Shalom,

To me, Proverbs 30:5 is the key to a lot of spiritual Truths!

⁵Every word of God is tried and purified; He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him.

Colossians 3:1-4:

¹If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. ²Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. ³For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

We are to live this life on Earth as ambassadors from Heaven! We should be spending time in His presence, time in praise and worship, time in prayer, time in study and meditation of His Word and time with like-minded believers! That doesn't leave much time for anything else! That's good! There isn't anything else in THIS world that can get us where we want to go - the middle of God's will for our lives! AMEN!

Verses 16-17:

¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. ¹⁷And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

How do you "let" the Word of God dwell in you richly? By doing what the rest of this verse says! Singing the Word is one of the BEST ways to get it inside of you! Then make sure that you are being a "doer" of the Word!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I am REALLY counting on the fulfilling of verse 16!

¹⁶When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall see the fall of the wicked.

AMEN! Verse 25 tells us that we should NEVER fear people!

²⁵The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever leans on, trusts in, and puts his confidence in the Lord is safe and set on high.

Remember Psalm 118:6:

⁶The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

Don't ever let people intimidate you! That is what the "fear of man" really is! Remember that God is FOR YOU all the time!

Colossians 2:9-10 is something that you and I need to meditate on until it REALLY becomes SO real to us!

⁹For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]. ¹⁰And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead--Father, Son and Holy Spirit--and reach full spiritual stature]. And He is the Head of all rule and authority [of every angelic principality and power].

Read Song of Solomon with the idea that it was written with loving Jesus in mind! DO IT!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Proverbs 28:14:

¹⁴Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is the man who reverently and worshipfully fears [the Lord] at all times [regardless of circumstances], but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

Make sure that you are always aware of the presence of the Lord inside of you and that you worship and honor Him! The results of NOT doing this are NOT the results I'm looking for! (calamity!)

Colossians 1:9-13 is another prayer that you can pray for your friends and loved ones:

⁹For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make [special] request for you, [asking] that you may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things-- ¹⁰That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition]. ¹¹[We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy, ¹²Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God's holy people) in the Light. ¹³[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.

In 1 Kings 3:5 God asked Solomon:

⁵In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night. And God said, Ask what I shall give you.

Solomon asked God for wisdom to rule God's people well! What was God's response? Verses 10-14:

¹⁰It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. ¹¹God said to him, Because you have asked this and have not asked for long life or for riches, nor for the lives of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to recognize what is just and right, ¹²Behold, I have done as you asked. I have given you a wise, discerning mind, so that no one before you was your equal, nor shall any arise after you equal to you. ¹³I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings equal to you all your days. ¹⁴And if you will go My way, keep My statutes and My commandments as your father David did, then I will lengthen your days.

And 1 Kings 4:29-34:

²⁹And God gave Solomon exceptionally much wisdom and understanding, and breadth of mind like the sand of the seashore. ³⁰Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the people of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. ³¹For he was wiser than all other men--than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. His fame was in all the nations round about. ³²He also originated 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. ³³He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall; he spoke also of beasts, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. ³⁴Men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

Solomon started out going after God's heart, just like David did! What happened? THAT discussion is for a future book!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I want to look at 2 verses today. Philippians 4:8 says:

⁸For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

If we gauge the thoughts that comer to our minds by this verse, we will have no trouble at all knowing which thoughts are from God and which are not! Remember that the "whatever is true" refers to the Word of God (John 17:17) and NOT just facts! It is only "TRUTH" if it is God's Word! That should help us to keep our thought life under the control of God's Word and our thought life is vitally important!

Now let's look at Philippians 4:19:

¹⁹And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

This verse is often quoted to encourage believers that God will meet their needs. There ARE verses that promise that! (Proverbs 37:25; Matthew 6:31-33) This verse, however, is not talking to all believers. Paul is addressing believers who have given to the support of his ministry in preaching the Gospel. If you look at verse 15:

¹⁵And you Philippians yourselves well know that in the early days of the Gospel ministry, when I left Macedonia, no church (assembly) entered into partnership with me and opened up [a debit and credit] account in giving and receiving except you only.

