Shalom,

I want to encourage you to read Numbers 23-24 with us today and allow the Spirit of God to show you what HE has declared and promised concerning the nation of Israel! Read it in a couple of different translations so that you can get a really clear picture of the place in which the God of the Bible holds this nation that He created! It has not, nor will it ever, do any nation ANY good to come against them! Throughout the years of their history, HE has had to discipline them for their own protection by exile so that they did not totally ruin the land. Now HE has brought them back and they will NEVER be removed again! Make sure that YOU are on the RIGHT side, which is God's side! Be a person who blesses and protects Israel and not one who curses, because the curses against Israel WILL return on those who do the cursing! I had thought to go more in depth on this today, but I MUST share THIS from "My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers. It is similar to this exhortation concerning Israel, but it involves our personal choices where other people are concerned, and is VITAL for walking in the Blessing of God! 

If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and He shall give him Life for them that sin not unto death. — 1 John 5:16

If we are not heedful of the way the Spirit of God works in us, we will become spiritual hypocrites. We see where other folks are failing, and we turn our discernment into the gibe of criticism instead of into intercession on their behalf. The revelation is made to us not through the acuteness of our minds, but by the direct penetration of the Spirit of God, and if we are not heedful of the source of the revelation, we will become criticizing centres and forget that God says – ". . . he shall ask, and He shall give him life for them that sin not unto death." Take care lest you play the hypocrite by spending all your time trying to get others right before you worship God yourself.

One of the subtlest burdens God ever puts on us as saints is this burden of discernment concerning other souls. He reveals things in order that we may take the burden of these souls before Him and form the mind of Christ about them, and as we intercede on His line, God says He will give us "life for them that sin not unto death." It is not that we bring God into touch with our minds, but that we rouse ourselves until God is able to convey His mind to us about the one for whom we intercede.

Is Jesus Christ seeing of the travail of His soul in us? He cannot unless we are so identified with Himself that we are roused up to get His view about the people for whom we pray. May we learn to intercede so whole-heartedly that Jesus Christ will be abundantly satisfied with us as intercessors.

Do you see that we are to be a people of love, of prayer, of compassion, of exhortation, of encouragement? (The "sin unto death" is the sin of rejecting Jesus. This is the only sin NOT covered by the Blood of Jesus!) We are NOT to be a people of judgement! Jesus Himself said that HE did not come into the world to judge, but that they may be saved! John 3:17:

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.

When we are told that we will know "them" by their fruits (Matthew 7), He was NOT speaking of OUR speaking judgement! He was telling us that we would recognize false teaching by the fruits of the teaching! Some recently have come against those who teach about God's abundant provision and accused them of being false teachers. The problem with their thinking is that the ministries that they are mentioning are teaching the Gospel of Salvation through none but Jesus, the infilling of the Holy Spirit, Divine health through the Word of God, believers having the Ministry of Reconciliation AND the prosperity found in obeying the Word of God concerning tithing and giving! The fruit of these ministries is that they are helping more people, in both natural, physical things AND in spiritual things, than I have ever dared to dream to do! SO, the next time you are tempted to agree with someone in this, I would suggest  being slow to speak AND removing yourself from the conversation! God is NOT in it! We have MORE than enough to do in obeying what we see above in our prayer life AND in our own ministry of Reconciliation (sharing the Gospel with all we come in contact with)! AMEN! Here, to help you stay on the right track, is Hillsong United with a new song called "Touch The Sky" ("I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground" = PRAYER!)

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share the devotional from The Spoken Word Church website (link on the left). This is such an important lesson, for young people AND for older ones! 

Define the True Contribution of Every Friendship

Each person in your life is a current. This current is taking you toward your goals or away from them.

 The worth of any friendship can be measured by its contribution to God's assignment to your life. He who does not increase you inevitably will decrease you.

"Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." (1 Corinthians 15:33)

One of the most important things that we can do as "Ministers of Reconciliation" is to have our lives reflect the life and love of Jesus. We MUST look different from the rest of the world in these respects. We are told to do THIS in 1 Peter 3:15:

15 But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully.

How will ANYONE ask us about the hope that is in us if they don't SEE something in us that looks different from the world? One of the confessions that we make at The Spoken Word Church is:

Time spent in praise and worship is time with my Heavenly Father. Time spent in the Word of God is time with Jesus. Time spent in prayer is time with Holy Spirit. Time spent with like-minded believers is time well spent!

Make sure that MOST of your time is spent with like-minded believers, even if that means phone calls and messaging. That way, when we ARE in the presence of unbelievers, we will HAVE something to share with them that they can't find anywhere else! AMEN! Here is Hillsong United with "Rhythms of Grace", which is what our lives are supposed to reflect! 

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read Psalm 88 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today. Every time I read this Psalm I am reminded of our trip to Israel. One of the places that we visited was what is believed to be the ruins of the house of Caiaphas. We were shown the pit where Jesus was kept. He had to be lowered into this place from a hole in the floor, which was the roof of the pit. We went down into this area and my Pastor, Bill Novak, read this Psalm. When he finished, the lights were extinguished so that we could experience the darkness in which Jesus was kept until He was made to face His accusers. It is a very somber Psalm and our meditation of it reminds us of the very great price that our God paid to ransom us back from the control and dominion of darkness. It is always good to think on these things, BUT, we MUST move from this somber reflection to the overwhelming VICTORY that JESUS obtained through everything that He did! If all that we ever do is feel sad for the price that He had to pay, and never gain a full understanding of just what He WON, then we are cheating HIM of the rewards of His VICTORY! Yes, He paid a very dear price, but He did it for the JOY that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2)! What was that joy? It was US! Now WE belong to HIM! We are HIS heirs, because He died! We are also joint heirs WITH Him because HE LIVES (Romans 8:17)! HALLELUJAH! Let's look at Matthew 28:18 and  Philippians 2:9-11:

Matthew 28:18 Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

Philippians 2:9 Therefore [because He stooped so low] God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, 10 That in (at) the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 And every tongue [frankly and openly] confess and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus continued in Matthew to say "Go ye therefore.." and to tell us in John 14:13 and in John 16:23 to "... ask in My Name ...". We MUST find out what belongs to us as heirs, and joint heirs, and live our lives demonstrating these things! THIS brings glory to His Name and declares His VICTORY! We must also continue to boldly and actively preach this Gospel so that the lost can hear and believe, because HE desires that NONE should perish and be lost for eternity (2 Peter 3:9). He wants NONE to be left in the hands of the enemy that He bought and paid for! Yes, SOME may choose to reject Him, but that will be their choice and HE wants them to have it! AMEN! So let's boldly go where WE have never gone before (either physically going , by sending others to go, or by using new methods of reaching them) and reach those we have never reached! THIS is the very least that we can do for HIM! AMEN! Here is Hillsong United with "Go":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really like this portion of "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers today:

Many of us are loyal to our notions of Jesus Christ, but how many of us are loyal to Him? Loyalty to Jesus means I have to step out where I do not see anything (cf. Matt. 14:29); loyalty to my notions means that I clear the ground first by my intelligence. Faith is not intelligent understanding, faith is deliberate commitment to a Person where I see no way.
Are you debating whether to take a step in faith in Jesus or to wait until you can see how to do the thing yourself? Obey Him with glad reckless joy. When He says something and you begin to debate, it is because you have a conception of His honour which is not His honour. Are you loyal to Jesus or loyal to your notion of Him? Are you loyal to what He says, or are you trying to compromise with conceptions which never came from Him? "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it." (John 2:5).

This has been the problem with every Christian denomination that BEGAN with a genuine work of God by His Spirit! After a time, men began to question what they personally had not experienced and began to form OPINIONS based on their own experience rather than on the TRUTH of God's Word (John 17:17)! This led to "tenets of faith"  that were based NOT on the TRUTH, but on OPINION of the Truth! When you are reading a newspaper, how much weight do YOU give to the columns or letters marked "Opinion Column" or "Editorial"? We KNOW that this is based on the personal opinion of the writer and may or may not contain any truth! Most of us will weigh what is said with the evidence and decide if we believe them or not! THAT is the attitude we MUST have towards the "doctrines" of any denomination or church! IF they line up with the Word of God, then be led by the Spirit to see if THIS is where you belong. If they do NOT line up with the Word of God, then run from them! 

