Shalom,

Psalm 61 shows David calling out to God again for protection, provision and safety BECAUSE David has done this in the past and God has ALWAYS come through for him! Verse 3:

³For You have been a shelter and a refuge for me, a strong tower against the adversary.

"You have been" is the Hebrew word, "hayah", which is a verb meaning: to become, to come to pass, to exist. What I found most interesting and powerful is that this same word, "hayah" is the Hebrew word used in Exodus 3:14:

¹⁴And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE; and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you!

"I AM that I AM" means that the God Who made the Covenant is also the God Who keeps the Covenant! It is HIS declaration of His divine control of ALL things! When David reminds himself (and us!) Who God has been to him in the past, it brings great confidence in the fact that God WILL BE the same in every circumstance he will ever face! Remember that "Our God IS God" and let Him BE God! AMEN!

In Mark 11 we see Jesus making His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He allowed the people to publicly honor Him, something that He had never allowed them to do before this. Verses 7-11:

⁷And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their outer garments upon it, and He sat on it. ⁸And many [of the people] spread their garments on the road, and others [scattered a layer of] leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. ⁹And those who went before and those who followed cried out [with a cry of happiness], Hosanna! [Be graciously inclined and propitious to Him!] Praised and blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰Praised and blessed in the name of the Lord is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna (O save us) in the highest [heaven]! ¹¹And Jesus went into Jerusalem and entered the temple [enclosure]; and when He had looked around, surveying and observing everything, as it was already late, He went out to Bethany together with the Twelve [apostles].

When Jesus did this, He accomplished two things:

1. He declared himself to be Israel's King and Messiah.
2. He deliberately challenged the religious leaders.

This set in motion the plot by the Jewish leaders, but actually the PLAN of God! The people who celebrated the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem were those who supported Him and followed Him, most from the area of the Galilee. Those who would shout "Crucify Him" later, were NOT the same people. Those were most likely from Judea and Jerusalem.

When we were in Israel we walked the path that Jesus would have taken down the mountain. We could not enter the gates He would have entered because they were sealed up by the Muslims who believe that they can stop Messiah from returning by doing so! Silly, isn't it?! It was amazing to look at the city from the perspective that Jesus would have had at this particular time. He knew exactly what He was about to do less than a week later and He marched right into it! Thank You, Jesus!

Isaiah 35 is a declaration of the way things will be during the Millennial reign of King Jesus! That time is coming sooner than we think! Until that time we are to "occupy", or "carry on His business"! (Luke 19:13) Remember what Jesus said in John 14:12:

¹²I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.

That's what we are supposed to be doing, so that Isaiah 35:5-6 can be happening right now!

⁵Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. ⁶Then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

Let's be "about our Father's business" until the time that Jesus appears to take us to the Marriage Supper! He will be well pleased to find us doing so! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 60 is speaking about a specific time in the history of Israel. We COULD cover that, but something else really stands out to me today. Whenever you meditate on the Word of God, you find that there are many Truths hidden in even one verse of Scripture. I want to look today at Psalm 60:6a:

⁶God has spoken in His holiness [in His promises]: I will rejoice,

Remember that in the original writings there was no punctuation. Every period, comma, colon and semi-colon was put in by the translators to help show the meaning of the verse. Sometimes they were accurate. Sometimes they were less than accurate! Sometimes there can be more than one way to look at the verse that doesn't at all change the Truth of it! I love this first part of verse 6 because it says that "God", the Hebrew name, "Elohiym", which is "plural intensive with a singular meaning", meaning that this word refers to the Godhead - three persons in one God! Much like "team" which has a plural aspect (how ever many members belong to that particular team) but is one entity! So here we have the Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, "having spoken", the Hebrew word, "dabar", which means: to speak (rarely in a destructive sense), to declare, to converse, to command, to promise, to sing, "in His holiness", the Hebrew word, "qodesh", which means: holiness, sacredness, separateness, set-apartness. What is MY response? "I will rejoice", the Hebrew word, "`alaz", which means: to jump for joy, to be joyful, to exult, to triumph. Why would I jump for joy and exult (to show or feel a lively or triumphant joy)? Because GOD HAS SPOKEN! Remember Isaiah 55:11:

¹¹So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

God's Word is continuing to produce today! He spoke the universe into existence and Science tells us that the universe is STILL expanding! I jump for joy because what God has promised, He is able also to perform! (Romans 4:21) AND He is continually watching over His Word to perform it! (Jeremiah 1:12) The key for us is to find out what God has promised about each and every situation and circumstance in our lives. Then we need to meditate on those promises until they become so real to us (faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word!) that we have all confidence that He WILL cause it to come to pass! We sing: "God has spoken and I believe...". That's what we're talking about here! THAT makes me jump for joy - ALWAYS! I hope it does the same for you!

