Shalom,

I love Psalm 30:1:

¹I WILL extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me.

David is saying here that he will "exalt", the Hebrew word, "ruwm", which means: to exalt, to raise, to set on high, to lift off and present the Lord. He will "tell of all Thy wondrous works" (Psalm 26:7) so that everyone will know that in David's life, his God IS God! David also gives the reason why He will exalt and extol the Lord. He says it was because "You have lifted me up". The Hebrew word for this phrase is "dalah", which means: to draw up, to draw out, to lift up, to deliver! David wanted to continually extol the Lord because the Lord had delivered him! That should be our continual mindset as a believer in Jesus of Nazareth. We should be giving Him praise for all He's done! AMEN!

1 Thessalonians 2:13 reveals the heart of a Pastor when the people hear for the purpose of obeying the Word of God which he preaches.

¹³And we also [especially] thank God continually for this, that when you received the message of God [which you heard] from us, you welcomed it not as the word of [mere] men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it].

This, of course, is referring to a pastor who actually teaches the Word of God boldly, uncompromisingly and consistently! My pastor does this, does yours? And then verses 19-20 reveal more of the heart attitude of a true, Biblical pastor:

¹⁹For what is our hope or happiness or our victor's wreath of exultant triumph when we stand in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you? ²⁰For you are [indeed] our glory and our joy!

Are YOU a joy to your pastor? Don't let his labor be in vain in YOUR life! Become a doer of the Word you hear and be a delight to your pastor and to the Lord Jesus!

In 2 Chronicles 22 we again have a woman who is a HERO! The wicked queen mother, Athalia, had the entire royal family, all of the heirs to the throne, killed so that SHE could make a way for her own family (baal worshipers) to rule. She was not aware that the child Joash was alive. The HERO here is Jehosheba, daughter of the king and wife of Jehoiada the priest. She hid Joash away until God's set time to reveal him! The Word of God is filled with testimonies of people who just simply did the right thing when faced with a choice to do or not to do! Don't ever pass up an opportunity to be a blessing to someone! When you do that, you open the way for the God of the Bible to get involved in the things that concern YOU! Amen!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 29 begins with instruction in verses 1-2:

¹ASCRIBE TO the Lord, O sons of the mighty, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. ²Give to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness or in holy array.

Remember that He IS worthy to receive ALL praise and honor and glory. Start every day in that way and you'll always have a great day! Then we see THIS promise in verse 11:

¹¹The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.

The word "peace" here is the Hebrew word, "shalowm", which means: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, safety, health, prosperity, tranquility, contentment, favour. So every time you hear someone say "Shalom", remember all that is included in that blessing!

1 Thessalonians 1:1 says this:

¹PAUL, SILVANUS (Silas), and Timothy, to the assembly (church) of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah): Grace (spiritual blessing and divine favor) to you and [heart] peace.

What is really interesting is what the Complete Jewish Bible says:

1 Thess 1:1

From: Sha’ul, Sila and Timothy

To: The Messianic Community of the Thessalonians, united with God the Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah:

Grace to you and shalom.

SHALOM! There is that powerful blessing again! Receive it!

In Obadiah we see a couple of verses that could apply directly to the nations that have persecuted Israel! Verse 13:

¹³You should not have entered the gate of My people in the day of their calamity and ruin; yes, you should not have looked [with delight] on their misery in the day of their calamity and ruin, and not have reached after their army and their possessions in the day of their calamity and ruin.

And then verse 15:

¹⁵For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head.

God has said that He will bless those who bless Israel and that those who curse her have chosen a curse on their own lives! And there will be a just reward for those who turn against Israel! Let's keep a GOD attitude towards every area of our lives, especially praying for the peace and prosperity of the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem! Be BLESSED! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In Psalm 28 we see that David is again calling out to the Lord in a time of distress. We see this in verses 1-3:

¹UNTO YOU do I cry, O Lord my Rock, be not deaf and silent to me, lest, if You be silent to me, I become like those going down to the pit [the grave]. ²Hear the voice of my supplication as I cry to You for help, as I lift up my hands toward Your innermost sanctuary (the Holy of Holies). ³Drag me not away with the wicked, with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace with their neighbors, but malice and mischief are in their hearts.

Lesson #1: When in the middle of tests, trials and tribulations, call out to the Lord! Once you've opened up to the Lord, then pray in the Spirit to receive those mysteries and secrets directly from the mind of God! (1 Corinthians 14:2)

Then we see in verses 6-7 how faith reacts after the prayer is prayed and BEFORE the answer is seen!

⁶Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my supplications. ⁷The Lord is my Strength and my [impenetrable] Shield; my heart trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song will I praise Him.

Lesson #2: Count it as DONE if you have prayed according to the Word of God! Rejoice and EXPECT to see the manifestation of the answer that brings glory to God! AMEN! I recently saw these lyrics to a song about the finished work of Jesus on the cross:

‎"It is finished, it is done - You have risen, I have won"

That is the attitude that believers MUST have in order to walk in the fullness of all that has been provided for us through all that Jesus did!

I love the faith of the women in Matthew 28! They went early, at the very first opportunity they had, to check on the tomb. It seems to read in Matthew that they actually were there when the earthquake took place! The angel spoke to them and not the soldiers there. Verses 5-7:

⁵But the angel said to the women, Do not be alarmed and frightened, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, Who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; He has risen, as He said [He would do]. Come, see the place where He lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell His disciples, He has risen from the dead, and behold, He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.

They were given instructions by the angel and left immediately to obey! Verse 8:

⁸So they left the tomb hastily with fear and great joy and ran to tell the disciples.

The word fear here means a reverent awe and respect! They were in awe of all that had happened. Then they received another blessing that I believe happened because of their instant obedience. Verses 9-10:

⁹And as they went, behold, Jesus met them and said, Hail (greetings)! And they went up to Him and clasped His feet and worshiped Him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, Do not be alarmed and afraid; go and tell My brethren to go into Galilee, and there they will see Me.

They did and were the first to preach the Gospel! I love it! Obedience brings blessings! AMEN!

We then see this statement by Jesus and the command to GO in verses 18-20:

¹⁸Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. ¹⁹Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be).

The word "therefore" means "as a consequence of" or "these things being so". In other words, "because this is TRUE, then YOU go, in the authority you have IN ME...". How are YOU fulfilling that command? And don't forget the promise that He is ALWAYS in YOU!

In reading 2 Kings:7-8 today one thing stood out to me more than at any other time! We see Elisha revealing things that were going to happen, as only a prophet could do in those days! That is what is needed today! NOT a prophet hearing for us, but for US to listen to the Spirit of God Who lives inside of every born again believer! One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to "show you things to come" (John 16:13). We are not promised in the Word of God that we can change everything that is happening on earth through prayer. We ARE promised certain things such as protection, provision and safety, no matter WHAT is happening on the earth! God will supernaturally supply our every need according to His riches when you and I are doing things HIS way and making HIS priority, OUR priority! Don't let fear of what's happening in the world today hold you back from doing what God has told you to do! He will ALWAYS come through for you! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 27:1 is a very strong statement of faith in the Lord made by David! In reading commentary on this Psalm, I came across this statement concerning David:

"The secret of David's public confidence was his private obedience: he took time to fellowship with the Lord and get directions from Him. David knew that the most important part of his life was the part that only God could see, and this was one priority he would not negotiate. David was living in the wilderness of Judea, away from the sanctuary of the Lord, but he was still able to enter into fellowship with his God." (from The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament)

You can see this in verses 4-5:

⁴One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple. ⁵For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; in the secret place of His tent will He hide me; He will set me high upon a rock.

Spending time in the presence of the Lord caused faith to rise so that David could make the declaration of faith found in verse 5! David is our example of what it takes to develop that type of faith, trust and confidence in the Lord in the midst of the worst circumstances! Let's DO IT!

In Matthew 27 we see where Jesus was beaten, spit upon and mocked. The soldiers made Him wear a robe and a crown made of thorns. When we were in Israel we were able to see a tree with thorns that may have been those used for this crown. They were gruesome looking! I have a picture of them here.