...you will see that he is talking to people who have been in a partnership relationship with him. Not every believer can stand on this promise for themselves. Only those who have entered into a partner relationship with those who carry the Gospel can claim this. Do you support ministries that carry the Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth to the lost through your prayers and financial support and encouragement? Then this promise is YOURS! AMEN! Notice that God will supply your needs according to (or in accordance with) HIS riches and NOT just according to your needs! Our God is a good and generous God of all abundance! Trust Him with your life and see to meeting the needs of others. You CANNOT out-give God!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Everyone who knows me knows that Philippians 3:8-11 is one of my very favorite passages of Scripture. Today I want to look at verses 12-13:

¹²Not 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. ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.

There is not one person who has attained this level of maturity YET! But when we make it our "determined purpose" to know HIM, our growth will be phenomenal! Let's do it!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Proverbs 25:2:

²It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the glory of kings is to search out a thing.

I have always loved this verse! Our wonderful and awesome God has chosen to conceal, or hide and keep secret "a thing", the Hebrew word, "dabar", which means: a matter, a business, speech, a thing, a saying, an utterance, a word. What does that mean? It means that He has hidden in His Word the "secret things" for His people to find! This verse goes on to say that it is the glory of us kings (that's believers in Jesus of Nazareth! Revelation 1:6, 5:10) "to search out", the Hebrew word, "chaqar", which means: to search for, to examine thoroughly, to investigate, to explore, "a matter", that same Hebrew word, :"dabar". It means that God has hidden these things in His Word for us to find! That is the purpose. They are hidden FROM the world and the devil and hidden FOR us to find out!

Philippians 2:3-4:

³Do nothing from factional motives [through contentiousness, strife, selfishness, or for unworthy ends] or prompted by conceit and empty arrogance. Instead, in the true spirit of humility (lowliness of mind) let each regard the others as better than and superior to himself [thinking more highly of one another than you do of yourselves]. ⁴Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned for not [merely] his own interests, but also each for the interests of others.

This is the attitude that God desires for us to have towards each other. When we put others first we get in position for Him to take care of all of our needs! And we know that when God takes care of our needs, He does it according to His riches and not according to our needs! (Phil 4:19) Remember, also, the story of Job! When Job prayed for his friends, his own captivity was turned completely around and his life was better than before! (Job 42:10)

In 1 Chronicles 23-24 we see that even though David was not allowed to build the Temple, he was responsible for providing much of what was needed to proceed. He also organized the Levites and the priesthood for the service in the Temple. Solomon got the credit for the building of the Temple, but without David's contributions, it would not have been accomplished! Remember that no matter what it is that God has asked you to do, it is important to the final results that you do it! There is no part that is insignificant in the eyes of God! We are rewarded for our obedience in this life, NOT for the size of the task or the fame involved in doing it! Too be pleasing the Father and accumulating rewards in Heaven should be the ultimate goal of every believer! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Proverbs 24:3-4:

³Through skillful and godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built, and by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation], ⁴And by knowledge shall its chambers [of every area] be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

This verse gives the core of the life of a believer! It is ONLY through the knowledge of the Word of God, and the skillful use of that knowledge (wisdom), that we can build a successful life, family, ministry, legacy, inheritance! Find out what the Word of God has to say about every area of your life. Then make the determined purpose to be a DOER of that Word. That is when you will begin to see genuine peace, prosperity and success in EVERY area! Verses 13-14:

¹³My son, eat honey, because it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. ¹⁴So shall you know skillful and godly Wisdom to be thus to your life; if you find it, then shall there be a future and a reward, and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off.

Just as honey is sweet to the natural taste, so should the Word of God become a precious and sweet treasure to us. When that becomes true, we will never lack for any good thing that we believe God for! AMEN!

Philippians 1:6:

⁶And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.

And I am also confident of this very thing! The Lord Himself began the GOOD WORK in us (believers in Jesus of Nazareth) at the New Birth, by the Holy Spirit Who lives IN us! He will continue working this good work right up until the time that Jesus appears for us! Have confidence in that Truth for yourself! You are no longer alone and relying on the best you can do! It is the Holy Spirit Himself Who is working IN you! LET HIM WORK! Just fall in love with Jesus, love the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit free access to your whole life! If you listen and obey HIS voice, you will be perfected (matured) daily, growing up in Him! AMEN!

