Shalom,

We have been taught well at The Spoken Word Church about the importance of our thought life and how to control it. This from Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "Faith To Faith" devotional is another good look at this subject! 

You can't win a victory as long as the problem is the biggest thing in your life! The Lord woke me up to that fact a few years ago. At that time I was facing some difficulties in my ministry that seemed so big to me, I thought about them from morning till night. Even though I was standing against them, I was thinking more about those problems than about the scripture promises I was standing on. Then I saw something in Matthew 6:24-25: 

"Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life...."

I'd read that scripture hundreds of times, but that day I saw something I'd never noticed before. I saw that immediately after Jesus said, "No man can serve two masters," He said, "Take no thought." Suddenly it hit me: We serve our thoughts! That's why Isaiah 55 says for us to forsake our thoughts, and by the Word, take God's thoughts. That's why 2 Corinthians 10:5 says to cast down thoughts that challenge the Word and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

Do you want deliverance from your problems today? Then quit serving them! Quit allowing them to consume your thought life. And don't wait until circumstances change to do it. Instead, realize that circumstances won't ever change until you switch from wrong to right thinking. I know that's not easy to do, especially in the midst of heavy darkness and trial. But you can do it if you'll do these three things:

First, remember you aren't alone. You have the Word (God's thoughts). You have the Holy Spirit to strengthen you and you have the mind of Christ.

Second, get around people who are full of faith. Instead of rehearsing your problem, let them do the talking. Make yourself listen. Join in with their faith and resist darkness.

Third, praise God. Do whatever it takes to make yourself praise. When you begin to praise, God's presence will turn back those worried thoughts and make them fall!

Your problems are not the biggest thing in your life. Jesus is. Serve Him with your thoughts and He will set you free!

AMEN! How YOU think about each and every situation you face WILL affect how the Word works in YOUR life! Train YOUR thinking to agree with the Word of God so that what you SPEAK will be the Word and what you DO will be in obedience to the Word. Remember, it is only His WORD that HE confirms with signs, wonders, and miracles (Mark 16:20)! Let's give HIM something GREAT to work with on our behalf! He is LONGING to do so (3 John 2; 2 Chronicles 16:9). Here is Hillsong United with "Here Now":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Let's look today at Psalm 29:

1 Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of the mighty, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 2 Give to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness or in holy array. 3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is upon many (great) waters. 4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. 5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion (Mount Hermon) like a young, wild ox. 7 The voice of the Lord splits and flashes forth forked lightning. 8 The voice of the Lord makes the wilderness tremble; the Lord shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the Lord makes the hinds bring forth their young, and His voice strips bare the forests, while in His temple everyone is saying, Glory! 10 The Lord sat as King over the deluge; the Lord [still] sits as King [and] forever! 11 The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.

"Voice"  here is the Hebrew word "qowl", which means: to call aloud, a voice, a sound. Here is is referring to the very voice of the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! His voice is powerful, full of majesty, is known by His creation, is to be obeyed and is known by His own! Look at John 10:27:

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: KJV

This "voice" is the Greek word "phone" and it means the same. When it is referring to the voice of the Lord, it is still powerful, full of His majesty, known by His creation, to be obeyed and know by His own people! THAT means all born again believers can hear and know the voice of the Living God! Being filled with the Spirit will make His voice clearer and more distinct, IF we stay filled with the Spirit of God and practice hearing and obeying His voice! AMEN! I hope that if you have learned anything from this teaching blog, it is that HE has provided us with all that we will ever need here on this earth, AND, that the choice is ALWAYS ours for whether or not we ever receive and walk in it! This life is filled with daily, hourly and even moment by moment choices. Making the right choices consistently will allow us to live the life HE has chosen for us here and to have the rewards that HE desires for us to have in the next life. Our God is GOOD, ALL the time! I hope that you will make it your determined purpose to live this life to the utmost for HIM and allow the Light of His Life in you to be seen by all who are watching so that they, too, can make the GOD choice! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Mighty To Save":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 28:7-8 shows us this very encouraging declaration of faith!

