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Showing posts from August, 2006

A Form of Godliness But Denying Its Power

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from 2 Timothy chapters 3-4, of which I will share selected verses: 3:1-5) "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love , unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--have nothing to do with them." V.14-17) "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." ~And so

We Are With You

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from 1 Chronicles chapter 12. V.1-2) These were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the warriors who helped him in battle; they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed; they were kinsmen of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin):...V. 18) Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said: "We are yours, O David! We are with you, O son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you." So David received them and made them leaders of his raiding bands." ~This chapter tells of all the fighting men that joined David...some were kinsmen of Saul, others were the best fighting men from their tribes, still others "understood the times and knew what Israel should do," and then there were the ones who came to be known as "the

Unless the Lord Builds It

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Psalm 19:7-11 and Isaiah chapter 46, especially verses 1-2: "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward." "Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary. They stoop and bow down together; unable to rescue the burden, they themselves go off into captivity." ~The above scriptures in Psalm 19 tells us the Lord's commands give

Righteousness and Justice Your Foundation

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Isaiah 41:14-29, of which I will share selected verses: "Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I Myself will help you," declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. "See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the Lord and glory in the Holy One of Israel." "The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thrist. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights...I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia,....so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created i

Wedding Clothes

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Matthew 22:1-14, of which I will share selected verses: "Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come....Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him out

Say, Good Example

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Titus 2:3-5~ "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." ~Today's word is one of those lovely examples of how the Word just tells it like it is: some older women need to be trained in the valuable lessons of always showing respect for others, using pure speech, and being sober-minded. I'm not sure why the Lord was so specific with today's word, as the preceeding and following verses speak directly to other age groups and both genders and it would be fair to include them all, but He said specifically these verses. So, please do not be offended and realize that the rewards for reverence, pure speec

Dunamis Power

Greetings in the Lord! For today's word the Lord led me to read Ezekiel 37, "The Valley of Dry Bones," after He had shown me an amazing vision. Very early this morning during prayer, I saw a vision of a pile of dusty human bones inside a cave. The Lord said, "Speak to the bones." I knew the Lord was referring to Ezekiel chapter 37, so I got out my Bible and started reading the passage. As I was reading it, I saw the bones re-align themselves in the form of a human skeletal system, then tendons, muscles, organs, everything formed on the body, ending with skin being formed and covering the whole body. V.9) Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'" So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet--a vast army. ~As I read th

China's Antiochs

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Acts 11:19-12:24, of which I will share selected verses: "Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. " ~The rest of the passage talks about the increased persecution other apostles went through; but no matter if they wer

Bear Fruit for Him

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Matthew 21:12-22, of which I will share selected verses: "Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'" "Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked. Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountian, 'Go, thro

Calling All Prayer Warriors

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Proverbs 12:3, 6 & 17~ "A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted." "The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them." "A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies." ~I read an article in Time magazine yesterday on the war in Iraq, which I haven't done in a long time. Naturally, the article was full of stories of people lying, stealing, and plotting every sort of wickedness to either take control or advantage of the desperate situation there. We have a tendency to throw our hands up and say nothing good will come of it, but instead, I am encouraging you today to pray that the Lord will raise up a righteous leader within Iraq--one that will not be uprooted because he pursues righteousness and that there will be a hunger and thirst for truth and justice within their judicial system; a

Spirit Cannot Be Marketed

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Nehemiah chapter 6, especially verses 10-14. "One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, "Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you--by night they are coming to kill you." But I said, "Should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!" I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me." "Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me." ~We are living in days

Europe Awaken Yourselves

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from 1 Peter 4:12-19~ "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgement to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of G

Faith To Move Mountains

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Matthew 17:18-20~ "Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why coudn't we drive it out?" He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." ~Recently the Lord gave me a vision of a huge, snow-capped blue mountian off in the distance. As I stood there admiring the view, a man came to me and told me we were going there to: "Speak to the mountain." I understood that he was referring to the above scripture and as I took a moment to imagine it being moved, the mountian shook violently and moved to my right along the horizon. "Wow--that wasn't so hard," I thought to myself. A few days later the Lord

T.O.