1 Chronicles 21:8 reveals to us why God said of David that he was a "man after mine own heart" (Acts 13:22).

⁸And David said to God, I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. But now, I beseech You, take away the hateful wickedness of Your servant; for I have done very foolishly.

David was as human as you or me, but he always repented when he sinned and went right back to God to receive His forgiveness and mercy. So should we! Be a person after God's own heart and continually change YOUR thinking to agree with HIS! That's what repentance really is.

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Proverbs 23:12:

¹²Apply your mind to instruction and correction and your ears to words of knowledge.

The word "apply" is the Hebrew word, "bow`", which means: to enter, to come upon, to light upon, to attack, to attain to, to cause to come in. We are to actively go after "instruction", the Hebrew word, "muwcar", which means: discipline, chastening, correction! When was the last time you actually said, "Here I am Lord, CORRECT and CHASTEN me? Most of us wouldn't think of doing that, but that is what this verse is saying! Go HARD after the correction of the Lord. He will correct you with His Word so that you can change YOUR thinking to agree with HIM (repentance). Once we get our "head on straight", then we can move on to going hard after "knowledge", the Hebrew word, "da`ath", which means: knowledge, perception, skill, discernment, understanding and wisdom! THAT is how we grow up in the things of God!

Ephesians 6 is filled with great instruction and we won't even try to cover it all here. Verses 1-3:

¹CHILDREN, OBEY your parents in the Lord [as His representatives], for this is just and right. ²Honor (esteem and value as precious) your father and your mother--this is the first commandment with a promise-- ³That all may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.

Children are to obey their parents IN THE LORD! When parents tell their children to do something that lines up with God's Word, then children are to obey them! ALWAYS! Obedience is demanded UNLESS they are asked to do something contrary to the Word of God! Whether they obey or disobey, it MUST be done in an honorable manner! As a child, if your parents ask you to steal something, of course you don't do that! BUT, you RESPECTFULLY disobey! You give them honor because they are your parents. What are the results of being a "DOER" of this Word? ALL will be well with them and they will live long on the earth!

Then verse 4 is equally as important!

⁴Fathers, do not irritate and provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to resentment], but rear them [tenderly] in the training and discipline and the counsel and admonition of the Lord.

I have seen many parents relentlessly badger their children just to get a response out of them, and then punish them when the response is not one they like. This verse tells us exactly how God expects parents to behave towards their children!

One of the things I have found interesting in reading about King David this year is the many times he tried to be a blessing to others, only to have them turn on him. He tried hard to believe the best of every person, which is walking in the God kind of love! (1 Corinthians 13:7 Amplified). The Lord always delivered David. You would think that these nations would get the message that David was favored and protected by God and want to get on the right side! Amazing, but no longer surprising!

Shalom in Him

Shalom,

Proverbs 22:1:

¹A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.

"A good name" is the Hebrew word, "shem", which means: reputation, fame, glory, character, honor. It is a better choice to choose to be a person of great character that to be as some and compromise your reputation in order to get riches and wealth. Wealth gained at the expense of your character will NEVER repair your reputation! It's simply not ever worth it. Besides, the Word of God tells very specifically and in many places how to prosper the RIGHT way!

I have always loved verse 6 and we tried to raise our own children with that in mind!

⁶Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Two very important things to remember are that we are to train the children, which entails much more than just teaching principles. Training involves the "hands on" work of being an example and showing them the "Word" in action, and it is to be in keeping with who God made them! Their individual gift or bent! Training them properly will get them into the position to be of great benefit to the Kingdom of God! The other important thing to realize is that the promise is that when we take responsibility to do this training when they are young (right away, as soon as possible), they will not depart from it when they are old! That simply means to get the Word into their lives as soon as possible and "when they are old" (or "when they become a man!) they will NOT depart from it!