Mark 10:1:

¹AND [Jesus] left there [Capernaum] and went to the region of Judea and beyond [east of] the Jordan; and crowds [constantly] gathered around Him again, and as was His custom, He began to teach them again.

"As was His custom" means that this was something that Jesus did regularly! See Matthew 4:23 and 9:35! Believers are not going to grow up in the things of God unless they are taught! One of the words translated "knowledge" in the New Testament is "epignosis", which means: precise and correct knowledge, recognition, discernment. It is a compound word with the word "epi" meaning, in one aspect "superimposition". Too superimpose something means to layer one thing on top of another thing and you can see them both. We've all seen those sections on the human body that show the different layers that you can peel back and see the all the aspects that make up the body. Well knowledge of God's Word works the same way! We continue hearing and hearing and hearing teaching of God's Word. When we put into practice what we learn, it becomes a part of us, building knowledge. Each new aspect we learn becomes another layer in our strong foundation of knowledge of the Word of God! THAT is why Jesus continued to teach them "again"! You and I NEED to be committed to a local church with a Pastor who teaches the Word of God and exposes the congregation to the other Ministry Gifts (Apostles, Prophets and Evangelists) so that we can grow strong in the knowledge of God's Word. When YOU lead someone to the Lord, you need to get them into the Word of God right away and get them into a good local church where THEY can be taught! The Spoken Word Church is one such local church! If you need to find one in YOUR area, contact us at the link on the left and we will be happy to help you!

Isaiah 34:16:

¹⁶Seek out of the book of the Lord and read: not one of these [details of prophecy] shall fail, none shall want and lack her mate [in fulfillment]. For the mouth [of the Lord] has commanded, and His Spirit has gathered them.

Continuing with our theme about the Word of God, this verse tells us that everything that God has promised WILL COME TO PASS! Judgement on the nations who come against Israel WILL COME TO PASS! Promises to believers who seek the Lord with their whole hearts and obey His Word WILL COME TO PASS! You can count on it!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In Psalm 59:9 & 17 we see David's declaration of faith in the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible to deliver him from EVERY test, trial and tribulation! Verse 9:

⁹O my Strength, I will watch and give heed to You and sing praises; for God is my Defense (my Protector and High Tower).

And verse 17:

¹⁷Unto You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my Defense, my Fortress, and High Tower, the God Who shows me mercy and steadfast love.

The word "strength" here is the Hebrew word, "`oz" or "`owz", which means: strength in various applications (force, security, majesty, praise), boldness, loud, might, power. That means that David had confidence that God would use ALL of these resources to avenge him of his enemies and to deliver him in safety! David said that he would sing praises to the Lord because the Lord was his "defence" , the Hebrew word, "misgab", which means: a cliff (or other lofty or inaccessible place), a refuge, a high fort or tower, a secure height, a stronghold. In other words, David trusted that the Lord would keep him secure and inaccessible to the enemy by whatever means were necessary! You and I should have even MORE confidence in the Lord our Protector than David did! David was not a member of God's family! He had a great Covenant of Blessing with God, but we have a BETTER Covenant! (Hebrews 8:6) Let's be singing His praises DAILY for His protection, provision and safety are without question when we are trusting in Him!

In Mark 9:1 Jesus said this:

¹AND JESUS said to them, Truly and solemnly I say to you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste death before they see the kingdom of God come in [its] power.

Then in verses 2-3 this is what happened:

²Six days after this, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves. And He was transfigured before them and became resplendent with divine brightness. ³And His garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller (cloth dresser, launderer) on earth could bleach them.

What did they see? They saw a physical manifestation of the Glory of God! Remember that when Moses was in the presence of God, his face would glisten? (Exodus 34:35) This did not just happen to Jesus at this particular time. Jesus walked with the Glory of God IN Him and UPON Him! It just wasn't manifested so that the people could see it until this instance. The works that Jesus did, and the results that He had, revealed that the Glory was present! As born again believers, we HAVE this Glory living in us NOW! THAT is the light that we are not supposed to put a bushel over! We hide the Light of God that is inside of us when we don't stay in the Word of God and filled with the Spirit of God, obeying both! Another interesting thing that I noticed from this account is that the disciples were not able to understand basic Bible doctrine of the New Covenant at this time because they were still living under the Old Covenant until Jesus was raised from the dead. They did not have the Holy Spirit living in them to teach them the Word of God like we do! Notice verse 10:

¹⁰So they carefully and faithfully kept the matter to themselves, questioning and disputing with one another about what rising from among the dead meant.