7 The Lord is my Strength and my [impenetrable] Shield; my heart trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song will I praise Him. 8 The Lord is their [unyielding] Strength, and He is the Stronghold of salvation to [me] His anointed.

Allow the Lord, Who desires to be all of these and more for you, to continually fill you to overflowing with His presence, His power, His wisdom, His Anointing and His infinite mercy and compassion! You and I should be walking out our lives every single day without an ounce of fear, worry, guilt, condemnation or sense of inferiority! HE has done GREAT things, and He has done them in YOU! AMEN! 

Psalm 126:3:3 The Lord has done great things for us! We are glad!

Philippians 1:6 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.

Let's make full use of all that HE has done IN us by shining the Light of His Life and His Love and His Grace to everyone we come in contact with! They may never be convinced by our words, but the presence of the Living God IN us is undeniable! Those who really want Him will be drawn to His life IN US! HALLELUJAH! Here is Hillsong Kids with an older song called "Everyday":

EVERYDAY LYRICS

VERSE
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 can 
Be a light that shines Your name 

VERSE TWO
Everyday Lord I'll 
Learn to stand upon Your word 
And I pray that I)
That 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 

CHORUS
Everyday 
It's You I'll live for 
Everyday 
I'll follow after You 
Everyday 
I'll walk with You my Lord 

BRIDGE
It's you I live for, everyday 
It's you I live for, everyday 
It's you I live for, everyday

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I have a question for you today! Do you REALLY believe the promise in 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. AMP

This is a very accurate "amplification" of the  original verse! "Thoughts" is the Hebrew word "machashabah", which means: intention, device, plan, thought or invention. "Peace" is the Hebrew word "shalom", which means: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, safety, health, prosperity, contentment, tranquility, and friendship. THESE are the plans that the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible has for YOU! So, do you REALLY believe it? It takes consistent meditation on the Word of God, along with daily gratitude for every good thing that He has already done for you, for faith to rise to the point that you have no doubt that this is true, and that it is true for YOU! Check out Philippians 3:10 AMP to see that even the apostle Paul, who wrote a major part of the Epistles, made it his daily challenge and goal to get to know Jesus more! When we come to the point where we really do trust the promises of God, then we will also have great confidence in THIS from Romans 8:28 when we face any test, trial and temptation! 

28 We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. AMP

My encouragement for you today is to make it YOUR goal to learn something new about Jesus every day, and then to believe, and receive, HIS plans for your life! EXPECT that HE will move heaven and earth (2 Chronicles 16:9) to accomplish His will for your life when YOU refuse to accept anything less! Don't try to come up with your own plans because they seem more "reachable". DARE to follow the dreams and desires that HE has placed in your heart as you delight in Him, spending time in His presence! This allows HIM to fulfill those desires! YOU are blessed. HE is glorified. The LOST are given hope! AMEN! THAT is what we are here for, after all! Here is Hillsong with "For Who Your Are":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 26 is a Psalm of David as he called out to the Lord because of the great persecution he suffered at the hands of king Saul. Here it is:

1 Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity; I have [expectantly] trusted in, leaned on, and relied on the Lord without wavering and I shall not slide. 2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; test my heart and my mind. 3 For Your loving-kindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth [faithfully]. 4 I do not sit with false persons, nor fellowship with pretenders; 5 I hate the company of evildoers and will not sit with the wicked. 6 I will wash my hands in innocence, and go about Your altar, O Lord, 7 That I may make the voice of thanksgiving heard and may tell of all Your wondrous works. 8 Lord, I love the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells. 9 Gather me not with sinners and sweep me not away [with them], nor my life with bloodthirsty men, 10 In whose hands is wickedness, and their right hands are full of bribes.11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; redeem me and be merciful and gracious to me. 12 My foot stands on an even place; in the congregations will I bless the Lord.

