Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers is an EXCELLENT exhortation concerning the importance of the Gospel and NOT of the person presenting it! 

The Miracle Of Belief

My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words. — 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

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Paul was a scholar and an orator of the first rank; he is not speaking out of abject humility; but saying that he would veil the power of God if, when he preached the gospel, he impressed people with his “excellency of speech.” Belief in Jesus is a miracle produced only by the efficacy of Redemption, not by impressiveness of speech, not by wooing and winning, but by the sheer unaided power of God. The creative power of the Redemption comes through the preaching of the Gospel, but never because of the personality of the preacher. The real fasting of the preacher is not from food, but rather from eloquence, from impressiveness and exquisite diction, from everything that might hinder the gospel of God being presented. The preacher is there as the representative of God — “as though God did beseech you by us.” He is there to present the Gospel of God. If it is only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never get anywhere near Jesus Christ. Anything that flatters me in my preaching of the Gospel will end in making me a traitor to Jesus; I prevent the creative power of His Redemption from doing its work.

“I, if I be lifted up…, will draw all men unto Me.”

AMEN! I know that some people have favorite ministers that they like to listen to, and there is nothing wrong with that. What every person MUST do, though, is check what's being said or taught. If it lines up with the Word of God, then put it into practice. If it does not, then set is aside and stick with the Word! You will never go wrong when you stick with the Word of God that you meditate on (Joshua 1:8)! Here is Hillsong with "Say The Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Jerry Savelle's devotional on his website is another great message for us to consider and to put into practice!

Do not fret or have anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, … continue to make your wants known to God. (Philippians 4:6 NKJV)

Did you know that it is impossible to worry, and at the same time to trust God? Worry is a form of unbelief; it causes us to doubt God’s love and His ability to come through for us when we need Him.

There are those who will say that everyone worries to some extent, but this is not true. There are many people who live worry free, choosing instead to put their trust in God.

Truth be told, you were not designed to carry the worries and cares of life yourself. Living worry free is a decision. You can choose to stop worrying and just enjoy God’s peace by establishing the following principles in your life:

1.    Isolate the specific worry you are dealing with, and repent of any unbelief

2.    Recall or discover what the Bible says about your situation or concern

3.    Reject worry by meditating on God’s character and His promises

4.    Choose to believe what the Bible says

5.    Thank God for being faithful to His Word

6.    Reject all temptation to again worry about your situation

When you apply these principles to every minor care or major concern, the Bible says, “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ” (Philippians 4:7 NKJV).

Begin today to enjoy the worry-free living God has made available for you through Jesus.

Confession: I choose to put my trust in God. Instead of worrying, I will pray and give Him praise today. Thank You, Lord, for Your peace that guards my heart and mind.

Why in the world would we spend time worrying (meditating on the lies of the enemy) when we CAN be rejoicing in the promises of God's Word, that are all beyond what we could ask or thing, dream or imagine? We will NOT worry! Amen! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Water To Wine":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really like today's "My Utmost For HIs Highest" by Oswald Chambers! It reminds me so much of our precious partners!

Romans 1:14

Paul was overwhelmed with the sense of his indebtedness to Jesus Christ, and he spent himself to express it. The great inspiration in Paul’s life was his view of Jesus Christ as his spiritual creditor. Do I feel that sense of indebtedness to Christ in regard to every unsaved soul? The spiritual honour of my life as a saint is to fulfil my debt to Christ in relation to them. Every bit of my life that is of value I owe to the Redemption of Jesus Christ; am I doing anything to enable Him to bring His Redemption into actual manifestation in other lives? I can only do it as the Spirit of God works in me this sense of indebtedness. I am not to be a superior person amongst men, but a bondslave of the Lord Jesus. “Ye are not your own.” Paul sold himself to Jesus Christ. He says — “I am a debtor to everyone on the face of the earth because of the Gospel of Jesus; I am free to be an absolute slave only.” That is the characteristic of the life when once this point of spiritual honour is realised. Quit praying about yourself and be spent for others as the bondslave of Jesus. That is the meaning of being made broken bread and poured-out wine in reality.

