by it because He searches for ways to bless His people, but I would have no reward for it. I want rewards in Heaven for my eternity there! How about you?

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Amos 9:13-15 contains one of the promises of God for the nation of Israel:

  ¹³Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine and all the hills shall melt [that is, everything heretofore barren and unfruitful shall overflow with spiritual blessing]. ¹⁴And I will bring back the exiles of My people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat the fruit of them ¹⁵And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be torn up out of their land which I gave them, says the Lord your God.

Israel was again declared a nation in 1948 and the Jewish people have been returning to the Land from every corner of the world since that time! This promise says that when God brings them back, they will never be removed again! It is not only fruitless for all of these nations to come against Israel, it is very dangerous for them to come against God's people! When someone comes against God's people, whether it is the people of Israel or the Church of Jesus Christ, they are actually coming against the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! I would NOT want to be in THEIR shoes when God decides to judge THAT! YOU don't want to either! They are NOT perfect, just as WE are not, BUT they are HIS! Bless them and BE blessed! Amen! Here is an older song called "The God Of Israel Is Mighty". The lyrics are below.

The God Of Israel Is Mighty 

The God of Israel is mighty

The God of Israel knows no defeat

He leads His people into battle

Before Him His enemies must flee

Chorus

Cry out with a shout of victory

Lift your voice all the earth

Sing and dance

At the triumph of our King

For He has won the war

And spoiled the enemy

The God of Israel is our champion

His right arm has got the victory

Our praises rise as incense before Him

He fights for us and routs the enemy

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

1 Timothy 2:1-4 says this:

¹FIRST OF all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men, ²For kings and all who are in positions of authority or high responsibility, that [outwardly] we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life [and inwardly] a peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way. ³For such [praying] is good and right, and [it is] pleasing and acceptable to God our Savior, ⁴Who wishes all men to be saved and [increasingly] to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the [divine] Truth.

The first responsibility we have as born again believers, after loving HIM with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength, of course, is to be people of prayer! We are to pray, with all the different types of prayer, for all people, including all of those in positions of authority. Why? So that we can lead a peaceable life, fulfilling God's plan for us and be about our Father's business by preachig the Gospel! Are you ready for this? YES, you are! All it requires is the choice to do things God's way! Here, to encourage you in this, is the "Desert Song" by Hillsong:

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

God's instructions in Psalm 37:1-2 are as appropriate for us today as they were for His people then! 

 ¹FRET NOT yourself because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness (that which is not upright or in right standing with God). ²For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

The word "fret" is the Hebrew word "charah". Strong's Concordance says: to glow or grow warm; to blaze up, of anger, zeal, jealousy. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon says: to be hot; to be furious; to burn; to become angry; to be kindled; to be incensed; to heat oneself in vexation. We know by the context that this is referring to zeal AGAINST something and not FOR something! Have you found yourself lately experiencing these emotions in hearing about, speaking about, or dealing with our government, economy, and politics in general? Many have, including me at times! BUT, we ALL must certainly know the meaning of "NOT" without having to check the Concordance! As angry as we sometimes feel, God does NOT want us to focus on these things! He does NOT want us ignorant or them or ignoring them, but He DOES want us to handle them in HIS way! Amen! His instructions to US are found in verses 4-8:

  ⁴Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. ⁵Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass. ⁶And He will make your uprightness and right standing with God go forth as the light, and your justice and right as [the shining sun of] the noonday. ⁷Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass. ⁸Cease from anger and forsake wrath; fret not yourself--it tends only to evildoing.

We are to recognize the problem, but look to the ANSWER Himself instead of allowing anger and bitterness cloud our ability to hear His voice and operate His plan! The future of those who do wickedly is revealed in this Psalm as well. Verses 9-10:

 ⁹For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait and hope and look for the Lord [in the end] shall inherit the earth. ¹⁰For yet a little while, and the evildoers will be no more; though you look with care where they used to be, they will not be found.