Now we have the Holy Spirit and we have the written Word of God! There is no end to what we can learn and understand of the Word IF WE WANT TO! But we DO have to want to learn! Some whole denominations have cut themselves off from the vastness and depth of the Word of God by deciding that everything that was ever to be revealed was understood by the Apostles! How bizarre is that! The Word of God is so deep and limitless that we could spend all of eternity learning and STILL not know all there is to know! It is so wonderful to learn something new about the Word and about Jesus every day! Remember Mark 4:24:

²⁴And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you--and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.

Only YOU can put limits on how much knowledge of the Word of God you obtain! GO FOR IT! You will be SO blessed!

Isaiah 31:1 says:

¹WOE TO those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses and trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they look not to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek and consult the Lord!

Why is this verse talking about horses from Egypt? Because at this time Egypt had an abundance of horses and royal stables. This is where Solomon's horses were from. God wanted them to trust in HIM and NOT in the strength of horses or any other natural force! It is just too easy on the flesh nature to turn to something we can see and touch than to trust in the unseen. But that IS what faith is all about! Taking God at His Word and believing that He CANNOT lie! If He said He will protect us, HE most definitely will! And NO horse, chariot or natural force can stand against HIS might! Didn't pharaoh try? What became of him AND his horses and chariots? Alright then! Stop relying on natural strength or means and start relying on the Truth of God's Word concerning every area of your life!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We looked at Psalm 58 on February 27 of this year. I encourage you to go back and check it out because it is even MORE true and useful today than it was then! I will only add a few things that I found in a commentary. The Commentary is the Bible Exposition Commentary - Old Testament. Here is one:

During David's exile years, Saul led the nation down a path of political and spiritual ruin as he disobeyed God's law and opposed God's anointed king. Saul was surrounded by a group of fawning flatterers who fed his ego and catered to his foolish whims, and he put into places of authority people who used their offices for personal gain and not for the national good. They wanted to get as much as they could before the kingdom collapsed.

Does that sound to YOU like it was ripped from the pages of our current history? And then this:

David addressed the lawless leaders and asked them if their words were just, their decisions legal, their sentences fair, and their silences honest. Were they upholding the law and defending the righteous or twisting the law and benefiting the wicked? He knew the answer, and so do we. When they should have spoken, they were silent, and when they spoke, they ignored God's law. The problem? They had evil hearts, for they were born in sin just like the rest of us. However, they made no effort to seek God's help in controlling that sinful nature but gave in to its evil impulses. It's because humans are sinners that God established government and law, for without law, society would be in chaos. It's from the heart that evil words come out of our mouth and evil deeds are done by our hands.

Again, this sounds like we are reading about some of the politicians and unjust judges of today! Why are they like that? Because that is the NATURAL nature of man! We are born with a sin nature that comes down from Adam. A child is born innocent, but there WILL come a time when they understand right from wrong and will eventually disobey! That's why every person ever born is a personal sinner in need of a personal Saviour! Thank the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible for providing the perfect Saviour for our sin, Jesus of Nazareth! Those evil leaders that we are speaking of have either never received Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and personal Saviour, or IF they have, they have never submitted themselves to the instruction of the Word of God or the correction of His Spirit! As always, God's Word has the answer for us! Verse 11:

¹¹Men will say, Surely there is a reward for the [uncompromisingly] righteous; surely there is a God Who judges on the earth.

Thank You, Lord, that YOU are still in control!

I believe that in Mark 8:1-3 Jesus is testing His disciples to see what they were actually learning and retaining from all of the time He had spent with them! He said this:

¹IN THOSE days when [again] an immense crowd had gathered and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and told them, ²I have pity and sympathy for the people and My heart goes out to them, for they have been with Me now three days and have nothing [left] to eat; ³And if I send them away to their homes hungry, they will be feeble through exhaustion and faint along the road; and some of them have come a long way.

Now remember that He had JUST fed the crowd of 5000 with only 5 loaves. This is how the disciples responded to Jesus. Verse 4:

⁴And His disciples replied to Him, How can anyone fill and satisfy [these people] with loaves of bread here in [this] desolate and uninhabited region?

What did Jesus do? He fed the 4000 from only 7 loaves! Do you think they would remember NOW, after being reminded of it by seeing it with there own eyes? Look at verses 15-16:

¹⁵And Jesus [repeatedly and expressly] charged and admonished them, saying, Look out; keep on your guard and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod and the Herodians. ¹⁶And they discussed it and reasoned with one another, It is because we have no bread.

Now we need to realize that these disciples weren't born again yet and did NOT have the Holy Spirit living in them. WE DO! We are really without excuse for not keeping God's Word first and foremost in everything we do! This is NOT religion we're speaking of, it is LIFE! The new life we all have in Him! Let's live like it!

Isaiah 29-30 tells of the the city of Jerusalem being captured in judgement for the people NOT following after God and His Word! This ALMOST happened in 701 BC when Assyria tried to take the city, but God delivered them! They SHOULD have learned from that and returned to the ways of the Lord. They DID NOT! So in 586 BC the city was actually conquered and destroyed. This Psalm also looks ahead to the Battle of Armageddon when the entire world will come out against the nation of Israel! God WILL vindicate them then! AMEN! Soon and very soon!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 57 was written when David was on the run from Saul. We can identify with the way that David felt sometimes! Verse 4 is especially appropriate for anyone who stands up for the Word of God and what is right to do for the USA:

⁴My life is among lions; I must lie among those who are aflame--the sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.

The things that some in the media are saying about Christians in particular, and conservatives in general, cause us to fit right in with this verse! They ARE acting like fierce lions and their tongues are most definitely like swords and their teeth like spears! You get the idea that if they could lash out at us with poison tips on those spears, they would! Remember ALWAYS that it is NOT people that are the real problem. They are just ignorant vessels for the REAL enemy to use! They are being duped by the master deceiver to do and say what they do and say! Ephesians 6:12:

¹²For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

AND 2 Corinthians 10:3-4:

³For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. ⁴For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,

What SHOULD we do then? We should pray for laborers who will share the Gospel with them. The we should be doers of verse 7:

⁷My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is steadfast and confident! I will sing and make melody.

"Fixed" is the Hebrew word "kuwn", which means: firm, established, secure, steadfast, stable, securely determined, directed aright, to be prepared, to be ready! David declares it twice in this verse! I believe that we need to be double determined to do what's right no matter what the cost! Jesus threw over the tables of the money changers because IT WAS RIGHT! Jesus also preached the Gospel because IT WAS RIGHT! He also healed the sick because IT WAS RIGHT! He set the captives free because IT WAS RIGHT! You and I DO know what is right for us to do, so let's do it! AMEN! And do it with praise, thanksgiving and worship to the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible continually flowing from us! We cannot fail!

In Mark 7 Jesus is dealing with the religious leaders that aren't coming to Him to find out how they, too, can help set the people free and release the captives from bondage! No, they are coming to find out why He and His disciples don't wash their hands like they do! Doesn't that sound like a vitally important matter? No? Jesus didn't think so, either! This is what He said to them in verses 6-8:

⁶But He said to them, Excellently and truly [so that there will be no room for blame] did Isaiah prophesy of you, the pretenders and hypocrites, as it stands written: These people [constantly] honor Me with their lips, but their hearts hold off and are far distant from Me. ⁷In vain (fruitlessly and without profit) do they worship Me, ordering and teaching [to be obeyed] as doctrines the commandments and precepts of men. ⁸You disregard and give up and ask to depart from you the commandment of God and cling to the tradition of men [keeping it carefully and faithfully].

Then Jesus explained this to the people in verses 14-16:

¹⁴And He called the people to [Him] again and said to them, Listen to Me, all of you, and understand [what I say]. ¹⁵There is not [even] one thing outside a man which by going into him can pollute and defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him and make him unhallowed and unclean. ¹⁶If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening [and let him perceive and comprehend by hearing].

When His disciples questioned Him further, he said this:

¹⁸And He said to them, Then are you also unintelligent and dull and without understanding? Do you not discern and see that whatever goes into a man from the outside cannot make him unhallowed or unclean, ¹⁹Since it does not reach and enter his heart but [only his] digestive tract, and so passes on [into the place designed to receive waste]? Thus He was making and declaring all foods [ceremonially] clean [that is, abolishing the ceremonial distinctions of the Levitical Law]. ²⁰And He said, What comes out of a man is what makes a man unclean and renders [him] unhallowed. ²¹For from within, [that is] out of the hearts of men, come base and wicked thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery, ²²Coveting (a greedy desire to have more wealth), dangerous and destructive wickedness, deceit; unrestrained (indecent) conduct; an evil eye (envy), slander (evil speaking, malicious misrepresentation, abusiveness), pride (the sin of an uplifted heart against God and man), foolishness (folly, lack of sense, recklessness, thoughtlessness). ²³All these evil [purposes and desires] come from within, and they make the man unclean and render him unhallowed.

