Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin builds on the one I shared yesterday! 

Lover

For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. — JOHN 16:27

Nothing can be stronger or more comforting than the fact that the Father Himself knows you, loves you, and longs to bless you!

In fact, John 17:23 says that God loves us as He loved Jesus. What a staggering thought! Yet it is true! Jesus said it!

God the Father is your Father! He cares for you. He is interested in you individually — not just as a group, or as a body of believers, or as a church. God is interested in each of His children, and He loves each one of us with the same love.

Get acquainted with your Father through His Word. It is in His Word that you will learn about your Heavenly Father, about His love, His nature, how He cares for you, how He loves you. He is everything the Word says He is. And He will do everything the Word says He will do!

Confession: I love Jesus, and I believe He came out from God. Therefore, the Father Himself loves me. God knows me. He cares for me. He longs to bless me. He is interested in my well-being. I get acquainted with Him through the Word. God is everything the Word says He is. He will do everything the Word says He will do.

AMEN! HERE is what YOU can do with GOD'S LOVE that is shed abroud in YOUR heart by HOLY SPIRIT Who LOVES you, too! GIVE IT! Here is Brandon Lake with "Hard Fought Hallelujah!":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I REALLY love today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin!

Husbandman

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. — JOHN 15:1

My Heavenly Father is the Caretaker.

He is the Protector.

He is the Shield.

He is the Sustainer.

He is the Trainer.

He is the Educator.

The Greek word translated “husbandman” involves all those shades of meaning. As the husbandman trains the branches of a vine, so God trains the branches of the Body of Christ.

And remember, God is love!

Confession: Jesus is the true vine. I am a branch. My Father is the husbandman. He is my Caretaker, my Protector, my Shield, my Sustainer, my Trainer, my Educator. I will bear much fruit!

AMEN! He IS LOVE, He HAS LOVE, He GIVES LOVE, and He RECEIVES OUR LOVE! Let's make a concentrated effort to LOVE HIM more than ever before! Here is Hillsong with an older song called "Love Of God Can Do":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we read Philippians 2 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan and these verses are what I want to share with you!

12 Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ). 13 [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight. 14 Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God] and questioning and doubting [among yourselves], 15 That you may show yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish (faultless, unrebukable) in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation [spiritually perverted and perverse], among whom you are seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world, 16 Holding out [to it] and offering [to all men] the Word of Life, so that in the day of Christ I may have something of which exultantly to rejoice and glory in that I did not run my race in vain or spend my labor to no purpose.

THIS is GOD'S plan for US while we are waiting for the soon coming of our KING of all kings! JESUS! Let's be found by Him doing exactly this so we need not be ashamed at His coming! Here, to encouage you in all of this, is Brooke Ligertwood, with "Ancient Gates":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share again from Jerry Savelle Ministries daily devotional.

Knowing God

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Ephesians 1:17 NKJV

When you really know and love God, everything else pales in significance. Your love relationship with Him becomes your driving passion, and pleasing Him becomes your greatest desire.

The Apostle Paul said, “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord…” (Philippians 3:8 NKJV). When Paul refers to the knowledge of Christ Jesus, he is not talking about head knowledge. Rather, he is talking about heart knowledge. Having only head knowledge of Jesus makes the life of faith hard and dry; heart knowledge reaches every part of your being and makes living by faith joyful and exciting.

Without knowing God and His character, the Christian walk would be difficult. God wants to be everything to you. He wants to meet your every need. He wants you to know Him:He isn’t hard and aloof; He is your loving heavenly Father.
He isn’t devising trials and tests for you; He is your Comforter.
He isn’t out to hurt you; He is the lover of your soul.
He isn’t concerned about your performance; He looks at your heart.
He doesn’t give you what your sin deserves: He’s the God of abundant grace.
He doesn’t want you to be just a servant; He longs for you to be His friend and child.

Most of all, God wants you to know that He is good, and His mercy endures forever.

Confession: Father, I ask You to give me today the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You. I believe You are opening my eyes to see more of Your goodness and Your heart of love toward me.

AMEN! Here is Brandon Lake with "Count 'Em":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share again from Jospeh Prince's "Daily Grace Inspirations" devotional!

