Shalom,

Today we read Psalm 150 and John 10 for our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! Two of my favorites! Psalm 150 is ALL praise!

1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in the heavens of His power! 2 Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness! 3 Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp! 4 Praise Him with tambourine and [single or group] dance; praise Him with stringed and wind instruments or flutes! 5 Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

There are MANY ways to praise the LORD! Are YOU breathing? Then pick YOUR favorite and do it regularly and consistently! AMEN! Then John 10:10 says THIS!

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).

HAVE and ENJOY! YES! JESUS actually said this! Are YOU ready to take Him at His Word? Then go for it in praise and worship with everything that is within you! You will NEVER be the same! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "One Thing":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we read the account of the man who had been born blind. When JESUS' disciples asked him why this man was born blind, JESUS said this in John 9:3:

3 Jesus answered, It was not that this man or his parents sinned, but he was born blind in order that the workings of God should be manifested (displayed and illustrated) in him.

JESUS said that the works of God were to be manifest in this man. What are those works of God? Verses 4-7:

4 We must work the works of Him Who sent Me and be busy with His business while it is daylight; night is coming on, when no man can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the world’s Light. 6 When He had said this, He spat on the ground and made clay (mud) with His saliva, and He spread it [as ointment] on the man’s eyes. 7 And He said to him, Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam—which means Sent. So he went and washed, and came back seeing. 

When this man obeyed the instructions of JESUS, even though they probably seemed completely bizarre to him, HE CAME BACK SEEING! Those are the works of God! Healing and health are the works of God! Peace and prosperity are the works of God! Salvation and restoration are the works of God! Mercy, grace, anointing and favor are all the works of God! Would you like to have a SURE gauge for the works of God? John 10:10 AMPC:

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).

AMEN! If it steals, kills or destroys, it is NOT GOD! The Jewish leaders would not admit that these were the works of God because then they would have had to answer why they were not doing those works! I LOVE how this now healed and set free SEEING man answered them when they kept hounding him to try and get something to use against JESUS from him! After asking them if they, too, desired to be a disciple of JESUS (which they SHOULD have!), he then said this in verses 30-33:

30 The man replied, Well, this is astonishing! Here a Man has opened my eyes, and yet you do not know where He comes from. [That is amazing!] 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and a worshiper of Him and does His will, He listens to him. 32 Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this Man were not from God, He would not be able to do anything like this.

AMEN! He spoke TRUTH and they still would not accept it, but tried to ridicule the man. I really don't think that a man who is now seeing for the very first time cared one bit what THEY had to say to or about him! HE CAN SEE! He is ecstatic and overflowing with joy! Thank You, JESUS, for your wonderful works! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Who You Say I AM":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I hope after yesterday's blog, as you read today's Psalm 148 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan, that you would continue, and deepen, your praise and worship of the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! All the while remembering that WE have a much better Covenant than Israel had (Hebrews 8:6),  because it is based on better promises to those who are new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17-21), filled with Holy Spirit, and living IN His Word, with His Word LIVING in us (John 15:7 AMPC)! 

Today I want to share from Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest":

Undisturbed Relationship

At that day ye shall ask in My name….The Father Himself loveth you. — John 16:26,27

“At that day ye shall ask in My name,” i.e., in My nature. Not — “You shall use My name as a magic word,” but — “You will be so intimate with Me that you will be one with Me.” “That day” is not a day hereafter, but a day meant for here and now. “The Father Himself loveth you” — the union is so complete and absolute. Our Lord does not mean that life will be free from external perplexities, but that just as He knew the Father’s heart and mind, so by the baptism of the Holy Ghost He can lift us into the heavenly places where He can reveal the counsels of God to us.

“Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name…” “That day” is a day of undisturbed relationship between God and the saint. Just as Jesus stood unsullied in the presence of His Father, so by the mighty efficacy of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, we can be lifted into that relationship — “that they may be one, even as We are One.”

“…He will give it you.” Jesus says that God will recognize our prayers. What a challenge! By the Resurrection and Ascension power of Jesus, by the sent-down Holy Ghost, we can be lifted into such a relationship with the Father that we are at one with the perfect sovereign will of God by our free choice even as Jesus was. In that wonderful position, placed there by Jesus Christ, we can pray to God in His name, in His nature, which is gifted to us by the Holy Ghost, and Jesus says — “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you.” 

