Shalom,

I am currently on vacation with family and friends and will be taking a break from the blog for 2 weeks. I may do a vacation post occasionally, but will resume daily posts beginning May 2! In the meantime, dive deeper into the Word of God and discover the hidden treasures that bring LIFE! Amen! Here is Hillsong Worship with another new song from their "There Is More" album called Touch of Heaven":

VERSE1: How I live for the moments Where I’m still in Your presence All the noise dies down Lord speak to me now You have all my attention I will linger and listen I can’t miss a thing PRE-CHORUS: Lord I know my heart wants more of You My heart wants something new So I surrender all CHORUS: All I want is to live within Your love Be undone by who You are My desire is to know You deeper Lord I will open up again Throw my fears into the wind I am desperate for a touch of heaven VERSE 2: You’re the fire in the morning You’re the cool in the evening The breath in my soul The life in my bones There is no hesitation In Your love and affection It’s the sweetest of all BRIDGE: I open up my heart to You I open up my heart to You now So do what only You can Jesus have Your way in me now

Shalom in Him! 

Shalom,

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

Paralyzed

"And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14). 

"That He might paralyze him that held the dominion of death, that is the Adversary" (Hebrews 2:14, Rotherham). 

Jesus put to naught the hosts of darkness! He paralyzed their death-dealing power! And when Jesus met John the Revelator on the Isle of Patmos, Jesus said, "I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" (Revelation 1:18). 

Keys represent authority. Jesus conquered Satan and stripped him of his authority. Jesus was the Master of all hell!  But Jesus did not conquer Satan for Himself. He conquered him for us. It was as though you and I personally had met Satan and had conquered him, stripped him of his authority, and stood as master over him. 

Confession: Jesus is my Head. Jesus is Lord over all. Jesus conquered Satan for me. Jesus stripped Satan of his authority over me. In the eyes of Heaven, hell, and this universe, it was as though I personally had met Satan and had conquered him, stripped him of his authority, and stood there as master over him. Therefore, in Christ Jesus, I am more than a conqueror. I am a holder of authority. I stand as master over Satan and all his cohorts! 

AMEN! Now continually meditate on and continually speak about the Covenant that YOU have with Almighty God because of the Blood of JESUS! God LOVEs when we do that! Satan HATES when we do that! Two of the best reasons in the world to continually do so! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Remembrance":

VERSE 1: I take the bread of life Broken for all my sin Your body crucified To make me whole again VERSE 2: I will recall the cup Poured out in sacrifice To trade this sinners' end For Your new covenant CHORUS: Hallelujah I'll live my life in remembrance Hallelujah Your promise I won't forget VERSE 3: I'll walk salvation's road With fear and trembling Your way borne as my own As Christ is formed in me CHORUS: Hallelujah I'll live my life in remembrance Hallelujah Your promise I won't forget POST CHORUS 1: If ever I should lose my way If ever I deny Your grace Remind me of the price You paid Hallelujah I'll live in remembrance BRIDGE (repeated): You've been so so good to me You've been so so good to me Oh to think where I would be If not for You If not for You POST CHORUS 2: As far as heights reach from the depths As far as east is from the west So far Your grace has carried me POST CHORUS 3: Until I see You face to face Until at last I've won my race Remind me Youʼre not finished yet TAG: Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah I'll live in remembrance

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith To Faith" by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland is another one to get inside! 

Use God's MO

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Hebrews 11:3

God uses words to create. He used His Word to “frame” the worlds. Just look in the first chapter of Genesis and count how many times you see the phrase, “And God said.” “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.... And God said, Let there be a firmament.... And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together.... And God said, Let the earth bring forth...” (verses 3, 6, 9, 11).

God doesn’t do anything without saying it first. That’s His MO, His mode of operation. And, if you’re smart, you’ll use that mode of operation too. You’ll take His words and speak them out until they take on form and substance and become a reality in your life.

“Well, Brother Copeland, I tried that and it didn’t work. I said, ‘By His stripes I’m healed’ four times and nothing happened.”

Big deal. God started saying that Jesus was coming in the Garden of Eden. He said it again in Exodus. He said it again in Numbers and Deuteronomy. He said it in Isaiah and the other prophets. He said it all through the Old Testament, over and over again.

Then after about 4,000 years, the book of John tells us, “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...” (1:14).