Then again in verses 12-15:

  ¹²The wicked plot against the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright in right standing with God); they gnash at them with their teeth. ¹³The Lord laughs at [the wicked], for He sees that their own day [of defeat] is coming. ¹⁴The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who walk uprightly (blameless in conduct and in conversation). ¹⁵The swords [of the wicked] shall enter their own hearts, and their bows shall be broken.

There are more as you continue to read this Psalm. Then the promises of God are found in verses 23-25:

   ²³The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step]. ²⁴Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him. ²⁵I have been young and now am old, yet have I not seen the [uncompromisingly] righteous forsaken or their seed begging bread.

And then again is verses 39-40:

    ³⁹But the salvation of the [consistently] righteous is of the Lord; He is their Refuge and secure Stronghold in the time of trouble. ⁴⁰And the Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they trust and take refuge in Him.

So, knowing what we now know, we must recognize and expose evil, but not be moved by our emotions in dealing with it! Use the Word of God and the Spirit of God as your Guides in how to carry this out! Be filled with the Spirit, filled with His Word, and filled with determination to present the Light of the Gospel in the midst of the darkness of this world! Amen! Here is Hillsong United with "Freedom Is Here":

 Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 36:1-4 is a very accurate description of what has happened to this nation!

 ¹TRANSGRESSION [like an oracle] speaks to the wicked deep in his heart. There is no fear or dread of God before his eyes.  ²For he flatters and deceives himself in his own eyes that his iniquity will not be found out and be hated.  ³The words of his mouth are wrong and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. ⁴He plans wrongdoing on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject or despise evil.  AMP

Another similar verse is Proverbs 18:3:

3 When the wicked comes in [to the depth of evil], he becomes a contemptuous despiser [of all that is pure and good], and with inner baseness comes outer shame and reproach. AMP

This also in Proverbs 29:2:

2 When the [uncompromisingly] righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh.  AMP

But the promises in these verses are great! Proverbs 29:16 and Ezekiel 18:27:

16 When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall see the fall of the wicked. AMP

27 Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his life. AMP

As we continue to pray for our nation, God is moving and putting HIS plan into action! Don't be moved by what things in the world "look" like! Only be moved by the Word of God and YOUR obedience to it! God honors His Word! ALWAYS! Amen! Here is Hillsong United with "Soon":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 35:24-26 is a call to God, Who is the Righteous Judge (2 Timothy 4:8), to judge those who persecute, abuse or misuse God's people! 

²⁴Judge and vindicate me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness (Your rightness and justice); and let [my foes] not rejoice over me! ²⁵Let them not say in their hearts, Aha, that is what we wanted! Let them not say, We have swallowed him up and utterly destroyed him.  ²⁶Let them be put to shame and confusion together who rejoice at my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify and exalt themselves over me! AMP

Romans 12:19 declares that vengeance belongs to God, so let's let Him handle it! Amen! Psalm 35:27-28 is for US to declare!

  ²⁷Let those who favor my righteous cause and have pleasure in my uprightness shout for joy and be glad and say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, Who takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.  ²⁸And my tongue shall talk of Your righteousness, rightness, and justice, and of [my reasons for] Your praise all the day long. AMP

God loves and honors THAT attitude! Here is Hillsong with a song from the new Cornerstone album called "Greater Than All":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I am out of town again today so I will share with you another song that minsters to me! Are you standing in faith for friends or family members to be born again? Keep praying in faith and expectancy! Remember, God wants them saved even more than YOU do! he uses your prayers to set things in motion in the earth and He's working right now! here is a song that encourages me greatly! It is "Revival" by Robin Mark! Be blessed!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 say this:

¹²Now also we beseech you, brethren, get to know those who labor among you [recognize them for what they are, acknowledge and appreciate and respect them all]--your leaders who are over you in the Lord and those who warn and kindly reprove and exhort you. ¹³And hold them in very high and most affectionate esteem in [intelligent and sympathetic] appreciation of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

