Shalom,

Tomorrow we celebrate the Resurrection of JESUS from death to LIFE! Today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin covers this excellently as it pertains to US personally!

Raised Together

"And what is the exceeding greatness of his power, which he wrought in Christ, WHEN HE WHO RAISED HIM from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, AND YOU hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 1:19-20, 2:1). 

If you were to open your Bibles to Ephesians 2:1, a King James Version would look something like this: "AND you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." When a word is italicized in the King James Version, that means the word is not in the original manuscripts; the translators have added it. So the original reads, "And you who were dead in trespasses and sins." 

I wanted you to see that the verb which controls Ephesians 2:1 is back in Ephesians 1:20! (Paul didn't write in chapter and verse; men divided Paul's writings later for easy reference.) Our text today makes it clearer for you. Notice the capitalized words: "WHEN HE, GOD, RAISED HIM, Christ, from the dead. AND raised YOU…who were dead in trespasses and sins." 

The same verb that expresses the reviving of Christ also expresses the reviving of Christ's people! So the mighty act of God which raised Christ from the dead also raised His Body! 

Confession: The same mighty Power that raised Jesus from the dead also raised me! 

AMEN! We, who were once sinners separated from the God of the Bible, were MADE righteous with HIS righteousness at the very moment that JESUS was raised from the dead! We apply this to our lives when we receive JESUS as Lord and personal Saviour! I hope that YOU have done so! If not, pray this prayer, believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth that JESUS is LORD! 

Almighty God, I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus Christ came to this earth, died on the cross for me, was raised from the dead, and is now seated at Your right hand. I accept and receive Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour and I invite Him to come into my heart and become Lord over my life. I thank You now Father, for welcoming me into Your family. You are my Father. I am Your child. Jesus is my Lord! Amen.

AMEN! NOW you belong to HIM and have been made instantly righteous because of the precious Blood of JESUS! Rejoice in who you are - IN HIM! NO ONE can EVER take that away! Here is Hillsong with "Behold - Then Sings My Soul":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we read Psalm 89 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. I love the exaltation of our great GOD in this Psalm! This is called a "didactic" Psalm. Didactic simply means to instruct, educate, teach, inform. Look at some of my favorite verses:

Psalm 89

A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem, of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1 I will sing of the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness from generation to generation. 2 For I have said, Mercy and loving-kindness shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness will You establish in the very heavens [unchangeable and perpetual]. 

5 Let heaven (the angels) praise Your wonders, O Lord, Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones (the holy angels). 6 For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord? Who among the mighty [heavenly beings] can be likened to the Lord, 7 A God greatly feared and revered in the council of the holy (angelic) ones, and to be feared and worshipfully revered above all those who are round about Him? 8 O Lord God of hosts, who is a mighty one like unto You, O Lord? And Your faithfulness is round about You [an essential part of You at all times]. 9 You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves arise, You still them. 

 11 The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all that is in it, You have founded them. 12 The north and the south, You have created them; Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon joyously praise Your name. 13 You have a mighty arm; strong is Your hand, Your right hand is soaring high. 14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and loving-kindness and truth go before Your face. 15 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are the people who know the joyful sound; they walk, O Lord, in the light and favor of Your countenance! 16 In Your name they rejoice all the day, and in Your righteousness they are exalted. 17 For You are the glory of their strength [their proud adornment], and by Your favor our horn is exalted and we walk with uplifted faces. 18 For our shield belongs to the Lord, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.

I especially love the underlined portions! There is NO ONE like our GOD! None are even close! Never forget, when you face tests and trials, that HE has gone before you! He knows every aspect of what lies ahead of you in this life, and, if you allow Him, He will abundantly prepare you for VICTORY in every one! After all, God is FOR you (Romans 8:31)! Who can possibly come against you and succeed? NONE! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "I Exalt You":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin is so appropriate for this coming weekend!

Resurrection Power

"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection" (Philippians 3:10). 