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word is from Proverbs 21:24,11; 3:34, 1:22, 26, 19:29, 22:10~ "The proud and arrogant man--"Mocker" is his name; he behaves with overweening pride." "When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; when a wise man is instructed, he gets knowledge." "He (God) mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble." "How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools knowledge?....I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you..." "Penalties are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs for fools." "Drive out the mockers, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended." ~Well, the Lord sure is giving us quite an earful about mockers and the consequences of mocking--which by the way, is the result of excessive pride and overbearing arrogance. This is the season where we will watch the

Justice Prevails

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Proverbs 11:21~ "Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free." ~I discern that in today's word we are to declare: "Justice! In the name of the Lord!" and pray that the Lord's Sovereign mercy and judgement be released into our circumstances, lives, families, work environments, cities, and nations to right the wrongs that have been going on. Expect that the Lord will show Himself in very tangible ways: the recovery of lost incomes, the return of loved ones, restoration of health, just court decisions being given, etc. Freedom and prosperity in the name of the Lord! In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. ~Be blessed and be a blessing.

Like a Child We See and Believe

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Matthew 18:10: "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven." ~The Healing and Prophetic conference in Grand Rapids was amazing. My favorite talk had to be with Bob Jones and all the children at the conference Saturday morning. He sat up on the platform and had the children sit around him while he talked about seeing heaven...he was going to teach each of them to see into heaven! Next they made a single file line as if they were waiting to see Santa Claus and when they approached him, they were to raise their arms and look upward while Bob shook their little hips a second or two. The next part astounded me--each of the children shared what they saw and Bob told them the spiritual meaning of it from scripture. Some had seen the throne, others saw rivers and waterfalls (Holy Spirit), and green leaves on trees (healing),

Quit Worrying and Trust in Him

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Genesis 32:1-3,6-9,11: "Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, "This is the camp of God!" So he named that place Mahanaim (two camps).Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom....When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, "We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him." In great fear and distress Jacob divided the peoplewho were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well. He thought, "If Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape." Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, God ofmy father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, 'Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,'....Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, forI am afraid he wil

Fork in the Road

Greetings in the Lord! Today's verse comes from Ezekiel chapter 21, of which I will share verses 18-23: "The word of the Lord came to me: "Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same country. Make a signpost where the road branches off to the city. Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites and another against Judah and fortified Jerusalem. For the king of Bablylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver. Into his right hand will come the lot for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to give the command to slaughter, to sound the battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp and to erect seige works. It will seem like a false omen to those who have sworn allegiance to him, but he will remind them of their guilt and ta

Wisdom Calls Out in the Marketplace

Greetings in the Lord! It has been over a year since I received words like this for mainstream, secular, dare I say, liberal America, including quite often a liberal Christian perspective. Today's word comes from Jeremiah 5:12-13,15-17b,19,2123-24,26-28: "They have lied about the Lord; they said, "He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine. The prophets are but wind and the word is not in them; so let what they say be done to them." "O house of Israel," declares the Lord, "I am bringing a distant nation against you--an ancient and enduring nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you do not understand. Their quivers are like an open grave; all of them are mighty warriors...With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust....And when the people ask, 'Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?' you will tell them, 'As you have forsaken me and served forei

Weekend Bible Study

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word is a rather long study coming from Proverbs 26:24-26, Proverbs 22:8,10, Genesis 21:8-12, Romans chapter 9 and Hosea 8:7-10. I will list only selected verses below: "A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, but in his heart he harbors deceit. Though his speech is charming, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart (see Proverbs 6:16-19). His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly." Proverbs 26:24-26 "He who sows wickedness reaps trouble, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed." Proverbs 22:8 "But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, 'Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.'" Genesis21:9-10 "Just as it is written: 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I d.' (Mal.1:2-3) What

Elijah Comes First

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from 3 different passages: Matt. 17:10-13/ 2 Thes. 2:9-12/ Rev. 13:11-14. "The disciples asked him (Jesus), "When then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?" Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and restores all things. But I tell you the truth, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished...Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist." "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.&q

Holding Firm

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Jeremiah chapter 38: "Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucat son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people when he said, "This is what the Lord says: 'Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague, but whoever goes over to the Babylonians will live.' And this is what the Lord says: 'This city will certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.'" "Then the officials said to the king, "This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin." "He is in your hands," King Zedekiah answered. "The king can do nothing to oppose you." So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malk

Faithful Spotless Remnant

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Jeremmiah 42:1-6: "Then all the army officiers...and all the people from the least to the greatest approached Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, "Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do." "I have heard you," replied Jeremiah the prophet. "I will certainly pray to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you." Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord