Shalom,

Today I want to look at Andrew Womack's devotional.

DO WHAT HE SAYS

John 2:5 "His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do [it]."

Mary knew Jesus as no one else did at this point. The Bible supplies no details of the childhood of Jesus except his trip to Jerusalem at twelve years of age, but it is certain that Mary knew Jesus was no ordinary man. Her request of Jesus to provide the guests with more wine reflects her belief that He could do things others could not.

Her instructions to the servants were, "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." This shows that she not only knew Jesus could work miracles, but she knew His way of doing things did not always conform to conventional thought. Sure enough, Jesus told the servants to fill the pots with water and then take it to the governor of the feast.

This defied logic! Everyone there knew the guests wanted more wine, not water. Yet these servants, at Mary's bidding, did exactly what Jesus told them and the results were wonderful. This miracle would not have taken place if the servants had not done what seemed foolish to them.

The Lord's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). To see His miraculous power in our lives, we must do "whatsoever" He tells us to do regardless of how foolish it may seem. The foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men and the weakness of God is stronger than men (1 Corinthians 1:25). Today, whatsoever He says unto you, do it!

I LOVE this! ALL of the promises of God are YES! And AMEN! In JESUS! WE receive the WORD and FAITH comes! WE meditate on the Word and BOLD ASSURANCE comes! WE SPEAK this Word and HE CONFIRMS it with signs, wonders and miracles! AMEN! When we add our AMEN (SO BE IT UNTO ME ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF GOD!) HE does what only HE can do ! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Shadow Step". EXPECT the UNEXPECTED! HE is ready and waiting! 

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

GOD WANTS YOU CROSS-CONSCIOUS

1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthian church, said that he determined to know nothing among them except “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” In other words, Paul, who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament, had his mind full of Jesus and His finished work.

Beloved, God wants your mind full of the cross of Jesus. He wants you cross-conscious.

But what does it mean to be cross-conscious?

To be cross-conscious is to see Jesus, who loves you so much that He willingly died for you on the cross. To be cross-conscious is to look to Jesus, who offered His own body to be punished, so that your body can be free from all punishment.

To be cross-conscious is to fix your eyes on Jesus, who has provided for your deliverance and victory at the cross. At the cross, all your enemies were vanquished. All your diseases were destroyed. Your poverty was removed at the cross. Your sins were wiped out at the cross.

When the Israelites tasted bitterness in the waters of Marah, God showed Moses a tree, which he cast into the waters, making them sweet (see Exodus 15:23–26). The tree represents the cross, which turned the bitter waters sweet. Today, Calvary’s tree has turned your bitter situations sweet. Because of the cross, you can expect to see the bitter situations in your life made sweet!

When the Israelites were bitten by serpents in the wilderness, God told Moses to put a bronze serpent on a pole. The pole represents the cross and bronze speaks of judgment. Those who beheld the serpent on the pole lived because they saw their problem—the deadly serpent—nailed and put to death on the cross (see Numbers 21:6–9).

Today, you too will not die but live when you see all your sins judged at the cross, and with them, all your sicknesses, diseases, pains, failures and defeats! At the cross, all that is deadly in your life has been removed!

AMEN! Being "cross-conscious" is NOT continually seeing JESUS still on the cross! It is seeing what He DID, and then seeing Him, and YOU, off the cross, set free, made new, healed, delivered, anointed and appointed for GOD's great plans! I hope that you will make this your determined purpose so that your faith will grow so strong in the accomplished work of that cross that you will never allow yourself to sit under the enemy's feet again! HE is under YOURS, when YOU are IN JESUS! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "At The Cross":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

The Lord at Work

"For the battle is the Lord's" (1 Samuel 17:47). 

"Don't get into any trouble," my mother called after me as I went to face a family crisis. "So-and-so almost whipped Dub." 

"I'm not going to have any trouble," I answered. "I'll never have any trouble. I'm going to put the Lord to work." 

