Shalom,

Today I want to share "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin because I will be traveling and will miss it at Morning Prayer! 

Spirit Walk

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. — ROMANS 8:1

Conscience is the voice of the human spirit.

Reason is the voice of the soul, or the mind.

Feeling is the voice of the body.

The Holy Spirit does not bear witness with our reasoning. The Holy Spirit does not bear witness with our feelings. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirits.

I’m very careful about using the word “feeling.” When we sense the Presence of God in a service, people often say, “I felt it.” But we really don’t feel it physically so much as we sense it spiritually. So I am careful to differentiate between the two, because people slip into the feeling realm so easily. Then, when they feel good, they say, “Glory to God! Hallelujah! I’m saved! I’m filled with the Spirit! Everything is fine!” But when they feel bad, they get a long face and they say, “I’ve lost it all. I don’t feel like I did, so I must be backslidden.”

If we go by feelings, we’ll get into trouble. That’s why so many Christians are up and down, in and out. (I call them yo-yo Christians.) They don’t walk by their spirits. They don’t walk in faith. They go by their feelings.

Confession: I walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. I don’t follow feelings. I don’t follow reason. I follow the voice of my spirit, my conscience!

AMEN! I hope that you will meditate onthis and make whatever adjustment you need to in oreder to stay on the top of your faith life! Here is Hillsong with "Awake My Soul":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom, 

Today I want to share this from Joseph Prince's "Daily Grace" devotional!

Saving You Is Jesus' Job Description

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20–21

The name “Jesus” is Yeshua in Hebrew, which contains an abbreviation for Yahweh, the name of God in Hebrew. So the name “Jesus” literally means “Yahweh is our Savior” or “The Lord is our Savior”! What a beautiful name!

Every time you call the name of Jesus, the name that is above every other name, you are calling God Himself to save you. Saving you is Jesus’ job description!

Whatever the challenge or circumstance, whatever crisis you are in—physically, financially, or emotionally—you can call on the name of Jesus and Almighty God Himself will save you!

My friend, you can take time to know the names of God, which He revealed under the old covenant, such as Elohim, El Shaddai, El Elyon, Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah-Rophe and Jehovah-Nissi. You can do a complete study on the names of God.

I am not against that at all. I teach on the names of God in my church as well, but all these names will mean nothing to you if you don’t know that God Almighty Himself, Jesus, wants to save you first from all your sins, then from all your challenges.

God can be all powerful, but if you are not confident that He is interested in your success, His power would mean nothing to you. So, you don’t have to memorize all the names of God from the old covenant. What you need is a full revelation that Jesus, in the new covenant, is your Savior!

What is Tiger Woods famous for? Golf! What is David Beckham famous for? Soccer! (He's also famous for product endorsements!) What is Jesus famous for? Saving you!

What do you need saving from today? See Him in your situation, rescuing, protecting, and providing for you!

AMEN! JESUS! HE is our focal pocal point! Our all in all! Our everything! Make Him YOURS today! Here are Hillsong Kids with "My Number One":

Shalom in Him! 

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is one of my very favorites! 

Tender

Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron. — 1 TIMOTHY 4:2

Keep a tender conscience — don’t violate it — because it is your conscience, the voice of your spirit, that relates to your mind what the spirit of God is saying to you down inside. If you don’t keep a tender conscience, spiritual things will not be clear to you.

During the mid-’30s, I pastored a country church and usually spent Sunday nights in the home of a dear old gentleman who was about eighty-nine years old. He and I didn’t get up as early as the rest of his family on this farm, so we had breakfast together about 8 o’clock.

He’d have one of those old-fashioned coffee pots sitting on the woodstove with the coffee just boiling in it. I’ve seen him pour that boiling coffee into a mug, hold it up to his mouth, and drink the whole cup of boiling coffee in one gulp. The first time I saw him do it, I felt like I was burning all the way down!

How could he do that? I certainly couldn’t do it. My mouth and throat are so tender, one teaspoon of boiling coffee would have burned me. He couldn’t do it either, to begin with. But through the years, drinking boiling coffee had seared this man’s lips, mouth, and throat, until it was easy for him to drink the whole cup of boiling coffee in one gulp.

The same thing can happen spiritually. Keep a tender conscience. Stop the minute you miss it and your conscience condemns you. Say, “Lord, forgive me. I missed it.” Or if you need to, tell someone you have wronged, “I did wrong. Please forgive me.”

Confession: I keep my conscience tender.

AMEN! This is extremely vital in the world we are living in right now! Here is Hillsong with "Like Incense - Sometimses By Step":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom, 

Today I want to share from our partner Rick Renner's devotional, "Sparkling Gems From The Greek - Volume 2".

DO NOT DENY THE FAITH

I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and how thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith…..— Revelation 2:13

Today I want to encourage you from the words Jesus used to address the believers in the first century who were also experiencing pressure to bow to society and its demands. Christ commanded the early believers to remain faithful in the face of opposition. It is the same message that He is speaking to Christians today!

Early believers were bombarded daily with opportunities to deny their faith. Yet, even in the face of these immense external pressures, there was always a core group of steadfast individuals who refused to waver in their commitment to Christ — and the same is true today. This company of believers simply would not cave in to the unrelenting intimidation brought against them. It was for this reason that Jesus declared, “…and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith”

The words “hast not” in this verse are a translation of the Greek word ouk, which essentially means no. However, the form of the word used in this verse is an exclamatory word expressing a strong, emphatic no. Thus, we see that the King James Version does not carry the full weight of the message conveyed in the Greek text, which actually reads as if Christ raised the volume and tone of His voice in order to make a resounding proclamation of these early believers’ commitment.

Christ continued by saying, “thou…hast not denied my faith…” The word “denied” is the Greek word arneo, which is usually translated to deny, to disown, to reject, to refuse, or to renounce. This word arneo commonly referred to a person who had become unfaithful in a relationship and subsequently disavowed, forsook, walked away from, and washed one’s hands of that other person. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology offers insight into the reasons behind such a total rejection: “The motive for denial is usually fear of others, fear of suffering ridicule or persecution, or anxiety about what others will think.”

As persecution intensified during the latter years of the First Century, some believers chose to deny Jesus and abandon their faith in order to escape tribulation. Fear of other people’s opinions and ridicule, fear of persecution, and even fear of death were all factors that contributed to this decision. Jesus, however, chose not to address these defectors in Revelation 2:13. Instead, He raised His voice to affirm the faithful core who did not disavow Him in their time of struggle. When Jesus said, “…thou…hast not denied…,” He was essentially saying, “When you had the opportunity to break your vow and walk away, you did not do it.”

Notice that Christ specifically said, “thou…hast not denied my faith…” In the Greek text, there is an emphasis on this phrase “my faith” that reveals how Jesus truly feels about the message of the Gospel. These words are the Greek phrase ten pisten mou, which could literally be translated the faith of me. Of course, in English, the order of these words doesn’t make much sense, but in the Greek, this phrasing is deliberate and logical.

The first word in the phrase ten pisten mou is the word ten, which simply means the. This word is a definite article, which always points to something very specific. In this instance, it appears directly in front of the word pisten, which is the Greek word for faith. Therefore, when these two words are used in conjunction with one another, they denote a specific set of beliefs, a specific doctrine, a specific creed, or a specific faith. It clearly refers to the faith or the body of truth comprising the New Testament. It was this truth that Satan hated and wanted to destroy, and it was this truth that these dedicated believers refused to deny.

In order to convey how personally He feels about the faith, Jesus followed the word pisten (“faith”) with the word mou, which is the Greek word for “my.” Like its English counterpart, mou always denotes ownership and possession. When mou is used in conjunction with the phrase ten pisten, an accurate translation could read my faith, the faith that belongs to me, or the faith that I hold closely.

The Gospel not only comes from Christ, but it is also firmly in His possession. Jesus is the Originator, the Giver, and the ultimate Supervisor of the faith; therefore, it is incredibly precious to Him.

We are the recipients of the truth of the Gospel and its amazing benefits, but Christ is the One who paid for it with His blood to make it available. What One bleeds for, another lives for — and Christ shed His own blood for the truth of which we freely partake.

Even if the spirit of our age tries to lure us into modifying the message of the Gospel to pacify the shifting whims of our society, we must firmly proclaim the faith in its purest form. The faith didn’t originate with us, and we don’t have the right to modify it in any way.

You are destined to live as a shining light in the midst of a lost generation. But that destiny can only be fulfilled as you hold fast to the truth of Jesus Christ and refuse to compromise your stance or conform to the world, regardless of any pressure you face to do otherwise. THAT is something for you to think about — and to make a rock-solid decision about TODAY !

AMEN! I pray that you will meditate on this and make whatever adjustments are necessary in order to run YOUR race and complete the plans anbd pusposes that God has for you to do! Here is Hillsong with "One Thing":

Shalom in Him! 

Shalom,

Our Spoken Word Church website devotional for today is really vital!

Feed Your Faith Daily

Faith is your trust and confidence in the God of the Bible. Sometimes it is weak or may even seem nonexistent. At other times, it may be powerful and incredibly strong. It depends on the food you feed it.

Faith is a tool. A key. A weapon. A tool to create a future. A key to unlock God's storehouse of blessing. The weapon that defeats Satan. Faith comes when you hear God talk. Listen today to the Holy Spirit. Listen to the Word of God. Listen to anointed people of God.

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." {Romans 10:17}

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "The First and the Last":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We read Psalm 25 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today and this Psalm has always been very special to me! First we have this praise/prayer to the Lord in verses 1-3:

1 Unto You, O Lord, do I bring my life. 2 O my God, I trust, lean on, rely on, and am confident in You. Let me not be put to shame or [my hope in You] be disappointed; let not my enemies triumph over me. 3 Yes, let none who trust and wait hopefully and look for You be put to shame or be disappointed; let them be ashamed who forsake the right or deal treacherously without cause.

God always answers prayer that is according to His will and His Word IS His will! Then we have this prayer that I pray and recommend that every believer pray BEFORE they begin their daily study of the Word. Verses 4-5:

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

AMEN! THAT is a prayer that He will definitely answer! HE wants US to know HIM and HIS WORD! Pray this, then dig in adn get ready to have the eyes of YOUR understanding enlightened to KNOW His Word! Then verses 12-15 tell us what belongs to those who fear, revere and worship the LORD! 

12 Who is the man who reverently fears and worships the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way that he should choose. 13 He himself shall dwell at ease, and his offspring shall inherit the land. 14 The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning.

HALLELUJAH! It doesn't cost to love, serve and obey the Lord Jesus! IT PAYS! Get ready! This is about to be a MOST EXCITING ride for you when YOU decide to go "all in" for JESUS! Here is Brooke Ligertwood with "A Thousand Hallelujahs":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share again from Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food" devotional which we are going through at Morning Prayer every day at The Spoken Word Church. 

Conscience

. . . While as the first tabernacle was yet standing: Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience. . . . How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? — HEBREWS 9:8, 9, 14

Is your conscience a safe guide?

Yes it is, if your spirit has become a new man in Christ. Remember Second Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” That’s talking about the inward man, the spirit of man. Your conscience is the voice of your spirit speaking to you. If your spirit is a new man in Christ, with the life and nature of God in it, then it is a safe guide.

A person who has never been born again could not follow the voice of his spirit, or conscience, because his unregenerate spirit would have the nature of the devil in it. His conscience would permit him to do anything.

When you have the life and nature of God in you, your conscience will not permit you to do just anything. When you are a born-again Christian, the Spirit of God is living and abiding in your spirit!

Confession: I am a new man in Christ, with the life and nature of God abiding in my spirit. Therefore, my conscience is a safe guide.

AMEN! Learn to follow what you are sensing on the inside when you spend time daily in fellowship with HIM by His Spirit Who lives IN you! Here is Hillsong with "Say The Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we read Psalm 23 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. I want to share this with you today from the Classic Amplified Bible!

A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. 2 He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. 3 He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him—not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake. 4 Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over. 6 Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.

Read this, and then read it again! Now read Joshua 1:8 from the Amplified Bible.

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.