So if you’ve said you’re healed four times and nothing’s happened, don’t worry about it. Just keep saying it! You might think it’s taking a long time to manifest, but I’ll guarantee you, it won’t take 7,000 years.

Do you want to operate in God’s power? Then use His MO. Speak out His words and let them frame a life full of blessing for you!

Amen! God's way of doing things is ALWAYS the BEST way! Here is Hillsong Worship with ''Be Still":

VERSE 1: Be still and know That the Lord is in control Be still my soul Stand and watch as giants fall CHORUS: I won’t be afraid You are here You silence all my fear I won’t be afraid You don’t let go Be still my heart and know I won’t be afraid VERSE 2: Be still and trust What the Lord has said is done Find rest don’t strive Watch as faith and grace align BRIDGE: Surely love and mercy Your peace and kindness Will follow me Will follow me POST CHORUS: Your love surrounds me Your love surrounds me here

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

By now most of you know that one of my very favorite verses of Scripture is Philippians 3:10 from the Amplified Bible.

10 [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection

There is something we read in today's Psalm from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan that makes more sense in the light of Philippians 3:10! Psalm 103:7:

7 He made known His ways [of righteousness and justice] to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.

God was able to show Moses His ways, while the children of Israel could only see His acts! "Ways" is the Hebrew word "derek", which means: a course of life or mode of action, a manner, moral character. The people only saw what God DID, but Moses was privy to why He did these things! What caused that difference? Moses had a desire to know God and he drew close to God. The people desired for Moses to know God and then tell them what God was saying! How do I know that this it true? Look at Exodus 19:18-21:

18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” 21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

Moses KNEW God because he followed on to know Him! YOU CAN, TOO! I hope that you will make it YOUR 'determined purpose' to really know the ONE Who gave it all so that you and I can TRULY LIVE! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "God So Loved":

VERSE 1: I shall hold To the cross I shall hold To God alone For His love Has salvaged me For His love Has set me free CHORUS: For God so loved the world That He gave His only Son Whosoever believes Will not perish They shall have eternal life VERSE 2: I shall wait Upon the Lord I shall wait Upon His Word By His grace I am released By His grace I am redeemed BRIDGE: By His precious blood I have been set free For the glory of Jesus' Name I surrender all Now to Christ alone In Jesus I am saved

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest"  by Oswald Chambers has a very important message to share with us! 

Moral Dominion

Death hath no more dominion over Him…in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God. — Romans 6:9-11

Co-Eternal Life. Eternal life was the life which Jesus Christ exhibited on the human plane, and it is the same life, not a copy of it, which is manifested in our mortal flesh when we are born of God. Eternal life is not a gift from God, eternal life is the gift of God. The energy and the power which was manifested in Jesus will be manifested in us by the sheer sovereign grace of God when once we have made the moral decision about sin.

Ye shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost — not power as a gift from the Holy Ghost; the power is the Holy Ghost, not something which He imparts. The life that was in Jesus is made ours by means of His Cross when once we make the decision to be identified with Him. If it is difficult to get right with God, it is because we will not decide definitely about sin. Immediately we do decide, the full life of God comes in. Jesus came to give us endless supplies of life: “that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Eternal Life has nothing to do with Time, it is the life which Jesus lived when He was down here. The only source of Life is the Lord Jesus Christ.

The weakest saint can experience the power of the Deity of the Son of God if once he is willing to “let go.” Any strand of our own energy will blur the life of Jesus. We have to keep letting go, and slowly and surely the great full life of God will invade us in every part, and men will take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus.

This is SO good! I am referring especially to the underlined portions! We KNOW that HE has given us Eternal Life, but the right perspective makes all the difference inthe world! Eternal Life is NOT just God bestowing a GIFT on us! He is giving us HIMSELF! Holy Spirit is the presence and power of God manifested on the earth in this age, and HE desires to live BIG in each of us, and ALL of us! I hope that this inspires YOU to learn more about Holy Spirit, His power, His ways and His presence! HE is waiting on YOU, so GO FOR IT! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "The Passion":

VERSE 1: The passion of our Saviour The mercy of our God The cross that leaves no question Of the measure of His love CHORUS: Our chains are gone Our debt is paid The cross has overthrown the grave For Jesus’ blood that sets us free Means death to death And life for me VERSE 2: The Innocent judged guilty While the guilty one walks free Death would be His portion And our portion liberty BRIDGE: I give my whole life To honour this love By the Lamb who was slain I’m forgiven The sinner’s Saviour Crown Him forever For the Lamb who was slain He is risen

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I love this from Joseph Prince's "Grace Inspirations" for today:

Psalm 89:34 My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.

