Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin!

Supernatural Guidance

. . . I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. — JOHN 14:16-17

The inward witness is just as supernatural as guidance through visions, angels, and so on. It is not as spectacular, but it is just as supernatural.

Many people are looking for the spectacular, and they miss the supernatural that’s right there all the time!

Let me go back to what Jesus said to me when He appeared to me in an open vision in February 1959 in El Paso, Texas. I heard footsteps coming down the hospital corridor, so I looked up to see who it was. When I saw Jesus standing in the doorway, it seemed like the hair on my neck and head stood straight up. Goose pimples popped out all over my body. Jesus was wearing a white robe and Roman sandals. He was about 5’11” tall and weighed about 180 pounds. He pulled up a chair and sat by my bed. During the hour and a half that He talked to me, He told me, “The number one way I lead all My children is through the inward witness.”

Confession: God’s Holy Spirit is in me. He is in me to help me, to lead me, and to guide me. First, the Holy Spirit bears witness with my spirit that I am a child of God, then He bears witness with my spirit in all other aspects of my life.

AMEN! Here is Brooke  Ligertwood with "Fear of God":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

An Overcoming Attitude

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.— Philippians 4:13

It seems we live in a world where negativism is the rule of society. Many people think the worst, believe the worst, and constantly talk about worst-case scenarios. But that shouldn’t be the case for believers. Those who bear the name of Christ should walk as He walked — full of faith and confidence in the Father.

The best example of this kind of overcoming attitude is found in Philippians 4:13, where the apostle Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

If anyone had a reason to be dominated by the flesh at that moment, it was Paul. Think of it — he was in a horrible prison and facing terrible circumstances. But rather than let his flesh dominate him with negativism, Paul used a number of powerful Greek words to declare that he had the upper hand over all the natural challenges that were around him — and that he could do anything through Christ who strengthened him.

Although Paul was in a horrible predicament at the time he wrote the book of Philippians, he declared, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!” I want us to look at this verse today, because it is loaded with insights about having an overcoming attitude.

When Paul said, “I can do” the phrase is a translation of the Greek word ischuos. In Classical Greek, Old Testament Greek, and New Testament Greek, that word denotes the strength and power of gods. But when ischuos was noted to operate in individuals, it caused them to be superior to others, to be champions and victors. It gave the upper hand in every situation so that individuals operating in ischuos prevailed in every circumstance.

Furthermore, Paul adds, “I can do all things….” The phrase “all things” is from the Greek word panta, the word pan with ta attached. The word pan is an all-encompassing word that includes everything and excludes nothing. The little word ta denotes even the smallest of things. So when Paul uses the word panta, he is proclaiming that through Christ, he has the upper hand over everything with nothing excluded, including even the most minute details.

An interpretive translation would read:

“I have the ischuos power operating in me, and it causes me to be superior — a champion, a victor! This ischuos gives me the upper hand in every situation I face and causes me to prevail in every circumstance….”

But Paul went on to say, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” The word “strengtheneth” in Greek is a translation of the word endunamounti, a present active participle of endunamoo. The word endunamoo is a compound of en and dunamis. The word en means into, such as in placing water into a vessel, and dunamis means power. But more importantly is to note that dunamis depicted the forces of an entire army. In fact, the Old Testament Septuagint, the word dunamis was primarily used to picture the combined forces of a complete military.

So when these words en and dunamis are compounded, the new word endunamoo pictures the power of a whole army being deposited into a person. Making this even more significant is the fact that Paul used it in the present active participle, which means he was declaring this type of power was presently acting in him and would continue to express itself through him. He was telling us that deposited into his spirit, and at his disposal, was the equivalent of an entire fighting army.

So the full verse could be interpreted as follows:

“I have the ischuos power operating in me, and it causes me to be superior — a champion, a victor! This ischuos gives me the upper hand in every situation I face and causes me to prevail in every circumstance, And it is all through Christ, who has filled me and continuously infuses me with the strength of a whole army!”

If Paul could write this in the horrific situation he was in at that time and really mean it, there is absolutely nothing you face that you can’t overcome too. God’s ischuos power is available to you as well, to cause you to be superior, to be a champion — a victor — and to have the upper hand in every circumstance you face. When He filled you with the Holy Spirit, He infused you with the ability of a whole army (endunamoo) — and He continues to infuse with you with that strength at this very moment.

Your flesh may try to tell you that there’s no chance you’ll make it through what you’re facing. That flesh will try to tell you that you might as well give up and throw in the towel, because there’s no hope for you. But that’s your moment to take charge over your flesh, command it to get into subjection, and release the power of God that’s been mightily deposited inside you! Soon you’ll find a supernatural flow of divine power coming forth from your inner man that will give you the upper hand in whatever situation you find yourself.

Rather than being dominated by your mind, body, and negative emotions, you’ll find that you have become a mighty instrument in God’s hand through whom His power can and will operate! Regardless of what you face, you’ll have an overcoming attitude that prevails in every situation!

AMEN! Here is Brandon Lake with "That's Who I Praise":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Daily Grace Inspirations" devotional by Joseph Prince is excellent!

How to Be Led by His Peace

Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. 2 Thessalonians 3:16

I want you to know that when God becomes Jehovah Shalom, the God of peace, in your life, He doesn’t just soothe your emotions. He will lead you with His peace.

For example, you may be making some decisions at your work, for your children, or perhaps even where and when to travel for your vacation. Talk to Jesus about it. He will lead and guide you with His peace.

If there is peace from the Lord, go with that decision. If there is an absence of peace and you feel a sense of restraint, back away from it.

You will find that guidance from the Lord comes very easily when God manifests Himself as Jehovah Shalom. In His peace, decisions don’t feel forced and full of strife. In His peace, there is a rest. His peace will guide you supernaturally to be at the right place, at the right time, with the right people.

In Judges 6, the Midianites were terrorizing Israel day and night, destroying their crops and pillaging their livestock. The Lord assured Gideon, who was hiding from the Midianites, that He was with him and called him a man of valor, to which his response was: “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites” (Judges 6:13).

Doesn’t Gideon remind us of ourselves? Instead of hearing what the Lord had just called him, he began to complain. “Why has the Lord forsaken us?” Astoundingly, the Lord simply turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” (Judges 6:14).

What? First, the Lord Jesus calls this man who is in hiding “a man of valor.” Now, He calls this complaining man, who is mad at God, to go in that might of his and save Israel? Shouldn’t it be, “Be gone from My presence, you stinking complainer, I must have found the wrong guy”?

I am so glad that the Lord is not like you and me. He always calls the things that are not as though they are (Romans 4:17).