The purpose of the local church is NOT to just be a fun gathering place for Christians to go, but it is to be a place where the Word of God is taught boldly, confidently, uncompromisingly, precisely and accurately. It is also to be the place where believers can gather to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, be trained in the Word of God and the operation of the ministry gifts, be encouraged, edified, built up, exhorted, corrected and inspired by the Word of God and the Spirit of God to find their place in God's plan, and to be recharged after being in the world with unbelievers so that they can be sent right back out into their mission field as fiery missiles of God's Love and Grace to seek and save the lost! We are ALL called to the full time ministry - the Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18)!  The local church is the training ground for walking successfully and productively in that ministry. Our rewards in Heaven are based on our obedience to "Whatsoever He saith"! Remember that Jesus Himself said THIS in John 14:12:

12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. KJV

12 I 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. AMP

Expect to be trained in the Word and works of Jesus. When we are doing what Jesus did, THEN we can find out about those "greater works"! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with Oceans - Where Feet May Fail"  (But HE never will!). AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Faith Food by Kenneth E. Hagin for today is another very valuable lesson for our walk of faith!

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith" (1 Peter 5:8-9). 
In 1942, I had a battle with symptoms in my body. I prayed, appropriated the promises of God, and stood my ground. But at times it looked like I wasn't going to make it. 

One such night I had a dream. I dreamed another man and I were on some kind of a parade ground. It was like a football field. There were stands on either side. As we walked along talking, suddenly the man looked back and yelled, "Look!" and he started running. I turned and saw that two ferocious lions were almost upon me. I ran about two steps. Then I hollered to the other man, "You'll never make it! You can't outrun them!" I stopped still, turned around, and faced them. 

I was trembling. My flesh was covered with goose pimples. But I said, "I stand against you. I refuse to budge in the Name of Jesus Christ." The lions stopped, came right up to me, sniffed around my feet, and just trotted off. I awoke, and First Peter 5:8 came to my mind. I knew my physical battle was won. I received healing immediately. I had almost run, but I stood my ground. I had used my authority. 

Confession: I resist the devil steadfast in the faith. I stand my ground. I use my authority. And the devil runs from me as if in terror. 

Just because we have a greater understanding of the Word of God does NOT make it any easier to stand in faith! Remember that we have a constant enemy who has never given up his goal of hurting the God of the Bible by keeping US from walking in all of the fullness of our Covenant with Him! BUT, we DO know WHO has ALL authority now! Matthew 28:18-19a:

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore

HE has given US His authority over all the power of the enemy! NOW comes the difficult part! WE must believe, and then be diligent about standing on the Word, resisting the enemy and his lies! Refuse to give HIM any time whatsoever! Meditate on the Word until it becomes real to YOU! Then resist the lies of the liar (John 8:44) and replace his thoughts with the TRUTH (God's Word - John 17:17)! You will find that as you grow stronger in the Word, you will be seeing the same results that Jesus had in His ministry! HE said so (John 14:12)! AMEN! Here is a new song from Hillsong United called "Touch The Sky". Do it! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Galatians 6:7 says this:

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

IF you are, or have been, sowing bad seeds, then this verse can serve as a warning to make the necessary adjustments in your thinking and sowing! But today I want you to see this verse from the great promise that it contains! WHATEVER you sow, every good thing that you sow for the purpose of being a blessing to someone else, you WILL reap, or harvest, for GOOD! Our devotional for today on The Spoken Word Church website covers this very well! 

SOW A PART OF YOURSELF EVERY DAY!

A seed is anything you can do that benefits another person. Your respect for others is a seed. Plant that seed.

Your knowledge given to others is a seed. Sow that seed. What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you.

"Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man does, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free." (Ephesians 6:8)

Become a sower of GOOD things, and stop sowing bad things,  and ONLY good things will come back into your life! Every day we have choices to make that will affect our life, and the lives of our loved ones. When the Word of God says: "Choose you this day Whom you will serve", that question still applies to us today! YOUR answer determines YOUR results. Be like Joshua and say: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"! THAT means, we will consciously walk in love and sow good things, for the purpose of being a blessing to someone else, and we can have great confidence that we can face anything that comes IN HIS STRENGTH (Philippians 4:13 AMP)! Here is Hillsong with an older song called "God Is In The House":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Romans 12:1 says this in the Amplified Bible:

12 I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.

Our usual idea of worship to the Lord includes speaking, singing, lifting our hands and dancing before Him. The verse above tells us what worship the God of the Bible is seeking most! My favorite Scripture is Philippians 3:10 from the Amplified Bible where Paul speaks of making it his "determined purpose" to KNOW Jesus more, and at the same time know and understand the power we are meant to walk in as Blood Covenant partners with HIM, and members of HIS family! I desire this, too, BUT, I must continually assess my motives for desiring to doing so! I ask myself: "Do I want what God wants, for the same reason HE wants it?" (Thank you, Jerry O'Dell!) If the answer is yes, then I know that my motives remain pure and true AND that I will NOT fail! There are three verses found in the Bible that will gauge if we really have right motives. IF we can say these to HIM from our own hearts, then we cannot fail! They are these:

Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. KJV

Luke 1:38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. KJV

Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. KJV

THIS is why we must spend time in His presence every day through prayer, praise & worship, study and meditation of His Word, and in intimate fellowship with Him. There is NO other way to maintain right attitudes and motives! A diligent and daily commitment to do this will result in us becoming, progressively, more and more like Jesus! We will be "growing up into Him in all things" (Ephesians 4:15)! AMEN! We read Psalm 84 also today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan, and this song, an older one by Hillsong, goes right along with that AND is a great way to keep those motives right! (This DVD is blocked in the U. S. for some reason, so I am posting the Hillsong Kids version!)

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,  

Today I want to share this from our ministry partner,  Jerry Savelle:

Reign as a King

Those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life. (Romans 5:17 AMP)

Did you know that you can reign over the affairs of your life just as a king reigns over his kingdom? If you have received Jesus as your Savior and Lord, then through the application of the principles in God’s Word you can see every situation in life turn out positively and for your good. But being able to live supernaturally above the circumstances of life is conditional; it is based upon you receiving these two things:

1. God’s abundant grace. His grace enables you to talk in power over your weaknesses by stepping out of your own ability and into His ability.

2. The free gift of righteousness. Righteousness (right standing with God) allows you to live free of all condemnation and sin-consciousness, fully confident and secure before God and man.

Grace and righteousness cannot be earned. They are precious gifts from God that you receive in the same way you receive anything else from God: by faith! You will never take control of your life and rule your circumstances in your own strength. But you can reign as a king in this life—walking in victory in every situation—if you are in Christ, walking in God’s free gifts of grace and righteousness.

Confession: Because of God’s abundant grace and His gift of righteousness, I reign as a king in this life. I am the head and not the tail; I am above and not beneath.

Now I would like to add a third point to this! In order to walk in the fullness of all that our new and better Covenant includes, we will also have to do this in Joshua 1:8:

8 This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

In order to even understand the Grace and the Righteousness of God (above) we MUST meditate on the Word of God concerning them. THEN we must find what belongs to US as Covenant partners with the God of the Bible. Only the meditation of the Word brings understanding of the Word. WHEN we understand, then we can act on that knowledge and become successful as Joshua 1:8 says! THAT is what is meant by Philippians 2:12:

12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

"Salvation" here is the Greek word "soteria", which means: deliverance; preservation; safety; health. This is referring to THIS life! We need no further "salvation" for the next life than we received at the New Birth. THIS life, however, is completely in our hands! HE has given us HIS authority, but WE must walk it out! So, let's continue to receive by faith both the Grace and the Righteousness that HE provided for us at the New Birth, AND add the diligent study and meditation of His Word so that we can BE that testimony of His presence in our lives, drawing others to HIM! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "No Reason To Hide":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We are reading Romans 10 in the Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today. Look at verses 1-3:

10 Brethren, [with all] my heart’s desire and goodwill for [Israel], I long and pray to God that they may be saved. 2 I bear them witness that they have a [certain] zeal and enthusiasm for God, but it is not enlightened and according to [correct and vital] knowledge. 3 For being ignorant of the righteousness that God ascribes [which makes one acceptable to Him in word, thought, and deed] and seeking to establish a righteousness (a means of salvation) of their own, they did not obey or submit themselves to God’s righteousness.

