Shalom,

Another day in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan, another Word of strong encouragement for every Constitutional Conservative Christian American! Psalm 63:

A Psalm of David; when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.

1 O God, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You; my inner self thirsts for You, my flesh longs and is faint for You, in a dry and weary land where no water is. 2 So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary to see Your power and Your glory. 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. 7 For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings will I rejoice. 8 My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me. 9 But those who seek and demand my life to ruin and destroy it shall [themselves be destroyed and] go into the lower parts of the earth [into the underworld of the dead]. 10 They shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a prey for foxes and jackals. 11 But the king shall rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him [that is, who binds himself by God’s authority, acknowledging His supremacy, and devoting himself to His glory and service alone; every such one] shall glory, for the mouths of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

HALLELUJAH! OUR GOD REIGNS SUPREME! Here is Hillsong with "Like Incense (Sometimes By Step)":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

His Commission to Us

Feed My sheep. —John 21:17

This is love in the making. The love of God is not created— it is His nature. When we receive the life of Christ through the Holy Spirit, He unites us with God so that His love is demonstrated in us. The goal of the indwelling Holy Spirit is not just to unite us with God, but to do it in such a way that we will be one with the Father in exactly the same way Jesus was. And what kind of oneness did Jesus Christ have with the Father? He had such a oneness with the Father that He was obedient when His Father sent Him down here to be poured out for us. And He says to us, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21).

Peter now realizes that he does love Him, due to the revelation that came with the Lord’s piercing question. The Lord’s next point is— “Pour yourself out. Don’t testify about how much you love Me and don’t talk about the wonderful revelation you have had, just ‘Feed My sheep.’ ” Jesus has some extraordinarily peculiar sheep: some that are unkempt and dirty, some that are awkward or pushy, and some that have gone astray! But it is impossible to exhaust God’s love, and it is impossible to exhaust my love if it flows from the Spirit of God within me. The love of God pays no attention to my prejudices caused by my natural individuality. If I love my Lord, I have no business being guided by natural emotions— I have to feed His sheep. We will not be delivered or released from His commission to us. Beware of counterfeiting the love of God by following your own natural human emotions, sympathies, or understandings. That will only serve to revile and abuse the true love of God.

AMEN! Our GOD is the GOD of GRACE and MERCY! His LOVE is unconditional and everlasting, BUT, WE can CHOOSE to not accept and receive HIS tremendous GIFT of LOVE by rejecting JESUS as our LORD and personal SAVIOUR! I hope that YOU will NOT be one of those! BELIEVE and RECEIVE HIM and HIS LOVE today! HE is waiting on YOU! Here is Hillsong with "The Love of God Can Do":

He can make a way where there isn't a way That's what the love of God can do Everything can start new everyday That's what the love of God can do And the whole world changed when love stepped in That's what the love of God can do Hearts to save and a world to win That's what the love of God can do Love flies higher walks through fire Doesn't change from day to day If it's really love it just won't give up Love will never pass away Love is patient love is kind If someone else wins love doesn't mind Love believes and love forgives And God is the start of all of this

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share again from Joseph Prince's "Grace Ispirations", his Daily Grace devotional from his website!

See What God Sees

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2

Learning to see what God sees is a powerful key in right believing. It involves replacing your wrong beliefs with right beliefs based on God’s Word.

When Jesus saw the man with the withered hand, He didn’t just see the withered hand, He saw that there was more than enough grace for that hand to be made completely whole. Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” The man did as told, and his hand was completely restored and made as whole as his other hand (Mark 3:1–5).

Now, you don’t say “stretch out your hand” to someone whose hand is obviously shriveled and disabled unless you see differently. Jesus sees differently from you and me.

That’s why we need to go back to God’s Word and learn to see what He sees. When Jesus sees a disease, a lack, or someone trapped in fear, guilt, addiction, and sin, He doesn’t just see the problem. He sees God’s healing, grace, and power super-abounding in that area of weakness.

You too can change what you believe by seeing beyond what your natural eyes see. Press in to see what God sees. In your very area of lack, struggle, or challenge, see His superabounding grace all around your current situation.

Jesus says to you today, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Give all your weaknesses, failings, and mistakes to the Lord Jesus and see Him transform your weaknesses into strengths.