How do those things get IN us in the first place? They come in as thoughts! If you can control your thought life, you can keep yourself from these things! Remember 2 Corinthians 10:5:

⁵Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

When thoughts try to come into your mind and heart that are contrary to God's Word, then you must cast them down! We say: REJECT AND REPLACE! Reject the evil thoughts and replace them with God;s Word! Training yourself in that way daily will enable you to walk free from the BONDAGE of sin! You will still make some selfish decisions that are contrary to God's Word and must confess them according to 1 John 1:9, but you won't be bound up by that sin when your thoughts are right!

Isaiah 27:1-3:

¹IN THAT day [the Lord will deliver Israel from her enemies and also from the rebel powers of evil and darkness] His sharp and unrelenting, great, and strong sword will visit and punish Leviathan the swiftly fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting and winding serpent; and He will slay the monster that is in the sea. ²In that day [it will be said of the redeemed nation of Israel], A vineyard beloved and lovely; sing a responsive song to it and about it! ³I, the Lord, am its Keeper; I water it every moment; lest anyone harm it, I guard and keep it night and day.

IN THAT DAY refers to the Day of the Lord! That is the time when Messiah will come to Earth for the second time to conquer the forces of darkness and to rule and reign for 100o years! I cannot believe that THAT DAY is too far off! I know that it is at least 7 years, but can it REALLY be that much longer? COME QUICKLY LORD JESUS! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 56 was written concerning the time that David was in the hands of the Philistines. Verse 3 says:

³What time I am afraid, I will have confidence in and put my trust and reliance in You.

The phrase "will trust" is the Hebrew word "batach", which means: to hie (move quickly) for refuge; to be confident, bold, sure, secure. This word seems to have been a favorite of David's because he uses it many times in his Psalms, including three times in this one! Scholars have said that this word means to cling to or hold fast to. The idea is of having a good tight grip AND an intimate union with. We are to "hold on" to God AND to know Him. Knowing Him like that (Philippians 3:10 AMPLIFIED) builds that kind of trust! It would be impossible to trust like that without knowing Him more! This word is found again in verse 4:

⁴By [the help of] God I will praise His word; on God I lean, rely, and confidently put my trust; I will not fear. What can man, who is flesh, do to me?

And then again in verse 11:

¹¹In God have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

This kind of trust KNOWS NO FEAR! Wouldn't YOU like to walk in such faith, trust and confidence in God's care and provision for you that you would never know fear again? Get to know Him through His Word and you can!

In Mark 6 we see two things that we will talk about today. They are both found in verse 3:

³Is not this the Carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not His sisters here among us? And they took offense at Him and were hurt [that is, they disapproved of Him, and it hindered them from acknowledging His authority] and they were caused to stumble and fall.

This verse reveals to us that Jesus had 4 brothers and at least 2 sisters! So much for the perpetual virgin idea for Mary! Matthew 1:25 tells us that Joseph "knew her not" UNTIL she had brought forth her firstborn son! Until MEANS until! One Jesus was born, then Joseph and Mary "knew" each other! So much so that they had at least 6 children together! Make sure that you ALWAYS look at the Word of God from a fresh and new perspective and NOT just how you have always thought! Let the Holy Spirit make the Word of God come alive to you! THAT is what will build YOUR faith to the level you need it to be! AMEN!

The next thing is found in this verse and in verses 4-6:

⁴But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor (deference, reverence) except in his [own] country and among [his] relatives and in his [own] house. ⁵And He was not able to do even one work of power there, except that He laid His hands on a few sickly people [and] cured them. ⁶And He marveled because of their unbelief (their lack of faith in Him). And He went about among the surrounding villages and continued teaching.

Because they knew Jesus from a natural, human standpoint, they could not wrap their minds around the fact that He was able to do these signs, wonders and miracles that they had been hearing about! They did not understand that Jesus was 100% God and 100% man! The result? He could do NO mighty works there! All that He could do was heal a few people who were sick with minor ailments! So what did Jesus do? He went on to other villages and continued to teach them the Word of God that would bring faith for them to receive what they needed from Him!

Isaiah 25:1:

¹O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things, even purposes planned of old [and fulfilled] in faithfulness and truth.

Here Isaiah is praising the Lord for being true to His Word! Continue to build up YOUR faith, trust and confidence in the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible by spending time in the Word of God daily! Then YOU will truly believe that all of the things God has said in His Word belong to you, really DO belong to YOU!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

From Wednesdays Bible Plan

Psalm 55:1-2 reveal David's emotional state as He calls out to God:

¹LISTEN TO my prayer, O God, and hide not Yourself from my supplication! ²Attend to me and answer me; I am restless and distraught in my complaint and must moan

Why is David restless and distraught? We find out in verses 12-14:

¹²For it is not an enemy who reproaches and taunts me--then I might bear it; nor is it one who has hated me who insolently vaunts himself against me--then I might hide from him ¹³But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my familiar friend. ¹⁴We had sweet fellowship together and used to walk to the house of God in company.