Be Led by the Holy Spirit

Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. Acts 16:6–7

The more areas of your life you involve the Lord in, the more you can experience His protection. You can even ask the Lord to guide you in something as seemingly natural as your travel itinerary. In fact, read the passage above. The apostle Paul allowed the Holy Spirit to lead them at every step.

We see from those scriptures that closed doors are not necessarily negative, and could be signs of God’s protection over our lives. The challenge for some of us is that we are so adept at planning and scheduling our busy lives that many times, we don’t make room for the Lord to intervene and to guide us to be at the right place at the right time.

Let’s not put our trust in our intelligence and planning, but in His wisdom, leading, and counsel. There is a proverb that says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Prov. 16:9). Even as we plan, I pray that we will always remember to commit all our ways to the Lord, and allow Him to direct our steps.

Being led by the Spirit does not have to be something complicated. When you walk close to the Lord and have a close relationship with Him, He can lead you in supernaturally natural ways.

Some years ago, a couple in our church were vacationing at a beach resort on Penang Island in Malaysia, when the wife felt like eating something in another location on the mainland. Because of that “prompting” in her belly, they headed off earlier than they had originally planned. While they were loading their vehicle, a man kept hurrying them and asking them to move off as they were apparently blocking the hotel driveway, and that had really irritated them at that time.

In any case, just fifteen minutes after they had crossed from the island to the mainland, they heard the news that an earthquake in the Indian Ocean had triggered a killer tsunami that crashed onto the beachfront they were at, killing more than fifty people.

Had they left just a little later, they could have been among the casualties of the tragedy that day. Looking back, the couple believes that the man at the hotel might even have been an angel sent by the Lord to get them out of harm’s way quickly.

I don’t know about you, but I want the Lord to direct all my steps! Call upon Him today and He will answer you.

AMEN! Here is Brooke ligertwood and Brandon Lake with "Honey In The Rock":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

Our Father

. . . For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father . . . . — MATTHEW 6:8-9

Although God had given to Israel as clear a revelation of Himself as it was possible to give spiritually dead men, they still didn’t really know Him. They didn’t recognize God manifested in the flesh when Jesus stood in their midst. (Under the Old Covenant, God’s Presence was shut up in the Holy of Holies.)

Thus, it was into a hard, harsh atmosphere of Justice that Jesus Christ came. And the Jews of His day could not understand Him. He talked about God as His Father. He told of the Father’s love and care for His own! It mystified them. When Jesus introduced God as a Father God of love, His words, for the most part, fell upon unresponsive ears.

Yet we must admit, as we meditate on Jesus’ words about the love of God, that even born-again children of God sometimes fail to see the love side of God. Israel never grasped it. They didn’t understand who it was Jesus was talking about. It was new to them. To tell the truth, it’s new to most church members today! They have been taught to fear God, and to shrink from a God of Justice. They’ve never really seen the love side of God that Jesus came to reveal.

Confession: I hereby make a quality decision to see and know the love side of God that Jesus came to reveal. I will meditate on Jesus’ revelation of God until I really know Him as my Father God of love.

AMEN! Here is Brandon Lake with "Coat Of Many Colors":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

What You Must Seek

…Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. — Matthew 6:33

“Merry Christmas!”

Those were the first words we heard on Christmas Day when we were children. We were awakened when Dad would turn on the floodlights attached to his Kodak camera, and all three Renner kids would crawl out of bed in our pajamas, rubbing our eyes in the bright lights that were glaring down on us as Dad filmed practically every movement of the Christmas morning for us.

Today we still have those films that Dad took of all three of us as we scampered from our beds into the living room to begin the process of opening gifts. Those films are now decades old, and I am thankful for the thoughtfulness of my father to film those precious memories, which otherwise would have been completely lost. Now that they’ve been transferred to a digital format, we can enjoy them for years to come. Dad is in Heaven, but these are his treasures that he left for the rest of us to watch and enjoy.

Every so often, we watch those films and remember our childhood Christmases and the gifts that Daddy and Mother gave us. The greatest gift my parents ever gave me on Christmas was a study Bible — a very nice, leather-lined study Bible. I was so proud of it! They hit it right on the target when they gave me that Bible, as my heart was aflame to know more about God’s Word at that time in my life. I still have that Bible today. Dad wrote his favorite Bible verse right in the front of the inside cover. There, in Dad’s handwriting, it says, “…Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

Dad would quote this verse to us kids all the time. He wrote it in birthday cards, in letters that he occasionally wrote to us when we were at the university — and, of course, in the front covers of every Bible he ever gave to each of us. He really believed this verse, and he wanted to embed it in our souls.