And I believe that as you receive a revelation of how the Lord is the God of peace in your life, you may be fearful and complaining now, but like Gideon, God will send you to be a testimony of His protection. He will send you to all your friends, coworkers, and loved ones who are bound by fear, and He will use you to deliver them from fear!

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

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin:

Look Inside

What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. — 1 CORINTHIANS 14:15

In every crisis of life, I’ve learned to look to my spirit inside of me. I’ve learned to pray in other tongues. And while I’m praying in other tongues, guidance comes up from inside of me, because my spirit is active when I pray in tongues. My mind is not active then; my spirit is active. And it is through my spirit that God gives me guidance.

Sometimes while I’m praying in tongues privately, I’ll interpret what I’ve said; and through the interpretation, I’ll get guidance. But this doesn’t happen most of the time.

Most of the time, while I’m just praying in tongues, from somewhere way down deep inside, the knowledge of what God wants me to do will rise up in me. (It’s difficult to explain spiritual things in natural ways, but I can sense something rising up within me.) It begins to take shape and form, and although I can’t always put it into words (because my understanding has nothing to do with it), I know exactly on the inside of me what direction I’m to take.

Confession: I listen to my heart. I look to my spirit inside me. I am spirit-conscious, because the Holy Spirit indwells my spirit. He gives direction to my spirit. He guides me through my spirit.

AMEN! Here is Brandon Lake with "Ghost Stories":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to shar the devotional from Jerry Savelle Ministries!

The Truth Will Set You Free

Jesus said …“If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32 NKJV

As the god of this age, Satan seeks to blind those who are perishing. He also wants to blind the hearts and minds of God’s people to the truth of who they really are in Christ.

Paul addressed this in his letter to the church at Corinth when he said, “whose minds the god of this age has blinded … lest the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ … should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:4 NKJV).

Satan wants to put blinders over your eyes so that you cannot see who you really are in Christ, and one of his most effective tools is religious tradition. That’s why Jesus admonished religious leaders for “making the Word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down” (Mark 7:13 NKJV).

The only thing that can remove Satan’s blinders and break the chains of bondage is truth. And the only valid source for finding truth is the Word of God. By definition, the word truth means the highest form of reality that exists. Therefore, the Bible is the highest form of reality that exists. The more truth you know, the greater freedom you will enjoy.

God is not hiding truth from you. He has hidden it for you in His Word—all the way from Genesis through Revelation. If you are hungry enough for freedom, then you’ll get into God’s Word.

If you abide in that Word, it will make you free.

Confession: I declare that I have a fresh hunger for the Word of God. My spiritual eyes are open to the specific truths I personally need today, which God wants to reveal to me.

AMEN! Now keep that fresh hunger for God stirred up every day! Here is Brooke Ligertwood with "Fear Of God":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "From Faith To Faith" devotional by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland is POWERFUL!

Protected by Love

Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:44-45

Love your enemies...turn the other cheek...to most people that sounds like a pretty weak way to handle someone who's causing them trouble. But, the truth is, it's the most powerful way there is. It's the way Jesus did it—and His way never fails.

Do you remember when Jesus went back to Nazareth and the religious folks were angry with Him and wanted to push Him off a cliff? What happened? He just walked right past them, and no one could lay a finger on Him. Another time they decided to stone Him, and He didn't retaliate that time either. He just walked off. No one could touch Him.

When Jesus walked through that crowd, He wasn't afraid. He knew they couldn't hurt Him because He was walking in the love of God.

When Jesus said to turn the other cheek, He didn't mean for you to stand there and have your brains beaten out. He meant for you to stand there in love and in faith believing that the protecting power of God that accompanies that love would keep you safe. He meant for a man to swing at you and not be able to hit you!

The story of Nicky Cruz as recorded in David Wilkerson's book, The Cross and the Switchblade, is a perfect example of that. Nicky was reputed to be the most ruthless gang leader of his time. Yet, when David Wilkerson stood in front of him, telling him about Jesus, Nicky was totally unable to hurt him. He thrust his knife at David several times. But every time he did, David just said, "Nicky, you can cut me into a thousand pieces and every piece will still say, 'I love you and God loves you.'" Because of love, Nicky couldn't get his knife close enough to David to hurt him. A supernatural force always stopped it short.

"But I don't have that kind of love!"

Yes, you do. Romans 5:5 tells us that the love of God is shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit. All you have to do is make the decision to be motivated by that love rather than your own human feelings.

My friend, love never fails! You don't have to be afraid of failure anymore. In fact, you don't have to be afraid of anything. If you're walking in the love of God, you're living the most powerful kind of life there is.

AMEN! HALLELUJAH! Here is Brandon Lake with "King Of Hearts" becauae the ONE Who IS LOVE lives in YOU as a botn again believer, so you have LOVE HIMSELF living IN YOU! YOU CAN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

Partaking in Remembrance

[He] took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 1 Corinthians 11:23–25

The results for diets and exercise come from rules, routine, and regimentation. The results from the holy Communion come from relationship, revelation, and understanding the redemptive work of Christ.

The Communion is about His love. It is about His power to heal you and deliver you from every sickness and disease. And that is why the apostle Paul wrote in the verses above that our Lord Jesus wants us to partake of the holy Communion in remembrance of Him.

When the Jewish people use the word remembrance, it is a much stronger word than just a passive or sentimental remembering. It has the idea of reenactment, of going through the event again.

It is about reenacting all Jesus went through, seeing His body broken as you break the bread in your hands, and seeing His blood being shed for you as you drink of the cup. It is about actively valuing the cross, and seeing how powerful it is for you today as you remember it was for you that the King of kings suffered.

Did you notice that our Lord Jesus told us to partake of the holy Communion in remembrance of Him and not in remembrance of our medical conditions? There was a time when many of the children of Israel were dying from snakebites in the wilderness. When Moses prayed that the Lord would take the serpents away, He responded, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live” (Numbers 21:8).

God did not take away the serpents. His response was to instruct Moses to make a replica of the very thing that was killing them—the serpent—and to set it on a pole for all to look at. “So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived” (Numbers 21:9).

The serpent on the pole is a picture of our Lord Jesus being lifted up on the cross, suspended between heaven and earth, rejected by man and also by His own Father because He was carrying all our sins. On that cross He bore every consequence and every curse of sin that you and I should have experienced, and that includes every sickness and every disease.

Today, whatever your condition, come to the Lord’s Table. Come, beholding Him and His love and begin to partake more and more of the healing that He paid for you to have.

AMEN! Here is Brooke Ligertwood with a song we use often for Communion at our church! "Communion":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really LOVE this teaching from Jerry Savelle!