AMEN! Our partners, Jerry and Marilyn O'Dell shared the following statement with us concerning the preaching of the Gospel to the lost, most especially to those who have never heard! I agree 100%! 

"The REASON for the KNOWLEDGE, the [PURPOSE for the POWER and the PLAN for the PROSPERITY, is reaching the lost!"

This IS the genuine heart of Almighty God! HE wants that NONE should perish (end up in the hell of the Bible) (2 Peter 3:9)! Now that YOU know this, you can make the quality decision to put sharing the Gospel right up there as one of your top priorities! AMEN! We can NEVER go wrong when we agree with the Most High God! Let's make our Father rejoice and be proud as we go boldly into the world as carriers of HIS light and HIS life! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Life":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read Matthew 13 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today. Every time I read the Parable of the Sower I learn something new about the Word of God! That IS the subject of this parable. This same parable explained in Mark 4:14 says this:

14 The sower sows the Word.

The sower sows the Word! Notice all of the things that happen to the Word because of the condition of the different soils in which the Word is sowed. The very BEST soil is needed in order to have the very BEST harvest! When we prepare our hearts as good soil, and then diligently sow and consistently water  the Word, THEN we will have the greatest harvest of good and Godly things that are promised in the Word flow into our lives! I REALLY love this promise! But, that is not the new thing I learned from my meditation today! I received this as continued encouragement to keep doing this good thing. The new thing I learned is this: the Word needs good soil in order to grow properly. WEEDS do NOT! Have you ever noticed all of the weeds that will grow right up through the blacktop of a parking lot that isn't consistently kept up? Have you ever seen how fast weeds will come back in your garden if unattended? WEEDS do not need great soil, so be very aware of the 'seeds' that you sow into your life! It takes faith for the Word to grow, but it just takes neglect for weeds to completely take over! Faith filled Words will produce good things in our lives, but careless, sloppy words will "grow like weeds"! Let's learn to hate the weeds and love the SEEDS! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Say The Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we read Matthew 12 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. This portion contains a lesson that I believe is vital for the times in which we are living! Verses 3-8:

3 He said to them, Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, and those who accompanied him— 4 How he went into the house of God and ate the loaves of the showbread—which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for the men who accompanied him, but for the priests only? 5 Or have you never read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the sanctity of the Sabbath [breaking it] and yet are guiltless? 6 But I tell you, Something greater and more exalted and more majestic than the temple is here! 7 And if you had only known what this saying means, I desire mercy [readiness to help, to spare, to forgive] rather than sacrifice and sacrificial victims, you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord [even] of the Sabbath.

The disciples of Jesus had just been seen by the Pharisees grabbing some grain as they walked through the fields because they were hungry. This was the answer that Jesus gave to them. He was correcting them for their wrong thinking. THIS was still under the Old Covenant! These Pharisees were so consumed with the letter of the Law and appearances that they could not even recognize the Messiah Himself when He walked among them! With all of the evidence for Who He really was that followed Him and all that He did, they were blinded by their own conceit and self importance! The point that I want to make today is this. Jesus told them that they were condemning the guiltless, even when it looked to them that these disciples were breaking the Law. How much more do born again believers miss it today when they obsess over another believer's life, casting judgment and criticism on them because it "appears" as though they are doing something wrong? This is especially true when it comes to ministers of the Gospel. Notice what Jesus says above in verse 7:

 7 And if you had only known what this saying means, I desire mercy [readiness to help, to spare, to forgive] rather than sacrifice and sacrificial victims, you would not have condemned the guiltless.

I hope that YOU know what this means! This is a subject that I feel is important enough to address whenever it comes up because of the rampant use of social media to malign believers, and the results of passing judgment on another person, especially a minister of the Gospel! This is not something that any of us desire, for ourselves or anyone else! Galatians 6:7 says this:

7 Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap.

