Shalom,

If you have read this blog for very long you will be familiar with this verse: John 17:17.

17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. KJV

17 Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. AMP

When you have made Jesus the Lord of your life and His Word your final authority, you LOVE to see and hear verses such as this! When we establish in our own hearts that this is true, then we will NOT be moved by anything that is contrary to what the Word promises, because if it does not agree with the Word of God, then it is nothing but a lie! Do you see that? That is why it is so vitally important for YOU to meditate on the Word day and night (Joshua 1:8) so that your confidence in it will continue to grow and will eventually chase doubt right out of your life! To add to your meditation on this great, vital Truth, I want to share a couple more verses from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today! First of all, Psalm 111:1 says this:

1 Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) I will praise and give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart in the council of the upright and in the congregation.

This declaration from the psalmist that they WILL praise and give thanks to the Lord is followed by verses 2-9 that do just that! 

2 The works of the Lord are great, sought out by all those who have delight in them. 3 His work is honorable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever. 4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious, merciful,and full of loving compassion. 5 He has given food and provision to those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever and imprint it [on His mind]. 6 He has declared and shown to His people the power of His works in giving them the heritage of the nations [of Canaan]. 7 The works of His hands are [absolute] truth and justice [faithful and right]; and all His decrees and precepts are sure (fixed, established, and trustworthy). 8 They stand fast and are established forever and ever and are done in [absolute] truth and uprightness. 9 He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant to be forever; holy is His name, inspiring awe, reverence, and godly fear.

Then we have verse 10 that gives us a purpose for this praise, thanksgiving and worship that has just taken place! 

10 The reverent fear and worship of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom and skill [the preceding and the first essential, the prerequisite and the alphabet]; a good understanding, wisdom, and meaning have all those who do [the will of the Lord]. Their praise of Him endures forever.

AMEN! The fear of the Lord is simply a respect, honor and reverential awe of Who He is, what He has done, what He has promised and a placing HIM above everyone else in your life. When we put HIM up there, everyone else in our life will benefit! Here is a new song from Hillsong Worship called "Open Heaven/River Wild":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I had other plans at first, but I MUST share this with you today instead! From "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:

My kingdom is not of this world. — John 18:36

The great enemy to the Lord Jesus Christ in the present day is the conception of practical work that has not come from the New Testament, but from the Systems of the world in which endless energy and activities are insisted upon, but no private life with God. The emphasis is put on the wrong thing. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God comes not with observation;…for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you,” a hidden, obscure thing. An active Christian worker too often lives in the shop window. It is the innermost of the innermost that reveals the power of the life.

We have to get rid of the plague of the spirit of the religious age in which we live. In Our Lord’s life there was none of the press and rush of tremendous activity that we regard so highly, and the disciple is to be as His Master. The central thing about the kingdom of Jesus Christ is a personal relationship to Himself, not public usefulness to men. It is not its practical activities that are the strength of this Bible Training College, its whole strength lies in the fact that here you are put into soak before God. You have no idea of where God is going to engineer your circumstances, no knowledge of what strain is going to be put on you either at home or abroad, and if you waste your time in over-active energies instead of getting into soak on the great fundamental truths of God’s Redemption, you will snap when the strain comes; but if this time of soaking before God is being spent in getting rooted and grounded in God on the un-practical line, you will remain true to Him whatever happens.

This is TRULY one of the most serious problems in the church today! Remember that Jesus HIMSELF said this in Matthew 22:37-38:

37 And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). 38 This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. AMP

BEFORE we do any "work" for Him, we MUST make sure that HE is OUR #1 priority! Without that vital intimate fellowship with Him, we are basically useless to anyone! You CANNOT walk in the power of God without knowing the Source of that power! Paul said THIS in Philippians 3:10:

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], AMP

Make knowing and loving HIM your first priority every day and then let HIM lead, guide and direct you to and through the "work" that He has for you to do. There is really no other way to successfully fulfill your calling and ministry. Here is Hillsong Worship with a new song called "One Thing":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

1 Peter 6-7 is especially meaningful to me at this point in my life! 

6 [You should] be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations, 7 So that [the genuineness] of your faith may be tested, [your faith] which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested and purified by fire. [This proving of your faith is intended] to redound to [your] praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) is revealed.