From Disaster to Victory

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Genesis 50:20 NKJV

If you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that your present adversity was going to turn into a glorious victory, would you give up and quit?

In the hands of God, the very thing that may look like a total disaster today can turn into a wonderful victory tomorrow. He can turn your tears of sorrow into tears of joy. And even while you are under attack, you can have joy in your heart and laugh at the devil because you know you already have the victory and will come out stronger in the end.

Joseph was a man who went through decades of adversity and unimaginable loss. But he held fast to a vision God had given to him as a young man. In the end, Joseph saw that vision come to pass as he was put in charge of a nation.

I don’t know what trial you may be going through today, but if you will exercise your faith and allow patience to have her perfect work, you will experience the Lord’s compassion and mercy. In the natural, you may be facing a disaster, but God can use the very situation the devil has brought against you and turn it into the greatest blessing you have ever experienced.

Choose to continue standing in faith. You have everything to gain by standing, and everything to lose by quitting. Don’t give up. Don’t quit believing the Word. God’s Word will bring you from disaster to victory.

Confession: I believe God will turn every adversity and disaster in my life around for my good. I will stand in faith and trust God to bring me from disaster to victory.

AMEN! HE will NEVER let us down if WE put HIM first! Here is Brandon Lake with "Kids":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

Do the One Thing That Is Needful

And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41–42

Is it practical to be occupied with Jesus? Does it help you? Does it put food on the table? Does it prosper your finances? Does it make your physical body healthy? We know what it did for Peter—he walked on water. Now, let's take a look at what it did for Mary. You can find the story of Mary and her sister, Martha, in Luke 10:38–42.

Mary was seated at Jesus’ feet when the Lord came to visit them. Martha, the elder sister, was busy working in the kitchen, making sure that everything was in order and ensuring that there was enough food and drink for their guest. Who was Martha busy serving? Jesus.

And while Martha was frantically running in and out of the kitchen, what was her younger sister Mary doing? In the midst of all the busyness and activity, Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet, beholding His beauty, beholding His glory, and hanging on to every word that proceeded from His lips.

While Mary was resting and drawing living water from Jesus, her sister Martha was restless, frantic, and stressed from serving Jesus. One sister was focused on serving, while the other was focused on receiving.

Look what happened after a while. Martha's stress from serving finally led to this outburst of frustration: "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me” (Luke 10:40). In one moment of anger, she blamed two persons: the Lord Jesus as well as her sister Mary.

Now, listen closely to Jesus’ response, and you may just find yourself in the Lord's description of Martha: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

This is an amazing response. In Middle Eastern culture, it was right for Mary to be in the kitchen preparing food and serving her guest. Now, it would have been a shameful thing for Mary to sit at Jesus’ feet and not help Martha if Jesus was just an ordinary guest.

But Jesus was no ordinary guest and Mary knew it. He was God in the flesh and the greatest way you can minister to God when He is in your home is to sit at His feet and keep drawing from Him! That is what delights our Lord.

When you come to Jesus to draw as much as you can from Him, He loves it. That is why Jesus was pleased with Mary. That is why He defended Mary’s action, saying, “One thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part.”

What is the “one thing” that is needful? Is it to busy yourself in serving the Lord? Is it to be troubled about many things?

No, the one thing that is needful is for you to sit at Jesus’ feet and keep your eyes, ears, and heart on Him. One sister saw Jesus in the natural, needing her ministry. The other sister saw Him as God veiled in flesh with a fullness to draw upon.

Which sister do you suppose complimented Jesus and made Him feel like the God that He is? Mary. Martha obviously forgot that this God-Man multiplied loaves and fishes to feed a multitude. He has not come to be fed but to feed!

Unfortunately, sometimes, the hardest thing for us to do is to sit down! Sometimes, the most challenging thing we can do is to cease from our own efforts and rest solely on Jesus’ unmerited favor.

Often, we are like Martha—worried, busy, and troubled about many things. It can all be legitimate things that we are worried about. In Martha’s case, she was trying her best to serve the Lord. She ended up doing many things that day, but missed out on doing the one thing that was actually needful.

Believers who do that one thing that is needful are not worried about anything else. On the other hand, believers who fail to do that one thing end up being troubled about many things. Do you believe that only one thing is needful—to rest at Jesus’ feet and receive from Him?

Now, is it practical to just be occupied with Jesus? Absolutely. We find that later, in the Gospel of John, Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair to prepare Him for His burial (John 12:3–8).

On resurrection morning, some women came with ointment to anoint Jesus’ body, but it was too late then. They were doing the right thing, but at the wrong time. The Lord had already risen.

But Mary did the right thing at the right time. This shows us that when you do the one thing that is needful, you will end up doing the right thing at the right time, and God will cause all that you touch to be amazingly blessed.

Like Mary, choose to focus on the beauty, glory, and love of Jesus. Choose not to be troubled about many things or be constantly occupied with yourself. Like Peter, turn away from the storm and look at Jesus, and you will start walking above the storm.

Beloved, choose to focus on the Lord and rest in His finished work. As Jesus is, so are you in this world!

AMEN! Choose JESUS every day! You will NEVER, EVER regret it! Here is Brandon Lake with "Gratitude":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share the "From Faith To Faith" devotional by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland as it pertains to our nation on this Independence Day! 

God Is Healing Our Land

Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid. Romans 3:3-4

Faith-filled words. That's what changes things. They'll move mountains into the sea. They'll turn sickness into health. They'll turn a sinner into a saint.

They'll also take a sin-ridden nation and turn it into God's own country. That's right. Then, if we believers would back up the prayers we've been praying for this nation with words of faith instead of doubt and discouragement, we'd soon begin to see spiritual resurrection in the United States.

God promised us that if we, His people, would humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, He would heal our land. And let me tell you, there are prayer warriors all over this country (I hope you're one of them) who are doing what that promise requires.

But, even so, you don't hear many people saying, "This is great! God is healing the land." You don't hear people speaking out by faith the promise of God. Instead, you hear them saying, "Oh my, oh my, did you hear what those terrorists are doing?" or some other destructive thing they've seen on television.

Listen, we need to stop preaching what the terrorists are doing and start telling what God is doing! God said He is healing this land.

We must start speaking about this country by faith instead of going around spouting bad news all the time. Of course, that will sound odd to most people. Some of them may even think we've slipped a few cogs. But that's nothing new.

Let me tell you something: One handful of believers who are listening to, trusting in, and speaking out the good news of God are more powerful than all the devils on earth. One handful of believers is more powerful than a whole army of unbelieving doomsayers. The unbelief of the doomsayers will not make the faith of God of no effect!

