Shalom,

I LOVE going through Proverbs again in our SWC Bible Reading Plan! There is such wisdom in these 31 chapters that even unbelievers quote from them! BUT the greatest wisdom comes to born again, Spirit filled believers who have the Teacher IN us Who will teach us way beyond what the printed words are saying! He applies them specifically to our own individual lives so that we can continue to grow and mature in the things of God. I EXPECT to learn something new about God, His Word and His ways every time I open my Bible. I hope that YOU do, too. Look at Proverbs 1:7:

7 The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning and the principal and choice part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; but fools despise skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction, and discipline.

The fear of the Lord is NOT being afraid of what He might do, but it is being aware of WHO He is and holding Him in great esteem, honor, respect, love and obedience! What are the SURE results of our being a DOER of this Word? We gain knowledge and understanding of Who He is, and who WE are IN HIM! When there is such a lack of even common sense in our world today, the Word of God is our sure and certain ANCHOR! Dive in with us as we continue for the these 31 days to read, study, meditate and obey this Godly Wisdom! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Anchor":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I LOVE this from today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:

He shall glorify Me. — John 16:14

The pietistic movements of to-day have none of the rugged reality of the New Testament about them; there is nothing about them that needs the Death of Jesus Christ; all that is required is a pious atmosphere, and prayer and devotion. This type of experience is not supernatural nor miraculous, it did not cost the passion of God, it is not dyed in the blood of the Lamb, not stamped with the hall-mark of the Holy Ghost; it has not that mark on it which makes men say, as they look with awe and wonder – "That is the work of God Almighty." That and nothing else is what the New Testament talks about.

The type of Christian experience in the New Testament is that of personal passionate devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ. Every other type of Christian experience, so called, is detached from the Person of Jesus. There is no regeneration, no being born again into the Kingdom in which Christ lives, but only the idea that He is our Pattern. In the New Testament Jesus Christ is Saviour long before He is Pattern. Today He is being despatched as the Figurehead of a Religion, a mere Example. He is that, but He is infinitely more; He is salvation itself, He is the Gospel of God.

Jesus said, "When He the Spirit of truth is come . . . He shall glorify Me." When I commit myself to the revelation made in the New Testament, I receive from God the gift of the Holy Spirit Who begins to interpret to me what Jesus did and does in me subjectively all that Jesus Christ did for me objectively.

If YOU are attending a church simply has Jesus as a figurehead of religion, then I would advise you to leave just as fast as you can get out o the door! The Church of Jesus Christ is to have a "turning the world upside down" effect (Acts 17:6)! We ARE to be a "church on fire"! If you don't know of a church like this, contact us through the link on the left and let us help you find one in your area! The Spoken Word Church IS such a church! JESUS is LORD, the Word of God is taught and the Holy Spirit has free reign! I LOVE my church! Here is Hillsong with an older song called "Church On Fire"! FIND one!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In case you've missed it, I have some GREAT good news for you today! Look at Psalm 149:4:

4 For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation and adorn the wretched with victory.

When the Word of God says that God takes pleasure in us, it is the Hebrew word "ratsah", which means: be pleased with, to accept favorably, to delight in. GOD delights in YOU, just the way you are! AND, He continues to make you better, WHEN you hear and obey! AMEN! Our expected response is found in verses 5-6:

5 Let the saints be joyful in the glory and beauty [which God confers upon them]; let them sing for joy upon their beds. 6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and a two-edged sword in their hands,

God is well pleased with every member of His family, but let's choose to NOT stay "just the way we are". Let's choose to become more and more like Jesus every day! WE can because HE does the work (Philippians 1:6)! THANK YOU, JESUS! Here is Hillsong Chapel with "His Glory Appears":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Happy Thanksgiving! I have been enjoying my time with family today and I hope that YOU have, too! If your natural family is not available to you, remember your church family! THAT is how God intends for us to operate! Look at Ephesians 4:12-16:

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. KJV

Our God has equipped us to live in unity concerning the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and the new life that HE provides! We will not be in unity of doctrine and practice until we see HIM face to face! THAT is why Jesus told us that the two most important instructions (Matthew 22:37-40) are:

• Love the Lord your God with all of your heart
• Love your neighbor (fellow born again believer) as yourself

If you are doing this, then YOU are in unity, whether anyone else chooses it or not! We are each ONLY responsible for OUR obedience, not someone else's! Thank God! Here is Hillsong with "A Beautiful Exchange":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Many believers like to use Revelation 3:20 in trying to win people to Jesus. 