Paul was actually praying in Ephesians that the Church would receive revelation knowledge of spiritual things. If you've been praying the Ephesian prayers for yourself, as I've suggested, you know that Paul wanted the believers at Ephesus to know:

The exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. (Ephesians 1:19-21)

There was such a manifestation of the divine omnipotence of God's power in raising Jesus from the dead that it is actually the mightiest working of God! And God wants us to know what happened when this occurred.

The resurrection was opposed by all the tremendous powers of the air. These evil forces endeavored to defeat the plan of God. But these powers were overthrown by our Lord Jesus Christ, and He has been enthroned far above them, ruling with the authority of the Most High. Thus, the source of our authority is found in this resurrection and seating of Christ by God.

Confession: The Power that raised Jesus from the dead is the Corporation behind the authority! 

AMEN! And that same power is strong enough to MAKE us MORE than CONQUERORS (Romans 8:37)! HALLELUJAH! Here is Hillsong with "Grace To Grace":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers speaks of something that has been on my heart at times over the past year. He speaks in a little different way, but the message is SO good!

Isn’t There Some Misunderstanding?

Let us go into Judea again. His disciples say unto Him…Goest Thou thither again? — John 11:7-8

I may not understand what Jesus Christ says, but it is dangerous to say that therefore He was mistaken in what He said. It is never right to think that my obedience to a word of God will bring dishonour to Jesus. The only thing that will bring dishonour is not obeying Him. To put my view of His honour in place of what He is plainly impelling me to do is never right, although it may arise from a real desire to prevent Him being put to open shame. I know when the proposition comes from God because of its quiet persistence. When I have to weigh the pros and cons, and doubt and debate come in, I am bringing in an element that is not of God, and I come to the conclusion that the suggestion was not a right one. Many of us are loyal to our notions of Jesus Christ, but how many of us are loyal to Him? Loyalty to Jesus means I have to step out where I do not see anything (cf. Matthew 14:29); loyalty to my notions means that I clear the ground first by my intelligence. Faith is not intelligent understanding, faith is deliberate commitment to a Person where I see no way.

Are you debating whether to take a step in faith in Jesus or to wait until you can see how to do the thing yourself? Obey Him with glad reckless joy. When He says something and you begin to debate, it is because you have a conception of His honour which is not His honour. Are you loyal to Jesus or loyal to your notion of Him? Are you loyal to what He says, or are you trying to compromise with conceptions which never came from Him? “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.”

AMEN! So many times we hear from God, and we KNOW it, but we allow the enemy to intimidate with his lies and innuendos! What to do? If the problem is that we truly don't understand, then get back in your place of fellowship with Him and ask until it is clear! If the problem is that you don't feel adequate for the 'job', then humble yourself under HIS mighty hand and HE will lift you up, give you the words, direct your steps and then HE will get all the glory, as it should be! If the problem is caring about what other people will say, then you need to spend the time required meditating on God's Word until you fall so in love with HIM again that those thoughts are tossed away as the junk that they are! Paul determined to KNOW the LORD more intimately every day (Philippians 3:10 AMP), so that he could continue to reach people with the powerful and glorious GOSPEL! Refuse to let anything come between you and the LORD JESUS! Make HIM you first priority and everything and everyone in your life will fall into place!  AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "One Thing":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I love to share the things I learn every day from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan, but some days the devotionals I read have something so important and so well presented that I have to share! Today it is Joseph Prince's "Grace Inspirations" that is SO good!

YOUR SINS ARE NOT BEING RECORDED

Hebrews 8:12 "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

I once read a comic book which showed how a man lusted after a woman, then died of a heart attack and went to heaven. In heaven, he saw a big screen showing everyone present a recording of all the sins which he had committed while on earth, including the last one. How embarrassing!

Don’t worry, that is not going to happen to you in heaven. There is no big screen with front-row and circle seats for everyone to sit and watch your past sins. There is no video recorder in heaven recording your sins right now. Because your lifetime of sins has already been punished in the body of Jesus, God declares to you, “Your sins and lawless deeds, I will by no means ever remember!”