As I approached the driveway, the wife of the man who had caused so much trouble met me. She began to rant and rave, and just plain old Texas, "cuss."  I thought, Dear Lord, here is this poor old soul, full of hate and selfishness, and she can't help being that way. She can't help having the nature of the devil in her, because she's a child of the devil.  I didn't say a word to her, but I said to the Lord in my heart, "Thank God, the Greater One is in me" (1 John 4:4). And I acted like the Greater One was in me. And He is greater. 

She must have sensed the compassion rising up in me, because she suddenly looked up at me and sputtered to a stop. Then she took hold of my hand and fell on her knees, crying, "My God, put your hands on my head and pray for me. A poor old soul like me needs something. Oh, my God, pray for me!" 

I hadn't said a word to make her say that. All I had done was acted like the Bible was true. 

Confession: The Greater One is in me. And I'm going to act like it! 

AMEN! Now we know what is missing or lacking when we don't see answers to our prayers! We must act like the Bible is TRUE! If we TRULY believe the promises, then we will be just as bold about declaring and standing on His Word as those loyal and faith filled friends who brought their crippled friend on a pallet and, when they couldn't make their way to JESUS, proceeded to climb to the roof and make a hole IN SOMEONE ELSE's ROOF and lowered him down right in front of JESUS! They had great faith in what GOD can do! Their faith was greatly rewarded when JESUS healed their friend! Are YOU ready to MOVE in answer to the call of faith inside of you? Move for your own healing and deliverance! Move for your loved ones! Move for your family and your church and your friends! MOVE FOR the LOST! AMEN! Here, again, is Hillsong UNITED with our clarion call! "GO"!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We are ending Matthew today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! The very last thing that JESUS said to those disciples who were present when He ascended to Heaven to sit down as WE take up His cause is this:

18 Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be).

JESUS instructed them, and US, to take HIS authority and preach and teach the Gospel! WE have HIS authority to do so and HE will confirm HIS Word that we speak with signs, wonders and miracles, just as He did when HE ministered His Word on the earth! Only now those who hear can be instantly born again! The instruction to 'baptize' is NOT referring to water baptism, which is an outward declaration of our New Birth. This instruction IS the New Birth! Baptizing them 'into the Name' means that they become fully immersed in the Name of JESUS and all that HE is! He IS SAVIOUR! Baptizing into the Name makes Him MY SAVIOUR, the Father MY FATHER and Holy Spirit MY COMFORTER, COUNSELOR, INTERCESSOR, ADVOCATE, STRENGTHENER, STANDBY, LEADER, TEACHER AND GUIDE! I now am fully equipped, fully supplied, fully anointed, called and appointed to take this GOOD NEWS to every area of my world, and wherever else He sends me! I will leave you today with two things! THIS from today's Psalm 28:7-8:

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

And, from Hillsong UNITED, the song, OUR SONG, "GO"! Let's DO IT! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers is a very good reminder that we have an enemy out there who has only ONE weapon! That weapon is the lie (something contrary to the Word of God, which is TRUTH {John 17:17}) and he has worked on his tactics, tricks, schemes, traps and strategies for using it. 

Look Again and Think

Do not worry about your life… —Matthew 6:25

A warning which needs to be repeated is that “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches,” and the lust for other things, will choke out the life of God in us (Matthew 13:22). We are never free from the recurring waves of this invasion. If the frontline of attack is not about clothes and food, it may be about money or the lack of money; or friends or lack of friends; or the line may be drawn over difficult circumstances. It is one steady invasion, and these things will come in like a flood, unless we allow the Spirit of God to raise up the banner against it.

“I say to you, do not worry about your life….” Our Lord says to be careful only about one thing— our relationship to Him. But our common sense shouts loudly and says, “That is absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, and I must consider what I am going to eat and drink.” Jesus says you must not. Beware of allowing yourself to think that He says this while not understanding your circumstances. Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the point where they become the primary concern of our life. Whenever there are competing concerns in your life, be sure you always put your relationship to God first.

“Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). How much trouble has begun to threaten you today? What kind of mean little demons have been looking into your life and saying, “What are your plans for next month— or next summer?” Jesus tells us not to worry about any of these things. Look again and think. Keep your mind on the “much more” of your heavenly Father (Matthew 6:30).