We are instructed here to treat our Pastor and other ministers in the Body with great respect and appreciation! That means that we should listen when they speak as though God were speaking to us personally, check it out in the Word for ourselves and then put into practice what we have learned! We are also told in Galatians 6:6 (Amplified) to contribute to their support in all areas! What we are NOT told to do is to worship them! With the love of all things "celebrity" that has taken over our society today, we see many people soaking up everything they hear and repeating it without even bothering to check it out in the Word! We are shown the correct example in Acts 17:22! Don't get caught up in "hype"! The most important person for you to KNOW is Jesus of Nazarath (Philippians 3:10)! Respect the minister and worship the Lord! Amen!  Here is Hillsong with "To Know Your Name":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,


We're going to look at a few different Bible versions of 2 Timothy 1:6a today!


2 Tim 1:6a Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee ... KJV

2 Tim 1:6a That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you .... AMP

2 Tim 1:6a.. for which cause I am reminding you to keep constantly blazing the gift of God which is in you ... (from The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest)

2 Tim 1:6a For this reason, I am reminding you to fan the flame of God’s gift, ... CJB

Do you see what Paul is doing here? He is doing the reminding! He is reminding Timothy that he has a gift inside of him that must be stirred up and used! Timothy is the one who had to do the stirring up! So many times I have seen people go to meetings expecting that a minister would lay hands on them and give them a "word" concerning their ministry. This has happened, but I believe that when it has happened, it has happened to people who are already busy about what God has called them to! Paul may have been specifically speaking to Timothy about the ministry gift he had received by the laying on of hands, but we have ALL received a precious gift that needs to be continually stirred up with in us, also! Do you remember this from 2 Corinthians 4:7?

2 Cor 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. KJV

2 Cor 4:7 However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves. AMP

Not only have all born again believers received this most precious Treasure, we have all also received the call to the full-time Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18)! We are to be telling people everywhere that God isn't holding anything against them, but that the Blood of Jesus paid the price for every sin EXCEPT the sin of rejecting Jesus! You may never be called to a pulpit ministry or a world-wide traveling ministry, but you ARE called to preach the Gospel where you are! SO, stir up that precious GIFT within you and get to work! YOUR world is waiting on you! Amen! Here to encourage you in this is Hillsong with "I'm Not Ashamed of The Gospel":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,


Psalm 31:19-21:

   ¹⁹Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear, revere, and worship You, goodness which You have wrought for those who trust and take refuge in You before the sons of men! ²⁰In the secret place of Your presence You hide them from the plots of men; You keep them secretly in Your pavilion from the strife of tongues. ²¹Blessed be the Lord! For He has shown me His marvelous loving favor when I was beset as in a besieged city. AMP

This brings to mind Psalm 91:1:

1 HE WHO dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. AMP

What IS the "secret place"? Psalm 31:20 above says that it is His presence! I believe that the "secret place" for each believer is that place where they are "aware" of His presence! This happens through prayer, praise and worship, study and meditation of the Word, and intimate fellowship WITH Him! No one can enter that "secret place" FOR you. Find it for yourself and you will never want to leave! You shouldn't! THAT is the place of supernatural and Divine protection, provision and safety! Confess Psalm 91 over yourself and your family as you spend actual time in that "secret place"! Amen!  Here is Hillsong with "None But Jesus":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,


 Psalm 30:1-4:


 ¹I WILL extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me.  ²O Lord my God, I cried to You and You have healed me.  ³O Lord, You have brought my life up from Sheol (the place of the dead); You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit (the grave).   ⁴Sing to the Lord, O you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.  AMP


This Psalm is a "Psalm of David". What is David doing here? He is praising the LORD for what He HAS DONE! This is how David "encouraged himself in the LORD"! Remind yourself of all that the Lord has done for you and those you love. Then when you face adversity, you will NOT faint and give up because you will remember, and then expect the God of the Bible to come through for you again! And then you can say, with David, verses 11-12:

    ¹¹You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, ¹²To the end that my tongue and my heart and everything glorious within me may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. AMP

  