20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. KJV

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me.

Although it sometimes works to turn the hearts of some people to HIM, this verse is actually speaking to born again believers!  This is one of the letters written to the various New Testament churches operating at this time. Jesus was giving instructions for them to be able to walk in the fullness of HIS blessing in their lives! He DESIRES that we have 3 John 2 and John 10:10 fully operational in our lives, as a witness and a testimony to others of HIS great GLORY towards THEM! he WILL NOT force Himself, or His wonderful works and blessings on us at all! The choice is OURS! What do YOU want to accomplish? You can do ALL THINGS, in Him (Philippians 3:10 AMP). make it YOUR determined purpose today to begin to know something NEW to you, to YOU,  about HIM every day! You WILL and you WILL be glad you did! AMEN! Here is Hillsong United with "Love Like Fire":

"Love Like Fire"

I am desperate for Your touch
A glimpse of heaven
For the glory of Your Son.
In a moment You can
Turn a life around
Forever to be found in You.

I am reaching out to find
Theres nothing greater than
Your love that holds my life.
Your grace and mercy that
Have saved me by Your blood,
And swept away my shame Oh Lord.

Your love is like fire
That burns for all to see.
My only desire
To worship at Your feet.
So let this fire
Consume my life.
Let Your love take me deeper
Pull me closer to where You are,
'cause all I want is more of You.

And I'm surrender to Your love
Forever humbled by the
Message of the cross.
I stand abandoned in
Your presence and Your embrace,
And I'll never be the same Oh God.

Your love is like fire,
That burns for all to see.
My only desire,
To worship at Your feet.
So let this fire
Consume my life.
Let Your love take me deeper,
Pull me closer to where You are,
'cause all I want is more of You.

When You call I will follow.
At the cross I surrender all,
Jesus I belong to You.

I belong to You Lord

Your love is like fire,
That burns for all to see.
My only desire,
To worship at Your feet.

Your love is like fire,
That burns for all to see.
My only desire,
To worship at Your feet.

So let this fire
Consume my life.
Let Your love take me deeper,
Pull me closer to where You are,
'cause all I want is more of You.

When You call I will follow,
At the cross I surrender all,
Jesus I belong to You.

Let Your love take me deeper,
Pull me closer to where You are,
Cause all I want is more of You

When You call I will follow,
At the cross I surrender all,
Jesus I belong to You.

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I want to encourage you today with THIS from Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food":

A Great Plan

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, 'Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree'" (Gal. 3:13). 

Part of the inheritance that Colossians 1:12-14 tells us we should be giving thanks to the Father for is "...redemption through his blood..." (v. 14). 

What are we redeemed from? From the curse of the law. And what is the curse of the law? The only way to find out, is to go to the law and see what it says the curse is. The term "the law," as found in the New Testament, refers to the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch. Reading there, we find that the curse, or punishment, for breaking God's law is threefold: 

1. Spiritual death (Gen. 2:17) 

2. Poverty (Deut. 28:15-68) 

3. Sickness (Deut. 28:15-68) 

Galatians 3:13 tells us that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, and Colossians 1:12-14 tells us to thank God for our redemption! We are to thank the Father for this great plan of redemption which He planned and sent the Lord Jesus Christ to consummate! 

Confession: Thank You, Father, for Your great plan of redemption which You planned and sent the Lord Jesus Christ to consummate! Thank You because I am redeemed from death! Thank You because I am redeemed from poverty! Thank You because I am redeemed from sickness! Thank You, Father! 

