Shalom,

There is such a powerful, and personal, message in today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin! 

Conductor Of Life

"God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life" (1 John 5:11-12). 

Jesus said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature … and these signs shall follow them that believe" (Mark 16:15, 17). 

One of these signs Jesus said would follow believers - not the Early Church, not apostles, not pastors, not preachers, but believers - is, " …they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (Mark 16:18). 

Why? Because the life of God is in believers! 

Sometimes people are specially anointed to minister healing, but that isn't what Mark 16 is talking about! Every born-again believer has the life of God, the nature of God, the God-kind of life, in him - and by the laying on of hands, that life can be imparted into the physical bodies of others! 

That's why you should lay hands on the sick. When you lay hands on them, that life of God in you is conducted through your hands to others. Often, you'll be conscious of that life flowing right out of you into them. 

You've got the life of God in you! You've got the nature of God in you! God's a healing God. Put God's power to work! That's how God works - through your own hands. God's not here on earth in Person, but He is in you by His Spirit! 

Confession: I am a believing one. I have the life of God in me. And God is a healing God. I lay hands on the sick, and they recover. 

I encourage you today to not only make the above your confession, but make it YOUR DETERMINED PURPOSE! We are, after all, HIS Ambassadors! We represent all of Heaven to this hurting world. Have you ever found yourself saying, "I wish someone could DO something about that"? YOU just may BE THE ONE! AMEN! Let's get about our Father's business today and make His Name known! Here is Hillsong UNITED with one of my favorite new songs: "Echoes (Til We See The Other Side)":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Colossians 2:1-3 says this:

1 For I want you to know how great is my solicitude for you [how severe an inward struggle I am engaged in for you] and for those [believers] at Laodicea, and for all who [like yourselves] have never seen my face and known me personally. 2 [For my concern is] that their hearts may be braced (comforted, cheered, and encouraged) as they are knit together in love, that they may come to have all the abounding wealth and blessings of assured conviction of understanding, and that they may become progressively more intimately acquainted with and may know more definitely and accurately and thoroughly that mystic secret of God, [which is] Christ (the Anointed One). 3 In Him all the treasures of [divine] wisdom (comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God) and [all the riches of spiritual] knowledge and enlightenment are stored up and lie hidden.

In verse 2 Paul is saying that his #1 priority concerning the Colossians is that they come to know the Word of God more intimately and completely! Remember that Paul is also the one who said, in Philippians 3:10 that HIS determined purpose, for himself personally, was that HE come to know the Lord in this way! When we know the Word more deeply, we will know JESUS more deeply and intimately. THAT is the only way to really know Him! By Holy Spirit, our Teacher, through the Word of the Living God! Then Paul goes on to say, in verse 3, the reason for this powerful, intimate knowledge! That WE may become all that GOD intends for us to be, walking in all that HE has provided us through our new and better Covenant with HIM! There IS no other way to get there! But by the Spirit and by the Word! AMEN! I hope that YOU will begin, or begin AGAIN, today to dig deeper into those precious, powerful and valuable TRUTHS hidden FOR us and FROM the world and the enemy! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Whole Heart":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We begin Colossians today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan and I want to share verses 9-14. We use these verses to pray the Word over loved ones in the same way that we pray the prayers that Paul shared in Ephesians 1 and 3! 

⁹ For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make [special] request for you, [asking] that you may be filled with the ^[full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things— ¹⁰ That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition]. ¹¹ [We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy, ¹² Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God’s holy people) in the Light. ¹³ [The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴ In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.

The very best way to pray for others is to pray in the Spirit, by Holy Spirit Who lives IN us and knows ALL! The next best prayer is to pray as Holy Spirit leads in your known language when He gives you something specific to pray. The next very best prayer is to pray the WORD over them! These prayers in Ephesians and Colossians do just that! POWERFULLY!  I want to note that in verse 14 (above) the translators say that 'redemption' means the forgiveness of sin. That is NOT the clearest picture! What redemption ACTUALLY means is the REMISSION of sins! Our sin was NOT simply forgiven! It was completely wiped away by the Blood of JESUS!! AMEN! It IS no more! Now AFTER the New Birth, WHEN we sin, we must use 1 John 1:9 to continually receive the continually provided forgiveness AND cleansing! AMEN! Here is Colossians 9-14 from The Passion Translation!

⁹ Since we first heard about you, we’ve kept you always in our prayers that you would receive the perfect knowledge of God’s pleasure over your lives, making you reservoirs of every kind of wisdom and spiritual understanding. ¹⁰ We pray that you would walk in the ways of true righteousness, pleasing God in every good thing you do. Then you’ll become fruit-bearing branches, yielding to his life, and maturing in the rich experience of knowing God in his fullness! ¹¹ And we pray that you would be energized with all his explosive power from the realm of his magnificent glory, filling you with great hope. ¹² Your hearts can soar with joyful gratitude when you think of how God made you worthy to receive the glorious inheritance freely given to us by living in the light. ¹³ He has rescued us completely from the tyrannical rule of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom realm of his beloved Son. ¹⁴ For in the Son all our sins are canceled and we have the release of redemption through his very blood.

