Shalom,

I want to share a portion of today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:

Jesus did not commit Himself unto them . . . for He knew what was in man. — John 2:24-25
 Put God First in Trust. Our Lord trusted no man; yet He was never suspicious, never bitter, never in despair about any man, because He put God first in trust; He trusted absolutely in what God’s grace could do for any man. If I put my trust in human beings first, I will end in despairing of everyone; I will become bitter, because I have insisted on man being what no man ever can be – absolutely right. Never trust anything but the grace of God in yourself or in anyone else.
 “Lo, I come to do Thy will, 0 God.”  Hebrews 10:9
A man’s obedience is to what he sees to be a need; Our Lord’s obedience was to the will of His Father. The cry to-day is – “We must get some work to do; the heathen are dying without God; we must go and tell them of Him.” We have to see first of all that God’s needs in us personally are being met. “Tarry ye until. . . .” The purpose of this is to get us rightly related to the needs of God. When God’s needs in us have been met, then He will open the way for us to realize His needs elsewhere.
“And whoso receives one such little child in my name receives Me.”  Matthew 18:5.
God’s trust is that He gives me Himself as a babe. God expects my personal life to be a “Bethlehem.” Am I allowing my natural life to be slowly transfigured by the indwelling life of the Son of God? God’s ultimate purpose is that His Son might be manifested in my mortal flesh.

AMEN! I especially LOVE the last line here! God's ULTIMATE purpose is that His Son be manifested in ME! When the Light of Life within us shines out through our very thoughts, words and actions, THEN people will be drawn to HIM! I also want to point out that the "needs" of God mentioned in the second paragraph are NOT referring to something lacking in God, but rather to what is necessary on OUR part for God to be able to carry out His plans and purposes in and through our lives! See to it! Learn to spend time on a daily basis in the Word of God, in fellowship with Him and in instant obedience to what HE is saying to you through His Word and by His Spirit! AMEN! Here is Kari Jobe with a beautiful worship song called "Holy Spirit":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

John 3:16-17 is very clear concerning how very much the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible loves mankind!

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

God did NOT send Jesus into the world to condemn the world, but to save them! BUT, He is NOT a pushover! He has given us a free will to choose, has presented our options clearly, has encouraged us to always choose LIFE, and then leaves us with the decision! HE does not choose FOR us! "Whoever" means each and every one of us! I have chosen LIFE! Have you? If not, I encourage you to visit our website through the link on the left to find out how! He IS long-suffering (patient) with us, but time WILL run out one day! Don't wait until it's too late for you! Some have said that the God of Love would never send anyone to Hell. They are right! HE doesn't! We will each live for eternity with the results of our own personal choice in the matter! Look at what Jesus said to His disciples in John 9:39:

39 Then Jesus said, I came into this world for judgment [as a Separator, in order that there may be  separation between those who believe on Me and those who reject Me], to make the sightless see and to make those who see become blind.

The "sightless" are blind by choice! DON'T choose blindness! Choose LIFE and the LIGHT of understanding will come! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Back To Life":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

If the world around you seems to be getting darker and darker, it MAY be an indication that YOU need to "come out from among them and be ye separate" (2 Corinthians 6:17)! Jesus had THIS to say to the people during His ministry in John 8:12:

12 Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the Light which is Life.

Not only did they have the Light WITH them, but Jesus said THIS to His disciples to show them the difference between the world and those who followed Him, even under the Old Covenant! Matthew 5:14-16:

14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.  16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven. AMP

HOW MUCH MORE are YOU the Light in this world IF you have been born again by the Spirit of God and have HIM living in YOU! John 1:4 tells us this:

4 In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.  AMP

Then, pertaining to those who have been born again, we read THIS in 1 John 5:11-12:

11 And this is that testimony (that evidence): God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who possesses the Son has that life; he who does not possess the Son of God does not have that life. AMP

That LIGHT is what the lost NEED to see! Unless we are separating ourselves everyday unto Him, the Light in us will grown so dim that many will not even be aware of it! THAT is unacceptable for those who are called ambassadors:! 2 Corinthians 5:20:

20 So we are Christ's ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We [as Christ's personal representatives] beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor [now offered you] and be reconciled to God. AMP

So, let's LET that Light within us SHINE so that the world around US will be without excuse before the One, True God! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "No Reason To Hide", showing us who WE are and what the world SHOULD be seeing from us! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Ephesians 6:12 tells us this (KJV and AMP):

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. KJV

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

This is especially important for us to remember as we hear of Christians being persecuted, tortured and murdered all over the world, simply for believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Now look at John 7:6-7 as Jesus replies to His brothers, who still did not believe that He was Who He said He was, when they questioned why He didn't go to Jerusalem:

6 Whereupon Jesus said to them, My time (opportunity) has not come yet; but any time is suitable for you and your opportunity is ready any time [is always here]. 7 The world cannot [be expected to] hate you, but it does hate Me because I denounce it for its wicked works and reveal that its doings are evil. 

Now, remembering Ephesians 6:12 (above), we MUST realize that it is the enemy (satan and evil spirits) operating THROUGH unbelieving and unsuspecting people, that we "war" against! When we realize that our true enemies are operating in the spiritual realm, then we must arm ourselves with the weapons that we have that can, and will, defeat them! Look at 2 Corinthians 10:3-4:

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) KJV

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

What ARE our weapons that will stop them? We have the Word of God, the Name of Jesus and the Blood of Jesus working for us continually WHEN we use them by faith! Remember that faith comes ONLY by hearing (and hearing and hearing) the Word of God (Romans 10:17)! Faith for any and every area of life comes by the Word of God that speaks to these different areas, AND, spiritual principles from the Word of God work in EVERY area! AMEN! So, let's trust those weapons that cannot fail. Let's see people as precious and valuable (Jesus thinks they were "to die for"!). Let's use our weapons on the works and workers of darkness and take back what the enemy has stolen from God's people through ignorance, unbelief and disobedience! AMEN! Here is a new song from Hillsong United called "Empires":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

The argument that so many activists for same sex marriage give is that everyone has the right to love whomever they choose. Look at 1 Samuel 18:1-4 from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today:

18 When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own life. 2 Saul took David that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own life. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, even his sword, his bow, and his girdle.

What these people are missing is the TRUTH that love is NOT the problem here! What they are really speaking of is sex! THAT is what is sin in the eyes of God, not love! Look at Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13:

Lev 18:22 You shall not lie with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination. AMP

Lev 20:13 If a man lies with a male as if he were a woman, both men have committed an offense (something perverse, unnatural, abhorrent, and detestable); they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.   AMP

GOD'S plan for marriage is found in Genesis 2:24:

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall become united and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.  AMP

ANYTHING involving sexual activity outside of THIS is sin in the eyes of God. THIS, as with any other sin, has been dealt with on the cross once and for all! Messing around with sin, though, will still open the door to the author of sin, satan! He is also the father of all lies and the carrier of death, loss and destruction! Let's make it our determined purpose to avoid THIS at all costs! WHEN we fall into sin, then let's get ourselves immediately to 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]. AMP

Sin kills, but the Blood of Jesus is more than enough for every situation IF we receive Him and all that He has accomplished for us! AMEN! There is a movement by some to try and force Christians to "remove" homosexual behavior from the "list of sins". Well, the news for these FOOLS (Psalm 14:1) is that the One,  True God has already spoken on the matter, and good luck trying to change HIM! HE changes NOT (Malachi 3:6)! AMEN! Here is Hillsong United with a song from their new album, "Empires", called "Prince of Peace":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

On Sunday we spoke of our instruction from the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible to to preach the Gospel. Mark 16:15 in the Amplified Bible says this:

15 And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race].

The Gospel IS the "Good News" that God isn't holding anything against anyone! Jesus BECAME sin with our sin so that WE could become righteous with HIS righteousness! "Righteous (ness) is the Greek word "dikaiosunee", which means: the virtue or quality or state of him who is such as he ought to be, the quality of being right or just. GOD made us righteous and WE are to be telling everyone we meet about this wonderful righteousness that they, too, can receive simply by believing and receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior! Once we do that, THEN we can obey Psalm 145. This post will be a little longer today because I want to include ALL of Psalm 145:

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.