Paul spoke this of the Jewish people of Israel, his own. The very same thing can be said of many "religious" people today who, though they SAY that they believe in Jesus, have never received Him as their very own Lord and personal Savior. It is NOT enough to just "believe"! Jesus said this about that in James 2:19:

19 You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

No, we CANNOT come up with our own way for salvation! The One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible has planned for our salvation from before the creation of the universe! He KNEW what would happen, and He prepared and provided the ANSWER for it! HALLELUJAH! So, there IS no other "WAY" but Jesus! John 14:6:

6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.

Romans 10:9-10 give us the "how to"!

9 Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.

If you BELIEVE, then NOW is the time to receive (2 Corinthians 6:2)! Pray this prayer with me now:

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.

Amen! Welcome to the FAMILY! Now let us help you find a local church like The Spoken Word Church in YOUR area by contacting us through the link on the left. You will be able to grow and join us in proclaiming the Good News all over the world! Here, to encourage you, is Hillsong with "Tell The World":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really like this first portion of today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:

Did not our heart burn within us? — Luke 24:32
We need to learn this secret of the burning heart. Suddenly Jesus appears to us, the fires are kindled, we have wonderful visions, then we have to learn to keep the secret of the burning heart that will go through anything. It is the dull, bald, dreary, commonplace day, with commonplace duties and people, that kills the burning heart unless we have learned the secret of abiding in Jesus.

This Scripture in Luke is speaking of the two disciples who walked to Emmaus on the day of Jesus' resurrection. Jesus joined them on the way and proceeded to open up the Scriptures to them concerning Himself. They didn't recognize Him until he was leaving, and THEN they said this (above)! He was right there in their presence, yet they did not realize that it was HIM! They DID, however, realize that they were aware of something different about Him! There are times when the Word of God makes SO much sense to us, and then other times when we may struggle for understanding. If we begin our study of the Word of God with some intimate worship of HIM for WHO He is, we will open the floodgates of of access to the Spirit of God Who IS our Teacher. He WILL bring all things to our remembrance that we NEED to remember! THIS is abiding IN HIM! AMEN! Here, to encourage you in this, is Hillsong Live 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,

In reading in Numbers 3-4 today for our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan, we see that the God of the Bible was VERY particular about what each family, and the individual members of that family, were to do in the moving of the Tent of Meeting. Do we REALLY think that He is not just as particular about what each family, and the members of that family, are to be about doing today? Look at this from Jeremiah 29:11:

11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

The word "peace" here is the Hebrew word "shalowm", which we have covered many times previously on this blog. It means: completeness; safety; soundness in body; welfare; health; prosperity; contentment. HE has thoughts and plans for us that will result in SHALOM in our lives, IF we will take the time to listen to the Spirit of God as He reveals them to us, and then OBEY what He is telling us to do! He lays HIS plans out for us, and then leaves the choice up to us. DO we want HIS plans operating, or do we want to settle for the "best laid plans" of man? I know what I choose! How about YOU? Romans 8:31-32 gives us more incentive to choose God's plans!

31 What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?] 32 He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things?