This is true even for the Old Testament heroes of faith such as Abraham, Moses and David. If you read Hebrews 11, which was written after the cross of Jesus, you will notice that there is no record of their sins or failures. Yet, their life stories tell us that they were far from perfect.

Abraham lied twice about his wife Sarah. He told Pharaoh, and later, King Abimelech, that she was his sister to protect his own life. Moses killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew, and hid the body in the sand. David committed adultery with Bathsheba and later arranged for her husband to be killed in battle. Yet, their sins were not recorded in Hebrews 11, only their deeds done in faith!

God is showing you that He does not record your sins or failures today. Instead, He records your faith confessions and deeds done in response to what His Son has done for you. Every time you sin, every time you waver in your faith, God does not record it. But every time you believe Him and respond in faith, He records it! That should not make you want to sin more. It should free you to love God more!

So don’t be conscious of your failures. If God Himself does not remember them, who are you to remember them? Be conscious instead of your righteousness in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), and you will reign in life! (Romans 5:17)

AMEN! There are some believers who just cannot accept such a wonderful grace, and instead focus on their sin, and the sins of others. Our Father does NOT want us to focus on our mistakes! He wants us to focus on what HE has done to render our sins powerless! 1 John 1:9, contrary to most teaching on it, is NOT a call to make a list and recount all of our sins and mistakes! The word "confess" is the Greek word "homologeo", which means: to acknowledge, to agree with, to concede, to agree with. It simply means that WE agree with God and His Word. If God says something is sin, then we agree with Him that it is! We recognize and acknowledge when we DO sin, and then accept and receive His forgiveness for it! It is NOT a dwelling on, getting emotional over, or making a big deal about it. That type of behaviours gives power to the sin. Acknowledging, receiving forgiveness for and then thanking HIM for that forgiveness AND the cleansing from ALL unrighteousness, takes all of the power out of the schemes and strategies of the enemy to try and trip us up! Rejoice, instead, in the grace and mercy of God and His overwhelming love for us and the desire to sin will be replaced by the desire to please Him! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Grace To Grace":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I simply MUST share today's "Faith To Faith" devotional by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland! THIS is our essential mindset as believers!

Ambassador for Christ

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ.... 2 Corinthians 5:20

You are an ambassador for Christ! If you have made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, you have been sent to act as a representative for Him in this world. Just as nations send ambassadors to represent their interests in other countries, you've been sent here to look after the interests of the kingdom of God.

Think about that. Everywhere you go you are representing the King of kings and the Lord of lords. That's a very high honor. It may also seem like a rather tall bill to fill. But God has equipped you to do it. He's given you His Name and the power of His Word. He's even put His very own Spirit inside you. And He's given you the ability to hear and obey the directions of that Spirit.

I heard a prophecy years ago that said there would come a time when men on the earth would walk and talk and act like God. They'd be motivated by His power and His Spirit so strongly that people would say of them, "Look at those believers. They think they're God." No, the Holy Spirit said, they are not God. They are agents of God, children of God, ambassadors of God, sent to do the works of God.

I believe we're living in the day and hour that prophecy was talking about. We're seeing that army of light begin to grow.

This is no time to be half-consecrated and half-dedicated. This is the time to go all the way with God, to give Him your whole life. If you'll do that, He'll give you back such anointing and such power and such glory and goodness that you'll shine for Him, as Philippians 2:15 says, as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

Begin to think about yourself today, not as just another ordinary man or woman but as an ambassador of Almighty God. Let the interests of His kingdom be foremost in your mind and heart. Submit yourself to Him and say, "Lord, show me how to be Your representative in everything I do."

You are an ambassador for Christ. Begin to live like it today.

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:10-21

AMEN! This is happening, now more than ever before, all over the world! Believers are closing their ears to the naysayers and negative people and are stepping up to the place that pour Father has ALWAYS intended His people to walk in! Remember 1 Corinthians 6:20:

You were bought with a price [you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own]. So then, honor and glorify God with your body.