Make sure that YOU are telling of His wonderful works and ways! WE represent HIM in the earth and HE is GOOD! AMEN! Here is a new song from Hillsong United called "Empires":

 Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read Psalm 144 today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan, and it is very appropriate for Memorial Day! Verses 1-2 says:

1 Blessed be the Lord, my Rock and my keen and firm Strength, Who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight— 2 My Steadfast Love and my Fortress, my High Tower and my Deliverer, my Shield and He in Whom I trust and take refuge, Who subdues my people under me

 Some people wold like to believe that God has nothing to do with war, but they would be wrong. We find many accounts of the LORD Himself leading Israel into battle to defend their nation. There WILL come a day when there will be no more war, but it will NOT be until the time when Jesus Himself is ruling and reigning as the King of kings and the LORD of lords on the earth during His Millennial reign! He said this in Mark 10:34:

34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. KJV

Jesus did NOT come to bring that kind of peace, but rather peace between the One, True God and sinful mankind. HE became sin with our sin in order to take sin completely out of the picture IF we believe and receive! Believe that He died and rose again for US, and receive HIM as Lord and personal Savior! When we do this, THEN we are at perfect peace with God forever! THEN we can choose to live in His peace! Look at Psalm 119:165:

165 Great peace have they who love Your law; nothing shall offend them or make them stumble.  AMP

The "peace" is the Hebrew word "shalowm", which means: safety, happiness, completeness, soundness, welfare, prosperity, health, contentment. Our warfare as born again believers is, first of all, against the devil and evil spirits (Ephesians 6:12) and we have spiritual weapons to defeat him (2 Corinthians 10:4), but sometimes, as a result of the curse of sin in the earth and the influence that the enemy has over unbelievers, we are forced to fight natural battles. When we do this, we can have confidence that the God of the Bible is on our side! AMEN! Here is Hillsong United with "Love Is War":

In Your justice and Your mercy
Heaven walked the broken road
Here to fight this sinner's battle
Here to make my fall Your own

Turn my eyes to see your face
As all my fears surrender
Hold my heart within this grace
Where burden turns to wonder

I will fight to follow 
I will fight for love
To throw my life forever
Into the triumph of the Son

Let your love be my companion
In the war against my pride
Long to break all vain obsession
Till You're all that I desire

Turn my eyes to see your face
As all my fears surrender
Hold my heart within this grace
Where burden turns to wonder

I will fight to follow 
I will fight for love
To throw my life forever
Into the triumph of the Son

And I know Your love has won it all
You took the fall
To embrace my sorrows
I know You took the fight
You came and died but the grave was borrowed
I know You stood again
So I can stand with a life to follow
In the light of Your name

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we are reading John 3 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! Anyone who knows me well will know that this chapter contains one of my five very favorite portions of Scripture! 

• John 3:16-17 AMP
• Philippians 3:10 AMP
• Joshua 1:8 AMP
• 1 John 5:14-15 
• John 17:17

I love ALL of the Word of God, but these hold a very special place in my life. John 3:16-17 says this:

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.

Jesus did NOT come to judge and condemn, and neither should we! He did NOT "send" us to do that, but to preach the Gospel (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15). When we are faithful to preach the simple Gospel message, HE is faithful to confirm that Word with signs, wonders and miracles (Mark 16:20) that attest to Who He is and what He's done for us! Our one commandment. that fulfills ALL of the other commandments, is to love HIM first, and then to love each other (Mark 12:30-31). The message that we have is clear and simple. You have to really be trying in order to mess it up! While we were SINNERS, Christ died for us so that we would no longer have to be sinners, but we could become saints of the Most High God through the Blood of Jesus (Romans 5:8)! He could NOT love you more, and he WILL NOT love you any less - EVER! AMEN! With that confidence, let's join with Hillsong Young and Free in singing "Wake", waking up and stirring up the fire and the gifts and the talents and the calling of God that HE has placed inside of us from before we were ever born! AMEN! 