This Christian life would not be nearly as complicated to some believers I know IF they would consider this verse and realize that this is the #1 most important thing a believer can do AFTER loving the Lord our God with our whole being! Ephesians 5:1:

¹THEREFORE BE imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father].

We are to "copy" Him or be "imitators" of Him. What does that mean? It means that we should be thinking, speaking and acting in such a way that other people look at us and see JESUS! AMEN!

In 1 Chronicles 16 we see David that commissioned those who were to sing and give thanks to the Lord. Then we see the song that they sang! In chapter 17 we see David finding out that it is Solomon who will build the temple. God has a perfect plan and purpose for every believer, and that plan and purpose is the ONLY way to get rewards in Heaven and provide for ourselves and abundant entrance into Heaven! (2 Peter 1:11)

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

One of my favorite verses in Proverbs 21 is verse 1:

¹THE KING'S heart is in the hand of the Lord, as are the watercourses; He turns it whichever way He wills.

"In the hand of" is the Hebrew word, "yad", which means: a hand (the open one - indicating power, means or direction). So the heart of the leaders is in the Lord's power and He will turn those hearts, in answer to our prayer, in a way that will benefit His people! At the Spoken Word Church, we pray that Godly plans of our leaders will succeed and that ungodly plans will fail and come to utter destruction! We also pray that God will promote the Godly and remove the ungodly from positions of authority!

Ephesians 4:12 says:

¹²His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ's body (the church),

The ministry gifts that Jesus gave to the church, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists and Pastor/Teachers (pastors who teach!) were given for the purpose of "perfecting", the Greek word, "katartismos", which means: complete furnishing or equipping, the saints (born again believers) for the WORK of the ministry! It is the job of the leaders to train the people and the job of the people to get out and take the Gospel to the world!

1 Chronicles 15 has another account of David dancing before the Lord as the Ark of the Covenant is returned. As we stated before, David was NOT naked, but was dressed as a priest and NOT as a king. That's what upset his wife so much! She evidently enjoyed the prestige of being the wife of a king and she was probably upset that David was not showing off! We'll hear the REAL story one day! Until then, we'll just meditate on the Word and let the Holy Spirit paint the picture! Don't you just LOVE the Word of God?

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Proverbs 20:15 says:

¹⁵There is gold, and a multitude of pearls, but the lips of knowledge are a vase of preciousness [the most precious of all].

Whether you're talking about gold, rubies OR pearls, there is something FAR more valuable to your life than those! The knowledge of God's Word is one of the most precious possessions that we have! The KNOWLEDGE of God's Word will bring us victory and success in every area of our lives! John 8:31-32:

³¹So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. ³²And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.

Even though God's Word IS Truth (John 17:17), it cannot set us free, and then keep us free, until we KNOW it! How do we get to know the Truth? We have to make spending time in God's Word our first priority! Putting the Word in is our job. Making the Word come alive and real to us is the job of the Holy Spirit! He must have something to work with, though, so get in the Word and get the Word in you! AMEN!

In Ephesians 3:14-21 Paul is praying for the people. This is another Holy Spirit inspired prayer that we can and should be praying over our loved ones daily! I especially love verse 20:

²⁰Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]--

Beyond all we can ask or think! That's our God! He put the secret desires and dreams and goals in our hearts so that He can fulfill them! He LOVES fulfilling our heart's desire WHEN we delight in Him! Psalm 37:4:

⁴Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.

Do you know what I have found? Just when it seems like it is not even possible to come to pass, that is exactly the time that God moves and we have it! Don't EVER give up and don't ever quit! You haven't even begun to be as patient as your Heavenly Father has been for the precious fruit of the Earth! He is fulfilling those desires RIGHT NOW, even as you are reading this! COUNT ON IT! Amen!

In 1 Chronicles 11-12, we see David coming into Jebus, which is now Jerusalem, the City of David. If you ever get the opportunity to travel to Israel and see Jerusalem, DO IT! You will never be the same!