Hallelujah!  Here is Hillsong with another oldie! "This Is How We Overcome"!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,


2 Peter 1:10 says this:

10 Brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:  KJV

"Diligence" is the Greek word "spoudazo". Strong's Concordance says: to use speed; to make effort; be prompt or earnest. Thayer's Greek Lexicon adds: to exert oneself. The Amplified Bible says it very well:

10 Because of this, brethren, be all the more solicitous and eager to make sure (to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble or fall.  AMP

The thought of never stumbling is very exciting to most of us! BUT, what is the condition for never falling and failing? That would be the aforementioned DILIGENCE! It takes work to get the Word of God into our souls in the abundance that is necessary to be able to walk in the assurance of God's Divine protection, provision and safety, leading, guidance and direction! But, what ELSE would you choose? I like this from Kenneth Copeland's Faith to Faith Devotional for today, which is where I got today's Scripture!


"Listen, this is a daily thing. The devil's out there 24 hours a day devising ways to make us fall. Jesus is on the throne 24 hours a day giving us power to resist him, and we need to be exercising our faith all the time.

If you're going to stand in the days ahead, you're going to need a lot more than Sunday school faith. You're going to need some full-grown, mountain-moving faith, and there's only one way to get that: By giving yourself to the Word more diligently than you ever have before.

Give diligence to make your calling and election sure; and no matter how slippery the situation gets, you won't have to fall!"

There you have it! There is no need for any born again believer to ever slip, fall, or fail! The same diligence we use for this will bring us through any and every situation we face with VICTORY!!! Amen! Here is Hillsong with "I Surrender":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 28:7-9:



⁷The Lord is my Strength and my [impenetrable] Shield; my heart trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song will I praise Him.  ⁸The Lord is their [unyielding] Strength, and He is the Stronghold of salvation to His anointed.  ⁹Save Your people and bless Your heritage; nourish and shepherd them and carry them forever.
   

This Psalm is a Psalm of David. I believe that David was referring to himself and his faith, trust and confidence in the LORD in verse 7. Then in verse 8 and 9 he switches to the needs of his people. This is also a picture of the heart of a true, Biblical Pastor for their congregation! They first of all must see to their own spiritual growth and well being, and then they must see to the needs of the people. They pray and intercede for them and then feed them the Word of God so that they can continue to grow in faith and in the things of God. I thank God for my pastor and his faithfulness in prayer and in the Word of God. I hope that YOU have a true, Biblical Pastor! If not, I invite you to The Spoken Word Church! Check out our website through the link on the left! Let us know if we can be of help too you! Here is a very old worship song from our early days at The Spoken Word Church called "In Your Presence":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,



I saw something in a new way from today's entry in "Morning Moments with Bob Yandian"! It is called "Be Fruitful" and used this Scripture: Genesis 1:28 NKJV.


28 Than God blessed them, and God said to them Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.


Then he goes on to say this:


"Imagine being Adam. Your spirit has just been created by God and your body formed out of the dust of the ground. At the time God breathes into your nostrils and you draw your first breath, you are a full grown person. You have never gone through the process of birth and growing up. Next of all, you have never had a thought. Your mind is a clean slate."


Can you imagine that? Have you ever even thought about that? There was no sin yet. Everything in the garden was perfect. God just breathed His very life into you and the only influence you have in and on your life is HIM! What a tremendous time that must have been! BUT, Adam also had no idea what sin would do! He had never observed disobedience and the result of it! He had no opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others! The next time you are tempted to be angry with Adam for putting us in this predicament, remember that! I am so very thankful to be alive at this time when we have so much Wisdom and knowledge of the Word of God available to us! Don't take the Word lightly! Remember that His Word IS Truth (John 17:17)! Make it YOUR top priority! Here is Hillsong with "Hope Of The World". That would be JESUS! Amen!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Here are some Scripture verses that speak of Jerusalem:

Deut 1:6 The Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: 7 Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates. 8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them. KJV

Ps 116:19 In the courts of the Lord's house — in the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) AMP

