Shalom,

Today we read Psalm 91 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! This is a psalm of protection, provision and safety, and many people either pray or quote this psalm whenever they feel the need for God's protection. Here it is in its entirety:

Psalm 91

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust! 3 For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 4 [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. 8 Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, 10 There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent. 11 For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service]. 12 They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot. 14 Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows andunderstands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness—trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never]. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.

I hope that you have noticed that all of the rich, wonderful and powerful promises of this entire Psalm is contingent on us fulfilling the first two verses! 

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!

Doing these things (the underlined parts of the verses) gives us assurance that HE will do HIS part! AMEN! Notice that this is emphasized in verses 3 and 4 where it says: "For THEN He will deliver you" and "For THEN He will cover you". Learn to put your complete trust in the God of the Bible by putting His Word in you and believing that HE will perform and confirm that Word in your life! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Behold: Then Sings My Soul":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I LOVE today's website devotional by Jerry Savelle!

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth (Psalm 34:1 NKJV).

Did you know it is possible to experience the joy of the Lord on a continual basis? The key to experiencing continual joy is developing a heart that is filled with continual praise and a willingness to view your life—past, present, and future—with a positive attitude.

The Israelites were surrounded by the goodness of God as they journeyed through the desert to freedom, yet they did not view their experience with a positive frame of mind. Because they complained about their situation, many of them never entered the good land God already had waiting for them.

Had they viewed their circumstances positively, acknowledged the goodness of God, and walked in joy, they would have gone straight into the good land. Their negativity robbed them of joy, dishonored God, and cost them the good life.

So praise God for His grace that covers your past, your present, and your future. His grace is able to turn even deliberate sin from the past around for your good and His glory—if you will hand it over to Him in faith.

You experience joy when nothing from the past has the power to condemn or sadden you, when your memories are only of the positive because you trust in God’s goodness towards you. You experience joy when you focus on the goodness of God in your present situation and believe you will spend your future walking in His grace and mercy.

Continuous joy produces continuous praise for all the good things God has done and is going to do. After all, when you are touched by His goodness, how can you do anything but continually praise God for His kindness and love towards you?

Confession: My God is a good God, and His mercy endures forever. I choose right now to trust Him with every aspect of my life—past, present, and future—knowing that He is able to turn every situation and circumstance for my good. His praise will continually be in my mouth.

AMEN! No good thing comes from dredging up and complaining about the past! Learning from it is one thing, but we do NOT have to think and talk about it continually in order to learn from it! In fact, God's very best is that we learn immediately from Holy Spirit where we missed it concerning His Word, then focus on obeying the Word from that point on, FORGETTING what lies behind and STRETCHING and REACHING towards our goal again (Philippians 3:13-14)! Make these small adjustments and you will find yourself missing it less and moving on quicker than ever before when you do! Thank You, JESUS, for Grace and Mercy abounding! HALLELUJAH! Here is Hillsong Kids with "Never Give Up", because child-like faith and trust is what God expects from us!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share something from Luke 10 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. This is something that I have shared on this blog before, but it bears repeating often! Luke 10: 38-42 compares Mary and her sister Martha in their attitude toward JESUS and His Word!

38 Now while they were on their way, it occurred that Jesus entered a certain village, and a woman named Martha received and welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was listening to His teaching. 40 But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving; and she came up to Him and said, Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me [to lend a hand and do her part along with me]! 41 But the Lord replied to her by saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; 42 There is need of only one. Mary has chosen the good portion [that which is to her advantage], which shall not be taken away from her.

JESUS said that of all the busyness that we can have in a day, there is only ONE THING that is needful! That one thing is to spend time in the presence of the LORD, learning His Word! How much attention do YOU give to the Word of  God on any given day? Is the Bible Reading Plan something you do so that you can check it off your 'to do' list each day? Or do YOU make spending time in His presence and in His Word your top priority? Only YOU can make that choice! And only YOU can decide how much, or how little, of the Word of God you have working in your life. Again, JESUS said that this is NEEDFUL! I hope that you will make whatever adjustments are necessary to get yourself in the position of a Mary instead of a Martha! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Say The Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin is not new to many of you, but we must stay renewed to it in our souls (mind, emotions and will) in order to walk in the fullness of what this truly means to us! 