If you and I don't KNOW what we have IN HIM, we will be unable to thank Him for it! 2 Timothy 2:15 instructs us to do this:

15 Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth. AMP

We are HERE, rather than in Heaven with our Father, because WE have a tremendous job to do! It is the same job that Jesus had! Look at Luke 19:10:

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. AMP

THAT is to be our #1 priority, after loving HIM with all of our being(Luke 10:27)! The only way to do this is to free ourselves from the cares and bondage of this world! Here is how to go about that! John 8:31-32:

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

AMEN! So, go get yourself TRULY free and let's get out there and get this job done! Soon and very soon, we are going to see OUR King (Jesus) and we want to hear "Well done"! Here is Hillsong with "Beneath The Waters (I Will Rise)":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

You can't get beyond our Psalm in today's Bible Reading Plan before you start rejoicing with "joy unspeakable" (1 Peter 1:8)! The entire psalm is given over to proclaiming the awesomeness of our God and declaring His "wondrous works"(verse 5)! Here is the entire psalm!

Psalm 145

[A Psalm] of praise. Of David.

1 I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever [with grateful, affectionate praise]. 2 Every day [with its new reasons] will I bless You [affectionately and gratefully praise You]; yes, I will praise Your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord and highly to be praised; and His greatness is [so vast and deep as to be] unsearchable. 4 One generation shall laud Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wondrous works I will meditate. 6 Men shall speak of the might of Your tremendous and terrible acts, and I will declare Your greatness. 7 They shall pour forth [like a fountain] the fame of Your great and abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of Your rightness and justice. 8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving-kindness. 9 The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created]. 10 All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your loving ones shall bless You [affectionately and gratefully shall Your saints confess and praise You]! 11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power, 12 To make known to the sons of men God’s mighty deeds and the glorious majesty of His kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations. 14 The Lord upholds all those [of His own] who are falling and raises up all those who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all wait for You [looking, watching, and expecting] and You give them their food in due season. 16 You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with favor. 17 The Lord is [rigidly] righteous in all His ways and gracious and merciful in all His works. 18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him sincerely and in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desires of those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him; He also will hear their cry and will save them. 20 The Lord preserves all those who love Him, but all the wicked will He destroy. 21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord; and let all flesh bless (affectionately and gratefully praise) His holy name forever and ever.

When you and I make doing THIS our daily priority, there will be nothing that will ever be able to get us "down" again! Keep reminding yourself Who HE is, and who YOU are "IN HIM"! Give the people YOU come in contact with something to remember! Rejoice today in all that HE is TO YOU! HALLELUJAH! Here is a Hillsong Christmas song called "Our King Has Come":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Have you ever given much thought to Psalm 144:3-4?

3 Lord, what is man that You take notice of him? Or [the] son of man that You take account of him? 4 Man is like vanity and a breath; his days are as a shadow that passes away.

Have you ever felt small and insignificant in this world? Well, I have great good news for you! You are FAR from insignificant! "Notice" above is the Hebrew word "yada", which means: to know; to perceive; to recognize; to be acquainted with. "Take account of" is the Hebrew word "chasab", which means: to esteem; to value. What IS man, that our God knows and values us? For a glimpse of why, look at Jeremiah 1:5:

5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations." NKJV

"Knew" here is the same Hebrew word "yada"! Now WE have not been called, as Jeremiah was, as a prophet to the nations, but God DID "know" us BEFORE He formed us in the womb! Do you see what I see? He forms the body of every person in the womb, BUT, He KNOWS us BEFORE He forms the body! How can that be? Because, first of all, we are spirits, who have souls (mind, emotions and a will), and who live in physical bodies while we are on the earth! We are NOT bodies, we are spirits! To be exact, we are "speaking spirits"! God gave each of us a free will to choose Him or not! We make all of our choices by SAYING! (See Romans 10:9-10, Matthew 6:31, and John 15:7 AMP). YOU Are precious and valuable to the One True God and don't ever let the enemy cause you to forget that! Make a determined purpose and a consistent effort to speak only what the Word of God says about you! AMEN! Here is Hillsong United with "Bones":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 143:1-2:

1 Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications! In Your faithfulness answer me, and in Your righteousness. 2 And enter not into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no man living is [in himself] righteous or justified.