David had been betrayed by a formerly trusted friend and advisor, Ahithophel, who had left in support of Absalom. Have YOU ever been betrayed by one so closely trusted? Many of us have! David did the right thing by calling out to God for help! Why? We find the answer in Hebrew 4:15:

¹⁵For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.

How was He touched with this temptation? Remember Judas? I dare say none of us have experienced such an intense betrayal as Jesus did! This was His life that was at stake! And yet He DID NOT sin over it! He truly CAN help with these emotions because he understands them! Do what David did when YOU feel betrayed. Do what David did in verse 16:

¹⁶As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord will save me.

Cry out to HIM! Go to the Word and the Holy Spirit for comfort, after all, He IS your Comforter!

When we were in Israel in April our Guide showed us the only spot around the Sea of Galilee where the pigs could have gone over a cliff and into the water. It was amazing to see the actual places that we've read about for years in the Bible! In Mark 5 we see this account again. The really important thing to remember from this story isn't the fact that the pigs went over the cliff. It isn't the fact that the demons entered the pigs. It isn't the fact that the demons claimed to be named "Legion" (demons are liars anyway!). It isn't even HOW this man became demon possessed. The most important Truths to take from this are that:

1. Jesus wanted that man delivered from demonic possession and oppression.
2. No matter how many and what they are called, the NAME OF JESUS has all authority over every demon. At that Name, they MUST flee!

So use the Name of Jesus, in accordance with God's Word, and expect to get the same results that Jesus got when He spoke!

In Isaiah 23 he prophesies what will happen in the future to the city of Tyre. These prophecies were fulfilled in the years following. The city was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and rebuilt by Alexander the Great. Jesus and Paul both visited there during their ministries. Isaiah 24 prophesies of things yet to come at the time of the end. Knowing that the previous prophecies were all fulfilled give us confidence to know that this will be, too. I believe that the time is very short to reach the lost before the Church of Jesus Christ is caught away to be with Him forever! What will take place during the 7 years of "Jacob's Trouble" is not really for us to concern ourselves with. WE need to be about our Father's business of sharing the Gospel so all who are now lost will have the opportunity to come to Him! That's plenty to have on our minds and hearts! Don't you agree?

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In Psalm 54 David is crying out to God for deliverance. Verse 6 tells us what David did BEFORE he saw the deliverance he asked for:

⁶With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks and praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.

Verses 4-5 show what David's confession of faith was concerning what he had asked for. This verse tells us what David DID! He gave a "freewill" offering. This is the Hebrew word, "nedabah", which means: voluntary, willingly, a spontaneous or abundant gift. Spontaneous means: natural and unconstrained, having a natural and uninhibited manner! David's sacrifice would be free and uninhibited praise to God for the answer that he KNEW was coming! He acted as if it was already done because he had such faith, trust and confidence that the God Who had delivered him before would be faithful to His Word to do it again! What is YOUR faith level like? The evidence is in the praise! If it isn't your natural response, then you need to get more Word in you concerning your particular situation. Remember that faith COMES by hearing and hearing and hearing the Word of God! (Romans 10:17)

In Mark 4 Jesus is speaking in parables to the crowds of people who have come to hear Him. When He is alone with His disciples, He explains them so that they can understand. The parable of the sower is always a fascinating one to me because there are so many facets to it and so many obstacles put in our way by the enemy to try and keep us from hearing, receiving, loving and obeying the Word! I saw something today in a new light again! (I love it when that happens!) I realized for the first time that NONE of the types of "ground" that the seeds are sown on produce anything except the good ground! Of course the ground that Jesus is referring to is our heart - the spirit/soul combination. We have to prepare our heart to receive the Word. When we are prepared to receive the Word, we need to realize that we will only receive FROM the Word in proportion to the amount of attention and obedience that we give to it! Some will receive 30 fold, some 60 and others 100! WE determine what are harvest from the Word will be! Verses 24-25 tell us this:

²⁴And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you--and more [besides] will be given to you who hear. ²⁵For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away [by force],

Go after the Word DAILY as your vital necessity and you will find yourself reaping a great harvest from it!

Isaiah 21 is prophesying the capture of Babylon by the Medes and Persians. Verse 4 in the Amplified Bible:

⁴My mind reels and wanders, horror terrifies me. [In my mind's eye I am at the feast of Belshazzar. I see the defilement of the golden vessels taken from God's temple, I watch the handwriting appear on the wall--I know that Babylon's great king is to be slain.] The twilight I looked forward to with pleasure has been turned into fear and trembling for me.