When God promises you something, do you take Him at His Word? Or do you, like Abraham, ask, “Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?” (Genesis 15:8)

God did not reprimand Abraham for failing to take Him at His Word. That is how gracious God is to His people. He even came down to Abraham’s level of faith and did something to assure Abraham that He would always keep His promises—He made a covenant with Abraham. (Genesis 15:9–17)

God did not do it for His own benefit. God is a God of His Word. He does not break His Word. But He bound Himself to a covenant because He knew that Abraham needed to know in his heart that God would do whatever He had promised him.

Man finds it hard to just believe words. For example, when you buy a house, a contract is drawn up and signed by both parties, and lawyers are involved. You need a contract because you cannot trust the other person’s words and he cannot trust yours either.

Likewise, we find it hard to take God at His Word. So God made a covenant with us, not because He cannot be trusted, but because He knows that we find it hard to just believe what He says. God knows that man will wonder, “What if God wakes up on the wrong side of His bed tomorrow and decides to fry me instead of bless me?”

But because God has made a new covenant with us, which is established by the blood of His Son, we can, like Abraham, not waver through unbelief regarding the promises of God, but be strengthened in our faith, being fully persuaded that God will do as He has promised. (Romans 4:20–21) We have the assurance that God will not wake up one day and say, “Forget the new covenant. I want to remember your sins now and curse you instead of bless you!”

My friend, the new covenant blessings for you are guaranteed because God has bound Himself to the covenant. And He is a covenant-keeping God who is willing and more than able to do everything He has promised you!

AMEN! Our God IS GOD, and HE is SO GOOD! His Word is TRUTH and He will NEVER change! He loves us with an everlasting love that is NEVER dependent on US, but on Himself! HALLELUJAH! We can count on Him! So, what is holding YOU back from believing for what the world says is impossible? Remember, with our great God, ALL things are possible! (Matthew 19:26) Here is Hillsong Worship with "God So Loved":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read Psalm 100 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today. I know that you are probably very familiar with this, but I am sharing it because it is SO good! 

A Psalm of thanksgiving and for the thank offering. 

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing! 3 Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name! 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.

I want to challenge you with this Psalm as an exhortation today! When was the last time that you came consciously before the presence of the LORD in this manner? Many times we RUN to Him when we have a request, a problem, a situation or a question. We have every right to do so, and HE tells us to in Hebrews 4:16:

16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

This is GOOD to do! But the message of Psalm 100 is SO MUCH BETTER! Enter HIS presence with thanksgiving, and praise! Be thankful and SAY TO HIM! That is not just a good suggestion! That it a command! So, let's do it now!

"JESUS, we come into your presence with grateful and thankful hearts! We praise YOU for WHO YOU ARE, and we thank YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE and WILL DO! We BLESS YOU and with all the love within us, we PRAISE YOUR HOLY NAME! HALLELUJAH! AMEN!"

Now doesn't that just lift YOU up inside and cause your heart to overflow with thankfulness? If we will maintain this grateful and thankful attitude, and TELL HIM SO, then when we face trials, it will be so automatic to us to turn our eyes immediately on HIM and He will direct us immediately to the steps we need to take towards total and complete VICTORY! Our God is GOOD like that! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "You Are Life":

VERSE 1: You have come And we have found life Everlasting Now alive To know Your freedom Never ending PRE CHORUS: You alone have made a way for us In Your love You are life CHORUS: I’m living in the light of my Saviour Dancing in the arms of forever I’m singing like I’m walking on water You are life Alive in me VERSE 2: From greyest skies To living colour You have called us In Your life Your light uncovered The world to see now POST - CHORUS: I give my life to follow ‘Cause Your love is all I want now You are life You are life Alive in me BRIDGE: For all the world to find Your love For all the world to see that You are God Forever be lifted high The One who holds the universe And every beating heart across the earth Jesus be lifted high