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In John 2 we read the account of Jesus turning the water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Verses 7-11:

7 Jesus said to them, Fill the water pots with water. So they filled them up to the brim. 8 Then He said to them, Draw some out now and take it to the manager of the feast [to the one presiding, the superintendent of the banquet]. So they took him some. 9 And when the manager tasted the water just now turned into wine, not knowing where it came from—though the servants who had drawn the water knew—he called the bridegroom 10 And said to him, Everyone else serves his best wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then he serves that which is not so good; but you have kept back the good wine until now! 11 This, the first of His signs (miracles, wonder works), Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory [by it He displayed His greatness and His power openly], and His disciples believed in Him [adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Him].

Would you describe this event as "supernatural"? Here is the dictionary definition: of , relating to, or being above and beyond what is natural; unexplained by natural law or phenomena. Yes, I would call this a VERY supernatural event! I have been questioned lately by someone who says that Jesus did not believe in the supernatural. It would be funny, if it wasn't so very sad! To think that you would want to relegate the awesome works of Jesus to mere natural explanations! Not only did Jesus DO supernatural things during His earthly ministry, but He said that WE are to do the same! Look at 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

What "works" did Jesus do? He healed the sick, raised the dead, cleansed the lepers, AFTER He went about preaching and teaching (Matthew 4:23)! Jesus was the One Who spoke all of creation into existence (John 1:3; Genesis 1), and HE has created US to be like Him: speaking spirits! He has told us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel (Mark 16:15-18). He has instructed us to "say to this mountain" (Mark 11:23), fully expecting that WE would take Him at His Word and begin to SPEAK His Word into the situations and circumstances of our lives, giving HIM something to work with (Mark 16:20)! Let's be about our Father's business and leave the naysayers to HIM! Pray that HE will send the right laborers that these people will listen to, so that they, too, can be set free and become supernatural children of our supernatural, Most High God! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Lost Are Found":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I always love when we go through the Gospel of John in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! John 1:1-4 says this:

1 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. 2 He was present originally with God. 3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being. 4 In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.

Before all known time, before any of creation, there was GOD! The One, True God! Evolutionists can come up with all of the high-sounding theories that they like, but when you go back to the very beginning, there was only God! When THEY say that certain elements interacting produced a big bang, then where did these elements come from? GOD! HIS Word created everything that has ever been created! And the Word was Christ! He left His glory in Heaven to become a man so that He could bridge the gap, caused by sin, between God and man! And He DID! Now look at verses 9-12:

9 There it was—the true Light [was then] coming into the world [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] that illumines every person. 10 He came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him [did not know Him]. 11 He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own—His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him. 12 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name

As many as DO receive Him become the children of the Most High God! Further confirmation of this? Look at 1 John 5:10-12:

10 He who believes in the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] has the testimony [possesses this divine attestation] within himself. He who does not believe God [in this way] has made Him out to be and represented Him as a liar, because he has not believed (put his faith in, adhered to, and relied on) the evidence (the testimony) that God has borne regarding His Son. 11 And this is that testimony (that evidence): God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who possesses the Son has that life; he who does not possess the Son of God does not have that life. AMP

Have YOU received Jesus as Lord and personal Savior? If so, then you HAVE His Life in you, and His Life is LIGHT in you! His presence brings everything you will ever need, but you need to discover this through His Word! If you have never received Jesus as Lord and personal Savior, then I invite you to pray this prayer with me right now, believing that He died for your sin, that God raised Him from the dead, and confess His as your Lord (Romans 10:9-10)!

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! NOW you are a child of the Light! And His Light is in YOU! Let us know about your decision and we will direct you to a good local church where you can grow in the knowledge of HIM! In the meantime, here is Hillsong United with "Light Will Shine":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

There are two ways to learn the things we need to learn in life. The first, and best, is by wisdom, which is learning from someone else's mistakes. The other is by making your own mistakes, and then learning not to do that again! I personally prefer WISDOM! How about you? As we read through the Old Testament in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan, we see how many times the God of the Bible would deliver Israel. They would serve Him out of love and gratitude, FOR AWHILE! Then, they would get lazy and distracted and forget the Lord their God. They would follow after the lifeless idols of other nations and would, inevitably, get into dire situations that only the One, True God could deliver them from! And so the circle would begin again, and repeat and repeat and repeat! Today's reading in 1 Samuel 7 tells of one of those times when Israel returned to the Lord. Verses 3-4:

3 Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth [female deities] from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him only, and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 4 So the Israelites put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only.