AMEN! I hope that you REALLY see that Christianity is in no way a 'religion"! Not TRUE CHRISTIANITY! It is a brand new, God ordained RELATIONSHIP  with the ONE Who gave HIS life so that we can LIVE! When we walk in communion with Him, by His Spirit Who lives IN us, then we will be able to confidently speak as JESUS spoke when He ministered on the earth! What happens then? The blind will see! The lame will walk! The dead shall be raised! The TRUTH shall be proclaimed and the One, True God shall be glorified! HALLELUJAH! What a priceless privilege to be alive and in God's hands for such a time as this! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Children of the Light":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I LOVE reading our Psalm for today, from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! Let's look at a portion of it! Psalm 147:7-15:

7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praises with the harp or the lyre to our God!— 8 Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains. 9 He gives to the beast his food, and to the young ravens that for which they cry. 10 He delights not in the strength of the horse, nor does He take pleasure in the legs of a man. 11 The Lord takes pleasure in those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy and loving-kindness. 12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! 13 For He has strengthened and made hard the bars of your gates, and He has blessed your children within you. 14 He makes peace in your borders; He fills you with the finest of the wheat. 15 He sends forth His commandment to the earth; His word runs very swiftly.

Let's just begin with the words of verse 7! "Sing" is the Hebrew word "`anah", which means: to eye, to heed, to pay attention to, to respond, to speak, especially to sing, shout, testify and announce! It makes perfect sense that if we are going to respond, speak, testify, announce and shout about our God, we first must give attention TO HIM! Who He is, what He has and what He can do! In general, toward everyone, and specifically toward us who are His own! (There IS a definite difference!) "To the Lord" here is to "Jehovah", which is the Covenant Name of our God. The Eternal, Self-existing One! The GOD of our Salvation! We are to do so "with thanksgiving", which is the Hebrew word "towdah", and means: adoration, usually involving songs of thanksgiving! More SINGING to HIM! Then we have "sing praises" which is the Hebrew word "zamar", which means: to play upon a musical instrument, to make music, accompanied by the voice, to celebrate in song and music. We are even told in the rest of that verse to use a harp or lyre! There are any number of beautiful musical instruments that are available to us in this day to do the same, with a greater variety of sounds of praise, thanksgiving and worship! In fact, there was a song we used to sing a lot in our worship services that had this line in it: join with angels singing! There have been many times when I have heard way more voices singing with us than there were people in the room! Many others have heard the very same thing! How wonderful! How powerful! 

Then this Psalm goes on to speak of some of the wonderful things that our GREAT GOD does! He has provided for the sustenance of the earth, for plentiful vegetation for us, and for food for animals and birds! Then comes my very favorite parts! Though He provides for them, our God does NOT take pleasure in any of creation, including mankind! He takes PLEASURE in those of mankind who belong to HIM! Those who hold HIM in reverence and awe, and who hope and trust in HIM for His great mercy and loving-kindness! AND, He speaks His Word of Promise again over Israel and her eternal capital of Jerusalem! He will protect them, provide for them, give them peace and bless them tremendously! ALSO AND, He sends His LIVING WORD out over all the earth, and His Word travels swiftly, bringing wisdom, knowledge, understanding, LIFE, HEALTH, PROSPERITY, FAVOR, ANOINTING and guidance to ALL who will BELIEVE and RECEIVE! AMEN! Will YOU be one of THOSE? I pray you will! Here is Hillsong with "New Wine":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share "Faith To Faith" by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland:

God Wants You Well

If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee. Exodus 15:26

Has the devil ever tried to put you under condemnation by telling you that it’s contrary to the principles of faith to use doctors and medicine when you need healing? If so, here are some encouraging words that I believe will help you put your heart at rest.

It is God’s will to heal you. That’s the first and most important thing for you to understand. If your faith is strong and you can believe the Word without wavering (regardless of what circumstances or symptoms come against you), then you’ll be able to receive that healing by faith alone.

But that kind of faith takes more than just hearing a few sermons about healing. It takes a deep personal revelation of God’s healing power. So, if you haven’t yet developed that kind of faith, the doctor is your best friend.