THAT (the above message) is how we DO this! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "No Reason To Hide":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Romans 12:1-2 have always been favorite verses of mine when I read them from the Amplified Bible!

 I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

It is truly worship in the eyes of God when we commit our lives - spirit and soul and body - into HIS hands and for HIS will! I like that the Amplified Bible says: Make a "decisive dedication". That means a well-informed decision! When you and I make that decisive commitment to just boldly do "our part", then we will begin to see more and more supernatural workings as the God of the Bible confirms HIS WORD in our lives! AMEN!!! Meditate on these two verses and see what more you can learn because the Spirit of Almighty God is IN YOU! AMEN! Allow Him to reveal Himself and you will be amazed at the magnitude of His love for us! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with a song that I really like called Wake:

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 84 in today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan is excellent! Here is a portion of it!  

To the Chief Musician; set to a Philistine lute, or [possibly] a particular Gittite tune. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

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. 3 Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. 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.6 Passing through the Valley of Weeping (Baca), they make it a place of springs; the early rain also fills [the pools] with blessings. 7 They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]; each of them appears before God in Zion.

AMEN! ALL of the promises of God, after the New Birth, are YES and AMEN in HIM! We can COUNT on HIM and on it! Are you ready for this?? YES, you are! So, cast that care on JESUS and just worship Him with  everything within you! Here, to help you do so, is Hillsong Young and Free with "Wake":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food". 

For Another

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth" (3 John 1:4). 

When a Spirit-filled relative of mine couldn't seem to grasp certain important Bible truths, I prayed the Ephesian prayers for him every morning and night, inserting his name in the appropriate places: 

"Lord, I'm praying this prayer for 'Joe.' God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give unto 'Joe' the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of 'Joe's' understanding be enlightened; that 'Joe' may know what is the hope of His calling, and what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." 

And I continued on through both prayers. I prayed these prayers for him morning and night for ten days. Finally he wrote me, saying, "It's amazing how things have opened up to me. I'm beginning to see what you've been talking about." No human teacher had talked to him about spiritual matters. 

People frequently want to know how to pray for friends and loved ones. Some people just pray, "God, bless them." But God has already blessed them with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3). They just don't know it, so they can't take advantage of it. Pray these Ephesian prayers for your friends and loved ones. Stay with it morning and night, and more frequently if you can. 

Confession: (Pray the Ephesian prayers for someone you desire to walk in the truth.) 

Here are both of those prayers:

Ephesians 1:16–23
16 [I] Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Ephesians 3:14–21
14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Now substitute the name of the person you are praying for the "you" and make it a most powerful ,personal prayer! AMEN! If you want to really dig into it, pray these from the Amplified Bible! Now stand back and watch the Lord our God work HIS work in them! HALLELUJAH! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Desert Song", which is a song all about prayer!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read Psalm 81 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today. Look at verses 1-2:

1 Sing aloud to God our Strength! Shout for joy to the God of Jacob! 2 Raise a song, sound the timbrel, the sweet lyre with the harp.

I know that there are still some believers who prefer 'quiet' praise, but it is NOT Scripturally correct to do so! Praise, by its very nature, is loud and to be heard! "Sing aloud", above, is the Hebrew word "ranan", which means: to emit a stridulous sounds, to SHOUT (usually for joy)! The Dictionary definition of 'stridulous' is: to make a shrill, harsh, grating sound! Certainly NOT very 'quiet' with that one! Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon goes on to say about 'ranan': to give a ringing cry; to shout for joy, to overcome. Vine's Expository Dictionary goes on to say: to express joy and exaltation, which seems to demand loud singing, especially when it is praise to God! "Shout for joy", above, is the Hebrew word "ruwa`", which means: to split the ears with sound, shout for joy. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon says: to shout, to raise a sound, to cry out, to give a blast, to shout a war-cry, to signal war, to shout in triumph, to shout an applause. The Theological Wordbook says: to raise a noise (by shouting or with an instrument). SO, although there is a time and place to "Be still and know that (HE) is God", THIS is NOT one of those! In fact, it would be considered disobedience to the Word of God to always do so, and to never do what is actually being spoken here! Let's look at the end of Psalm 81 to see what happens when God's people rebel against Him and His Word! Verses 11-16:

11 But My people would not hearken to My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. 12 So I gave them up to their own hearts’ lust and let them go after their own stubborn will, that they might follow their own counsels. 13 Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! 14 Speedily then I would subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their adversaries. 15 [Had Israel listened to Me in Egypt, then] those who hated the Lord would have come cringing before Him, and their defeat would have lasted forever. 16 [God] would feed [Israel now] also with the finest of the wheat; and with honey out of the rock would I satisfy you.

Refuse to be stubborn, as the Israelites were, but instead, DO the first two verse we read in Psalm 81, and then EXPECT to see the mighty hand of the Most High God arrange everything thing in YOUR life for HIS Good! AMEN! Here is Darlene Zschech with an older song called "Shout To The Lord":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I want you to REALLY see something from today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! Romans 8:1-2:

8 Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death.

Do you notice the words that are italicized above? That means that they are NOT THERE! If you look these two verses up in the Strong's Concordance, you would see that there is no Strong's # for these words! They were added by the translators because THEY thought it made the verses clearer! In fact, these added words took all of the faith out of these two verses for many people! THIS is what is actually says:

8 Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death.

There is NO condemnation! Why? Because the price for ALL SIN, for ALL PEOPLE, has been paid, ONCE, for ALL TIME! The ONLY condition is that JESUS must be received in order to activate this free and wonderfully powerful GIFT! If condemnation comes your way, KNOW, without doubt, that it does NOT come from God! It either comes from other people putting their own ideas on you, or your unrenewed mind. In BOTH cases, the devil is the source! NEVER GOD! So DON'T TAKE IT! EVER! Amen! Here is Hillsong with "Grace To Grace":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

Friendship With God

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

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

Its Difficulties. Why did Abraham stop praying when he did? He was not intimate enough yet to go boldly on until God granted his desire, there was something yet to be desired in his relationship to God. Whenever we stop short in prayer and say — “Well, I don’t know; perhaps it is not God’s will” — there is still another stage to go. We are not so intimately acquainted with God as Jesus was, and as He wants us to be — “That they may be one even as we are one.” Think of the last thing you prayed about — were you devoted to your desire or to God? 

Determined to get some gift of the Spirit or to get at God? “Your Heavenly Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask Him.” The point of asking is that you may get to know God better. “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Keep praying in order to get a perfect understanding of God Himself.

AMEN! Our Father DESIRES that we have intimate fellowship with Him! Holy Spirit has been given to us for that very purpose! So that WE could have constant access to the God of all the universe, right in the center of our being!!! If YOU have received JESUS as Lord and personal Saviour, then you HAVE the Spirit of Almighty God IN you! practice getting used to His presence. Your life will NEVER be the same again!@ Wherever you go, you will NEVER go alone again! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "From The Inside Out":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

To day I want to share again from Joseph Prince's "Grace Inspirations" devotional:

THE BLOOD OF JESUS PROTECTS!

Exodus 12:13   …And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

For 400 years, the children of Israel were slaves in Egypt. Life for them was one of hard labor, pain, loss and even death. When Moses their deliverer came, what soon followed was one plague after another on the Egyptians. But none of the plagues caused Pharaoh to release the Israelites until they put the blood on their doorposts. What nine plagues could not do, the blood did! The Israelites were finally set free because of the blood.

Are you under any kind of bondage? Are your loved ones held captive by the destroyer who is bent on destroying them? Plead the blood of the Lamb of God over all that is yours and your family’s. When nothing else seems to work, His blood always works!

When I was a teenager doing a stint as a relief teacher in a primary school, one of the girls in my class was absent from school one day. I didn’t think too much about her absence until I returned home that afternoon. As I was praying, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to pray for her protection and to cover her with the precious blood of Jesus.

