Shalom,

We'll continue with our study of "In Him" verses today in 2 Corinthians:

2 Cor 5:21 (KJV)
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

For "He hath made", the Greek word, poieo, we covered in the previous post. It means: to make or do, to construct, to form , to fashion, to be the author of, to prepare, to provide a thing for oneself, to make something out of anything, him to be "sin", the Greek word, hamartia, which means: sin, offence, to be without a share in, to miss the mark, to err, to be mistaken, to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honor, to do or go wrong, to violate God's law, "for", the Greek word, huper, which means: in behalf of, for the sake of, us "Who (Jesus) knew", the Greek word, ginosko, which means: to come to know, to get a knowledge by perception, to understand, to perceive, to become acquainted with, no sin "that", the Greek word, hina, which means: in order that (denoting the purpose or result), to the intent that, we "might be made", the Greek word, ginomai, which means: to come into existence, to begin to be, to receive being, to come to pass, the "righteousness", the Greek word, dikaiosune, which means: equity of character, state of him who is as he ought to be, the condition acceptable to God, integrity, virtue, purity of life, of God in Him. The Amplified Bible says it this way:

2 Cor 5:21 (Amplified)
21For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

So what should we say about ourselves from this verse? We should say:

God has made me righteous! I didn't do it, God did! I am in right standing with God because of what Jesus has done for me. Jesus, Who IS righteous, WAS MADE sin with MY sin, so that I could be BE righteous with HIS righteousness. I now have the right to stand in the presence of the God of the Bible as though I've never done anything wrong! I can stand in God's presence without condemnation or inferiority of any kind, because of Jesus! Thank You, Jesus!

Let's look at another "in Him" Scripture:

Rom 8:1 (KJV)
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

We see here that there is now no "condemnation", the Greek word, katakrima, which means: an adverse sentence or verdict, no judgement, to them which are in Christ Jesus, "who walk", Greek peripoteo, which means: to make one's way, to progress, to make due use of opportunities, to regulate one's life, to conduct oneself, to pass one's life, not after the "flesh", the Greek word, sarx, which means: the mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God, but after the "spirit", the Greek word pneuma, which means: the Spirit of God, the reborn human spirit. The Amplified Bible says this:

Rom 8:1 (Amplified)
1THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.

So what should I be saying here? Say this:

Because I am IN Christ Jesus , RIGHT NOW, present tense, then there is no sense of condemnation about me! I see myself the way that my Father God sees me, through the blood of Jesus! Made new and pure in Him! I have the right, the privilege and the responsibility to go boldly before His presence for answers to my needs and the needs of others!

We'll look at some more In Him verses in our next post.

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We began to look at some of the "In Him" Scriptures in our last post. One of the verses we looked at was 2 Corinthians 5:17:

2 Cor 5:17 (KJV)
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The Amplified Bible says this:

2 Cor 5:17 (Amplified)
17Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

As a believer we are not renovated or made over. We ARE new creatures--something which never existed before! One translation says "he is a new species." It is not our physical bodies that are made new instantly. It's also not our souls (our mind, emotions and will). The part of us that is made new is the spirit part of us. We ARE spirit beings, we POSSESS souls (mind, emotions and will) and we LIVE in our physical bodies. Our bodies WILL be made new, in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the Rapture of the church. Our spirits WERE made new at the moment of the new birth, when we accepted and received Jesus of Nazareth as our Lord and personal Saviour. Our souls ARE "renewed" daily as we spend time in the Word of God and in close, intimate fellowship with Him by the Holy Spirit Who lives in us. Finding out and confessing what God's Word says about us is one of the ways our minds are renewed.

God sees our new and recreated spirit when He sees us! He sees us "in Him!" He sees us this way:

Eph 2:10
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Notice that we are HIS "workmanship", the Greek word, poiema, which, means: a product, a fabric, a thing that is made, and comes from the Greek word, poieo, which means: to make or to do, to produce, to construct, to form, to fashion, to be the author of. We are "created", the Greek word, ktizo, which means: to fabricate, to form, to shape, to completely change or transform, in Christ (the anointed One) Jesus (Jehovah is salvation) unto "good", the Greek word, agathos, which means: good in any sense, useful, excellent, distinguished, honorable, "works", the Greek word, ergon, which means: business, employment, that which one undertakes to do, anything accomplished, which God Himself "hath before ordained", the Greek word, proetoimazo, which means, to fit up in advance, to prepare before, to make ready beforehand, that "we should walk", the Greek word, peripateo, which means: to make one's way, to make due use of opportunities, to regulate one's life, to conduct oneself, to be occupied with, in them. The Amplified Bible says it this way:

Eph 2:10 (Amplified)
10For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

So what should we be saying about ourselves from this verse? We should say something like this:

I am His workmanship. He made me a new creation. I WILL DO the works that God Himself created me for! I will be where God wants me to be, doing what He wants me to do.