We can adapt this Old Covenant song to our current situation, wherever we live and whatever we do! IF we are "walking in our integrity", then there are promises in the Word of God that belong to us, whether anyone else likes it or not! This phrase is the Hebrew word "tom", which means: completeness; innocence; without blame. Look at Colossians 2:10 for a promise of our new and better Covenant:

10 And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — and reach full spiritual stature]. And He is the Head of all rule and authority [of every angelic principality and power]. AMP

If you refuse to back off of the Word of God, you WILL see the manifestation of His promises to you! In these days, when WE face the persecution of those believers and unbelievers who dare to call good evil, and evil good, take your stand KNOWING that HE will deliver and vindicate you! AMEN! Let's boldly declare the Word of God and the WAY of God so that those who WANT to can know Him! Here is Hillsong with our message for today and every day, which is "Tell The World":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We have looked before at 1 Corinthians 2:14 that explains why unbelievers cannot understand the Word of God:

But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated

"My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers for today shows us the reason that many born again believers do not have knowledge of the Word either.

The golden rule for understanding spiritually is not intellect, but obedience. If a man wants scientific knowledge, intellectual curiosity is his guide; but if he wants insight into what Jesus Christ teaches, he can only get it by obedience. If things are dark to me, then I may be sure there is something I will not do. Intellectual darkness comes through ignorance; spiritual darkness comes because of something I do not intend to obey.

I remember hearing Kenneth E. Hagin share how the Word of God became closed to him after he saw in the Word that he was not supposed to worry and decided that this was not possible for him to do. He would read the Word as before, but it became dry and meaningless to him. When Brother Hagin went back to that choice, he decided to agree with the Word of God and the Spirit of God and to STOP worrying! When he did that, the Word opened up to him again! So, if the Word has become dry and lifeless to you, or if you are simply not understanding it, go back to the last thing that you knew to do and decided NOT to do it. Make the adjustment and the decision to obey what the Word says and the Word will open up for you again! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "To Be Like You":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I find it very amusing, yet incredibly sad, when unbelievers, puffed up with their own pride and ignorance, declare that there is no God, or that Science explains everything! They don't even realize that this God they don't believe in created THEM! Look at Psalm 24:1:

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness of it, the world and they who dwell in it.

We looked at Psalm 19 a few days ago. Here is verse 1:

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows and proclaims His handiwork.

Romans 1:20 says this:

For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification],

Science has NEVER disproved the Bible! In fact, whenever Science has proven anything, it has shown what was already revealed in the Word of God to be true. I believe that our Father God desires for us to be so confident of these Truths that we will not back down when faced with the ridicule and sometimes very mean and derogatory comments of unbelievers. I DO NOT believe that we are to engage them in debates, but I DO believe that when we are confident that we KNOW the Truth, then we can take control of a situation or conversation by our very attitude of peace, joy and confidence and that those who are watching will KNOW that there is something different about us! Or rather, SOMEONE different! AMEN! Rely on Holy Spirit, Who IS our Helper, to help you THROUGH every situation for the honor and glory of the King of all kings and the Lord of all LORDS - JESUS! Here, to give you confidence on making YOUR stand, is Hillsong with "The Stand":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In Psalm 23 in our Bible Reading Plan for today we see the care and the provision that our Good Shepherd (JESUS!) has for His people. I like to make this a part of my daily confessions of faith by personalizing this Psalm and declaring it over my own life. When you do this, faith for His provision grows (Romans 10:17)! Then you can be inspired further by THIS from Jerry Savelle's devotional for today! 

Determined To Win

Therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. (Hebrews 10:35-36 NKJV)

Once you’ve made the decision to believe and act on what the Word of God says about your situation, you need to understand something: the manifestation of God’s answer may either come quickly, or it may take some time. The question is, are you determined to stand until your breakthrough arrives? The Greek word translated as determined means “a firmness of purpose.” It also means “to give definite aim or direction; an unwavering resolution; to set boundary.”

The Word of God is either true, or it isn’t. God can either be trusted, or He can’t. Well, God’s Word is true and He can be trusted. So why waver? Make a firm resolution in your heart and mind that you are not going to compromise or be moved by what you see, hear, or feel. Once you determine that the only thing you will allow to move you is the Word of God, you’ll see the wholeness that you are believing for.