It was revealed later on that she had been abducted by a notorious serial killer who had murdered a number of young children. My pupil recounted how she had been tied up and offered to the “deities” the killer had in his flat. Miraculously, he released her when the evil spirits found her to be an unsuitable offering.

Why was this pupil released unharmed? I believe that she was presented to the deities on the same afternoon that I pleaded the blood of Jesus over her. Of course, the evil spirits did not want her because the Most High God would not allow them to have her. God was protecting her. She was set free because of the blood of Jesus!

You see, when you plead the blood of Jesus, the destroyer cannot come near. When he sees the blood, he must respect the blood. He cannot touch what is covered by the blood. The blood of Jesus truly protects and sets you free!

There is POWER in the Blood of JESUS, in the Name of JESUS and in the Spoken Word of God! In order to have complete faith and confidence in the Blood of JESUS, you need to LEARN about the Blood! Check out your church's library for teaching on the Blood and study, ponder, meditate on and SPEAK the Blood over YOUR life and loved ones! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "I Will Boast in Christ Alone":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Do you remember that before David slew Goliath, he reminded himself of past victories over the bear and the lion? He did NOT dwell on his own limitations of age, experience, size and weapons. In David's eyes, his GOD would give him whatever was necessary to defeat this arrogant defiler of the Name of GOD MOST HIGH! David had all confidence. NOT in himself, but in the GOD that he served and honored! THAT is the type of faith and confidence that WE need to have in the One, True God and in our place IN HIM! Goliath soon found out what David's God could do! Today's Psalm is also about a man of God, in his time of need, offering his sacrifice of faith that HIS God IS GOD! Psalm 77:11-20: 

11 I will [earnestly] recall the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will [earnestly] remember the wonders [You performed for our fathers] of old. 12 I will meditate also upon all Your works and consider all Your [mighty] deeds. 13 Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary [in holiness, away from sin and guilt]. Who is a great God like our God? 14 You are the God Who does wonders; You have demonstrated Your power among the peoples. 15 You have with Your [mighty] arm redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! 16 When the waters [at the Red Sea and the Jordan] saw You, O God, they were afraid; the deep shuddered also, for [all] the waters saw You. 17 The clouds poured down water, the skies sent out a sound [of rumbling thunder]; Your arrows went forth [in forked lightning]. 18 The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind, the lightnings illumined the world; the earth trembled and shook. 19 Your way [in delivering Your people] was through the sea, and Your paths through the great waters, yet Your footsteps were not traceable, but were obliterated. 20 You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

DO THIS and YOU will come out victoriously - EVERY TIME! AMEN! Here is a very old song from Hillsong called "This Is How We Overcome":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share from Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "From Faith To Faith" devotional!

Start Planting

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever. 1 Peter 1:23

You won't really get excited about the Word of God until you realize that it's more than just a collection of divinely-inspired promises. It's a living force that literally carries within it the power to make those promises become a reality in your life.

Is it tough for you to believe such a thing is possible? It shouldn't be. You see it happen in the natural world all the time.

If I were to put a tomato seed in your hand and tell you that within that tiny, dry seed lies the power to produce a stalk thousands of times bigger than the seed, to produce leaves and roots and round, red tomatoes, you wouldn't have any trouble believing that, would you? You know from experience that even though that scrawny seed doesn't look like a tomato factory, somehow, given the right environment, it will become one.

Jesus says the Word of God works by that same principle. There's miraculous power within it. It is a seed that, once planted by faith in a human heart, will produce more blessings than you can imagine.

Once you grasp that, you'll get extremely excited about the Word of God. That's what happened to me.

Over 45 years ago, I caught a glimpse of what that Word could do. I caught a glimpse of the power within it. Before long, I had a Bible in every room of my house, a Bible in my car, and a tape player going nearly all the time.