In obedience to the prophet Samuel, the Israelites did just that! Then they said this to Samuel in verse 8:

8 And the Israelites said to Samuel, Do not cease to cry to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.

How did the One, True God respond to their need when they put Him first? Look at verses 9-10:

9 So Samuel took a sucking lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord; and Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. 10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a great voice that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel.

Remember now that THEY were Covenant partners with the One, True God, and when THEY did their part, He ALWAYS did His! AMEN! Now let's look at the #1 commandment that WE, who have received Jesus as Lord and personal Savior, and are children of the Most High God, have to obey in order to have the fullness of the Covenant operating in our lives! Mark 12:30:

30 And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. This is the first and principal commandment.

Is HE your #1 priority in life? Do you seek to please HIM before all others? Do you seek HIS presence before the presence of any other person? If we can say yes, then we can fully expect HIS divine protection, provision and safety operating in every area of life! If we cannot say yes to this, then we have just discovered the source of all of our problems and frustrations! Make the necessary adjustments and you will find that everyone and everything else in your life will become SO MUCH BETTER! Here, to help you refocus on HIM, is Hillsong Worship with "Love Like Fire":

I'm desperate for Your touch
A glimpse of heaven through the glory of Your son
In a moment You can turn a life around
Forever to be found in You

And I'm reaching out to find
There's nothing greater than the 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 a 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
Draw me closer to where You are
'Cause all I want is more of You

And I'm surrendered to Your love
Forever humbled by the message of the cross
I stand abandoned in Your presence and embrace
I'll never be the same, oh God

Your love is like a 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
Draw 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 a fire
That burns for all to see
My only desire
To worship at your feet

Your love is like a 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
Draw 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
Draw 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 love this from Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food" for today!

And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put [permit] none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee.
(Deut. 7:13-15)

And He will love thee, Love thee! Love thee! And put sickness upon you? And cause you to die when you're a baby? And cause some of you to be stillborn, and some of you to be sick and crippled? No! No! No! That's not the Holy Scriptures! 

"But that's not for us today, Brother Hagin." 

Are you sure? First Corinthians is in the New Testament, isn't it? Let's look at First Corinthians 10:11 to see if divine health is for us: 

"Now all these things happened unto them [Israel] for ensamples [examples, types]: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." 

Glory! Deuteronomy 7:13-15 was written for my benefit. It was written for my admonition! 
Amen! So very many people have the idea that the God of the Bible cannot be GOOD because of all of the terrible things that happen on the earth, almost every day. The TRUTH of the matter is that God is NOT responsible for what takes place on the earth! WE ARE! He gave Adam authority over the earth and the fullness. They belong to God, but HE gave Adam dominion (Genesis 1:28)! Adam gave it up to the devil when he sinned against God. The God of the Bible KNEW all along that man, with a free will, would one day choose to sin. That is why HE had HIS plan for our salvation all along! Then, when the fullness of time had come: Galatians 4:4-7:

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Jesus BECAME sin with OUR sin, so that WE could become righteous with HIS righteousness! 2 Corinthians 5:21:

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

NOW, we have the Spirit of God living IN us! The God of the Bible has given US the authority to pray and to declare His will and His Word into the earth, and HE has promised to answer and to confirm! Look at Mark 16:20 and 1 John 5:14-15:

20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord kept working with them and confirming the message by the attesting signs and miracles that closely accompanied [it]. Amen (so be it).

14 And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. 15 And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.

The responsibility for what happens on the earth is OURS! HE has provided us with the way back to Him. He has promised that HIS people can operate in HIS authority to do HIS will. What have YOU done with what God has provided for you? Have you received Jesus as your Lord and personal Savior, becoming the righteousness of God and becoming a member of HIS family? If not, go to our website through the link on the left and find out how! If you have, then have YOU been spending time in the Word of God, finding out what belongs to YOU as a child of God? If not, then make today the day that you begin! AMEN! If you have been, then keep it up and make it your determined purpose to show off HIS glory by speaking HIS Word and doing HIS will, so that HE can confirm HIS presence in YOUR life! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Alive":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

There are two important Truths that I want to look at in Psalm 138 today. We'll start with verses 1-2:

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!