If you’re not certain whether your faith is strong enough or whether you need a doctor’s help, follow the instructions of the Apostle Paul (Colossians 3:15) and let peace be your umpire.

If fear rises up within you when you think about doing without medical help, then go to a doctor. And go in faith! On the other hand, if you have a sure confidence within you that healing is yours strictly by faith, let your faith do its work and receive your healing directly. Whether or not you go to the doctor is not the issue. It is what you do with your faith.

Either way, you can rejoice knowing God is working with you, meeting you at the level of your faith. Thank God for your healing—however it comes!—and do not let Satan put you under condemnation. It is none of his business!

AMEN!!! Refuse to let doubt and unbelief rob you of the very blessings that JESUS died and rose again to provide for you! HE desires that we be in perfect health and have abundant prosperity (to be in control of our lives) (3 John 2). This will happen as we renew our mind daily with the Word of God so that we can KNOW what belongs to us, and how to get it! AMEN! Stick with the Word of God and you cannot fail! Here is Hillsong with "The Passion":

 Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we read Psalm 145 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. Verses 1-2 say this:

1 I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever [with grateful, affectionate praise]. 2 Every day [with its new reasons] will I bless You [affectionately and gratefully praise You]; yes, I will praise Your name forever and ever.

Did you notice that it says that the psalmist, who is David in this Psalm, says that he has new reasons, EVERY DAY, to praise the LORD? David didn't have new reasons to praise the LORD every single day because extraordinary and spectacular manifestations of the presence of God were experienced by him every day. David had new reasons to praise the LORD because he meditated on everything that the LORD had already done for Him, and on the promises that His covenant with Almighty God gave to him. If David, who did NOT have the BETTER Covenant that we do, had new reasons every day to praise God, don't you think that WE should have SO MUCH MORE? After all, David walked WITH God, when he was in fellowship with Him, but God LIVES IN US! SO MUCH MORE should WE extol HIM! Praise His Name and worship HIM! AMEN! Now let's see what else David had to say about this subject! Verses 3-7:

3 Great is the Lord and highly to be praised; and His greatness is [so vast and deep as to be] unsearchable. 4 One generation shall laud Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wondrous works I will meditate. 6 Men shall speak of the might of Your tremendous and terrible acts, and I will declare Your greatness. 7 They shall pour forth [like a fountain] the fame of Your great and abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of Your rightness and justice.

The fame of our LORD should pour forth from each and every one of us as a fountain! How are YOU doing in that department? As for me, I need to up my game! I intend to start right now!  Will you join me? HALLELUJAH! Here is Hillsong with "Behold (Then Sings My Soul )":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share "Grace Inspirations" by Joseph Prince. I believe that this message is very important and one that is often missed today!

LET IT GO!

Exodus 15:26…I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

After crossing the Red Sea, the children of Israel came to a place called Marah. The waters there were bitter. That is why the place was called Marah, which means “bitter”. The Israelites could not drink any of the water, so the Lord made the bitter waters sweet. (Exodus 15:23–25) Then, He brought up the subject of the diseases of Egypt and, for the first time, revealed Himself to His people as “the Lord who heals you”.

Why did the Lord suddenly mention the diseases of the world (Egypt represents the world in the Bible) at a place called “bitter”? What do diseases have to do with bitter waters? I believe that it is because He wants His people to know that a major cause of diseases in their bodies is harboring bitterness and resentment!

Some years ago, a lady shared with me about her sister who had died of cancer at a young age. She said, “Pastor Prince, a number of years before she passed on, she went through a very bitter divorce. She was very bitter toward her ex-husband.” Then, she asked me, “Is there a relationship between her bitterness and the cancer?”

I have studied the subject of healing for many years. I have read many books. I have listened to many sermons and I have sat under many healing ministries. And they all say the same thing: If you have unforgiveness in your heart long enough, that unforgiveness can sometimes translate into a disease in your body.

So if you have been bitter about something or someone, it is time to let it go! Your health, joy and life are more important. If you are already sick and you know that bitterness has something to do with it, let it go! See Jesus as your healer. He is standing at your place of bitterness today and He is saying to you, “My child, I can make your bitter waters sweet. I am the Lord who heals you.”