Can you even imagine what that must have felt like? Thank You, Jesus, for paying that price for us!

In 2 Kings 5 we see the story of Naaman the leper. I have always thought it was amazing that the servant girl was there, at the right place and at the right time! God knew what He was doing! She was in a position to share the Truth she knew so that her master could receive healing and restoration. Don't take lightly where you are and what you are called to do! He has placed you here for "such a time as this"! Take advantage of every opportunity to share the good news with people in need that God brings into your life!

My favorite verse in 2 Kings 6 is verse 16:

¹⁶[Elisha] answered, Fear not; for those with us are more than those with them.

Don't EVER be afraid that you are in this alone! There truly are more with us, for we have the Spirit of God living inside of us and the angels of God all around us for our protection, provision and safety! Learn to rely on that and you will never be overcome with fear again! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 26:8 reveals David's love for the dwelling place of the Lord:

⁸Lord, I love the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells.

David was speaking of the Tabernacle then, because the Temple was not yet built, but He was also speaking about the presence of the Lord! He spoke of the place where the glory of the Lord dwells! Remind yourself that NOW, under the NEW and BETTER Covenant, the presence of the Lord, along with His GLORY, lives in YOU! Get to know Him and be aware of His presence in you so that you can become a more effective Minister of Life!

In Matthew 26 Jesus is telling His disciples about what he must go through and that they would all leave Him. Peter and all of the disciples refused to believe that they could do such a thing! Verses 31-35:

³¹Then Jesus said to them, You will all be offended and stumble and fall away because of Me this night [distrusting and deserting Me], for it is written, I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. ³²But after I am raised up [to life again], I will go ahead of you to Galilee. ³³Peter declared to Him, Though they all are offended and stumble and fall away because of You [and distrust and desert You], I will never do so. ³⁴Jesus said to him, Solemnly I declare to you, this very night, before a single rooster crows, you will deny and disown Me three times. ³⁵Peter said to Him, Even if I must die with You, I will not deny or disown You! And all the disciples said the same thing.

What happened? Verse 56:

⁵⁶But all this has taken place in order that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples deserted Him and, fleeing, escaped.

And verses 74-75:

⁷⁴Then Peter began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, I do not even know the Man! And at that moment a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵And Peter remembered Jesus' words, when He had said, Before a single rooster crows, you will deny and disown Me three times. And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Have YOU ever denied Him or failed to stand up for what the Word of God says? We ALL have! And just like Peter, who was restored to fellowship after the Resurrection, we will be received right back into fellowship with Him when we repent (change our thinking to agree with God) and receive His forgiveness! Don't stay out of fellowship for one second! Refuse to believe the lies of the enemy that you can't possibly get over what you've done. Our God IS God and says we can! He is the God of Restoration! AMEN!

I like 2 Kings 3:14:

¹⁴And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts lives, before Whom I stand, surely, were it not that I respect the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you [King Joram].

Jehoshaphat was a good king! People will be blessed sometimes simply because of their association with you - a child of the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! Use THAT to minister to them how they, too, can become a member of God's family!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 25:4-5 is a great way to pray before studying the Word of God.

⁴Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. ⁵Guide me in Your truth and faithfulness and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You [You only and altogether] do I wait [expectantly] all the day long.

1 John 5:14-15 tells us how to have our prayers answered.

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.

Since we KNOW that it IS God's will for us to know His ways and understand His Word, then when we pray Psalm 25:4-5, we can fully expect that He will lead, guide and direct us into understanding the Word so that we can know Him! Thank You, Lord Jesus!

Psalm 25:14 goes right along with this.

¹⁴The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning.

The more that we know and understand the Word of God, the more we will know and understand Him. Knowing Him intimately (Philippians 3:10 AMPLIFIED) will allow us to have that sweet and satisfying companionship WITH Him! AWESOME!

Matthew 25:15 contains a very important key to understanding how to be pleasing to the Lord! The key is found in the phrase "to each in proportion to his own personal ability". The abilities, gifts and talents we possess all came from God in the first place. He doesn't expect us to use something we don't have! But He DOES expect us to make full use of, for the Kingdom of God, all of the resources He has blessed us with! We will be rewarded according to how well we have used what He has supplied us with! Our goal in life would be to fulfill God's plan for us. That is REAL success - being where God wants us to be, doing what God wants us to do!