There are two TRUTHS that every person needs to know! The first is found in verse 2 above. In our own right, none of us are righteous! For a New Testament confirmation, look at Romans 3:10:

10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: KJV

Every person ever born has the sin nature of Adam, which will eventually cause us to choose wrong instead of right! At that point, we NEED a Savior! Thank God that He has provided for us! Look at 
Romans 6:23:

23 For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord. AMP

That second part of the verse is the other vital Truth! We HAVE a Savior! His Name is JESUS! Look at Romans 5:8-9 from both the KJV and the Amplified Bible:

8 But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. KJV

8 But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.  9 Therefore, since we are now justified (acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ's blood, how much more [certain is it that] we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God. AMP

AMEN! Thank You, Father, for the great plan of Salvation. Thank You, Jesus, for carrying it out. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for teaching us what belongs to us as new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), children of God the Father (Romans 8:16) and joint heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17)! Make sure that YOU are buying up every opportunity to tell others this great Good News! One last Scripture portion I want to share with you today is the one that the Spirit of God used to assure ME of my salvation! John 20:30-31 (from our Bible Plan reading for today!):

30 There are also many other signs and miracles which Jesus performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written (recorded) in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Anointed One), the Son of God, and that through believing and cleaving to and trusting and relying upon Him you may have life through (in) His name [through Who He is].

Staying daily in the Word of God will keep you in a place of being aware of His presence IN you and of who you are IN HIM! Here, to further help you with that, is Kari Jobe with "Love Came Down":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I LOVE this from today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers! 

I have finished the work which You gave Me to do. — John 17:4

The Death of Jesus Christ is the performance in history of the very Mind of God. There is no room for looking on Jesus Christ as a martyr; His death was not something that happened to Him which might have been prevented: His death was the very reason why He came.

Never build your preaching of forgiveness on the fact that God is our Father and He will forgive us because He loves us. It is untrue to Jesus Christ’s revelation of God; it makes the Cross unnecessary, and the Redemption "much ado about nothing." If God does forgive sin, it is because of the Death of Christ. God could forgive men in no other way than by the death of His Son, and Jesus is exalted to be Saviour because of His death. "We see Jesus because of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour." The greatest note of triumph that ever sounded in the ears of a startled universe was that sounded on the Cross of Christ – "It is finished." That is the last word in the Redemption of man.

Do you remember that Jesus said THIS in John 4:34?

34 Jesus said to them, My food (nourishment) is to do the will (pleasure) of Him Who sent Me and to accomplish and completely finish His work. AMP

Jesus came, by the will and the Word of the Father, to save all mankind. He did NOT do it out of emotion, though His heart overflows with love for us! When we read this in John 3:16-17:

16 For 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. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him. AMP

... We see that God's love (agape) is NOT based on emotion, but is the very highest aspect of love that involves a decision to do something for someone else that they cannot do for themselves! John 15:5:

Greater love than this no one has, namely, that anyone lay down his life on behalf of his friends. The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest

God does not forgive you because He loves you! He forgives you because of what JESUS already did IN YOUR PLACE! Amen! When we get that on the inside, we will realize that the Word of God works whether I EVER "feel" like it works or not! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with a beautiful Christmas song called "We Have A Saviour":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 141:3 is something I have always prayed before every time I minister or teach the Word of God. I now believe that it is a vital prayer before anytime I even open my mouth! Why? Look at Proverbs 18:20-21:

20 A man's  self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied [whether good or evil]. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]. AMP

It is important that when we minister the Word we get it right! It is also important that the words that we speak on a daily basis into our own lives line up with the Word of God! Are YOU satisfied with the results you are getting in your life and family? If so, rejoice and continue! If not, take a close look at what you are habitually speaking! The only way to control what we say is to control what we see and hear every day! Look at Proverbs 23:7a:

7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. AMP

Luke 6:45 tells us that out of the abundance of our hearts our mouths speak! A good cure for wrong thinking and speaking? Get THIS, from John 15:7 in you in abundance by meditating until it does, and then dare to believe and to SPEAK! AMEN! 