Having been born again and filled with His Spirit 35 years ago, I have faced many different tests, trials, temptations, hindrances, attacks, persecutions, delays and sorrows, but out of ALL of them HE has delivered me as I stood steadfast, many times with the agreement and encouragement of my personal prayer partners. All of these experiences have given me points of contact and remembrances to look back on and encourage myself with as I face the new and current attempts of the enemy to hurt, harm, distract, delay, harass, discourage and stop me! All the while my faith, which is infinitely more precious that all the gold in the world, has stood the test and grown stronger with each and every exercise of it! There is NOTHING that is impossible to you if you will dare to believe the promises of the Covenant as revealed in the Word and refuse to quit! God is pleased with your faith and He is waiting eagerly to confirm His Word in your life! For your joy and His glory! HALLELUJAH!

I am not sharing this to discourage you, but rather to show you that the ONLY way you will not come out as more than a conqueror is if you quit! DON'T DO IT! All the enemy REALLY has is one weapon, the lie. He has many different ways, schemes, strategies and tactics to TRY to get you to believe his lies, but YOU have the Word of God which is TRUTH (John 17:17)! NEVER let go of the Word! AMEN! Look at verses 23-25 in 1 Peter 1:

23 You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God. 24 For all flesh (mankind) is like grass, and all its glory (honor) like [the] flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower drops off, 25 But the Word of the Lord (divine instruction, the Gospel) endures forever. And this Word is the good news which was preached to you. 

Thank You, Jesus, for Your Word! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with a new song called "In God We Trust":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I would like to talk about THIS from Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "From Faith To Faith":

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

We often think of "laying down your life" for someone else in terms of dying. That's what Jesus did. He loved us so much He laid down His life by dying in our place so that we could live. But now, He's asked us to lay down our lives in a different way. He's asked us to show our love, not by dying for others, but by living for them. Exactly what does that mean?

Sometimes it means giving our lives by spending time in prayer for someone. Other times it means giving of ourselves with love and understanding. Many times it means laying down our own selfish desires in order to meet the needs of another.

Romans 15:1 puts it this way, "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves."

When you lay down your life, you live to please God instead of yourself. You let your life be guided by His love. If love leads you to the person next door, you follow. When love calls you to intercede for someone in need, you yield. Commit yourself today to lay down your own life—and take up the love life. Say:

"Father, in Jesus' Name, I see from Your Word that You were willing to give of Yourself, in the person of Your Son, for all men. I understand that because Jesus is Lord of my life, I, too, am called to give myself to others. I choose to accept that calling today. I'll give of my time. I'll give of Your love in me. I'll be strong and lift up those who are weak. I'm willing to be available to be used of You so that those around me might experience the abundant life You have provided. You have loved me, Lord, with the greatest love there is. I count it a privilege now to share that love with others. I thank You for it in Jesus' Name. Amen."

I want to encourage you to remember that in order to lay down our lives on behalf of another person, we must first of all be a DOER of Mark 12:30:

30 And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. This is the first and principal commandment.  AMP

When we can do THAT, then we are in position to be ABLE to be a DOER of verse 31, which IS laying down your life for someone else!

31 The second is like it and is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. AMP

The greatest show of love we have ever received is when Jesus gave His life for us! Unselfishly doing verse 31 is how WE return that love to Him! AMEN! Here, to encourage you in this, is Hillsong United with "One Way":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Have you ever felt yourself, or been told by others, that you are worthless or somehow less than every other believer because you make mistakes? I want you to see THIS today! 1 John 1:8 says this to born again believers! Remember, the Epistles are letters that were written to the churches!