Now don't even allow yourself to say something that is contrary to what the Word of God says about you here. Don't ever say, "I'm so unworthy. I'll never amount to anything." You're actually calling God a liar when you say things like that! That is NOT what you just found out that God says about you. Speak God's Words over yourself. You'll be agreeing with Him and He is ALWAYS right!!!

We'll look more at who we are in Him in our next post. And as always, the things we're talking about in these teachings belong ONLY to born again believers in Jesus of Nazareth. If you have never received Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour, that is the FIRST thing you need to do! THEN get into the Word of God and find out who YOU are IN HIM! Check earlier blog posts or go to The Spoken Word Church site at the left of this blog and find out what YOU need to do to become a born again child of the One True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We'll continue looking at confession today. The most important confession we can make as a believer is our confession of faith in Jesus of Nazareth as our Lord and personal Saviour. We looked at Romans 10 recently:

Rom 10:9-10 (KJV)
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

The Amplified Bible says:

Romans 10:9-10 (Amplified)
9Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.

We believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead which results in righteousness (right standing with God, the right to stand before a holy God as thought we've never done anything wrong because of the precious blood of Jesus!) and THEN we confess (declare our faith openly and freely) which results in salvation (soteria, deliverance, preservation, safety, health, wholeness). Now you're ready to find out what else God has declared about you in His Word, so you can declare that, too! We discussed in the last post about finding out who we are in Him. Let's look at one such Scripture now:

Acts 17:28 (KJV)
28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being;

What does this verse say about who we are? We read here that in Him "we live", the Greek word, zao, which means: to live, to be full of vigor, to be fresh, strong, efficient, active, powerful and efficacious (having the power to produce a desired effect), and "move", the Greek word, kineo, which means: to stir, to cause to move, set in motion, to excite, and "have our being", the Greek word, esmen, which means: we are. So what do we confess from this? We say this:

Jesus of Nazareth is my Lord and personal Saviour. I AM in Him! His storehouse of power lives in me, therefore I AM fresh, strong, active, powerful, efficient and effective. I have life! I have energy! I can move when God tells me to! I can do what God says I can do! I can be all that God says I can be! I have His strength for impossible tasks!

Here is another "in Him" Scripture that we can and should confess over ourselves:

2 Cor 5:17 (KJV)
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

As born again believers we are In Christ, therefore we are "new", the Greek word, kainos, which means: new, recently made, of a new kind, unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of, "creatures", the Greek word, ktisis, which means: an original formation or creation. Our old life is gone and "behold", the Greek word, idou, which is an imperative word that means: See! Look! Listen! "All things", the Greek word, pas, which means: individually and collectively, each, every, all, the whole, everything, "are become", the Greek word, ginomai, which means: to become, to come into existence, to begin to be, to come to pass, "new", the word kainos from above.

The Amplified Bible says this:

2 Cor 5:17 (Amplified)
17Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

So what should you and I say? We say:

I AM a new creature in Christ Jesus. I am a new creation being with the life of God, the nature of God and the ability of God IN ME! I can accomplish ANYTHING He calls me to do because I do it by His ability IN ME! Hallelujah!

When you really believe that, living this Christian life will get so much easier and simpler for you! You won't have to try so hard to do the right things. His nature will rise up in you to help you! You should begin expecting it to! We'll look at more "In Him" Scriptures in out next post. Get these inside of you until they are real to you! Make them yours!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We began to look at confession in our last post and we want to continue with that today. I recently learned that "DeVaR" is Hebrew for "word". It also can be translated "things" or "matter". That is very exciting when you look at it from God's perspective. In the beginning, when God created the Heaven and the earth, Genesis tells us that "God said..." and whatever God said came to pass! What did God say? He said "words" and the words He said BECAME the thing (or matter!) that He spoke. God said "light" and light came into existence! Everything we see on the earth came into being when God spoke words!