7 If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. AMP

Now THAT is a powerful promise that we should be very excited about standing on! IF we are DOING it! AMEN Here, to encourage you, is Hillsong with "Everyday":

"Everyday"

What to say, Lord? It's
You who gave me life and I
Can't explain just how
Much You mean to me now
That You have saved me, Lord
I give all that I am to You
That everyday I could
Be a light that shines Your name

Everyday, Lord, I'll
Learn to stand upon Your word
And I pray that I
I might come to know You more
That You would guide me in every single step I take, that
Everyday I can
Be Your light unto the world

Everyday, it's You I live for
Everyday, I'll follow after You
Everyday, I'll walk with You, my Lord

Everyday, Lord, I'll
Learn to stand upon Your word
And I pray that I
I might come to know You more
That You would guide me in every single step I take, that
Everyday I can
Be Your light unto the world

Everyday, it's You I live for
Everyday, I'll follow after You
Everyday, I'll walk with You, my Lord

It's You I live for, everyday
It's You I live for, everyday
It's You I live for, everyday
It's You I live for, everyday

Everyday, it's You I live for
Everyday, I'll follow after You
Everyday, I'll walk with You, my Lord

Everyday, it's You I live for
Everyday, I'll follow after You
Everyday, I'll walk with You, my Lord

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I LOVE John 17 because it reveals to us the prayer that Jesus prayed for ALL of those who would put their faith, trust and confidence in HIM! Look at verses 8-9:

8 For the [uttered] words that You gave Me I have given them; and they have received and accepted [them] and have come to know positively and in reality [to believe with absolute assurance] that I came forth from Your presence, and they have believed and are convinced that You did send Me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying (requesting) for the world, but for those You have given Me, for they belong to You.

Notice that Jesus said He was NOT praying for the world! Jesus was about to give His very life for the entire world! God "so loved" the world that He sent Jesus (John 3:16 AMP)! Jesus "so loved" the world that He laid down His own life (John 10:17). He has already done everything that He will ever do for the world! Now He is seated in Heaven at the right hand of God the Father making intercession FOR US (Romans 8:34)! His prayer begun here in John 17 continues! Now look at verses 14-19:

14 I have given and delivered to them Your word (message) and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world [do not belong to the world], just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world (worldly, belonging to the world), [just] as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. 18 Just as You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And so for their sake and on their behalf I sanctify (dedicate, consecrate) Myself, that they also may be sanctified (dedicated, consecrated, made holy) in the Truth.

Notice that Jesus did not intend for us to have nothing to do with the world, but to be a Light TO the world! He has asked the Father to "keep" us. This is the Greek word "tereo", which means: to watch over; to guard from loss or injury. While we are about our Father's business of preaching the Good News, HE is watching over us to keep us in His protection, provision and safety! The only way we are not protected is if we choose to walk out of that protection by turning away from our intimate fellowship with Him! THAT is our part, His is the rest! AMEN! Notice that verse 17 says that God's Word IS Truth, it doesn't just contain Truth. It is by this Truth of His Word that we find everything we will ever need to be successful in this life and to accomplish all that He has given us to do! Now, to finish up, look at verses 20-23:

20 Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word and teaching, 21 That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me. 22 I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one: 23 I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.

I shared this so that YOU would know, beyond any doubt from the enemy, that Jesus was praying for YOU! God the Father loves each of us just as much as He loves Jesus! Don't EVER allow the enemy to steal that Truth from you! When you and I fully realize who we are IN HIM, the enemy will tremble and flee from us! The world will stand up and take notice that WE have been with Jesus (Acts 4:13)! AMEN! Here, to encourage you, is Hillsong United with an older song called "All Day":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I LOVE how even after reading through the Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for so many years, I continually see new things every time I read! Today two things really stood out from John 16. Look first at verse 11 where, in speaking of the things that Holy Spirit will convict the world of, Jesus said this about satan:

11 About judgment, because the ruler (evil genius, prince) of this world [Satan] is judged and condemned and sentence already is passed upon him.