God Inside

"Do you not discern and understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God's temple (His sanctuary), and that God's Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]? (1 Corinthians 3:16 AMP). 

God Himself, after He makes us new creatures, actually makes our bodies His home. No longer does He dwell in an earth-made Holy of Holies. God says, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you?" (1 Corinthians 6:19). 

We need to become mindful that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit - we have God inside of us! 

Chiseled on the front of a beautiful church in Texas is an Old Testament scripture declaring that the building was the temple of God. I get provoked every time I drive by. Why? Because these people have a lie right on the front of their church building! 

To say that a church building is the house of God because He dwells there, is incorrect. God doesn't dwell in a church building. If we mean that a church building is the house of God because it has been dedicated to God, that is correct. 

But we must be careful not to confuse spiritual things with natural things. Therefore, we must be careful to state spiritual things as they really are. 

Your body is the house or temple of God - not the building where you worship. Remembering this fact will help you in your obedience and in your faith. 

Confession: God Himself in the Person of the Holy Spirit indwells me. The Creator dwells in me. God lives in me. 

AMEN! The new Temple of the LORD is found within every born again believer! A building dedicated to the Gospel of JESUS Christ is a wonderful, anointed place to be, WHEN it is filled with true Temples of the Living God! WE make the building come alive because HE will walk AMONG those who gather in His Name (Matthew 18:20)! Remind yourself daily that the One, True God lives IN you, by His Spirit! You should never feel alone again! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Look To The Son":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

It is amazing to me how many questions that the world has have already been answered in the pages of the Bible! Today's Bible Spoken Word Reading Plan answers one of the biggest questions concerning Israel, Jerusalem and the Jewish people! Look at Psalm 87:

Psalm 87

A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A song.

1 On the holy hills stands the city [of Jerusalem and the temple] God founded.

2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion [through which the crowds of pilgrims enter from all nations] more than all the dwellings of Jacob (Israel).

3 Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah[pause, and calmly realize what that means]!

4 I will make mention of Rahab [the poetic name for Egypt] and Babylon as among those who know [the city of God]—behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia (Cush)—[saying], This man was born there.

5 Yes, of Zion it shall be said, This man and that man were born in her, for the Most High Himself will establish her.

6 The Lord shall count, when He registers the peoples, that this man was born there. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

7 The singers as well as the players on instruments shall say, All my springs (my sources of life and joy) are in you [city of our God].

God LOVES and FOUNDED Jerusalem! HE owns that city! It has been the focus of the nation of Israel since the LORD made them a nation. There have ALWAYS been fights, squabbles, battles and even entire wars fought over physical possession of the city that actually belongs to the God of the Bible! People like to blame nations, rulers, presidents, kings, and others in authority for all of the wars over this nation, but what they are actually taking part in is the battle that has been waged over centuries for whatever belongs to the God of the Bible! This 'war' has been/is being waged by the enemy of our souls, satan, who, by his very own choice, gave up ALL that he had in heaven to become his own ruler! His weapon is the LIE, and he has many and varied ways to use it to his advantage. BUT, the Word of God tells us that WE (born again believers who know our authority) are NOT ignorant of his (satan's) devices (tricks, schemes, strategies and traps)(2 Corinthians 2:11)! We KNOW what he says and what he does because we KNOW the Word of God and what belongs to us, through JESUS Christ! AMEN! So, when you hear the world, as a whole, attacking Israel, Jerusalem and the Jewish people, KNOW that directly behind these attacks and the people who deliver them, is satan! Refuse to be dragged into senseless arguments by people who are ignorant of the Word! Know and understand that Israel, Jerusalem and the Jewish people belong to GOD alone! HE will vindicate them in His perfect time! I would NOT want to be on the receiving side of that situation! On a very important side note, those who are un-Scripturally laying claim to the Temple Mount, and the insidious mosque that sits there, though they CLAIM this as their third most holy spot, it is no such thing! Jerusalem is not mentioned even one time in all of the Quran! NOT ONE TIME! It is all hogwash, lies and tricks that the God of the Bible will answer one day very soon! My advice to you is to know the WORD! Then everything else in life and in this world will fall right into place! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Empires":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Grace Inspirations" by Joseph Prince goes right along with what I shared here yesterday, with the difference being that this is directed to those who have been judged, condemned or maligned! 