That's why over the last 25 years, Gloria and I have learned to turn a deaf ear to the bad news and just start praising and thanking God for His deliverance. Every word of praise we speak releases faith in our heart.

Get determined with Gloria and me right now. Take a firm stand with us that things are changing in this country. Settle it in your heart as you pray. Speak it out. Call it forth. God is healing the land!

AMEN! This IS the MOST EXCITING time to be alive and to be an AMERICAN!!! Let's thank HIM daily for all that he has done, is doing and is going to do! Here is Brandon Lake with "Praise You Anywhere":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

The Living Word

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. — 1 JOHN 5:7

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us . . . . — JOHN 1:1,14

How can I make Jesus Lord of my life?

Jesus is the Living Word. And God has given us the written Word to unveil the Living Word to us.

Give the Word of God — primarily the New Testament — first place in your life. By doing so, you are putting Jesus first!

Let the Word of God govern your life. Let this Word be the Lord of your life. Let the Word dominate you. By doing so, you are really allowing Jesus to lord it over you — because Jesus and His Word are One.

We are living in an age when we need to get serious about spiritual matters, and we need to learn what the Bible has to say about love, life, home, marriage, and children.

Let the Word of God be your guide in life. When you do, you are making Jesus the Lord of your life. Then His written Word becomes the Lord of your life.

Confession: Lord Jesus, You are the Lord of my life. I allow Your Word to dominate me. I allow Your Word to have dominion over me; therefore, YOU are lording it over me. You are dominating me. You are the Lord of my life!

AMEN! Here is Brooke Ligertwood with "Fear Of God":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is another very important lesson!

The Lord Christ

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. — COLOSSIANS 3:23-24

When Jesus becomes your Lord, He will want to have something to say about the kind of books you read — about the amusements you enjoy — about the governing of your physical body.

If Jesus is your Lord, He will want to have something to say about your finances — how you make your money — and how you use your money.

If Jesus is your Lord, He will want to have something to say about your marriage — about your children — about your home. He will want to dictate to you regarding your vocation in life and where you live.

Yes, Jesus will want to enter every area of your life, if He’s your Lord. I want Him to be my Lord, don’t you? That’s what makes the Christian life blessed. The lordship of Jesus strips life of its weakness, frailty, and human guidance. It lifts life out of the realm of the natural and into the supernatural.

Confession: Lord Jesus, I want You to have Your way in every area of my life. I want You to have Your say-so in every area of my life — in the books I read, in the company I keep, in the amusements I enjoy, in my companions, in my marriage, in my home, in my finances, and in the way I spend my time.

AMEN! Never underestimate the extent of your Heavenly Father's LOVE for YOU! Here is Brooke Ligertwood with "Bless God":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is one you don't want to miss!

The Lordship Of Jesus

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. — ROMANS 6:4

Some translations of Romans 10:9 read, “. . . if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart . . . thou shalt be saved.” That means you must confess Jesus as your Lord and acknowledge His lordship over your life in order to be saved.

The reason for this is obvious. We’ve been the servants and the subjects— as well as the children — of Satan, the enemy of God. We have belonged to the kingdom of the devil. Now we want to leave that kingdom and become “naturalized citizens” of God’s Kingdom. But before we can do this, we must swear allegiance to the new fatherland, so to speak. We must make an absolute, unconditional break with our old fatherland. So, the Bible says, we must confess Jesus Christ as Lord. He is the new Ruler of our intellectual life as well as our heart, or spiritual life.

Some want to have Jesus as Savior, but not as Lord. They want Him as their Savior from hell, but they don’t want Him as their Lord and Ruler on earth. You can’t really have one without the other.

Confession: I walk in the newness of life. Jesus Christ is my Savior. Jesus is my Lord. Lord Jesus, I live in Your Kingdom now, and I acknowledge Your lordship over my life. I want to have Your will and Your way in every area of my life.

AMEN! Now continue to DAILY walk in HIS WORD! Your faith will soar! Here is Brooke Ligertwood with "Fear Of God":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

Angels All Around You

Bless the LORD, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Psalm 103:20–21

Some people have the impression that angels look like little babies dressed in white togas, flying about with bows and arrows. The passage above tells us they are strong—they “excel in strength.”

Do you know how strong angels can be? When Sennacherib, the evil king of Assyria, laid a siege around Jerusalem, Hezekiah prayed to the Lord and the Lord sent one angel to the Assyrian camp.

Just one angel. In one night, the Bible tells us that “the angel of the LORD went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers” (2 Kings 19:35 NLT).

Here’s something else about angels: they “do His word.” They do not operate outside the boundaries of God’s Word.

And we have seen in Psalm 91:11–12 that the Lord has given His angels charge over us. The Amplified Classic version says that His angels will “accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways.” I don’t know about you but that gives me such assurance that I am covered under His wings of refuge and protection!

The Word of God also tells us that when the archangel Lucifer fell, one-third of the angels fell with him. That means that two-thirds of the angels are still on God’s side! Hebrews 12:22 tells us of an “innumerable company of angels.” There are so many angels that they cannot be numbered.

We may not be able to see them, but they are all around us, ministering for us. So don’t be one of those believers who are more conscious of demons than angels. Remember, those who are with us are more than those who are with them (2 Kings 6:16)!

In the garden of Gethsemane, when the Roman soldiers came to arrest our Lord, He said, “Do you suppose that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will immediately provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53 AMPC). According to the Amplified translation, twelve legions is more than 80,000 angels!

All Jesus had to do was pray and those angels would have been activated. But He did not do so because He had already chosen to go to the cross and to die the death that we deserved.

He gave up His protection so that today, you and I can claim all the promises of His protection. And as joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), each one of us can summon twelve legions of angels! May you be encouraged as you see His desire to protect you as well as His provision of angelic protection over your life.

AMEN! What a wonderful confidence this will give us when we really realize this powerful TRUTH! Here is Brandon Lake and CeCe Winans with "I Know A Name":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is so very important for walking in divine health!

Made Manifest

Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life [zoe] also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life [zoe] also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. — 2 CORINTHIANS 4:10-11

Paul is talking about zoe being manifested in our mortal bodies. But he’s not talking about the resurrection of the body, for “mortal” means subject to death. When we’re raised up, we’ll have an immortal body.

No, Paul is talking about having this zoe life of God which came into our spirits at the New Birth manifested during this life — in our deathdoomed mortal flesh!

I am convinced that if we learn how to walk in the light of life, and let that life which came into us at our New Birth dominate us, there is no reason at all why we can’t live to a great age, if Jesus tarries His coming. I know the outward man is decaying, but the zoe life of God can be made manifest in our mortal flesh!