AMEN! We can TRUST Him AND His plans for us. If you haven't already, I encourage you to take time every day to seek HIS face to find where HE wants you to be and what HE wants you to do! There is NO better position to be in! THIS is TRUE prosperity! AMEN! Here is Kari Jobe with "We Are":

"We Are"

Every secret, every shame
Every fear, every pain
Live inside the dark
But that's not who we are
We are children of the day

So wake up, sleeper, lift your head
We were meant for more than this
Fight the shadows, conquer death
Make the most of the time we have left

We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine
We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine, let the light shine, let the light shine

We are called to spread the news
To tell the world the simple truth
Jesus came to save, there's freedom in His name
So let His love break through

We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine
We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine

We are the light
We are the light
We are the light
So let your light shine brighter
We are the light
We are the light
We are the light

Jesus, you are the light
You are the light
You are the light
We will lift you high and shine, shine, shine

We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine
We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine

We gotta shine, we gotta shine (let the light shine) [4x]

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers addresses something that comes up in counseling quite often! The question is how to really hear from God! The answer is found here:

Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? —Genesis 18:17

Its Delights. This chapter brings out the delight of real friendship with God as compared with occasional feelings of His presence in prayer. To be so much in contact with God that you never need to ask Him to show you His will, is to be nearing the final stage of your discipline in the life of faith. When you are rightly related to God, it is a life of freedom and liberty and delight, you are God’s will, and all your common-sense decisions are His will for you unless He checks. You decide things in perfect delightful friendship with God, knowing that if your decisions are wrong He will always check; when He checks, stop at once.

Its Difficulties. Why did Abraham stop praying when he did? He was not intimate enough yet to go boldly on until God granted his desire, there was something yet to be desired in his relationship to God. Whenever we stop short in prayer and say – "Well, I don’t know; perhaps it is not God’s will," there is still another stage to go. We are not so intimately acquainted with God as Jesus was, and as He wants us to be – "That they may be one even as we are one."(John 17:21) Think of the last thing you prayed about – were you devoted to your desire or to God? Determined to get some gift of the Spirit or to get at God? "Your Heavenly Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask Him."(Matthew 6:8) The point of asking is that you may get to know God better. "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart."(Psalm 37:4) Keep praying in order to get a perfect understanding of God Himself.

I want to note that "rightly related" in the first paragraph SHOULD say "in right fellowship" because once we are born again, we ARE in "right relationship" with Him, and NOTHING can remove us or change that relationship! We decide every day, however, how intimate our fellowship with Him will be! We can each know HIM just as much and as intimately as WE choose! He will not force Himself on us, but He is EVER ready to meet with us in fellowship at any and all times! SO, the CHOICE is MINE! And YOURS! AMEN! Let's join Paul, in Philippians 3:10 (AMP) and get to REALLY know Him! THAT fellowship is PRICELESS! HALLELUJAH! Here is Hillsong with "I Surrender":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Have you ever heard someone say "They are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good"? That SOUNDS so "spiritual", right? Well, it is NOT! It is not only impossible to be TOO heavenly minded, it is impossible to walk out the Word of God without being MORE heavenly minded! Look at Colossians 3:2:

2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

I like the Amplified Bible for this even better!

2 And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.

There was a vital reason that Jesus would leave His disciples and go up to the mountains, the hills, or into the wilderness to pray (Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:46; Luke 5:16; Luke 6:12). He NEEDED to have intimate fellowship with His Father in order to fulfill His ministry on the earth. You and I NEED to do this even more that Jesus did! There are SO many distractions that the enemy uses to try to get our attention and our affection OFF of the Word and onto some natural, temporal (temporary) thing that produces nothing useful for the Kingdom of God. If we put Joshua 1:8 into practice, we will be thinking MUCH more about heavenly things and will be able to affect earthly things with Heaven's wisdom!

8 This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

Remember ALWAYS that we are here on earth for only one reason: To seek and save that which is lost (Luke 19:10)! Our lives are "living epistles" that tell OUR story. If we are NOT heavenly minded, then our story will NOT affect the lost for Heaven! When we ARE heavenly minded, then we will have the Wisdom of God to operate in every area of our natural lives for success, prosperity, favor, and anointing. Are you ready to kick it up a notch? I hope you are, because HE is not slowing down! The Spirit of God is moving and WE want to be right in the middle of the flow! AMEN! Here is Hillsong United with "Oceans" again, so that YOU can recommit to HIS plans! 

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Jerry Savelle's devotional goes right along with our blog post from yesterday! 