LET THE LORD BE YOUR DEFENSE

Psalm 94:22 But the Lord has been my defense, and my God the rock of my refuge.

Imagine being a poor widow, a stranger in the land and holding one of the lowliest jobs in society. That was Ruth’s situation, so it would have been easy for her to feel vulnerable and defenseless. But because she trusted the Lord (Ruth 1:16), He placed her under Boaz’s protection.

Boaz, the owner of the field she worked in, commanded his young men saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.” (Ruth 2:15) What he was saying to his men was this: “She might be a gleaner, but because I care for her, treat her with respect and make sure she is not put to shame.”

Boaz is a picture of our Lord Jesus. If you are feeling vulnerable and defenseless right now, imagine Jesus commanding His angels, “Watch over this one who belongs to Me. Make sure he is treated with respect and not put to shame because he is someone I love and someone whom I died for.”

God’s Word tells us that if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) No one who has set himself against us can prevail because when God is for us, His protection is upon us. That is why I have never answered any of the poison email messages which I have received in the course of my ministry.

My attitude is this: Jesus is my defense. If He does not defend me, it means that there are things in my life that are not to be defended, and I would be glad to find out about them now rather than later. On the other hand, because I take the Lord as my defense, and He defends me, what can those who are against me do to me?

When you defend yourself, you have only your two hands and your own human resources. But when you let Jesus take up your defense, He defends you with His nail-pierced hands and His legions of angels! The results will be amazing.

Beloved, the Lord is your defense and refuge. Trust Him to defend and protect you!

Thought For The Day: If the Lord is your defense, what can those who are against you do to you?

AMEN! This is SO good! When I pray for those who may malign me, then I put myself in position to walk in the protection, provision and safety of Almighty God! When I pray for them, it also extends mercy to them so that God can continue to work on their hearts to cause them to see the folly of their ways! Walking in love is ALWAYS and EVER the very best choice to make! Jesus said that loving God and loving each other are the two greatest commandments! When we do this, then was can cast all care over on HIM, KNOWING that He is handling every situation according to His perfect will and plan and purposes! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Love Like Fire":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I love reading Luke 6 everytime it comes up in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan, and any other time it comes up! Especially verse 37:

37 Judge not [neither pronouncing judgment nor subjecting to censure], and you will not be judged; do not condemn and pronounce guilty, and you will not be condemned and pronounced guilty; acquit and forgive and release (give up resentment, let it drop), and you will be acquitted and forgiven and released.

There has been so much judgment leveled at minsters of the Gospel, and any believer who dares to defend them! I have used this verse many times when the conversations turn to condemnation of ministers who are blessed with wealth and prosperity, and who teach others the Biblical principles for prosperity. I have been accused of taking Scripture out of context and of being ignorant of the Word when I use this verse. I don't know what context they are thinking of, but JESUS was speaking here of what the attitude of our hearts and our actions SHOULD be toward others. It really could not be more clear and simple! JUDGE NOT, so that judgement does not come back on you! Why did He say this? Galatians 6:7 tells us why!

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.

There is now NO condemnation (from God) to those who have received JESUS as Lord and personal Savior (Romans 8:1)! BUT, if we choose to SOW condemnation, then we WILL receive condemnation, from many sources, into our lives! We each have choices to make every day about what we will think, say and do! Speaking ill of another believer, especially a minister of the Gospel (Romans 14:4, for they are God's servants!), is very bad seed to sow! I have heard of situations where God has sent a minister to offer a Word of correction to another minister, but, without fail, those sent do not want to go! The first sign that YOU are NOT sent by God is whether or not you WANT to go! Those who are quick to judge and condemn are NOT the ones 'spiritual' enough to be sent! What is our recourse if we see something that we believe to be in error? PRAY, and then PRAY SOME MORE! Do NOT share it with another person, but present it to the Lord ONLY! Cast the care of it on Him and then ONLY proceed as HE directs. If He does not, then it is NOT for you to do! Turn your attention to what God has for YOU to do, and leave the care of this in HIS very capable hands! AMEN! And if you can't say AMEN, then you'd better say "Oh me", as Brother Kenneth E. Hagin used to say, and REPENT! I pray that this message will begin to get into the hearts of believers who have been tearing the Body apart by judgment and criticism and that they will repent (change their thinking to agree with God) and begin to sow seeds of love that will bring them a great harvest of blessing! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Greatest Of These":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

