Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin is another very good 'nugget' of Wisdom for you!

Working in Me

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). 

Another translation of this verse reads, "For it is God who is at work within you." 

I like to put Philippians 2:13 together with First John 4:4: "Greater is he that is in you; and that means me. God is in me!" 

What is God doing in me? 

He is at work in me. 

What is God working at? 

Both to will and to do of His own good pleasure. 

What is His own good pleasure? 

His pleasure is that I have everything the Word of God says I can have, that I do everything the Word of God says I can do. God is enabling me! 

God is in me, and my spirit rejoices. My heart is glad that I can turn God loose in me. I can let God have right-of-way in me. I can put God to work even to a greater degree in my life. 

How can I do this? 

First, I can do it by believing in my heart that God is in there, and that the Word of God is true. Then, I can boldly confess with my mouth, for I will not enjoy the reality of what the Word states is mine or what I believe until I confess it with my mouth. The Bible teaches that "With the heart man believeth, and with the mouth confession is made unto" (Romans 10:10). 

Confession: God is in me. God is at work within me. God works through me! 

BELIEVE that is Holy Spirit within you doing the WORK of making us more like JESUS! Stop striving to be or do good and begin to seek more intimate fellowship with the ONE Who is doing the WORK! HE longs for our fellowship and WE NEED His! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "I Surrender":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Grace Inspirations" by Joseph Prince is EXCELLENT for every believer, especially those who are in the workplace! 

YOU ARE A BLESSING GOING SOMEWHERE TO HAPPEN

Deuteronomy 28:10  Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.

Today, we are called by the name of Christ—Christ-ians. Therefore, the blessing of Deuteronomy 28:10, which says, “Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord” is no longer just a promise but reality!

The second part of the verse—“and they shall be afraid of you”—is also true for you. People will respect you. Your boss will favor you and even your competitors will esteem you highly. They know that there is something special about you because good things happen when you are around!

I experienced this blessing when I first started working. I worked in a small third-floor office which constantly smelled of salted fish because there was a salted fish stall on the ground floor. It was in that small, dingy office that I kept on confessing that I was blessed by the Lord, and I experienced divine favor with my clients. My boss could see that there was something different about me.

The company’s business flourished and before long, we moved out of that small office to a building which in the mid-eighties was considered an information technology hub. There, we occupied a couple of offices, and started specializing in computer software and courses. Soon, we occupied the entire floor! That was how much God was prospering us.

God was also blessing me tremendously. I was drawing a very good monthly income, enjoying the favor of my boss and was in his inner circle. A few years later, I decided to go into full-time ministry. When I broke the news to my boss, he cried. I never knew how much I meant to him until then. It was only then that I realized what a blessing I had been to him by the grace of God.

Beloved, because you are also called by the name of the Lord, wherever you go, you are a blessing. His blessing is on you. The people around you will look at you and know that you are a blessing going somewhere to happen!

AMEN!!! YOU who have JESUS as Lord and Saviour, have within YOU the God of all the universe! His WISDOM. His AUTHORITY. His POWER! EXPECT to find and have FAVOR with everyone you have contact with! GOD is glorified when HIS people exalted and appreciated! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "GO"!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we read Psalm 148 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan!  I LOVE these last few Psalms that are ALL about praising and worshiping the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! The God of all creation! The God of our SALVATION! AMEN! Here is Psalm 148 from the Amplified Bible and then again from The Passion Translation! These versions of the Bible give us another perspective to see to deepen our understanding of the WORD of GOD! AMEN! 

Psalm 148 (KJV)

1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights!

3 Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you stars of light!

4 Praise Him, you highest heavens and you waters above the heavens!

5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created.

6 He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away [He fixed their bounds which cannot be passed over].

7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps!

8 You lightning, hail, fog, and frost, you stormy wind fulfilling His orders!

9 Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars!

10 Beasts and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers and judges of the earth!

12 Both young men and maidens, old men and children!

13 Let them praise and exalt the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted and supreme! His glory and majesty are above earth and heaven!

14 He has lifted up a horn for His people [giving them power, prosperity, dignity, and preeminence], a song of praise for all His godly ones, for the people of Israel, who are near to Him. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

The Cosmic Chorus of Praise (TPT)

148 Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Let the skies be filled with praise and the highest heavens with the shouts of glory! 2 Go ahead—praise him, all you his messengers! Praise him some more, all you heavenly hosts! 3 Keep it up, sun and moon! Don’t stop now, all you twinkling stars of light! 4 Take it up even higher—up to the highest heavens, until the cosmic chorus thunders his praise! 5 Let the entire universe erupt with praise to God. From nothing to something he spoke and created it all. 6 He established the cosmos to last forever, and he stands behind his commands so his orders will never be revoked. 7 Let the earth join in with this parade of praise! You mighty creatures of the ocean’s depths, echo in exaltation! 8 Lightning, hail, snow, and clouds, and the stormy winds that fulfill his word. 9 Bring your melody, O mountains and hills; trees of the forest and field, harmonize your praise! 10–12 Praise him, all beasts and birds, mice and men, kings, queens, princes, and princesses, young men and maidens, children and babes, old and young alike, everyone everywhere! 13 Let them all join in with this orchestra of praise. For the name of the Lord is the only name we raise! His stunning splendor ascends higher than the heavens. 14 He anoints his people with strength and authority, showing his great favor to all his godly lovers, even to his princely people, Israel, who are so close to his heart.   Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

Make sure that YOU are meditating on the Word of God like this each and every day. If you DO this, then understanding of the WILL, the PLANS and the PURPOSES of  God will flood your very being!!! He DESIRES that we KNOW HIM! NOT just ABOUT HIM! Learn to have, and to go hard after, intimate fellowship with the ONE Who loves you MOST! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Ready or Not":

Shalom  in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Health Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin covers a very important subject when it comes to divine health and healing!

Should You Take Your Medicine?

Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:17)

People are always asking me if they should take their medicine or not. I tell them to wait until the Lord tells them to stop taking it. Don't stop taking your medicine because I told you to do it. I'm not going to tell you what to do. 

I'm not opposed to doctors. Thank God for medical science. They're against the same things I'm against; they're fighting sickness and disease too. Nowadays, it's exciting that more and more doctors also believe in prayer and divine healing. 

When people's faith is strong enough and they come to the knowledge of the truth, they may not need medical help. I was healed of two serious organic heart troubles, a body that was almost totally paralyzed, and an incurable blood disease. 

I never ran and played like other little children. I became bedfast at the age of fifteen. The doctors said that nobody in my condition ever lived past sixteen years of age. 

As I read Grandma's Methodist Bible, I acted on Mark 11:23 and 24 and was healed. And in almost seventy years, I've never had so much as an aspirin. I haven't needed one. 

There's nothing wrong with taking aspirins if you need them, but I haven't had a headache in almost seventy years. I haven't had the flu in almost seventy years. I'm expecting to live and die without a headache. I'm expecting to live and die and never have the flu. Why? I found out about divine healing. 

Thank God for natural healing. Thank God for what man can do. Doctors are fighting the same disease and devil we're fighting. Let's join hands with doctors and let them tell us when to stop taking our medicine. 

Confession: I thank God for doctors and the advances of medical science, but I am so glad that I know about divine healing. I am so glad that I know Jesus took my infirmities and bore my sicknesses!

If there is a question in your heart about taking medicine, keep taking it! BUT, speak the Word of God over it as you do! When it is time to stop medication, you will be led forth in that decision by the same peace and joy that Holy Spirit leads in every other area! Stay in intimate fellowship with HIM while you are feasting every day on the Word of God and you will find the Word manifesting in your life more and more every day! THAT is God's will for you! AMEN! Here is  Hillsong with "Say The Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers covers another very important TRUTH in the born again believers' walk with the One, True God! 

The Life That Lives

Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. — Luke 24:49

The disciples had to tarry until the day of Pentecost not for their own preparation only; they had to wait until the Lord was glorified historically. As soon as He was glorified, what happened? “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.” The parenthesis in John 7:39 (“For the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified”) does not apply to us; the Holy Ghost has been given, the Lord is glorified; the waiting depends not on God’s providence, but on our fitness.