No More Conscience of Sins

For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. (Hebrews 10:2 NKJV)

In the Old Testament, while under the Law, God’s people made animal sacrifices to cover their sins. These sacrifices, however, could not remove their sins. It was not until Jesus gave His life and His holy, spotless blood to remove our sins that we could experience true cleansing and freedom from a consciousness of our sin. The Bible says, 

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1 NKJV).

• Condemnation points to your sin; the blood of Christ points to God’s forgiveness and mercy
• Condemnation makes you aware of your failure and weakness; the blood of Christ makes you aware of God’s grace and mercy
• Condemnation highlights your inability; the blood of Christ frees you to walk in His ability and power

Because we are no longer under the Law, we should no longer be “sin conscious.” Through God’s grace, we have the ability to instead be “righteous conscious.” We develop this righteous consciousness by reading God’s Word and meditating on His forgiveness, mercy, grace, and all that the blood of Christ has provided for us.

A righteous consciousness produces great personal freedom. When we are righteous conscious, we can live as God intends, enjoying freedom from the negative thoughts and emotions that would burden us down. Only through Jesus are you free from sin and its effects. The price He paid was greater than any sin you may have committed. You can walk with your head high, knowing that the blood of Jesus didn’t just cover your sins—it removed them.

Confession: Thank You, Jesus, for shedding your blood for me and removing my sin. Because of Your sacrifice, I am redeemed and free from all condemnation and sin consciousness.

AMEN! There is no greater and more important message for the born again believer to understand about THEMSELVES than this! When we understand who we are IN HIM, then the enemy will never again be able to put us in the bondage of an "inferiority complex" or cause us to be less than BOLD with the things of God! The One, True God of the Bible is NOT holding anything against us, even when we miss it some times. He sees us through the Blood of Jesus and is waiting patiently for US to see OURSELVES that way! The very first step to being that "Church On Fire" is to be on fire for the things of God in our own individual lives. That can't happen if we are continually putting condemnation on ourselves for our shortcomings! What are we to do then? 1 John 1:9:

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].

WE do OUR part. HE will do HIS part. Fellowship is restored, boldness is unhindered and the fire of God to preach the precious and powerful Gospel is BURNING in us! Let's GO! Here is Hillsong with "Church On Fire":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Have you ever paused during your reading in Leviticus and Deuteronomy and thought about what a tremendous blessing it is to no longer have to bring an animal to "church" for slaughter to "cover" your sins? Look at Romans 4:3-8:

3 For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed in (trusted in) God, and it was credited to his account as righteousness (right living and right standing with God). 4 Now to a laborer, his wages are not counted as a favor or a gift, but as an obligation (something owed to him). 5 But to one who, not working [by the Law], trusts (believes fully) in Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as righteousness (the standing acceptable to God). 6 Thus David congratulates the man and pronounces a blessing on him to whom God credits righteousness apart from the works he does: 7 Blessed and happy and to be envied are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered up and completely buried. 8 Blessed and happy and to be envied is the person of whose sin the Lord will take no account nor reckon it against him.

AMEN! WE are those who are: blessed, happy and to be envied! Our sins have been "remitted". One of the definitions for "remission", which is the Greek word "aphesis", is: letting them go as if they had never been committed. THAT is FAR better than being covered with the blood of bulls and goats, which could NEVER take away that sin (Hebrews 10:4)! We MUST remind ourselves, and the devil, every day about the marvelous Covenant we have with the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! Keep your faith level high in who you are - IN HIM! What you have - IN HIM! What you can do - IN HIM! Also remind yourself that you are NOT a citizen of this earth, but of Heaven! Heaven's rules and regulations apply here, not the world's ideas. KNOW your Covenant with Him, and then dare to stand on it and call out to God with His Word, and WATCH Him confirm and perform HIS Word! AMEN! Here is one of my favorite older songs by Hillsong called "Faith":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Many born again believers are becoming discouraged by the persecution of Christians and by the horrifying debauchery and sadism of the Islamic terrorists who are rampaging across much of the Middle East, and threatening Europe and the West. The horrifying and repulsive things that they are doing are intended to strike fear in everyone named as a target by them. I want you to read Psalm 75 right now!