From the moment I received JESUS as Lord and personal Savior, I have joyfully looked forward to every service I could attend! After being filled with Holy Spirit and finally having a church that actually teaches the uncompromised Word of the Living God, wild horses couldn't drag me away! I have never understood the concept of "I HAVE to go to church". I WANT to go! It has to be something very special for me to miss a Sunday Morning, Wednesday Night or Friday Night service. Special family events, vacations, special invitations or special assignments from JESUS are the only things that I will miss for. Today I read my heart concerning this in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! Psalm 84 speaks of this! Verses 1-2:

1 How lovely are Your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! 2 My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God.

Yes, for the born again believer, the 'courts of the Lord' are actually within us, but gathering together with other 'temples of the Living God' in a service is much more powerful than just me alone! There is a place, AND a vital need, for both! Look at verses 4-5 & 7:

4 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! 5 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 7 They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]; each of them appears before God in Zion.

I sing praises all the time in my own home, but there is just something significantly more powerful in singing and praising the LORD in a room full of like-minded believers! Now look at verses 10-12:

10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else]; I would rather be a doorkeeper and stand at the threshold in the house of my God than to dwell [at ease] in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O Lord of hosts, blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts in You [leaning and believing on You, committing all and confidently looking to You, and that without fear or misgiving]!

There is SUCH a powerful blessing in being involved in a service where other anointed vessels are all praising God and then hearing anointed teaching of the Word with the motive to obey and be DOERS of that Word! The Spirit of God moves mightily in a service such as that! In fact, HE has ordained the local church and anointed Pastors to teach and train believers! Read Ephesians 4 again and see! I will leave you today with THIS admonition from Hebrews 10:25:

25 Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.

I hope that YOU are loving your church as much as I love mine! I hope, also, that YOU are fulfilling your God-given role in that church! Here is Hillsong with an older song called "Blessed" which is taken from Psalm 84!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share from Rick Renner's "Sparkling Gems From The Greek #2:

All Scripture Is Given by Inspiration of God

All scripture is given by inspiration of God….  2 Timothy 3:16

In Second Timothy 3:16, Paul wrote these precious words about the Bible: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God….” Today I want us to look at the word “inspiration” to see exactly what the original language conveys to you and me.

The word “inspiration” comes from the Greek word theopneustos, a compound of two Greek words, theos and pneuma. The first word, theos, is the word for God; the second half of the word is pneuma, which comes from the Greek root pneu.

The root pneu communicates a dynamic movement of air. For example, it can mean to blow, as to blow air. It was actually used to portray a musician who blew air through an instrument to produce a musical sound. There are also places where it is used to picture the emitting of a fragrance. Furthermore, this root word could be used to depict the projection of emotions.

But when the root pneu becomes pneuma, it carries an additional range of meanings — including life, force, energy, dynamism, and power. The Jews considered pneuma to be the powerful force put forth by God to create the universe and all living things and also the force that continues to sustain creation. In the Old Testament Septuagint,  pneuma  demonstrates moments when God would move mightily upon a person, enabling him to do supernatural feats.

When this word pneuma is compounded with theos, the new word is theopneustos, which literally means God-breathed and is where we get the word “inspiration.” The word theopneustos is the picture of God breathing His own substance into something. Just as a musician would blow on an instrument to produce a distinct sound, God mightily moved on those who wrote the Scriptures, causing them to temporarily become instruments through whom He expressed His heart and will. They were the writers, but God was the Great Musician who breathed upon them, His instruments. Thus, the Bible is God’s message delivered through human writers to us.