This brings to mind the dream that Daniel interpreted in Daniel chapter 5 of the handwriting on the wall! God knows the end from the beginning! (Aren't you glad He does!) These prophecies and their fulfillment should give us encouragement that everything He has promised WILL come to pass! After all, History IS "His story"! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 53:1-3:

¹THE [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt and evil are they, and doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. ²God looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any who understood, who sought (inquired after and desperately required) God. ³Every one of them has gone back [backslidden and fallen away]; they have altogether become filthy and corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one.

These verses should put to rest the idea held by some that man is basically good! Romans 3:10-12 says almost exactly the same thing:

¹⁰As it is written, None is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one.

So if man is basically NOT GOOD, what hope is there? John 3:16 is the answer!

¹⁶For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

GOD did it! He took care of everything FOR us! All that He left for us to do is to receive what He has already provided! Thank You, Lord! Have YOU received Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and personal Saviour? Do you realize that you are a sinner? Do realize that the price to be paid for sin is death, but that Jesus paid the price with His own blood? (Romans 6:23) Do you WANT to receive Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and personal Saviour now? Pray this prayer:

Almighty God, I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus Christ came to this earth, died on the cross for me, was raised from the dead, and is now seated at Your right hand. I accept and receive Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour and I invite Him to come into my heart and become Lord over my life. I thank You now Father, for welcoming me into Your family. You are my Father. I am Your child. Jesus is my Lord! Amen.

NOW you are a child of God, a member of the family of God, a joint-heir with Jesus of Nazareth to all that belongs to God! Get into the Word of God (read the will!) and find out what belongs to you. Become a student of the Word and you will grow in faith and confidence. You will also learn who YOU are because of Him! AMEN!

Mark 3:1-5:

¹AGAIN JESUS went into a synagogue, and a man was there who had one withered hand [as the result of accident or disease]. ²And [the Pharisees] kept watching Jesus [closely] to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath, so that they might get a charge to bring against Him [formally]. ³And He said to the man who had the withered hand, Get up [and stand here] in the midst.

It is amazing to me that these religious leaders were seeing miraculous manifestations of God's delivering power and some of them were more concerned about WHEN He did it instead of WHAT He did! They had never seen healings and miracles like they witnessed whenever Jesus was around! Did the good and Godly results that Jesus had convince them? Look at verse 6:

⁶Then the Pharisees went out and immediately held a consultation with the Herodians against Him, how they might [devise some means to] put Him to death.

It always seems to be the religious leaders who have a problem with the powerful Gospel of Jesus Christ! The people didn't have a problem! They flocked to Him! Verses 7-10:

⁷And Jesus retired with His disciples to the lake, and a great throng from Galilee followed Him. Also from Judea ⁸And from Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from about Tyre and Sidon--a vast multitude, hearing all the many things that He was doing, came to Him. ⁹And He told His disciples to have a little boat in [constant] readiness for Him because of the crowd, lest they press hard upon Him and crush Him. ¹⁰For He had healed so many that all who had distressing bodily diseases kept falling upon Him and pressing upon Him in order that they might touch Him.

Not many of these were still following Jesus when He was crucified. The Bible says that He was alone then! But at this time multitudes were following Him because of the miracles. Signs and wonders and miracles are meant to catch the attention of the lost and direct them to the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! Once they are born again believers, they need to get into the Word of God so that they can be in control of their lives on this Earth. The Word of God teaches believers how to walk in health, prosperity, peace, wisdom, strength, power, anointing and free from the bondage that the enemy would like to trap us with! Treasure the Word and DO IT! You WILL be glad you did! Guaranteed!

Isaiah 19:1 tells of the future judgement on Egypt.

¹THE MOURNFUL, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning Egypt: Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, and the hearts of the Egyptians will melt within them.

The good news is that this chapter also tells of a future redemption for the people of Egypt! Verses 23-25:

²³In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria; and the Egyptians will worship [the Lord] with the Assyrians. ²⁴In that day Israel shall be the third, with Egypt and with Assyria [in a Messianic league], a blessing in the midst of the earth, ²⁵Whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people and Assyria the work of My hands and Israel My heritage.

Remember that the only lasting peace that will come on this Earth will come with the 1000 year reign of Jesus! The enemy will be bound and will not have access to the people! What a glorious time that will be for the people on Earth! One day every knee will bow to Jesus and every tongue confess that HE IS LORD! I hope YOU are doing it now! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 52 was written by David at the time that Doeg the Edomite reported to Saul that David had gone to see Ahimelech the priest. This one deceitful and cowardly act resulted in the slaughter of 85 priests. Verses 1-4 speak about the sin:

¹WHY BOAST you of mischief done against the loving-kindness of God [and the godly], O mighty [sinful] man, day after day? ²Your tongue devises wickedness; it is like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. ³You love evil more than good, and lying rather than to speak righteousness, justice, and right. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! ⁴You love all destroying and devouring words, O deceitful tongue.