THIS is God's method for us to gain faith and build it stronger! THEN we shall deal wisely and have GOOD SUCCESS! So let's get to it! Here is Hillsong with "Your Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom, 

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

Sanctification

Of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us…sanctification. — 1 Corinthians 1:30

The Life Side.

The mystery of sanctification is that the perfections of Jesus Christ are imparted to me, not gradually, but instantly when by faith I enter into the realisation that Jesus Christ is made unto me sanctification. Sanctification does not mean anything less than the holiness of Jesus being made mine manifestly.

The one marvellous secret of a holy life lies not in imitating Jesus, but in letting the perfections of Jesus manifest themselves in my mortal flesh. Sanctification is “Christ in you.” It is His wonderful life that is imparted to me in sanctification, and imparted by faith as a sovereign gift of God’s grace. Am I willing for God to make sanctification as real in me as it is in His word?

Sanctification means the impartation of the Holy qualities of Jesus Christ. It is His patience, His love, His holiness, His faith, His purity, His godliness, that is manifested in and through every sanctified soul. Sanctification is not drawing from Jesus the power to be holy; it is drawing from Jesus the holiness that was manifested in Him, and He manifests it in me. Sanctification is an impartation, not an imitation. Imitation is on a different line. In Jesus Christ is the perfection of everything, and the mystery of sanctification is that all the perfections of Jesus are at my disposal, and slowly and surely I begin to live a life of ineffable order and sanity and holiness “Kept by the power of God.”

HALLELUJAH! HE has done with great work IN US! Rejoice every day that the GREATER ONE lives IN you! Here is Hillsong with "I Will Boast In Christ":

Shalom in Him! 

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is another extremely valuable lesson!

Learn to Listen

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come...he will shew you things to come" (John 16:13).

A minister friend of mine had three serious automobile accidents in less than ten years. People were killed in these accidents. His wife was almost killed, and the minister himself was seriously injured. Both he and his wife were healed by the hand of God.

When he heard me teaching along these lines of listening to your spirit, the inward witness, he said, "Brother Hagin, every one of those accidents could have been avoided if I had listened to that inward intuition."

Yet people will argue, "I just don't know why those accidents happened to a good Christian. He's a preacher."

Well, he had to learn to listen to his spirit just like you had to learn to listen to yours.

People want to blame God and say that God did these things. But as this preacher told me, "If I had listened to the inward intuition I had that something was about to happen, I would have waited and prayed. Instead, I said, 'I'm busy. I don't have time to pray.'"

Many times, if we had waited on God when we had that inward witness, God would have shown us things, and we could have avoided problems. But let's not moan and groan about our past failures. Let's take advantage of our present opportunities, and make sure that we follow our inward witness in the future.

Let's learn to develop our spirit, and learn to listen to it, and then obey it.

Confession: I am becoming spirit-conscious. I am developing my spirit. And I am listening to it!

AMEN! Holy Spirit is ALWAYS speaking to us to lead, guide and direct us in all the affairs of our lives! Pay attention and you, too, can avoid all of the schemes, tricks, traps and evil plans of the enemy! Here is Hillsong with "Not Today":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's Psalm in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan is enlightening! Psalm 20:4-9:

4 May He grant you according to your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans. 5 We will [shout in] triumph at your salvation and victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. 6 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. 7 Some trust in and boast of chariots and some of horses, but we will trust in and boast of the name of the Lord our God. 8 They are bowed down and fallen, but we are risen and stand upright. 9 O Lord, give victory; let the King answer us when we call.

AMEN! Learn to trust in the Lord with all of YOUR heart and expect extraordinary manifestations of HIS Glory, Might, Honor and Power! All of it is for YOU! For all of those who belong to HIM! Here is Hillsong with "No Reason To Hide ":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share again from "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers!

Dependent On God’s Presence

They that wait upon the Lord…shall walk, and not faint. — Isaiah 40:31

There is no thrill in walking; it is the test of all the stable qualities. To “walk and not faint” is the highest reach possible for strength. The word “walk” is used in the Bible to express the character — John, “looking upon Jesus as He walked, said, Behold the Lamb of God!” There is never any thing abstract in the Bible, it is always vivid and real. God does not say — “Be spiritual,” but — “Walk before Me.”

When we are in an unhealthy state physically or emotionally, we always want thrills. In the physical domain this will lead to counterfeiting the Holy Ghost; in the emotional life it leads to inordinate affection and the destruction of morality; and in the spiritual domain if we insist on getting thrills, on mounting up with wings, it will end in the destruction of spirituality.

The reality of God’s presence is not dependent on any place, but only dependent upon the determination to set the Lord always before us. Our problems come when we refuse to bank on the reality of His presence. The experience the Psalmist speaks of — “Therefore will we not fear, though.…” will be ours when once we are based on Reality; not the consciousness of God’s presence but the reality of it — “Why, He has been here all the time.”

At critical moments it is necessary to ask guidance, but it ought to be unnecessary to be saying always — “O Lord, direct me here, and there.” Of course He will! If our commonsense decisions are not His order, He will press through them and check; then we must be quiet and wait for the direction of His presence.

AMEN! What a BLESSED LIFE we are all living now! Here is Hillsong with "Resurrender": 

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share again from Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food" devotional. We have been restablishing foundational teaching by going through this wonderful devotional this year in Morning Prayer. Our foundations are strong and Holy Spirit has built layer upon layer of added strength, wisdom and understanding by our consistency in the Word and prayer! Here is today's:

Inside Signals

Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart? — JOB 38:36

God led us to move to Tulsa, Oklahoma, by an inward witness in the late 1960s. Our home had been in Garland, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, for seventeen years. And we had no plans to move. In fact, since our ministry was growing, I had it all planned just how we would turn our entire house into an office (we were operating the ministry out of our den and garage), and even how we could build additional facilities on our property, if necessary.

Then we went to Tulsa on business. A friend, in whose home we were staying, said to me, “Brother Hagin, you need to move to Tulsa. And I’ve got just the place for you! Brother T. L. Osborn’s old office building is for sale, and they’ve asked me to sell it. Come on, I want to show it to you.” (Several people had tried to buy it, but the deals always fell through, so the building was still empty.)