My friend, let it all go and let Jesus heal not just your diseases, but your broken heart too!

We have a children's book in our library at The Spoken Word Church called "Don't Hug A Grudge". It addresses, with great illustrations, how a small grudge, or unforgiveness, will turn from that small thing, into resentment, which, if allowed to continue will turn to bitterness. Keeping anger, resentment and bitterness in our hearts WILL affect how we look at and respond to everything! Allow JESUS to take that anger from you while it is still small and you will never have to deal with the resentment and bitterness that can turn your soft heart very hard after a time! FORGIVE! It is WELL worth the price! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Mighty To Save":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we read another of my favorite verses in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. John 3:16-17:

16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.

God SO loved, and LOVES, that He gave! And then verse 17 says that He did NOT send JESUS into the world to judge (reject, condemn or to pass sentence on) the world! And neither should we! We have been given the Ministry of Reconciliation, which means that we have been charged with telling the world NOTY that they are sinners, but that they HAVE a SAVIOUR, if they will only accept and receive HIM! There is a very big difference between preaching JESUS as Saviour and preaching a message of condemnation. The GOOD NEWS will draw unbelievers to JESUS! Telling them that they are sinners is NOT preaching the Gospel! Telling them that ALL have sinned, but that WE HAVE A SAVIOUR is the Gospel! AMEN! Let's make sure that OUR message is the message that HE has called us to spread! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Tell The World":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share THIS from "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:

Careful Infidelity

Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body what ye shall put on. — Matthew 6:25

Jesus sums up commonsense carefulness in a disciple as infidelity. If we have received the Spirit of God, He will press through and say — “Now where does God come in in this relationship, in this mapped-out holiday, in these new books?” He always presses the point until we learn to make Him our first consideration. Whenever we put other things first, there is confusion.

“Take no thought…” — don’t take the pressure of forethought upon yourself. It is not only wrong to worry, it is infidelity, because worrying means that we do not think that God can look after the practical details of our lives, and it is never anything else that worries us. Have you ever noticed what Jesus said would choke the word He puts in? The devil? No, the cares of this world. It is the little worries always. I will not trust where I cannot see, that is where infidelity begins. The only cure for infidelity is obedience to the Spirit.

The great word of Jesus to His disciples is abandon.

I LOVE this! Can the devil choke out the Word of God in our hearts? NO! Only WE can do that, by taking in what the devil and people and the world tries to put into us. WE are the ones who make that choice! Refuse to allow the Word of God that has been sown in your heart to be choked out by nonsense, cares, worries and the mindless drivel that constantly bombards us from every form of media out there! Be a discerning listener! Your prosperity, health and well being depend on it! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Say The Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I have been sharing from our website devotional lately because it went right along with Pastor Bill Novak's new series on finances, called $. Today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin also goes right along with this powerful series!

God's Stamp

God brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes (Psalm 105:37). 

You can see from the Scriptures that it was God's plan for everything connected with Israel to bear the stamp of prosperity and success. Furthermore, disease and sickness were not to be tolerated among them. 

And so it should be with the Church. Everything connected with the Body of Christ, the New Testament Church, should bear the stamp of prosperity, success, healing, surplus, and health. 

What God said concerning Israel, He said in so many words concerning the Church. Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation." 

Scofield's footnote on the word "salvation" states that the Greek and Hebrew words translated "salvation" imply the ideas of deliverance, safety, preservation, healing and health (soundness). 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, then, is the power of God unto deliverance. It is the power of God unto safety and preservation. It is the power of God unto healing and health. 

Confession: I am a child of God. I am a member of the Body of Christ. I bear the stamp of prosperity, success, healing, surplus, and health. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto deliverance, safety, preservation, healing, and health for me. 

