Shalom,

I love the devotion for today on The Spoken Word Church Website!

You Can Determine Any Future You Want

You will never leave where you are, until you decide where you would rather be. The day you make a decision about your life is the day your world will change.

Move decisively toward the goals you have established. Intolerance of your present situation creates your future.

"Isaiah 43:18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."

We have discussed here before that true success is being where God wants us to be, doing what God wants us to do. Once we KNOW the will of God for our lives, we must MOVE! He will lead, guide and direct us each step of the way, but it will only come as we MOVE! Take that first step before you expect another to be revealed! Look at these promises from the Word of God. Hosea 6:3, referring to knowing the Lord and His ways:

3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: KJV

"Follow on" is the Hebrew word "radaph" and it means to pursue! If we want to know Him, we must do as Paul, in Philippians 3:10, and make it our determined purpose! THEN we must DO something to get started! What can we do? Spend time in the Word of God first of all. Spend time praying in the Spirit. Spend time in praise and worship. Spend time in intimate fellowship with Him. All are equally important and the emphasis for any particular time will be as the Holy Spirit leads us! Paul then goes on to say this in verses 12-14:

12 Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own. 13 I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward. AMP

To "press on" here is the Greek word "dioko" and it also means to pursue! So what should we do? "Move decisively toward the goals you have established", as led by the Spirit of God and the Word of God! Once you have established your spiritual goals, then incorporate that same method, determination and intensity to accomplishing the natural goals that God has given you! Remember what our partner Jerry O'Dell has shared: "When we want what God wants, for the same reason He wants it, we cannot fail!" AMEN! Here is a very old song from Hillsong called "Faith":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 65:1 says this in the KJV:

1 Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed. KJV

Let's look at some other translations of the Bible on this verse. Here are the Complete Jewish Bible; Young's Literal Translation and the Amplified Bible:

2(1) To you, God, in Tziyon, silence is praise; and vows to you are to be fulfilled. CJB

1 To Thee, silence — praise, O God, [is] in Zion, And to Thee is a vow completed. YLT

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. AMP

"Waiteth" in the KJV is the Hebrew word "duwmiyah. It means: stillness, silently, quiet, trust, repose, silence, to keep silence, to be motionless, to be stupified (amazed or astonished). SO, to be still and know that He IS God will result in praise bursting forth! Spontaneous praise is a great indication that THIS is a person who has spent time in the presence of the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! Do you want to absolutely thrill and bless "the socks off" of YOUR Praise and Worship Leader? Then spend time in the very presence of God until praise bursts forth, and then get yourself to church and be a participator! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Praise Him":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

David's cry to the Lord in Psalm 64 is to preserve Him when the enemy is scheming against him! Verse 2:

² Hide me from the secret counsel and conspiracy of the ungodly, from the scheming of evildoers,

These evildoers, led by King Saul, were after David to kill him because he was perceived as a threat to Saul's reign. David goes on to describe more of what they were up to in verses 5-6:

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.

BUT, what these evildoers seem to have forgotten is that the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible KNOWS all, HEARS all and SEES all! NOTHING that they planned or did was hidden from HIM! Their end was NOT pretty! If some of these tactics sound familiar to you, be of GREAT good cheer! The same God is watching over the affairs of man right now! Nothing being done in "secret" is EVER a secret to Him! The certain end for those who continually reject God and His Word? Verses 7-9:

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.

SO, pray for them and be about our Father's business while we wait as a spectator in the secret place of His presence (Psalm 91:8), being a DOER of verse 10:

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.

Here to encourage you is Hillsong Live with "Love Knows No End":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I was thinking about this Scripture today! 1 John 4:19:

19 We love him, because he first loved us. KJV

I pray this Scripture TO Him all the time, reminding myself of all that HE has done for ME! I discovered something "new to me" about this verse today! Look at how the Amplified Bible shows it:

19 We love Him, because He first loved us. AMP

Do YOU know what that little italics "Him" means? It means that this word is NOT in the original languages! It was added by the translators to try and make it clearer. Of course it IS true that we DO love Him because He loves us so very much! But what this verse is actually saying is:

We LOVE because He first loved us! 