Dad quoted Matthew 6:33 so often, and wrote it to us so many times, that one day I decided to pick up my Greek New Testament and look at the word “seek” to see what it means. It is the present imperative active form of the Greek word zeteo, and it depicts a constant attitude to actively and constantly seek for a thing.

Furthermore, zeteo is a command. Jesus was literally commanding us to actively and constantly be seeking after the Kingdom of God. Jesus promised that if we did, everything else we needed in life would be supplied to us. No wonder Dad wanted to get that verse into our hearts! He knew that if we got this right, everything else would be okay in our lives.

So I want to ask you: Are you obeying Jesus’ command to habitually, constantly seek the Kingdom of God? Are you on-again, off-again in your spiritual passion, or would Jesus say you are consistent in your seeking of Him and His Kingdom? All those other things you need to be supplied for life will come if you’ll place Jesus first and never stop seeking the purposes of His Kingdom. Jesus truly is the Gift that keeps on giving!

This is Jesus’ promise to you — and these are my words of encouragement to you on this Christmas Day!

Here is Hillsong with another favorite Christmas song called "Born Is The King":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

THIS is the meaning of CHRISTMAS!!! From Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food" devotional!

His Glory

And the Word became flesh. And pitched his tent among us, And we gazed upon his glory, — A glory . . . Full of favour and truth. — JOHN 1:14 (Rotherham)

I love Rotherham’s translation of John 1:14 — it is so beautiful.

We’ve tended to think of Christ’s coming to the earth as a man only in terms of His self-denial in leaving glory, or else in terms of His suffering on this earth. But I believe it was a joy to Christ, who so loved man and so desired man’s fellowship, to “pitch His tent” among us so that He might give to alienated man — who had never known his Creator— a true conception of His Heavenly Father.

It was good tidings of great joy which the angel proclaimed to the shepherds — and to all people everywhere. Man, separated from God for four thousand years, could now gaze upon God’s glory, could now see God, could now know God as He is, and could now be reunited with Him!

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. — LUKE 2:10-11

The Word has become flesh!

Confession: Like the multitude of the heavenly host, I, too, am praising God. Praise God for sending GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY! Praise God for sending a SAVIOR! Praise God for CHRIST THE LORD! Praise God for allowing us to gaze upon HIS GLORY!

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with one of my favorite Christmas songs called "We Have A Saviour":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I LOVE this from Kenneth E.Hagin's "Faith Food" devotional!

Incarnate Revelator

Jesus saith unto him [Philip] . . . he that hath seen me hath seen the Father . . . . — JOHN 14:9

Man born into a world ruled by Satan did not by nature know his Creator. Since Adam’s sin — when man died spiritually — God and man had been spiritually separated.

Man desperately needed an Incarnation. The Incarnation of Jesus Christ — God manifested in the flesh — gave to the world the true knowledge of the nature of God.

Spiritually dead men couldn’t know the nature of the Creator without a revelation from Him. God had been conceived as weird, cruel, grotesque, immoral, aloof, or perhaps, an impersonal energy, but He was never thought of as a God of love — a loving Heavenly Father.

“What’s he really like?” people will inquire about some movie star, TV personality, politician, etc. And sometimes those close to that celebrity will attempt in an interview to tell what he is really like.

“What’s God really like?” people want to know.

Friends, if you want to know what God is really like — just look at Jesus!

Confession: I have seen Jesus in the revelation of God’s Word. Therefore, I have seen the Father. I know what the Father is like. He’s just like Jesus! He’s a God of love. He’s a Father God. And because of Jesus, He’s my very own Father. I am His very own child. I’m so thankful for this great plan of redemption which included revealing my Father to the world.

AMEN! Here is Brandon Lake with "Graves Into Gardens":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

Intimacy with the Lord

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28–29

The Lord does not want you to simply claim His promises of protection. He wants you to come close to Him. Running to Him and coming under His feathers speak of closeness. It’s not about how many times you have recited Psalm 91; it’s about having an intimate relationship with Him.