What you believe is powerful, so are you going by what you see or what God sees?

You may not be able to stop negative thoughts from passing through your mind or unhealthy emotions such as fear gripping your heart but you can definitely anchor your thoughts and emotions on the unshakable Word of God. You can certainly ensure that you believe right regarding what God says about you in His Word, which contains His precious promises to you.

The more you learn and believe right about His love and what His Word says about your situation and your life, the more your thoughts will line up with His thoughts about you. You’ll begin to develop thoughts of peace and not of evil, thoughts of hope and a bright future (Jeremiah 29:11). And you’ll be transformed!

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Who You Say I Am":

Shalom in Him!

 Shalom,

Before we get started today, I have a WORD of encouragement for all of GOD'S people! Psalm 60:11-12:

11 O give us help against the adversary, for vain (ineffectual and to no purpose) is the help or salvation of man. 12 Through God we shall do valiantly, for He it is Who shall tread down our adversaries.

AMEN! OUR GOD will NEVER fail! The enemy may APPEAR to be winning, BUIT HE WILL NOT! he IS an already defeated foe and he will NEVER win out against the people of the GOD of the BIBLE! NEVER! Our GOD is about to do something in this time what will leave absolutely NO DOUBT that our God IS GOD and there IS no other! AMEN! Now here is Jerry Savelle's devotional:

BECOME STRONG-WILLED

Romans 5:17 says, “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.”

If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord, then you are the righteousness of God. Because of this, you have a right to reign in life. For many Christians, life is reigning over them because they have not had their minds renewed to God’s Word. When adversity comes, they don’t have the will to win, simply because they don’t know that they have a right to win.

Christians who know their rights in Christ are strong willed people. They are as Paul described in his writings: “having done all to stand (they) stand therefore.” Some Christians still have a tendency to think that they are unworthy and no good. They desperately need to hear the truth about becoming established in righteousness.

Some Christians still think that God wants them to be sick and diseased. They, too, need to have their minds renewed to God’s Word. When symptoms come, they do not have the will to resist them because they think that God is the one who sent them. God is the Healer! People who don’t know the Word are people without restraint when pressure comes.

You should know that sickness and disease are not from God. You should know that they are of Satan. You should become so established in the Word that nobody can convince you that God is the one who puts sickness and disease on you.

Just as you need to become established in God’s will for your health, you need to be established in how to overcome the trials and temptations that Satan will bring against you. As a Christian, you need to face up to the fact that you are still in the world, even though you are not of the world. Therefore, because Satan is in the world, he has the ability to contact you from time to time.

You do not have to be defeated or destroyed by those contacts. By acting on the Word, you can come through every problem unshaken.

If the Bible says that you can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens you and that you are more than a conqueror, then I ask you, what can Satan possibly do to defeat you?

Absolutely nothing!

AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Oceans":

Shalom in Him!

 Shalom,

Again today our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan covers exactly what is happening in our world by our enemy and his minions! Psalm 59:1-5, 6-7:

To the Chief Musician; [set to the tune of] “Do Not Destroy.” Of David, a record of memorable thoughts when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.

¹ Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; defend and protect me from those who rise up against me. ² Deliver me from and lift me above those who work evil and save me from bloodthirsty men. ³ For, behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce and mighty men are banding together against me, not for my transgression nor for any sin of mine, O Lord. ⁴ They run and prepare themselves, though there is no fault in me; rouse Yourself [O Lord] to meet and help me, and see! ⁶ They return at evening, they howl and snarl like dogs, and go [prowling] about the city. ⁷ Behold, they belch out [insults] with their mouths; swords [of sarcasm, ridicule, slander, and lies] are in their lips, for who, they think, hears us?

THIS is what we have to deal with, BUT, our GOD has HIs response to it all! Verses 8-10:

8 But You, O Lord, will laugh at them [in scorn]; You will hold all the nations in derision. 9 O my Strength, I will watch and give heed to You and sing praises; for God is my Defense (my Protector and High Tower). 10 My God in His mercy and steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look [triumphantly] on my enemies (those who lie in wait for me).

And then more of our response in verses 16-17:

16 But I will sing of Your mighty strength and power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy and loving-kindness in the morning; for You have been to me a defense (a fortress and a high tower) and a refuge in the day of my distress. 17 Unto You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my Defense, my Fortress, and High Tower, the God Who shows me mercy and steadfast love.