Add to this Romans 14:4 that speaks of judging another's servant, and 1 Chronicles 16:22; Psalm 105:15 that warns against touching God's anointed, and we have received fair warning that it will not bring pleasant results if we do this! What we SHOULD do is to pray, make sure that WE are doing what God has called US to do and leave the care of our brothers and sisters to our FATHER, Who is WELL able to control His own family! AMEN! Here is a song that I have grown to love by Hillsong UNITED called "Greatest Of These". One of the lines says this: "I won't waste my breath if it's not for love". Something we should ALL declare! AMEN! 

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

To I want to share again from Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food". This message is a simple, yet vitally important one for every born again believer to know!

Number One: Inward Witness

"He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself" (1 John 5:10). 

The way God confirms the most important thing that can ever happen to you, is also the way God leads His children: by the inward witness. 

The most important aspect of your life - becoming a child of God - is confirmed to you by God's Spirit bearing witness with your spirit, that you have been born again (Romans 8:16). This will help you understand that the number one way God leads His children is through the inward witness. 

That is almost always the way I am led. Yes, I've had revelations, and I've had God lead me in other ways, too. But most of the time, I am led by the inward witness. 

Confession: Confession: I am a child of God. I have been born again. I am born of the Spirit of God. God's Spirit bears witness with my spirit that I am a child of God. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. I am a child of God; therefore, the Spirit of God leads me. 

He is leading me now. I trust Him, the Greater One. He will rise up big in me. He will give illumination to my mind. He will give direction to my spirit, for I am a child of God. I am being led by the Spirit of God. And the Spirit of God leads me, first of all, through that wonderful inward witness. 

AMEN! Do NOT seek to be led and do NOT make decisions based on what any other person tells you, even a minister of the Gospel, UNLESS it confirms what the Spirit of God has already been saying to you by that inward witness! I have heard of people basing their important decisions on some "prophecy" or other. The only thing a prophetic word should do for us is to confirm the Word of God or what the Spirit of God has been saying to us. If you hear something you have never heard before, refuse to act until Holy Spirit Himself confirms it to you. THAT is a true leading and you can count on HIM! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Rain/Reign":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We have been going through Jonathan Cahn's "The Book Of Mysteries" for our Wednesday night services at The Spoken Word Church. We have learned so very much by hearing about the meanings of some of these Hebrew words! Today I want to share a portion of one of these lessons. From Day 216 entitled "Dodekha: The Divine Loves":

The Scriptures covered here are Psalm 63:3-6; Song of Solomon 1:2; Ephesians 3:18-19.

Psalm 63:3 Because Your loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. 4 So will I bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My whole being shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips 6 When I remember You upon my bed and meditate on You in the night watches.

Song of Solomon 1:2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! [she cries. Then, realizing that Solomon has arrived and has heard her speech, she turns to him and adds] For your love is better than wine!

Ephesians 3:18 That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; 19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!

Speaking of the verse from the Song of Solomon:

"Yes, and something more than that. Behind the translation is a revelation one can only find in the original language. The Hebrew reads this way: Kee tovim dodekha me yayin. It is translated as 'Your love is better than wine.' But in the original language, the bride says, 'Your dodekha is better than wine."

"And what does dodekha mean?"

"Not 'your love.' Dodekha means your loves ... 'Your loves are better than wine.' What does that reveal?"

"The love of God is not just the love of God ... but the loves of God."

"Dodekha means that God loves you so much that it can't even be described or contained without breaking out of the language. It means that the word love cannot adequately express it. It means that God doesn't just have love for you, but many loves. When you need His mercy, He loves you with a merciful love. When you need His strength, He loves you with an encouraging love. When you've been wounded, He loves you with a tender love. When you need the love of a friend, He loves you as a friend. When you need to be lifted up in His arms, He loves you with the compassion of a loving Father. His love for you is many. He loves you today, not with yesterday's love, but with a love for today, a love that is new every morning. Therefore, you must seek not only to know the love of God, but to know the loves of God. You can never rest on knowing yesterday's love or the love you have known before. You must seek each day to know the loves He has for you, the new love, the fresh love, the surprising love, the never-ending love. It is that love, His love, that is better, much better, than any earthly joy ... for His loves are better than wine."

The Mission: Seek this day to know not only the love but the loves of God - the always new and never-ending loves of your Beloved for you.

