Shalom,


Psalm 90:9-10:


9 For all our days [out here in this wilderness, says Moses] pass away in Your wrath; we spend our years as a tale that is told [for we adults know we are doomed to die soon, without reaching Canaan]. 10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten (seventy years) -- of even, if by reason of strength, fourscore years (eighty years); yet is their pride [in additional years] only labor and sorrow, for it is soon gone, and we fly away.


Many people have quoted the years in verse 10 to say that this is the life-span that God has decided for us. That is simply not true! This psalm is speaking of those who rejected the good report of Joshua and Caleb, AND the promise of the One, True God to deliver them, and refuse to go up and take the land! There are many promises in the Word of God concerning long life as a blessing for obedience! Find out what GOD has to say and then stand on it! Don't take the word of another person for anything. Check it out in the Word of God for yourself! You will be amazed and very blessed at all of the great promises (2 Peter 1:4) that are available to you! Verse 12 is a very wise prayer!


12 So teach us to number our days, that we may get us a heart of wisdom.


"Number" here is the Hebrew word "manah", which means: to count, to assign, to appoint, to prepare. We are to make full use of each day so that we can fulfill God's plan for our lives! Prepare your schedule wisely, appoint, or schedule, things to do so that you don't forget to do them. Pray this prayer and expect God to lead you in how to schedule your day to get the most benefit, for your life AND for the Church! This is one of the ways of reaping a long and prosperous life (Proverbs 3:1-2).


Luke 11:1:


1 THEN HE (Jesus) was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, [just] as John taught his disciples.


If there was only one thing that the disciples knew for certain about Jesus the Nazarene, it was that He was most definitely a man of prayer! He was ALWAYS going off to pray. When they asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He could only teach them according to the Old Covenant because the new was not in force yet. He gave them NOT a specific prayer to pray, but a format to use when they approached God in prayer. They were to come first of all with praise, thanksgiving and worship to the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! Then they were to make sure that their hearts were submitted to HIS will. They were to make their requests for needs; to give, ask for, and receive forgiveness for sin and wrongdoing, and then to have faith, trust and confidence that God would lead them in a good and right way! We can use that as our check list for prayer also. Jesus then proceeded to encourage them to persevere in prayer, not quitting or giving up. He also gave them some instructions that are the very key to New Covenant prayer, and they would have to remember this after His resurrection. Verse 13:


13 If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to those who ask Him!


Born again believers have the Holy Spirit living in us, but Jesus says here to ask for the Holy Spirit. We get born again by asking Jesus to be our Lord and personal Savior. He sends the Holy Spirit to make our spirits new! Then, AFTER we are born again, WE ask for the Holy Spirit! This is the infilling of the Holy Spirit, the anointing "with with  power from on high" that we will see in Luke 24:49. In Acts 1:8 we see this:


8 But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.


Jesus was speaking in both of these instances to born again believers! They were to EXPECT to receive more than they had already received! They did, and you can, too! Check out The Spoken Word Church website on the left of this blog and find out how! Contact us if you have any further questions! Here is "We The Redeemed" by Hillsong:

In 2 Kings 20-21 we see Hezekiah again. he had a real problem with pride! When he was told that he would die, Hezekiah called out to God. God delivered him and he was thankful for a time, but then pride rose up again when the Babylonians came to see him. Hezekiah basically bragged about all of his possessions to the king of Babylon and showed him everything he had in his kingdom. Babylon was NOT a friend! Another shortcoming of king Hezekiah was that he didn't teach and train his children as the Word of God says to do. His son Manasseh, and grandson Amon, who both succeeded him on the throne, "did evil in the sight of the LORD". Remember the promise from Proverbs 22:6:


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


Hezekiah didn't and the people suffered! It is ALWAYS best to obey God's Word! AMEN!


Shalom in Him!