Confession: Father, I determine to do Your will and live according to Your Word. My trust is in You alone, and I refuse to be moved by anything else. I hold on to my confidence, knowing I will receive all You have promised me.

Amen! He is FAITHFUL, and He watches over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12) in the lives of those who dare to stand on it in faith. Will YOU be such a one? You CAN (Philippians 4:13 AMP)! Here is a very old song from Hillsong and Darlene Zschech called "Faith":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read Psalm 22 in our Spoken  Word Bible Reading Plan for today. Psalm 22 was written prophetically and is part of a trilogy of Jesus Christ as Shepherd. In Psalm 22: He dies for the sheep; in Psalm 23: He cares for the sheep, and Psalm 24: He returns in glory. David, who was a prophet as well as a king, was the writer of this Psalm, and he foretold of the crucifixion here. This Psalm is quoted in the Gospels and in Hebrews 2, showing that it IS a Messianic Psalm. As you read through this Psalm, picture Jesus speaking here! With verses 27-28 we see what He accomplished!

27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall bow down and worship before You, 28 For the kingship and the kingdom are the Lord’s, and He is the ruler over the nations.

Amen! He IS Lord! Have YOU made Him YOURS yet? I invite you to check out our website through the link on the left and find out how to do so! Then, you can come back here and look at verses 30-31 to receive instruction on what our next step is!

30 Posterity shall serve Him; they shall tell of the Lord to the next generation. 31 They shall come and shall declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born—that He has done it [that it is finished]!

2 Corinthians 5:18 tells us that all born again believers in Jesus have been called to the ministry of reconciliation, which is simply telling everyone we know that the price for sin has been paid and that all that is required is to believe and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and personal Savior! THAT is the Ministry of Reconciliation! AMEN! Let's go "Tell The World" as we listen to that very song from Hillsong!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

As you get into your study of the Word of God, particularly of the New Testament, you should keep in mind these thing:

• The Gospels tell of the life and ministry of Jesus on the earth, Who walked according to the Old Covenant, and spoke primarily to the Jews.
• The Epistles were letters written by born again, Spirit-filled ministers and were written to the churches, made up of born again, Spirit-filled believers.
• The entire Word of God is profitable for instruction (2 Timothy 3:16), but the Epistles contain specific direction and guidance for the Church, who operate under the New (and better) Covenant (Hebrews 8:6).

With that in mind, I want to share this with you today from 2 Peter 1:1-4:

1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 

2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. KJV

How are grace and peace multiplied unto us? In the same way that we receive "all things that pertain to life and godliness"! It is through the "knowledge" of God! This is the Greek word "epignosis", which means recognition; full discernment; acknowledgement. This comes from the Greek word "epiginosko", which is a compound word from "epi", meaning: superimposition, and "ginosko", meaning: to know absolutely in a great variety of applications; to learn to know; come to know, understand, perceive, have or get knowledge of. "Superimpose" means to layer one thing over another, over another, over another. The picture I get in mind is of those sections on the human body found in anatomy books or encyclopedias, where each layer goes over the original skeletal page until the entire human body is show. Every layer is needful and add to the whole. THAT is the picture of the knowledge of the Lord growing in us, from the very basics, through layer upon layer of accumulated knowledge as you build to the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10)! Don't ever allow yourself to be satisfied with how much you now know! There is SO much more to know about the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! THAT is why Paul made it his determined purpose to KNOW Him more (Philippians 3:10), even though Paul knew more about the Lord and His Word than any other of the disciples that we know of! Let's look at these verses in 2 Peter in the Amplified Bible:

1 SIMON PETER, a servant and apostle (special messenger) of Jesus Christ, to those who have received (obtained an equal privilege of) like precious faith with ourselves in and through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: 2 May grace (God's favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). 4 By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature. AMP

AMEN! Let's make THAT our goal! Here is Hillsong with an older sing called "I Live To Know You":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