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. KJV

Verse 10 goes on to say this:

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. KJV

So, it is established that once we are born again and our sin nature is done away with (2 Corinthians 5:17), we still live in this body that has not YET changed and have a soul (mind, emotions and will) that CAN be changed, progressively, day by day. While we are on earth and in these bodies, we will have to contend with the nature of the flesh, in all of its weaknesses (Galatians 5:16-25). We WILL sometimes sin (make selfish decisions to do things our own way instead of God's way in thought, word or deed). The GREAT news is found in verse 9:

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. KJV

This is a New Covenant promise! Under the Old Covenant, the people could have their sins covered by bringing animal sacrifices. WE have our sins completely cleansed away! I want to encourage you to go back over Psalm 107 from today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan and see how faithful our God was to bring them back when they repented! We read how the people would get involved with sin and bad things would begin to happen to them. They would turn back to God, crying out for His help, and He would deliver them! HOW MUCH MORE, will we be brought right back into perfect, intimate fellowship with Him when we, who are His children and members of His body, repent (change our thinking to agree with God), confess sin and receive forgiveness AND cleansing from any and all unknown sin! We are, of ALL people, MOST BLESSED! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "You Saw Me":

Shalom in him!

Shalom,

I want to share this from Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "From Faith To Faith" for today because it involves a subject that I believe it very important for born again believers to understand and to get right!

The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turns it whithersoever he will.  Proverbs 21:1

Think about that for a moment! God has reserved the right to override the will of a nation's leader, if need be, to see that His people are governed according to His will.

What's more, God will hear the prayer of any government leader. Even if he's the worst reprobate in the whole world. He heard the prayer of old King Nebuchadnezzar. Believe me, that means He'll listen to any leader!

You see, Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon. He was an ungodly ruler of an ungodly nation. However, he'd taken captives from the land of Judah. He had some of God's people under his authority. So, God began to deal with him.

Again and again, God warned him, Nebuchadnezzar, you're going to lose your mind if you don't straighten up. And, sure enough, he went just as crazy as could be.

He stayed that way for years too. Then one day he cried out to God and God heard him.

Despite his status as a heathen king of a heathen nation, God intervened repeatedly in Nebuchadnezzar's life and heard him when he finally cried out for help. Why? Because he had God's people under his control! (Read Daniel 4:1-37)

That same principle still holds true today. If we'll open the way through prayer, God will deal with our leaders!

If we will humble ourselves in unity and pray, God can change the injustice and corruption that exist in our country, or any country for that matter. He'll change the hearts of everyone from the White House on down to make sure His children are governed justly.

Make it a point to pray for our leaders today!

We KNOW that we are to pray for leaders from 1 Timothy 2:2:

2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty KJV

This also includes the "why" that we pray! The area that many believers err in is WHAT they pray! I have heard people pray for the health, prosperity, safety and many other natural things for our leaders. While this "sounds" like the loving "Christian" thing to do, this would not be an accurate way to pray! First of all, we are told to pray for these leaders so that WE may be able to "lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty"! Secondly, if they are living in ungodly ways, denying Jesus as Lord and Savior, not involved in tithing and giving, we can pray all day long for their health and well being and it is simply NOT going to happen! Theses things are promises of God for HIS people! We cannot pray against God's will! Look at 1 John 5:14-15:

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

So, how DO we pray? We pray what we KNOW is God's will for them. We pray that they receive Jesus as Lord and Savior (2 Peter 3:9), that laborers would be sent to minister to them (Luke 10:2), that their hearts would be turned by the Lord (Proverbs 21:1) to make those decisions that would enable God's people to worship freely and live that peaceable, godly life (1 Timothy 2:2)! Pray, also, in the Spirit and allow Him to pray through you what you do not know! AMEN! If we begin to pray earnestly (James 5:16) and knowledgeably, we will give God what He needs to work with in order for His will to be carried out! LET'S DO IT! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Desert Song":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I have a suggestion for you today! Have you had times when you felt that the pressure was too much to bear? Have you had times when it seemed like you were the only one the enemy was focusing on? We MUST, first of all, understand that this is far from the Truth! Both Paul and Peter addressed this in 1 Corinthians 10:13 and in 1 Peter 5:8-9:

1 Cor 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. KJV

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. KJV

AND, even if it were true, the Word of God and the authority we have as born again believers is still the same, ALWAYS! What we REALLY need at these times is to do what David did in 1 Samuel 30:6:

6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. KJV

One of the examples of David doing this is found in 1 Samuel 17:35-37 when David went before Saul  before he faced Goliath. Another example of encouraging yourself in the Lord by reminding yourself of past victories and of all the things that the God of the Bible has done before is found in today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! Read Psalm 105 all the way through. If that doesn't encourage you that God is GOOD, all the time, then read it again and again! Build yourself up in your faith by doing this AND by praying in the Spirit (Jude 1:20) and you will find your joy stirring up, your courage and confidence returning and you will be able to get your shout on! The shout of VICTORY through HIM! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Shout Of The King":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

THIS, from "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, is a very good reminder to those called to the ministry. 

Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After the first strike for God and for the right, God allowed Moses to be driven into blank discouragement, He sent him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared and told Moses to go and bring forth His people, and Moses said — “Who am I, that I should go?” In the beginning Moses realized that he was the man to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in the individual aspect, but he was not the man for the work until he had learned communion with God.

We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and we start to do the thing; then comes something equivalent to the forty years in the wilderness, as if God had ignored the whole thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged God comes back and revives the call, and we get the quaver in and say — “Oh, who am I?” We have to learn the first great stride of God — “I AM THAT I AM…hath sent me.” We have to learn that our individual effort for God is an impertinence; our individuality is to be rendered incandescent by a personal relationship to God (see Matthew 3:11). We fix on the individual aspect of things; we have the vision — “This is what God wants me to do”; but we have not got into God’s stride. If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a big personal enlargement ahead.

This is a good reminder for ALL believers, because we are ALL called to the Ministry of Reconciliation, which is sharing the God News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost! Remember that HE will give you the words to say and that HE wants them to be born again even more than you do! Spend that time in intimate fellowship with Him that is needful for YOU to be aware of the gifts, calling and anointing that are within and upon you for ministry. When you do that, you will be in position to realize and rely on the TRUTH that it is the Spirit within you Who "doeth the work" (John 14:10)! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Forever Reign":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I love Psalm 103! Verses 1-5 remind us of Who HE is and what HE has done for us!

1 Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits— 3 Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy; 5 Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle’s [strong, overcoming, soaring]!

We can trust and rely on Him ALWAYS to come through when we need Him, but we must do our part by maintaining a grateful, thankful heart! We must stir up our expectation of victory in every area when we cast the care of all things onto Him and simply trust in faith that "God's got this!" How did David have and maintain his confidence? He continually reminded himself of what God had done for him in the past and the promises that the God of the Bible had made to him. WE must do the same! Look at verse 7:

7 He made known His ways [of righteousness and justice] to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.

You and I have the choice to make of whether we will be satisfied to simply hear other people talk about God and the things He's done, or do we want to really KNOW Him, His thoughts and His "ways"! Let's make THIS declaration, along with Paul, from Philippians 3:10:

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 

Amen! Now let's get busy DOING it! Here is Hillsong with "I Live To Know You":

Shalom in  Him!

Shalom,

We had a great Worship Service today at The Spoken Word Church. I had thought about sharing some from it, but then I read THIS from Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "From Faith To Faith" and decided to share it instead!

PREPARE FOR PERSECUTION

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 2 Timothy 3:12

Did you catch that? He said all who live godly lives are going to suffer persecution. Not just the super-saints, not just the missionaries in hostile lands—but all.

If you're going to live for God, you're going to run into persecution somewhere along the line. The devil's going to make sure of it!

Now I'm not saying that to frighten you or to depress you. I'm saying it because I want you to be prepared.

When you're wise to the strategies of the devil, it's harder for him to use them successfully on you to confuse you and get you off track.

Second Corinthians 10:4 says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." 

So stay armed and ready for Satan's attack. Then, whenever and however it comes, it won't bring your life to a halt or even slow you down.

That's especially important right now because we're living in the last days. The devil's time is drawing short. He is desperate. He is going to do everything he can to stop the Church. But Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church!