Now meditate on these vital TRUTHS until they are so big on the inside of you that no doubt can even find a small space to get in! THEN go ahead and act on that faith, fully expecting GOD to confirm HIS WORD with signs, wonders and miracles! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Children of the Light": 

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan we get to one of my favorite Old Testament accounts! 1 Samuel 5:1-5:

5 The Philistines brought the ark of God from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 They took the ark of God into the house of Dagon and set it beside Dagon [their idol]. 3 When they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon had fallen upon his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set him in his place again. 4 But when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had again fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and [his] head and both the palms of his hands were lying cut off on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left him. 5 This is the reason neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

The Philistines had captured the ark of the Covenant when they defeated Israel, who had turned away from the LORD. They dared to put the ark in a 'house' built for an idol. The idol, which has no life, was found the next morning, bowing down to the presence of the God of Israel! The people replaces the idol to its original place, but the next morning it was not only bowing down, on its face, before the presence of God, but its hands and head were cut off! Guess what? Our God IS GOD! The One and ONLY! Psalm 115:4-7 and Isaiah 44:18-19 go right along with this account!

4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. 5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: 6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: 7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. KJV

18 They do not know or understand, for their eyes God has let become besmeared so that they cannot see, and their minds as well so that they cannot understand. 19 And no one considers in his mind, nor has he knowledge and understanding [enough] to say [to himself], I have burned part of this log in the fire, and also I have baked bread on its coals and have roasted meat and eaten it. And shall I make the remainder of it into an abomination [the very essence of what is disgusting, detestable, and shamefully vile in the eyes of a jealous God]? Shall I fall down and worship the stock of a tree [a block of wood without consciousness or life]?

Never doubt that OUR GOD is the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! He IS all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere present AND He loves His people with His own everlasting LOVE that never fails! HALLELUJAH! We are, of ALL people, MOST BLESSED! Here is Hillsong with "No Other Name":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I am going to share The Spoken Word Church's website devotional with you again today because it is SO good!  

Make it a Point to be Thankful

Thankfulness produces joy. It does not take a genius to locate, discern and detect flaws. However, it takes great awareness to see the good things of life. Savor God's everyday blessings. Your eyesight, your hearing, your ability to speak. The thousands of things to be happy about.

"Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)

"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." (Romans 1:21)

AMEN! Refuse to let your heart be darkened by settling for what the world says about any and every situation! Dare to take the God of the Bible at HIS Word! EXPECT the unexpected, and get ready to SHINE! AMEN!  Here is Hillsong with "Shadow Step":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share the devotional from The Spoken Word Church website! It is a very important reminder to remember!

Keep A Journal Of Miracles

God instructed Israel to pile stones to remind their children of the greatness of God. Look for miracles every day. Unexpected, unplanned introductions to people. Information that suddenly emerges. An invitation that opens great doors of opportunities.

Document these experiences daily. Your written journal is your private reservoir of memories that feed your faith.

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Am'a-lek from under heaven." (Exodus 17:14)

Remembering the right things is a key to our growth in the things of God! Remember that before David went out against Goliath, he reminded himself of the past victories that God had given him over the bear and the lion {1 Samuel 17:34-36}! Remembering what God has already done gives confidence to stand in faith for what you are expecting Him to do next! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "So Will I":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share Joseph Prince's "Grace Inspirations":

THANK YOUR WAY TO GREATER BLESSINGS

Luke 17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,

People who have a grateful heart are always praising God. You often hear them say, “God is good!” They know that God is the reason for every blessing they get. But there are those who look to God for blessings and when they get blessed, they just go on their merry way. Their hearts are captivated by the blessings instead of the One who has blessed them.

Jesus had an encounter with both these types of people when He walked into a village one day. Ten lepers cried out to Him, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13) Now, when you call out to Jesus for mercy, He always hears you. On another occasion, when two blind men cried out to Him, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” He took the time to give them their miracles. (Matthew 9:27–30)

So these 10 lepers cried out to Him for mercy. He stopped, looked at them and said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And “as they went, they were cleansed”. (Luke 17:14) But only one came back and fell at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks. Notice the very sad words of Jesus that followed: “Were there not 10 cleansed? But where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17)

The other nine obviously knew that it was Jesus who had cleansed them. Yet, they did not bother to go back and thank Him. My friend, let it be said of you that when the blessings come, you remember to give God the praise, glory and honor, and acknowledge that He is the source of every blessing in your life.

Do you know that when the man came back to thank Jesus, he received the additional blessing of becoming whole? Jesus said to him, “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Luke 17:19, KJV) He was not just cleansed of leprosy, he got his missing fingers and toes back!

My friend, when your heart is thankful toward God, you position yourself for even greater blessings!