I wasn’t much interested, to tell the truth. But I thought, Just out of respect for my friend, I’ll go.

The minute I walked into that building, it was just like someone had rung a bell or set off a buzzer on the inside of me. Sometimes the inward witness is like that. A buzzer went off in my spirit — right down in my belly. It’s difficult to describe, but you just know it was inside, in your spirit. This was God confirming that He wanted this building for my ministry.

Confession: The Holy Spirit dwells in my spirit. Wisdom is in my inward parts. Understanding is in my heart. And I listen to my heart.

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Your Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share from our Spoken Word Church website devotional because it is simple yet very vital! 

Accept the Unexplainable

You can select your miracle, but only God can choose the method or means by which He sends it to you. Jesus used clay and spittle in the healing of the blind man. Filling up water pots to create wine at the marriage of Cana. His methods are puzzling, unpredictable and always illogical to the natural mind of man. Those who argue over the methods of God rarely receive the miracles of God.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." {Isaiah 55:8-9}

Dare to believe every promise you find in the Word of God! Dare to believe that YOU are exactly who HE says you are! Expand your vision to agree with God and watch as HE confirms His Word of you with signs, wonders and miracles! For HIS honor and glory! Here is Hillsong with "That's The Power":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Here is Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food" devotional for today! EXCELLENT!

Light My Candle

For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. — PSALM 18:28

Sometimes even though the inward witness is there, people don’t recognize it.

For example, I would be praying in tongues about the Sunday morning services in the church I was pastoring, and a burden for that church I had previously pastored, would rise up in me.

(Remember, when we pray in tongues, our spirit prays — and the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord.) That kept happening. After about thirty days, I said, “Lord, are You talking to me about going back there? If so, talk to my wife about it too.”

One morning I said to Oretha, “Honey, if the Lord says anything to you, let me know.” Then I waited another thirty days before I asked her, “Has the Lord been talking to you?”

She said, “If He has, I don’t know it.”

I got a little more specific about it. “Has the Lord said anything to you about going back to _________?”

“Oh,” she said. “I thought that was just me.”

Let’s analyze that statement. When she said “me,” if she meant the flesh, that wouldn’t be right. But if she meant the real “me” — the man on the inside, which is the candle of the Lord — then it wasn’t just her. It was the Lord lighting the candle!

AMEN! Learn HIS voice and you will NEVER be led astray! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "No Reason To Hide":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share from Jerry Savelle's devotional found on his website!

OUR DISTINGUISHING MARK

Walking in love should be the distinguishing mark of a believer. We represent Christ to the world. The world needs something to see before they can believe. That is why God wants us to walk in love.

The world can’t see Christ, but they can see you. If they see something in you that they don’t have, then there’s a strong possibility that they will want what you’ve got.

The world is controlled by sense knowledge. Knowledge that is gained through the five physical senses: seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting. The world has to see something before they can believe it. That is the reason why Jesus gave us a distinguishing mark, something that can be seen and that is love. You represent Jesus. What people see in your life is the image that they will have of Christ. If you are walking in love, then they will be drawn to Him.

Think about the word “Christian.” It means like Christ. You and I are to be like Christ. We are to walk in His love. But if we are selfish, self-centered, moody, or jealous, then they are going to think that is what Christ is like. But if we walk in love and if we are willing to go the extra mile with people, then they are going to think that this must be the way Jesus is.

The world will never see the love of God until believers demonstrate it in their lives. You can quote John 3:16 to them all day long, but if they never see God’s love operating in you, then they will never become persuaded to follow Him. When the love of God is flowing through you, then the world can’t help but notice!

AMEN!

Now I want to share with you the mmost powerful translation of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 that I have ever seen! This is an Interpretive Translation shared by our partner, Rick Renner, who is also a Greek scholar! Use THIS gauge as you determine where you may need improvement in YOUR 'love walk'! Remember, LOVE NEVER FAILS! 

The following is an expanded interpretive translation of First Corinthians 13:4-8:

“Love patiently and passionately bears with others for as long as patience is needed;

Love doesn’t demand others to be like itself; rather, it is so focused on the needs of others that it bends over backwards to become what others need it to be;

Love is not ambitious, self-centered, or so consumed with itself that it never thinks of the needs or desires that others possess;

Love doesn’t go around talking about itself all the time, constantly exaggerating and embellishing the facts to make it look more important in the sight of others;

Love does not behave in a prideful, arrogant, haughty, superior, snooty, snobbish, or clannish manner;

Love is not rude and discourteous–it is not careless or thoughtless, nor does it carry on in a fashion that would be considered insensitive to others;

Love does not manipulate situations or scheme and devise methods that will twist situations to its own advantage;

Love does not deliberately engage in actions or speak words that are so sharp, they cause an ugly or violent response;

Love does not deliberately keep records of wrongs or past mistakes;

Love does not feel overjoyed when it sees an injustice done to someone else but is elated, thrilled, ecstatic, and overjoyed with the truth;

Love protects, shields, guards, covers, conceals, and safeguards people from exposure;

Love strains forward with all its might to believe the very best in every situation;

Love always expects and anticipates the best in others and the best for others;

Love never quits, never surrenders, and never gives up;

Love never disappoints, never fails, and never lets anyone down.”

AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Love On The Line":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 14 from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan is one of my favorites!

To the Chief Musician. [A Psalm] of David.

1 The [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable deeds; there is none that does good or right. 2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any who understood, dealt wisely, and sought after God, inquiring for and of Him and requiring Him [of vital necessity]. 3 They are all gone aside, they have all together become filthy; there is none that does good or right, no, not one. 4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread and who do not call on the Lord? 5 There they shall be in great fear [literally—dreading a dread], for God is with the generation of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (those upright and in right standing with Him). 6 You [evildoers] would put to shame and confound the plans of the poor and patient, but the Lord is his safe refuge. 7 Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord shall restore the fortunes of His people, then Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad.

Remember that the Word of God is TRUTH! That means that everyone who says there is no God is an "empty headed fool"! Let's NOT be that! Instead, Let's be those who are so looking forward to the Lord restoring our fortunes! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Bright As The Sun":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I am going to share again from Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional. This is another vital message to get inside! 