"My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers for today covers something that I am faced with frequently. Here is a portion of it: 

Beware of placing Our Lord as a Teacher first. If Jesus Christ is a Teacher only, then all He can do is to tantalize me by erecting a standard I can not attain. What is the use of presenting me with an ideal I cannot possibly come near? I am happier without knowing it. What is the good of telling me to be what I never can be – to be pure in heart, to do more than my duty, to be perfectly devoted to God? I must know Jesus Christ as Saviour before His teaching has any meaning for me other than that of an ideal which leads to despair. But when I am born again of the Spirit of God, I know that Jesus Christ did not come to teach only: He came to make me what He teaches I should be. The Redemption means that Jesus Christ can put into any man the disposition that ruled His own life, and all the standards God gives are based on that disposition.

I get SO many comments from unbelievers AND immature born again believers about the teaching of Jesus and how certain people are not following the teaching of Jesus! They have absolutely NO understanding whatsoever of the Word of God, and they cannot. The unbeliever cannot even begin to understand because he is NOT born again. His spirit is NOT recreated in the image of God as the born again believer's spirit is. He does NOT have the Spirit of God as his teacher and therefore cannot understand the Word. Look at 1 Corinthians 2:14:

But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The non born again human spirit CANNOT understand the Word! Look at this same verse from the Amplified Bible:

But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says this:

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV)

THAT is what is needful for a person to be in position to understand! That brings us to the immature believer. The New Birth gives us access to the understanding because the Spirit of God comes to live IN us, and He is there to teach us! We have a responsibility to study, though, or we will still be unable to understand! Hosea 6:3a tells us this:

3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord:

We will ONLY understand the Word of God IF we make it our determined purpose to study the Word for the purpose of knowing! Instead of trying to tell others "what Jesus would do", let's get to know Him intimately, obey Him immediately and implicitly, and pray for others to do the same! AMEN! THAT is walking in the love that Jesus commanded us to walk in! Here is Hillsong with "Children of the Light", which is how the unsaved should see us! 

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

 Psalm 19:1-4a says this:

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows and proclaims His handiwork. 2 Day after day pours forth speech, and night after night shows forth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor spoken word [from the stars]; their voice is not heard. 4 Yet their voice [in evidence] goes out through all the earth, their sayings to the end of the world.

Notice that the Word says that the heavens are declaring and proclaiming the Lord, pouring forth speech and showing forth knowledge. But it also says that their voice is not heard. How can both be true? They are true because it is through the constellations themselves that the God of all creation is telling HIS story! There is an excellent book by Marilyn Hickey, called "Signs in the Heavens", that explains the TRUE story that plays out in the constellations, which has been perverted by the enemy through astrology. I would encourage every born again believer to read this book and then prayerfully share this info with all of their Science loving friends! I am in agreement with YOU that the God of the Bible will speak the Truth to their heart as you do! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "All The Heavens":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 18:22 describes perfectly the heart of a born again believer who knows and loves the Word of God.

22 For all His ordinances were before me, and I put not away His statutes from me.

This is exactly what many people who claim to be "Christians" have done lately. Entire denominations have  decided that THEY were the new judges of the Word of God! There is not one person, other than Jesus Himself, who has ever perfectly obeyed the entire Word of God, which is why HE gave us 1 John 1:9! WHEN we miss it, we confess that sin and forgiveness is ours, for that sin and all others. What a wonderful promise! Verse 22 above does NOT say that David never missed it. We KNOW that he did! What this verses is saying is that he did NOT discard, dispute or dismiss the Word of God! He did not "put it away" from him! David acknowledged the sovereignty of the One, True God and admitted when he was wrong. Take account of your own life and see if there are any ways in which YOU have put His Word away from you. His Word will NOT pass away - EVER! Treat it as precious and valuable. Treat it as TRUTH (John 17:17). Line up YOUR life around the Word of God and you will experience a peace that you have never known! HE love you! Let's love Him back! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Like Incense":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I LOVE that the Word of God spells out what, as born again believers, our response SHOULD be when we are hassled, harassed, persecuted, demeaned, gossiped about, lied about and spurned by the lost, and those who despise the Living Word of God AND God Himself! Psalm 17:15 is how WE should spend our time! OUR response MUST be according to the Word of God in order to walk in the fullness of Blessing of God! 