As a child, if it was thundering at night and I was afraid, I would run into my parents’ room, jump into their bed, and hide in my mother’s arms. After a while, I would fall into a deep sleep even if the storm was still raging outside.

You see, you don’t have to learn the seven steps of overcoming fear. Having the presence of a loving parent right with you is enough to drive out fear. Our Lord Jesus who loves you wants you to come close to Him and to take shelter in His love. Will you do that today?

I heard the story of a farmer whose farmhouse got burned down. As he walked around the smoldering wreckage, he saw the burned carcasses of his chickens. He happened to move the blackened body of one of the hens with his foot, and to his astonishment, little chicks came running out from under the body. What happened? They had taken refuge under the wings of their mother, who had given her life to save her little ones.

That’s a picture of what our Lord Jesus did when He took upon His own body the full punishment for our sins. The fire of God’s judgment fell, not upon the scribes and Pharisees who had rejected the Messiah, and not upon the Roman soldiers who nailed Him to the cross, but upon His own beloved Son—for the nation of Israel, for the Gentile nations, for you, for me, so that whosoever believes in Him would be saved.

But here’s something I want you to see: when Jesus was offered on the cross, He absorbed the judgment of God in His own body, and, as the sacrifice, He was greater than the fires of judgment. The Offering was greater than the judgment because the Offering was not consumed.

On that cross, our Lord declared, “It is finished!” before He gave up His Spirit (John 19:30). The Offering remained after all of God’s judgment was exhausted. Hallelujah! That is why we can come boldly to His throne of grace today!

Here is Benjamin Hastings with "That's The Power":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is another powerful TRUTH!

That We Might Be Sons

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. — GALATIANS 4:4-7

The object of the Incarnation was that man might be given the right to become a child of God (John 1:12).

Man could become a child of God only by receiving the nature of God; therefore, Christ came that man might receive eternal life (John 10:10; 1 John 5:11-12).

And man could receive eternal life only after he had been legally redeemed from Satan’s authority (Colossians 1:13,14).

Confession: God sent forth His Son to redeem us, that we might become sons of God. I have received Christ; therefore, I have life. I am a son of God. And because I am, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into my heart, crying, “Abba, Father.” I am no more a servant; but a son. I am an heir of God through Christ.

AMEN! HALLELUJAH! We are, of ALL people, MOST BLESSED! Here is Brandon Lake with "That's Who I Praise":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I LOVE today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin! 

He Came To Save

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. — MATTHEW 1:21

The first step in redemption was Christ’s identification with our humanity. This took place in His Incarnation. Christ was made flesh (John 1:14). Hebrews 2:14 says, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same . . . .”

But at the time of His Incarnation, Jesus did not partake of the nature that reigned in the spirit of man. Had He done so then, He would have been spiritually dead during His earthly ministry! Then He could not have pleased the Father by doing His own will. No, His identification with the spirit nature of man didn’t take place until His crucifixion.

There God actually made Jesus Christ to become sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our sin nature itself was laid upon Jesus Christ until He became all that spiritual death had made man. In the mind of God, it was not Jesus Christ who hung on the cross; it was the human race who hung there. Therefore, each of us may say with Paul, “I was crucified with Christ.”

Confession: Because Jesus came to save me from my sins, I can claim Galatians 2:20, which says: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

AMEN! Learn to stand on the promises in the Word of God! There is no more powerful force for your life than GOD'S POWER! Here is Brandon Lake and Brooke Ligertwood with "Honey In The Rock":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to look again at Joseph Prince's "Daily Grace Inspirations" devotional!

Go to the Source

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy . . . He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:8, 10–12

Psalm 103 is one of my favorite psalms of David, a beautiful psalm that describes who and what God really is—a gracious and merciful Savior. Believing right begins with what you believe about God and must be based on the solid foundation of God’s Word.

To know the truth about who and what God is, we can’t go by feelings, circumstances, human conjectures, or what we may have heard someone say about God. We have to go to the source!

If you heard a rumor that someone you knew was saying horrible and negative things about you, don’t believe it immediately. Go to the source first. Ask this person if this is what he or she really said or if this is what he or she really meant.

Many people allow precious friendships and relationships to become fractured because they believe the rumors. They become bitter, angry, and disappointed without ever verifying with the person if he or she had actually said those nasty things.

In the same way, in the world we live in, there are all kinds of wrong beliefs perpetuated about God: “God is angry at you.” “He is disappointed with you.” “God is allowing all these negative things to happen to you because He’s punishing you for your past sins.”

Please do NOT believe all this baseless gossip about God! Such impressions of God have damaged many people’s relationships with Him, and they live with a distorted perspective of who God really is.

Instead of receiving His love, grace, and forgiveness, they become afraid, distant, and fearful of Him. Instead of allowing Jesus to come into their situations, they live their lives running away, avoiding, and hiding from Him.

Come on, let’s honor God and go to the source. Look again at what the Bible says about Him in today’s scripture reading: He is “slow to anger, and abounding in mercy . . . as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” This is our God! This is why you can always run to Him and believe that you can freely receive His help!

Our GOD is GOOD - ALL THE TIME! Learn to DARE to BELIEVE Him! Here is Brandon Lake with "Count 'Em":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we read Galations 3 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan and I LOVE this! Look at verses 1-7!

1 O you poor and silly and thoughtless and unreflecting and senseless Galatians! Who has fascinated or bewitched or cast a spell over you, unto whom—right before your very eyes—Jesus Christ (the Messiah) was openly and graphically set forth and portrayed as crucified?
2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the [Holy] Spirit as the result of obeying the Law and doing its works, or was it by hearing [the message of the Gospel] and believing [it]? [Was it from observing a law of rituals or from a message of faith?]
3 Are you so foolish and so senseless and so silly? Having begun [your new life spiritually] with the [Holy] Spirit, are you now reaching perfection [by dependence] on the flesh?
4 Have you suffered so many things and experienced so much all for nothing (to no purpose)—if it really is to no purpose and in vain?
5 Then does He Who supplies you with His marvelous [Holy] Spirit and works powerfully and miraculously among you do so on [the grounds of your doing] what the Law demands, or because of your believing in and adhering to and trusting in and relying on the message that you heard?
6 Thus Abraham believed in and adhered to and trusted in and relied on God, and it was reckoned and placed to his account and credited as righteousness (as conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action).
7 Know and understand that it is [really] the people [who live] by faith who are [the true] sons of Abraham.

Paul didn't 'pull any punches' in this chapter!Look at those a adjectives!  Poor, silly, thoughtless, unreflecting and senseless! Tell us what you REALLY think, Paul! I understand Paul! He was AMAZED that having received the FREE GIFT of SALVATION by receiving JESUS as LORD and SAVIOUR, these Galatians were trying to impress GOD with their piety, as if THAT had a thing to do with thier NEW BIRTH! It is past tie for the Body of Christ to STOP judging each other over natural things and to DARE to believe that we ARE exactly who JESUS says we arre! Here is Hillsong with "Who You Say I Am":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I LOVE today's devotional by Andrew Womach!

Let God's Peace Lead You

Luke 24:36 'And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.'

Just as every sport has disputes that must be settled by the officials, the peace of God is the umpire that settles all disputes as to what the will of God is for our lives. We must learn to listen to and heed the peace of God in our hearts.

God's peace is something that every born-again believer has. It's a fruit of the Spirit. That peace is always umpiring; we just don't always pay attention. How many times have you acted contrary to the peace in your heart and afterwards, you experience disaster? You say, 'I never did feel good about that.' That was the peace of God umpiring, but we chose to play by our own rules.

There are some things we can do to facilitate the peace of God umpiring in our hearts. First, consider ALL the options. Many wrong decisions have been made because not all the options were considered. Don't let fear rule out God's possibilities. Next, use your imagination to explore what will happen with each choice. You should be able to discern a greater peace as you consider the option the Lord would have you take. That is not to say that there will be total peace with any of the choices. In your spirit there will be total peace over the right choice, but we aren't always totally in the Spirit and it is not unusual for some turmoil to exist. Just as an umpire has to make a call, be bold enough to follow the direction that gives you the most peace.