2 Kings 1:13-14 reveal to us the proper respect to be shown to those whom God has anointed!

¹³Ahaziah sent again a captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and fell on his knees before Elijah and besought him and said to him, O man of God, I pray you, let my life and the lives of these fifty, your servants, be precious in your sight. ¹⁴Behold, fire came down from heaven and burned up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties. Therefore let my life now be precious in your sight.

It amazes me that 102 men had to die before someone humbled themselves before God! Maintain a reverence for the presence of God and a respectful attitude towards those whom He has called and anointed! You WILL be glad you did!

Shalom in Him

Shalom,

Psalm 24:1 is another of my favorite verses!

¹THE EARTH is the Lord's, and the fullness of it, the world and they who dwell in it.

This verse says that the earth, "and the fullness of it", the Hebrew word, "melow`", which means: fullness, what fills, entire contents, "is the Lord's", the Hebrew word, "Yehovah", which means: the eternal, self-existing One! The world and they that dwell therein also, ALL belong to HIM! AMEN! I love that verse! The One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible, is also MY FATHER! My Father OWNS everything! Do you really think it is too difficult for Him to meet your needs? I KNOW you don't! We realize that He CAN, we just need to allow the Word of God to show us that He WANTS TO! Amen! I suggest that you check out John 10:10 (AMPLIFIED BIBLE); 3 John2; Philippians 4:13; Philippians 4:19 - just for starters! LET that King of GLORY come in and be the source of supply for every part of YOUR life! He WANTS to!

In Matthew 24 the disciples ask Jesus to tell them what the sign would be of His coming, when He returns, and when it would all happen. Something that is very vital to ask yourself when you are reading these verses, or ANY verses in Scripture, is:

• Who is speaking?
• Who are they speaking to?

If we ask that here, we say that it is Jesus speaking to His followers who are Jews who have not received Jesus as Lord and personal Saviour, because He had not YET given His life as the sacrifice for sin! These were Jewish people who were living under the Abrahamic Covenant. This was a very good Covenant, but it was NOT the New Covenant, based on better promises! (Hebrews 8:6) Once Jesus died and rose from the dead, all of these people that He was speaking to had the opportunity to be born again! For those who were, what He says here no longer pertains to them. Why? Because now they are part of the Body of Christ, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bride of Christ! There is a very different future for us! The Word of God says that the Bridegroom (Jesus) will leave His Father's house and go to receive His Bride from her home. He will take her to His Father's house for the Marriage Feast! At the same time that Jesus and His Bride are celebrating the Marriage Feast, the remainder of Jewish history is being played out on the Earth below! THAT is what Jesus was referring to in Matthew 24. I hope that helps to clear some things up for you! We CAN take great comfort from the fact that Jesus said in verses 32-33:

³²From the fig tree learn this lesson: as soon as its young shoots become soft and tender and it puts out its leaves, you know of a surety that summer is near. ³³So also when you see these signs, all taken together, coming to pass, you may know of a surety that He is near, at the very doors.

We can see the signs EVERYWHERE! Look up! He's on His way! AMEN!

In 2 Chronicles 20-21 we see again the powerful story of God's deliverance of His people when they turned to HIM as their only source! Read the story, then watch this video. It is powerful!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ADfKtuVM_U

Praise Him for the answer first! Then stand back and watch the Salvation of Your God! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

SATURDAY'S BLOG!!!

Shalom,

This is for Saturday, July 24!

I saw the greatest commentary on Psalm 23! It is from The Bible Exposition Commentary and shows how the Names of Jehovah are revealed here!

"The LORD" is Jehovah God, the covenant making God of Israel. The compound names of Jehovah in the Old Testament reflect the contents of this psalm.