15 As for me, I will continue beholding Your face in righteousness (rightness, justice, and right standing with You); I shall be fully satisfied, when I awake [to find myself] beholding Your form [and having sweet communion with You].

WE must cultivate our intimate fellowship with Him in order to behold His face and to wake with Him STILL on our mind! When we fellowship with HIM and meditate on HIS Word, then the promise of Joshua 1:8 is OURS to claim!

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. AMP

AMEN! Keep YOUR mind "stayed" on HIM (Isaiah 26:3) and YOU will be a blessing to everyone you come in contact with! AMEN! Here is Hillsong  with "One Thing":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Our website for The Spoken Word Church is filled with resources for your personal study. There are articles to read, sermons to listen to, a Bible Plan to follow and a daily devotional, to name a few! I want to share the Spoken Word devotional for today!

Speak to Your Mountain

Your mountain is any problem that you are facing. Address it with authority and command it to move in the Name of Jesus. Every mountain is a servant to your faith. It must obey. Few have mastered the art of verbally commanding their mountains to move. Losers talk about their mountain. Champions talk to their mountain.

"For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith." (Mark 11:23)

The key to obeying the Scripture above and getting results is that we must believe that what we say WILL come to pass! The only way to have the faith that this will happen is to continue to meditate daily on the promises in the Word. Promises like this in John 15:7:

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

To abide in Him means to have intimate fellowship with Him! We do this through study and meditation of the Word, through prayer and through praise and worship. We have this prayer promise in 1 John 5:14-15:

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. AMP

Pray according to His will, which is revealed in His Word, and you can KNOW that you have the answer the moment that you pray! Find out what the Word of God says about every situation that you are facing. Spend time listening to Holy Spirit Who lives inside of every born again believer. Be filled with the Spirit so that you can communicate spirit to Spirit with Him and receive specific guidance on how to carry out the general guidance that is found int he Word! HE has given us everything we will ever need to be victorious in every situation in this life, and to represent Him well, drawing attention away from ourselves and onto HIM, so that people who are not yet believers can become born again believers! THAT is HIS #1 priority, and it SHOULD be ours! AMEN! Here is a new song from Hillsong United called "Prince of Peace":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

One of the confessions that we make at The Spoken Word Church is this: "God is 100% able, and He is even MORE willing, so He is at least 100% willing!" How can we say that? Jesus said THIS in John 10:10:

10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). AMP

And THIS in 3 John 2:

2 Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. KJV

HE desires that YOU prosper in every area of your life and walk in total health and well-being. Then He tells us how to do it: prosper our souls! That means to study the Word of God until the Word of God gets IN you! Then faith will come and your faith will get those things for you. What a wonderful, powerful, loving and just God we serve! One of my very favorite testimonies of the greatness of our God is found in Matthew 15:22-28:

22 And behold, a woman who was a Canaanite from that district came out and, with a [loud, troublesomely urgent] cry, begged, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is miserably and distressingly and cruelly possessed by a demon! 23 But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, Send her away, for she is crying out after us. 24 He answered, I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 But she came and, kneeling, worshiped Him and kept praying, Lord, help me! 26 And He answered, It is not right (proper, becoming, or fair) to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs. 27 She said, Yes, Lord, yet even the little pups (little whelps) eat the crumbs that fall from their [young] masters’ table. 28 Then Jesus answered her, O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you wish. And her daughter was cured from that moment.