Do you see how powerful that is? There are more than 365 of these lessons! I highly recommend this book for your personal study or for group study! As you meditate on the many wonderful LOVES of our God of LOVES, here is Hillsong Worship with "Love So Great":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share again from Andrew Womack's daily devotional!

OUR LOVING FATHER

Luke 11:11 - "If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?"

The most loving Father in the world cannot compare to our heavenly Father and the love He has for us. And yet, many times, we find it easier to believe in the willingness of a father or mother or mate to help us than in the willingness of God to use His power on our behalf. Relatively few people really doubt God's ability, but rather, it is our doubt of His willingness to use His ability on our behalf that causes most people to do without. Jesus is assuring us that God's love, and His willingness to demonstrate that love, is far greater than we can ever experience in any human relationship.

The Lord didn't just save us out of pity or a sense of obligation as our Creator. He saved us because He loved us (John 3:16). It was the "good pleasure of his will" for us to become adopted sons (Ephesians 1:5). We are wanted and accepted by our Father! What a wonderful thing this is! It would have been more than any of us deserve to be forgiven by God. Then to be given certain rights and privileges would have been more than we could have expected. But the Lord went further than that. He has actually accepted us.

The dictionary defines "accept" as "1. to receive gladly; 2. to receive into a place or a group" (New American Heritage Dictionary). The Lord does not just tolerate us; He actually loves us. He even likes us. He rejoices over us with joy (Zephaniah 3:17).

AMEN! HALLELUJAH! I hope that this message will set you free when you realize how very much your heavenly Father LOVES you, how much JESUS loves you and how very special you are to Holy Spirit, also! Our God has already declared the wonderful things that HE has desired for us! John 10:10:

10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

AMEN! That is HOW very much HE wants YOU to enjoy the wonderful life that He has in store for you! Get ready!!! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Splinters and Stones":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read Psalm 8 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today! There is a LOT of good things to talk about in this Psalm! e will only touch on a couple today! Here is the entire Psalm:

To the Chief Musician; set to a Philistine lute, or [possibly] to a particular Hittite tune. A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory on [or above] the heavens. 2 Out of the mouths of babes and unweaned infants You have established strength because of Your foes, that You might silence the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established, 4 What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him? 5 Yet You have made him but a little lower than God, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet: 7 All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field, 8 The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth!

The first thing that really stands out to me in this Psalm today is that it both begins and ends with the same declaration that our God is: excellent, majestic and glorious! Even more than that, it says Oh LORD, (Yehovah - the Eternal Self-existing One. The Covenant Name of God) our Lord (Adown - our Sovereign, Master, Ruler, King)! He IS the LORD of all the earth and WE have the choice of allowing Him to BE the master of our lives, or we can choose to ignore His free Gift and be on our own! THAT decision is bad enough in THIS life, but it is the worst possible decision that we can make for our eternity! Let's rejoice in His great love and allow our God to BE God in every area of our life! AMEN! 

The second point I want to make is found in verses 3-8! The psalmist is in awe of all that creation reveals about the One, True God! Then he remarks on the extraordinary way that God looks at mankind! He made us to be just a little lower than HIMSELF! HE is God and then we, after being restored to our proper place with the New Birth, are next in the line of authority and honor! EVERYTHING else comes AFTER mankind and WE are to have dominion over the rest of creation! We are to treat all of God's creation with the proper respect, but NOT treat them as we would another human being! If YOU have put animals before people in honor in your life, then you need to pray about what adjustments God would have you to make! If you believe that 'preserving' nature is more important to God than using all of the resources of earth to provide for HIS #1 priority, His people, then YOU need to pray and ask God what adjustments He would have YOU to make! When we have the proper order in our life, then we are free to enjoy every good blessing that God has given us! Don't take your direction on this from another person, even a minister of the Gospel. You can always find someone who will agree with your own viewpoint, but there is only ONE Whose opinion matters at all! Get your leading, guidance and direction from the ONE Who is the Giver of every good thing! HE can be trusted to ALWAYS lead you TRUE! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "So Will I":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I want to share something from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today! Matthew 7:1-5:

7 Do not judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves. 2 For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you. 3 Why do you stare from without at the very small particle that is in your brother’s eye but do not become aware of and consider the beam of timber that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, Let me get the tiny particle out of your eye, when there is the beam of timber in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first get the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the tiny particle out of your brother’s eye.