HALLELUJAH! NEVER underestimate the PERFECT timing of our GOD! HE said in Romans 12;19:

19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [God’s] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

AND HE WILL! In the meantime, WE must be about our Father's business of seeking and saving the lost! BE the LIGHT in your world and allow HIM to draw people to Himself through YOU! Here is Hillsong with "No Reason To Hide":

Shalom in Him!

 Shalom

Today I want to share from "My Utmost For his Higest" by Oswald Chambers. This message is so very important to our receiving all that our Father desires for us to have and walk in! 

The Impoverished Ministry of Jesus

Where then do You get that living water? —John 4:11

“The well is deep” — and even a great deal deeper than the Samaritan woman knew! (John 4:11). Think of the depths of human nature and human life; think of the depth of the “wells” in you. Have you been limiting, or impoverishing, the ministry of Jesus to the point that He is unable to work in your life? Suppose that you have a deep “well” of hurt and trouble inside your heart, and Jesus comes and says to you, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:1). Would your response be to shrug your shoulders and say, “But, Lord, the well is too deep, and even You can’t draw up quietness and comfort out of it.” Actually, that is correct. Jesus doesn’t bring anything up from the wells of human nature— He brings them down from above. We limit the Holy One of Israel by remembering only what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past, and also by saying, “Of course, I cannot expect God to do this particular thing.” The thing that approaches the very limits of His power is the very thing we as disciples of Jesus ought to believe He will do. We impoverish and weaken His ministry in us the moment we forget He is almighty. The impoverishment is in us, not in Him. We will come to Jesus for Him to be our comforter or our sympathizer, but we refrain from approaching Him as our Almighty God.

The reason some of us are such poor examples of Christianity is that we have failed to recognize that Christ is almighty. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment or surrender to Jesus Christ. When we get into difficult circumstances, we impoverish His ministry by saying, “Of course, He can’t do anything about this.” We struggle to reach the bottom of our own well, trying to get water for ourselves. Beware of sitting back, and saying, “It can’t be done.” You will know it can be done if you will look to Jesus. The well of your incompleteness runs deep, but make the effort to look away from yourself and to look toward Him.

Did you even realize that YOU and I can limit our GOD with our own limited expectations? We MUST find out more about HIM from HIS WORD in order to expand our understanding of just how very GREAT HE IS! THEN we can truly ask in faith and RECEIVE in faith! Here is Hillsong with "God Is Able":

Shalom in Him!

 Shalom,

Today i want to share again from Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "Faith To Faith" devotional.

His Extravagant Love

And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Deuteronomy 28:2

Some people have very low expectations of what God will provide for them materially. They trust Him to feed and clothe them, but they don't trust Him to feed and clothe them very well!

Somehow they've gotten the idea that God's an old miser who will do little more than put rags on their backs and beans on their tables. But that's not what Jesus told us. He said in Matthew 6 that God would clothe us better than He clothed Solomon. That one statement alone proves that God wants to do more than just meet our basic needs. He wants to bless us abundantly. I know that from personal experience.

A few years ago I came home and found two expensive automobiles parked in my driveway. They'd been given to me to use by men who'd been blessed by the Lord through my ministry.

I was baffled. "Lord," I said, "I didn't need these cars. I hadn't asked You for them, and I wasn't believing for them. What are they doing here?"

Then the Lord spoke up on the inside of me. Have you ever read the scripture in Deuteronomy that says blessings shall come on and overtake those who hearken to My voice?

"Yes," I answered.

Well, son, He said, you've just been overtaken.

Am I saying God gave me those expensive cars just so I could enjoy them? Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying.

First Timothy 6:17 says, "[He] gives us richly all things to enjoy." God is a loving Father. He gets great pleasure from blessing His children. He's extravagant where we're concerned. But don't let that worry you. He can afford it.

Once you truly believe that and begin to hearken to His voice, it won't be long before His blessings will be overtaking you.