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

If you have been reading this blog for any time at all, you know that I LOVE word studies! One thing that I have found to be very interesting is that sometimes the translators added words that they thought would make the meaning of the verse clearer. When you look at the actual words, leaving out the ones added, you sometimes come up with an even deeper meaning! I believe that this is the case with our reading in Luke today! The disciples of JESUS ask Him to show them how to pray. Rather than give them an actual prayer, as so many of us have been taught through the years, JESUS gave them a format for approaching God the Father in ALL manners of prayer! Here is Luke 11:1-4 as it is written:

1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. KJV

The Amplified Bible looks like this:

1 Then He was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, [just] as John taught his disciples. 2 And He said to them, When you pray, say: Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come. Your will be done [held holy and revered] on earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us daily our bread [food for the morrow]. 4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us [who has offended us or done us wrong]. And bring us not into temptation but rescue us from evil.

Now notice all of the words in italics! THOSE are the words added! As we dig deeper into the original words, we see that it SHOULD read like this:

When you pray, say Father, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Give us day by day our daily bread. Also, forgive us our sins for we forgive everyone that is indebted  to us and lead us not into temptation. 

THAT is IT! There is something powerful that happens when we simply take God at His Word and stop trying to make everything sound flowery, or religious or MORE! IT IS ENOUGH! HE is ENOUGH! AMEN! We are to come before our Father with respect, reverence and awe, honoring HIM for Who He is and for what He has done! With that attitude, we will be in the position to receive what HE has promised! AMEN! Then we ask that HIS KINGDOM would come! This is NOT in reference to Heaven when we leave this earth, but to our operating in Kingdom principles, right here, and right now! Having HIS will revealed and displayed in the earth WILL draw people unto JESUS! When we speak of His forgiveness of our sins, we are showing that we understand that we MUST forgive others if we desire to be able to receive His forgiveness! He has already, in JESUS, provided for the forgiveness of ALL sin, but the condition for our receiving this now is that we forgive others, also! I also believe that when we speak of Him leading us NOT into temptation, we are acknowledging the TRUTH that HE will NOT tempt us with evil, but only with GOOD, as He has promised (James 1:13)! Meditate on this and decide whether you agree or not! If you do, then begin to put this into practice and stop repeating, reciting or singing empty words that do not TRULY reflect HIS Word!  You will find your faith rising high as you honor the power of His Word! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "You Are Life":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's reading in Psalms for our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan is SO appropriate for our Sunday Worship Service at The Spoken Word Church! Psalm 98

A Psalm.

1 O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have wrought salvation for Him. 2 The Lord has made known His salvation; His righteousness has He openly shown in the sight of the nations. 3 He has [earnestly] remembered His mercy and loving-kindness, His truth and His faithfulness toward the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have witnessed the salvation of our God. 4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy, yes, sing praises! 5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the voice of melody. 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord! 7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it, the world, and those who dwell in it! 8 Let the rivers clap their hands; together let the hills sing for joy 9 Before the Lord, for He is coming to judge [and rule] the earth; with righteousness will He judge [and rule] the world, and the peoples with equity.

HALLELUJAH!!! Our God IS GOD, and HE REIGNS! Amen! make your own joyful noise to the LORD today! You can do so by singing the Word to Him, and Psalms is a wonderful place to start! Here is Hillsong Worship with a song from their new album called "Who You Say I Am":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

There is a TRUTH revealed in today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin that so many believers do not realize! 

His Body

"Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular" (1 Corinthians 12:27). 

We've sometimes prayed about the Lord's work upon the earth like this: "Lord, You do this. Lord, You do that." 

But think about what Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 and 19, "All power, authority is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore." The Lord Jesus Christ conferred the authority on the earth upon us. He commissioned us to go. 

Actually, the authority that Christ can exercise on the earth has to be exercised through the Church. The Church is His Body. And the Church is here. Christ is not here. He's at the right hand of the Father. Christ is the Head of the Church, but all of His orders have to be carried out through His Body. Everything Christ does on the earth has to be done through His Body. 

You're a member in particular of Christ's Body. He has conferred upon you authority over all the power of the enemy! 

Confession: I am a member in particular of the Body of Christ. I am a worker together with God in the completing of His work upon the earth. I am well-equipped. I am endued with power and authority in Jesus' Name. And I will faithfully fulfill my part in God's plan. 

Everything that God does on the earth now is done through His BODY! That's US! HE, the Sovereign God, set it up that way! So, the next time you see something that SHOULD be done, begin to pray about what YOUR role may be in carrying it out! Then simply act on those instructions and look expectantly forward for what GOD is going to do! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Children of the Light":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 96 from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today!