AMEN! The enemy has his lies, but WE have the Father of all TRUTH, the Living Word of God and the indwelling Teacher to help us always and instantly recognize the weapons of our enemy, understand his strategies and schemes, and then know OUR weapons that are LIGHT and able to defeat the enemy EVERY time! So, let's maintain a strong, steady and deep fellowship with the One, True God, keeping our relationship with HIM as our #1 priority! We will never be overcome by evil when we heed this! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Look To The Son":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share one of my favorite testimonies from Kenneth Copeland from today's "From Faith To Faith" devotional:

CHRIST IN YOU

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27

Some years back, I was praying and walking the floor of our little house in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I was walking up and down confessing 1 John 4:4, "Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world." Greater is He.... Greater is He.... Suddenly, revelation knowledge welled up in me and I knew, Oh! God is in me!

It hit me like someone walked up and slapped me with a wet rag. It just shook me awake. I started to stomp grandly around that old house. All of a sudden, I wasn't just a poor preacher living in a shack anymore! I was the dwelling place of the Most High God! That changed my thinking about so many things. I looked at my hands and it hit me. His fingers are in my fingers! I looked at my legs. His legs are in my legs. His feet are in my feet! If I walk into danger, He walks into danger.

Now, when I hear people say, "Brother Copeland, my prayers aren't getting any higher than the ceiling," I want to say, "Higher than the ceiling? They don't need to get any higher than your nose! He's inside you! The Author of your prayers, the Author of your faith, Jesus of Nazareth has taken residency inside you. Hallelujah!"

Some people think you don't get filled with the Spirit until you receive the Baptism in the Holy Ghost. But that's not so. The Holy Spirit came into you when you made Jesus Lord of your life. He came into you when you were born again. Getting baptized in the Holy Spirit is another thing. It's when the power of the Holy Ghost comes upon you to empower you for service (Acts 1:8).

That means even if you've just been born again two seconds, Jesus is in you! He's living there, and He will be from now on. Can you fathom that? If you'll spend some time thinking about it and meditating on it, you can receive revelation of it just like I did. It will start growing in your spirit and eventually change your whole life.

"As God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (2 Corinthians 6:16). Jesus is in you. That's the most glorious truth in the Word of God. Let that truth come alive in you today.

 I hope that YOU will meditate on this TRUTH until it becomes so very real to YOU that it will change the way look at everything in your life! WE ARE living, breathing, walking and talking TEMPLES of the Living God! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Children Of The Light":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I have shared this many times before, but it bears repeating! Psalm 25:4-5 from today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan is a great prayer t pray before you study the Word of God!

4 Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. 5 Guide me in Your truth and faithfulness and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You [You only and altogether] do I wait [expectantly] all the day long.

1 John 5:14-15 tells us this:

14 And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. 15 And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.

We KNOW that if we ask ANYTHING that is in line with God's will, then he HEARS US! IF He hears us, we HAVE what we have asked for! How simple and clear is that? Look at The Passion Translation:

14 Since we have this confidence, we can also have great boldness before him, for if we present any request agreeable to his will, he will hear us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we also know that we have obtained the requests we ask of him.

So all that we have to do to ensure that our prayers are answered is to make sure that it lines up with His will! His Word IS His will! So, fins out what the Word says and then ask it! AMEN! So, going back up to Psalm 25:4-5, we KNOW that this is God's will for us! He has instructed us to know His Word and to DO His Word, so this prayer is one that He is SO excited to answer! Even more than we are to ask it! Make that request of the Lord before you get into His Word and you will find that you are learning and growing at a faster rate than you ever have before! The only thing that will hold you back is if you LEARN and then don't DO what the Word says! James 1:22 tells us that if we do that then we will be deceiving ourselves! Thinking that we know something, when KNOWERS are DOERS! Be a HEARER and then a DOER! You will never regret that decision! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "So Will I":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really loved reading today's Psalm 24 from The Passion Translation!