AMEN! Our GOD is ALWAYS more than enough! EVERYTHING about Him is EXTRAVAGANT towards us! There IS no greater LOVE than HIS for US! Learn to BELIEVE and RECEIVE all that HE has planned, promised and provided for YOU! Here is Hillsong with "Our God Is Love":

Verse 1 

Every soul every beating heart 

Every nation and every tongue 

Come find hope in the love of the Father 

All creation will bow as one 

Lift their eyes see the risen Son 

Jesus Saviour forever and after 

Chorus 

This is love 

Jesus came and died And gave His life for us

 Let our voices rise And sing for all He’s done

 Our fear is overcome 

Our God is love Our God is love 

Verse 2

 Every distant and broken heart 

Every prayer every outstretched arm 

Finding hope in the love of the Father 

Age to age let His praises rise

 All the glory for all of time 

Jesus Saviour forever and after

 Bridge 

Age to age We will be singing 

In the light of all He’s done 

All the earth everyone singing 

In the wonder of His love

Shalom in Him!

 Shalom,

Today I want to encourage you with THIS from Joseph Prince's "Grace Inspirations" devotional! 

God Can Turn Your Evil Day into Good Days

Rest from their enemies . . . sorrow to joy . . . mourning to a holiday. Esther 9:22

Today, many Jews still celebrate the feast of Purim. The name Purim is derived from “the lot” which a Gentile, Haman, cast concerning the fate of the Jews when they were in Persia under King Ahasuerus.

Haman, the villain in this story in the book of Esther, hated the Jews and sought to exterminate them. He got King Ahasuerus to allow him to issue a decree to annihilate all the Jews in one day—the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of Adar. But God used Queen Esther and her uncle Mordecai, both Jews, to turn the tables on Haman and save the Jews.

Haman was hanged on the very gallows that he had constructed for Mordecai! Then, the king allowed Queen Esther and Mordecai to issue a counter-decree to allow all the Jews to defend themselves and destroy their enemies in one day—the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of Adar!

So instead of the Jews being exterminated on that fateful day, their enemies were destroyed! God turned an evil day for the Jews into good days. He turned their mourning into rejoicing and gave them victory over their enemies.

My friend, God can do the same for you today. He only wants you to remain in your position of rest in Christ. You see, because of Jesus’ finished work at the cross, you are seated in heavenly places in Christ, far above every principality and evil assault the devil can throw at you (Ephesians 2:6).

Just as Mordecai sat within the king’s gate and refused to stand up and bow to Haman, let’s not “bow” to the devil by being persuaded to move from our position of rest in Christ. Don’t allow him to get you worried, frantic, and doing things to save yourself.

Queen Esther was also in a position of rest before Haman was executed (Esther 7). She was seated on a couch as Haman pleaded with her for his life. While doing so, he accidentally fell over the couch where the queen was. The king, thinking that Haman was assaulting his queen, sent him to the gallows!

Beloved, remain at rest in Christ’s finished work, and He will turn your evil day into days of rejoicing and feasting!

AMEN! THIS is an excellent picture of what has been going on for this past year in our nation and concerning the fraudulent elections! GOD has seen every bit of iit and HE is about to RIGHT the WRONS! IN A DAY! HALLELUJAH! And then we will experience what Psalm 56:9-13 is telling us!

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.

AMEN! EXPECT God's extraordinary manifestions of His POWER and GLORY as HE resets everything to HIS perfect plans and purposes! EVERYTHING! Here is Hillsong with "Echoes (Til We See The Other Side":

Shalom in Him!

 Shalom,

I have two 'words of encouragement' for you today! The first is found in today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan in Psalm 55:22-23:

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

Our GOD will NEVER allow us to fail when WE are tursing completely in HIM! AND, the enemy and his minions WILL be brought down and fail! MISERABLY! HALLELUJAH! The other encouraging Word is found in our Spoken Word Church devotional:

What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you. What you sow today determines your harvest tomorrow. Sow kindness. Be slow to criticize and quick to forgive. The greatest gift love produces is a a non-judgmental climate. Give love out freely today.

"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." {Galatians 6:2}
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." {Matthew 5:7}
"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:" {Luke 6:37}

Encourage yourself with what the Word of God says about YOU and about your enemy! Then be a DOER of the Word, fully expecting HIS promised results! BLESSINGS come from obedience! So, REJOICE! Here are Hillsong Kids with "As The World Shakes":

Shalom in Him!