These verses couldn't be made any clearer than this from the Amplified Bible! Yet so many people have argued with me, some very nastily, when I share this as answer to their sometimes very vicious criticism of another believer. Many times their criticism has been aimed at certain ministers of the Gospel. I am sure that most of you have heard some of the same. When I have shared these verses, many of those who have given themselves license to criticize and condemn have accused me of misrepresenting Scripture. To them I say: Here is it folks! Now YOU answer to the LORD for these verses and what YOU think that He means by them! Personally, I think the meaning, and the WARNING is very clear! How do I know that? Look at this from Galatians 6:7:

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked [He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed, nor treated with contempt nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside]; for whatever a man sows, this and this only is what he will reap.

IF we sow criticism into the life of another, especially another born again child of the Living God, the we are going to reap exactly what we have sown! Would you like to see something even clearer? The original Amplified Bible says this:

7 Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap.

THAT, and ONLY that! Meaning that whatever good seed we may have sown otherwise will not be able to stop the harvest that comes from the bad seed sown! What to do? Do exactly what JESUS told Peter to do when he questioned JESUS about John in John 21:20-22:

20 But Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved, following—the one who also had leaned back on His breast at the supper and had said, Lord, who is it that is going to betray You? 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, Lord, what about this man? 22 Jesus said to him, If I want him to stay (survive, live) until I come, what is that to you? [What concern is it of yours?] You follow Me!

I LOVE this! JESUS asked "What concern is it of yours?" In MY paraphrase, JESUS said "MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!" I hope that YOU will take this to heart and do what we are ACTUALLY supposed to do when we believe that someone is missing it! Galatians 6:1:

1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any sin, you who are spiritual [that is, you who are responsive to the guidance of the Spirit] are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness [not with a sense of superiority or self-righteousness], keeping a watchful eye on yourself, so that you are not tempted as well.

For MOST of those I am speaking of, they do NOT qualify! How do I know this? First of all, by speaking out publicly criticizing and condemning, they have revealed the TRUTH that they are NOT the "spiritual" ones! Secondly, they do not know the people they are railing against in any personal way that would give them access to be able to DO this. What should these people do? They should PRAY! Cast the care over on the LORD, Who is WELL ABLE to take care of correcting His own! After that: MOYB! I'm sure that you can figure that one out! Be about your Father's business, and allow your Father to be about HIS own! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Splinters and Stones":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

All Noble Things Are Difficult

Enter ye in at the strait gate…: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way…. — Matthew 7:13-14

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If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all noble things are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but the difficulty of it does not make us faint and cave in, it rouses us up to overcome. Do we so appreciate the marvellous salvation of Jesus Christ that we are our utmost for His highest?

God saves men by His sovereign grace through the Atonement of Jesus; He works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure; but we have to work out that salvation in practical living. If once we start on the basis of His Redemption to do what He commands, we find that we can do it. If we fail, it is because we have not practised. The crisis will reveal whether we have been practising or not. If we obey the Spirit of God and practise in our physical life what God has put in us by His Spirit, then when the crisis comes, we shall find that our own nature as well as the grace of God will stand by us.

Thank God He does give us difficult things to do! His salvation is a glad thing, but it is also a heroic, holy thing. It tests us for all we are worth. Jesus is bringing many “sons unto glory,” and God will not shield us from the requirements of a son. God’s grace turns out men and women with a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, not milk sops. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the noble life of a disciple of Jesus in actual things. It is always necessary to make an effort to be noble.