Confession: Thank You, Father, that the life that is in my spirit can also quicken my mortal body. It can make my body full of life, health, and healing. Because in the great plan of redemption, which You planned and sent the Lord Jesus Christ to consummate, there is not only the rebirth of my spirit, but there is also healing for my physical being. “Himself took my infirmities and bare my sicknesses.” What Jesus bore, I need not bear. By Jesus’ stripes I am healed. I am made whole — spiritually, physically, and mentally. According to the Word of God, I am healed! I am whole!

I hope that you will meditate on these TRUTHS until they get inside of you so strongly that you will never let it go! Here is Brandon Lake with "Tear Off The Roof":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share the devotional from The Spoken Word Church website:

Set a Specific Prayer Time

Setting a specific prayer time is one of the great secrets in the lives of prayer champions. Build your daily agenda around your specific prayer time. Morning is usually the best time. Make it the priority of the day.

You will be amazed at the power of keeping a daily appointment with God.

“My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” (Psalms 5:3)

AMEN! I have found after 40 years of praying every morning that I hear Holy Spirit more clearly and receive Wisdom quickly! Make prayer YOUR priority! TIME WITH HIM! Priceless! Here is Brandon Lake with "Talking To Jesus":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share another simple yet very POWERFUL verse! 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].

That IS who HE has made YOU and ME to be! When we DARE to BELIEVE the promises of HIS WORD, then we will LIVE as HE has meant all along for us to live! Here is Brandon Lake with "Kids":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share with you from Philippians 3:10-14 from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan!

10 [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] 11 That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body]. 12 Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own. 13 I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.

THIS is my continued goal! I hope that YOU will also make it yours! Here is Brandon Lake with a song from his new album called "Watch This!":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

“The Son! The Son!”

I will hear what God the LORD will say; for He will speak peace to His people. Psalm 85:8 NASB

There once was a wealthy man who loved his one and only son above all things. Together, they spent ten years building one of the rarest, most valuable art collections in the world, with everything from Picasso to Raphael.

Then war broke out and the son went off to fight. One day the father’s worst fears were realized when the war department informed him his beloved son had been killed while attempting to rescue another soldier.

About six months later, a young soldier with a large package under his arm visited the wealthy man and said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the man your son saved the day he died. Your son was my friend and we spent many nights talking about you and your love for art.” Then he held out his package and said, “I’m not much of an artist, but I wanted you to have this painting I’ve done of your son as I last remember him.”

The father found himself gazing at a portrait of his one and only son. Fighting back tears, he said, “You have captured the essence of my son’s smile in this painting and I will cherish it above all others.” The father hung the portrait of his son over his mantelpiece and showed it to visitors before any of the other masterpieces.

When the father died, his entire collection of masterpieces was offered at an exclusive private auction. Collectors and art experts from around the world gathered and were surprised when the first painting on the auction block was the soldier’s modest rendering of the man’s son.

The auctioneer asked someone to start bidding, but the sophisticated crowd scoffed and demanded for the Van Goghs and Rembrandts to be brought forth. The auctioneer persisted, but when no bid was offered, the crowd hissed for the auction to move on. Still, the auctioneer asked, “The son! The son! Who’ll take the son?”

Finally a voice from the back said, “I’ll bid ten dollars for the son.” The bidder was none other than the young soldier whom the son had died saving. He said, “All I have is ten dollars to my name, but I’ll bid it all for the painting.”

The auctioneer continued to seek a higher bid, but the angry crowd shouted, “Sell it to him and let’s get on with the auction.” The auctioneer pounded the gavel and sold the painting to the soldier for the bid of ten dollars.

“Finally, we can get on with the auction,” someone from the second row bellowed. But right at that moment, the auctioneer announced, “The auction is now officially closed.” The crowd gathered there was shocked and demanded to know why.

The auctioneer simply replied, “According to the wishes of the deceased, only the painting of the son was to be sold today. And whoever gets this painting gets it all—every piece of art in this priceless collection and the entire estate in which it is housed. The auction is closed.” And with the swing of his gavel, he left the crowd sitting in stunned silence, staring at the young soldier.

Every time I think about this story, I think of how, like the father in the story, God is looking for people who value and appreciate His Son. Whoever receives the Son receives all of God’s blessings. To the one who values His Son, He gives every good thing He has.

And how do we value His Son? One of the primary ways is by taking time to hear Him. Hear His words of grace to us and hear what He has done for us through His sacrifice at the cross.

In today’s scripture, the psalmist says, “I will hear what God the LORD will say; for He will speak peace to His people.” The Hebrew word for “peace” here is shalom, which means completeness, soundness, well-being in body and mind, safety, contentment, and peace in our relationships with people.

My friend, if you desire to experience an increase in these blessings in your body, family, career, and ministry, then focus on hearing Jesus and growing in the knowledge of Him and His grace. The Bible tells us that grace and peace (and every good blessing) are multiplied to us when we grow in the knowledge of Jesus our Lord (2 Peter 1:2).

AMEN! Make THE SON your top priority and everything else will follow! Here is Brooke Ligertwood with "Bless God":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I simply want to share a new song from Brandon Lake for you! The title is "As For Me And My Home":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food" devotional for today is a very important one!

Knowledge And Skill

"As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams" (Daniel 1:17).

"God gave them knowledge and skill."

God gave Daniel and the other three Hebrew children, knowledge and all skill. Eternal life is the nature of God. You've got God's nature in you. Know that! Believe that! Confess that! Then that nature will begin to dominate you!

Learn to walk in the light of life. Learn to put that life into practice in your being. Walking in the light of that life will enhance your entire personality, and will increase your intelligence.

Confession: I am a new creation. I am born again. I am a new creature. I have the life and nature of God in my spirit. That life is the light of men. I purpose to walk in the light of life. God's life is in me. God's knowledge is in me. God's skill is in me. God's ability is in me. God's wisdom is in me. He is instructing me. He is leading me. I am a child of God. The Spirit of God in me is leading me. I'll follow His leading. I'll walk in the light of life.

AMEN! Never forget that you ARE what God's Word says you are! You CAN DO what God's Word says you can do! So declare over yourself what GOD says about you and you will see it come to pass! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Who You Say I Am" with subtitles

Shalom in Him! 

Shalom,

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

Friendship With The World

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that friendship with the world is enmity with God…?
— James 4:4

As we saw yesterday, James began James 4:4 by calling his readers “adulterers” and “adulteresses” — which is strong language to use when addressing believers! James obviously wanted to get their attention. In some way, they had violated their relationship with Christ. They had been unfaithful; they had crossed the line and given a part of their hearts and souls to the world around them. By calling them “adulterers” and “adulteresses,” James was saying that whatever they were doing was the equivalent of spiritual adultery.