 Shalom,

Today I was most inspired by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "Faith To Faith" devotional!

Don't Stop at the Gate

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

When you made Jesus the Lord of your life, one of the privileges you received was the right to come to the throne room of God any time you want to. Think about that! You have the right to go boldly before God and obtain whatever you need.

Even though that's clearly what the Bible says, many people don't act like the believe it. They don't go boldly into the throne room. Instead they think, I could never go in to where God is. I'll just stand out here and yell and hope He hears me. I used to be guilty of that myself.

I remember one day I was in prayer, begging and pleading, bombarding the gates of heaven for revival. After I'd been at it a little while, the Lord spoke to me. What are you doing? He said.

"I'm bombarding the gates of heaven with prayer for revival," I answered.

Kenneth, how big is My city? He asked me.

"As far as I can tell from what the Bible says, it's about 1200 cubits or somewhere around 1500 miles square and 1500 miles high."

Then why are you bombarding the gates? Assuming that My throne is in the middle of the city that leaves you about 750 miles short! And, by the way, He added, those gates aren't locked. Why don't you quit bombarding them and just come on in?

After I repented for mimicking old traditional prayers without thinking, I remembered that the Word says, "Come boldly to the throne" and I've been coming boldly ever since.

Do you need to receive something from God today? Don't waste time standing around outside heaven's gates. Through Jesus you belong in the very throne room of God. So come right on in. The door is always open for you.

AMEN! Refuse to be intimidated by the LIES of the ENEMY! HE is the defeated foe and WE are MORE than CONQUERORS through JESUS Who LOVES us! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Who You Say I Am":

Shalom in Him!

 Shalom,

Again today the Psalm from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan speaks completely accurately of what is happening today!

1 The [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt and evil are they, and doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. 2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any who understood, who sought (inquired after and desperately required) God. 3 Every one of them has gone back [backslidden and fallen away]; they have altogether become filthy and corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one. 4 Have those who work evil no knowledge (no understanding)? They eat up My people as they eat bread; they do not call upon God. 5 There they are, in terror and dread, where there was [and had been] no terror and dread! For God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you; you have put them to shame, because God has rejected them. 6 Oh, that the salvation and deliverance of Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of His people, then will Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

All of those who have been involved in promoting abortion, homosexuality, abhorrent gender issues, and all of the other filthy, immoral, degenerate practices of those who refuse to acknowledge the GOD of the BIBLE and HIS WORD, will see, soon and very soon, that THEY were so very wrong and that there IS a price to pay! Keep standing strong on the promises of God's Word and your Covenant rights as His children, for HE is about to move as ONLY HE can and the world will KNOW beyond doubt that our God IS GOD! The One and ONLY! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Here's To The One":

Shalom  in Him!

 Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers is one that I like to check myself on often! What IS my motive for what I do 'for Him'?

Have You Ever Been Carried Away For Him?

She hath wrought a good work on Me. — Mark 14:6

If human love does not carry a man beyond himself, it is not love. If love is always discreet, always wise, always sensible and calculating, never carried beyond itself, it is not love at all. It may be affection, it may be warmth of feeling, but it has not the true nature of love in it.

Have I ever been carried away to do something for God not because it was my duty, nor because it was useful, nor because there was anything in it at all beyond the fact that I love Him? Have I ever realized that I can bring to God things which are of value to Him, or am I mooning round the magnitude of His Redemption whilst there are any number of things I might be doing? Not Divine, colossal things which could be recorded as marvellous, but ordinary, simple human things which will give evidence to God that I am abandoned to Him? Have I ever produced in the heart of the Lord Jesus what Mary of Bethany produced?

There are times when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him the abandoned tokens of how genuinely we do love Him. Abandon to God is of more value than personal holiness. Personal holiness focuses the eye on our own whiteness; we are greatly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, fearful lest we offend Him. Perfect love casts out all that when once we are abandoned to God. We have to get rid of this notion – “Am I of any use?” and make up our minds that we are not, and we may be near the truth. It is never a question of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. When we are abandoned to God, He works through us all the time.

Our first and only commandment under our New and better Covenant is two-part. Mark 12:30-31:

30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 This is the second: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Do THIS and you will find that you will begin to walk in a greater understanding of the Word of God, a greater peace and joy and love than you have ever known! And this will be evident to all of those you come in contact with, too! Be the best YOU by loving JESUS with all that is within you! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Indescribable":

Shalom in Him!