OUR God is THE One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of all creation! There ARE no other "gods" who can stand before Him! He IS God, and there IS no other (Isaiah 45:5)! AMEN! We love Him, we praise Him, and we tell others about Him! We KNOW that Jesus was given the Name that is above EVERY name that is named (Philippians 2:9)! Verse 2 tells us that His Word is exalted by God the Father, even above His MOST HIGH Name! Make sure that YOU are giving the Word of God the #1 place of priority in your life! You WILL reap the results of THAT choice, for good OR evil! Make the WISE choice! Amen! Now I want to look at 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.

"Perfect" here is the Hebrew word "gamar", Which means: to end by completion; to fulfill; to accomplish. When WE get, and keep, ourselves in position for the God of the Bible to work HIS will in our  lives, He will do it completely and will bring about His WILL and PLAN and PURPOSE! He desires, above all things, that we succeed in all that He has called us to (3 John 2). Give Him the opportunity to do this great work in, and through, YOU! There are GREAT rewards ahead for those who do! LET'S DO IT! Amen! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "In Sync":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I love meditation of the Word because it opens up unique ways of looking at the Word, and gives interesting opportunities to put that Word into practice! I am specifically thinking of Psalm 137:4 right now.

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

The setting is after the Israelites returned from captive in Babylon. They were remembering how their captors had mockingly tried to get them to sing their worship songs to the One, True God as entertainment for them. As I was meditating on how it must have felt for them to have their faith in God mocked, I realized that it was their own decisions to go against the instructions of the One, True God that had put them in this predicament. They were refusing to put on a show for their captors, BUT, praise and worship to the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible is the very BEST and HIGHEST form of prayer that we can pray! When YOU find yourself in a serious situation, whether by your own selfish choices (sin), or by an attack of the enemy, make sure that YOU are keeping HIM as your #1 priority, no matter what! Remember that HIS is the only ear that is important for your voice to reach! Use that voice in praise, thanksgiving and worship and watch HIM turn your situation around for good! Sing the "song of the Lord", your personal song between you and Him, every opportunity that you have. If HE instructs you with something to say in the presence of your adversaries, then do so. Otherwise, be slow to speak and swift to hear HIM! Amen! Stay filled with His Spirit and obedient to His Word and His voice and HE will deliver you. Here, to encourage you in this, is Hillsong with "With All I Am":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read Psalm 136 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today. Let's look at verses 1-3:

1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endures for ever.
2 O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endures for ever.
3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endures for ever. KJV

In verse 1 "Lord" is "Yehovah", which means: the eternal, self-existing One. This is the Covenant Name for Almighty God! In verse 2 we have "God of gods" which is "elohiym", meaning: the One True God. In verse 3 we have "Lord of lords" which is "`adown", meaning: Sovereign, Master, my Lord. Every aspect of the One, True God is covered here and this Psalm is recounting His many, mighty works done for His people Israel! In every verse we see the phrase:

for His mercy endures forever.

"Mercy" here is the Hebrew word "chesed", which means: loving-kindness; steadfast love; grace; mercy; faithfulness; goodness; devotion. The word "endures" is not in the original text, but was added by the translators because they thought it made things clearer. This Psalm is reminding us of all of the wonderful works of God that He has done to deliver His people. It is meant to encourage us to continue to praise Him, thank Him and EXPECT Him to confirm His Word in our lives. The emphasis here is NOT that HIS mercy "endures" forever (time out of mind), but that WE are to praise and thank HIM for this wonderful mercy, and we are to continue to do so FOREVER! Read this Psalm again with this in mind and then check yourself to see how well you are obeying these instructions! Doing so will keep us in a faith-filled frame of mind that will NOT be easily changed! Continue in His Word everyday, mixing it with praise, thanksgiving and worship, and YOU will begin to see the fulfillment of His promises in YOUR life in a new and more profound way! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Always Will":

Shalom in Him!