David’s poetic praise to God

1 God claims the world as his.
    Everything and everyone belongs to him!
2 He’s the one who pushed back oceans
    to let the dry ground appear,
    planting firm foundations for the earth.
3 Who, then, ascends into the presence of the Lord?
    And who has the privilege of entering into God’s Holy Place?
4 Those who are clean—whose works and ways are pure,
    whose hearts are true and sealed by the truth,
    those who never deceive, whose words are sure.
5 They will receive the Lord’s blessing
    and righteousness given by the Savior-God.
6 They will stand before God,
    for they seek the pleasure of God’s face, the God of Jacob.
Pause in his presence

7 So wake up, you living gateways!
    Lift up your heads, you ageless doors of destiny!
    Welcome the King of Glory,
    for he is about to come through you.
8 You ask, “Who is this Glory-King?”
    The Lord, armed and ready for battle,
    the Mighty One, invincible in every way!
9 So wake up, you living gateways, and rejoice!
    Fling wide, you ageless doors of destiny!
    Here he comes; the King of Glory is ready to come in.
10 You ask, “Who is this King of Glory?”
    He is the Lord of Victory, armed and ready for battle,
    the Mighty One, the invincible commander of heaven’s hosts!
    Yes, he is the King of Glory!
Pause in his presence

AMEN! Who IS the King of Glory? His Name is JESUS, the Christ, the Messiah, the Living Lord, the Great I AM, the Saviour of the world, the KING of all kings and LORD of all lords! But, most importantly, He is MY KING and MY LORD! I hope that YOU have made Him YOURS!!! Soon and very soon, we are going to see our Kings and we are going to rise to meet Him in the air and to be with Him FOREVER!!! Are you ready for this!? Here is Hillsong Kids with "My Best Friend":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share THIS from Jerry Savelle!

GOD'S HEART IS A FATHER'S HEART

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him (Matthew 7:11 NKJV).

Knowing God as your loving heavenly Father is essential if you want to enjoy your walk with Him and fulfill all the wonderful plans He has for your life.

Your Father is for you: He is behind you every step of the way.

Your Father is always motivated by His love for you. When it seems He is spoiling your fun, He is actually protecting you from something that will harm you.

Your Father wants you to succeed at all you set your hand to do. He will show you how to be successful; He will encourage you to keep going and to never quit.

Your Father will pick you up when you fail or fall. He will bind your wounds and set you on your feet again.

Your Father wants the absolute best for you in all you do. He is disappointed when you settle for less than what you could have.

Your Father delights to have you come and talk to Him. He loves to share His wisdom with you; He loves to counsel you and show you the way.

Regardless of how you may have once viewed God, the Word says He is the perfect Father. Will you let Him be a Father to you?

Confession: Father, I receive You as my loving heavenly Abba (Daddy), and I take my place as Your precious child. I trust in the truth that everything You do for me is motivated by love. I believe You are good, and everything you give me is good.

AMEN! Understanding the Father's great love for us is key to being able to comprehend all that He has DONE for us and PROVIDED for us! When we meditate on this great goodness and love, we will begin to EXPECT His favor and blessing, just because He's FATHER! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Father":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers goes right along with yesterdays' piece and addresses our fellowship with the God Who made us, saved us and continues to pour His love out upon us! AMEN! 

Am I Looking To God?

Look to Me, and be saved… —Isaiah 45:22

Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? He says, “Look to Me, and be saved….” The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attention elsewhere. The basic lesson of the Sermon on the Mount is to narrow all your interests until your mind, heart, and body are focused on Jesus Christ. “Look to Me….”

Many of us have a mental picture of what a Christian should be, and looking at this image in other Christians’ lives becomes a hindrance to our focusing on God. This is not salvation— it is not simple enough. He says, in effect, “Look to Me and you are saved,” not “You will be saved someday.” We will find what we are looking for if we will concentrate on Him. We get distracted from God and irritable with Him while He continues to say to us, “Look to Me, and be saved….” Our difficulties, our trials, and our worries about tomorrow all vanish when we look to God.

Wake yourself up and look to God. Build your hope on Him. No matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to push them aside and look to Him. “Look to Me….” Salvation is yours the moment you look.

LOOK TO HIM and be SAVED, HEALED, SET FREE! Our God is NOT holding things back from us! He IS the God Who has already healed and delivered us! ALL of us! BUT, only 'whosoever will" will EVER  be saved! BE ONE! Here is Hillsong with "Look To The Sun"                

                                                                    
Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers is a gauge for how much of our 'first love' we still retain and nurture for the One, True God!   

Recall What God Remembers

Thus says the Lord: "I remember…the kindness of your youth…" —Jeremiah 2:2

Am I as spontaneously kind to God as I used to be, or am I only expecting God to be kind to me? Does everything in my life fill His heart with gladness, or do I constantly complain because things don’t seem to be going my way? A person who has forgotten what God treasures will not be filled with joy. It is wonderful to remember that Jesus Christ has needs which we can meet— “Give Me a drink” (John 4:7). How much kindness have I shown Him in the past week? Has my life been a good reflection on His reputation?

God is saying to His people, “You are not in love with Me now, but I remember a time when you were.” He says, “I remember…the love of your betrothal…” (Jeremiah 2:2). Am I as filled to overflowing with love for Jesus Christ as I was in the beginning, when I went out of my way to prove my devotion to Him? Does He ever find me pondering the time when I cared only for Him? Is that where I am now, or have I chosen man’s wisdom over true love for Him? Am I so in love with Him that I take no thought for where He might lead me? Or am I watching to see how much respect I get as I measure how much service I should give Him?

As I recall what God remembers about me, I may also begin to realize that He is not what He used to be to me. When this happens, I should allow the shame and humiliation it creates in my life, because it will bring godly sorrow, and “godly sorrow produces repentance…” (2 Corinthians 7:10).

Just how much time do YOU give to nurturing your fellowship with the One, True God? THIS is, BY FAR, the MOST important relationship that you can EVER work on! Make it RIGHT! Amen! Here is Hillsong with "I Surrender":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." —John 3:3

Sometimes we are fresh and eager to attend a prayer meeting, but do we feel that same freshness for such mundane tasks as polishing shoes?

Being born again by the Spirit is an unmistakable work of God, as mysterious as the wind, and as surprising as God Himself. We don’t know where it begins— it is hidden away in the depths of our soul. Being born again from above is an enduring, perpetual, and eternal beginning. It provides a freshness all the time in thinking, talking, and living— a continual surprise of the life of God. Staleness is an indication that something in our lives is out of step with God. We say to ourselves, “I have to do this thing or it will never get done.” That is the first sign of staleness. Do we feel fresh this very moment or are we stale, frantically searching our minds for something to do? Freshness is not the result of obedience; it comes from the Holy Spirit. Obedience keeps us “in the light as He is in the light…” (1 John 1:7).

Jealously guard your relationship with God. Jesus prayed “that they may be one just as We are one” — with nothing in between (John 17:22). Keep your whole life continually open to Jesus Christ. Don’t pretend to be open with Him. Are you drawing your life from any source other than God Himself? If you are depending on something else as your source of freshness and strength, you will not realize when His power is gone.

Being born of the Spirit means much more than we usually think. It gives us new vision and keeps us absolutely fresh for everything through the never-ending supply of the life of God.

Once we are 'born again' by having received JESUS as Lord and Saviour, then we have entered into an unbreakable bond with HIM! When we receive and walk in all the benefits, Wisdom, blessing and prosperity that 'goes with the territory' of a born again believer, then we MUST maintain our daily fellowship with Him! This fellowship is the catalyst for the release of Wisdom, knowledge and understanding into our lives. Along with meditating on the Word of God, this intimate fellowship with Holy Spirit is essential for seeing, hearing, knowing and believing clearly! Remember, NOTHING can stop our relationship with the Most High God, but the enemy will try relentlessly to stop or interfere with our fellowship with Him! REFUSE! Your most important decisions should be made in His presence! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with something else that is RELENTLESS! His LOVE! "Your Love Is Relentless":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We started our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today with a powerful TRUTH! Psalm 1:1-4:

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

These verses are explaining to us that the evidence of Who God is is seen in the heavens! I know some people who are very quick to judge those who are watching the stars and recording what they are seeing as it pertains to Bible prophecy. Some people think that these are date setting for the catching away of the Church. There may be some who have done so, but for the most part this is simply not true! These are doing, with their knowledge of the stars AND of the Word of God, exactly what the 'wise men' who came from the East looking for the King Who was to be born were doing! They were checking evidence in the stars with what the Word of God says will happen. They are watching, praying, recording and warning that what they see beginning to come to pass should have all of us keeping ourselves ready to go! This also includes warning that our opportunity to tell the world about JESUS may be running out! So, rather than judge others for THEIR calling and anointing, let's simply be about fulfilling OURS! AMEN! And let THIS be our prayer before our God: Psalm 19:14:

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer.

AMEN! Here, to encourage YOU, is Hillsong with "Tell The World":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 18:45-50 is a declaration by David, who had sinned against both God and his fellow man, of Who his God IS! 

46 The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted, 47 The God Who avenges me and subdues peoples under me, 48 Who delivers me from my enemies; yes, You lift me up above those who rise up against me; You deliver me from the man of violence. 49 Therefore will I give thanks and extol You, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to Your name. 50 Great deliverances and triumphs gives He to His king; and He shows mercy and steadfast love to His anointed, to David and his offspring forever.

David grasped what many born again believers fail to! Our God is NOT measured by human standards! He IS the STANDARD! Once David repented before the Lord for his sin (a selfish decision to do things MY way rather than God's way), he knew that His God was not a man that He should ever lie! David knew that the Covenant keeping God would ALWAYS have his back! Today's born again, spirit-filled believers NEED to get these TRUTHS firmly down on the inside of us! We CANNOT operate successfully in this world without knowing and having confidence in who WE are: IN HIM! And WE have a Covenant that is SO MUCH BETTER than David had! So, let's get busy studying to show ourselves approved unto God, rightly dividing the Words of HIS TRUTH! Then, once we have settled it in our own hearts that we ARE who HE says we are, let's start acting like the SAVED, ANOINTED, CALLED, SEPARATED, GIFTED, MIRACULOUSLY FORMED  and CELEBRATED vessels of HIS glory! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Who You Say I AM":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

At the end of Matthew 16, from yesterday's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan, JESUS said THIS in verse 28:

28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in (into) His kingdom.

We see this fulfilled in today's Bible Reading in Matthew 17:1-8:

 And six days after this, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 And His appearance underwent a change in their presence; and His face shone clear and bright like the sun, and His clothing became as white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, who kept talking with Him. 4 Then Peter began to speak and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good and delightful that we are here; if You approve, I will put up three booths here—one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah. 5 While he was still speaking, behold, a shining cloud composed of light] overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is My Son, My Beloved, with Whom I am [and have always been] delighted. Listen to Him! 6 When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were seized with alarm and struck with fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, Get up, and do not be afraid. 8 And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

This was quite the experience for these three trusted disciples! We know that they were trusted by JESUS because He tells them in verse 9 not to mention what they saw to anyone until after He had been raised from the dead. I imagine that this last statement went right over their heads! They could not understand at all what the great plan for our Salvation entailed! Everyone ran scared when the soldiers took JESUS from the Garden! But it all made sense once He was raised up and they were born again! There is SO much in the Word of God that we do not yet know and understand, no matter how much we DO know or how long we have been studying the Word! There is ALWAYS something knew to learn or a new way to look at something we've already learned! Make studying and meditating the Word of God your top priority every day and you will never stop learning and growing! And the results are well worth it all! Look at Joshua 1:8:

8 This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success. AMP

The promise is that we will not only learn and grow, but we will have the needed wisdom to prosper and to deal wisely and have GOOD success, in every area! Grab THAT promise! Also, as you do study the Word of God, you will sometimes find things that are not quite what you have always heard or been taught! Take a look at Matthew 17:20:

20 He said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith [that is, your lack of firmly relying trust]. For truly I say to you, if you have faith [that is living] like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to yonder place, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.