Remember the more we grow to be like Jesus and the more God's glory is revealed through our lives, the bigger threat we are to Satan's kingdom.

 Jesus said, "Rejoice and be glad at such a time, and exult and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is rich and great and strong and intense and abundant in heaven" (Luke 6:23, The Amplified Bible).

So, when persecution comes your way, and you know it will, rejoice and be glad. Take the Jesus cure and begin to leap and jump and praise God! There is no way persecution will hurt you if you do that. I've tried it and it works.

AMEN! Jerry Savelle has an excellent teaching called "If The Devil Can't Steal Your Joy, He can't Keep Your Goods". I highly recommend that teaching in whatever form you prefer: Book, CD, DVD. It is invaluable for staying above the circumstances and IN faith! Here is an older Hillsong song called "Faith":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I have been reading Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food" for over 30 years and I have found them to be as fresh and new as the first time I ever read them! Today's is a great, simple look at faith and how to operate in it! 

FAITH DEFINED

"For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith" (Mark 11:23). 

Just after Jesus had demonstrated the God-kind of faith, He defined it. Mark 11:23 is Jesus' definition of the God-kind of faith. He described it as the kind of faith in which: 

(1) A person believes in his heart 
(2) Then, a person says with his mouth what he believes in his heart 
(3) And it comes to pass 

God used that kind of faith to create the world in the beginning. God believed that what He said would come to pass! So He said, "Let there be an earth." And there was an earth. In fact, He created everything, the sun, the moon, the stars, the plants, and the animals, everything except man by believing what He said would come to pass. Then God said it. And it came to pass. That is the God-kind of faith!"

Confession: "Whosever shall say 'What I believe in my heart, and say with my mouth, shall come to pass. I live and operate in the God-kind of faith.'" 

AMEN! Another of my daily readings made this statement: Knowledge of God's Word does NOT come from just study, but through obedience! I LOVE that! We will only ever really know the Word that we choose to obey! We always say "Obedience brings blessings", but equally true is that obedience brings understanding. Do you know someone for whom the Word of God just makes so much sense? THAT person is a DOER of the Word! Make the quality decision to immediately obey everything you see in the Word of God to do. You have Holy Spirit as your Helper Who will show you, step by step, how to walk it out. That Word will become so clear to you that you will begin to think like God without really trying! THAT is the life of faith that He has always intended for His people to live in! The life of abundance! John 10:10:

10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Like Incense - Sometimes By Step":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share again all of Psalm 100!

1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 
2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 
3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations. KJV

Do you KNOW what a "joyful noise" really is? This is the Hebrew word "ruwa`". It means: to mar (especially by breaking); figuratively, to split the ears (with sound), i.e. shout (for alarm or joy). It also means: to shout a war cry; to shout in triumph; to shout in applause; to shout for joy. When was the last time YOU shouted to the Lord, either in church or out? This is not just a good idea! It is an instruction and a command! Verse 3 tells us to "know", the Hebrew word "yada`", which means: to know, to learn to know, to perceive, to recognize, to acknowledge, to confess, to be acquainted with, to consider. What are we to know? That He is God, that He is good, that His mercy lasts forever, that his Truth (His Word - John 17:17) is also forever! HE is worthy of every breath and word of praise, thanksgiving and worship! So, let's get after it! You REALLY don't want a rock to take YOUR place, do you (Luke 19:40)? Here is Hillsong with "Praise Him":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share our Spoken Word Church website devotional with you! This goes along with what I have been sharing with you this week. We are about to see the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords, and when we do, we want to be ready! 

Earth is temporary. Eternity is permanent. You are a pilgrim here. This is a journey, a passage, a season. The future is far more suited for you. You are a citizen of the New Jerusalem. You are an ambassador, a representative on earth of your heavenly Father. Don't every forget it.

Overcomers are guaranteed a permanent place in the Temple of God. His Name is engraved upon you. You are His property and perpetuation of His kingdom. Act like the royalty you are.

"Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God: and I will write down upon him my new name." (Revelation 3:12)

Remember that THIS life is preparation for the life to come! We who have received Jesus as Lord and personal Savior will live forever in His presence! Those who have rejected Him will not! Let's buy up every opportunity to represent Him well! AMEN! Here is Robin Mark with "Days of Elijah".

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Many born again believers are eagerly waiting for, and LOOKING for, the appearing of our Lord Jesus Who is coming to catch up His Bride, the Church, to Heaven with Him! Many of us who have this expectant hope and eager anticipation have become the brunt of  jokes told by unbelievers and unbelieving believers! I want to encourage you today to NEVER stop sharing the Good News of the Gospel with everyone you know, and some you don't know! THEY need to hear, and WE are here "for such a time as this"! AMEN! To encourage you to keep yourself built up in the Lord, I want to share all  of Psalm 98 here. It is a song of glorious praise! 

A Psalm.

1 O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have wrought salvation for Him.

2 The Lord has made known His salvation; His righteousness has He openly shown in the sight of the nations.

3 He has [earnestly] remembered His mercy and loving-kindness, His truth and His faithfulness toward the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have witnessed the salvation of our God.

4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy, yes, sing praises!

5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the voice of melody.

6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it, the world, and those who dwell in it!

8 Let the rivers clap their hands; together let the hills sing for joy

9 Before the Lord, for He is coming to judge [and rule] the earth; with righteousness will He judge [and rule] the world, and the peoples with equity.

This Psalm also addresses the TRUTH that He is about to judge the world, and to rule and reign as King of all kings and Lord of all lords! Are you READY? I hope so! But many of THEM are not! So let's be about our Father's MOST important work and "seek and save the lost" (Luke 19:10)! Here is Hillsong with "Lost Are Found":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I was going to share from Psalm 97 today, but Jerry Savelle's devotional for today is VERY needful for you!

The Snare

The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe (Proverbs 29:25 NKJV).

The fear of man is one snare that every Christian will have to face and conquer at some point in life. As long as you care more about other people’s expectations and what they think about you than what God’s Word says about you, you will not be free to fulfill God’s call on your life. So, how can you determine if you are ensnared by the fear of man? Let me ask you a few questions:

Do you get depressed when you perceive people are thinking negatively about you?
Do you feel insecure if your Christian peers think you are carnal or that you’ve missed God?
Do you spend hours thinking about how to set the record straight?
Do you always seek to justify your decisions or actions?

This type of thinking is indicative of a spirit of fear—specifically the fear of man—operating in your life. The fear of man is a form of mental bondage that serves as a snare. It will entrap you with worry and will rob you of the inner peace that is yours in Christ. 

Jesus said, “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44 NKJV). 

In other words, receiving honor from man prevents you from seeking what comes only from God. Instead of caring what others may think of you, cast the care of your situation onto God and then trust Him to sort things out His way. Trusting God will free you from the snare of the fear of man. When you cast off your care and trust God to look after your reputation, insecurity will be a thing of the past. You will no longer need to look to people’s opinion of your for security (after all, their opinions are subject to change).

Who you are in Christ is unchangeable. So release yourself from the snare of the fear of man and put your trust completely in God. When you do, you will enjoy a life of freedom, secure in the knowledge of who you are in Christ.

Confession: I refuse to allow other people’s opinions of my ideas, decisions, and actions to ensnare me and steal my peace. I cast my care on God, knowing that He cares for me and will sort out everything to my benefit. My security is based solely on God’s Word and who He says I am in Christ.

AMEN! This was one of the most important lessons that I had to learn early on. Not only as a born again believer and a disciple of Jesus, but as a minister of the Gospel! There were times when I KNEW that the Spirit of God was moving on me to do something and I would be tempted to wait until someone else got the same "leading". That was NOT right! He made it very clear when He was instructing me to begin to pray every morning for The Spoken Word Church, AT the church! I shared this with a few people and not one was willing to do this with me. When I complained to the Lord about this, He simply asked ME, "What am I telling YOU to do?". So, I began to go to the church from 6AM - 7AM every morning. Within a couple of weeks, people began to join me until we had quite a group! We have been praying at this time, at the Church, every morning since, WITHOUT FAIL! This was 30 years ago. We have been faithful and HE has been even more faithful to answer these prayers. NEVER let the opinions of others cause you to back down from doing something that the Lord your God is calling you to do. YOUR rewards depend on YOUR obedience, TO HIM! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Oceans: Where Feet May Fail":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Have YOU read Psalm 96 yet today? I will help you out with that! 