"I shall not want" — Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide" (Gen 22:14)

"still waters" — Jehovah-Shalom, "the Lord our peace" (Judg 6:24)

"restores my soul" — Jehovah-Rophe, "the Lord who heals" (Ex 15:26)

"paths of righteousness" — Jehovah-Tsidkenu, "the Lord our righteousness" (Jer 33:16)

"you are with me" — Jehovah-Shammah, "the Lord is there" (Ezek 48:35)

"presence of my enemies" — "Jehovah-Nissi, "the Lord our banner" (Ex 17:15)

"anoint my head" — Jehovah-M'Kaddesh, "the Lord who sanctifies" (Lev 20:8)

I love the Word of God! It ALL, ALWAYS fits together perfectly!

Matthew 23 is ALL Jesus! Every word, except the first verse, are in red in my Bible. That means that Jesus is talking! When Jesus speaks, I want to listen, so I don't miss anything! Are YOU listening? If not, START!

As you go through Matthew 23, notice that the sinless Jesus speaks rather harshly to the religious leaders! When we understand that God IS Love and that Jesus IS God, then we can understand that when it appears that Jesus is harsh, it is because He wants that NONE shall perish! (John 3:16 Amplified). He is totally motivated by love here! He wants then to see the Truth and to change their thinking to agree with God!

1 Kings 21-22 tell us more about Jehoshaphat and the good things he has done. They also tell us more about evil Ahab and his wife and THEIR expected end! Don't mess with the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible, OR His people! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 22 is called a Psalm of David, but I see it as totally Messianic! In fact, according to the Bible Exposition Commentary, these next three Psalms form a "trilogy on Christ the Shepherd"! In Psalm 22, this Good Shepherd dies for the sheep. In Psalm 23 he lives for the sheep and cares for them. Then, in Psalm 24, He returns as the Chief Shepherd to reward His sheep! How awesome! Psalm 22:1:

MY GOD, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?

This is what Jesus said from the cross! The rest of the Psalm contains the very description of a crucifixion! Thank You, Jesus, for all You've done! AMEN!

One of my favorite examples of Jesus putting the religious leaders in their place happens in this chapter of Matthew! it begins with this in verse 15:

¹⁵Then the Pharisees went and consulted and plotted together how they might entangle Jesus in His talk.

They couldn't rejoice and be happy when the people were set free from every bondage by the Anointing Who was in the midst of them! Instead, they tried to trick Him, AND FAILED!!! I LOVE it! Verses 16-21:

¹⁶And they sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that You are sincere and what You profess to be and that You teach the way of God truthfully, regardless of consequences and being afraid of no man; for You are impartial and do not regard either the person or the position of anyone. ¹⁷Tell us then what You think about this: Is it lawful to pay tribute [levied on individuals and to be paid yearly] to Caesar or not? ¹⁸But Jesus, aware of their malicious plot, asked, Why do you put Me to the test and try to entrap Me, you pretenders (hypocrites)? ¹⁹Show me the money used for the tribute. And they brought Him a denarius. ²⁰And Jesus said to them, Whose likeness and title are these? ²¹They said, Caesar's. Then He said to them, Pay therefore to Caesar the things that are due to Caesar, and pay to God the things that are due to God.

What was the result of that? Look at verse 22:

²²When they heard it they were amazed and marveled; and they left Him and departed.

It would be great if they went their way, thinking about all the things they had seen and heard of Jesus, and came back changed! Did they? Not so much that we are made aware of! But, with God ALL THINGS are possible! AMEN!

In 1 Kings 19 we see the mighty man of God, Elijah, who had just slain the 450 prophets of baal in chapter 18, running from a woman! Jezebel sends him a message and he falls apart! Verse 1-4:

¹AHAB TOLD Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had slain all the prophets [of Baal] with the sword. ²Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow. ³Then he was afraid and arose and went for his life and came to Beersheba of Judah [over eighty miles, and out of Jezebel's realm] and left his servant there. ⁴But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a lone broom or juniper tree and asked that he might die. He said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers.

WOW! And you thought God might give up on YOU?! Never!!! We DO see that Elijah is instructed to anoint his successor. The Anointing is there, but Elisha will still have to learn and grow and become the prophet that God has called him to be! We must each continue to grow in the things of God, also! That will make us more effective ministers of Life! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I love finding something new and interesting every time I study the Word of God! Even if it's just a very little thing, it can sometimes change the whole meaning of the Scripture and how it affects my life! Psalm 21:3 says:

³For You send blessings of good things to meet him; You set a crown of pure gold on his head.