The Account With Persecution

But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. — Matthew 5:39

These verses reveal the humiliation of being a Christian. Naturally, if a man does not hit back, it is because he is a coward; but spiritually if a man does not hit back, it is a manifestation of the Son of God in him. When you are insulted, you must not only not resent it, but make it an occasion to exhibit the Son of God. You cannot imitate the disposition of Jesus; it is either there or it is not. To the saint personal insult becomes the occasion of revealing the incredible sweetness of the Lord Jesus.

The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is not — Do your duty, but — Do what is not your duty. It is not your duty to go the second mile, to turn the other cheek, but Jesus says if we are His disciples we shall always do these things. There will be no spirit of — “Oh, well, I cannot do any more, I have been so misrepresented and misunderstood.” Every time I insist upon my rights, I hurt the Son of God; whereas I can prevent Jesus from being hurt if I take the blow myself. That is the meaning of filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ. The disciple realises that it is his Lord’s honour that is at stake in his life, not his own honour.

Never look for right in the other man, but never cease to be right yourself. We are always looking for justice; the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is — Never look for justice, but never cease to give it.

I have had people over the years ask me why I never defend myself when people have spread lies or misinformation about me or judged me incorrectly. My asnwer is that I ANSWER ONLY to JESUS! If others do not like me or agree with me, they are free too find someone that they can relate to! I am NOT here to make people 'like' Christianity or Christians! I am here, for such a time as this, to PREACH the WORD, SHARE the TRUTH, PRAY for others and run my race that HE has set before me! Remember, there are NO rewards in Heaven for pleasing ANYONE other than JESUS! Be a DOER of HIS WORD and of that of HOLY SPIRIT! THEN we will reach people with the TRUTH! Not everyone is 'reachable' by YOU, but our GREAT GOD will find and send the RIGHT person to those we pray for! Be ready! It just MIGHT be YOU! HALLELUJAH!!! Here is Hillsong with "Children of the Light":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional by Oswald Chambers has a message that is often missed by many, but is of vital importance to our continued intimate fellowship with JESUS! 

The Price Of Vision

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord. — Isaiah 6:1

Our soul’s history with God is frequently the history of the “passing of the hero.” Over and over again God has to remove our friends in order to bring Himself in their place, and that is where we faint and fail and get discouraged. Take it personally: In the year that the one who stood to me for all that God was, died — I gave up everything? I became ill? I got disheartened? or — I saw the Lord?

My vision of God depends upon the state of my character. Character determines revelation. Before I can say “I saw also the Lord,” there must be something corresponding to God in my character. Until I am born again and begin to see the Kingdom of God, I see along the line of my prejudices only; I need the surgical operation of external events and an internal purification.

It must be God first, God second, and God third, until the life is faced steadily with God and no one else is of any account whatever. “In all the world there is none but thee, my God, there is none but thee.”

Keep paying the price. Let God see that you are willing to live up to the vision.

AMEN! I have shared many times the Hillsong Kids' praise song "My Number One", which is addressed to JESUS about HIM being the MOST important person in our lives! Even parents should relaize that when JESUS is their children's top priority, THEY will be in their proper place also! If our children are disrespecting their GODLY parents, then JESUS is most certainly NOT their "#1"! Here is that song, to remind YOU, as a child of the Living God, to make HIM yours! 

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to encourage you with THIS from Joseph Prince's "Daily Grace Inspirations".

Condemnation Is the Deepest Root

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus . . . let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience. Hebrews 10:19, 22

Most of us are aware that stress is the cause of many sicknesses and diseases. Experts have also identified fear as the cause of stress. But do you know that the deepest and most insidious root of many of our problems exists in the spiritual realm, and that it can only be destroyed by the power of Jesus’ finished work?

My friend, the deepest root of many of the troubles that afflict us is condemnation. It all began in the garden of Eden when the first man, Adam, sinned, incurring a guilty conscience and condemnation. Your conscience is that which is within you that knows good and evil, and it knows that when there is sin, there must be punishment for it.

The Bible calls a conscience that is perpetually conscious of sin, failure, and condemnation an “evil conscience,” which, without the blood of Jesus, there is no escape from. Unfortunately, many believers unknowingly carry with them an evil conscience that robs them of intimacy with God, and it is this constant sense of condemnation that is at the root of many of their afflictions.

You see, Satan, whose name in Hebrew literally means “the accuser,” is a prosecutor at law and an expert at condemning you. He is always pointing out your faults and shortcomings. That is why the Bible calls him “the accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10).

Even when you do something right, the accuser will say, “It’s not good enough.” Like the constant sound of dripping water, he will keep on accusing and spewing condemnation toward you. His crowning achievement is to bring about accusations in your life that you think are from God.

Many a time, believers under condemnation think that it is the Holy Spirit convicting them of their sins and pointing out their faults. They begin to entertain negative thoughts about themselves. They begin to believe that they ought to have negative feelings about themselves because of all their sins and unworthiness. Hence, the devil’s objective is to bring about condemnation in your life, concealing it in a fog of deception, so that you would be the last person to think that you are under condemnation.

The world has no solution for the enemy’s tactics, but as believers, we do. We have the power of the finished work of Jesus. His blood was shed and He was condemned on our behalf, so that we will never need to live in condemnation. By the grace of God, we can have a good conscience that is sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, and instead of being sin-conscious, we can be forgiveness-conscious.

The Word of God says that “worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins” (Hebrews 10:2). Today, we can always be conscious of our righteousness in Christ Jesus, even when we fail, and draw near to God with a “true heart in full assurance of faith” that God is not angry with us. Beloved, because of Jesus Christ and the power of His finished work, you can reject any accusation, guilt, and condemnation thrown at you by the devil and by your own heart!

Today, when you approach the Father, when you look to Him to meet your needs, be conscious that your heart has been sprinkled clean from an evil conscience with the blood of Jesus. That is amazing grace—you can have forgiveness-consciousness and draw near to God with a true heart in full assurance of faith!

AMEN! Here is one of my favorite songs from Hillsong that covers this TRUTH! "You Saw Me":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share from Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "From Faith To Faith" devotional!