James probingly asked his readers, “…Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God…?” The word “know” is oida. It refers to firsthand knowledge that these believers should have already possessed. In this case, it means, “Don’t you know?” “Don’t you understand?” “Haven’t you grasped by now?” Then he continued, “…Know ye not that friendship with the world is enmity with God…?”

The word “friendship” is the word philia, a noun taken from the word phileo. The word phileo describes affection, attachment, devotion, endearment, or familiarity. It can be used to portray the intense sentiment between two or more people. It was most often used to denote a relationship that was dear, precious, and valuable. In fact, it carried such a feeling of endearing affection that the word philema comes from it, which is the Greek word meaning to kiss. There is no doubt Paul meant that these believers’ tie to the world had never been fully severed. In some manner they were still being attracted to the world — to such an extent that its influence was encroaching on their relationship with the Lord.

Worldliness is a serious thing with the Lord, and it tries to wrap its arms around all of us. If we begin edging in on worldliness with the way we live our lives, the Holy Spirit will warn us to break that wrong relationship with the world and return to Him.

If you want to have a quick wakeup call, just take a little time to think of the things you tolerate in your life today that you would never have tolerated ten years ago. For example, do you watch movies today that you would have considered a sin ten years ago? Are you more permissive in your thinking about sin now than you used to be? Are there any areas of your life where you used to be more on fire and less compromising than you are right now? Do you pray and witness as you much as you once did? You may as well be honest with God because He knows your real spiritual condition anyway.

You can’t bluff God by making up excuses. At least when you’re honest with God, you put yourself in a position where He can deal with your heart. Once you’re being truthful with yourself and with Him, you can begin to repent and return to being on fire for Him the way He desires you to be.

We could all admit worldliness in some area of our lives, but if we don’t deal with the areas as the Holy Spirit leads us, over time we will become more conformed to the world than to Jesus Christ. Being a friend of the world doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time. It’s a very slow, seductive, and methodical process as our thinking, behavior, and outlook on life grows to look more and more similar to the world than to that of Jesus.

The Bible says that a Christian who is entangled with the world is at “enmity” with God. The word translated “enmity” is the Greek word echthra, meaning hostility or enmity. Allowing the world to encroach on your relationship with God is a very serious thing in His view. The word “enmity” tells us that this is very serious!

Today I want to ask you: Are you on fire for Jesus as you once were? Or have the things of the world slowly begun to douse the flames that once burned so brightly for the Lord? Are you free of the world, or has its attraction lured and seduced you from Christ? Would Jesus say that you are completely committed to Him, or would He say you are sharing His rightful place with other things? Who or what is the central focus of your life? If you consider yourself to be a serious Christian, these are very important questions for you to answer today!

AMEN! Ask yourself those questions, and if your answers are not what they should be, MAKE THE CHANGE! There is no other way to stay right in the middle of GOD'S will for YOU! Here is Brandon Lake with "God Is Not Agsainst Me":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share from Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "From Faith To Faith" devotional:

Put the Word First

For skillful and godly Wisdom is the principal thing.... Prize Wisdom highly and exalt her, and she will exalt and promote you; she will bring you to honor when you embrace her. Proverbs 4:7-8, The Amplified Bible

I want to tell you the only real secret to getting ahead in this world. It’s simple. Put the Word of God first place in your daily life.

“Well,” you may be saying, “I’ve heard that before. It’s no secret.” But when you understand what I mean, it could be a revelation to you.

You see, the Bible is not just a textbook, a storybook or a history book. It’s a handbook for living. It’s the wisdom of Almighty God written down so that you can apply it to your everyday circumstances.

God says that wisdom is the “principal thing.” Principal means “first in importance.” That means the Word of God needs to occupy the place of highest importance in all of your activities. I know from experience what an impact that can have on your life.

Twenty years ago I decided to read the Gospels and the book of Acts three times in 30 days. It seemed an impossible task at the time. With two small children and my house turned upside down from a recent move, I couldn’t see how I could possibly spend that much time reading the Word and still get everything done. But I set myself to put other things aside and do it anyway.

Surprisingly enough, at the end of the first day I had accomplished more than I would have under normal circumstances. And by the end of that 30 days, I’d not only read the Gospels and Acts three times, I’d kept all my housework done, taken care of my children, and refinished several pieces of furniture to boot! I was amazed.

You’ll be amazed at what happens in your life too, if you give God’s Word priority. But let me warn you, don’t wait until you think you have the time. Satan will see to it that you never do.

Just do like I did and set other things aside. Invest your time in the Word first and that investment will soon be paying off in every area of your life.

AMEN! You CANNOT outgive GOD! Whether it is finances, time, energy, prayer, meditaint on His Word, whatever YOU put into it, HE will MULTIPLY back to you! Here is Brandon Lake and Brooke Ligertwood with "Honey In The Rock":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's devotional by Jerry Savelle Ministries is just what YOU need to hear today! 

Sickness and Disease is Part of the Curse

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. Galatians 3:13

Sickness and disease were never part of God’s plan for mankind. When He created the garden and placed Adam in it, life was perfect just as God planned it to be; there was no sickness or disease. But because Adam sinned and opened the door to the devil, mankind was subjugated to all that was part of the curse.

Until, that is, Jesus broke the power of the curse when He died on the Cross and rose again, destroying all the power of the devil. This is good news, because sickness and disease no longer have a right to be in your body.

Just as sickness and disease had no right to come on Jesus’ physical body when He walked on the earth, so it has no right to come on your body today. However, the devil will attempt to bring the curse upon your life and he will push you as far as you will allow him to. He will stay as long as you let him.

The devil will not leave you voluntarily—you must evict him from your life! It will be necessary that you tenaciously voice your rights as a child of God, enforce God’s Word against him, and use your faith and the authority Jesus has given you to cast the devil out. Then, speak to that sickness and disease and command it in the name of Jesus to leave.

Jesus paid the price for you to live in freedom from sickness and disease. So stand firm, speak God’s Word, and enjoy the fullness of your redemption from the curse.

Confession: Because Jesus Christ has redeemed me from the curse, I have been set free from all sickness and disease. I am full of the life and power of God.

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Can't Stop Talkin":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I LOVE today's "Daily Grace Inspirations" devotional by Joseph Prince!

Do Great Exploits

The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. Daniel 11:32

Have you ever wondered what gives a person the strength to become a champion, such as Daniel or David in the Scriptures? The book of Daniel tells us that “the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits” (Daniel 11:32).