This woman had absolutely no right to demand anything of Jesus, but her faith in His ability was so very strong that she believed that even a little speck of His power would be enough! How does YOUR faith compare? I  REALLY had to work on MINE after understanding of this verse came to me! OUR God IS God and He is GOOD! ALL THE TIME! Amen! Here is Hillsong Live with "The Greatness Of Our God":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

"My Utmost For His Highest" that I shared on this blog yesterday, was actually supposed to be for today! I believe that there are NO coincidences! I believe that the One True God of the Bible wanted us to see that yesterday! I also believe that the one that was supposed to be posted yesterday should be shared, so we will look at it today! 

But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. — Matthew 5:39

These verses reveal the humiliation of being a Christian. Naturally, if a man does not hit back, it is because he is a coward; but spiritually if a man does not hit back, it is a manifestation of the Son of God in him. When you are insulted, you must not only not resent it, but make it an occasion to exhibit the Son of God. You cannot imitate the disposition of Jesus; it is either there or it is not. To the saint personal insult becomes the occasion of revealing the incredible sweetness of the Lord Jesus.
The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is not – Do your duty, but – Do what is not your duty. It is not your duty to go the second mile, to turn the other cheek, but Jesus says if we are His disciples we shall always do these things. There will be no spirit of – "Oh, well, I cannot do any more, I have been so misrepresented and misunderstood." Every time I insist upon my rights, I hurt the Son of God; whereas I can prevent Jesus from being hurt if I take the blow myself. That is the meaning of filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ. The disciple realizes that it is his Lord’s honour that is at stake in his life, not his own honour.
Never look for right in the other man, but never cease to be right yourself. We are always looking for justice; the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is – Never look for justice, but never cease to give it.

When he said, in the first paragraph, that we cannot imitate the disposition of Jesus, He meant that it is NOT possible to really and consistently ACT like Jesus would UNLESS we are so in tune with Him that we are beginning to understand, not just HOW He would operate in any given situation, but WHY! Have you ever heard this?

"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how."

Believe it or not, THIS is a quote by Friedrich Nietzsche! Although he was "dead" wrong about God (HE famously said "God is Dead"), this statement is very true! When you and I want what God wants, for the same reason and purpose that God wants it, we will allow nothing to get in the way of our success! Make it your determined purpose to make God's #1 priority also be yours! When you do this, you are in a definite position to be blessed and to be a BLESSING! AMEN! Remember that it is NOT the will of God that ANY should perish (2 Peter 3:9). He has done everything needful to get salvation to every person! CHOICES are being made, some good and some not so good! Make sure that YOU are presenting the Gospel in the Light of the Truth of the Word of God! Who could ever resist THAT? AMEN! Here is Hillsong United with "No Reason To Hide":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

The lesson from today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers is something that every born again believer should get inside! 

I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the barbarians. —Romans 1:14
Paul was overwhelmed with the sense of his indebtedness to Jesus Christ, and he spent himself to express it. The great inspiration in Paul’s life was his view of Jesus Christ as his spiritual creditor. Do I feel that sense of indebtedness to Christ in regard to every unsaved soul? The spiritual honour of my life as a saint is to fulfil my debt to Christ in relation to them. Every bit of my life that is of value I owe to the Redemption of Jesus Christ; am I doing anything to enable Him to bring His Redemption into actual manifestation in other lives? I can only do it as the Spirit of God works in me this sense of indebtedness.
I am not to be a superior person amongst men, but a bondslave of the Lord Jesus. "Ye are not your own." Paul sold himself to Jesus Christ. He says – I am a debtor to everyone on the face of the earth because of the Gospel of Jesus; I am free to be an absolute slave only. That is the characteristic of the life when once this point of spiritual honour is realized. Quit praying about yourself and be spent for others as the bondslave of Jesus. That is the meaning of being made broken bread and poured out wine in reality.

We know from John 10:10 that our Father desires for us to walk in the complete fullness of Life that He has within Himself. 

10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

The REASON for our being blessed here on earth is so that others may see HIS hand on our lives and desire to know Him, too. If this were not so, we would have no reason to be here! He could have everyone go immediately to Heaven after receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior! Jesus said that HE came to seek and save the lost, and THAT is what He has now commissioned US to do! Have YOU made HIS #1 priority, YOUR #1 priority? That's what HE is waiting for us to do! Then HE can work with us, confirming His Word with signs, wonders and miracles. I love this quote from our partners, Jerry and Marilyn O'Dell:

"When we want what God wants, for the same reason He wants it, we cannot fail!"