The rudder on a ship can't go any direction until the ship is moving. The ship doesn't have to be going full steam ahead for the rudder to work, but it does have to be moving. Likewise, we have to act before the peace of God will give us perfect direction. Even if you make a mistake, you will have made it in faith, trying to follow the peace of God in your heart. The Lord can bless a wrong decision made in faith from a pure heart, more than He can bless indecision (Romans 14:23).

AMEN! Make sure that YOU are being led forth by the PEACE of GOD in every decition that you make! Here is Brooke Ligertwood with "I Belong To Jesus":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Here is today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin!

For Further Meditation

For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell. — COLOSSIANS 1:19

The Word of God plainly teaches that our Redeemer is divine. These divine offices are ascribed to Him:

Creator (Colossians 1:16) . . . Mediator (1 Timothy 2:4,5) . . . Head of the Church (Colossians 1:16-24) . . . Savior (2 Peter 3:2) . . . Judge (2 Timothy 4:1) . . . Preserver (Hebrews 1:1-3) . . . Life-Giver (John 10:28) . . . Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36) . . . Resurrection and Life (John 11:25).

Divine character is ascribed to Christ. Ordinary men are sinners by nature, but Christ Jesus is not an ordinary man. He is:

Holy by Birth (Luke 1:35) . . . Righteous (Isaiah 53:11) . . . Faithful (Isaiah 11:5) . . . Truth (John 14:6) . . . Just (John 5:30) . . . Guileless (1 Peter 2:22) . . . Sinless (2 Corinthians 5:21) . . . Spotless (1 Peter 1:19) . . . Innocent (Matthew 27:4) . . . Harmless (Hebrews 7:26) . . . Obedient to God (Hebrews 5:8-10) . . . Obedient to Earthly Parents (Luke 2:51) . . . Zealous (John 2:17) . . . Meek (Matt. 11:29) . . . Lowly in Heart (Matt. 11:29) . . . Merciful (Heb. 2:17) . . . Patient (Isa. 53:7) . . . Long-Suffering (1 Timothy 1:16) . . . Compassionate (Matthew 15:32) . . . Benevolent (Acts 10:38) . . . Loving (John 15:13) . . . Self-Denying (2 Corinthians 8:9) . . . Humble (Philippians 2:5-11) . . . Resigned (Luke 22:42) . . . Forgiving (Luke 23:34).

Confession: Jesus Christ is worthy. Thank God for this Worthy One. Thank God for this Divine One. Thank God that One who is the Creator would come to earth from glory to be the Mediator, the Head of the Church, the Savior, the Judge, the Preserver, the Life-Giver, the Lord and Savior. And thank God, this Worthy One is my Lord.

AMEN! Here is Brandon Lake with "Graves Into Gardens":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

Rest in Jesus’ Finished Work

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace [unmerited favor] in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4–7

Look at the above passage. It tells us that by God’s unmerited favor, we are seated together with Christ at the Father’s right hand. What does it mean to be seated together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus?

It means that today, we are in a position of rest in Jesus' finished work. To be seated in Christ is to rest, to trust in Him, and to receive everything our beautiful Savior has accomplished on our behalf.

My friend, God wants us to take the position of relying on Jesus for good success in every area of our lives, instead of relying on our good works and human efforts to achieve success. What a blessing it is to be in this position of dependence on our Savior!

But instead of looking at Jesus, believers are misled by the devil into looking at themselves. For thousands of years, the devil’s strategy has not changed. He is a master at accusing you, pointing out all your flaws, weaknesses, mistakes, and blemishes. He will keep on reminding you of your past failures and use condemnation to perpetuate the cycle of defeat in your life.

When the apostle Paul found himself sinking into self-occupation, he became depressed and cried out, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me...?” (Romans 7:24). In the very next verse, he sees God's solution and says, “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Likewise, beloved, it’s time for you to step out from being self-conscious and self-occupied, and begin to be Christ-occupied instead.

Today, you should no longer be asking yourself, “Am I accepted before God?” This question puts the focus back on you and this places you under the law. I know that there are people who will encourage you to ask yourself this question, but it is an error to ask yourself if you are accepted before God.

The correct question to ask is, “Is Christ accepted before God?" because as Christ is, so are you in this world (1 John 4:17). Don’t ask, “Am I pleasing to God?” Instead, ask, “Is Christ pleasing to God?”