I LOVE that God is making us STRONG - IN HIM - and not 'milksops'!  a milksop is: a weak or ineffectual person. God did NOT make us to be one such as that! HE causes us to be able to all things, through Himself! Look at Philippians 4:13:

13 I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].

You and I must begin to SEE ourselves accomplishing the dreams and goals that GOD has put in our hearts because WE love HIM and delight in Him! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Life":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

FREELY RECEIVE WHAT GOD FREELY GIVES

Romans 4:13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

God promised that you would be the heir of the world. It is the same promise that He made to Abraham. And because you are Christ’s, you are Abraham’s seed and an heir “according to the promise”. (Galatians 3:29)

When God made this promise to you, He made it so easy for you to receive—“through the righteousness of faith”. All you have to do is believe that as the heir of the world every blessing is righteously yours because Jesus died to give them to you. He also rose from the dead to enforce them in your life.

So don’t try to earn your blessings “through the law”—through your efforts or performance. Freely receive what God freely gives to you through Christ and His finished work at the cross.

When a church member was retrenched at 41 years of age, he refused to fret or think that he had to jostle with the rest of the people in the job market. Instead, he believed that by God’s grace, he would get a better job with a higher pay. Indeed, through a mutual acquaintance, a new job came along with a pay packet that was 60 per cent more than his previous one!

Another man was experiencing a strained relationship with his wife to the point that divorce was imminent. When he started attending our church, he realized that a happy marriage could be his, not by his trying to keep the marriage going or earning the love of his wife, but by believing that although he could see his own weaknesses, he was still the righteousness of God in Christ because of the blood of Jesus. Today, he and his wife are reconciled, and enjoying a blessed marriage.

Don’t let the devil disqualify you by bringing you the law and saying, “How can you receive this blessing when just last night, you broke God’s law?” or “Are you sure you deserve this?” Instead, say, “Father, I thank You that I receive everything freely by Your grace, Your unmerited favor in my life, because of the blood of Jesus!”

Thought For The Day: Freely receive what God freely gives to you through Christ and His finished work at the cross.

I LOVE this!  So many times people of faith, born again believers who know that we are to live by faith and not by sight, will begin in faith, but then they gradually begin to try to "move" God by their actions, instead of REALLY knowing who they are - IN HIM - and trusting His Word as their final authority! That is why we must LIVE in the Word and allow the Word to LIVE in us! John 15:7 tells us this:

7 If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.

 1 John 5:14-15 tells us this:

14 And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. 15 And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.

His Word IS His will! His Word tell us that we are heirs of God and joint (EQUAL) heirs with JESUS Himself (Romans 8:16-17)! Every promise in the Word belongs to the born again child of the Living God, but ONLY those who will dare to believe and expect will ever receive! So, work on your believing by living in the Word! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Your Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share parts of three different things I have used in my study and meditation. First of all, from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today, I read this in Matthew 4:1:

 1 Then Jesus was led (guided) by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness (desert) to be tempted (tested and tried) by the devil.

This occurred right after Jesus was baptized by John and received the infilling of Holy Spirit. He was "endued with power from on high"! You must remember that when JESUS was on the earth, He only ever operated as a man! He set aside His glory as God (though He never stopped BEING God, He never operated as God) when He was born as a human baby. He had to grow up, mature and learn! He was endued with the same Anointing of power at His baptism that was only found, in the Old Testament, upon the prophets, priests and kings. The HUGE difference was that He was born without sin, so that this Anointing could reside IN and UPON Him! (Just as it can and does with every born again, Spirit-filled believer today!). The verse above tells us that JESUS was led by Holy Spirit when He left and went, alone, into the wilderness. He was there for 40 days and endured temptation from the devil. He withstood this temptation with the Word of God and the help of Holy Spirit! WE must learn to withstand temptation in the same way! In order to do this, we must be IN the Word of God and have the Word of God IN us! Then we must BE being filled with Holy Spirit at all times and rely on Him to bring the proper Word at the proper time to deal with the devil and his tricks, strategies, schemes and plots! This brings up another thing that I read from "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. — Psalm 37:5

Don’t calculate without God. 

God seems to have a delightful way of upsetting the things we have calculated on without taking Him into account. We get into circumstances which were not chosen by God, and suddenly we find we have been calculating without God; He has not entered in as a living factor. The one thing that keeps us from the possibility of worrying is bringing God in as the greatest factor in all our calculations.