Another powerful teaching I just heard was that Science has now broken down the atom and when they broke it down to the smallest state they could they found that what they had were "sound waves"! God SPOKE and matter happened!!! That is especially exciting when you look at what Jesus said in Mark:

Mark 11:23 (KJV)
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

JESUS said that WE would speak things into existence WHEN we believe in the words that we speak! There is power in the spoken word! Jesus also said in John:

John 15:7 (KJV)
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

We also have a warning about our words in Proverbs:

Prov 18:20 (KJV)
20 A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.

The Amplified Bible says it this way:

Prov 18:20 (Amplified)
20A man's self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied [whether good or evil].

We WILL reap the fruit of our mouth, the words of our mouth. If you and I are not satisfied with some of the things we have happening in our lives, the FIRST place to look is at our words! WHAT are we saying? Are we speaking God's Word into our lives, or are we repeating what we hear in the world around us? The Bible says that we will only have the results in our lives that we are speaking into our lives! That's why we are studying confession and what we SHOULD be saying about ourselves. Here is an example of how we should be talking, if we are born again believers in the Lord Jesus:

I Jn 3:1-2
1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

The Amplified Bible says this:

1 John 3:1-2 (Amplified)
1SEE WHAT [an incredible] quality of love the Father has given (shown, bestowed on) us, that we should [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! The reason that the world does not know (recognize, acknowledge) us is that it does not know (recognize, acknowledge) Him.
2Beloved, we are [even here and] now God's children; it is not yet disclosed (made clear) what we shall be [hereafter], but we know that when He comes and is manifested, we shall [as God's children] resemble and be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He [really] is.

So what should WE be saying? We should be saying that we ARE sons of God! I am a born again believer in the Lord Jesus of Nazareth. I AM a child of God! God IS my very own Father and I AM (right now!) His very own child! When you meditate on God's Word from that perspective, it will just come alive inside of you! When you really realize who you are as a believer, you will have a boldness you never thought possible! That's where you begin. You go through the New Testament, primarily the Epistles because they are the letters to believers, and underline or highlight all the verses you find that say "in Him", "in Christ", "in whom", etc. Write them down and meditate on them, allowing the Holy Spirit to teach you what it means to you. Then begin to call yourself what God calls you! Speak about yourself ONLY what God's Word says. You will be amazed at the results! We'll look more at some of these verses in our next post.

As always we remind you that if you have never received Jesus of Nazareth as your own Lord and personal Saviour, then none of this belongs to you. You are not YET a child of God, but you can be! Believe in your heart that Jesus came to this earth, died on the cross for your sin, rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of God in Heaven, Ask Him to come into your heart and be the Lord over your life. Click on The Spoken Word Church link to the left of this blog to find more info and to let us know about your decision. We want to hear from you and to help you grow in the things of God!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

One of the most important things to know as a believer is the importance of confession. Now it's always very important to remember to confess sin according to 1 John 1:9:

1 Jn 1:9 (KJV)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 (Amplified)
9If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].

Make sure you are staying cleansed from all sin by continuing to confess that sin to your Heavenly Father each and every time you miss it by making a selfish decision or choice to do things your own way instead of God's way. Then receive His forgiveness and move on. That's vital to your Christian life. But that's not the confession we want to talk about today. The confession we want to look at today is found in the Book of Romans.

Rom 10:8-11 (KJV)
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

The "word" that is nigh is the Greek, rhema, which means: an utterance, what is or has been uttered by the living voice, a thing spoken by the voice and having definite meaning, a declaration of one's mind made in words. It actually refers to the Word of God spoken from the mouth of a believer who has meditated on that Word until it becomes real to them, then they speak that Word out of their mouth and it WILL come to pass! We see that the Word is nigh, or near, even in our mouths (speaking it) and in our heart (the spirit & soul combination) after meditating on it until we really know, that we know that it is Truth! This Word is the Word of "faith", the Hebrew word, pistis, which means persuasion, reliance, assurance, trust and confidence, which we preach!