Ps 122:1 I WAS glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord!  [Isa 2:3; Zech 8:21.] 2 Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! — 3 Jerusalem, which is built as a city that is compacted together —  4 To which the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed and as a testimony for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. AMP

Ps 128:5 May the Lord bless you out of Zion [His sanctuary], and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life;6 Yes, may you see your children's children. Peace be upon Israel! AMP

Ps 147:2 The Lord is building up Jerusalem; He is gathering together the exiles of Israel. AMP

Ps 147:12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! 13 For He has strengthened and made hard the bars of your gates, and He has blessed your children within you. AMP


With all of the controversy going on about who will and who will not recognize the city of Jerusalem as the capital of the nation of Israel, I thought you may want to see what the One, True God has to say about it! Don't be found in disagreement with HIM! Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel! NO other nation has the right to a say in the matter! AMEN! Here is a picture of the city:

Here is "Shalom Jerusalem" by Paul Wilbur:

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,


Psalm 25:14 contains the key to operating successfully in the Kingdom of God! Remember, the Kingdom of Heaven is a PLACE and the Kingdom of God is a METHOD! It is operating on earth as an ambassador of Heaven! Verse 14:


  ¹⁴The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning.


Notice that it is those who operate in the fear of the Lord who will understand the Covenant and how to operate in it! The fear of the Lord is the reverence and respect for His presence! It IS the very beginning, or first step, toward walking in Wisdom (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7). It also results in close, intimate fellowship with Him where He can open the eyes of our understanding to be able to operate in the Word. We have been given authority and we MUST learn how to walk IN it! Amen! So, fear Him! delight in Him, fellowship with Him, honor Him, put HIM first place in your life! You CANNOT go wrong by doing so! Here is an older Hillsong song called "God Is Great":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,


Matthew 24:1-2:


 ¹JESUS DEPARTED from the temple area and was going on His way when His disciples came up to Him to call His attention to the buildings of the temple and point them out to Him. ²But He answered them, Do you see all these? Truly I tell you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.


This is part of our Bible Reading Plan for today. It concerns the prophetic words of Jesus concerning the coming (at that time) destruction of the temple. Please read this article concerning the destruction of both temples and the date that it happened. I am sharing this (link below) today as a call to prayer for the Olympics and the specifically for the Israeli delegation! Please read! Remember, He WILL bless those that bless Israel and those that do not will find themselves living  with the results of the curse! Be NOT one of those! Amen!


http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/946703/jewish/What-happened-on-the-Ninth-of-Av.htm

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,


We read Psalm 23 in the Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today. We are all pretty familiar with that Psalm and most of us can quote it, even from the Amplified Bible! Are you ready to learn something new-to-you about it today? Verse 6 says this in the Amplified Bible:

6 Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.

We have already studied the Hebrew words for "goodness" and "mercy" and we KNOW that they are words of awesome provision and blessing for us! The word for "goodness" is "towb" (#2896 Strong's) and "mercy" is "checed" (#2617 Strong's), which involves His wonderful and never-ending loving-kindness! But today we will be looking at the phrase "shall follow me", which is the Hebrew word "radaph". This word means: to run after; to chase; to pursue; to attend closely upon. Can you just picture all of that goodness, mercy and loving-kindness actually chasing you down? Allow the Holy Spirit to show this to you! HE will never give up trying to get all of those blessings to you! Will YOU give up and quit when you know THAT Truth? 

Another Truth to realize is that the devil is NOT "radaph"-ing you! HE is like that nasty little mosquito or annoying gnat that keeps popping up and trying to distract, discourage, and disengage you from following hard after God. Give him NO place! He has NO authority over you except what YOU allow! Speak the Word over your life, including Psalm 23, every day, and all day! Remember who's listening! If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to the SWC website at the left and listen to the series on Angels! It's an eye opener and a real blessing! Amen! Here is Hillsong with an older song called "Lord Your Goodness". Click through to You Tube and click on "more" to see the lyrics!

Shalom in Him!