AMEN! An attitude of gratitude will go a long way in keeping us in our Love Walk in our dealings with others. If we USE this lesson,  then we should never really get ourselves in a position where anything can be stolen!  Be alert to the plans, plots, schemes and strategies of the devil! He would like nothing better than to trip us up! NO! Amen! Here is Hillsong with "Lettered Love":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

The Lord That Healeth

"If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will permit none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee" (Exodus 15:26).

When Israel crossed the Red Sea and started toward their homeland, the Lord spoke these words to them and revealed Himself as Jehovah-Rapha. Jehovah-Rapha translated is, "I am the Lord thy Physician," or "I am the Lord that healeth thee." God didn't put diseases upon Israel or upon the Egyptians. It is Satan, the god of this world, who makes man sick. Jehovah declares that He is the Healer. 

In his book Christ the Healer, F.F. Bosworth said, "This name, Jehovah-Rapha, is given to reveal to us our redemptive privilege of being healed." The fact is, that the very first covenant God gave after the passage of the Red Sea, which was so distinctively typical of our redemption, was the covenant of healing, and it was at this time that God revealed Himself as our Physician, by the first redemptive and covenant name, Jehovah-Rapha, "I am the Lord that healeth thee." 

This is not only a promise, it is a statute and an ordinance. 

Confession: Jehovah-Rapha "I am the Lord that healeth thee," is the name of my Lord. 

AMEN! This promise for healing already belonged to the ISraelites as part of their covenant with God! IF they did what He said, THEN they could walk free from sickness and disease! It has always astounded me that this could be so very clear in the Word of God, yet born again believers still entertain doubts that healin is for US, here and now! We HAVE a BETTER Covenant than they did, based on even better promises than theirs! OF COURSE healing is a part of it! How could it NOT be? Settle it in your heart and mind, here and now, that God's Word IS Truth, IS for us, DOES mean exactly what HE said and WILL work for us today! Now dig in and find out what else is included in this wonderful, new and BETTER Covenant, so that you can grab ahold of it ALL! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Alive":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chamber because it goes right along with Pastor Bill Novak's current series at The Spoken Word Church, $, which is all about God's view of finances! 

The Habit Of Wealth

Partakers of the divine nature. — 2 Peter 1:4

We are made partakers of the Divine nature through the promises; then we have to “manipulate” the Divine nature in our human nature by habits, and the first habit to form is the habit of realising the provision God has made. “Oh, I can’t afford it,” we say — one of the worst lies is tucked up in that phrase. It is ungovernably bad taste to talk about money in the natural domain, and so it is spiritually, and yet we talk as if our Heavenly Father had cut us off with a shilling! We think it a sign of real modesty to say at the end of a day — “Oh, well, I have just got through, but it has been a severe tussle.” And all the Almighty God is ours in the Lord Jesus! And He will tax the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us if we will obey Him. What does it matter if external circumstances are hard? Why should they not be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge in the luxury of misery, we banish God’s riches from our own lives and hinder others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it obliterates God and puts self-interest upon the throne. It opens our mouths to spit out murmurings and our lives become craving spiritual sponges, there is nothing lovely or generous about them.

When God is beginning to be satisfied with us, He will impoverish everything in the nature of fictitious wealth, until we learn that all our fresh springs are in Him. If the majesty and grace and power of God are not being manifested in us (not to our consciousness), God holds us responsible. “God is able to make all grace abound,” then learn to lavish the grace of God on others. Be stamped with God’s nature, and His blessing will come through you all the time.

I LOVE this line: No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it obliterates God and puts self-interest upon the throne. It opens our mouths to spit out murmurings and our lives become craving spiritual sponges, there is nothing lovely or generous about them.

Speaking negatively concerning our financial situation, or any other situation that we are facing, is a slap in the face to the God Who has already provided for EVERY need! It is actually saying to the All-Sufficient One that He is NOT that sufficient! When we finally realize that our speech should always reflect God's TRUTH, regardless of what those around us think, THEN we will begin to see the manifested provision of the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! And, it will NOT happen unless we DO! Let's get our thinking in line with the Word of God and allow HIM to confirm HIS WORD that WE SPEAK with signs, wonders and miracles that bring GLORY to HIS Name! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Look To The Son":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share Jerry Savelle's devotional. One of the first books I ever read by Jerry Savelle is called "Right Mental Attitude", which speaks of our thought life and how important it is! This addresses that same Truth!