We should NEVER make decisions, especially major decisions, without FIRST OF ALL spending time in the secret place of His presence! Being continually and consistently led by Holy Spirit will cause us to be able to avoid the pitfalls of the enemy! Remember, TRUE success is being where God wants you to be, doing what God wants you to do! You HAVE the greater ONE living IN you! There is never a good reason to not check in with Him and then be led forth with the peace and joy that can only come from His presence! AMEN! The last thing I want to share comes from "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin:

Led by the Spirit

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Romans 8:14).

 The sons of God can expect to be led by the Spirit of God. Believers can expect to be led, or guided, by the Holy Spirit. Jesus, referring to the time when the Holy Spirit would come, said, "He will guide you." So we don't have to look to man for guidance - that's unscriptural. All of God's children have the Spirit of God within and can expect to be guided by Him. 

In February 1959, Jesus appeared to me in an open vision. I heard His footsteps coming into my hospital room. He sat on a chair by my bed and talked to me for an hour and a half about the ministry of a prophet. One of the things He said was, "The prophet's ministry is not set in the Church to guide members and tell them what to do. Under the Old Covenant, people would go to the prophet to seek advice, or direction, or guidance, because he had the Spirit of God and they didn't. No one under the Old Covenant, except the king, the priest, and the prophet, had the Holy Spirit upon them. The people knew nothing about the Spirit's leading. But under the New Covenant it does not say, 'As many as are led by the prophets, they are the sons of God.' It says, 'As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.'"

 Confession: I am a child of God. I can expect to be led by the Spirit of God. He is leading me now.

AMEN! Begin to spend extra time in HIS presence so that HE can lead you in every step on your life! The more that we practice His presence and do His will, the more that it will become so much a part of us that it CAN become just like breathing! We CAN be so aware of His presence that we are carrying on internal conversations with Him all the time. THIS is the only way to move forward in complete confidence that HE has your back! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Not Today":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers is going to be a hard one for some of us to hear! Before you read this, prepare yourself to accept the instruction, no, the COMMAND, given by the Lord our God, trusting in HIM for the ability to do so! 

One Of God’s Great Don’ts

Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil doing. — Psalm 37:8 

•  

Fretting means getting out at elbows mentally or spiritually. It is one thing to say “Fret not,” but a very different thing to have such a disposition that you find yourself able not to fret. It sounds so easy to talk about resting in the Lord and waiting patiently for Him, until the nest is upset — until we live, as so many are doing, in tumult and anguish, is it possible then to rest in the Lord? If this “don’t” does not work there, it will work nowhere. This “don’t” must work in days of perplexity as well as in days of peace, or it never will work. And if it will not work in your particular case, it will not work in anyone else’s case. Resting in the Lord does not depend on external circumstances at all, but on your relationship to God Himself.

Fussing always ends in sin. We imagine that a little anxiety and worry are an indication of how really wise we are; it is much more an indication of how really wicked we are. Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way. Our Lord never worried and He was never anxious, because He was not “out” to realise His own ideas; He was “out” to realise God’s ideas. Fretting is wicked if you are a child of God.

Have you been bolstering up that stupid soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God? Put all “supposing” on one side and dwell in the shadow of the Almighty. Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about that thing. All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.

OUCH! Did anyone else find an area or two where YOU may be lacking in the "fret not" department? I did! I repented (changed MY thinking to agree with God) and received the forgiveness that is always present for me, because of the precious Blood of JESUS! Now I am resting in HIM to show me how to accomplish this, as I meditate on the Word of God! Establish for yourself, once and for all, that every command from God is for the purpose of HIM being able to get blessings TO us, and for US to be in position to receive! it is ALWAYS and EVER motivated by Hisd great LOVE for us! Now GO! Get YOUR life in order so you can begin to walk in the FULLNESS (John 10:10 AMP)! Here is Hillsong UNITED again with "Shadow Step"! (Because we are dwelling in the shadow of the ALMIGHTY! AMEN!)