AMEN!!! AS you study and meditate in the Word every day, make sure that you are checking out other translations and comparing them. Holy Spirit is completely faithful to show us what is correct and what is not! TRUST HIM and DIG IN! Amen! Here is Hillsong with "Your Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We are still in Philippians today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today! Let's look at Philippians 4:4 first of all! 

4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. KJV

The word "rejoice" here is the Greek word "chairo", which means: to be cheerful, calmly happy or well-off, be well, be glad, to thrive, to be merry, full of joy. "Again" is the Greek word "palin", which means: repetition, anew, again, renewal, further, over again. WHY does Paul say to rejoice, and then say "again I say"? Because it is vitally important that we not only stir up the joy that is in us 'once in awhile', but that we continually walk in that JOY that HE placed within us for this very purpose! GOD wants us STRONG, in HIS strength! SO, REJOICE! Be JOYFUL, again and again and again! KEEP on stirring up joy! Remember, He Who sits in Heaven LAUGHS at the boasts and lies of the enemy! This same enemy that got caught leading an insurrection in Heaven among the angelic beings and was CAST OUT by the ONE, TRUE GOD! Amen!When God tell us to JOY, then let's make sure that this is exactly what we do! FIRST and ALWAYS! AGAIN!!! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Another In The Fire" so that we can "Count the joy in every battle"! 

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we read Philippians 3 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan and I am ALWAYS excited about that! Philippians 3:10 in the Amplified Bible is my very favorite verse in the Epistles! Let's look at this entire portion today! Philippians 3:8-11:

8 Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One), 9 And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my obedience to the Law’s demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith. 10 [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] 11 That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].

The key words in this whole portion of Scripture are these: MY DETERMINED PURPOSE IS! Whatever YOU purpose in YOUR heart to accomplish, you WILL be able to complete! A 'determined purpose' is a commitment to NEVER settle for anything less than your stated goal! Never give up! Even though you may be tempted to! Sometimes OFTEN! Never give in! REFUSE to quit until you have run YOUR race and finished YOUR course - in HIM! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Echoes (Til We See The Other Side)":

Shalom  in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share another "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin. This has always been one of my favorites!

Knowledge And Skill

"As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams" (Daniel 1:17). 

"God gave them knowledge and skill." 

God gave Daniel and the other three Hebrew children, knowledge and all skill. Eternal life is the nature of God. You've got God's nature in you. Know that! Believe that! Confess that! Then that nature will begin to dominate you! 

Learn to walk in the light of life. Learn to put that life into practice in your being. Walking in the light of that life will enhance your entire personality, and will increase your intelligence. 

Confession: I am a new creation. I am born again. I am a new creature. I have the life and nature of God in my spirit. That life is the light of men. I purpose to walk in the light of life. God's life is in me. God's knowledge is in me. God's skill is in me. God's ability is in me. God's wisdom is in me. He is instructing me. He is leading me. I am a child of God. The Spirit of God in me is leading me. I'll follow His leading. I'll walk in the light of life.

AMEN! Speak into your life what GOD has said in His Word! Refuse to believe anything contrary to the Word and DARE to believe that HE had the perfect plans in place for YOU! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Wonder":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

SUCCESS IS A DECISION

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Joshua 1:8 NKJV).

Success begins with a decision to succeed. In turn, that decision will produce an unwavering commitment to do what it takes to do two things.

The first is to discover the spiritual laws relevant to your challenge. Simply put, this means to get wisdom: “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom” (Proverbs 4:7 NKJV). The second is to diligently apply these laws and wisdom through to complete victory.

God’s will for you is success, but success doesn’t just happen. That’s why He shows you in His Word how to make things happen.

If you do not believe and act according to His Word, there is nothing He can do about it. However, when you do your part, He has to do His part. I like to say it this way: We get to do the easy part and God gets to do the impossible part.

For example, the Bible says, “Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:26 NKJV). In other words, you can’t promote yourself; only God can make it happen. But you can make the decision to succeed by getting wisdom and then acting on the Word by choosing to become a servant.

When you make the decision to apply the Word of God to your situation, God promises that you will make your way prosperous and have good success.

Confession: I made the decision to succeed today. I make an unwavering commitment to do what it takes to get wisdom concerning the spiritual laws relevant to my challenge, and then to apply them through to complete victory.

Start on your way to a successful and fruitful life TODAY! Be a DOER of Joshua 1:8 concerning meditating on the Word of God! I especially like the Amplified Bible for this one!

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.