Then we see another account of all of David's mighty men. Every leader has people that God has given them to count on! People who would give their very lives for the sake of the one they serve. God set it up that way! We cannot "go it alone", and we are not supposed to! Appreciate the "mighty men and women" that God has given into your life. Treasure them and treat them ALWAYS as precious and valuable! They are God's gifts to you! If you ever face problems with them, deal with it right away! Don't let the sun go down on your wrath and don't let strife keep you apart! Remember that love never fails!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Proverbs 19:17:

¹⁷He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and that which he has given He will repay to him.

This is a great verse, but it is even better in the Message Bible:

¹⁷ Mercy to the needy is a loan to God,
and God pays back those loans in full.

And better yet in the Living Bible:

17 When you help the poor you are lending to the Lord-and he pays wonderful interest on your loan!

We cannot out-give God! He even pays us interest! AMEN!

Verse 20 describes the reason for Proverbs!

²⁰Hear counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come.

That's what the Book of Proverbs is all about! Little portions of Truth that we can understand, put into practice and, by doing so, gain wisdom!

My favorite verse in this chapter is verse 23:

²³The reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it rests satisfied; he cannot be visited with [actual] evil.

Having reverence and awe for the presence of God gets us in position to receive God's richest and best! And if that were not enough, this verse also says that we can't be visited with ACTUAL evil! What does that mean? It means that we may experience attacks from the enemy, but he is liar and the father of all liars and CANNOT bring "actual" evil into our lives! He has no place in us!

Ephesians 2:4-7:

⁴But God--so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, ⁵Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation). ⁶And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together in the heavenly sphere in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One). ⁷He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in [His] kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus.

This is what God's great love has accomplished! The love that we see in John 3:16 has accomplished THIS in and for us! Our rightful place is now IN Heavenly places IN Him! Read through your Bible, if you haven't already done so, and circle or highlight every reference you come across that says "in Him", "in Whom", "in Christ", etc. Renew your mind to understand just who YOU are in Him, what YOU have in Him, and what YOU can do, now that are IN HIM! It will change your life!

In 1 Kings 1-2 we see Solomon becoming king. David has this charge to him in 1 Kings 2:1-4:

¹WHEN DAVID'S time to die was near, he charged Solomon his son, saying, ²I go the way of all the earth. Be strong and show yourself a man; ³Keep the charge of the Lord your God, walk in His ways, keep His statutes, His commandments, His precepts, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may do wisely and prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, ⁴That the Lord may fulfill His promise to me, saying, If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and mind and with all their soul, there shall not fail you [to have] a man on the throne of Israel.

We know that Solomon heeded David's advice for awhile because he WAS wise and he DID prosper in all that he did and wherever he went! If WE obey God's Word and do things His way, we will be blessed in all that we do and wherever we go, too! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Proverbs 18: 1-3:

¹HE WHO willfully separates and estranges himself [from God and man] seeks his own desire and pretext to break out against all wise and sound judgment. ²A [self-confident] fool has no delight in understanding but only in revealing his personal opinions and himself. ³When the wicked comes in [to the depth of evil], he becomes a contemptuous despiser [of all that is pure and good], and with inner baseness comes outer shame and reproach.

This is the picture of people who have no desire for the things of God. They make a conscious choice to go opposite of God's Word. It can be an almost blatant "in your face" attitude to God. What to do about a person you care about who is in that position? Pray, asking the Lord of the Harvest to send the RIGHT laborers across their path. The RIGHT laborer will be one that is able to reach them where they live and cause them to question everything they believe! Only the Holy Spirit knows who those particular laborers are! Two Scriptures to stand on:

Luke 10:2b:

^2... Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

And 1 John 5:14-15:

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

You KNOW that you are praying according to God's will when you pray this way because 2 Peter 3:9 says:

⁹The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people's conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.

AMEN! And then Proverbs 18:21 says this:

²¹Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].

We have the privilege of choosing what kind of results we get in life! Remember that God WANTS you to choose Life! (Deuteronomy 30:19) So do it! Watch that you only speak what you REALLY want to accept into your life! Spend whatever time in the Word of God is needful for YOU to understand the promises and then don't settle for anything less! And don't ever SPEAK something you don't want to happen because, as we just read in verse 21, THAT is what you and I will have to be satisfied with!