The Holy Spirit’s influence and power were at work before Pentecost, but He was not here. Immediately Our Lord was glorified in Ascension, the Holy Spirit came into this world, and He has been here ever since. We have to receive the revelation that He is here. The reception of the Holy Spirit is the maintained attitude of a believer. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive quickening life from the ascended Lord.

It is not the baptism of the Holy Ghost which changes men, but the power of the ascended Christ coming into men’s lives by the Holy Ghost that changes them. We too often divorce what the New Testament never divorces. The baptism of the Holy Ghost is not an experience apart from Jesus Christ: it is the evidence of the ascended Christ.

The baptism of the Holy Ghost does not make you think of Time or Eternity, it is one amazing glorious NOW. “This is life eternal that they might know Thee.” Begin to know Him now, and finish never.

AMEN! I especially LOVE that the baptism of the Holy Spirit (the INFILLING) is NOT an experience apart from JESUS, it IS the EVIDENCE of HIS presence! In the early days of the New Testament church, people received this infilling right after, or along with, the New Birth! Unbelief, laziness, false teaching, has robbed born again believers for centuries of this most important aspect of the New Covenant life! If you have never received JESUS as LORD and SAVIOUR, then I invite you to pray this prayer, from your heart, and become that NEW CREATION spoken of in 2 Corinthians 5:17!

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

Now, as a member of the family of God, of the Body of Christ and of the New Testament CHURCH, you CAN received this infilling of Holy Spirit! Pray THIS prayer:

Father, I am Your child. I desire to be filled with Holy Spirit and speak with other tongues as the Holy Spirit gives me the utterance. By faith, I receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. As I lift my hands to praise You, I fully expect to speak in my heavenly prayer language. Amen.

Now open your heart and mouth in praise to Him and allow Holy Spirit to give you that powerful, personal, prayer language. If you have further questions, please check out The Spoken Word Church website at the top left and contact us there. We will be happy to help you in your spiritual growth. Here is Hillsong with an older song called "Joy in the Holy Ghost":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today is a perfect day to praise the Lord our God! AND, to do so with Psalm 145 from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! 

Psalm 145

[A Psalm] of praise. Of David.

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.

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 andterrible 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.

8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving-kindness.

9 The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created].

10 All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your loving ones shall bless You [affectionately and gratefully shall Your saints confess and praise You]!

11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power,

12 To make known to the sons of men God’s mighty deeds and the glorious majesty of His kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

14 The Lord upholds all those [of His own] who are falling and raises up all those who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all wait for You [looking, watching, and expecting] and You give them their food in due season.

16 You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with favor.

17 The Lord is [rigidly] righteous in all His ways and gracious and merciful in all His works.

18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him sincerely and in truth.

19 He will fulfill the desires of those who reverently andworshipfully fear Him; He also will hear their cry and will save them.

20 The Lord preserves all those who love Him, but all the wicked will He destroy.

21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord; and let all flesh bless (affectionately and gratefully praise) His holy name forever and ever.

GOD is GOOD! ALL the time! Make His Praise heard everywhere! He IS the GIVER of all GOOD things! If there is ANYTHING good in our lives, HE deserves ALL of the PRAISE, THANKSGIVING and WORSHIP for it!!! AMEN! I hope that YOU will spend your day today in intimate fellowship with HIM, giving HIM the glory that He deserves! Here is  Hillsong UNITED with "Good Grace":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 144:3 says this:

3 Lord, what is man that You take notice of him? Or [the] son of man that You take account of him?

What is the answer to that question? What IS mankind to the One, True God? Look at these verses:

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. KJV

Psalm 8:4 What is man, that You are mindful of him? and the son of man, that You visit him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and have crowned him with glory and honour. 6 You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet: 7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; 8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passes through the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! KJV

GOD made man in HIS image! Yet He made us with a free will which gives us the ability to sin. WHY? Because He did not want robots, but people who would choose to worship Him of our own will! In Psalm 8:5 the KJV says that He made us to be a little lower than 'angels'. That is NOT the correct word there. This is the Hebrew word "elohiym", which means: the supreme God! HE made US a little lower than HIMSELF! Why did the translators change this? Because they did not know what we now know about God and His Word. They could not understand how that could be. How CAN it be? Because WHEN He made us KNOWING that we would one day sin, He already had the remedy in place to send, in the fullness of time! MESSIAH JESUS Who would give Himself freely for US! He became sin with OUR sin, taking upon HIMSELF the punishment that WE should have had. Now, whosoever will believe this and receive JESUS as Lord and Saviour, becomes a new creation that never existed before (2 Corinthians 5:17)! The Spirit of God recreates our previously dead human spirit into the image of God. PERFECT and without sin. We now become members of God's very own family! LOWER than GOD but HIGHER than ANGELS! While on this earth we still have the nature of the flesh, this flesh and bone body and a soul (mind, emotions and will) that must be renewed daily with God's Word in order to have intimate fellowship with Him. We speak on this earth with HIS authority! THEN, when we are with Him, when we see Him face to face , we will be LIKE HIM (1 John 3:2)! HALLELUJAH!!! So, what is man that God cares for us? WE ARE HIS!!! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with a new song that I LOVE! "Echoes (Til We See The Other Side)":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read John 3 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today. I LOVE this LIFE chapter! God's plan for mankind is revealed here plainly! In verse 3 JESUS is telling one of the leading religious leaders, who SHOULD have known God's plan which had been revealed over and over in Scripture (see verse 10), THIS:

3 Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.

When Nicodemus didn't understand how this could be, JESUS proceeded to explain it to Him. Verses 16-17 cover it all!

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.

This is also covered very well in today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers!

The Delight Of Despair

And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. — Revelation 1:17

It may be that like the apostle John you know Jesus Christ intimately, when suddenly He appears with no familiar characteristic at all, and the only thing you can do is to fall at His feet as dead. There are times when God cannot reveal Himself in any other way than in His majesty, and it is the awfulness of the vision which brings you to the delight of despair; if you are ever to be raised up, it must be by the hand of God.

“He laid His right hand upon me.” In the midst of the awfulness, a touch comes, and you know it is the right hand of Jesus Christ. The right hand not of restraint nor of correction nor of chastisement, but the right hand of the Everlasting Father. Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it is ineffable peace and comfort, the sense that “underneath are the everlasting arms,” full of sustaining and comfort and strength. When once His touch comes, nothing at all can cast you into fear again. In the midst of all His ascended glory the Lord Jesus comes to speak to an insignificant disciple, and to say — “Fear not.” His tenderness is ineffably sweet. Do I know Him like that?

When JESUS raises us up as that New Creation that never existed before (2 Corinthians 5:17) we will NEVER be up for judgement from God again! Look at John 3:18:

18 He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation—he incurs no damnation]; but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already [he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence] because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ’s name.]

This IS the greatest GOOD NEWS that any of us have ever or will ever receive! Now that we have, we MUST share this Good News, reminding ourselves that God's will is that NONE should perish (2 Peter 3:9)! So, let's be about our Father's business of sharing LIFE! That's OUR part! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "As You Find Me":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I really want to share from Rick Renner's "Sparkling Gems From The Greek - Volume 2". This is outstanding!!! And the ladies, in particular, will LOVE this! I also encourage you to check out yesterday's teaching from Rick that led him to today's! 

A New Set of Clothes

…put on the new man…. — Ephesians 4:24

In yesterday’s Sparkling Gem, I taught about “purging the closet” — essentially, ridding your life of anything that is incompatible with whom you have become in Christ Jesus. Today I want to switch gears and teach you how to put on new things that are compatible with living a holy, consecrated life! But before I delve into the Word, I want to relate an experience from my life that happened soon after I had finished writing yesterday’s Gem.

After crafting the finishing lines of that Gem, my wife Denise and I embarked on a trip to Rome that we had been planning for quite some time. When we arrived, Denise asked if she could go shopping “just to look” and see what was in the clothing stores. Of course, I know that looking leads to buying, so I was mystified that she wanted to purchase more clothes since she had just purged her closet the prior week. In fact, when we left for Rome, a huge pile of her clothes was still stacked on top of our guestroom bed, waiting to be zipped up in suitcases and sent to our church where they would be donated for other women to enjoy.

But now Denise wanted to go window-shopping — which I knew would result in buying more clothes. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. After that multi-day closet purge, her closet was finally free of those old clothes, and now Denise was going to start filling it up again!

As Denise browsed through one particular shop for two hours, I sat at a coffee shop down the street and waited. The longer I sat there, the more frustrated I became. I wondered, Why is she trying to find new clothes when she just got rid of so many clothes? So finally I got up from my table and went to the store to confront her with my question. I asked, “Denise, you just spent days cleaning out the closet and getting rid of your old clothes. Can you explain to me why you are now trying to refill the closet with new clothes?”

She looked at me and responded, “It’s about having clothes that fit who I am now. Those old clothes don’t reflect who I am anymore. I need clothes that reflect what’s going on inside my life right now!”

I walked out of the store, returned to the very same coffee shop, and continued waiting. As I sat there over a fresh cup of coffee, I really pondered what my wife had said. Finally, I called her on her mobile phone and asked, “Are we close to finishing at this shop?” She answered, “Please come here. I want to show you what I’ve found.” Over the next 40 minutes, we had a fashion show as she tried on every piece of clothing for me that she had picked out — and I have to be honest, those clothes were totally different from anything she had in her “giveaway” pile at home. This deliberate stylistic shift attested to a deeper change in Denise. She is a unique, evolving individual, and the clothes she chose beautifully reflected the changes taking place in her. I finally got it!

This experience brought my mind right back to yesterday’s Sparkling Gem, where we saw that the apostle Paul exhorted us to rid ourselves of attitudes that are incompatible with a godly lifestyle. However, this was not the totality of Paul’s message. After he exhorted us to “put off the old man” in verse 22, Paul continued in Ephesians 4:24 by saying, “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” After telling us what to take off, Paul proceeded to tell us what to put on — that we need to acquire new spiritual clothes!

What exactly do these new spiritual clothes look like? Paul provided more detail in Colossians 3:12,13 when he said, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another….”

The phrase “put on” is a translation of the Greek word enduo, which was often used in ancient literature to denote a person putting on a new set of clothes. Thus, when it comes to spiritual matters, Paul was telling us it is not enough to simply remove residual hang-ups, bad habits, and fleshly tendencies that block the true expression of your identity in Christ. We must make a conscious effort to “put on” new attitudes and characteristics that are compatible with our new life in Jesus Christ.

And do you know what I’ve discovered from my own personal spiritual journey? The longer I walk with the Lord and the closer I become to Him, the higher He calls me and the more He encourages me to change my lifestyle in order to more closely reflect His character.

As I watched Denise try on all those new clothes in that shop in Rome, I thought of these verses. Inwardly I surmised, Well, Denise “put off” a bunch of clothes that no longer matched her style, and now she is going to “put on” a whole new set of clothes that better fits her evolving style. When I went to pay her bill, I looked at her and jokingly told her she was being scriptural. She liked that response!

Take a moment today to meditate on Ephesians 4:24 and Colossians 3:12,13 and see what God wants you personally to put on. The Holy Spirit wants to dress you in a new and better style, and He is the best Designer on planet Earth! He knows you; He knows Jesus; and He knows how to make you reflect the work Jesus has done inside your heart and life!