Now that sounds very good and it is true! But when I checked it out in the KJV I saw this:

³For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.

When I checked out the phrase "thou preventest him with" I found that this is the Hebrew word "qadam", which means: to project oneself! The dictionary definition of project includes: to thrust out or forwards, to throw out, to send out, to convey an impression to an audience, to transfer from one domain into another! So the Lord sends out, from HIS domain in Heaven into our lives here on Earth, the blessings that are needed! I like that! Much more powerful than just reading the verse, don't you think? I LOVE meditating the Word of God and allowing the Holy Spirit to show me new shades of meaning so that I can continue to grown in the knowledge of HIM!

Continuing in word study for Matthew 21 I found something else fun to know! In verse 10 we see this:

¹⁰And when He entered Jerusalem, all the city became agitated and [trembling with excitement] said, Who is This?

The KJV says "all the city was moved". "Was moved" is the Greek word, "seio", which means: to move, quake, shake, agitate, to throw into a tremor, and my favorite - to ROCK! Jesus entering Jerusalem ROCKED THEIR WORLD! He will yours, too, IF you will let Him!

In 1 Kings 17-18 we see again the story of Elijah with the prophets of Baal and with Ahab when it began to rain. When we stood atop Mount Carmel on our recent tour of Israel, our guide showed us exactly where the prophets were defeated and told us some interesting details that we hadn't heard before. Then he showed us the route that Elijah took when outran Ahab and his chariot! There is nothing that compare with standing in the land of the Bible and reliving these TRUE stories! It is life-changing and I can't recommend strongly enough for every believer to make the trip! You will never be the same! Hallelujah!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

My favorite verses in Psalm 20 are verses 7-8:

⁷Some trust in and boast of chariots and some of horses, but we will trust in and boast of the name of the Lord our God. ⁸They are bowed down and fallen, but we are risen and stand upright.

The people around us are all trusting SOMEONE or SOMETHING! The ONLY One worthy of our trust and confidence is Jesus of Nazareth! No "horses or chariots" for me! I trust in the Lord my God! All those who trust in man are "bowed down and fallen" but WE "are risen and stand upright"! Amen! Again, I like the Message Bible on this:

7 See those people polishing their chariots,

and those others grooming their horses?

But we're making garlands for God our God.

8 The chariots will rust,

those horses pull up lame —

and we'll be on our feet, standing tall.

That's us, IF we don't quit and give up! AMEN!

Matthew 20:34:

³⁴So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.

This is one of the times when I won't use the Amplified Bible for reference! The Amplified Bible says "pity". That is NOT the right word to describe what Jesus felt here! The actual Greek Word is "splanchnizomai", which means: to be moved as to one's inwards, to have compassion. This word is found a total of 12 times in the New Testament, and each time it is only used of Jesus! The dictionary definition of "compassion" is:

A feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

Pity is feeling sorry for someone. Compassion is doing something ABOUT it! What was the result of Jesus being moved with compassion? He went about doing good and teaching, preaching and healing! Let's be about our Father's business, shall we? Show compassion and set these people free! AMEN!

In 1 Kings 15-16 we go back over some of the kings after Solomon. We see some kings that "did right in the sight of the Lord" and many more that did "evil in the sight of the Lord". The only time we will have consistently righteous ruler-ship in the Earth will be when Jesus of Nazareth returns to Jerusalem to rule and reign for 1000 years as the King over all the Earth! Until then we are still destined to have some good rulers and many more evil rulers! Anyone living in this country knows exactly what THAT is like! Amen! But we are still promised in 2 Chronicles 7:14:

14 If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

That's us! So let's be praying continually and let God BE God over the USA! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 19:7-11 talks about the value of the Word of God:

⁷The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the [whole] person; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. ⁸The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure and bright, enlightening the eyes. ⁹The [reverent] fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. ¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold, even than much fine gold; they are sweeter also than honey and drippings from the honeycomb. ¹¹Moreover, by them is Your servant warned (reminded, illuminated, and instructed); and in keeping them there is great reward.