I spent every possible moment in the Word of God because I wanted the power of that Word inside me more than I wanted anything else in the world. I knew it would blow the limits off my life, limits that had held me back and kept me down for years. I knew that when I read it, I wasn't just reading, I was planting seeds. Seeds of prosperity, seeds of health, seeds of protection and seeds of victory for every area of my life.

Don't treat the Word of God like a book. It's not! It's spiritual seed that has the supernatural power within it to produce the harvest of a lifetime. Get excited about it and start planting today!

I LOVE this post SO much! I have seen, over the years, SO many people who "give faith a try". It is completely ridiculous to think that the God of all the universe would do something so very profound for the creation that He loves, and people want to 'try' it! Of course, when they 'tried it', absolutely nothing happened. Why? Because God ONLY answers to FAITH! And in case you are tempted by the enemy to even think that this is unfair, realize that the God of the Bible EXPECTS faith from us, and He is the very One who GIVES us a 'measure' of faith to begin with (Romans 12:3), and then gives us the 'seed' to obtain much more faith, His Word (Romans 10:17)! So USE the faith that God has given YOU, as a born again believer in JESUS. Grow that faith, and obtain even more faith, by getting into, and continually "hearing" the Word of God. There is NOTHING and NO ONE who can stop YOU, except YOU! Don't get in your own way! Dare to believe God and His Word! Dare to 'expect the unexpected"! Be aware of HIS presence continually and give Him praise NOW for what is to come! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Shadow Step":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really love today's "Grace Inspirations" by Joseph Prince! 

NOTHING SHALL BY ANY MEANS HURT YOU!

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Years ago, while traveling on a domestic flight in the United States, I was seated next to a woman whose whole body was tense with fear. Concerned, I asked if I could help her in any way. Between sobs, she told me about her fear of flying. I told her, “Don’t worry. I am on board. Nothing will happen to the plane.” I did not say it with pride. I said it knowing that the Lord was on board the plane with me and that I would have a safe journey because He has promised that “nothing shall by any means hurt you”.

Once, when Jesus was in the boat with his disciples, He told them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” (Mark 4:35) Believing that they would cross over to the other side, He fell asleep in the stern. A great storm arose, but it could not rouse Him from His sleep, only the cries of His terrified disciples did. They had forgotten what Jesus had said about them crossing over to the other side. They had also forgotten that with Jesus in the boat with them, there was no possibility of them going down. Nothing could by any means hurt them because Jesus was with them.

Even being thrown into a fiery furnace could not hurt three young Hebrew men because they believed that God would deliver them. They had proclaimed to the heathen King Nebuchadnezzar, “...our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.” (Daniel 3:17) And in the midst of their fiery trial, their deliverer not only walked with them in the fire, He also delivered them from all harm. King Nebuchadnezzar even said, “Look! I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25)

Beloved, in the midst of your storm or fiery trial, because Jesus is with you, nothing shall by any means hurt you!

AMEN and AMEN! We MUST develop this same confidence in the protection, provision and safety that is ours as a result of being members of the family of God!  Only disobedience can keep us from walking in the confidence of Godly protection! Disobedience has two faces. One is of those who disobey because they lack knowledge. The ANSWER is to GET knowledge! Spend time in the Word of God on a daily basis! The second is of those who disobey because they simply choose to do something their own way, instead of God's way. The ANSWER is to find out what GOD wants and then do it! HIS WAY! Amen! A lifetime of great blessings and rewards awaits those who WILL repent! (Change your thinking to agree with God, Who is ALWAYS right!) AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Where You Are":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really love today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers!

The Discipline Of Dismay

And as they followed, they were afraid. — Mark 10:32

At the beginning we were sure we knew all about Jesus Christ, it was a delight to sell all and to fling ourselves out in a hardihood of love; but now we are not quite so sure. Jesus is on in front and He looks strange. “Jesus went before them and they were amazed.”