HIS love is the only real love that there is! He has placed within us, as believers, the ability to love EVERYONE with the same love that we have received from Him! Don't ever let the devil steal from you by keeping you in unforgiveness because of his LIE that it is impossible for you to forgive, love and bless those who have hurt or harmed you. God would NEVER ask us to do something that we are not capable of doing, IN HIM! So, next time you think that you have found the ultimate unloveable person, remember that while YOU were yet a sinner, HE died for you (Romans 5:8)! Amen! There is NO greater love than that (John 15:13). Not so hard to love others when we truly understand HIS love! Here is Hillsong with "Love So High":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Pastor Bill Novak has been teaching a series on "The Sayings of Jesus on the Cross" at The Spoken Word Church. Today He covered Matthew 27:46:

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?KJV

This was a direct quotation of Psalm 22:1! Did you know that, other than Mark's account of the same in Mark 11:34, this is the ONLY time that we hear Jesus address God the Father as God? He always  called Him "Father" before this moment!  What changed? Look at 2 Corinthians 5:21:

21 For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. KJV

Our sinless Jesus was MADE sin with OUR sin, so that all who will receive Him can be MADE the righteousness of God! Look at Romans 6:23:

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  KJV

He suffered separation from the Father, which is what death really is! Because He was without His own sin, the death sentence could NOT stick! HALLELUJAH! Because HE identified with us in our sin, WE can identify with HIS life! Eternal LIFE! Do you see why THIS is the most important message that we have to give in this life? Check out 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 to get YOUR commission from God into full time ministry! AMEN! Here is a song from Hillsong to inspire you to DO just that! "No Reason To Hide":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I hope you are all checking out the devotional on The Spoken Word Church website (link on the left) every day! It is short and concise and always backed up with Scripture! Here is a portion of today's:

Learn How to Read the Bible

Consistent Bible reading will be the most difficult habit you will ever establish in your life. The reason: It is the #1 key to your power. Set up a specific time for daily study of God's Word.

One of the Scriptures used is 2 Timothy 2:15:

15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. KJV

Notice that this does not say read, it says "study"! This is the Greek word "spoudazo". It means: to use speed; to make effort; be prompt or earnest (marked by or showing deep sincerity or seriousness). It also means: to exert oneself; to endeavor; diligent; proficient; to be zealous. That doesn't sound like a quick little read-through, does it? In fact, look at this verse from the Amplified Bible:

15 Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth. AMP

Remember Who it is that is living IN you, as a born again believer! (1 John 2:20 and 27)! Pray, asking this wonderful Teacher to teach you what the Word of God is to mean to YOU! (Psalm 25:5), and then determine to be a DOER of everything that He shows you! Your life will NEVER be the same again! Here is a fun song called "Everyday" by Hillsong Kids to inspire your child-like faith!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I want to share portions from two different devotionals today! This from "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:

Do you love Me? —John 21:17

Peter’s response to this piercing question is considerably different from the bold defiance he exhibited only a few days before when he declared, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” (Matthew 26:35 ; also see Matthew 26:33-34). Our natural individuality, or our natural self, boldly speaks out and declares its feelings. But the true love within our inner spiritual self can be discovered only by experiencing the hurt of this question of Jesus Christ. Peter loved Jesus in the way any natural man loves a good person. Yet that is nothing but emotional love. It may reach deeply into our natural self, but it never penetrates to the spirit of a person. True love never simply declares itself. Jesus said, “Whoever confesses Me before men [that is, confesses his love by everything he does, not merely by his words], him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8).

One of the reasons that Peter could not keep himself from denying Jesus was because his love for Jesus WAS simply emotional! Peter was not yet born again because Jesus had not yet risen from the dead, so his spirit man was NOT alive in God by the Holy Spirit. Peter was a "mere natural man"! Once Jesus rose from the dead, Peter could become a new creature, with the Spirit of God living IN him! He could NOW experience the true Love of God, "agape", that is the type of love that can make a determined purpose and love by decision and not by emotions, which are fickle! Even though Peter now had a new Spirit when Jesus asked him the above question, he still had not yet received the "infilling" of the Holy Spirit, which endues "with power from on high"! This infilling of the Holy Spirit allows us to operate in a realm of power not available to those who will not receive! That brings us to this portion of Kenneth Copeland's "Pursuit of His Presence":

For he that speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not unto men, but unto God: for no man understands him; howbeit in the spirit he speaks mysteries.– 1 Corinthians 14:2

What are mysteries? Mysteries are things we don’t know. Sometimes we don’t know what the perfect will of God is for our lives. We don’t know exactly what steps to take and what moves to make each day to fulfill the plan God has laid out for our lives. And no one in the world can tell us!