After JESUS and His disciples had come down from their mountain top experience, they were confronted by a man whose son was demon possessed and the other disciples who had not gone with them had not been able to cast the demon out. JESUS told them that it was because of the littleness of their faith that the demon did not obey them! They had NOT grown their faith to that point yet! Verse 21 speaks of prayer and fasting, but that is NOT in the original language. I'm sure that the translators thought that they were helping with that addition, but prayer and fasting does NOT bring faith! Faith COMES by hearing and hearing and hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17)! Prayer and fasting is needful for US to get in position to learn and grow in the things of God, but the devil MUST leave at the mention of the NAME of JESUS! Meditate on the verses that speak of the Name of JESUS and our authority by and through that Name! THAT is what is needful to put and keep the devil in his place! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Not Today":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin is a simple and yet very profound look at the Name of JESUS! 

By Inheritance

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. (Hebrews 1:1-4)

We cannot measure the vastness of the power and authority in the Name of Jesus without realizing that He inherited that Name from God the Creator.

Jesus is the brightness of God's glory.

Jesus is the express image of God's Person - the very outshining of God the Father. Jesus is the heir of all things. And Jesus inherited His Name. The greatness of His Name is inherited from His Father. So the power of His Name can only be measured by the power of God.

And every believer has inherited the legal right to use the Name of Jesus!

Confession: I know the Name of Jesus has within it the power and authority of the Creator! I know the power in the Name of Jesus can be measured only by the power of God. And I know I have a legal right to use that Name! 

One of my favorite Old Testament verses is found in Psalm 138:2:

2 I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth and faithfulness; for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name!

We see in Hebrews, above, that our God upholds ALL THINGS by the WORD OF HIS POWER! JESUS has been given the NAME that is above every name that is named! It is the WORD of God's power that has given that NAME! And HE has given US (every born again believer) the right to use that NAME as though it is our own, and it IS! We are called by HIS NAME! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "What A Beautiful Name":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom, 

Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food" devotional for today says this:

Mighty Weapon

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds" (2 Corinthians 10:4). 
Although we have been made new creatures - created by God in Christ Jesus; and although we are transferred out from under Satan's authority, we still live in a world ruled by Satan. 

The Bible calls Satan "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4) and "the prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2). Christ also called him "the prince of this world" (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11). 

According to the Word of God, the very air about us is filled with hostile forces attempting to destroy our fellowship with God the Father, and to deprive us of our usefulness in the Master's service. 

But our Father God, in His great provision and plan of redemption, has given us a weapon to use against Satan. That weapon is given to us not only for ourselves, but also for the benefit of the Satan-ruled men and women around us. That weapon is the Name of Jesus! 

Confession: The weapons of my warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Where Satan's forces have built strongholds, I can pull them down with the mighty Name of Jesus. Satan is no match for that Name. And that Name is a mighty weapon given to me to use against the forces of the enemy. 

To HAVE weapons and to USE weapons are to very different things! God has given us HIS authority to use over all the power of the enemy! He has given US His very own Name to enforce that authority!  BUT, we MUST take action in implementing our weapon of Godly authority in and through the very NAME of JESUS! AMEN! Here is Don Moen with "I Have Given You Authority"":

\Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

People say that atheists do not believe in the God of the Bible! Well I can assure you and them that the God of the Bible does NOT believe in atheists! Look at today's Psalm from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! Psalm 14:1 says:

1 The [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable deeds; there is none that does good or right.

God Himself calls those who CLAIM that there is no God are "empty-headed fools"! Refuse to be 'empty-headed' and refuse to be anybody's fool! YOU were created in the image of God with the opportunity to be recreated as a child of God! If you already have, then REJOICE! The BEST is yet to come! If you have not, then I invite you to pray THIS prayer with me now and know for CERTAIN that you have Heaven as your home and source of supply!