There is an aspect of Jesus that chills the heart of a disciple to the core and makes the whole spiritual life gasp for breath. This strange Being with His face set like a flint and His striding determination strikes terror into me. He is no longer Counsellor and Comrade, He is taken up with a point of view I know nothing about, and I am amazed at Him. At first I was confident that I understood Him, but now I am not so sure. I begin to realize there is a distance between Jesus Christ and me; I can no longer be familiar with Him. He is ahead of me and He never turns round; I have no idea where He is going, and the goal has become strangely far off.

Jesus Christ had to fathom every sin and every sorrow man could experience, and that is what makes Him seem strange. When we see Him in this aspect we do not know Him, we do not recognize one feature of His life, and we do not know how to begin to follow Him. He is on in front, a Leader Who is very strange, and we have no comradeship with Him.

The discipline of dismay is essential in the life of discipleship. The danger is to get back to a little fire of our own and kindle enthusiasm at it (cf. Isaiah 50:10-11). When the darkness of dismay comes, endure until it is over, because out of it will come that following of Jesus which is an unspeakable joy.

I have heard it put this way: The closer we get to God, the farther away it seems that we are. As we spend time with Him in praise, prayer, and meditation and obedience to His Word, we become more like Him in those areas. The funny, and sometimes sad, thing about that is this: The closer we get to the LIGHT, the bigger the areas of 'darkness' that we have chosen to hold on to will seem! There will never be a time, here, in this life, when we will become perfect! We simply grow from Grace to Grace,  and from Glory to Glory, until the day that we meet JESUS face to face! THEN we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is! 1 John 3:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18:

And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.

Beloved, we are [even here and] now God’s children; it is not yet disclosed (made clear) what we shall be [hereafter], but we know that when He comes and is manifested, we shall [as God’s children] resemble and be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He [really] is.

AMEN! So, never be content with where you are in your walk with God. PURSUE Him, and fellowship with Him, so that you can continue to grow in fresh and new illumination of His Word every single day! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with an older song called "Everyday":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In Psalm 73:12-16 in our Spoken Word BIble RadingPlan for today, the psalmist is having a very hard time understanding why the wicked (those WITHOUT God in this world) can be blessed, prosperous and SEEM to do better ,even, than God's people at times! Let's look at these verses:

12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who always prosper and are at ease in the world; they increase in riches. 13 Surely then in vain have I cleansed my heart and washed my hands in innocency. 14 For all the day long have I been smitten and plagued, and chastened every morning. 15 Had I spoken thus [and given expression to my feelings], I would have been untrue and have dealt treacherously against the generation of Your children. 16 But when I considered how to understand this, it was too great an effort for me and too painful

He simply could not wrap his mind around what He KNEW of God and what tiings APPEARED to be like! Notice, now, verse 17:

17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood [for I considered] their end.

Once the psalmist looked to the God of the Bible for the answer, he received! What was the answer? Look at verses 18-22:

18 [After all] You do set the [wicked] in slippery places; You cast them down to ruin and destruction. 19 How they become a desolation in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors! 20 As a dream [which seems real] until one awakens, so, O Lord, when You arouse Yourself [to take note of the wicked], You will despise their outward show. 21 For my heart was grieved, embittered, and in a state of ferment, and I was pricked in my heart [as with the sharp fang of an adder]. 22 So foolish, stupid, and brutish was I, and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.

Once he stopped being jealous and envious of the prosperity of those without God in the world, THEN he began to understand just how very blessed he actually was, AND how envious the world was of HIM! Verses 23-28:

23 Nevertheless I am continually with You; You do hold my right hand. 24 You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to honor and glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And I have no delight ordesire on earth besides You. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the Rock and firm Strength of my heart and my Portion forever. 27 For behold, those who are far from You shall perish; You will destroy all who are false to You and like [spiritual] harlots depart from You. 28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God and made Him my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.

The next time that YOU are tempted by this type of thinking, pull yourself out of it by speaking the Word of God over every situation in your life! When YOU begin to walk in the fullness of God's plans and purposes for YOU, THEN you will see that what God does for us is so much more than anything that the world has to offer! TRUST HIM! You can NEVER go wrong! Here is Hillsong with "Future Marches In":

Shalom in Him!