As 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 says, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit”

Besides being endued with power, those who have received the infilling now have this new, powerful prayer language with which we can pray the perfect will of God into the earth, AND into our lives! THIS is how we learn to operate in the supernatural love of God that will not deny Him! Kenneth Copeland also says this:

God has things that are so far better than what we’ve seen that we can’t even figure them out. But if we’ll pray in the spirit, we’ll get beyond our natural knowledge and receive supernatural understanding. Spend time praying in the spirit every day. Tap into the mind of God. Receive wisdom from heaven. And unlock the mysteries of God’s plan for your life!

 Have YOU received the infilling of the Holy Spirit since you have been born again? If not, please go to The Spoken Word Church website through the link at the left and find out more! you will be SO glad you did! you will truly never be the same again! Amen! Here is Hillsong with an older song called "Most High":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

If you and I would REALLY meditate on John 3:16-17 from the Amplified Bible, that is all we would ever need to truly understand the wonderful and "unbounded" love that He has for us! 

16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him. AMP

If He "so loved" the entire world, and He DOES (Romans 5:8), then how much more does He love those who have received Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and personal Savior, and are now members of His family and a part of the His Body! Get to know, understand and realize the extent of that Love, for in THAT revelation is the source of all faith and power! AMEN! Here is a new song from Hillsong United called "Up In Arms":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Have you ever wondered how the people who followed Jesus around could see healings, deliverances, and miracles every day and still not believe the Words that Jesus said? 1 Corinthians 2:14 gives us the answer to that!

14 But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. KJV

Signs and wonders and miracles are meant to be a sign to the lost that God IS, and that He loves them! You cannot grow or build faith on signs, wonders and miracles! Once they catch a person's attention, then their heart must desire to know more in order for any understanding of the Word to come! Only those who truly desire to know Him more will do what is necessary to do so! Hosea 6:3a tells us this:

3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: KJV

When will we know? When we "follow on to know"! This phrase is the Hebrew word "radalph". It means: to run after; to pursue; to chase; to attend closely to; to pursue ardently. So who will know the Lord the way that Paul suggests in Philippians 3:10? ONLY those who will follow hard after Him! Those who will make it their life's goal to learn something new about Him every day! When WE do that, as born again believers who have the Spirit of God living IN us, there is no stopping the knowledge and understanding of His Word from coming! Want to know Him? The go RUNNING after Him! Amen! Here is Hillsong with "Running"!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 57:2-3  is another example of how David encouraged himself in the Lord! 

² I will cry to God Most High, Who performs on my behalf and rewards me [Who brings to pass His purposes for me and surely completes them]! ³ He will send from heaven and save me from the slanders and reproaches of him who would trample me down or swallow me up, and He will put him to shame. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! God will send forth His mercy and loving-kindness and His truth and faithfulness.

He had confidence that no matter what he faced, God would deliver him! In the times in which we live, we must have that same confidence! NOT SELF-confidence, but GOD-confidence! David recognizes the enemy in verse 4:

⁴ My life is among lions; I must lie among those who are aflame—the sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.

And then he declares the ANSWER in verse 5!

⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth!

He recognized the tactics of the enemy in verse 6:

⁶ They set a net for my steps; my very life was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way; into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

He again declared the ANSWER in verses 7-11:

⁷ My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is steadfast and confident! I will sing and make melody. ⁸ Awake, my glory (my inner self); awake, harp and lyre! I will awake right early [I will awaken the dawn]! ⁹ I will praise and give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. ¹⁰ For Your mercy and loving-kindness are great, reaching to the heavens, and Your truth and faithfulness to the clouds. ¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth.