Amen! Dealing wisely is key to success in and and EVERY area of life! GET WISDOM! THEN you can deal wisely and have GOOD success! The Word of the Living God promises so! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Highlands":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

Heart Purpose

"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself" (Daniel 1:8). 

I had two favorite scriptures I either read or quoted to the Lord and on which I based my confession every morning as I walked to school. The first was John 1:4. The second was Daniel chapter 1. 

Read Daniel chapter 1 and see how Daniel and the three Hebrew children, although they were captives, were chosen as students in the king's college. 

The Bible says that Daniel "purposed in his heart." I used this phrase with the Lord. I knew that even though I wasn't living under the Old Covenant, there still was a principle here I could abide by. 

You see, the Jews weren't supposed to eat certain meats, but that's not so with us. The Word of God says under the New Covenant, "Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer" (1 Timothy 4:4-5). 

So I acted upon the same principle Daniel did. I said this to the Lord every morning: "I purpose in my heart to walk in the light of life." 

Confession: I purpose in my heart to walk in the light of life. I purpose to walk in the light of the life of God in me. 

What changes do you want to see happen in your life and in your walk with the Lord? Find what the Word of God has to say about each situation and then purpose in your own heart that THIS is what you will walk in! EXPECT Holy Spirit to complete this work IN you! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Shadow Step":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

As one who has refused to judge others, but rather has chosen to pray, I have taken a LOT of criticism from others who like to believe that it is OUR business to correct other believers! (Guess what? Correction of believers is the job of JESUS, by His Spirit! No, we do not qualify!!!) Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers addresses this very thing!

The Undeviating Test

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. — Matthew 7:2

This statement is not a haphazard guess, it is an eternal law of God. Whatever judgment you give, it is measured to you again. There is a difference between retaliation and retribution. Jesus says that the basis of life is retribution — “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” If you have been shrewd in finding out the defects in others, remember that will be exactly the measure given to you. Life serves back in the coin you pay. This law works from God’s throne downwards (cf. Psalm 18:25-26).

Romans 2 applies it in a still more definite way, and says that the one who criticises another is guilty of the very same thing. God looks not only at the act, He looks at the possibility. We do not believe the statements of the Bible to begin with. For instance, do we believe this statement, that the things we criticise in others we are guilty of ourselves? The reason we see hypocrisy and fraud and unreality in others is because they are all in our own hearts. The great characteristic of a saint is humility — “Yes, all those things and other evils would have been manifested in me but for the grace of God, therefore I have no right to judge.”

Jesus says — “Judge not, that ye be not judged”; if you do judge, it will be measured to you exactly as you have judged. Who of us would dare to stand before God and say — “My God, judge me as I have judged my fellow men?” We have judged our fellow men as sinners; if God should judge us like that we would be in hell. God judges us through the marvellous Atonement of Jesus Christ.

AMEN! If YOU have been involved in doing this, I advice you to stop immediately and to begin, instead, to pray for those whom YOU think are missing God somehow. Correcting, instructing and guiding THEM is GOD'S business ALONE!!! One thing to remember when the enemy is tempting you to get into judgement: YOU (I) are NOBODY'S Holy Spirit!!! Allow them to be led by God in HIS timing and and YOU concentrate on becoming the very best YOU that you can! THAT pleases God like nothing else! AMEN! Here is Hillsong reminding us of who WE are - "Children of the Light"! 

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Grace Inspirations" by Joseph Prince is an excellent and very vital message for walking in healing and divine health!

LOOK TO THE WORD, NOT NATURAL FACTS

Numbers 21:9  So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

“Pastor Prince, I know that God is my healer. But why is this sickness and pain still in my body?” If you have been looking at your sickness and pain all this while, stop looking at yourself and start looking at Jesus. Did He or did He not take upon Himself your sickness and pain?

God’s Word declares, “Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, and our pains—he hath carried them” (Isaiah 53:4, YLT). Since Jesus has already taken your sickness and pain at the cross, then He cannot “untake” them. Even if you find it hard to believe that Jesus has paid for your healing, especially when the pain is unbearable, the truth is that it is still paid for. It is a finished work!

God is not saying that your sickness does not exist, nor is He asking you to pretend that it is not there. He is asking you to look away from the sickness, painful as it may be, and look to the truth that it has already been judged at the cross in the body of His Son.

Once, while still in the wilderness, the children of Israel were bitten by deadly desert serpents. The serpents were real. The bites were painful and deadly. So God told Moses to point the people to the bronze serpent put on a pole—a picture of the cross (see John 3:14). Bronze signifies judgment. In other words, the serpent—their problem—was already judged at the cross.

Those who kept their eyes on the bronze serpent lived. Those who focused on their wounds died. So stop looking at your sickness. Instead, look to the cross and see your sickness already judged in the body of Jesus. Surely He has borne your sicknesses and carried your pains! That is the truth of God’s Word. And His Word supersedes natural facts.