Daniel himself started out as a young captive taken from Jerusalem to serve in the courts of Babylonian and Medo-Persian kings. Yet Daniel stood out among his peers.

Over his lifetime he interpreted dreams by the wisdom of God and demonstrated an “excellent spirit” people around him could see (Daniel 6:3). He always found favor in the eyes of the Gentile kings he served and experienced supernatural deliverance when there seemed to be no way out. Daniel walked out of the lions’ den unharmed because he knew his God, His power, and His heart for him.

Dear reader, is this what you desire today—to walk in strength, wisdom, and favor that is undeniable and irresistible? Do you desire to see the God-kind of miracles and breakthroughs in your life?

Then I encourage you to keep hearing and growing in your knowledge of God’s grace and mercy toward you. In Daniel’s story, the Lord, through an angel, addressed him as a “man greatly beloved” (Daniel 10:11). So the more you hear about and are confident in His love for you, the more you will live life with boldness and a different, excellent spirit that sets you apart from others and testifies of His power in your life.

Consider also young David, the shepherd boy who was bold enough to challenge and take down Goliath when others were cowering in fear. David knew God as a covenant-keeping God who loved him. David would have been reminded of God’s love for him every time he heard his own name called, for David’s name means “beloved,” the beloved of the Lord.

I believe David became such an amazing worshipper, a leader beloved by His people, and a man after God’s own heart because he knew and was conscious of how much the Lord loved him. Even when David failed, I believe it was his revelation that he was still beloved of the Lord that kept him going.

Beloved, I pray that as you continue to read the word of His grace and listen to messages of His glorious grace, you will come to truly know the Lord’s love for you and embrace it heart and soul. His love will make you strong and cause you to do great exploits.

When you know how much God loves you, you will bring down the giants in your life, and your life will testify of His goodness and glory!

AMEN! Here is Benjamin Hastings and Hillsong Worship with "That's The Power":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional by Oswald Chambers is a great lesson for all of us!

Don’t Think Now, Take The Road

And Peter…walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid. — Matthew 14:29-30

The wind was actually boisterous, the waves were actually high, but Peter did not see them at first. He did not reckon with them, he simply recognised his Lord and stepped out in recognition of Him, and walked on the water. Then he began to reckon with the actual things, and down he went instantly. Why could not our Lord have enabled him to walk at the bottom of the waves as well as on the top of them? Neither could be done saving by recognition of the Lord Jesus.

We step right out on God over some things, then self-consideration enters in and down we go. If you are recognising your Lord, you have no business with where He engineers your circumstances. The actual things are, but immediately you look at them you are overwhelmed, you cannot recognise Jesus, and the rebuke comes: “Wherefore didst thou doubt?” Let actual circumstances be what they may, keep recognising Jesus, maintain complete reliance on Him.

If you debate for a second when God has spoken, it is all up. Never begin to say — “Well, I wonder if He did speak?” Be reckless immediately, fling it all out on Him. You do not know when His voice will come, but whenever the realisation of God comes in the faintest way imaginable, recklessly abandon. It is only by abandon that you recognise Him. You will only realise His voice more clearly by recklessness.

AMEN! JESUS walked on water! PETER walked on water!!! UNTIL ...! Dare to really BELIEVE God's WORD to you! Then never look back! You will accomplish great things in your life if you refuse to look back, around or down! Simply keep moving forward toward the goals and dreams that JESUS put in your heart! He delights in showing Himself strong on our behalf! Here is Brandon Lake with "Count 'Em":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Todya's "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional by Oswald Chambers is SO vital for born again believers to know! 

The Uncritical Temper

Judge not, that ye be not judged. — Matthew 7:1

Jesus says regarding judging — Don’t. The average Christian is the most penetratingly critical individual. Criticism is a part of the ordinary faculty of man; but in the spiritual domain nothing is accomplished by criticism. The effect of criticism is a dividing up of the powers of the one criticised; the Holy Spirit is the only One in the true position to criticise, He alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding. It is impossible to enter into communion with God when you are in a critical temper; it makes you hard and vindictive and cruel, and leaves you with the flattering unction that you are a superior person. Jesus says, as a disciple cultivate the uncritical temper. It is not done once and for all. Beware of anything that puts you in the superior person’s place.

There is no getting away from the penetration of Jesus. If I see the mote in your eye, it means I have a beam in my own. Every wrong thing that I see in you, God locates in me. Every time I judge, I condemn myself (see Romans 2:17-20). Stop having a measuring rod for other people. There is always one fact more in every man’s case about which we know nothing. The first thing God does is to give us a spiritual spring-cleaning; there is no possibility of pride left in a man after that. I have never met the man I could despair of after discerning what lies in me apart from the grace of God.

AMEN! I am actually shocked at the number of people I have come across over the years who will fight for what THEY consider their right to judge others! Matthew 7:1 is very simple and exceedingly clear about this! DO NOT DO IT!!! Here is Brandon Lake with "King Of Hearts":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

The King Came Down

“ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Luke 19:38

When Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, He said, “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44). Today we have problems loving our neighbors, let alone our enemies.

Jesus also said, “If your right eye offends you, pluck it out, throw it away from you. If your hand offends you, cut it off” (Matthew 5:29–30). Have you seen anyone who’s fighting for the law do that? Have you seen any church practice that? Come on, that church would look like a huge amputation ward!

So what was Jesus doing when He said those things?

Jesus was bringing the law back to its pristine standard, as the Pharisees had brought it down to where it was humanly possible to keep. For example, the Pharisees thought that unless you physically commit adultery, you have not sinned, but Jesus said that if you look at a woman to lust, you have already committed adultery with her (Matthew 5:28).

Jesus demonstrated to those who boasted of their law keeping that it was impossible for man to be justified by the law. He also said that the moment you are angry with a brother in your heart, you have committed murder (Matthew 5:22)! You see, Jesus’ definitive and impeccable interpretation of God’s holy laws brings man to the end of himself so that he will see his need for the Savior.

Now, I want you to catch a beautiful picture of God’s grace: the good news is that Jesus didn’t stop there. He preached the Sermon on the Mount and then He came down. Spiritually speaking, if the King had stayed on the mountain, there would have been no redemption for us.

Are you getting this? If Jesus had stayed high up in heaven and decreed God’s holy standards from there, there would have been no hope and no redemption for us. But all praise and glory to the King Who chose to come down from heaven to this earth! He came down the mountain. He came down into suffering, crying, and dying humanity.

