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Showing posts from July, 2006

Precious In His Sight

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Song of Songs 2:8-15. "Listen! My lover! Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills. My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice. My lover spoke and said to me, "Arise my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land....Arise, come my darling; my beautiful one, come with me." "My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom." ~What little foxes this day are seeking to ruin the wonderful new wine the Lord has

Cowering Prisoners Soon Set Free

Greetings in the Lord! I am happy to share with you the word I received today from the Lord from Isaiah 51:9-15. "Awake, awake! Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through? Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed might cross over? The ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away ." "I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass, that you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the

Wars of North and South

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from two scriptures; Joshua 11 and Isaiah 33. I will share selected verses from both, but both chapters are a good study to better understand the war that is going on now in the Middle East: Joshua 11:16-20: "So Joshua took this entire land: the hill country, all the Negev, the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah and the mountains of Israel with their foothills, from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all the kings and struck them down, putting them to death. Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long time. Except for the Hivites living in Gibeon, not one city made a treaty of peace with the Israelites, who took them all in battle. For it was the Lord himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that He might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the Lord had commanded Moses." Isaiah

Run A Good Race

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Hebrews 5:1,4-5, 7-9: "Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins....No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father."...During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save him from death, and he was heard because of this reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him..." ~This word today reminds us that even Christ had to walk it out, i.e., the perfect submission Jesus displayed in carrying out God's plan of redemption for

Leaves Come Out Summer Is Near

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Luke 2:25-32 and Mark 13:28-29: "Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God saying: "Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." Luke 2:25-32 "When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation' standing where it (or he) does not belong--let the reader understand--then let those wo are in Judea

Light Rises Over the Darkness

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Isaiah 60:2, 10-11, 14, 20-21: V. 2) "See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. (V.3) Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (V. 10) Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion. Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations--their kings led in triumphal procession. (V. 14) The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel. (V. 20) Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end. (V. 21) Then will all your people be righteous and t

Blow the Horn, Sound the Trumpet

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Jeremiah chapter 6. I will write selected verses: V. 1 "Flee for safety, people of Benjamin! Flee from Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa! Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem! For disaster looms out of the north, even terrible destruction." V. 4 "Prepare for battle against her! Arise, let us attack at noon! But alas, the daylight is fading, and the shadows of evening grow long. So arise, let us attack at night and destroy her fortresses!" V. 9 "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Let them glean the remnant of Israel as thoroughly as a vine; pass your hand over the branches again, like one gathering grapes.'" V. 10 "To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it." V. 22 "This is what the Lord says: 'Look, an army is coming from the land of the north;

Cyrus Raised to Rebuild Zion

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word is from Isaiah 44:28 and Daniel 9:25-27: "...who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, "Let it be rebuilt," and of the temple, "Let its foundations be laid."' Isaiah 44:28 "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offerin

Eternal Life

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from 1 Samuel chapter 28:13-15a and Matthew 27:52-53. "The king (Saul) said to her, "Don't be afraid. What do you see?" The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground. "What does he look like?" he asked. "An old man wearing a robe is coming up," she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" (1 Samuel 28:13-15a) "The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people." (Matthew 27:52-53). ~Today's word is more like an open-ended question: where did both Samuel and the "many holy people" arise from? I remember praying to the Lord back in November 2005, "Lor

When Did You Visit Me

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Matthew 25:39-40: "When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?" "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" ~Yesterday after church I met the father of one of my high school classmates and asked him how his son was doing. He hung his head and told me softly that his son was just sent away to prison for selling drugs. He was so sad, as was I to receive that news. As I listened to his father give me some of the details, my mind raced with memories of his son and I from childhood onto high school graduation. I recalled silently how his son had gotten heavily involved with an occultic "kids" game called "Dungeons and Dragons" in high school and had begun to change into a very rebellious and hostile young man. No doubt his son had invited some nasty demons to have influence over his life. His fat

Let Go and Lift Your Eyes

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Genesis 13:14-17: "The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you." ~Think for a moment: what are you holding on to that is causing strife and jealousy to spring up among you and others? Is it worth it? The Lord is promising you more than you ever hoped if you'd just let the other person have their desired plot of land...you'd get all the rest! That's a deal, right? You bet! As for me personally, the Lord is having me forgo pursuing a desired position at the university here and instead having me walk all around the university campus, rec

Put On Your Armor

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Ezekiel 42:13-14: "Then he said to me, "the north and south rooms facing the temple courtyard are the priests' rooms, where the priests who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will put the most holy offerings--the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings--for the place is holy. Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people." ~Today's word is a reminder to keep yourselves spiritually pure and sanctified in the Holy Spirit, and to put on your spiritual armor when you are out with the world, living from day to day. In the above passage the priests were required to eat the most holy offerings in special rooms, away from the other people, as well as place the offering

Oracle for Bin Laden and His Followers

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Jeremiah 49:7-22. Selected verses are below: V.10) "But I will strip Esau bare; I will uncover his hiding places, so that he cannot conceal himself. His children, relatives and neighbors will perish, and he will be no more. Leave your orphans; I will protect their lives. Your widows too can trust in me." V.14) I have heard a message from the Lord: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, "Assemble yourselves to attack it! Rise up for battle!" V.15) "Now I will make you small among the nations, despised among men. The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks, who occupy the heights of the hill. Though you build your nest as high as the eagle's, from there I will bring you down," declares the Lord. V.19) "Like a lion coming up from Jordan's thickets to a rich pastureland, I will chase Edom from its land in an instant. Who i

The Lord Is Our King

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from 1 Samuel 12:19-25: "The people all said to Samuel, "Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king." "Do not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of His great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you His own. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.