Then verse 5 tells of the sure reward for what was done:

⁵God will likewise break you down and destroy you forever; He will lay hold of you and pluck you out of your tent and uproot you from the land of the living. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

The righteous will one day look on the wicked and their end and be very glad that THEY did it God's Way! Verse 9 is what WE do!

⁹I will thank You and confide in You forever, because You have done it [delivered me and kept me safe]. I will wait on, hope in and expect in Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your saints (Your kind and pious ones).

Mark 2:1:

¹AND JESUS having returned to Capernaum, after some days it was rumored about that He was in the house [probably Peter's].

When we were in Israel, we saw what many are very confident are the ruins of Peter's house! It was a very short and straight walk from the front of where the synagogue was in those days. It was fascinating to see that these are very real places and not just made up stories! Can you imagine the desperate faith of the friends of the paralytic? They took to making a hole in the roof of someone else's house so that their friend could be healed by Jesus! It is frustratingly sad to see and hear of so many people who need healing and deliverance, yet they will not even walk through the front door of a church that teaches the Word of God concerning healing and deliverance, let alone break down the roof! Oh for such faith as theirs that will NOT be denied! The Holy Spirit is very active in our world today among people who are hungry and thirsty for the things of God and will go after him with their whole heart! Are YOU such a person? I hope so!

When speaking of Bible prophecy, very many prophecies that we see in the Old Testament have already come to pass. That builds great confidence that all of the rest will, too! Isaiah 17:1 is one such prophecy:

¹THE MOURNFUL, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning Damascus [capital of Syria, and Israel's bulwark against Assyria]. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.

Damascus, Syria has never been destroyed to this point in time! But the Bible says it WILL BE! The Word of God has many things to say about the rewards for honouring God and doing things His way. It also addresses the results for NOT honouring God and His Word! I KNOW which group I want to be involved with! How about you?

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 51:12-13:

¹²Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. ¹³Then will I teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted and return to You.

David's prayer to "restore", which means to bring back, to reestablish, to bring back to a state of health, soundness and vigor (vigor is energy, vitality, strength, health and force), the joy that he had once had over the "salvation", the Hebrew word, "yesha", which means: deliverance, safety, rescue, welfare, prosperity and victory, of God, is one that was needful for him to get back to a position of confidence and strength. He also prayed for the Lord to "uphold" him, which is the Hebrew word, "camak", which means to revive, refresh, sustain, support, to a generous, willing and noble spirit. David said that it was needful so that he could be a doer of verse 13! Under our New and Better Covenant, we need to use 1 John 1:9 every time we miss it in some area so that we stay ALWAYS in the position to be able to share the Good News with people who are lost! It is extremely selfish and self-centered to do otherwise! Wouldn't you agree?

We begin in Mark today. Mark's Gospel has been described as "an action-packed account of Jesus as a servant - one who was even willing to suffer and die for the good of others".

You can see this is true when you look at all of the times that Jesus, or someone else, were DOING something! Many times we see the word "immediately". In the KJV we also see the word "straightway" used. The verse that stands out to me today is verse 1:

¹THE BEGINNING [of the facts] of the good news (the Gospel) of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Mark was saying that this Gospel is just the BEGINNING of the facts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Jesus began and He is expecting US to being carrying on His ministry on Earth! Remember that He said this in John 14:12:

¹²I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.

What did Jesus do in his Earthly ministry? He went about doing good by preaching, teaching and healing! He BEGAN, we CARRY ON! We are being prepared and equipped by our God-given pastors to DO the "work of the ministry" - Ephesians 4:12! Let's get to it!

In Isaiah 15-16 We see the prophecy delivered by Isaiah of the coming judgement on Moab. I noticed that three separate times in these two chapters Isaiah was moved with great compassion for them because of the coming judgement. In Isaiah 15:5 and Isaiah 16:9 & 11 we see this. Meditating on these Scriptures caused me to pause and consider MY attitude towards those who are so blatantly rejecting God and His Word in these days, especially in THIS country. Am I overjoyed when I see judgement come? I shouldn't be! Remember this in 2 Peter 3:9

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:

Judgement WILL come, but MY attitude towards them WILL affect MY LIFE! Be filled with compassion, like Jesus, and be a doer of the Word, expecting good and Godly results!

Shalom in Him!