 Let's learn to develop the same mindset towards the lost that Jesus Himself has and we will not fail to please HIM, AND to be blessed in this life, and much more in the next! AMEN! Here is Hillsong United with "Take It All":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Let's look at all of Psalm 12 today:

1 Help, Lord! For principled and godly people are here no more; faithfulness and the faithful vanish from among the sons of men.

2 To his neighbor each one speaks words without use or worth or truth; with flattering lips and double heart [deceitfully] they speak.

3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongues that speak proud boasting,

4 Those who say, With our tongues we prevail; our lips are our own [to command at our will]—who is lord and master over us?

5 Now will I arise, says the Lord, because the poor are oppressed, because of the groans of the needy; I will set him in safety and in the salvation for which he pants.

6 The words and promises of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times over.

7 You will keep them and preserve them, O Lord; You will guard and keep us from this [evil] generation forever.

8 The wicked walk or prowl about on every side, as vileness is exalted [and baseness is rated high] among the sons of men.

THIS could be OUR cry to the Lord today! There is such deceitfulness going on, especially among those in places of authority. So many people have forgotten how to be faithful in any area of their lives. We can't trust the media, we can't trust politicians, we can't trust doctors, lawyers, teachers. I am reminded of this from Romans 3:10-12:

10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not one. KJV 

That IS the condition of a godless people! What is the answer? His Name is JESUS! It requires the spirit of a person being made new at the New Birth by receiving Jesus as Lord and personal Savior, and then the soul renewed by the Word of God, in order for people to begin to do what is right in the sight of God! Our responsibility is to pray for laborers to be sent into the harvest and then to preach the Gospel ourselves in our own area of influence. There WILL be a judgement coming for all of those who reject the God of the Bible and His Word. Let's do everything within our power to give them every opportunity to turn to JESUS! AMEN! As far as our own lives, when it seems impossible to trust in anyone of the world, WE must be DOERS of Proverbs 3:5-6:

5 Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. 6 In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. AMP

AMEN! Our trust and confidence is in HIM and in the Covenant that we have with Him through the blood of Jesus! Refuse to be moved by the world and their ways. Be moved only by the Word of God and the Spirit of God, and you will NOT fail to walk in victory in every area! Thank YOU, Jesus! Here is Hillsong with "My Hope":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom

We read Matthew 11 today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. Look at verses 28-30:

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. KJV

The word "rest" here is the Greek word "anapano", which means: to repose; to refresh; to cease from labor in order to recover; to collect strength. The word "light" is the Greek word "elaphros", which means: light in weight; easy to bear. I like both the Amplified Bible and the Wuest translation for these verses:

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. 30 For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good—not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne. AMP

28-30 Come here to me, all who are growing weary to the point of exhaustion, and who have been loaded with burdens and are bending beneath their weight, and I alone will cause you to cease from your labor and take away your burdens and thus refresh you with rest. Take at once my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find cessation from labor and refreshment for your souls, for my yoke is mild and pleasant, and my load is light in weight. Wuest 

That is the state in which our Father desires for us to operate in on a continual basis! We SHOULD be the light in the darkness, the calm during a storm, a haven from the cares of the world, a resource for the answers to questions and for solutions to problems. Remember that YOU are the only Jesus that some people will ever see! Represent Him well by having intimate fellowship with Him on a daily basis and by being a DOER of the Word. As born again believers, THESE are our commandments directly from Jesus! Mark 12:30-31:

30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'  31  The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."  ESV

THIS is what we are most responsible for in our walk with HIM! Love HIM with everything within you, and then follow HIS leading to love others with that same love! AMEN! THAT is when we will experience the REAL rest that WE desire! AMEN! Here is Hillsong United with "Rhythms of Grace":

Shalom in Him!