And just as the word pneuma can carry the idea of a fragrance, the Word was breathed from God and thus carries His very essence and fragrance within it. Since the word pneuma can also portray the projection of emotions, we know that God projected the totality of His emotions into the Word when He inspired its writing. Therefore, the Word not only conveys an intellectual message, but it has God’s heart in it as well. And the pneuma of God didn’t create the Scripture and then depart from it. This power — the same pneuma power that originally created and continues to sustain the universe — is still inside God’s Word, upholding and empowering it to be just as strong as the day it was given.

What does all this mean to you personally? You can know that as you give the Word of God a prominent role in your life, that anointed Word, infused with the heart of Almighty God Himself, will bring the music and the fragrance of Heaven into your life and home and literally change the atmosphere.

Think about it — the Bible you own contains the very life, essence, energy, and dynamic force of God Himself! If you’ll get hungry for more of Him and determine to meditate on this truth long enough to tap into it, God Himself will come pouring out of the Bible into your life and situation. The power held inside the Word will blow mightily upon you and upon the situations that surround you — and when that happens, everything will change!

I LOVE this! When God spoke creation into existence, He did it with WORDS! He BREATHED those Words out and everything that we see came into being in a moment! WE have the same responsibility! We are to meditate on the Word of God (Joshua 1:8) until it become SO real to us that we will open our mouths in a declaration of faith that is God-breathed! Then HE will confirm that Word spoken with signs, wonders and miracles! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with a song that speaks of this very thing! Called "So Will I", this song reflects on the powerful BREATH of God! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

"My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers is very good again today!

Predestined Purpose

Now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant… —Isaiah 49:5

· 

The first thing that happens after we recognize our election by God in Christ Jesus is the destruction of our preconceived ideas, our narrow-minded thinking, and all of our other allegiances— we are turned solely into servants of God’s own purpose. The entire human race was created to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Sin has diverted the human race onto another course, but it has not altered God’s purpose to the slightest degree. And when we are born again we are brought into the realization of God’s great purpose for the human race, namely, that He created us for Himself. This realization of our election by God is the most joyful on earth, and we must learn to rely on this tremendous creative purpose of God. The first thing God will do is force the interests of the whole world through the channel of our hearts. The love of God, and even His very nature, is introduced into us. And we see the nature of Almighty God purely focused in John 3:16— “For God so loved the world….”

We must continually keep our soul open to the fact of God’s creative purpose, and never confuse or cloud it with our own intentions. If we do, God will have to force our intentions aside no matter how much it may hurt. A missionary is created for the purpose of being God’s servant, one in whom God is glorified. Once we realize that it is through the salvation of Jesus Christ that we are made perfectly fit for the purpose of God, we will understand why Jesus Christ is so strict and relentless in His demands. He demands absolute righteousness from His servants, because He has put into them the very nature of God.

Beware lest you forget God’s purpose for your life.

AMEN! God's plans and purposes for your life are EXTRAORDINARY! Don't miss them by NOT being in the right pace at the right time! Keep a humble heart before God, which means to receive ALL that JESUS lived, died, and rose again for YOU to have and operate in! Here is Hillsong with "I Surrender":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share the Spoken Word Church website devotional!

Reach for Help

Reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness. So, do it. Only a fool ignores a lifejacket when he is drowning. Overcomers don't do it alone. They conquer their pride. They reject the trap of isolation. They reach. They know the inevitable reward of reaching.

Turn to God. Honor those who are qualified to help you. Your future depends on it.

"When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;  (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them." (Deuteronomy 4:30-31)

Refuse to be prideful by thinking that you have to do everything without help from anyone. God did NOT design for His creation to operate this way. Those of us who have received JESUS as Lord and personal Savior, have been made to be members of His body and of His family! None of us are designed to make it on our own! Ephesians 4 tells us how the body is to operate! Meditate on YOUR part in this glorious body and then DO IT, expecting and accepting all of the help that HE provides! He provides PEOPLE! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Love On The Line":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin is another of the most simple, yet profound, TRUTHS concerning our New Covenant with God that was sealed with the Blood of JESUS! 

God, Our Righteousness

"Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe..." (Romans 3:22). 

To be a complete overcomer - to walk in the highest kind of faith - you must know the reality of your own righteousness in Christ. 