My friend, you let natural facts rule or establish God’s truths over your problem by what you choose to focus on. So decide today not to focus on the facts concerning your problem. Instead, establish the truth of God’s Word and Christ’s finished work over your problem—and live!

AMEN! Remember always that God's Word is TRUTH (John 17:17)! Whatever is contrary to God's Word in our lives, as 'real' as they may seem, are only FACTS! FACTS are ALWAYS subject to change! The only unchangeable thing is the Word of the Living God! And the TRUTH will change the FACTS every time we stand on it and refuse to give up or give in! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Here's To The One":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really like today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:

Have You Come to “When” Yet?

The Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. —Job 42:10

A pitiful, sickly, and self-centered kind of prayer and a determined effort and selfish desire to be right with God are never found in the New Testament. The fact that I am trying to be right with God is actually a sign that I am rebelling against the atonement by the Cross of Christ. I pray, “Lord, I will purify my heart if You will answer my prayer— I will walk rightly before You if You will help me.” But I canno make myself right with God; I cannot make my life perfect. I can only be right with God if I accept the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ as an absolute gift. Am I humble enough to accept it? I have to surrender all my rights and demands, and cease from every self-effort. I must leave myself completely alone in His hands, and then I can begin to pour my life out in the priestly work of intercession. There is a great deal of prayer that comes from actual disbelief in the atonement. Jesus is not just beginning to save us— He has already saved us completely. It is an accomplished fact, and it is an insult to Him for us to ask Him to do what He has already done.

If you are not now receiving the “hundredfold” which Jesus promised (see Matthew 19:29), and not getting insight into God’s Word, then start praying for your friends— enter into the ministry of the inner life. “The Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends.” As a saved soul, the real business of your life is intercessory prayer. Whatever circumstances God may place you in, always pray immediately that His atonement may be recognized and as fully understood in the lives of others as it has been in yours. Pray for your friends now, and pray for those with whom you come in contact now.

The most important TRUTH to know about you who have been born again, receiving JESUS as Lord and Savior, is that you are no longer who you were! You are NOW who HE says you are! The work was finished 2000 years ago when JESUS GAVE His own life to buy ours back! Holy Spirit began His GOOD WORK in us by recreating our dead human spirits into the image of God, making us those new creations that never existed before (2 Corinthians 5:17)! Stop striving to look, sound and act like someone else's idea of what a Christian is supposed to be like and really become the very best YOU that God has for you to be! HE does the work when WE put our trust in Him and simply obey the Word and follow the leading of Holy Spirit Who lives IN us! THEN, and ONLY then, will we be able to run our race and finish our course! We are unique and uniquely positioned to fulfill what GOD has called us to do. AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Who You Say I AM":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read Proverbs 19 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today. Look at verse 8:

8 He who gains Wisdom loves his own life; he who keeps understanding shall prosper and find good.

We know that the Word of God contains knowledge and that Holy Spirit turns that knowledge into Wisdom when we meditate on the Word. This verse tells us something more! By CHOOSING to go after the Wisdom of God, we are loving our own life! We are tending to the life that HE gave us by applying ourselves to seeking TRUTH! And, if we USE that Wisdom, putting it into practice, then we WILL prosper and find good things happening! Then we have verse 23:

23 The reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it rests satisfied; he cannot be visited with [actual] evil.

Here is that promise again that when we do things God's way, as His children, we will NOT suffer ACTUAL evil! That means that even if something appears to be dire, refuse that evil report, because it cannot actually touch us when we trust in Him. What if we are attacked with evil things, with the enemy seeking to steal, kill and destroy? The Word of God tells us that if WE are submitted to God, obeying His Word, then we can resist the enemy and he will HAVE to flee from us (James 4:7)! He has no choice in the matter. In order to walk in the freedom and the fullness of these promises, we MUST put JESUS as the #1 priority in our lives, and we MUST spend time reading, studying, meditating on and DOING His Word! Our part is easy! God does the rest! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Good Grace":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

TAKE DOMINION!

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12 NKJV).

When God created the first man and woman, one of the blessings He bestowed on them was dominion (see Genesis 1:26). We know, of course, that because of disobedience they failed to walk in that blessing.

We also know that because Jesus remained obedient to His Father, He walked in complete dominion throughout His earthly ministry.

Jesus knew who He was and the dominion He had in the earth. He was the Master, which meant that neither sickness nor disease—or even death—could stand before Him.

At the tomb of His deceased friend Lazarus, Jesus stood before God, man, and the devil with complete confidence as He boldly commanded Lazarus to come forth. Sickness and death had to obey Jesus because He was the personified righteousness of God.

If you are in Christ, then you too are the righteousness of God. It is just as ridiculous to think that Satan can succeed in putting sickness on you as it is to think he can put it on Jesus.