What IS that Word of Faith which we preach? It is that "thou shall confess", the Greek, homologeo, which is a compound word that means: to assent, to covenant, to acknowledge, to say the same thing as another, to agree with, to declare, to profess, to declare openly, with our mouth, the Lord Jesus and "shalt believe", the Greek, pisteuo, which comes from the word pistis, which we covered in the previous chapter, and means, to be persuaded, to place confidence in, to trust. What are we to believe and have confidence in? That God raised Jesus from the dead! We're told here that when we believe that in our heart and speak it out of our mouths, then we will be "saved", the Hebrew word, sozo, which means: to save, deliver, protect, heal, preserve, do well, make whole. For with the heart (spirit/soul combination) man believeth, the same Greek word, pisteuo, that we see above, which results in "righteousness", the greek word, dikaiosune, which means, integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, and actually refers to our "right-standing" with God. You can also say it is our right to stand in the presence of Almighty God as though we've never done anything wrong, because of the precious blood of Jesus! Hallelujah! And then confession is made with the mouth that results in "salvation", the Greek word, soteria, which means: deliverance, preservation, safety, health, healing, wholeness, wellness and fitness!

We are born again by believing that Jesus Christ came to this earth, died on the cross for our sin, rose from the dead, and is now alive and seated at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven. Then we ask Him to come into our hearts and to be the Lord of our lives! We "confess" that He is our Lord. Once we've done that, then we need to find out what God's Word says about us as believers and continue to "confess" what God's Word says about us so that all of those Truths can become real in our lives. Confessions plays a vital role in the life of a believer. We are to be saying about ourselves what God says about us. That's true humility, agreeing with God!

We'll talk more about what we should be confessing about ourselves in our next post.

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We've been looking at Psalm 1 and today we will begin with verse three. This is the result of being a doer (obeyer) of God's Word concerning the first two verses:

Ps 1:3 (KJV)
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

This verse begins with "And he shall be", the Hebrew word, hayah, which means: to exist, to become, to come to pass (always emphatic!), to come into being, to be established, "like a tree", the Hebrew word, 'ets, which means: a tree (from its firmness), planted by the rivers of water that "bringeth forth", the Hebrew word, nathan, which means: to give, to bestow, to yield produce, "his fruit", the Hebrew word, periy, which means: fruit or produce of the ground, fruit of the womb (children), fruit of actions, "in his season, the Hebrew word, 'eth, which means: time (especially now), due time, his leaf (the evidence of life and part of what a tree produces) also shall not "wither", the Hebrew word, nabel, which means: to wilt, to fall away, to fail, to faint, to be senseless or foolish, "and whatsoever", made up of two Hebrew words, 'aher, which is a primitive relative pronoun such as who, which, what, that, and kol, which means: the whole, all, any, every, totality, everything, "he doeth", the Hebrew word, 'asah, which means: to do, to accomplish, to make, to work, to act with effect, to produce, to bring about, "shall prosper", the Hebrew word, tsalach, which means: to advance, to prosper, to make progress, to succeed, to be profitable. This is the result of doing things God's way! The Amplified Bible says this:

Ps 1:3 (Amplified)
3And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].

Now for the next three verses. They reveal the results of NOT doing things God's way. Of NOT obeying God's Word.

Ps 1:4-6 (KJV)
4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

This fourth verse begins "The ungodly", which we looked at in the first verse and is the Hebrew word, rasha', which means: morally wrong, a bad person, a guilty one, one that has done wrong, "are not so but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away". That alone is a pretty grim picture! But verse five goes on to say: Therefore (because of the previous verses) the unglodly shall not "stand", the Hebrew word, quwm, which means: to arise, to accomplish, to be established, to be confirmed, "in the judgement", the Hebrew word, mishpat, which means: a verdict, a sentence or formal decree, "nor sinners", the Hebrew word, chatta', which means: one accounted guilty, "in the congregation of", the Hebrew word, 'edah, which means: an assembly, a company, a family, a crowd, "the righteous", the Hebrew word, tsaddiyq, which means: the just, the lawful, those made righteous by the Blood of Jesus!

Verse six says "For the LORD (Jehovah, the Eternal, self-existing One), "knoweth", the Hebrew word, yada', which means: to know, to perceive, to recognize, to distinguish, to be acquainted with, to make known, to declare, "the way of", the Hebrew word, derek, which means: the way, the road, the path, the manner of life, the moral character, the righteous: but the way of the ungodly "shall perish", the Hebrew word, 'abad, which means: to wander away, to lose oneself, to be destroyed, to be lost. The Amplified Bible says it this way:

Ps 1:4-6 (Amplified)
4Not so the wicked [those disobedient and living without God are not so]. But they are like the chaff [worthless, dead, without substance] which the wind drives away.
5Therefore the wicked [those disobedient and living without God] shall not stand [justified] in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God].
6For the Lord knows and is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly [those living outside God's will] shall perish (end in ruin and come to nought).