AMEN! As you continue to grow up in the things of God, there will be continual changes in you, also! In the way you think and speak and act! Be willing to GROW and to CHANGE and to DO all that GOD is leading you, by His Spirit in you, to do! THAT is what we will be rewarded for in Heaven! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Whole Heart":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I have shared a few times before that I pray Psalm 25:5 before studying the Word of God:

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 tell us that when we ask for anything that is according to the will of God, which is the Word of God, then we know that we have it! We KNOW that Psalm 25:5 is God's perfect will for us because we know that He desires that we know HIM! In today's Psalm there is another prayer that I pray before I speak or teach! Psalm 141:3:

3 Set a guard, O Lord, before my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.

THIS prayer, too, is one that God will most certainly answer! HE wants His people to hear, see and DO the TRUTH! (John 17:17 Your Word is TRUTH!) My only desire in ministering the Word of God is that people may SEE HIM and desire to KNOW HIM MORE! When we keep our heart and attitude right, God will move heaven and earth to cause us to SHINE! For HIS GLORY! AMEN! Psalm 141:1-2 says this:

1 Lord, I call upon You; hasten to me. Give ear to my voice when I cry to You. 2 Let my prayer be set forth as incense before You, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

AMEN! To help keep this in your remembrance I am posting THIS song by Hillsong called Like Incense (Sometimes By Step):

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share with you something very informative from our partner Rick Renner and his powerful devotional - "Sparkling Gems From The Greek - Volume 2".

When God Calls You, He Also Equips You

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. — Philippians 1:6

When God calls you, He will equip and prepare you to effectively complete your assignment on time. He will use every aspect of who you are and where you came from to bring about His will in your life. He factors in your background, your level of education, your past occupations, and everything else you’ve accumulated from your life experiences. Many times He will also lead you into new territory where you are surrounded by unfamiliar faces in order to teach you lessons that you couldn’t learn any other way. Perhaps no example of this is clearer than the life of the apostle Paul.

Paul played a major role in the founding of the Early Church. God used him to write almost two-thirds of the New Testament, and his inspired epistles have guided the Body of Christ for nearly 2,000 years. However, when Paul first came to the Lord, he was very inexperienced in the arena of ministry. In order for him to accurately understand God’s vision of the Church, he had to be adequately equipped and prepared. This period of training would not happen in the way Paul planned. He would have to go somewhere entirely unexpected.

Soon after his life-changing conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul traveled to Jerusalem, eager to connect with the disciples who resided there and begin his ministry. Given his background as a former rabbi who spoke fluent Hebrew, Jerusalem seemed to him like the natural choice to focus his efforts, since he was so intimately acquainted with the Jewish culture, tradition, and religious thought that permeated that city. However, God had called him to bring the Gospel to the Gentile world first and foremost, and Jerusalem’s predominately Jewish environment could not adequately prepare him for this ministry.

Paul’s stay in Jerusalem didn’t last long. The Gospel message he had boldly proclaimed in the synagogues soon after his arrival enraged the local Jewish leadership, and they conspired to kill him. When the local believers learned of this plot against Paul’s life, they helped him covertly leave the city and then sent him off to his hometown of Tarsus. There Paul remained until God was ready to usher him into the next phase of his calling, where the sure foundations of his ministry would be laid and his Christian walk would be strengthened by leaps and bounds.

The proving ground for Paul would be the city of Antioch, a major city located approximately 300 miles north of Jerusalem in modern-day Syria. Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire during early New Testament times, with only Rome and Alexandria exceeding it in size. Situated on a crossroads between East and West, it was a thriving commercial center and a true melting pot of cultures and peoples. The city’s population was also composed primarily of Gentiles — a very important factor for Paul, given the nature of his calling.

The multiplicity of cultures found within the thriving urban environment of Antioch naturally resulted in a colorful and diverse Christian community. When the Gospel was first brought to Antioch in the wake of Stephen’s martyrdom, it was warmly received and the city experienced a revival as pagans and Jews alike left their old lives behind and accepted Jesus into their hearts. Before long, a thriving church was established as believers in Antioch began to actively evangelize their city and the surrounding region. During Paul’s time with this congregation, he regularly ministered alongside Gentiles and learned to communicate effectively with them. These experiences would do much to equip him for the epic apostolic journeys that he would later embark upon across the Roman Empire.

From its onset, the church of Antioch had grown rapidly until it was second in size only to the church of Jerusalem. However, despite the distinction of these churches having the two largest congregations in the mid-First Century, the two works were very different. Many of the believers in Antioch were Gentiles who came from pagan backgrounds, whereas the believers in Jerusalem were nearly all of Jewish ancestry.