The righteousness of God has been given to you as a free gift; it has nothing to do with your works or performance. When you unreservedly accept your righteousness in Christ, you will walk as Jesus did—in complete dominion.

The only hindrance to walking in dominion is doubt. If you doubt the righteousness that is yours in Christ, focusing instead on your sin, you will forfeit dominion. Sin consciousness focuses your mind on your own works and ability, which always produces defeat.

However, when your righteousness in Christ becomes so real to you that you are only conscious of Him, walking in dominion will come as naturally as breathing. So … take dominion!

Confession: I am the righteousness of God in Christ, therefore I can walk confidently in His dominion. Just as sickness and disease cannot stand before Jesus, they cannot stand before me. I choose today to take dominion, and walk in victory in every area of my life!

AMEN! Dare to believe that you ARE who HE says you are! You HAVE what HE says you have! You CAN DO what HE says you CAN DO! Encourage yourself daily in the Word so that faith will continue to rise, higher and higher! THEN you will never again be intimidated by that old defeated foe, the devil! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Who You Say I Am":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

The Uncritical Temper

Judge not, that ye be not judged. — Matthew 7:1

Jesus says regarding judging — Don’t. The average Christian is the most penetratingly critical individual. Criticism is a part of the ordinary faculty of man; but in the spiritual domain nothing is accomplished by criticism. The effect of criticism is a dividing up of the powers of the one criticised; the Holy Ghost is the only One in the true position to criticise, He alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding. It is impossible to enter into communion with God when you are in a critical temper; it makes you hard and vindictive and cruel, and leaves you with the flattering unction that you are a superior person. Jesus says, as a disciple cultivate the uncritical temper. It is not done once and for all. Beware of anything that puts you in the superior person’s place.

There is no getting away from the penetration of Jesus. If I see the mote in your eye, it means I have a beam in my own. Every wrong thing that I see in you, God locates in me. Every time I judge, I condemn myself (see Romans 2:17-20). Stop having a measuring rod for other people. There is always one fact more in every man’s case about which we know nothing. The first thing God does is to give us a spiritual spring-cleaning; there is no possibility of pride left in a man after that. I have never met the man I could despair of after discerning what lies in me apart from the grace of God.

I have been mocked, ridiculed, yelled at and lectured to by those who want to retain what they believe is their right to judge other people! The above and the Scriptures shared make it extremely obvious that we are NOT to judge others. If you desire to give yourself the 'right' to judge others, then there is something very wrong in your understanding of the Word of God and in your fellowship with HIM! WHEN we see a brother or sister in the Lord sin, we are instructed to PRAY for them! THEN, Galatians 6:1 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today says THIS:

 Brethren, if any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit] should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also.

There is NO place given here for the attitude that is revealed in the devotional above! Keep yourself in the Love of God by refusing to judge! Your LIFE will be so blessed for it! AMEN! Here is  Hillsong with "Starts and Ends":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

If  there  is only one TRUTH that you glean from today's Proverb in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan, let it be THIS from Proverbs 16:3:

3 Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

When WE decide to be obedient to the conditions of this promise, then God WILL do His part! He WILL cause OUR thoughts to agree with HIS thoughts. That means that we will find ourselves thinking, speaking and acting JUST LIKE JESUS! THEN our plans will have the blessing of the LORD on them and they WILL come to fruition! AMEN! And when we do these things, we are pleasing to God! Verse 7 tells us this!

7 When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Our #1 priority every single day SHOULD be to KNOW HIM MORE! When we do, LOOK OUT WORLD! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "No Reason To Hide!":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share Rick Renner's "Sparkling Gems From The Greek Volume 2" from Thursday, because it was SO good!

The Reminding Ministry of the Holy Spirit

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. — John 14:26

Have you ever wondered how the four gospel writers separately recorded four gospels with no contradictions? With all the countless words the disciples heard Jesus speak, how did they ever remember them all accurately? It is absolutely remarkable to me when I think about each apostle’s fantastic ability to remember what Jesus said and did. This leads us to the next responsibility God gave to the Holy Spirit — to bring to our remembrance all the things Jesus said or taught.

When Jesus taught about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, He said that bringing what Jesus said to remembrance would be a part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. In John 14:26, Jesus said, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and will bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

The word “remembrance” is a translation of the Greek word hupomimnesko, which is a compound of the words hupo and mimnesko. The word hupo in this particular case means by — as to place something alongside of something else. The word mimnesko means to remember, to recollect, to remind, to regather, or to recall. When these two words are compounded, the combined nuances depict someone whose memory is awakened or one who is enabled to call something to mind.

This is truly amazing to me. When I read the gospels and I see how the Holy Spirit brought explicit, vivid details to the remembrance of four gospel writers, I know that it would have been naturally impossible for all four of these men to so precisely recall everything they remembered on their own. However, the fact is that they were all listening to the same Holy Spirit who was bringing to their remembrance everything they had experienced with Jesus.