Right Attitude Principles

No one can make you have a positive attitude, you are the only one who can make that decision. Remember that God’s Word is the foundation of a right mental attitude. Study these principles and allow them to become strong on the inside of you.

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Philippians 2:5 NLT).

1. A right mental attitude is more than wishful thinking. It is actually facing each day with a positive expectancy based on God’s Word.

2. A right mental attitude is having a proper understanding of the problems you face, their source, and knowing how to approach them with God’s Word. You need to know your enemy and how he operates. You need to know his weaknesses. I’ll tell you two of them:
(a) He cannot stand it when you praise Jesus
(b) He cannot stand the Word of God

He has no refuge from them. He has to flee from them. He cannot tolerate either.

3. A right mental attitude enables you to possess peace, calmness, self-control and the determination to win no matter how difficult your situation may seem.

4. A right mental attitude demands that you drive out all negatives from your consciousness and focus on God’s Word.

Confession: I choose to have a good attitude and expect the best today knowing that God is good and He is for me.

Your attitude is EVERYTHING when it comes to the things of God! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Seasons":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share from Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food" devotional! This is SUCH an important lesson to get inside!

Every Good Gift

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17). 

What is good? 

Acts 10:38 says that Jesus went about doing good and healing. Healing is good! Sickness is not good. Every healing comes down from the Father. Every sickness does not come down from the Father. 

In the first place, where in the world would God get sickness to put on you? He doesn't have any in Heaven. He would have to borrow some from the devil! (You can't give someone something you don't have.) The Bible says there is no sickness in Heaven. Therefore, sickness can't come from Heaven. 

What does come down from Heaven? 

Every good gift and every perfect gift! 

Confession: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from my Father, the Father of lights. Only good gifts can come down from God, for God is good, and Heaven holds only good. There is no sickness in Heaven. Therefore, sickness cannot come from God. Healing comes from God. So I purpose to receive only what my Father gives - healing! 

AMEN! AMEN! and AMEN! If we do not get it right concerning what does and does not come from God, then we will never be in a position of authority to take control of our lives! HE has given us authority, but we have to know how and when to use it! If we THINK that something bad is of God, then we will never deal with it as we should! Know that if it is GOOD, then it is from God, no matter who hands it to us! If it is BAD, then it does NOT come from God, BUT He WILL show us the way of escape! AMEN! It is SO important to know these things, and then to know who WE are - IN HIM! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Who You Say I AM":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Are you ready for some REALLY Good News? Look at 2 Corinthians 5:19-21:

19 It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor). 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We [as Christ’s personal representatives] beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor [now offered you] and be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

As a personal ambassador of JESUS CHRIST, by virtue of the New Birth, I make an appeal to you all! JESUS paid - IN FULL - the price required to take care of sin! Once and FOR ALL! Will YOU make Him your own LORD? Will YOU receive JESUS today? If you already have, then please release within yourself the desire to see others set free, too! AMEN! Here are Hillsong Kids with "Tell The World":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read 2 Corinthians 4 today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. Verse 4, along with 1 Corinthians 2:14, explains completely why we should never try to TEACH the WORD to those who have never received JESUS as Lord and personal Saviour!

4 For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God.

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

We MUST share the Good News of Eternal Salvation through what JESUS did on the cross for us, but teaching of the Word will only work with those who already have Holy Spirit living IN them, as born again believers! HE is the true Teacher, and unbelievers do NOT have Holy Spirit in them! Share the Gospel, teach the Word, all as Holy Spirit leads, for HE leads correctly! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Be Still":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share Jerry Savelle's website devotional! 

Expect Favor and Success

Not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection. (Philippians 3:9-10 NKJV)

When you believe you are who the Word says you are, you will expect every adversity to turn into a victory. Only when you see yourself the way God sees you, will you begin to expect success.

As long as you are looking at your own merits, you will have an element of self-doubt. You will question whether God is going to show you favor in life. What you have done and who you are has nothing to do with favor and success. That is good news, because without Jesus we are nothing!