 Shalom,

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

Have You Ever Been Carried Away For Him?

She hath wrought a good work on Me. — Mark 14:6

If human love does not carry a man beyond himself, it is not love. If love is always discreet, always wise, always sensible and calculating, never carried beyond itself, it is not love at all. It may be affection, it may be warmth of feeling, but it has not the true nature of love in it.

Have I ever been carried away to do something for God not because it was my duty, nor because it was useful, nor because there was anything in it at all beyond the fact that I love Him? Have I ever realized that I can bring to God things which are of value to Him, or am I mooning round the magnitude of His Redemption whilst there are any number of things I might be doing? Not Divine, colossal things which could be recorded as marvellous, but ordinary, simple human things which will give evidence to God that I am abandoned to Him? Have I ever produced in the heart of the Lord Jesus what Mary of Bethany produced?

There are times when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him the abandoned tokens of how genuinely we do love Him. Abandon to God is of more value than personal holiness. Personal holiness focuses the eye on our own whiteness; we are greatly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, fearful lest we offend Him. Perfect love casts out all that when once we are abandoned to God. We have to get rid of this notion – “Am I of any use?” and make up our minds that we are not, and we may be near the truth. It is never a question of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. When we are abandoned to God, He works through us all the time.

AMEN! When WE put HIM first place in our lives,  then everything else will fall right into place! THAT is when ALL THINGS work together, by the hand of GOD, for OUR good! Are you READY for this? If not, then GET READY! Amen! Here is Hillsong with "Ready Or Not

Shalom in Him!

 Shalom,

Today I want to share from our partner Rick Renner's "Sparkling Gems From The Greek - Volume 2":

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH

Fight the good fight of faith.… — 1 Timothy 6:12

Many believers have the misconception that walking by faith means they should be able to effortlessly glide all the way to God’s destination for their lives with no hiccups or struggles along the way. But the Bible teaches quite the opposite in First Timothy 6:12. In that verse, the apostle Paul wrote, “Fight the good faith of faith….” According to this verse, the path of faith often requires a fight to see it through to completion.

The word “fight” is the Greek word agonidzo, which refers to a struggle, a fight, great exertion, or effort. It is where we get the word agony — a word often used in the New Testament to convey the ideas of anguish, pain, distress, and conflict. The word agonidzo itself comes from the word agon, which is the word that depicted the athletic conflicts and competitions that were so famous in the ancient world. It frequently pictured wrestlers in a wrestling match, with each wrestler struggling with all his might to overcome his opponent in an effort to hurl him to the ground in a fight to the finish.

The very fact that Paul would use this word, a word that was very well known in the world of his time, alerts us emphatically that when we step out to do something by faith, it often pushes us into a previously unknown fight. It throws us into some type of agony — anguish, conflict, pain, distress, or a struggle. It isn’t that God wants us to struggle. Instead, this is a fight that results from:

The flesh that resists the will of God.

The mind that struggles to understand what God has told us to do.

Circumstances that seem to stand in the way.

People who oppose us.

The devil himself who throws his weight against each step of faith we take.

The point you must see is that Paul recognized when we step out in faith, we don’t just effortlessly glide to the destination God is directing us toward. We must fight the good fight of faith to reach the victorious position that allows us to one day hear those cherished words, “Well done!” from our Commander-in-Chief. But rather than shrink from the match that is before us, the apostle Paul urges us to give this fight our best effort! He tells us, “Fight the good fight of faith…” The word “good” is from the Greek word kalos, which denotes something exceptional, of the highest quality, outstanding, or superb. In the context of a fight, it pictures one who has given his best effort to the struggle in which he is engaged; hence, he is one who is doing a first-rate or first-class job at resisting his opponents.

Then Paul repeated the word “fight” a second time in this verse. He wrote, “Fight the good fight of faith.…” This second usage of the word “fight” is also from the Greek word agon — the same word he used when he referred to a “fight” at the first of the verse. It conveys the idea of one who is giving his complete concentration to the conflict and is totally focused on engaging the conflict at hand and achieving victory, regardless how long it takes or how much agonizing effort is required. It is the picture of total commitment to victory.