The Bible gives us a very clear example in John 12 of this “reminding work” of the Holy Spirit. In this account, Jesus was entering into Jerusalem triumphantly as people joyfully proclaimed, “Hosanna, Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13). At the time this was happening, the disciples didn’t realize Old Testament Scripture was being fulfilled before their eyes. But John 12:16 goes on to say, “These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.” This very clearly refers to the reminding ministry of the Holy Spirit.

After the Holy Spirit was poured out upon those who prayed in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost, one of the ways the Holy Spirit taught the apostles about Jesus was by tying Old Testament Scripture into events they had experienced with Him. Many things that hadn’t been clear or hadn’t made sense to them while Jesus was on earth were now being explained and defined as the Holy Spirit led them in Old Testament verses. As He inspired the apostles to write the New Testament, He clarified and revealed to them the significance of the Old Testament as it related to Jesus’ ministry and calling, the newly emerging Church, and the future.

Furthermore, the gospels contain no errors. What we have in them is exactly what Jesus said and did. They were written as the Holy Spirit put Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in remembrance of what Jesus said and did. How marvelous and fantastic it truly is to see how the Holy Spirit illuminated their minds to recall vivid details from Jesus’ life and ministry. It is due to this wonderful reminding work of the Holy Spirit that we have the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in our Bibles today.

This makes me know that we can never claim ignorance for not knowing Scripture. Part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry is to bring to our memory exactly what verses we need — when we need them. If our partnership with the Holy Spirit is strong, we can lean upon Him the moment our memory fails us, because it is His responsibility to remind us of the Word of God. When we are in the midst of a difficult situation and don’t know what to do, the Holy Spirit will reach into the Word of God that is stored in our hearts and minds, and He will withdraw the exact verse or truth we need and put us in remembrance of it at just the right moment.

Perhaps this particular reminding work of the Holy Spirit is best illustrated in parts of the world where the Bible is illegal. My family lives in the former Soviet Union, where the Bible was forbidden for more than 70 years. I am constantly in awe as I meet leaders and entire churches that had only one Bible over a span of many years. Sometimes it was a hand-copied version with torn and tattered pages from decades of use. Those yellow, tattered pages of the Word of God meant everything to them.

It is the most amazing thing to see people who have had limited access to the Bible and yet know it so well. They can quote it and remember it better than people in free countries who have several Bibles in their homes and the opportunity to read them every morning and every night. There is only one explanation: the Holy Spirit. He is doing exactly what Jesus said He would do — putting them in remembrance of the Word of God. This is especially true where the Word of God, although it may be scarce, is embraced and esteemed. When a person has given precious care to reading and meditating on the Word day and night, the Holy Spirit has the wherewithal to call to remembrance what that person has read and assimilated in the deepest parts of his being. That is one of the Holy Spirit’s responsibilities as our Partner in this world.

Today I want to encourage you to open your heart to this reminding ministry of the Holy Spirit. If you say you have a difficult time memorizing Scripture, open your heart to the ministry of the Holy Spirit because He wants to put you in remembrance of everything that Jesus said. And He will help you recall everything you need to remember that Jesus said to you — exactly on time and exactly at the right place. That’s part of His reminding ministry to you and to me.

Today I want to encourage you to get Sparkling Gems volumes 1 & 2! Rick Renner is an excellent student of the Greek and and excellent teacher of the Word! You will be blessed beyond measure and encouraged every day! Here is Hillsong with "Remembrance":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "Faith To Faith" devotional. This message is very important in finding and fulfilling God's will for our lives!

Know God's Will

Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Psalm 127:1

What a time of monumental decisions and changes we’re living in. If there ever was a day when you and I must know God’s will and purpose for our lives, it’s now.

In fact, nothing else is going to work! God is changing and rearranging things, lining them up for the end-time move of the Spirit. If you’re going to keep up, you must know God’s perfect plan for your life—and how to carry it out in His power!

How do you do that? Through prayer.

In fact, God has provided us a prayer in His Word that we can use to receive the wisdom and understanding we need for this critical time we live in. You’ll find it in Colossians 1:9-11.

“For this cause we...do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.”

In recent months, God has instructed Gloria and me to pray that prayer for our ministry Partners and for ourselves every day. It’s a powerful, Holy Ghost-inspired prayer that will not only enable you to know what God’s will is, but to have the wisdom and understanding to carry it out.

That’s where most failure comes in Christian endeavors. We get a glimpse of God’s will for our lives in the spirit, but then we mess things up by trying to carry it out in the flesh. Instead of letting the Lord build the house in His power, we try to build it ourselves and end up doing it all in vain.

Don’t make that mistake in the days ahead. Instead, pray this prayer that God has given us. It was written in the New Testament for you. Put your name in it. It’s a prayer you can be sure God will answer. Put it to work in your life daily and God will fill you with His knowledge and understanding!