At the foot of the mountain we see how He met a man with leprosy, a picture of you and me before we were washed clean by His precious blood. Imagine: an unclean sinner, standing before the King of kings. There was no way the standards of the Sermon on the Mount could have saved him. There was no way the pristine and perfect standards of God’s holy commandments could have saved us. The King knew that and that’s why He came down to where we were.

In those days, people with leprosy were considered unclean and wherever they went they had to shout, “Unclean! Unclean!” (Leviticus 13:45) so people would know to run the other way lest they became defiled by the disease. Needless to say, those with leprosy were not welcomed in public places. Yet here the man with leprosy was before the King saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean” (Matthew 8:2). Notice he didn’t doubt that Jesus could; he doubted that Jesus would.

Without a moment’s hesitation, our Lord Jesus reached out and touched the afflicted man, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed (Matthew 8:3).

Now watch this: under the law those with leprosy—the unclean—make the clean unclean. But under grace Jesus makes the unclean clean. Under the law, sin is contagious. Under grace, righteousness and God’s goodness are contagious!

HALLELUJAH! i am SO GLAD that our GOD is the same HGOD as He always has been! Here is Brandon Lake with "Kids":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" dvotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is another powerful lesson that many have never heard!

Divine Nature

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: thatby these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped thecorruption that is in the world through lust. — 2 PETER 1:4

When you became a child of God, God imparted His own nature — eternal life — to you. This life, this nature, this being, this substance of God, instantly changed your spirit.

You passed from spiritual death — the realm of Satan — into life, which is the realm of God (1 John 3:14). You passed from the dominion of Satan into the dominion of Christ.

When you received eternal life, the satanic nature passed out of you. The corruption from which you have escaped is spiritual death, the satanic nature (2 Peter 1:4).

The satanic nature passed out of you, not theoretically, but actually. Second Corinthians 5:17 states, “. . . old things are passed away . . . .” And God’s nature came into you.

Now you are a partaker of God’s divine nature — the nature of God — the life of God!

Confession: God’s life is in me. God’s nature is in me. God’s ability is in me. God’s wisdom is in me. For me to fail, God would have to fail. And God can never fail! I am a partaker of His divine nature.

AMEN! What a WONDERFUL and BLESSED promise! And it is all for us! Here is Brandon Lake with "Plans":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional by Oswald Chambers is SO good!

Get A Move On

Abide in Me. — John 15:4

In the Matter of Determination

The Spirit of Jesus is put into me by the Atonement, then I have to construct with patience the way of thinking that is exactly in accordance with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus, I have to do it myself; I have to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. “Abide in Me” — in intellectual matters, in money matters, in every one of the matters that make human life what it is. It is not a bandbox* life.

Am I preventing God from doing things in my circumstances because I say it will hinder my communion with Him? That is an impertinence. It does not matter what my circumstances are, I can be as sure of abiding in Jesus in them as in a prayer meeting. I have not to change and arrange my circumstances myself. With Our Lord the inner abiding was unsullied; He was at home with God wherever His body was placed. He never chose His own circumstances, but was meek towards His Father’s dispensations for Him. Think of the amazing leisure of Our Lord’s life! We keep God at excitement point, there is none of the serenity of the life hid with Christ in God about us.

Think of the things that take you out of abiding in Christ — “Yes, Lord, just a minute, I have got this to do; Yes, I will abide when once this is finished; when this week is over, it will be all right, I will abide then.” Get a move on; begin to abide now. In the initial stages it is a continual effort until it becomes so much the law of life that you abide in Him unconsciously. Determine to abide in Jesus wherever you are placed.

*bandbox: in Chambers’ day, a small, round box made to hold neckbands or collars for shirts; metaphorically, something small, narrow, cloistered, self-contained.

AMEN! Make the LORD your GOD your top priority and everything else will fall right into place! Here is Brandon Lake with "Praise You Anywhere":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share again from Joseph Prince's "Daily Grace Inspirations" devotional. This is SO good!

Jesus Is Your Answer

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life . . . If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” John 14:6–7

When I was growing up as a young Christian, I was told that the more I knew about God, the more God would hold me accountable and my punishment for falling short of His expectations would be more severe than someone who knew less.

My response was to stay away from the Bible, since the more I knew, the more I would be punished by God. Come on, my mama didn’t raise no fool!

I was also taught that the closer I drew to God, the more trials and tribulations I would experience. From that point on, I didn’t want to draw close to God. If you have been taught these or similar lies about God, you would very likely also have been robbed of any desire to build a more intimate relationship with Him.

As I grew in the Lord, He opened my eyes to see that the teachings I had received were not true. Contrary to what I had been taught, I found that the closer I drew to God, the closer I was to the answer to all of my problems. I was drawing close to the miracle worker. I was drawing close to the healer. I was drawing close to the provider, my Jehovah Jireh!

My friend, the more of God’s truth you know, the more the truth will set you free from erroneous beliefs that are not based on His Word. It is the devil who would love for you to fear God (in an unhealthy way), so that you would stay away from your best source of help. The devil would love for you to stay away from the Bible because it is the book of your inheritance and it tells you what belongs to you through the blood of Jesus Christ. The devil would love for you not to find out the truth so that he can keep you in bondage, sickness, and poverty.

Distortions and lies about God lead us away from Him and ultimately into the depths of despair and fear, like they did for Tina, who lives in Florida. Tina had been involved with a religious, cult-like organization for twelve years and became gripped by the terror that the devil was going to kill her.

However, when she started watching my television program, listening to my sermon CDs, and immersing herself in the good news of Jesus Christ, her fears started to dissipate. She said, “Despite my erroneous beliefs, my awesome heavenly Dad lavished such tremendous love on me, all through hearing and reading about the glorious gospel of grace!

"He unveiled Jesus to me through your teaching, brought me out of spiritual darkness, and gave me the courage to walk away from the cult. As I face each new day, I know His presence is always with me, that I am His beloved and He loves me dearly. This is just the beginning of a greater restoration that God is bringing into my life. He is just that good, and there is no other like Him! Hallelujah!”

I add my hallelujah as well! My friend, the moment you begin to have the right perceptions of God and draw near to Him, the devil cannot keep you bound in a life of defeat. All the lies, distortions, and erroneous teachings about God will collapse like a house of cards when your eyes are opened to His grace.

You will realize that the Lord is not your problem but your answer—to every problem. Your freedom and victory are found in Him. He is your security, your righteousness . . . your all in all!

HALLELUJAH and AMEN! Only the enemy would want to keep you away from close fellowship with the LORD your GOD! Don't give in to him! He is a LIAR and the father of LIES! Instead, put all of your trust in JESUS! Here is Brandon Lake with "Adoption Song":

Shalom in Him!