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Grace Inspirations" by Joseph Prince says something that we have heard at The Spoken Word Church from the very beginning (35 years), but in a little different way! 

SEEK GOD’S KINGDOM AND HE WILL SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS

Romans 14:17 …the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Are you troubled by many things today? For example, are you concerned about your rebellious teenager? Perhaps you see him as your problem, so you do your best to discipline him, only to end up with a heart full of worries and pain. And he is no better!

God says to you, “Don’t focus on controlling your rebellious teenager. Instead, seek first My kingdom, which is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Be conscious of the righteousness you have as a gift from My Son. Keep your inner man flowing with My peace and joy, and I will take care of your child.”

We tend to think that the people around us are the problem. When we don’t get the promotion we want, we blame our bosses and colleagues. When we lose our temper, we blame our wives and kids. However, God wants us to stop looking outside and to start looking within because His kingdom is within us. (Luke 17:21)

The abundance of the kingdom of God is already inside you. As you seek first God’s kingdom, and follow His righteousness, peace and joy, the abundance within you will flow out and become a reality in your circumstances. (Matthew 6:33) You will find that God has not only taken care of what is troubling you, but has also added blessings to you, be it a promotion, well-behaved kids or a loving wife.

“But Pastor Prince, how do I keep my inner man flowing with righteousness, peace and joy?”

Be conscious of your righteousness in Christ. Don’t be conscious of your sins and problems. Listen to anointed sermons that remind you of how righteous you are because of the perfect sacrifice of Christ. Peace and joy flow when you know that all your sins have been forgiven because of Jesus’ finished work.

So the next time something troubles you, don’t focus on correcting the problem. Instead, seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness. Make it a priority to have your inner man flowing with His peace and joy, and He will take care of that problem for you!

Thought For The Day  Have your inner man flowing with God’s peace and joy, and He will take care of that problem for you.

Though we may say it in a different way, the message is still the same! We MUST feed on the Word of God on a regular basis, because it IS our vital food! When we do this, then Holy Spirit, Who lives IN us, has something to work with! He will cause that Word to rise up in us and cause the understanding to come, so that we can KNOW the Word and then DO the Word! Check today to see what adjustments may be necessary in order for YOU to make your days to be filled with peace and joy and the knowledge and understanding of His Word! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Behold (Then Sings My Soul)":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I LOVE today's "Faith To Faith" devotional by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland!

Be Unreasonably Committed

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. Proverbs 4:7-9

If you really want to get the wisdom of God, you'll have to do more than casually read the Scriptures a few minutes a day. You'll have to feed on them night and day. You'll have to get rid of the rubbish you've been feeding into your consciousness by reprogramming your mind with the Word of God.

"Oh, Brother Copeland," you may say, "that's unreasonable!"

Yes it is. But consider this: A music major in college practices for hours every day. Olympic skaters spend six to eight hours a day training for their routines. They do it because they're unreasonably committed to their goals.

The same is true for you. If you're going to achieve the kind of spiritual excellence you're hungry for, you're going to have to be unreasonably committed to the Word of God.

That may well mean that you'll have to carry a tape player around with you everywhere you go. It may mean that you'll have your razor in one hand and your tape player in the other or a tape player in one hand and a fork in the other.

Do whatever it takes to totally saturate yourself with the Word of God. I would speak to you no differently if I were your commanding officer about to send you into combat against the best trained elite troops of a savage enemy.

You are God's frontline assault force. You have an enemy who is doing his dead-level best to destroy you. In this crucial, all-out, no-holds-barred offensive, Satan will dispatch hell's choicest personnel to bring you down. If you're going to make it through in victory, you're going to have to put yourself in training.

Be unreasonably committed. Get wisdom.

This IS the answer, and the ONLY way to get the Word of  God inside of us to the extent that is needful in order to walk in the fullness of our glorious New Covenant! There are no limits to how much we can get to know Him, except what we put on ourselves! Let's take stock of what fills our life and our time right now, and then make whatever adjustments are necessary to DO THIS! AMEN! It IS my 'determined purpose' to know Him MORE (Philippians 3:10 AMP)! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Your Word":

Shalom in Him!