AMEN! True prosperity is being where God wants you to be, doing what God wants you to do! Praying this prayer will give you the confidence to go forth boldly! Here, to encourage you further, is Hillsong with "Who You Say I AM":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

One of my very favorite devotionals over the years has been Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food". In the course of a year he covers every aspect of walking in faith in a very simple and straight forward format! Today's is very good!

Restoring The Soul

"He restoreth my soul" (Psalm 23:3).

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:1-2). 

Writing to born-again, Spirit-filled Christians in Romans 12, Paul tells them to do something with their bodies and their minds. Man's spirit is born again at the New Birth, but he still has the same body and the same soul. 

He is to present his body to God, and he is to see to it that his mind is renewed. 

The Hebrew word translated "restoreth" in Psalm 23 and the Greek word translated "renewed" in Romans 12:2 have just about the same meaning. 

For example, a valuable, antique chair which looks like a wreck can be restored. Afterwards it's still the same chair, but it has been renewed. A man's spirit is never restored; it's born again, or recreated. But his soul is restored when his mind becomes renewed with the Word of God. 

The greatest need of the Church today is for believers to have their minds renewed with the Word of God. It is the Word of God that restores souls, renews souls, and saves souls! 

Confession: I see to it daily that my mind is renewed with the Word of God. Therefore, I am not conformed to this world. My mind is renewed to think like God thinks. 

It is vital that we spend time daily meditating on the Word of God. Meditation takes the Word off of the page and gets it right into our hearts so that we can put it into practice and begin to see the results promised! Joshua 1:8 tells us exactly what meditation accomplishes! 

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.

What a powerful promise! I hope that YOU will begin doing this, if you haven't already, and continue if you have! Music always helps me, so here is Hillsong with "Say The Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I have two things to share today from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! The first is found in Proverbs 12:21:

21 No [actual] evil, misfortune, or calamity shall come upon the righteous, but the wicked shall be filled with evil, misfortune, and calamity.

I have always loved this verse! We KNOW that as born again believers we will still face tests, trials, temptation and persecution in this life. The Good News is that God has promised that He will ALWAYS provide a way of escape in all of these (1 Corinthians 10:13)! What I want to emphasize from this verse in Proverbs 12 is that it says that we, the righteous (in right standing with God through the Blood of Jesus) cannot be touched by ACTUAL evil! We can be TEMPTED to accept evil, but if we will stand strong in God's Word, then ACTUAL evil CANNOT touch us! And THIS was an Old Covenant promise!!! OUR Covenant and promises are even BETTER than theirs was (Hebrews 8:6)! EXPECT the escape, rescue, resolution, redemption and even the vengeance of the Lord on our behalf! AMEN! The second thing I want to share is found in Galatians 1:1.

1 Paul, an apostle—[special messenger appointed and commissioned and sent out] not from [any body of] men nor by or through any man, but by and through Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and God the Father, Who raised Him from among the dead—

Paul says very clearly here that he was an apostle! Not picked by man by the drawing of straws or even by an election. No, Paul says that he was appointed and commissioned by God the Father and by JESUS Himself! What I want to emphasize here is that GOD is in charge of the calling and separation of every born again person into the areas of personal ministry, and sometimes public ministry, that HE has for-ordained for them to walk in! And this means YOU, too! Never allow man to put you in a position that God has not already revealed to you, Spirit to spirit! Follow ALWAYS peace and joy! If you are asked to go somewhere, or do something, speak to your Father and let Him know that you believe you are to do the particular thing. If you immediately are aware of peace and/or joy in the very center of your being, then go ahead and do it with all your heart! If, on the other hand, you do NOT experience peace and/or joy, then make up your  mind that you will NOT do this unless and until Holy Spirit directs you to it and then HE will give forth peace and joy! This is a very simple and profound method of determining God's will so that you can go forward in faith! AMEN! In the meantime, stay full of the Word, filled with Holy Spirit, full of faith and full of power! Be ready at a moment's notice for what God has for you, and then, again, do it with your whole heart! THAT is where our Heavenly rewards will come from! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Who You Say I Am":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read John 21 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today! I LOVE verses 21-22! JESUS had just given Peter the opportunity to acknowledge his sin of rejecting Him on the night that JESUS was being held captive. Peter received his forgiveness. Then JESUS proceeded to tell Peter of things that were to come in his life. As soon as JESUS finished, Peter looked at John behind him and asked THIS:

21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, Lord, what about this man? 22 Jesus said to him, If I want him to stay (survive, live) until I come, what is that to you? [What concern is it of yours?] You follow Me!