Can you see the difference in emphasis? The old covenant of law is all about you, but the new covenant of grace is all about Jesus! The law places the demand on you to perform and makes you self-conscious, whereas grace places the demand on Jesus and makes you Jesus-conscious.

Can you imagine a young child growing up and always wondering in his heart, “Am I pleasing to Daddy? Am I pleasing to Mummy? Do Daddy and Mummy accept me?” This child will grow up emotionally warped if he does not have the security and assurance of his parents’ love and acceptance.

That is why your loving heavenly Father wants you rooted, established, and anchored in His unwavering love for you. He demonstrated His love for you when He sent Jesus to become your sin on the cross so that you can become His righteousness. Our part today is to turn away from ourselves and to look at Jesus!

AMEN! Here is Hillsong Christmas with "We Have A Saviour":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I am sharing Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food" devotional again!

From Everlasting

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. — MICAH 5:2

This remarkable prophetic utterance about One who would be born of the family of Judah to be a Ruler in Israel states that His goings forth were from of old, from everlasting. He has traveled up and down through eternity, and He has left His footprints on the ages!

Too frequently people simply look at the physical side of Jesus’ birth and talk about His being born as a little babe, when actually He preexisted with the Father from the beginning!

The Person we now know as Jesus Christ is one of the three Divine Persons of the Deity. As God, He had no beginning.

Confession: The goings forth of Christ, my Lord, were from of old, from everlasting. As God, He had no beginning. Yet He came forth to this world to redeem me from the dominion of Satan. I can trust this Eternal One with my life.

Here is one of  my favorite worship songs from Brooke Ligertwood called "Ancient Gates":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

The Seed

. . . For the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man. — JEREMIAH 31:22

Adam was created. The rest of the human race was generated by natural processes. If Jesus had been born by natural generation, He would have been a fallen spirit.

But Romans 5:12 tells us, “Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

Man is subject to death; to the devil. Thus, man’s seed could only produce another fallen man.

Therefore, the Redeemer could not be a subject of death. The Promised Seed had to be One over whom Satan had no legal claims or authority. He had to be brought forth by a special act of divine power. He had to be conceived by the Holy Spirit!

The words God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah could be translated literally as, “A woman shall encompass a man-child.” The womb of the virgin was simply the receptacle of the Holy Seed until He was brought forth.

Confession: Thank You, Father, for Your great plan of redemption. I am so glad that You created a new thing in the earth. I am so glad that You sent forth the Holy Seed to redeem us.

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

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I am loving Joseph Prince's "Daily Grace Inspirations" devotional!

God Is Your Refuge from Evil

Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. Psalm 91:9–10 KJV

Isn’t the above passage beautiful in the King James Version? You can make the Lord your habitation.

First John 4:16 says, “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” The more you stay in His love, the more God Himself becomes your dwelling place. No evil shall befall you and no plague shall come near your dwelling. And as you make Him your dwelling place, He protects your dwelling. No plague shall even come near your home!

In another psalm, it is written, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). As we make the Lord our city of refuge and allow Him to put us upon His shoulders, He becomes our “very present help” even if we encounter trouble.

Iris from Australia experienced God’s protection for herself when a cyclone hit the area she lived in. Read her testimony here:

A mini cyclone hit our street and the surrounding area recently. As I huddled in the hallway with my husband and our cat, I declared, “Thank You, Jesus, that You are the calm in the storm!”

When the wind stopped, we went outside and saw a lot of fallen trees on the road. The trees in our street were huge and as tall as thirty meters. As a result, many cars were crushed by the trees and some houses were also damaged. My husband’s work car was damaged slightly but our family car was left unscathed. And praise the Lord no one was injured!

As the damaged trees were being cut down across the road, I realized something. The path of the wind had cut through a few properties across the road and when it came near our house, it stopped completely! It did not come near us and our house was completely undamaged.

Everyone in our street was so surprised that the big tree in our backyard was untouched and that we had no cleanup of our own to do. Praise Jesus! He is the calm, peace, and protection I need!

Wow, praise the Lord! I love this testimony—when the Lord Himself is your refuge and your protection, even cyclones have to stop in their tracks when they come near you!

AMEN! I hope that YOU will learn to trust COMPLETELY in the GOODNESS of GOD! Here is Brandon Lake with "Count 'Em":

Shalom in Him!