Psalm 75

To the Chief Musician; [set to the tune of] “Do Not Destroy.” A Psalm of Asaph. A song.

1 We give praise and thanks to You, O God, we praise and give thanks; Your wondrous works declare that Your Name is near and they who invoke Your Name rehearse Your wonders.

2 When the proper time has come [for executing My judgments], I will judge uprightly [says the Lord].

3 When the earth totters, and all the inhabitants of it, it is I Who will poise and keep steady its pillars. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

4 I said to the arrogant and boastful, Deal not arrogantly [do not boast]; and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn [of personal aggrandizement].

5 Lift not up your [aggressive] horn on high, speak not with a stiff neck and insolent arrogance.

6 For not from the east nor from the west nor from the south come promotion and lifting up.

7 But God is the Judge! He puts down one and lifts up another.

8 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup [of His wrath], and the wine foams and is red, well mixed; and He pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth must drain it and drink its dregs.

9 But I will declare and rejoice forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

10 All the horns of the ungodly also will I cut off [says the Lord], but the horns of the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall be exalted.

Remind yourself DAILY that the God of the Bible neither sleeps nor slumbers (Psalm 121:4)! He is FULLY aware of what is happening. These situations have NOT diminished HIS power and they have not changed His Word toward US! We STILL can do ALL things through HIM! In fact, look at the Amplified Bible for this in Philippians 4:13:

13 I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].

Remember that Jesus said THIS in Matthew 28:18-19a:

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,

WE have the authority to use God's power over ALL the works of the enemy! BE NOT AFRAID the Spirit of God is saying to YOU! Know your authority in the Name of Jesus and by the Blood of Jesus and the Word of God! THEY have a sure and certain end, and it does NOT include any of the blessings of our Covenant with God UNLESS they repent and be born again. So FEAR NOT! God has a way out of every situation you find yourself in. Seek Him first and He will reveal Himself to you. AMEN! I would LOVE to hear this Psalm sung to the tune of "Do Not Destroy" as it says above! I can just imagine this to sound like a war song! Until we are able to hear this one, here is our own war song, an oldie but very good! Carman with "God's Got An Army":

God's got an army, not afraid to fight
Soldiers of the Cross and children of the light
Warriors of righteousness with healing in their hands
God's got an army marching to the land

Let me hear war cry, hey
Let me hear war cry, hey

We're a people with ears to hear and hearts to respond
To spiritual needs of the nation
We're a showcase of what he'll do when we are strong
In Jesus to a whole generation

The world won't be the same tomorrow
Because we're here today
The kingdom of hell is gonna feel sorrow
'Cause our war cry is worship and praise

God's got an army, not afraid to fight
Soldiers of the Cross and children of the light
Warriors of righteousness with healing in their hands
God's got an army marching to the lands

Let me hear war cry, hey
Aww, let me hear war cry, hey

The apostles and prophets are speaking forth
The flames of revival, well, they are burning
Like old Joshua, well, went marchin' out to possess
And there's no way our minds will be turning

There's joy in the battle so we commence
To change this nation's course
The kingdom of God is suffering violence
And a violent taken by force
(Taken by force)

God's got an army, not afraid to fight
Soldiers of the Cross and children of the light
Warriors of righteousness with healing in their hands
God's got an army marching to the land

Let me hear
Let me hear, hey
Hey, this means war, man

I'm a soldier
(In the army of the Lord)
I'm a soldier
(In the army of the Lord)

I'm a soldier
(In the army of the Lord)
I'm a soldier
(In the army of the Lord)

We're not afraid to stand and fight
(We're not afraid to stand and fight)
We cast out demons left and right
(We cast out demons left and right)

We're strong in battle, strong in prayer
(We're strong in battle, strong in prayer)
We tell Satan, get out of here
(We tell Satan, get out of here)

Sound off  (Jesus)
Sound off  (Is Lord)
Sound off   (Jesus is lord, Jesus is Lord)

Shalom in Him!