Psalm 96 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)

1 O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Sing to the Lord, bless (affectionately praise) His name; show forth His salvation from day to day. 3 Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples. 4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be reverently feared and worshiped above all [so-called] gods. 5 For all the gods of the nations are [lifeless] idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the Lord, O you families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 8 Give to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come [before Him] into His courts. 9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; tremble before and reverently fear Him, all the earth. 10 Say among the nations that the Lord reigns; the world also is established, so that it cannot be moved; He shall judge and rule the people righteously and with justice. 11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all the things which fill it;12 Let the field be exultant, and all that is in it! Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy 13 Before the Lord, for He comes, for He comes to judge and govern the earth! He shall judge the world with righteousness and justice and the peoples with His faithfulness and truth.

AMEN! HALLELUJAH! This says it all! Our God IS GOD! The ONE and ONLY! The underlined verses above show what our attitude MUST be concerning other 'nations' and the 'gods' they serve! AND, they tell us what WE should be doing! We are to be SAYING somethings! Words are POWERFUL containers of either FAITH or of doubt, fear and unbelief! MAKE your words line up with HIS and you can't go wrong! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Oh Praise The Name":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I believe that you will like today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin! It is all about the authority that we have been given as born again believers, who are members of God's family through the Blood of JESUS!

Edge of Authority

"And they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm" (Mark 4:38-39). 

A tornado arose one spring day in Texas. Most people had gone into their storm cellars. We didn't have one. I was bedfast and almost totally paralyzed anyway. I became fearful. If the tornado were to strike, it would strike my corner room first, because the wind was coming from that direction. The house would cave in right where I was! 

In desperation, and without thinking whether or not I could do it, I said, "Dear Lord, I'm Your child. When those disciples were about to sink, they awakened You and said, 'Carest thou not that we perish?' And You did care. You awoke and rebuked the wind. I know You don't want me to perish, but I can't get out of here. I'm here on this bed, and this wall is about to blow in on top of me. So I now rebuke this storm in Jesus' Name!" 

As fast as you'd snap your fingers, the storm stopped. It grew calm. I rejoiced. I didn't know then the great truths about the believer's authority. I had gotten to the edge of it and had exercised it without really knowing what I had done. But God wants us to get the revelation of the truth of His Word so we can understand what belongs to us and use it in our lives. 

Confession: I will get the revelation of the truth of God's Word and understand and use what belongs to me. 

AMEN! HE desires that WE dig into His Word, finding out what belongs to us under our new and better Covenant, and then walking in it! Take the time to put God's Word in and faith will grow! Here is Hillsong with "Lost Are Found":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Luke 6:38 is a wonderful and very powerful statement! 

38 Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you.

In the things of God, we ALWAYS have to move toward HIM first! He has already set us up for blessing and abundance, but the CHOICE is ours to move toward Him or not! John 10:10 shows us HIS will concerning our life here on earth:

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].

Abundance is HIS will for HIS people! Luke 6:38 above shows how to get ourselves in position to receive it! 3 John 2 tells us this:

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

Settle it in your heart forever that God is an extraordinarily GOOD GOD! Find out what HE has provided for us in His Word, and then dare to believe and receive it all! We are BLESSED to BE a BLESSING, and to 'show and tell' HIS mighty works so that the people that HE so dearly loves will come to HIM! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Who You Say I Am":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I REALLY like Rick Renner's devotional for today! 

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
— Hebrews 12:2

When Jesus hung on the Cross, beaten almost beyond human recognition, He was subjected to intense, ugly verbal abuse. The soldiers at His feet scoffed, religious leaders laughed, and even a criminal being crucified nearby sneered at Him. In this eternally pivotal moment, all of creation should have rejoiced, for the Creator of the universe was paying the ultimate price for the redemption for mankind. It was the single greatest act of love the world had ever witnessed. But instead of comprehending the supreme price Jesus was paying that day, the crowd arrogantly jeered, mocked, and scorned.

Have you ever pondered how all of this ridicule affected Jesus’ emotions when He was dying on the Cross? Let me ask you — what if you were hanging on the Cross and people laughed and mocked you as you died for them? How would you be tempted to feel at that moment?