Read Romans 3:21-26. Mark these scriptures in your Bible. Think on them - feed on them - until they become a part of your inner-consciousness. 

If your Bible is a King James Version, keep in mind that the same Greek word which is translated in verse 26 as "just" (and other forms thereof) can also be translated "righteous." So you may substitute the word "righteous" for "just." Many translations read this way. 

For example, Young's Literal Translation of the Bible translates Romans 3:26 this way, "for the shewing forth of His [God's] righteousness in the present time, for His being righteous, and declaring him righteous who is of the faith of Jesus." 

What do these scriptures tell us? That God Himself is righteous. And that God has declared us to be righteous because we have believed in Jesus. 

Confession: God the Father declared Himself righteous through Jesus Christ. And God the Father - my very own Father - declares me righteous, for I believe in Jesus. Therefore, I am righteous. I am a recipient of the righteousness of God. 

AMEN! Now we are SO free to STOP trying to "earn our way" with God and simply live out what HE has placed with in us! The WORK is HIS and the responsibility to make that known to the world is OURS! Let's get to it! Here are Hillsong Kids with "Tell The World":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

So many times I have heard people refer to certain ministers as "Prosperity Preachers". Have you ever heard of anything so ludicrous? What SHOULD they be, "Poverty Preachers"? When we serve the Living God Who gives us RICHLY all things to ENJOY (1 Timothy 6:17)? Or the God Who came SO THAT we could have AND ENJOY life (John 10:10)? Look at what we read today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan in Hebrews 13:5-6:

5 Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] 6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?

We are told to be free from the LOVE OF MONEY! I have known many more poor people who have the love of money than I have people who are prosperous! The love of money is the strong desire to have money and 'THINGS'  at all costs! The BIBLE way to prosperity is to love GOD and His WORD first! Pursue the Biblical path to prosperity, which is simply to be in control of every area of your life so that no one can dictate to you what you can and can't do! It means to have the means to fulfill God's plan for you life AND to ENJOY this life! Look at John 10:10 from the mouth of JESUS 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].

Refuse to allow the small thinking and incorrect knowledge of God's Word  that some people exhibit to hinder YOU from pursuing ALL that God has provided for you through our New  and BETTER Covenant! Be all that YOU can be, and allow GOD to BE God! AMERN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Shadow Step":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read Hebrews 12 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today! I LOVE these first two verses:

12 Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, 2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

All that JESUS did, He did for US! Because He DID, we CAN! HALLELUJAH! Now we need to continually find what pleases God, what and how HE wants things done, and then DO those things! AMEN! THAT is the true measure of our love for Him! I hope that you will make it YOUR 'determined purpose' to get to know Your Lord and Savior more! The more that you know Him, the higher and stronger your confidence level will be that His promises are true, and that they are ever true for you! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "So Will I":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We have shared a prayer to be born again, receiving JESUS as Lord and personal Savior, on this blog many times, and a few times lately. Today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin has the perfect follow-up teaching confession for you to make! Meditate on these Truths about who YOU are - IN HIM! Then begin to declare them over yourself, building you faith in what His Word says about YOU! 

Born Again

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (1 Peter 1:23). 

We are begotten of God. 

We are born of God. 

We are children of God. 

We are heirs of God. 

We are joint-heirs (the word "joint" means equal) with Jesus (Romans 8:17). 

In declaring this, we do not magnify ourselves. We magnify God and what He has done for us through the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not make ourselves new creatures. God made us new creatures. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. 

We are new creatures created by God in Christ Jesus! 

Confession: I am begotten of God. I am born of God. I am born of incorruptible seed by the living Word of God. I was born into the spiritual realm, given eternal life, and made a branch of the vine through the incorruptible Word of God.

AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Wonder", because who HE has made us is a WONDER! 

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to emphasize the message from our Spoken Word Church website devotional! It is vital for our success and victory in life!

Know Your Opponent

Satan is your real adversary. He is a fallen angel, dispelled from heaven by a righteous God. His methods are predictable. He incites the violent nature of men against you. He inflames the normal passions of man into perversion. He introduces thoughts that could ultimately destroy you.

He reacts to the spoken Word of God. He is easily demoralized with the weapons of praise. He flees when you resist him.