This is a far cry from simply gliding to God’s destination for your life with no hiccups or headaches along the way! As Paul told us in this verse, anything that is done by faith will require a fight of some sort in order to win. So if you are experiencing a struggle along the path to your personal victory — if you’ve been fighting off some very real mental or spiritual assaults along the way — don’t be taken off guard or by surprise. The Holy Spirit warned in advance through the apostle Paul that you must commit yourself to giving the pursuit of God’s will for your life your very best effort and to doing whatever is necessary to finish the goal set before you!

God is calling upon you to stand up and fight — giving your concentrated efforts to stand firm for what you believe. Fight in a manner that is noble, admirable, and worthy of the reward that awaits you. And remember — the greater reward usually requires a greater fight. Keep this in mind as you press forward to be first-class in your determination to overcome every obstacle and resistance along the way. Stay in the fight until you can shout, “The fight is finished and victory obtained!”

AMEN! WHEN we determine to stay in the fight, we have CHOSEN to WIN! There is no such thing as losing with GOD! HE IS A WINNER and HE ALWAYS WINS! Stick with HIM and YOU WILL, TOO! Here is Sarah Hart Pearsons with one of my favorite healing songs called "It Is Finished":

Shalom in Him!

 Shalom,

Our Spoken Word Church website has THIS devotional posted today:

Constantly Visualize the Attainment of Your Dreams

Your mind is an incubator that gives birth to ideas and dreams. What you concentrate on, you will feel. What you feel, you will eventually perform.

What you perform, you will become. What you become determines your destiny. What you see in your mind will happen in time. See yourself blessed in every area of your life. Spiritually free, mentally stable, physically healthy, financially prosperous and victorious.

"(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were." (Romans 4:17)

AMEN! The sooner that we recognize that WE are responsible for the decisions of our own lives, the sooner we will be in position to LEARN how to walk boldly, confidently and freely through every day of our lives here on earth! make a decision today to start talking complete responsibility for OUR choices! Rejoice over the good ones and REPENT for the not so good ones! GOD is pleased with this attitude and HE is ALWAYS searching for ways to BLESS His people! Be on the RIGHT side of this issue. we cannot afford to be on the wrong one! Here are Hillsong Kids with "When The World Shakes":

Shalom in Him!

 Shalom,

I really love this exhortation from Kenneth and Gloria copeland's "Faith To Faith" devotional for today!

Welcome to the Big Leagues

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:11-12

When persecution comes, don't sit around whining about it. Don't waste your time feeling sorry for yourself. Despite what you may think, that persecution hasn't come because the devil gets his kicks out of picking on you. It comes because you've become a threat to him. It comes because you've put the Word in your heart, and he knows that if he doesn't get it out, you're going to cause him more trouble than he can handle.

So, rejoice! Heavy-duty persecution means you've made it to the big leagues. It means the devil is taking you so seriously that he's sending in his best players in an effort to get you out of the game!

The players that make it to the Super Bowl don't look for some way out of it, do they? They don't say, "Boy, I sure wish I didn't have to be in that Super Bowl game. Those guys are the biggest, meanest players in the country. "Maybe I'll get sick and I won't have to play." No! They relish the opportunity. "Let me at 'em," they say. "I've worked all my life to get here and now I'm going to prove I'm the best!"

That's how you should be when the devil challenges you. You should accept that challenge with joy, knowing you're going to come out a winner. After all, your God is sufficient to see you through. He never stops and wonders if He's going to have enough resources to get poor, little you over your problems this time. He knows He can beat anything the devil brings against you.

So, when persecution comes, trust Him and rejoice, knowing that you've made it to the big leagues now!

AMEN! Let's get serious about putting the devil in his place and keeping him OUT of OURS! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Not Today":

Shalom in Him!

 Shalom,

We have been encouraged by the prophets of God to REJOICE and CELEBRATE GOD'S great VICTORY that is about to be displayed in our nation! All of the evil works of darkness are being exposed, those who have perpetrated fraud and deceit will be removed and GOD'S people will be blessed beyond measure! SO, let's CELEBRATE with Psalm 47 today from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan!

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.

HALLELUJAH and AMEN! And here, to help you continue youyr celebration, is Hillsong UNITED with "Shout Unto God":

Shalom in Him!