Expect Results

Ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss.  James 4:2-3

Are all your needs met today? If not, why not?

According to the Word of God, it's either because you're not praying about them at all or because when you do pray, you're praying wrong.

What does it mean to pray wrong? In many cases it simply means to pray without expecting results. Many believers do that, you know. They use prayer as a kind of spiritual wishbone. They just play around with it. This probably won't do much good, they think, but who knows? It won't hurt to give it a try.

If that's been your attitude, then change it! Start getting serious about prayer. Stop praying just because it's proper. Stop praying just because you always pray at this point in the church service. And start praying to get results.

Start praying in the Name of Jesus, according to the Word of God, and expect to receive what you ask for every single time. Isn't that a little presumptuous? No, but it is bold, and you have a scriptural right to be bold.

According to the Word of God, you have a standing invitation from your heavenly Father to "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that [you] may obtain" (Hebrews 4:16). That word obtain is a word of certainty. The dictionary says it means "to get possession of."

So pray, expecting to get possession of what you need, not just once in a while, but every time! When prayers do go unanswered, don't just wander away saying, "I guess you never know what God's going to do." Tackle the problem with both hands! Go to God in prayer and in the Word and find out where you missed it and get the problem corrected.

When you go to God in accurate, Word of God-based, Spirit-inspired prayer, you do know what He's going to do. He's going to answer you. He's going to meet your need exactly as you asked Him. Start expecting Him to do it today.

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "That's The Power":

Shalom in Hiim!

Shalom, 

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is another very practical and extrememly valuable lesson for every born again believer in JESUS!

Look Inside

What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. — 1 CORINTHIANS 14:15

In every crisis of life, I’ve learned to look to my spirit inside of me. I’ve learned to pray in other tongues. And while I’m praying in other tongues, guidance comes up from inside of me, because my spirit is active when I pray in tongues. My mind is not active then; my spirit is active. And it is through my spirit that God gives me guidance.

Sometimes while I’m praying in tongues privately, I’ll interpret what I’ve said; and through the interpretation, I’ll get guidance. But this doesn’t happen most of the time.

Most of the time, while I’m just praying in tongues, from somewhere way down deep inside, the knowledge of what God wants me to do will rise up in me. (It’s difficult to explain spiritual things in natural ways, but I can sense something rising up within me.) It begins to take shape and form, and although I can’t always put it into words (because my understanding has nothing to do with it), I know exactly on the inside of me what direction I’m to take.

Confession: I listen to my heart. I look to my spirit inside me. I am spirit-conscious, because the Holy Spirit indwells my spirit. He gives direction to my spirit. He guides me through my spirit.

AMEN! Let's take full advantage of Holy Spirit within us to enable us to walk out this life that our GREAT GOD has prepared for us to walk in from before the foundation of the world! Here is Hillsong with "See The Light":

Shalom in Him! 

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is so very important to know and understand who you are and what you have IN JESUS!

My Spirit Prayeth

For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. — 1 CORINTHIANS 14:14

God is a Spirit. Man is a spirit. God contacts us and deals with us through our spirits. He leads us through our spirits. He does not communicate directly through our minds, because the Holy Spirit does not dwell in our minds. And God does not contact us through our bodies either.

It should be comparatively easy for Spirit-filled believers to locate the human spirit. Those tongues come from your spirit, down on the inside of you. You speak the words out physically — but they don’t come out of the physical senses. You yield your tongue to your own spirit, and the Holy Spirit in your spirit gives you the utterance.

The tongues don’t come out of your mind or your soul. When you pray in tongues, your mind, your understanding, is unfruitful. Your understanding doesn’t know what you’re saying.

When you pray in tongues, the words come out of your innermost being — your spirit. All the leadings I’ve ever gotten, have come out of my spirit. And most have come when I was praying in other tongues — when my spirit was active and in contact with God.

Confession: When I pray in tongues, my spirit prays. My spirit is active and in contact with God. The Holy Spirit in my spirit gives me the utterance.

AMEN! YOUR spirit is 'alive unto God' IF you have reeceived JESUS as Lord and personal Saviour! EXPECT His continuous leading, guidance and direction for leading the GOD kind of life! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "See The Light":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

The Will To Loyalty

Choose you this day whom ye will serve. — Joshua 24:15

Will is the whole man active. I cannot give up my will, I must exercise it. I must will to obey, and I must will to receive God’s Spirit. When God gives a vision of truth it is never a question of what He will do, but of what we will do. The Lord has been putting before us all some big propositions, and the best thing to do is to remember what you did when you were touched by God before — the time when you were saved, or first saw Jesus, or realised some truth. It was easy then to yield allegiance to God; recall those moments now as the Spirit of God brings before you some new proposition.

“Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” It is a deliberate calculation, not something into which you drift easily; and everything else is in abeyance until you decide. The proposition is between you and God; do not confer with flesh and blood about it. With every new proposition other people get more and more “out of it,” that is where the strain comes. God allows the opinion of His saints to matter to you, and yet you are brought more and more out of the certainty that others understand the step you are taking. You have no business to find out where God is leading, the only thing God will explain to you is Himself.

Profess to Him — “I will be loyal.” Immediately you choose to be loyal to Jesus Christ, you are a witness against yourself. Don’t consult other Christians, but profess before Him — “I will serve Thee.” Will to be loyal — and give other people credit for being loyal too.

AMEN! Make JESUS your # priority and YOU will ALWAYS be HIS! Here are Hillsong Kids with "My #1":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share THIS from Joseph Prince's "Daily Grace Inspirations" devotional:

Partaking in Remembrance

[He] took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 1 Corinthians 11:23–25

The results for diets and exercise come from rules, routine, and regimentation. The results from the holy Communion come from relationship, revelation, and understanding the redemptive work of Christ.

The Communion is about His love. It is about His power to heal you and deliver you from every sickness and disease. And that is why the apostle Paul wrote in the verses above that our Lord Jesus wants us to partake of the holy Communion in remembrance of Him.

When the Jewish people use the word remembrance, it is a much stronger word than just a passive or sentimental remembering. It has the idea of reenactment, of going through the event again.