Have you heard that there are some who call themselves born again believers who actually believe that everyone, including satan, will ultimately be saved? The verse above completely destroys THAT idea! He has already been sentenced to spend eternity in hell and the lake of fire! No redemption is available for him! BUT, the people we know who are  without Jesus still have time to agree with God that they are sinners and to receive Jesus as Lord and personal Savior! Make sure that YOU have given everyone you know the opportunity! AMEN! The other Truth that really stood out to me today is found in verses 7 and 13:

7 However, I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you].

13 But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future].

We KNOW from Isaiah 55:9 that the ways and the thoughts of God are much higher than our natural, human ways and thoughts! But, they are NOT beyond us finding out! That is one of the powerful things that the Spirit of God does in the life of a born again, Spirit-filled believer! He makes the Word of God come alive so that we can come to know and understand it in the light of our own personal lives so that we can obey the Word and have the wonderful, powerful and glorious results that the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible desires for us to have (John 10:10 AMP; 3 John 2)! And HE receives all of the glory, honor and praise for every good thing we receive! We DO know that our God is GOOD, all the time (and ALL the time, God is GOOD)! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with Alvin Slaughter and Ron Kenoly singing "God is Good, All The Time":

God is good all the time
God is good all the time
God is good all the time
For unmerited favor I stand up and say
God is good all the time

God is good all the time
God is good all the time
God is good all the time
For unmerited favor I stand up and say
God is good all the time

He made a road in the wilderness
I used to be lost but now I'm free
God is good
He would have left His throne in glory
If there was nobody else but me
God is good

God is good all the time
God is good all the time
God is good all the time
For unmerited favor I stand up and say
God is good all the time

I used to feel I was all alone
I was looking for peace in my mind
God is good
Then Jesus showed me a better way
That's the reason I testify that
God is good, so good

God is good all the time
God is good all the time
God is good all the time
For unmerited favor I stand up and say
God is good all the time

God is good all the time
God is good all the time
God is good all the time
For unmerited favor I stand up and say
God is good all the time

And I'm gonna testify, God is good
I wanna testify, God is good
I wanna testify, God is good
I wanna testify, God is good
I wanna testify, God is good
I wanna testify, God is good
I wanna testify, God is good

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Our Psalm for today contains two verses that has been  favorites of mine! Psalm 138:

1 I will confess and praise You [O God] with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing praises to You. 2 I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth and faithfulness; for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name! 3 In the day when I called, You answered me; and You strengthened me with strength (might and inflexibility to temptation) in my inner self. 4 All the kings of the land shall give You credit and praise You, O Lord, for they have heard of the promises of Your mouth [which were fulfilled]. 5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord and joyfully celebrate His mighty acts, for great is the glory of the Lord. 6 For though the Lord is high, yet has He respect to the lowly [bringing them into fellowship with Him]; but the proud and haughty He knows and recognizes [only] at a distance. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, endure forever—forsake not the works of Your own hands.

My first favorite is verse 2, because it shows us that His Word is what gives His Name the authority! We MUST know the Word of God in order to really understand the power available in simply speaking His Name! The verse we'll be looking at today, though, is verse 8:

8 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, endure forever—forsake not the works of Your own hands.

I have been confessing the first part over my own life for many years now. I FULLY believe that HE cares about everything that I care about in my life! Why do I believe that? Because HE loves ME and because He promised me that if I delight in Him, He will give me desires in my heart that HE will fulfill (Psalm 37:4)! The desires HE gives me will line up with His will, His plan and His purpose FOR ME! AMEN! Other things that used to be desires are no longer important to me and easy to set aside when He replaces them with such wonderful new desires! So, in confessing that He will "perfect that which concerns me", I have no doubt that He will! In doing just a little word study on this verse, however, I have found another valuable promise that confirms a New Testament promise that we have! Let's look at this!

The word LORD here is the covenant Name of God - Jehovah. We see that He will "perfect" something in our lives. This is the Hebrew word "gamar", which means: to end (in the sense of completion); to complete; to perform;to fulfill; to finish; to accomplish. "That which" is not in the Hebrew, but has been added by the translators to try to clarify. "Concerns me" is the Hebrew word "be`ad", which means: on behalf of. So, for MY sake and on MY behalf, HE will bring to completion HIS will for MY life! Look at Philippians 1:6:

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

HALLELUJAH! The rest of the Psalm 138:6 goes on to say that His "mercy", which is "chesed" or "His loving-kindness", will always be working on my behalf because He will NOT forsake, or turn His back on the works of His own hands! HE made ME! He will never forsake me (Hebrews 13:5)! The only way that I don't experience the fullness of His blessing in my life is if I turn my back on Him! I WILL NOT! I hope that YOU make that same decision! Then you, too, can have supreme confidence in the TRUTH that HE has plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11 AMP)and HE will never stop working on your behalf! HALLELUJAH! Thank YOU, Jesus! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "With Us":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In Psalm 137 we have the psalmist recounting how hard it was for the Jewish exiles from Israel to be separated from their home country. They were asked of their captors to sing some of their songs that they had sung to the LORD when they were in Israel. Look at verse 4 for their reaction to this:

4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?