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 that you are a genuine child of the Living God, you, too, can grow up into His Word! You can meditate on it day and night (Joshua 1:8) until you are able to confidently put that Word into practice!  Be a DOER of the Word and not simply a hearer who is deceiving himself  concerning the Word of God (James 1:22)! HE WILL confirm HIS Word with signs, wonders and miracles (Mark 16:20)! Remember always that God does NOT want anyone to perish, but all to become members of HIS family! Not all WILL, but that will be THEIR own choice and NOT His! Here is Hillsong with "No Reason To Hide":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

Wash Your Mind With the Word of God

The Bible is God's blueprint for mankind. It defines His purpose for creating, as well as, His covenant to bless us. God promised that meditation on His words would produce the miracle of prosperity.

Nothing will ever dominate your life that doesn't happen daily. So, meditate on God's Word, daily. One of your greatest discoveries will be the principle of seed faith.

"That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." (Ephesians 5:26)

"Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do." (Deuteronomy 29:9)

The top priority at The Spoken Word Church is to teach and train born again believers to be bright lights in and to the world. Then those 'bright lights' can go out into their worlds preaching the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST through their lives AND their words! The ONLY way to accomplish that is to train these believers to put the Word of God  first place in their lives! God's Word is the legal basis for all of the promises of God found in the New Covenant that we have that is based on new and better promises (Hebrews 8:6)! Spend time everyday in the Word of God and get that Word IN you! Amen! The promise that JESUS gave us for this is found in John 15:7:

7 If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.

AMEN! Now you have it, straight for the mouth of JESUS! So now let's get busy with THIS, our Father's work! Here is Hillsong with "Your Word":

Verse 1
Before the earth knew its foundation
You spoke the dust into creation
Until the end when all has withered
Then still Your Word will endure forever

Pre-Chorus
The lamp unto my feet
The light unto my path

Chorus
Your Word will not be shaken
Your Word will never fail me
Like a fire in my bones
Like a whisper to my soul
Your Word is revelation

Verse 2
Deep calls to deep within Your presence
When I hear You speak my soul awakens
Your Spirit leads my heart to worship
As Your Word reveals the light of Jesus

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we will look again at Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest".

Have You Ever Been Alone with God?

When they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples. —Mark 4:34

Our Solitude with Him. Jesus doesn’t take us aside and explain things to us all the time; He explains things to us as we are able to understand them. The lives of others are examples for us, but God requires us to examine our own souls. It is slow work— so slow that it takes God all of time and eternity to make a man or woman conform to His purpose. We can only be used by God after we allow Him to show us the deep, hidden areas of our own character. It is astounding how ignorant we are about ourselves! We don’t even recognize the envy, laziness, or pride within us when we see it. But Jesus will reveal to us everything we have held within ourselves before His grace began to work. How many of us have learned to look inwardly with courage?

We have to get rid of the idea that we understand ourselves. That is always the last bit of pride to go. The only One who understands us is God. The greatest curse in our spiritual life is pride. If we have ever had a glimpse of what we are like in the sight of God, we will never say, “Oh, I’m so unworthy.” We will understand that this goes without saying. But as long as there is any doubt that we are unworthy, God will continue to close us in until He gets us alone. Whenever there is any element of pride or conceit remaining, Jesus can’t teach us anything. He will allow us to experience heartbreak or the disappointment we feel when our intellectual pride is wounded. He will reveal numerous misplaced affections or desires— things over which we never thought He would have to get us alone. Many things are shown to us, often without effect. But when God gets us alone over them, they will be clear.

The moment that we received JESUS as Lord and Saviour, Holy Spirit recreated our own human spirit in the very image of God! Our spirit man is PERFECT! We cannot sin with our spirit. We no longer have our previous 'sin  nature'! But we DO have the nature of the flesh to deal with while we are here on earth. That is why we must be continually renewing our minds with the Word of God so that Holy Spirit can teach us the difference, and show us how to walk in His will and His ways! Stay in continual fellowship with HIM and you will never go wrong because HE never allows His righteous ones to 'slip, fall or fail' (Psalm 55:22 AMP)! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "I Am Who You Say I Am":

Shalom in Him!