Now you have YOUR instructions for how to respond to the works of the enemy! You do the same thing that David did and you will the same results that he did! CONFIDENCE! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "I Will Exalt You":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 56:9-13:

⁹ Then shall my enemies turn back in the day that I cry out; this I know, for God is for me. ¹⁰ In God, Whose word I praise, in the Lord, Whose word I praise, ¹¹ In God have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? ¹² Your vows are upon me, O God; I will render praise to You and give You thank offerings. ¹³ For You have delivered my life from death, yes, and my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life and of the living.

Are YOU sometimes tempted to be afraid of the things that are happening, in THIS nation, and around the world? Then YOU need to meditate on the verses above AND on this from Isaiah 54:17:

17 No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of Me, says the Lord. KJV

You ARE the "righteousness of God IN HIM"! 2 Corinthians 5:21:

21 For He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. KJV

So take heart! ALL of the promises of God are Yes, and AMEN in HIM for YOU (2 Corinthians 5:20 AMP), IF you belong to Him through the precious blood of Jesus of Nazareth! Not sure? Check out our website through the link at the left and KNOW! Amen! Here is Hillsong with "Take Heart":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really like portions of today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:

I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls . . . —2 Corinthians 12:15

Once “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,” we deliberately begin to identify ourselves with Jesus Christ’s interests and purposes in others’ lives (Romans 5:5). And Jesus has an interest in every individual person. We have no right in Christian service to be guided by our own interests and desires. In fact, this is one of the greatest tests of our relationship with Jesus Christ. The delight of sacrifice is that I lay down my life for my Friend, Jesus (see John 15:13). I don’t throw my life away, but I willingly and deliberately lay it down for Him and His interests in other people. And I do this for no cause or purpose of my own. Paul spent his life for only one purpose— that he might win people to Jesus Christ. Paul always attracted people to his Lord, but never to himself. He said, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).

When someone thinks that to develop a holy life he must always be alone with God, he is no longer of any use to others. This is like putting himself on a pedestal and isolating himself from the rest of society. Paul was a holy person, but wherever he went Jesus Christ was always allowed to help Himself to his life. Many of us are interested only in our own goals, and Jesus cannot help Himself to our lives. But if we are totally surrendered to Him, we have no goals of our own to serve. Paul said that he knew how to be a “doormat” without resenting it, because the motivation of his life was devotion to Jesus  (Actually, he didn't say "doormat" he said he knew HOW to be abased and how to abound!). We tend to be devoted, not to Jesus Christ, but to the things which allow us more spiritual freedom than total surrender to Him would allow. Freedom was not Paul’s motive at all. In fact, he stated, “I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren . . .” (Romans 9:3). Had Paul lost his ability to reason? Not at all! For someone who is in love, this is not an overstatement. And Paul was in love with Jesus Christ.

God has the perfect plan of blessing for our lives and it ALWAYS involves His #1 priority of saving the lost! Make that YOU'RE #1 priority and all those other "things" will be yours, too! here is Hillsong with "I Surrender", because we MUST!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In Acts 26, when Paul is called before King Agrippa, he says this to him:

²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? [Do you give credence to God's messengers and their words?] I perceive and know that you do believe.

King Agrippa responds with this:

²⁸ Then Agrippa said to Paul, You think it a small task to make a Christian of me [just offhand to induce me with little ado and persuasion, at very short notice].

Paul responded with this:

²⁹ And Paul replied, Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you, but also all who are listening to me today, might become such as I am, except for these chains.

We already know, from many previous blogs, that Paul's "determined purpose" was to KNOW the Lord more and more (Philippians 3:10 AMP)! He purposed to know the Lord more so that he could more effectively fellowship with the Lord AND more effectively preach the Gospel! One of the first things you learn about HIM as you get to know Him is that His #1 priority is to have people be born again; rescued from the kingdom of darkness and born into the Kingdom of God! Paul would NOT let up in the preaching of the Gospel! WE should have that same mindset! Our precious partners, the O'Dells, have THIS as one of the truths that they live by:

"The reason for the knowledge, the purpose for the power and the plan for the prosperity is reaching the lost."