Psalm 96

1 O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Sing to the Lord, bless (affectionately praise) His name; show forth His salvation from day to day. 3 Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples. 4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be reverently feared and worshiped above all [so-called] gods. 5 For all the gods of the nations are [lifeless] idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the Lord, O you families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 8 Give to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come [before Him] into His courts. 9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; tremble before and reverently fear Him, all the earth. 10 Say among the nations that the Lord reigns; the world also is established, so that it cannot be moved; He shall judge and rule the people righteously and with justice. 11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all the things which fill it; 12 Let the field be exultant, and all that is in it! Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy 13 Before the Lord, for He comes, for He comes to judge and govern the earth! He shall judge the world with righteousness and justice and the peoples with His faithfulness and truth.

"Declare" in verse 3 is the Hebrew word "caphar", which means: to tally or record; to enumerate; intensively, to celebrate! His "glory" is the Hebrew word "kabowd", which means: splendor or copiousness (exhibiting abundance). Verse 4 tells us that he is to be "praised", which is the Hebrew word "halal". This means: to make a show of, to boast, to be clamorously foolish (about), to rave, to celebrate, to stultify (to appear foolish or ridiculous). So THIS is the picture of how we are to give HIM the honor and glory that is due Him! Not a very "dignified" picture, as the WORLD see it, but completely pleasing and delightful to the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! The God of all creation. The God of our Salvation! So, how has YOUR praise and honor looked to Him? after all, HIS opinion should matter most! AMEN! Here is an opportunity for you to pour it all our before Him! Hillsong United with "Take It All":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We had a powerful Worship Service at The Spoken Word Church today! Then I read Habakkuk in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan. Look at Habakkuk 1:3-4:

3 Why do You show me iniquity and wrong, and Yourself look upon or cause me to see perverseness and trouble? For destruction and violence are before me; and there is strife, and contention arises. 4 Therefore the law is slackened and justice and a righteous sentence never go forth, for the [hostility of the] wicked surrounds the [uncompromisingly] righteous; therefore justice goes forth perverted.

Remember, there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9)! The same old devils are doing the same old evil things and telling the same old lies! WE, however, have the same wonderful, all powerful, all knowing, all loving God! HE said THIS in verse 5:

5 Look around [you, Habakkuk, replied the Lord] among the nations and see! And be astonished! Astounded! For I am putting into effect a work in your days [such] that you would not believe it if it were told you.

And THAT was under the Old Covenant, to people who did NOT have the Spirit of God living IN them! WE have a better Covenant that is based on better promises than Habakkuk had (Hebrews 8:6)! We KNOW that "where sin abounds, grace MUCH MORE abounds" (Romans 5:20)! 

When it SEEMS like all hell is breaking loose on the earth, remember that there is only ONE Who is King of all kings and LORD of all lords! HIS Name is JESUS! AMEN! His is in control and when we obey His Word, are led by His Spirit and spend time daily in intimate fellowship with Him, we WILL come out victorious every time! HALLELUJAH! Here is Hillsong with a song that has been rising up in me all day, called  "I Desire Jesus":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Yesterday we spoke about recognizing the tactics of the enemy. Today I want to share Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "From Faith To Faith" devotional, which speaks about one particular strategy of the his.

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness. Ephesians 4:17-19

There's a subtle strategy Satan uses to take control of our lives. The Bible calls it lasciviousness and it means "to have no restraint."  Lasciviousness has been preached as being extreme immorality, but it doesn't start out that way. It begins with just a few seemingly innocent thoughts. Then those thoughts grow and grow until they begin to produce serious sin.