 Shalom,

Today I want to share from Jerry Savelle's website devotional:

YOU ARE UNIQUE IN HIM

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10 NKJV).

God created you with a unique personality. He gave you specific gifts and interests. His intention is that you express and live out everything He created you to be. However, to do this it is necessary that you first find out who you are in Christ.

Believers who are living out who they are in Christ will have certain things in common. They will walk in love, be extremely positive, and walk by faith.

However, not every believer was created to express Christ in them in exactly the same way. God never wanted us to be clones of anyone else. Take a look at your fingerprints; no one on the face of this earth has fingerprints like yours.

God made you a unique individual according to His plan and purpose. He carefully established your personality, talents, and interests. He gave you an assignment to pursue that would suit you perfectly and be fulfilling.

Only when you learn to walk in Him will you fully express the fullness of all that God has imparted to you, just as these heroes of the Bible did:

In Him, Joseph was an excellent administrator and national leader

In Him, Deborah received revelation that affected the destiny of a nation

In Him, Solomon was extremely wise and extremely rich

In Him, Abraham was a friend of God and a model father

In Him, Gideon was a mighty man of valor

When you learn to walk in Him, you will discover and fully express the fullness of all God has invested into you.

Confession: I am a child of God. In Him I walk by faith, knowing that I am His workmanship and I will accomplish the good works He has prepared for me.

AMEN1 learn who YOU are - IN HIM! Now go out and be a DOER of that WORD! Here is Hillsong with "Who You Say I Am":

Shalom in Him!

 Shalom,

Perfect for today is Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "Faith To Faith" devotional!

Love Is the Power Charge

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:12-13

Love. It is the first and foremost command Jesus gave us, yet all too many believers neglect to follow it.

I'm talking about believers who can quote tremendous amounts of scripture and who may speak the Name of Jesus 35 or 40 times a day, yet they're rough and insensitive to the needs of their friends and family. They're so busy "serving God," they don't have time to serve people. Strife is their hallmark.

You may have been saved 45 years; you may talk in tongues all day long; but if you have strife in your heart and you're not living by the love commandment of Jesus, spiritual things are foolishness to you.

When you're in that condition, the Name of Jesus won't work. Faith won't work because the Bible says that faith works by love. In fact, none of the gifts of the Spirit will work if you don't have love. First Corinthians 13 says so.

Do you want to see the incredible power of God released through your life? Then start putting the love command in action. Start loving those around you.

Love is the power charge, friend. God's power package just won't work without it. That's why we've seen so many power failures in the Body of Christ. Starting today, you and I can turn those failures around. We can make up our minds to let the Word dwell richly within us. We can set our hearts on keeping the commands of Jesus and speak His Name with confidence and authority. And, most important of all, we can begin to love one another.

Then we will truly see the power of God begin to flow.

AMEN! God's LOVE never fails! Choose love in every circumstance and situation and your faith will STAY energized to work for you! Here is Hillsong oung and Free with "Never Have I Ever":

Shalom in Him!

 Shalom,

Another encouragement from our Spoken Word Bible reading Plan! They are SO timely! Psalm 44:1-8:

1 We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us [what] work You did in their days, in the days of old. 2 You drove out the nations with Your hand and it was Your power that gave [Israel] a home by rooting out the [heathen] peoples, but [Israel] You spread out. 3 For they got not the land [of Canaan] in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your countenance [did it], because You were favorable toward and did delight in them. 4 You are my King, O God; command victories and deliverance for Jacob (Israel). 5 Through You shall we push down our enemies; through Your name shall we tread them under who rise up against us. 6 For I will not trust in and lean on my bow, neither shall my sword save me. 7 But You have saved us from our foes and have put them to shame who hate us. 8 In God we have made our boast all the day long, and we will give thanks to Your name forever. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

Our GOD will NOT allow the enemy to continue to 'lord it over' HIS children! HE is about to cause a HUGE 'turnaround' in the affairs of this nation! Be READY to do your part! PRAY, PRAISE, REJOICE and PREACH the GOSPEL! HE will confirm every WORD with signs, wonders, miraculous interventions and extraordinary manifestations of HIS POWER and GLORY! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Ready or Not":

Shalom in Him!