"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." (Ephesians 6:12)

Remember that we are called to fight the GOOD fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12)! We are told in Romans 10:17 that we obtain faith by hearing the Word of God! Our 'fight' is to keep our faith level so high that the fears, tricks, schemes, traps and strategies of the devil find no place of entry into our heart! The devil's only weapon is the lie (anything contrary to the TRUTH, which is God's Word according to John 17:17)! He has many tricks and strategies to TRY to get us to forget the TRUTH and believe his lies! When we KNOW the Word and the promises of God, it is impossible for the lies to take hold! We see him clearly for who and what he is - a LIAR and the father of all LIARS! SO, knowing your opponent, and what he can and CANNOT do, you are well armed and ready to WIN THIS FIGHT! After all, our God calls us MORE THAN CONQUERORS (Romans 8:37)! Let's start sounding and acting like it! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Desert Song":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

My meditation today is centered on Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food".

Family

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13). 

No truth in all the Bible is as far reaching as the blessed fact that when we are born again we come into the family of God! God the Father is our Father! 

He cares for us! He is interested in us - each of us individually - not just as a group, or a body, or a church. He is interested in each of His children, and He loves each of us with the same love. 

However, our Heavenly Father is not the Father of everyone, as some supposed. Jesus said to some very religious people, "Ye are of your father the devil..." (John 8:44). Yes, God is the Creator of all mankind, but a man must be born again to become His child. He is God to the world, but Father only to the new creation man. 

God is your very own Father. You are His very own child. And since He is your Father, you can be assured that He will take a father's place and perform a father's part. You can be certain that as your Heavenly Father, God loves you, and He will take care of you. 

Confession: I am born of God. I am born into God's family. God the Father is my Father. I am His very own child. He is my very own Father. He loves me. He provides for me. He takes care of me. 

AMEN! What an amazingly glorious TRUTH! WE are members of God's very own family, because of the Blood of JESUS, shed for ALL people, for all sin, for all time! HE proivdced for ALL people EVERYWHERE to belong to His family, but He left the choice to receive that only and completely in our hands! Whosoever WILL means WE have a part to play. What an incredibly easy part we have! Thank You, JESUS! Have YOU received HIM yet? If so, I am so glad that we are members of the same family! If not,WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU WAITING FOR? There will never be another way, or another chance after this life is over! No one will ever be able to 'pray you in' once you leave this life! (No matter how much money they may pay! Don't fall for those tricks, schemes and lies of the devil!) JESUS said that HE is the ONLY Way to the Father! BELIEVE Him! RECEIVE Him! If you haven't yet, but you are ready to, please pray this prayer, and then let us know that you have! 

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.

Now get into the Word, and into a good local church that teaches the Word. Begin to grow up in the things of God and in the TRUTH about who YOU are - IN HIM! You WILL be BLESSED! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Shape Of Your Heart":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest"  by Oswald Chambers is another very good message! 

After Surrender – What?

I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. — John 17:4

•  

Surrender is not the surrender of the external life, but of the will; when that is done, all is done. There are very few crises in life; the great crisis is the surrender of the will. God never crushes a man’s will into surrender, He never beseeches him, He waits until the man yields up his will to Him. That battle never needs to be re-fought.

Surrender for Deliverance. “Come unto Me,…and I will give you rest.” It is after we have begun to experience what salvation means that we surrender our wills to Jesus for rest. Whatever is perplexing heart or mind is a call to the will — “Come unto Me.” It is a voluntary coming.

Surrender for Devotion. “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself.” The surrender here is of my self to Jesus, my self with His rest at the heart of it. “If you would be My disciple, give up your right to yourself to Me.” Then the remainder of the life is nothing but the manifestation of this surrender. When once the surrender has taken place we never need “suppose” anything. We do not need to care what our circumstances are, Jesus is amply sufficient.

Surrender for Death (John 21:18-19). “…another shall gird thee.” Have you learned what it means to be bound for death? Beware of a surrender which you make to God in an ecstasy; you are apt to take it back again. It is a question of being united with Jesus in His death until nothing ever appeals to you that did not appeal to Him.