Antioch’s rich, diverse environment was the “right place” God chose to equip and prepare the apostle Paul for ministry. A brand-new move of the Spirit was taking place in that city, and by following God’s calling to move there, Paul put himself in a position to receive an entirely fresh perspective of the Body of Christ. During his time in Antioch, he learned important lessons from what he saw and experienced that he could have never learned if he had stayed in Jerusalem. Following God’s call led Paul to a place he would have never anticipated, but it was an essential step to equip him for the rest of his ministry.

Never forget the promise that Paul himself wrote to us in Philippians 1:6. It says, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Paul was certainly speaking from personal experience when he wrote this verse. According to Paul, God will begin a good work in us and will “perform” it until the day of Jesus’ return for the Church. The word “perform” is the Greek word epiteleo, a compound of epi and teleo. The word epi adds force to the word. The word teleo means to finish, complete, or conclude. When the two words are compounded, the new word epiteleo shows that God is forcefully moving His plans for us in the right direction until we are finally complete! Paul started that verse with the word “confident” — the Greek word peitho. It means you can be sure, convinced, and ever certain of these things!

Likewise, God knows exactly where you need to be and who you need to be with in order to equip you for your life assignment — and He is working to get you exactly where you need to be! As He did in the life of Paul, God will use every aspect of who you are and where you came from to bring about His will in your life. He will use your background, your level of education, your past occupations, and everything else you’ve accumulated from your life experiences. And He may also lead you into places where you are surrounded by unfamiliar faces to teach you lessons that you couldn’t learn any other way. One thing is certain: If God has called you, He will equip you for the task! You can be sure of it!

Whatever it is that God has called you to do, and He has a part in His plan for every born again believer, you will invariably run into someone who thinks you're wrong, that you've missed God, that ..... just fill in the blanks! WHEN this happens, simply get out THIS devotion and remind yourself that God's calling in YOUR life is NOT subject to another person's approval! We can all receive guidance from those whom God has placed in our lives for that purpose, but we must ultimately obey GOD, whether anyone else believes in us or not! AMEN! We will ONLY be rewarded in Heaven for our obedience to HIM with a right attitude. Refuse to be moved and you WILL see GOD's hand at work! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Who You Say I AM":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share Psalm 139:1-18 with you from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. This is all about YOU!

Psalm 139

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, you have searched me [thoroughly] and have known me. 2 You know my downsitting and my uprising; You understand my thought afar off. 3 You sift and search out my path and my lying down, and You are acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word in my tongue [still unuttered], but, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. 5 You have beset me and shut me in—behind and before, and You have laid Your hand upon me. 6 Your [infinite] knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high above me, I cannot reach it. 7 Where could I go from Your Spirit? Or where could I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me and the night shall be [the only] light about me, 12 Even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You. 13 For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery]. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand. When I awoke, [could I count to the end] I would still be with You.

Keep reading these verses and allow Holy Spirit to make them real to you. HE KNOWS YOU! There is not a thing we have done, a word we have spoken or a thought we have had that the One, True, Living, Almighty God of the Bible has not known about! And STILL He loves you, and me, with His great, everlasting, never failing, all consuming LOVE! Dare to believe that you are no longer identified by your weaknesses and shortcomings, but by the Blood of JESUS shed for you, IF you have received JESUS as Lord and Saviour! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "At The Cross" which contains some of these same verses!  He KNOWS us and He LOVES us! AMEN! :

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "From Faith To Faith" devotional for today is another VITAL message for getting YOUR prayers answered!  

Don't Waste Time Wondering

Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:17

So many believers wring their hands and worry about whether or not they’re praying according to God’s will. “Oh, dear me,” they say, “I certainly can’t expect God to do something for me that’s outside His will.” And they’re absolutely right.

But they don’t need to waste time standing around looking puzzled. They need to grab their Bibles and find out what the will of God is.