Ephesians 1:1 says:

¹PAUL, AN apostle (special messenger) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah), by the divine will (the purpose and the choice of God) to the saints (the consecrated, set-apart ones) at Ephesus who are also faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus:

I love that Paul KNOWS that God chose him! He wasn't called an apostle because of "lots" that were cast, but by the divine order of Almighty God! Get familiar enough with the calling of God on YOUR life that you will be unshakable in your commitment to fulfill it! Ephesians 1:17-23 is an inspired prayer that you can and should pray daily over the people YOU want to see born again and growing up in the things of God! The Word WORKS and PRAYING the Word ALWAYS works! AMEN!

In 2 Samuel 23 we see the names listed of all of David's mighty men! God was so faithful to appoint such men to care for, fight for and protect David! Any one of them would have given their life for him! That is one of the reasons that David's sin against Uriah was so egregious! Uriah would have given his life for David, but David had it taken from him. It cost David his own son. Watch that you never try to cover up your sin at the expense of another! God will ALWAYS forgive when you confess your sin, but their WILL be natural consequences if we go against God's Word and go your own way. Go to 1 John 1:9 and get rid of the effects of sin! AMEN!

In 2 Samuel 24 we see David again getting involved with sin and this time it cost the people dearly! Anyone in a leadership position is responsible for the choices that they make and how those choices affect other people. David repented again because he was "after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22) and got back in fellowship with God. Make sure YOU do the same thing! Don't "wallow" in self-pity! Don't feel sorry for yourself! Get back up, repent (change your thinking to agree with God) and move on in the right direction! God has never been taken by surprise over our mistakes, but in order to be pleasing to Him we MUST get back up and move on! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I see that I skipped right over Proverbs 16 to talk about Proverbs 17 yesterday! So I will go back and cover 16 today! I love verse 7 and I count on Him for it in my life!

⁷When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

I like the Message Bible for this, too:

⁷ When God approves of your life,
even your enemies will end up shaking your hand.

Don't fight with your enemies! Don't even try so HARD get along with them! Just obey God's plan for your life and God Himself will change their hearts! Now if the problem you're having with another person is because of something wrong YOU have done, you can be very confident that God will make that VERY clear to you, too! AMEN! I also count on verse 9 ALWAYS!

⁹A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.

It is SO MUCH BETTER to put your hand to something and trust that God will fine tune for you than to never do anything until you "hear" some special calling! I have always found that it is when I am fulfilling my obligations in a certain area, that I will receive direction from the Lord on something else that concerns me! Be about Your Father's business trusting that HE wants you to succeed even more than you do! What a GOOD God we love and serve! AMEN! And I can't possibly leave out verse 31 for all of the "hoary heads" I know!

³¹The hoary head is a crown of beauty and glory if it is found in the way of righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation).

Notice it says that gray hair (that's what a hoary head means) is a crown of "glory", the Hebrew word, "tiph`arah", which means: beauty, splendor, glory, honor, rank (renown)! But it is only that WHEN it is found to be on a righteous person! Who is righteous? Everyone who has believed in their heart that Jesus of Nazareth died on the cross for them and rose from the dead, accepted and received Jesus of Nazareth as their Lord and personal Saviour and confessed Him as Lord over their lives, has (already) been made the righteousness of God! They have right standing with God through the blood of Jesus of Nazareth. So if THEY have gray hair, it IS a crown of honor to them!

In Galatians 6 we MUST look at verse 6!

⁶Let him who receives instruction in the Word [of God] share all good things with his teacher [contributing to his support].

The Amplified Bible has the very best translation of this verse! If you are being taught the Word of God by your Pastor, then you need to be contributing to his support! This is talking about even beyond the tithe that goes for the running of the church! Are you taught? APPRECIATE your teachers! Love them, pray for them, bless them with gifts (especially money to be spent on themselves!), honor them, speak well of them and encourage them! How well have YOU been doing in this area? I plan to do better! AMEN!

Verse 7 goes right along with verse 6!