LOVE the Word and you will grow in faith in every area of your life! It is when we know and love the Word of God that we will be able to "do the works that Jesus did, and GREATER works"! (John 14:12) AMEN!

In Matthew 19:13-15 we see this:

¹³Then little children were brought to Jesus, that He might put His hands on them and pray; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. ¹⁴But He said, Leave the children alone! Allow the little ones to come to Me, and do not forbid or restrain or hinder them, for of such [as these] is the kingdom of heaven composed. ¹⁵And He put His hands upon them, and then went on His way.

We have found over the years that children are VERY receptive to the Word of God and the things of the Spirit of God! Get the Gospel to them early and begin to build a strong foundation of faith in their lives. Remember the promise in Proverbs 22:6:

Prov 22:6

6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

AMEN!

In 2 Chronicles 18-19 we see more of the life of Jehoshaphat. He wasn't perfect in following the Lord, but I do like how he instructed his judges in verses 19:6-7:

⁶And said to the judges, Be careful what you do, for you judge not for man but for the Lord, and He is with you in the matter of judgment. ⁷So now let the reverence and fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking of bribes.

And also in verses 8-9 when he instructed the Levites and priests:

⁸Also in Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat set certain Levites, priests, and heads of families of Israel to give judgment for the Lord and decide controversies. When they [of the commission] returned to Jerusalem, ⁹The king charged them, Do this in the fear of the Lord, faithfully, with integrity and a blameless heart.

Relying on the wisdom of God and instructing others to follow after the Lord reveals the heart of a good and Godly ruler! We will see more of Jehoshaphat in our reading in a few days!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 18 is a psalm of praise and victory from David for all that the Lord had done for him! Read this psalm over and over until faith begins to rise that the same God that delivered David WILL deliver you from any and every situation you find yourself in, IF you will love Him with all of your heart and EXPECT Him to confirm His Word in YOUR life! AMEN!

In Matthew 18:1 the disciples ask Jesus this question:

¹AT THAT time the disciples came up and asked Jesus, Who then is [really] the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

He answered them with this in verses 2-4:

²And He called a little child to Himself and put him in the midst of them, ³And said, Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all]. ⁴Whoever will humble himself therefore and become like this little child [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving] is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

A child who is raised in a loving and caring family has complete faith, trust and confidence that they will be preserved, protected and provided for! THAT is the kind of confidence that our Heavenly Father wants us to have IN HIM! THAT is when we will see the mighty and miraculous provision and deliverance of our God! Be childlike in your faith, trust and confidence of God, and be fierce in your steadfast stand against the enemy and all of his works and workers of darkness! AMEN!

In 2 Chronicles 16 we see Asa, who has had a heart after God up to this point, turn to man instead! Verse 7:

⁷At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, Because you relied on the king of Syria and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you.

Asa could have had the continued and powerful provision of the Lord if he had only relied on the Lord as he had done in the past! Verse 9a is one of the favorite verses in the entire Bible!

⁹For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him.

Having a heart "blameless" before God involves having total and complete faith, trust and confidence in HIM alone! Asa quit doing that and when Hanani the seer told him about it, instead of repenting , he had the seer locked up! Asa ended up enduring physical suffering and STILL he refused to turn again to God (Verse 12) and this resulted in his death. It did NOT have to be that way for him! CHOICES!!!

In 2 Chronicles 17 we see Jehoshaphat, who would be another GOOD king! I'm sure we'll see more of him tomorrow!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 17:15 is my declaration, too!

¹⁵As for me, I will continue beholding Your face in righteousness (rightness, justice, and right standing with You); I shall be fully satisfied, when I awake [to find myself] beholding Your form [and having sweet communion with You].