Make that YOUR motivating truth and you, too, will win many to the kingdom of God, snatching them from the darkness! After all, THAT is what we are here for! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Mighty To Save":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I LOVE how all of the devotional tools I use seem to be speaking along the same lines today! To start with, Jerry Savelle's Daily Devotional says this about a time when he faced a trying situation:

Well, the reason I was in that trial was that I had opened the door to it myself. I had been so busy that I had gotten out of fellowship with God's Word, and it made me a prime target for Satan's attack.Now, I knew what the Word said to do. And I knew what the Word said would happen if I would be a doer of the Word. But at that moment, I wanted to just play around in self pity and do nothing. That caused the disease of apathy. I felt indifferent about it. I could have cared less at that moment if I won or lost.

My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers for today mentions this:

Perseverance is more than endurance. It is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen. Perseverance means more than just hanging on, which may be only exposing our fear of letting go and falling.  ...   Then there is the call to spiritual perseverance. A call not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately, knowing with certainty that God will never be defeated.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "Pursuit Of His Presence" says this:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.– 1 Peter 5:8-9

Satan is like a salesman. He makes a presentation and tries to sell you a bill of goods. He tells you God doesn’t really love you. He tells you the Word won’t work this time. He tells you that you don’t have the strength to go on. He’ll even try to sell you on the idea that it would be easier for you just to curl up and die than to see this trial through in faith.

All he does is talk...talk...talk! And lie...lie...lie, and we don’t have to listen.

Now that talk can get very annoying, but remember, that’s all he can do! He doesn’t have any real power or authority over you.

According to 1 Peter, he walks around as a roaring lion, “seeking whom he may devour.” It doesn’t say he is a lion. He just acts like one. Therefore, he can’t devour you, unless you let him.

First Peter 5:9 says we are to resist the devil steadfastly! That means you have to use patience to resist him. He is, after all, a persistent fellow. He may pester you a thousand times a day, but if you’ll resist him every time, he will flee from you every time (James 4:7).

He and all the low-level demons he sends to aggravate you have already “come to nought” (1 Corinthians 2:6). Jesus has stripped them of all their power and authority and left them with nothing (see Colossians 2:15).

So the next time Satan starts his sales pitch, talk back.

“I am a new creature in Christ Jesus. I am born of God. I am filled with the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father. I am endowed with the Name of Jesus, which is ‘far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come’” (Ephesians 1:21)! “Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). “Leave my presence in Jesus’ Name” (James 4:7)!

If you’re short of time, just say, “Get out of here, Devil, in the Name of Jesus!” He has to bow his knee at the Name of Jesus uttered in faith!

Our Spoken Word Church website devotional said this, in part: 

Accurate information breeds confidence. Know what you believe. Disconnect from memories of past failures. Stop advertising your mistakes.Remind yourself of good decisions and victories of the past. Before David fought Goliath, he mentally rehearsed past victories over the bear and the lion.See yourself winning. Think and talk like the conqueror God intended you to be. Keep success pictures in your mind at all times. Remember, what you are goes before you.

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."(Romans 8:37)

AMEN! Now aren't you built up, edified, recharged and ready to take on anyone and anything? THAT is what daily study and meditation in the Word of God will do for you! Study the Bible directly AND through the many and varied tools available to us now! We are really without excuse! We are, of ALL people, most blessed! Here is Hillsong with "Our God Is Able". And remember, He is even more willing than He is able, and He is 100% able! Amen!

God is Able
He will never fail
He is almighty God

Greater than all we seek
Greater than all we ask
He has done great things

Lifted up
He defeated the grave
Raised to life
Our God is Able

In His name we overcome
For the Lord
Our God is Able.

God is with us
God is on our side
He will make a way
Far above all we know
Far above all we hope
He has done great things

Lifted up
He defeated the grave
Raised to life
Our God is Able

God is with us
He will go before
He will never leave us
He will never leave us

God is for us
He has open arms
He will never fail us
He will never fail us

Lifted up
He defeated the grave
Raised to life
Our God is Able

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I have been meditating today on this verse today: Ephesians 3:10:

10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, KJV

"Manifold" here is the Greek word "polupoikilos". This means: much variegated, i.e. multifarious. It also means: much varied, manifesting itself in a great variety of forms. The dictionary definition for multifarious is: many and various types; having many varied parts or aspects; having many parts or elements. Do you remember this from Isaiah 55:9:

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. AMP

Many have thought, and even taught, that this means we cannot possible know the thoughts of God. That is SO not true! He did NOT say we couldn't be lifted up to a place where we could know and understand His thoughts and even think His thoughts ourselves! He is simply pointing out that there is a place in Him where we can fellowship with Him and learn of Him, but it is so far different from the way that the world thinks that there MUST be a separation from the world in order to do so! Do you desire to think like God thinks? If you do, it will require a continual renewal of your mind with the Word of God and a certain separation from those who refuse to follow on! Something more that we must see from Ephesians 3:10 is that we have a responsibility to know and speak these things! Look at this verse from the Amplified Bible:

10 [The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere. AMP

Even the angels have not known what has been given to US to know! They are learning it FROM us! How exciting is that! Angels have been sent to minister FOR us (Hebrews 1:14), and all the while they are learning FROM us! Those who are following on to know the Word AND do the Word, that is! Are you such a one as this? I hope so! There is nothing more exciting than learning something new from His Word because it is powerful and it is TRUTH! Amen! Here is Hillsong with "Greater Than All":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

There is a very good exhortation for us in today's devotion from "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:

Arise, let us go from here —John 14:31

Daydreaming about something in order to do it properly is right, but daydreaming about it when we should be doing it is wrong. In this passage, after having said these wonderful things to His disciples, we might have expected our Lord to tell them to go away and meditate over them all. But Jesus never allowed idle daydreaming. When our purpose is to seek God and to discover His will for us, daydreaming is right and acceptable. But when our inclination is to spend time daydreaming over what we have already been told to do, it is unacceptable and God’s blessing is never on it. God will take the initiative against this kind of daydreaming by prodding us to action. His instructions to us will be along the lines of this: “Don’t sit or stand there, just go!”

I LOVE that the exhortation is to spend the necessary time in fellowship with the One, True God in order to receive His individual instruction for our lives. THEN, we must get up and get going! Thinking about obeying God brings NO rewards, but obedience DOES! AMEN! Here is Hillsong United with "Go", because we MUST!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Notice THIS about our God! Psalm 50:1-3:

¹ THE MIGHTY One, God, the Lord, speaks and calls the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. ² Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. ³ Our God comes and does not keep silence; a fire devours before Him, and round about Him a mighty tempest rages.

God, and the presence of God, is NOT quiet! Notice that verse 2 says He "shines forth" This is the Hebrew word "yapha`", which means: to shine, to send forth beams, to cause to shine. Can you just picture the presence of God sending forth beams! He is brighter than the brightest bright! He is NOT silent! He speaks and shines and all around Him a "tempest" rages! This "tempest" is the Hebrew word "sa`ar". It means: to storm, come like a whirlwind, to sweep away! He does NOT sweep away His own, but He DOES sweep away evil! Sin, evil and wickedness cannot stand in His presence! You, however, IF you have received Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and personal Savior, CAN stand in His presence! HE tore the veil of the temple in two pieces, from top to bottom, to expose the Holy of Holies to "whosoever will"! POWERFUL! We have the right to His presence, but we also have the responsibility of His presence! In His presence is fullness of joy, wisdom and understanding, LIFE and LOVE! Spend time in His presence today and sleep well tonight! AMEN! 

I want to share something else I saw from today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! In Acts 22 Paul is giving the testimony of His encounter on the road to Damascus. He tells of the brightness of the Glory of God and that he couldn't see as a result. When Ananias, sent by God to restore his sight and to minister to him, spoke to "Saul", he said this in verses 14-15:

¹⁴ And he said, The God of our forefathers has destined and appointed you to come progressively to know His will [to perceive, to recognize more strongly and clearly, and to become better and more intimately acquainted with His will], and to see the Righteous One (Jesus Christ, the Messiah), and to hear a voice from His [own] mouth and a message from His [own] lips; ¹⁵ For you will be His witness unto all men of everything that you have seen and heard.