After surrender — what? The whole of the life after surrender is an aspiration for unbroken communion with God.

I love that the definition of true humility is 'accepting something you don't deserve'. On our own, we do NOT deserve anything good, but JESUS has paid the ultimate prices so that we can receive all that His Word promises! Who couldn't CHOOSE to 'surrender' to a God like this? AS you meditate on THAT thought, here is Hillsong with "I Surrender".

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I have ALWAYS loved today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin!

No Tresspassing!

"Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him]" (Ephesians 4:27 AMP).

 I remember reading in Reader's Digest about a lovely little patch of grass that people were prone to cut across. So the gardener built a small fence around this beautiful square of grass - just some small stakes and string. But people persisted in stepping over the string and walking across the grass. So the gardener painted a crude sign: Gentlemen will not, and others must not, trespass on this property! 

That gave me the idea of putting up a sign on my body. You can't see it, because it's in the spirit. But the devil can see it. My sign says: NO TRESPASSING! DEVIL, THIS MEANS YOU! I did that by faith. I've had that sign up for years now, and the devil doesn't trespass on God's property - my body. 

As the custodian of your body, it's your job to see to it that Satan does not trespass on God's property. 

Confession: As a custodian of God's property, I do not allow trespassers. I leave no room, nor do I even give a foothold for the devil. I allow him no opportunity.

Take up the mantle of authority that the Lord your God has already given you! YOU have authority over all the power of the enemy and nothing can "by any means hurt you!" AMEN! Look at Luke 10:19:

19 Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.

AMEN! HE desires that we walk in HIS authority so that HE can confirm the WORD that WE speak with signs, wonders and miracles! Thank You, JESUS! Here is Hillsong with "Desert Song":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today, on this special day of remembrance, I want to share Joseph Prince's "Grace Inspirations". During the traumatic days immediately following the horrific terrorist attacks, many stories began to surface of miraculous situations where people who SHOULD have been there, just simply were not there. The reasons ranged from simply being late to having other things come up or getting caught in traffic. Some of the stories involved people who felt in their inner man that they should not go! Of course, these stories never did make it into the main stream media. But it is essential that every born again believer KNOW that protection, provision and safety are THEIRS, by Covenant promise! However, just like anything else that we receive from God, it must be by faith! We must know what the Word o God says, then rely on Him daily to confirm His Word in our lives! It is my personal opinion that this is very hard to do unless believers are filled with the Spirit of God! It is supernatural! Here is the selection for today, called "He Gives His Angels Charge Over You":

Psalm 91:11–12 For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

You are about to step onto the road when something pulls you back just in time to avoid being hit by a speeding car. You are shocked. When you come to your senses, you ask yourself, “Could it be that an angel just saved me from a fatal accident?”

I believe that angels walk with us. The verse tells us that God has given His angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways. This means that they go ahead of you to protect you from the snares of the enemy.

But we may not know it when we encounter an angel. (Hebrews 13:2) This was probably the case with a couple in our church who were holidaying at a beach resort on Penang Island when a tsunami struck at about 12.30pm on 26 December 2004.

It was slightly past 11am when the wife suddenly had a craving for food from the mainland. The couple decided to check out earlier, so that they could reach the mainland in time for lunch. While loading their luggage into their car at the hotel driveway, a man impatiently motioned to them to hurry up and get moving.

Annoyed by his impatience, they quickly loaded their stuff and drove off. The minute they reached the mainland, they heard that a tsunami had struck Penang Island at the same beach where they were just a while ago. While thanking God for their narrow escape, it suddenly dawned on them that the impatient man could have been an angel charged by God to hurry them off!

God tells us that we have an innumerable company of angels. (Hebrews 12:22) And He has given them charge over us to protect us from accidents and other dangers. So don’t live fearful and limit your life. Believe that God loves you and that His angels walk with you and watch over you!

Thought For The Day: Don’t fear what the world fears because God loves you, and His angels walk with you and watch over you!

AMEN! From this moment on, when you remember these things, or when you look forward to plans you have of your own, REMEMBER that HE has already given His angels charge over you (Psalm 91:11-12 above)! Here is Hillsong with "Sinking Deep":

Shalom in Him!