It is about reenacting all Jesus went through, seeing His body broken as you break the bread in your hands, and seeing His blood being shed for you as you drink of the cup. It is about actively valuing the cross, and seeing how powerful it is for you today as you remember it was for you that the King of kings suffered.

Did you notice that our Lord Jesus told us to partake of the holy Communion in remembrance of Him and not in remembrance of our medical conditions? There was a time when many of the children of Israel were dying from snakebites in the wilderness. When Moses prayed that the Lord would take the serpents away, He responded, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live” (Numbers 21:8).

God did not take away the serpents. His response was to instruct Moses to make a replica of the very thing that was killing them—the serpent—and to set it on a pole for all to look at. “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” (Numbers 21:9).

The serpent on the pole is a picture of our Lord Jesus being lifted up on the cross, suspended between heaven and earth, rejected by man and also by His own Father because He was carrying all our sins. On that cross He bore every consequence and every curse of sin that you and I should have experienced, and that includes every sickness and every disease.

Today, whatever your condition, come to the Lord’s Table. Come, beholding Him and His love and begin to partake more and more of the healing that He paid for you to have.

AMEN! The Communion service should be so exciting for every born again believer as we take time to reflect on all that JESUS did and provided for US! The key is what we do IN REMEMBRANCE of HIM and what HE has done! Here is Hillsong with "Remembrance":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom, 

Today I want to share THIS devotional from our partner Rick Renner's Sparkling Gems From The Greek Volume 2.

PATIENCE

But let patience have her perfect work…. — James 1:4

In the early days just after the collapse of the Soviet Union, our family settled in the nation of Latvia, where we first started our ministry in the former Soviet Union. At the time, the government of Latvia was especially fearful of spies and therefore paranoid about foreigners, so they did not like our being there. Because we had so much TV equipment, it was rumored that we were a CIA group sent to spy on the activities of the nation. Thus, we were very unwelcome by many influential people who occupied high positions of authority within the Latvian government. But we knew that this was the place where God had called us to start our work in the former USSR, and we were determined not to be moved by fear or to be bullied out of that nation.

As is often the case in a foreign country, living in Latvia required a visa. The man in charge of immigration at the time did not like us — so he would only issue us a visa that lasted one day, three days, five days, or maybe a week at a time! Then at the end of that very brief period, we had to start the entire visa process all over! It was like the devil was trying to wear us down and run us out of town. But we knew that we had been called to be there, and we would not give up.

Actually, there were several times when our visas expired, and we had to plead with officials to issue us another one. When they’d finally grant our request, the new visas would often be valid for a mere 24 hours! That meant we had only one legal day to “rest” and breathe a sigh of relief before we had to initiate the process all over again.

Denise and I still have our old passports from back in those days, and they are filled with pages and pages of Latvian visas. We had so many visas that we ran out of space in our passports several times, and the U.S. Embassy would sew in extra pages to make room for more visas!

It was just like we were living on borrowed time. Every night when we went to bed, and every morning when we woke up, we were talking and praying about visas so we could stay where we knew God had called us. It was undoubtedly one of the biggest fights we had ever faced — and this fight continued unabated for several years! Space prevents me from articulating how much pressure it put on us. While we were producing TV programs, starting a new church in Riga, and answering mountains of pieces of mail from TV viewers, this visa problem was constantly in the background hassling us. It literally affected every area of our lives.

But after years of being hassled, vexed, and beleaguered, an abrupt change suddenly came! For some reason, which we never discovered, someone in the very top echelon of the government said, “Enough is enough that we have done to this family.” To our surprise, we were granted a three–month visa; then a six-month visa; then a one-year visa; and, finally, our entire family was granted permanent residency! The battle was over — and that meant we could fully focus on the task of taking trusted Bible teaching across the entire former USSR. By God’s grace and the virtue of patience, we had endured and outlasted the enemy’s onslaught.

Many believers in the early centuries had a favorite character trait, which they called the “queen of all virtues.” It was the Greek word hupomeno, and it appears throughout the New Testament. One example is in James 1:4, which says, “But let patience have her perfect work….” The word “patience” in Greek is hupomeno.

The word hupomeno is a compound of two words, hupo and meno. The word hupo means under or by, and the word meno means to stay or to abide. When compounded, they form the word hupomeno, one of the strongest words in the New Testament. It depicts a person who knows he is in the right place — hence, regardless of the pressure, assaults, or restraints that are forced upon him, he has decided that he will not bend, bow, or break under that pressure. He has simply decided that this is his spot, and nothing is going to move him from it. It is an unrelenting decision to hold fast to that spot and not be moved for any reason.

Whether we’re talking about me and my family and the situation we faced in Latvia or something you may be facing in your ministry, business, or education right now — it is a fact that there are forces at work to try to move us out of our places. The devil does not want us to realize our long-sought victories. That is why we must have hupomeno — staying power — that comes with a firm decision that we will hang in there and never surrender, succumb, or quit.

This word is such a vital part of my life and my thinking that I actually wear a baseball cap with the word hupomeno monogrammed across the front panel. It is found throughout the New Testament, and as we have seen, the early saints esteemed it as the queen of all virtues. This tells me that we still need to possess this lasting power today! That’s why I focus on it so much in my own life.

You see, when hupomeno is working in your life, it’s not a question of if you will win; it’s just a matter of time until you win! Eventually, the enemy himself gets tired and surrenders. And when he flees, everything you’ve believed to see will begin to come together. So I encourage you to hang in there and refuse to give up! Let hupomeno be a central feature of your life. Eventually the pressures will let up and subside — and when they do, your answer will come. In that day and hour, you’ll be so glad you stood your ground and didn’t surrender to the pressures that were trying to wear you down and push you out of position in your pursuit of God’s plan for your life!

AMEN! Meditate on this again and again! Patience is powerful! Here is Hillsong with "Seasons":

Shalom in Him! 

Shalom,

We read Matthew 4 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today and a very important key is revealed to us in verses 1-11!