God has made some very specific promises in His Word and it’s His will to fulfill every one of them in your life. In fact, those promises are divinely guaranteed by a contract that’s been signed in the blood of Jesus.

Think of it this way. Your Bible is the last will and testament of Jesus Christ. It is a record of your inheritance. Everything that belongs to you has been written down in that Book and the smartest thing you can do is to find out what is in it. Don’t leave it lying on the coffee table and hit the floor crying, “Oh, God! Oh, God! I’m searching for the truth.”

Pick up your Bible from the coffee table and find out what belongs to you! Find out how you need to change to get in line with God’s will.

Most people don’t do that. They try to change God instead. They’ll go on and on trying to convince God just how badly they hurt or how poor they are. They’ll beg and plead and wheedle, all the while acting as though they had to somehow change God’s mind about the situation. Those folks are in for a long wait.

God is never going to change. The Bible says He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. His will is too. So don’t waste your time wondering if your prayers are in line with it. Get the Book and base your prayers on it. Then you can rest assured the answer is on the way!

AMEN! Find out what GOD says belongs to you, meditate on it until it is REAL to YOU. Then begin to declare it as so and expect HIM to confirm HIS WORD in your life! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Here's To The One":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really love today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin. If you have never read this daily devotional, you are cheating yourself of a treasure of TRUTH concerning who we are IN HIM and what He has provided for us to walk in. HERE, in THIS life!

Covenant Blessing

"And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfill" (Exodus 23:25-26). 

As long as Israel walked in the covenant, there was no sickness among them. There is no record of a premature death as long as they kept the covenant. No babies, no young people, no middle-aged people died. With sickness taken away from the midst of them, they lived their whole lives out without disease, and then they just fell asleep in death. 

When it was time for them to go, they would lay hands on their children, pronounce blessings upon them, gather their feet up into bed, give up the ghost, and go home. 

What does that have to do with us? God is the same God now that He was then! The Bible says that He does not change. God was against sin in the Old Testament (Old Covenant), and God is against sin in the New Testament (New Covenant). God was against sickness in the Old Testament and God is against sickness in the New Testament.

God made provision for healing in the Old Testament and God has made provision for healing in the New Testament! 

Confession: I love and serve the Lord my God as a New Covenant believer. Jesus has taken sickness away from the midst of me. If He tarries His coming, the number of my days I will fulfill. 

AMEN! Learn who YOU are IN HIM. Learn what YOU have IN HIM. Learn what YOU can do IN HIM. And then ACT ON IT! We ARE His ambassadors here on earth, presenting all that Heaven has to offer! Let's get to it! Here is Hillsong UNITED with an older but very good song called "GO":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 107 is our Psalm for today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! Verses 1-3 look like this:

1 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever! 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has delivered from the hand of the adversary, 3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the [Red] Sea in the south.

Actually, my previous statement isn't completely accurate! Verse 2 does NOT contain the word "so"! That makes this statement actually say something else! We who have been redeemed by the Lord are being instructed to say: "O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endures forever!" This is what we, the redeemed are to say! Actually digging into the Word of God is not simply a fun pastime, but it CAN be vital for our continued growth in the things of God and in learning to operate by faith, which comes only FROM the Word of God! The psalmist goes on to speak of all of the distressing times that came upon God's people as they turned from Him. Then he encourages with these verses:  

6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. 7 He led them forth by the straight and right way, that they might go to a city where they could establish their homes.

13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and broke apart the bonds that held them.

19 Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivers them out of their distresses. 20 He sends forth His word and heals them and rescues them from the pit and destruction.

28 Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. 29 He hushes the storm to a calm and to a gentle whisper, so that the waves of the sea are still. 30 Then the men are glad because of the calm, and He brings them to their desired haven.

Study the Word of God diligently to find out just what belongs to YOU as a child of the Living God! Meditate on these TRUTHS until they become so real to you that you wonder why everyone doesn't see it! Then put that Word into action and watch the Glory of God be manifest in your life, giving JESUS all the GLORY! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with one of my new favorite songs, "Echoes (Til We See The Other Side)": 

Shalom in Him!