Go back over the first three verses and make the determined purpose to obey the Word of God. Be a doer, not just a hearer. Meditate on the Word until it becomes real to you and then just simply put into practice in YOUR life what the Word says to do. The results are well worth paying the price to do so. Our God is a GOOD God!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we want to begin to look at Psalm 1. Here is the entire Psalm:

Ps 1:1-6 (KJV)
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

The first half of this Psalm talks about the blessings of the person who chooses to do things God's way and the last half tells about those who do not. Verse 1 starts with "Blessed", the Hebrew word, 'esher, which means: blessed, happy, happiness, is the man that "walketh", the Hebrew word, halak, which means: to walk, to live, to move, to proceed, have manner of life, NOT "in the counsel of", the Hebrew word, 'etsah, which means: counsel, advice, purpose, "the ungodly", the Hebrew word, rasha', which means: morally wrong, an actively bad person, a guilty one, a wicked man, one that did wrong, nor, "standeth", the Hebrew word, 'amad, which means: to stand, to remain, to take one's stand, to become a servant to, to stop moving or doing, to delay, to continue, "in the way of", the Hebrew word, derek, which means: a road trodden, a course of life, a mode of action, sinners, nor "sitteth", the Hebrew word, yashab, which means: to dwell, to remain, to abide, to have one's abode, "in the seat of", the Hebrew word, mowshab, which means: an assembly, a dwelling place, "the scornful", the Hebrew word, luwts, which means: to scorn, to talk arrogantly, to boast, to mock, to deride. Remember that the person is blessed who does NOT do these things! The next verse tells us what we SHOULD do instead.

"But" is the two Hebrew words, kiy & 'im, which together mean: but rather, instead, "his delight", the Hebrew word, chephets, which means: pleasure, desire, a valuable thing, purpose, longing, is "in the law of", the Hebrew word, towrah, which means: a precept or statute, the law, instruction, of the LORD (Jehovah) and in this law "doth he meditate", the Hebrew word, hagah, which we have lookd at before. It means: to murmur, to ponder, to imagine, to speak, to study, to talk, to utter, day and night. That's all of the time! If the Bible is telling us to do something, God has given us the ability to carry it out! Let's look at these two verses in the Amplified Bible:

Ps 1:1-2 (Amplified)
1BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.
2But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.

I really like how the Amplified Bible reads in these verses. It is very clear what we are not supposed to be doing. Don't spend time around these types of people, whether they are believers or unbelievers! You can share the Good News of the Gospel with them, but you and I should NOT be spending time continually in the presence of these people. Instead, we should be doing what the second verse says, spending time in God's Word, in prayer, praise and worship, and in fellowship with the Lord and with like-minded believers! Verse 3 will tell us what the results of obeying this commandment are!

We'll continue with verse 3 in our next post. In the meantime, keep meditating on these verses until you get a Holy Spirit revelation of how you can obey this command! What adjustments do you need to make in your own individual life so that you can walk in verse 3? Make them! You'll be so glad you did!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We began to look at Psalm 150 in our last post. Let's continue there today:

Ps 150:1-6 (KJV)
1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

We will continue with the 3rd verse. Remember that the word "praise" used throughout this Psalm is the Hebrew word, halal, which means:to be clear (used of sound or color), to shine, to make a show, to boast, to be clamorously foolish, to rave, to celebrate, to glory, to stultify (to cause to appear to be foolish or absurdly illogical), to act like a madman. It is a very active word. To obey this command means to be both seen and heard in giving glory to God! It means to be willing to appear foolish to some people while bragging on, boasting about, celebrating Him! The "Him" we are talking about is the Lord, Jehovah, the Eternal, Self-existing One! We are told here to praise Him "with the sound of", the Hebrew word, teqa', which means: a sound, a blast (of a horn), a trumpet blast. "Trumpet" is the Hebrew word, shophar, which is: a cornet (as giving a clear sound), or curved horn, trumpet, horn, a ram's horn. We're also told to praise Him "with the psaltery", the Hebrew word, nebel, which is: a harp, a lute, a guitar, a musical instrument, "and harp", the Hebrew word, kinnowr, which means: to twang, a harp, or lyre.