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

You just can't say it any better than that! Make sure you are sowing the right kind of seeds for the Harvest you need! AMEN! It is a total joy to see someone's face light up when God blesses them and allows you the privilege of being the vessel of blessing! That kind of sounds like the "man with a pitcher in his hand", doesn't it? Let's be him! AMEN!

I used to wonder at what David did to the descendants of Saul in 2 Samuel 21, but I have a better understanding of it now. In verse 1 we see this:

¹THERE WAS a three-year famine in the days of David, year after year; and David inquired of the Lord. The Lord replied, It is on account of Saul and his bloody house, for he put to death the Gibeonites.

It was the LORD who told David what had caused the drought. What David did next sounds so merciless and cold-blooded that you might be tempted to wonder how God could have intended that to happen! The thing we need to realize is that under our New Covenant, based on better promises, we are told to forgive and to walk in love. But remember that this situation took place under the Law. Remember when Joshua was fooled by the Gibeonites who pretended to come from very far away? Well Joshua made a pact with them at that time and the nation of Israel was bound by that promise to protect the Gibeonites! Saul, for whatever reason, had killed some of them. This is the reason the drought came without relief. Under the Law, this was a proper retribution for what had occurred at the hands of Saul. When we study the Bible we have to always be aware of three things:

1. Who is doing the speaking.
2. Who are they speaking to.
3. In what time period is this being spoken.

I hope this helps clarify some things for you!

Next we see Goliath's descendants popping up and being dealt with properly! Chapter 22 is David's song of deliverance! Can you sing it? How about allowing the Holy Spirit to give you your very own song of deliverance? He will! Now sing it and rejoice, for the Lord your God has indeed done very great things for YOU and you need to celebrate them and HIM! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Proverbs 17:15:

¹⁵He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both an abomination [exceedingly disgusting and hateful] to the Lord.

In Biblical terms, to "justify the wicked" would mean calling an unbeliever righteous (in right standing with God). An unbeliever is NOT righteous and cannot be in the presence of God. This verse says that to say that they are is an abomination to God! "Abomination" is the Hebrew word, "tow`ebah", which means: something disgusting, an abhorrence. Equally abhorrent to the Lord is to "condemn", the Hebrew word, "rasha`", which means: to declare as wrong, to condemn as guilty, the "righteous", those who are in right-standing with God through the Blood of Jesus Christ. In other words, to judge and pass judgement on another believer is disgusting to the Lord. Remember that we are told "Judge not, that you be not judged"? (Matthew 7:1-2) So many times believers set themselves up as "fruit inspectors" when there is no such calling in the Body of Christ! We are called to love one another, pray for one another, encourage one another, support one another, but never to judge one another! Let's drop the stones and check out our own lives, with the help of the Holy Spirit, and make sure that we are being a blessing and a good example to each other! Then let's concentrate our greatest efforts in reaching the lost with the Good News! That will take up quite enough of our time and attention, don't you think?!

In Galatians 5 Paul is still upset with those who are continuing to pressure believers to follow the Law. Verses 4-6:

⁴If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so separated (severed) from Christ. You have fallen away from grace (from God's gracious favor and unmerited blessing). ⁵For we, [not relying on the Law but] through the [Holy] Spirit's [help], by faith anticipate and wait for the blessing and good for which our righteousness and right standing with God [our conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action, causes us] to hope. ⁶For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love.

In fact, Paul is so upset that some are insisting on circumcision, that he says this in verse 12:

¹²I wish those who unsettle and confuse you would [go all the way and] cut themselves off!

And that is exactly what he meant to say! Paraphrase: "If they think that circumcision will make them holy, then why not go all the way and cut the whole thing off"! Yikes! I'm glad we get the message that it is by faith in Jesus Christ alone that we are saved! AMEN!