1Then Jesus was led (guided) by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness (desert) to be tempted (tested and tried) by the devil. 2 And He went without food for forty days and forty nights, and later He was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, If You are God’s Son, command these stones to be made [loaves of] bread. 4 But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city and placed Him on a turret (pinnacle, gable) of the temple sanctuary. 6 And he said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, He will give His angels charge over you, and they will bear you up on their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said to him, On the other hand, it is written also, You shall not tempt, test thoroughly, or try exceedingly the Lord your God. 8 Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory (the splendor, magnificence, preeminence, and excellence) of them. 9 And he said to Him, These things, all taken together, I will give You, if You will prostrate Yourself before me and do homage and worship me. 10 Then Jesus said to him, Begone, Satan! For it has been written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve. 11 Then the devil departed from Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

The key? When tempted by the enemy, the reponse of JESUS was: IT IS WRITTEN! We counter the enemy and his lies with the WORD of the LIVING GOD! He has NO comeback for that! Hebrews 4:15-16 tells us this:

15 For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning. 16 Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].

When we KNOW the WORD we have everything we need to defeat the devil at every turn! Get into the Word of God more than ever before and get the Word of God IN YOU more than ever before. You will never be defeated by the enemy again! Here is Hillsong with "Say The Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

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

One Of God’s Great Don’ts

Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil doing. — Psalm 37:8 

Fretting means getting out at elbows mentally or spiritually. It is one thing to say “Fret not,” but a very different thing to have such a disposition that you find yourself able not to fret. It sounds so easy to talk about resting in the Lord and waiting patiently for Him, until the nest is upset — until we live, as so many are doing, in tumult and anguish, is it possible then to rest in the Lord? If this “don’t” does not work there, it will work nowhere. This “don’t” must work in days of perplexity as well as in days of peace, or it never will work. And if it will not work in your particular case, it will not work in anyone else’s case. Resting in the Lord does not depend on external circumstances at all, but on your relationship to God Himself.

Fussing always ends in sin. We imagine that a little anxiety and worry are an indication of how really wise we are; it is much more an indication of how really wicked we are. Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way. Our Lord never worried and He was never anxious, because He was not “out” to realise His own ideas; He was “out” to realise God’s ideas. Fretting is wicked if you are a child of God.

Have you been bolstering up that stupid soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God? Put all “supposing” on one side and dwell in the shadow of the Almighty. Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about that thing. All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.

AMEN! This is SO good! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "All This Future":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is very appropriate ofr our time!

The Living Word

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. — 1 JOHN 5:7

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us . . . . — JOHN 1:1, 14

How can I make Jesus Lord of my life?

Jesus is the Living Word. And God has given us the written Word to unveil the Living Word to us.

Give the Word of God — primarily the New Testament — first place in your life. By doing so, you are putting Jesus first!

Let the Word of God govern your life. Let this Word be the Lord of your life. Let the Word dominate you. By doing so, you are really allowing Jesus to lord it over you — because Jesus and His Word are One.

We are living in an age when we need to get serious about spiritual matters, and we need to learn what the Bible has to say about love, life, home, marriage, and children.

Let the Word of God be your guide in life. When you do, you are making Jesus the Lord of your life. Then His written Word becomes the Lord of your life.

Confession: Lord Jesus, You are the Lord of my life. I allow Your Word to dominate me. I allow Your Word to have dominion over me; therefore, YOU are lording it over me. You are dominating me. You are the Lord of my life!

AMEN! Make it YOUR 'determined purpose', as Paul in Ephesians 3 (AMPC), to really KNOW Jesus! The Word of God will come alive to you like enver before! Here is Hillsong with "No Reason To Hide":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to remind your of this from "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers!

The Conditions Of Discipleship

If any man come to Me, and hate not…,he cannot be My disciple. — Luke 14:26, see also 27, 33

If the closest relationships of life clash with the claims of Jesus Christ, He says it must be instant obedience to Himself. Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person, Our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a difference between devotion to a Person and devotion to principles or to a cause. Our Lord never proclaimed a cause; He proclaimed personal devotion to Himself. To be a disciple is to be a devoted love-slave of the Lord Jesus. Many of us who call ourselves Christians are not devoted to Jesus Christ. No man on earth has this passionate love to the Lord Jesus unless the Holy Ghost has imparted it to him. We may admire Him, we may respect Him and reverence Him, but we cannot love Him. The only Lover of the Lord Jesus is the Holy Ghost, and He sheds abroad the very love of God in our hearts. Whenever the Holy Ghost sees a chance of glorifying Jesus, He will take your heart, your nerves, your whole personality, and simply make you blaze and glow with devotion to Jesus Christ.

The Christian life is stamped by “moral spontaneous originality,” consequently the disciple is open to the same charge that Jesus Christ was, viz., that of inconsistency. But Jesus Christ was always consistent to God, and the Christian must be consistent to the life of the Son of God in him, not consistent to hard and fast creeds. Men pour themselves into creeds, and God has to blast them out of their prejudices before they can become devoted to Jesus Christ.

AMEN!Let's coontinually worship JESUS as the One, True GOD! Our lives will NEVER be the same and others will have their lives touched by the presence of ALMIGHTY GOD! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Your Word":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share again from Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "Faith To Faith" devotional!

Later Is Here!

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household? Matthew 24:45

The Word tells us that God shows Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are "perfect" toward Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). That word perfect doesn't mean that we have to do everything just right and live without making a mistake. Thank God, we don't have to do that. It means "devoted"—a heart consecrated, dedicated, loyal and faithful to God.

The mistakes we make will not stop God from working in our lives. Only our lack of faithfulness can do that.

Who is faithful? The one who spends his time doing what God has called him to do. Or as Jesus put it, the one who takes up his cross and follows Him. The one who denies his fleshly desires and spends his life on the things God desires him to do.

Maybe God has been urging you to spend more time in His Word and in prayer or dealing with you about ministering more to the people around you. He may be calling you to pray for the sick or to teach the Word. But you're busy, so you glide on with good intentions and tell God you'll do it later. Well, later is here!

Decide today that you are going to be the faithful and wise servant. Find out what is stealing your time from the Lord. Serve His interests instead of your own.

Do you want to be a ruler in the household of God? Do you want Him to show Himself strong for you? Then take up Jesus' thoughts today. Take up His purposes and His plans. Now is the time to be faithful!

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Resurrender":

Shalom in Him!