One afternoon as a 9-year-old boy, for example, I just yielded to the desire to curse. I knew better, but I did it anyway. I had a relative who was so good at West Texas cussin' that I thought he invented it. I was impressed and I wanted to try it. When I let go of all restraint and began to say those curse words, something evil moved in on my thinking that seriously affected me for some 20 years. A law was set in motion. As a result, my flesh gradually became boss over my entire being. 

Don't let Satan use the strategy of lasciviousness on you. Make up your mind and heart today to obey God in the little things. Avoid big failures by walking in His Spirit one small step at a time. Major victories will eventually be yours. 

AMEN! Now that you are able to recognize this tactic, you can stop him in his tracks every time! Every time you do, you will get stronger in the strength of Jesus! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Stronger":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I believe that the message in our Spoken Word Church devotional for today is a very important one!

Keep Your Focus

The secret of success is concentration. The secret of failure is broken focus. The forbidden fruit distracted Adam and Eve. Delilah distracted Samson. Whatever takes your mind away from God's assignment is an instrument of Hell.

Examine your life. Honestly. Disconnect from every distraction. Fix your focus. Don't let Satan ever get a foot inside your door. You are too close to victory to lose out now.

"Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded you: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go." (Joshua 1:7)

In case you were not already aware of this, the devil does NOT play fair! He will use every trick, strategy and scheme in his evil book of tricks to try and trip you up! he will play on your known weaknesses and he will be relentless. The ONLY thing that can stop him is the Word of God spoken out of your mouth! Recognize his methods of using the ONE weapon he has, the lie! 2 Corinthians 2:9:

11 To keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions.

Stay focused on God's plan for your life and on HIS #1 priority. When we do that, everything not of God will fade into the background! It takes diligence and consistency, but you CAN do it (Philippians 4:13 AMP)! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Back To Life":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I love the way that Psalm 92 begins with such an exclamation of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord! Verses 1-5:

1 It is a good and delightful thing to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises [with musical accompaniment] to Your name, O Most High, 2 To show forth Your loving-kindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night, 3 With an instrument of ten strings and with the lute, with a solemn sound upon the lyre. 4 For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your works; at the deeds of Your hands I joyfully sing. 5 How great are Your doings, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep.

I hope that you begin every day in this way! What can possibly get you "down" when you begin the day with a grateful and thankful heart attitude? You are reminding yourself of His greatness at the same time that you are praising Him for it! This builds faith and confidence in you and releases the joy of the Lord, which is your great source of strength (Nehemiah 8:10)! When we do this, THEN we are able to properly handle the people we encounter who act like THIS in verses 6-7:

6 A man in his rude and uncultivated state knows not, neither does a [self-confident] fool understand this: 7 That though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to be destroyed forever.

We will remind ourselves of these Truths from verses 8-15:

8 But You, Lord, are on high forever. 9 For behold, Your adversaries, O Lord, for behold, Your enemies shall perish; all the evildoers shall be scattered. 10 But my horn (emblem of excessive strength and stately grace) You have exalted like that of a wild ox; I am anointed with fresh oil. 11 My eye looks upon those who lie in wait for me; my ears hear the evildoers that rise up against me. 12 The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible]. 13 Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God. 14 [Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment]. 15 [They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

Do you see how simple and easy it is to get yourself into the right frame of mind to be in position to handle anything, and everything, that comes at you? The Word of God is so very powerful! I encourage you to step up your efforts to get this Word IN you in abundance! After all, Jesus DID say this to us in Luke 6:45:

45 The upright (honorable, intrinsically good) man out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart produces what is upright (honorable and intrinsically good), and the evil man out of the evil storehouse brings forth that which is depraved (wicked and intrinsically evil); for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks.

He also DID say this to us about what we say in Mark 11:23:

23 Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him.

So, let's begin every day with praise, thanksgiving and worship, claiming our days for HIM from the very start! AMEN! Then let's go through the rest of our days continuing to bring glory to Him by saying and doing those things that exalt HIM and draw attention to Him! Here is Hillsong with "Like Incense":

Shalom in Him!