I LOVE the response of JESUS! "What is that to you? [What concern is it of yours?]! In other words, JESUS was saying to Peter: Mind your own business!!! THAT is the best advice that can be given to a born again believer who REALLY desires to grow up in his or her walk with God! MIND OUR OWN BUSINESS!!! Far too much time, energy and resources are being wasted by those who are trying to control the 'culture' by enacting laws. The ONLY thing that will change the mindset of this, or any other country, is the HEART CHANGE that comes only withe the New Birth! We each have more than enough to do to stay full of the Word and filled with Holy Spirit so that we can run our own race victoriously! Let's make it our 'determined purpose' to simply pray for others and major on what God has called US to do! He does not want copycats! He has planned and purposed for each and every believer to be anointed and appointed and fully equipped by HIMSELF to flourish where HE has planted us and bring many into the Kingdom of God by our obedience! Let's GO FOR IT! Amen! Here is Hillsong UNITED with one of my very favorite 'get going' songs! "GO":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read Proverbs 10 today in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. This Proverb points out with vivid clarity the differences between those who are hungry for the things of God and those who do not want to have anything to do with Him! Read and meditate on these differences and purpose in your own heart that you will ALWAYS go after intimate fellowship with the One, True God and that you will NEVER be as those who do not! Now I would like to share today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:

The Next Best Thing to Do

Seek, and ye shall find. — Luke 11:9

Seek If You Have Not Found

“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss.” If you ask for things from life instead of from God, you ask amiss, i.e., you ask from a desire for self-realisation. The more you realize yourself the less will you seek God. “Seek, and ye shall find.” Get to work, narrow your interests to this one. Have you ever sought God with your whole heart, or have you only given a languid cry to Him after a twinge of moral neuralgia? Seek, concentrate, and you will find.

“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.” Are you thirsty, or smugly indifferent — so satisfied with your experience that you want nothing more of God? Experience is a gateway, not an end. Beware of building your faith on experience, the metallic note will come in at once, the censorious note. You can never give another person that which you have found, but you can make him homesick for what you have.

“Draw nigh unto God.” “Knock and it shall be opened unto you.” Knock — the door is closed, and you suffer from palpitation as you knock. “Cleanse your hands” — knock a bit louder, you begin to find you are dirty. “Purify your heart” — this is more personal still, you are desperately in earnest now — you will do anything. “Humble yourself” — it is a humbling business to knock at God’s door — you have to knock with the crucified thief. “To him that knocketh, it shall be opened.”

AMEN! Every born again believer will be in Heaven when they leave this earth! BUT, the quality of our life here on earth and the rewards waiting for us in Heaven are ALL determined by what we do with what HE has given us HERE and NOW! AMEN! Seek HIM with your whole heart and be unwilling to settle for anything less than God's very best! HE desires that for you and for me! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with a song that I have begun to love about how our life here should look NOW! "Echoes (Til We See The Other Side)":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read John 19 for today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. Look at verses 1-6:

 1 So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged (flogged, whipped) Him. 2 And the soldiers, having twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and threw a purple cloak around Him. 3 And they kept coming to Him and saying, Hail, King of the Jews! [Good health to you! Peace to you! Long life to you, King of the Jews!] And they struck Him with the palms of their hands. 4 Then Pilate went out again and said to them, See, I bring Him out to you, so that you may know that I find no fault (crime, cause for accusation) in Him. 5 So Jesus came out wearing the thorny crown and purple cloak, and Pilate said to them, See, [here is] the Man! 6 When the chief priests and attendants (guards) saw Him, they cried out, Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Pilate said to them, Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no fault (crime) in Him.

Notice that Pilate had already had JESUS beaten. Now the soldiers further torment JESUS by twisting together a crown of thorns. This was NOT something simply made with little rose bush thorns! Look at these two pictures of what they would have used:

Can we even imagine the torment that just this would have caused? Do you REALLY think that they gingerly set this on the head of JESUS? This was all after JESUS had been whipped horrendously with the weapon of severe torture that the Roman 'whip' was! Notice, also, that it was the chief priests who cried out for JESUS to be crucified. These were those who SHOULD have recognized Who JESUS was! Instead they begged that JESUS be crucified. Do you want to know why? Because JESUS was OUR 'Passover Lamb'! HE was the sacrifice for the sin of all mankind and in order for the Law to be fulfilled and a new and better Covenant be in place there had to be the perfect Sacrifice for sin! AND, the only ones qualified by the Law to offer the Passover Lamb was the High Priest! They did not even realize that they were fulfilling the Law by doing this that would set into motion God's great and wonderful Plan to buy us back and make us His very own! HALLELUJAH!!! So, thank YOU, Lord JESUS, for all that YOU have accomplished on our behalf! Thank YOU for giving us Holy Spirit to live IN us so that we can communicate spirit to Spirit with YOU and have YOUR life, in abundance, to the full, til it overflows (John 10:10 AMP)! We are, of ALL people, MOST BLESSED! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Grace To Grace":

Shalom in Him!