In 2 Samuel 19-20 we see David returning after the death of Absalom. Here is an interesting passage in 2 Samuel 19:24-30:

²⁴Mephibosheth the son [grandson] of Saul came down to meet the king, and had not dressed his feet, trimmed his beard, or washed his clothes from the day the king left until he returned in peace and safety. ²⁵And when he came to Jerusalem to meet the king, David said to him, Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth? ²⁶He said, My lord O king, my servant [Ziba] deceived me; for I said, Saddle me the donkey that I may ride on it and go to the king, for your servant is lame [but he took the donkey and left without me]. ²⁷He has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But the king is as an angel of God; so do what is good in your eyes. ²⁸For all of my father's house were but doomed to death before my lord the king; yet you set your servant among those who ate at your own table. What right therefore have I to cry any more to the king? ²⁹The king said to him, Why speak any more of your affairs? I say, You and Ziba divide the land. ³⁰Mephibosheth said to the king, Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has returned home in safety and peace.

So now who is REALLY telling the Truth? Do you know? Situations like this make me so very grateful to have the Spirit of God living on the inside of me! As a Spirit-filled believer, I have great confidence that I will be able to discern when someone is telling me the truth or not! He KNOWS and He will let US know when we ask in faith! He is our HELPER, after all! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Proverbs 15:1:

¹A SOFT answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger.

We have heard this verse quoted many times, but it takes a determined purpose to change the way we react to people! Our flesh always wants to be right and to get the last word in! We might THINK that we'll feel better if we just give them a real tongue-lashing, but that is rarely, if ever, true! Whether we can understand it or not, the Word ALWAYS works! God says that if we answer angry attacks with a "soft", the Hebrew word, "rak", which means: soft, tender, delicate, gentle, "answer", the Hebrew word, "ma`aneh", which means: answer, reply or response, that we will "turn away" the wrath! We will diffuse the situation. I believe this has as much to do with our attitude and countenance as with the words we choose! If we truly let the peace of God rule in our lives, then we will show forth an attitude of quiet confidence that can't be shaken. Meditating on the Word of God and praying in the Spirit will help you to maintain a "Right Mental Attitude" (a great book by Jerry Savelle!) and that will allow you to be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He gives you the words to say! That's what Jesus did when He would give the people an answer that would leave them speechless! Let's be more like Jesus and enjoy the same results He had!

In Galatians 4 Paul is addressing the fact that many of the Jewish believers were wanting to continue to observe the Law (and require other believers to do so), and many of the Gentile believers were trying to bring in customs and rituals from their previous religions. He addresses this in verses 4-11:

⁴But when the proper time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born subject to [the regulations of] the Law, ⁵To purchase the freedom of (to ransom, to redeem, to atone for) those who were subject to the Law, that we might be adopted and have sonship conferred upon us [and be recognized as God's sons]. ⁶And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the [Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba (Father)! Father! ⁷Therefore, you are no longer a slave (bond servant) but a son; and if a son, then [it follows that you are] an heir by the aid of God, through Christ. ⁸But at that previous time, when you had not come to be acquainted with and understand and know the true God, you [Gentiles] were in bondage to gods who by their very nature could not be gods at all [gods that really did not exist]. ⁹Now, however, that you have come to be acquainted with and understand and know [the true] God, or rather to be understood and known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly and worthless elementary things [of all religions before Christ came], whose slaves you once more want to become? ¹⁰You observe [particular] days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹I am alarmed [about you], lest I have labored among and over you to no purpose and in vain.

There is nothing wrong with celebrating the Jewish feasts from a New Covenant perspective, which reminds us of all that He has done for us! The problems begin when people try to REQUIRE that these things be done! We HAVE BEEN set free from doing works to try to please God! Now we do the things that are pleasing to Him because we love Him and NOT because we HAVE to! Bringing in lot's of traditions and rituals from other cultures and other religions also serves to dilute the Truth of God's Word. If you want a powerful fellowship with the the Lord, then get to know Him through His Word (Philippians 3:8-10) and keep it simple! Let's be about our Father's business and His Primary Purpose and cut the clutter right out! You'll be amazed at how fresh and powerful the Word will become to you again! AMEN!

In 2 Samuel we see that what David had prayed for concerning the counsel of Ahithophel was answered! (2 Samuel 15:31) God will not always work the way WE think He will! He always has the right plan for victory for each of us if we will simply obey and LET God BE God! Remember that the victory is YOURS when the battle is the LORD'S! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!