God’s favor and God’s honor can’t be earned. You didn’t earn His favor, you didn’t earn His honor, Jesus earned it for you! Even though Jesus earned it for you, it is still your responsibility to walk in it by faith to see God’s favor become a reality in your life.

God sees you as righteous, above reproach and worthy to be blessed with success. He delights to crown you with glory and honor. Why wouldn’t He give you abundant favor and success in life?

Believe who the Word says you are. See yourself as He sees you. Then you’ll expect every adversity to turn into a victory. You’ll expect success today.

Confession: I have favor and success, not because of my works, but because I believe Jesus made me righteous and earned them for me.

Keep your faith stirred up by meditating daily on the Word of God until the promises of God are more real to you than the problems that you can see! Speak the Word of God over every situation and watch HIM confirm that Word for you! HE never fails and His Word ALWAYS works! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Say The Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers has a very important message for every born again believer in JESUS!

Take The Initiative

Add to your faith virtue ["Furnish your faith with resolution," moffatt]…. — 2 Peter 1:5

“Add” means there is something we have to do. We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We cannot save ourselves nor sanctify ourselves, God does that; but God will not give us good habits, He will not give us character, He will not make us walk aright. We have to do all that ourselves, we have to work out the salvation God has worked in. “Add” means to get into the habit of doing things, and in the initial stages it is difficult. To take the initiative is to make a beginning, to instruct yourself in the way you have to go.

Beware of the tendency of asking the way when you know it perfectly well. Take the initiative, stop hesitating, and take the first step. Be resolute when God speaks, act in faith immediately on what He says, and never revise your decisions. If you hesitate when God tells you to do a thing, you endanger your standing in grace. Take the initiative, take it yourself, take the step with your will now, make it impossible to go back. Burn your bridges behind you — “I will write that letter”; “I will pay that debt.” Make the thing inevitable.

We have to get into the habit of hearkening to God about everything, to form the habit of finding out what God says. If when a crisis comes, we instinctively turn to God, we know that the habit has been formed. We have to take the initiative where we are, not where we are not.

I LOVE the underlined words in the first paragraph! It is completely accurate that WE cannot do what only God can do! WE speak His Word and stand on it in faith, but HE confirms His Word, making it happen (Hebrews 2:4; Mark 16:20)! And God WILL NOT do for us what we are able to do! He will NOT force us to obey His Word. He will NOT force us to DO anything! He has given us His Spirit, His Word and His promise to confirm His Word. The rest is completely up to us, whether or not we BELIEVE and will RECEIVE! AMEN! In the second paragraph, I crossed out a sentence that I do NOT believe to be true! Yes, disobedience will rob us of the opportunity to walk in all of the blessings of God, but we are NEVER removed from God's grace and mercy! They are NEW, every morning! AMEN! So, let's work on our instant obedience to the instructions of the LORD and get ready for a tremendous harvest of good and Godly things! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "God So Loved":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We know, from Hebrews 8:6, that we who have received JESUS as Lord and Saviour have an even better Covenant with God than the Israelites did, because it is based on even better promises than theirs! So, if there is a good promise in the Old Testament, we have AT LEAST that good of a promise to stand on, and most times, even better! So, with that in mind, let's look at Psalm 128:1-2 from today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan!

1 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is everyone who fears, reveres, and worships the Lord, who walks in His ways and lives according to His commandments. 2 For you shall eat [the fruit] of the labor of your hands; happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) shall you be, and it shall be well with you.

Proverbs 9:10 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning and the very chief and choice part of Wisdom! Operating in the Wisdom of God will cause everything to fall into place for us and everything that we do to succeed! Do you want to know something even more powerful than that promise? Look further into today's Bible Reading Plan to 2 Corinthians 1:20:

20 For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes [answer] in Him [Christ]. For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God.

Every promise that God has made to us in His Word is TRUTH and WILL come to pass if WE will give our AMEN (SO BE IT) to it! I encourage you to spend some time every day finding out more of what God's Word promises you when you are IN HIM! Meditate on those things until Holy Spirit causes them to become so real to you that you expect them to come to pass! THAT is the life of faith that we are to lead! People will then take notice that WE have been with JESUS! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "You Are Life":

Shalom in Him!