To behold means to perceive, to be aware of. His "face" is the Hebrew word, "paniym", which means: face or presence! Righteousness is the right-standing that we have with God because of the precious Blood of Jesus of Nazareth. "I shall be satisfied" is the Hebrew word, "saba`", which means: to be fulfilled, to be enriched, to have in excess. "When I awake" is the Hebrew word, quwts", which means: to wake up (abruptly), to rise. "Thy likeness" is the Hebrew word, "temuwnah", which means: the embodiment, the manifestation. That is being aware of HIS presence daily! We are NOT alone as believers in Jesus of Nazareth! Nothing can separate us from HIS presence! I like the Message Bible for this:

¹⁵ And me? I plan on looking

you full in the face. When I get up,
I'll see your full stature
and live heaven on earth.

In Matthew 17 we see again the transfiguration of Jesus. When He and Peter, James and John came down from the mountain they were greeted by a multitude who were all wondering why the disciples of Jesus were not able to deliver the demon possessed boy. After Jesus delivers the boy, His disciples ask Him why they were not able to deliver him. His answer was this in verse 20:

²⁰He said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith [that is, your lack of firmly relying trust]. For truly I say to you, if you have faith [that is living] like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to yonder place, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.

They had "little faith" or, as the KJV Bible says, "unbelief". Some people get hung up on verse 21, but we need to realize that verse 21 is NOT in the original text. It was added by the translators because they THOUGHT it would make things clearer. Prayer and fasting has nothing to do with casting out demons. As a believer in Jesus of Nazareth, you and I have the God-given authority to cast out demons in the Name of Jesus! In order to have the confidence it takes to DO that, we need to increase our faith. The Word of God says that faith comes by hearing and hearing and hearing the Word of God! (Romans 10:17) If YOU need to fast and spend time in prayer in order for the Word to get down inside of you to cause faith to come, then by all means DO IT! Whatever it takes for you to put the Word of God first place! But it is not the fasting and prayer that casts out demons! It is the Word of God spoken in the Name of Jesus with faith, trust and confidence that it MUST come to pass that will get the job done! Even though His disciples spent all day with Jesus, they STILL didn't have the faith necessary to do this. Start right now building your faith level in every area of your life so that WHEN you need it, Faith will be strong! AMEN!

2 Chronicles 14:2 is something that becomes increasingly scarce as we continue in the Old Testament!

²And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.

Because Asa followed the Lord, he could call on Him as he did in verse 11:

¹¹Asa cried to the Lord his God, O Lord, there is none besides You to help, and it makes no difference to You whether the one You help is mighty or powerless. Help us, O Lord our God! For we rely on You, and we go against this multitude in Your name. O Lord, You are our God; let no man prevail against You!

...and expect the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible to answer him! He did! When we, who have a better Covenant with God, based on better promises than Asa had, follow after Him and obey His Word, we can fully expect Him to confirm His Word in our lives! That gives us the confidence to put our own lives aside and see to the needs of others, which is what our Father intended for us to do! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I echo Psalm 16:2:

²I say to the Lord, You are my Lord; I have no good beside or beyond You.

Amen! And then I really like verse 3:

³As for the godly (the saints) who are in the land, they are the excellent, the noble, and the glorious, in whom is all my delight.

The Message Bible says this:

³ And these God-chosen lives all around—
what splendid friends they make!

As my Pastor says,"Fellowship with like-minded believers is time well spent"! Another Amen to that!

My favorite verses (today anyway!) in Matthew 16 are verses 15-18:

¹⁵He said to them, But who do you [yourselves] say that I am? ¹⁶Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. ¹⁷Then Jesus answered him, Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood [men] have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven. ¹⁸And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros--a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra--a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].

Notice that Peter's name means a piece of the rock. Some denominations like to think that Jesus said He would build His church on Peter! That is NOT what He said! He said that He would build His church on that huge Rock (like Gibraltar ) of the revealed knowledge of God's Word! In verse 17 He told Peter that it was God Who had revealed to Peter the answer he had given! That's what we're seeking for everyday we spend in the Word! We are looking for the Spirit of God to reveal the Word to us so that we can comprehend it and stand strong on it!

As we continue on in 2 Chronicles we see the kings getting further and further away from seeking God and doing things His way! The people would pay a high price for this as the land continually went into captivity of some sort. It pays to do things God's way and it ALWAYS costs to do it any other way!

Shalom in Him!