Jesus’ body had already been ripped to shreds by the vicious beating He received in the residence of Pontius Pilate. Roman soldiers in Pilate’s court laughed at Him, mocked Him, and played humiliating games with Him. One by one, a whole cohort of soldiers took turns spitting on Him, slapping Him, and striking His face with a reed they took from a nearby fountain in Pilate’s palace. It was extreme verbal, mental, and physical abuse.

Then the soldiers jammed a crown of thorns so firmly on Jesus’ head that the long, sharp spikes perforated His skin and scraped across His skull, causing blood to stream down from His brow like a river until His entire face was covered with it. The thick, sticky blood matted His eyebrows and eyelashes, making it difficult for Him to see. Huge, nine-inch iron nails were driven through His hands and feet, which pierced His nerves and sent signals of pain throughout His entire body. The weight of Jesus’ body hanging from those nails dislocated His shoulders, and His joints were pulled out of place. He struggled to breathe every breath as His lungs began to fill with fluids that would eventually suffocate Him.

Making this unimaginably horrific experience even worse was the fact that Jesus had been completely stripped naked and hung on that Cross humiliated before the hostile crowd. Putting one’s naked body on public display was a great indignity in Jewish culture, thus making the ordeal especially shameful for Him.

Yet Jesus endured all of this agony, pain, and embarrassment willingly. Why? Because His death was the price demanded to purchase forgiveness and redemption for the very people who had done all of this to Him. He was dying for the very people who sneered at Him, for the criminals who laughed at Him, for the soldiers who mocked Him, for the religious leaders who demanded His crucifixion — and for you and me. (In Sparkling Gems 1, April 21-24), I wrote vivid descriptions of the scourging and crucifixion of Jesus. If you have not already read it, I encourage you to do so. It will give you a greater understanding of what Jesus endured to purchase your salvation.)

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Man Of Sorrows":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I love this from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan in Luke 4:17-21 today:

17 And there was handed to Him [the roll of] the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened (unrolled) the book and found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity], 19 To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound]. 20 Then He rolled up the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing [attentively] at Him. 21 And He began to speak to them: Today this Scripture has been fulfilled while you are present and hearing.

I lOVE how JESUS gave them the TRUTH about Himself, because He most certainly DID know what was before Him! After all, HE IS GOD! Isaiah 46:10 tells us that GOD knows the END from the BEGINNING! He KNOWS how things are going to play out! So, let's trust HIM and know that just as JESUS was Anointed with Holy Spirit and FIRE, SO ARE WE! The Spirit of the LORD is upon ME, and YOU, and every born again, Spirit filled BELIEVER! Get your feet wet and Proclaim that you ARE who GOD says that you are! Declare His TRUTH and then stand back and WATCH as the God of the BIBLE shows HIMSELF strong On YOUR behalf, and that of those YOU bring before Him in prayer and praise and thanksgiving and WORSHIP! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Lost Are Found":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We all know that Psalm 91 is filled with promises from God for our protection, provision and safety! Many of us confess these promises over our lives, our homes, our families and our loved ones! I know that I do! With that in mind, it is vital that we understand the importance of 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!

It is ONLY those who are DOING verses one and two who will consistently walk in the fulfillment of the rest! Verse 1 tells us that it is those who "dwell", which is the Hebrew word "yashab", and means: to sit down (stay awhile!), to remain, to settle into, to have as one's abode, who will have confidence that their Heavenly Father would never bring them TO something without providing for the way THROUGH it! So let's EXPECT it! "The secret place" is the Hebrew word "cether" which means: a cover; a shelter, a hiding place. "Shall remain" is the Hebrew word "luwn", which means to stay permanently, to remain. We will remain under HIS protective covering! No evil power or plan that the enemy can imagine will EVER succeed for those who will obey these conditions! The next responsibility that we have is to "SAY"! This is the Hebrew word ""amar", and it means: to speak, to utter, to command. THAT is what God has instructed us to do! We are to SAY that HE is our Fortress, our Refuge and our GOD, in whom we completely trust! If YOU don't feel as though you can TRUST Him, then that is the area in which you need the most Holy Spirit help! The first thing that HE will tell you to do is to get the Word of God into your heart in abundance! Amen! It is only the Word that we put INTO ourselves that Holy Spirit is able to use to bless us as the Father intended/intends! AMEN! Here is "Hillsong with "As It Is In Heaven":

Shalom in Him!