The Complete Jewish Bible says this:

4 How can we sing a song about Adonai here on foreign soil? CJB

Why am I sharing this with you today? Because I believe that if the Jewish people had sung their praises to the LORD more often BEFORE they went into exile, they may have been able to avoid it altogether! Once they were there, what better thing to do than begin again to worship the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of Bible with all that was within them? Now, fast forward to the here and now! No matter WHAT situation you are facing today, the very BEST thing YOU can do is to pour your heart and soul into thanksgiving, praise and worship to the ONE Who WILL deliver you! AMEN! Let's do this now with Hillsong and "I Give You My Heart":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In John 13 we read the account of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. Many churches, over the years since, have held special "foot-washing" services. While this can be a very humbling and beautiful picture of loving and serving one another, I believe there is a much greater, and far more simple, meaning to this that Jesus left us with! Notice that when Peter, after first refusing to have Jesus wash his feet, asked Jesus to wash his hands and his head also, Jesus said THIS in reply. Verse 10:

10 Jesus said to him, Anyone who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is clean all over.

Do you see what Jesus was telling Peter? Bathing is an example of the New Birth! Look at Colossians 2:12-14:

12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, has he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; KJV

Jesus paid the FULL and COMPLETE price for our eternal Salvation through His death, burial and resurrection! There is nothing more that has to happen except for every person to accept and receive Jesus as Lord and personal Savior! When we do, then we have been "bathed"! We have been saved once and for all from the power and penalty of sin! We ARE new creatures that never existed before (2 Corinthians 5:17). Heaven IS now our home and place of citizenship! We are simply ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) here to represent HIM to the world so they, too, can receive this LIFE (John 10:10) (1 John 5:11-12)! Once we have been born again, then we need only have our "feet washed" when we miss it! THAT would be obeying 1 John 1:9! Confess, receive forgiveness and then forgive yourself and FORGET the sin and move on! The blood of Jesus, that saved us from eternal damnation (separation from God), now continually cleanses us from all sin as we confess! Look at 1 John 1:7-9:

7 But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations]. 8 If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude and lead ourselves astray, and the Truth [which the Gospel presents] is not in us [does not dwell in our hearts]. 9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].AMP

AMEN! So the next time YOU hear of a "foot washing" service, make sure that you let them know that 1 John 1:9 is the most important foot washing you can have done! AMEN! Here is a song featuring Kari Jobe and Darlene Zschech called "Yours Forever":

My life is in Your hands,
My times are in Your hands
Though nations shake and thunders roll
I will trust in You completely
I yearn for more of You,
Your grace alive in me
My life is nailed to hands that bled
In this love my soul is free
You took my place, You took the fall, You took the nails
That I may live forever, live forever
You rose again, You made a way You broke the chains
And now I'm Yours forever, I'm Yours forever
I worship You forever more,
In joy and suffering
Until the day I see Your face
My whole life to You my offering
You took my place, You took the fall, You took the nails
That I may live forever, live forever
You rose again, You made a way You broke the chains
And now I'm Yours forever, I'm Yours forever
Jesus, Jesus
Death could not hold You, freedom abounds
Jesus, Jesus
I sing of Your mercy, the power of the cross
Jesus, Jesus
Death could not hold You, freedom abounds
Jesus, Jesus
I sing of Your mercy, the power of the cross
You took my place, You took the fall, You took the nails
That I may live forever, live forever
You rose again, You made a way You broke the chains
And now I'm Yours forever, I'm Yours forever
Jesus, Jesus
Death could not hold You, freedom abounds
Jesus, Jesus
I sing of Your mercy, the power of the cross
Jesus, Jesus
Death could not hold You, freedom abounds
Jesus, Jesus
I sing of Your mercy, the power of the cross

Shalom in Him!