The 4th verse tells us to praise Him " with the timbrel", the Hebrew word, toph, which is: a tambourine, tabret, timbrel, "and dance" the Hebrew word, machowl, which means dance or dancing. Then we are told to praise Him with stringed instruments, and we know what those are, "and organs", the Hebrew word, 'uwgab, which means: a reed instrument of music, the panpipes.

In the 5th verse we are told to praise Him "upon", the Hebrew word, tselatsal, which is also translated here as cymbals and means: a clatter, a whirring, a cymbal (as clanging), the "loud", the Hebrew word, shema, which means: something heard, a sound, bruit (any of several generally abnormal sounds), cymbals and also upon the cymbals that are "high sounding", the Hebrew word, teruw'ah, which means: clamor, acclamation of joy, a battle-cry, an alarm, a signal, a sound of tempest, a shout, a shout or blast of war or alarm or joy.

I hope you didn't think that praising the Lord is a quiet affair! God is not afraid of a little noise! In fact there are many places throughout the Word of God where we are told to shout to the Lord! You cannot shout quietly! God loves music and praise and shouting and dancing when His people do those things unto Him! And, lest you think this only refers to people who know how to play instruments, the 6th and final verse says: "let" which is that Hebrew word, halal, again, "everything", the Hebrew word, kol, which means: all, the whole of, any, each, every, anything, everything, totality, "that hath breath", the Hebrew word, neshamah, which means: every breathing thing, praise the Lord, PRAISE YE THE LORD!!!

Psalm 150:1-6 (Amplified)
1PRAISE THE Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in the heavens of His power!
2Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness!
3Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp!
4Praise Him with tambourine and [single or group] dance; praise Him with stringed and wind instruments or flutes!
5Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals!
6Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

It IS the commandment of God that every living, breathing person spend some time praising (putting on a show, boasting, bragging, being clamorously foolish and even appearing as a madman!) in giving praise and glory to the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords! If you've been holding back, now is the time to pick it up! Let go and let loose with everything that is in your heart for Him, and don't forget the dance! He LOVES your praise. In fact, the Bible says that He inhabits the praises of His people! That means that His presence is active in your praise. So let's do it! Give Him the praise He so deserves and desires! You will never be the same again!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we're going to look at Psalm 150, verse by verse. Here is the entire Psalm:

Ps 150:1-6 (KJV)
1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

This Psalm begins with the word "Praise", which is the Hebrew word, halal, which means: to be clear (used of sound or color), to shine, to make a show, to boast, to be clamorously foolish, to rave, to celebrate, to glory, to stultify (to cause to appear to be foolish or absurdly illogical), to act like a madman. The same word is translated "praise" throughout this Psalm. It is a very active word. To obey this command means to be both seen and heard in giving glory to God! It means to be willing to appear foolish to some people while bragging on, boasting about, celebrating Him! "The LORD" is the Hebrew word, Yahh, which is a shortened form of the Hebrew word, Jehovah, and means the same: the Eternal, self-existing One. We are told to praise "God", the Hebrew word, 'el, which is another Name for God, "in His sanctuary", the Hebrew word, qodesh, which means: a sacred place, apartness, holiness, separateness, set-apartness. We are also told to praise Him "in the firmament of", the Hebrew word, raqiya', which means: an expanse, the visible arch of the sky, space supporting the waters above, "His power", the Hebrew word, 'oz, which means: strength in various applications (force, security, majesty, praise), boldness, loudness, might, power, strength, strong.

The second verse says to praise Him "for His mighty acts", the Hebrew word, gebuwrah, which means: force, valor, victory, mastery, might, power,strength, bravery, mighty deeds. "According to" and "excellent" are the Hebrew word, rob, which means: abundance (in any respect), great number, huge, be increased, long, many, more in number, most, much, multitude, plenty, greatness, numerous. "His greatness" is the Hebrew word, godel, which means: magnitude, greatness, magnificence.

We're told, and that means this is a commandment, to praise our Lord because He is holy (separated from the world and separated unto God), because He is mighty and powerful! Praise Him for all the amazing things He has done and for Who He is, the all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere-present, One true, Most High, living, Almighty God of the Bible! You'll find that your understanding of Him and your love for Him will grow, along with your faith, trust and confidence IN Him as you do this! Begin TODAY! We'll look further at this Psalm in our next post.

Shalom in Him!