Did you notice that the Lord, through Ananias, instructed him to "come progressively to know His will [to perceive, to recognize more strongly and clearly, and to become better and more intimately acquainted with His will]"? Do you remember what Paul said that his "determined purpose" was? Look at Philippians 3:10a:

10 [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection    AMP

What should we see from this? Paul never allowed himself to forget or to forsake the very first instruction he had received as a believer! Do YOU remember the first instructions that YOU received from Him? Have you continued to be obedient to that calling and instruction? Make whatever adjustments are necessary to get yourself back on the perfect course that God has for you! Remember, true success is: "Being where God wants you to be, doing what God wants you to do"! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Age To Age":

You gave me hope
You made me whole
At the cross
You took my place
You showed me grace
At the cross
Where you died for me

Chorus:
And his glory appears
Like the light from the sun
Age to age He shines
Look to the skies
Hear the angels cry
Singing holy is the lord

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

My thoughts today have been on the awesome, unequaled, everlasting, powerful and undeserved (by me) love that God has for us! That's NOT just us born again ones either! Look at John 3:16-17 from the Amplified Bible:

16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him. AMP

He so greatly loved every person ever born into this world that He planned our salvation before He ever created us with a free-will, knowing we would eventually fall and require a Savior! What an awesome God we have! He so greatly loved, and still loves, YOU, that while you were still a sinner, He gave His Son for YOU! Romans 5:8:

8 But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us. AMP

Don't EVER let anyone talk you out of God's love for you! It is THE most powerful force in the universe! AND, He (Love Himself) lives in YOU, if you have received Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and personal Savior! If not, WHY not? Is there ANY reason you can't receive this incredible love right now? Pray this prayer:

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

NOW you need to get into a good local church so that you can get into God's Word and learn more of this wonderful God! Check out our website through the link at the left and let us know how we can help you find a church like ours in your area! In the meantime, be blessed by this song from Hillsong called "Love So High":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really love Bob Yandian's devotional "Morning Moments" for today! The title reads: God Has No Past-Time Help. It goes on to say: 

Believers who run drill presses, wait tables, or sit behind desks are as much in full time ministry as the pastor of a church or the evangelist who holds crusades around the world. The secret behind success in any ministry is not what office you stand in, but who put you there. Are you in Bible school because it seemed like a good idea at the time or did God direct you there? Are you an attorney because you can make a good living for your family or did God call you to the legal profession? It you are in God's will,, you can be as fulfilled, peaceful, and spiritually productive in a workshop as you would be in a pulpit ministry. 

Doesn't that just set you free? 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 show us that we are ALL called to the full time ministry! We just carry it out in different ways and at different venues! 

18 But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him]. 19 It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor). AMP

Be WHERE God wants you to be and do WHAT God wants you to do and you will be, of ALL people, MOST successful and fulfilled! Amen! Here is Hillsong with "Go", because THAT is what we all MUST do! 

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I love Psalm 47 because it tends to set the "we must be quiet and solemn in church" bunch on their ear! 

 ¹ O CLAP your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph and songs of joy!

 ² For the Lord Most High excites terror, awe, and dread; He is a great King over all the earth.

 ³ He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.

 ⁴ He chose our inheritance for us, the glory and pride of Jacob, whom He loves. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

 ⁵ God has ascended amid shouting, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.

 ⁶ Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

 ⁷ For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises in a skillful psalm and with understanding.

 ⁸ God reigns over the nations; God sits upon His holy throne.

 ⁹ The princes and nobles of the peoples are gathered together, a [united] people for the God of Abraham, for the shields of the earth belong to God; He is highly exalted.

The word "shout" here is the Hebrew word "ruwa`". It means: to split the ears with sound! It also means: to shout for alarm or joy; to raise a sound; to cry out; to shout a war-cry; to shout in applause. "Triumph" is the Hebrew word "rinnah". This means: a creaking or shrill sound; a ringing cry (in proclamation, joy, praise). We are expected by the One, True God to split the air around us with the sounds of praise because of the triumph of our God! Shout a war cry and see how it motivates other believers to step up their "game"! Amen! We shout and sing and praise because HE IS! AND because He is the rewarder of all those who will diligently seek HIM and HIS WILL above our own selfish desires! This is another "weapon of our warfare" (2 Corinthians 10:4)! Obey Psalm 47 today and liftYOUR voice in victorious and triumphant praise and watch and see what God will do OR YOU! Amen! Here is Hillsong with "This IS How We Overcome":

Shalom in Him!