Strength

“The Lord is their strength, And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭28‬:‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Recently I viewed the short film of the 21 Coptic Christians who were martyred by ISIS in 2015. These Egyptian Christians, and one man from Ghana, were beheaded on a beach in Libya while ISIS filmed it. You may be asking how could God allow such a thing to happen to His people? It is quite the opposite of some of our modern feel-good preaching, which says that a Christian should not suffer. But the truth is that there has always been suffering for the Christian. Over the centuries God’s people have given their lives in sacrifice and death for the cause of Christ. The truth is that more Christians have been martyred in the 20th century than the previous centuries combined. God’s precious people have layed down their lives in commitment to Jesus rather than deny the One who gave them their very life. 

In the short film ( you can watch it here: the21film.com), it showed how these 21 men were tortured and then ultimately killed. But what is interesting is that as ISIS was escorting these men to be killed they said they could see figures of fighters on horseback with swords drawn walking alongside the men which brought fear the ISIS terrorist. Who were they seeing? I believe they were the angels of God accompanying these men and strengthening them, that is what it says in Hebrews, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬. God was with these precious men strengthening them and giving them the courage to stand strong. 

Another thing that stood out to me was the faces of the men. There was no fear or terror on their faces as they knelt only moments before giving their lives. How could this be? Again, I believe that God was their strength, He was their refuge giving them the courage and fortitude to face death. It’s easy for me to write about these men sitting in the comfort of my home, with no real threats of persecution but I take comfort in knowing that God will never allow us to go through something that He will not help us through. “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”I Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬.

May we take comfort today to know that God is our strength and our refuge and He is with us in all our trials and difficulties. Let Him strengthen and encourage you today.

America Awakened!

The United States of America is no longer the nation that she once was, a nation that honored and feared God, that stood for righteousness and justice, a nation that fought for those who suffered from tyranny and persecution, a nation that valued and honored human life above all else. She once allowed the Scriptures to be read in her public schools and prayer could even be heard from the loudspeakers but now, she has fallen away and is struggling to regain her footing on the world's stage. Men have ravaged her, allowed her to be abused by opening her boarders wide and shed the blood of innocent children in the womb. 

In Jeremiah's day we read of the similarities that he was facing with his nation, Judah. Israel, the ten northern tribes to the north, had already been taken captive and the southern kingdom of Judah yet remained with its capital being Jerusalem. The nation had left her God and had degraded into following the wicked ways of its counterpart Israel. Jeremiah says, 

For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13). 

The Israelites had forsaken God, who was the "fountain of living waters" and had made them their own cisterns to hold water. But Jeremiah says that they were broken cisterns, that cannot hold water. They are a mirage - seemingly there but not in reality. Cisterns that are broken and cannot hold water. They were living with dry cisterns, and the reason was because they had forsaken God. They had forsaken His ways and serving Him. They tried to make their own way, but in the end, it just resulted in dryness, broken cisterns that hold not water. What was the answer for them? It was to come back to the God they had forsaken to obey His commands and walk in His ways. To restore the ancient foundations. 

This I believe is a parallel to the United Sates of America. There are many changes that are happening right now in the good old US of A and many people are feeling shaken. Yet the righteous foundations are being restored, the borders are being closed to those who would seek harm to America. The years of wasteful spending are being reigned in, and corruption is being rooted out. And I believe the best days of America are to come. Living waters will flow again and she will stand strong under the mighty hand of God. Yes, I believe God spared the current President's life for this time. So that America could be saved and once again strand strong on the world's stage and be a beacon of hope once again in our world. 

May we pray for President Trump and for the United Sates, that she continues to strand strong and honor God in everything. 

Word of God

"Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path"
Psalm 119:105

What is that lamp to our feet?
God's Word

What is that light to our way?
God's Word


Where is God's Word today? Where is His instructions, His commandments?
Is it in our culture? - NO!
Is it being taught in our school systems? - NO!
Is it being esteemed by our governments? - NO!


Is it being preached in our pulpits? - Very Few!
Is it in our understanding as a people? - Very rarely!


What is eternal - Only God's Word! (Psalm 119:89)
What is true - Only God's Word! (John 17:17)
What is a guide for our lives - Only God's Word! (Psalm 119:105)
What will give life - Only God's Word! (John 6:33)
What is perfect - Only God's Word! (Psalm 19:7)
What brings cleansing and a washing to our soul - Only God's Word! (Ephesians 5:26)

- Is God's Word relevant in your life or is it optional? Do we stake our life on it or the dictates of our own heart?  

Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and light for my path - Psalm 119:105

Your Word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens - Psalm 119:89

May His Word (The Bible) become foundational in our lives, may His statutes become our joy and love. May we live not by our own desires but by His Word for it is the only thing that will endure forever.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. - Matthew 24:35

prayer:
Lord Jesus, return us to Your Word, return us to your instructions, return us to your law which is perfect and converts the soul. Father, gives a thirst for Your Word and a desire to live it out, may Your Word be our joy and delight. We praise You and bless You, in Jesus name. Amen.



 

Road to Recovery

Ruth 1:7
With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.

Naomi had lost her husband and her two sons while living in the land of Moab, it nearly appears that God was punishing Naomi, but God brings a restoration to her life. 

The Scripture says that she heard that God was blessing the people where she came from, Israel, and she decided to return. With her daughter-in-law, Ruth, she set out back to the land where she belonged, where God had blessed her and was now blessing again.

...She set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah...

Today, if you have lost something or someone you love, you have had a tragedy and you don't understand why it must have happened the answer is to go back to where you came from. God brought her back to the place of "Praise". Judah, means praise. Naomi was going back to where she had received from God in the very beginning, she got back on the road that would lead her to, "praise". She didn't stay where she was. She went back. 

In the end Naomi becomes a very blessed and joyful woman. Ruth marries Boaz and has a son, and the Scripture says that Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap and cared for him and the women living in the area said, "Naomi has a son." God restored everything to her, He changed her bitterness and restored her joy and her life, she went back to the place of "Praise", she went back to the place where she came from.

If you are hurting today, don't stay where you are, go back to the place where you first came from, where you first received from the Lord.

 

Is the Lord your Inheritance?

"The priests, who are Levites- indeed the whole tribe of Levi- are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the offerings made to the Lord by fire, for that is their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them."
Deuteronomy 18:1-2

The tribe of Levi was to have no earthly inheritance with the other clans of Israel. They were to do the work of the ministry in the tabernacle. They were given houses to live in and their daily provisions came from the offerings and sacrifices given by the people, but they did not receive any land inheritance as the other tribes did. Instead, the Lord was their inheritance. He was to be their portion, their allotment.

In the book of Revelation it mentions that Jesus has made us kings and priests (Revelation 1:6) unto God. We are kings and priests to God, not only are we of the tribe of Judah through Christ but we are of the tribe of Levi and God's desire is that He be our inheritance, our one desire, our one focus in life.

The Bible speaks of receiving an incorruptible inheritance, where moth or rust cannot touch it. What is that inheritance? Its the Lord. It is so easy to get caught up in the cares of life and this present world, and in making this world our inheritance, but have you made the Lord your inheritance, have you taken up your cross, daily, and do you follow Him and minister unto Him daily. Is pleasing Him your one desire, your focus, your one goal in life? Or is it other things?

May we make Him our inheritance daily and seek to follow in His perfect will continually.

prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, I thank You that You desire for Your children to walk in Your ways and to place You first in their lives. May we all place you as our inheritance and seek to do your will. We love You Father, in Jesus name, Amen.
 

Shores of Kittim

"Ships will come from the shores of Kittim; they will subdue Asshur and Eber, but they too will come to ruin."

Numbers 24:24

This was a prophecy given by Balaam. He was a corrupt prophet, but God used him to give this prophecy.

This prophecy was given thousands of years before its fulfillment. The ships from the shores of Kittim, is speaking of Greece and Italy. The New Living Translations says, "the shores of Cyprus."

Asshur can only mean the Assyrian Empire and Eber would be Israel (Strong's Concordance).

The Greeks conquered the Medo-Persian Empire in 333B.C., Assyria would have been part of this empire. The Romans eventually conquered the Greeks and subdued all of Israel.
Rome eventually collapsed from within and ceased to exists, fulfilling the entirety of this prophecy.

God spoke through the prophet Balaam thousands of years before the fulfillment of the prophecy and said exactly what would take place.

God is sovereign and the Bible says that He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), He is all-knowing and all-sovereign. Nothing is hidden from Him. He has "time" in his hands.
If God knows the end from the beginning he knows us. He knows where we are and what is going on, nothing takes Him by surprise. We just need to know how to surrender to His purposes for our lives and walk in His paths.

Today, trust God, trust Jesus He is all-sovereign and will not allow anything to happen that He is not already aware of.

prayer:
Father I thank You that You are the all-sovereign God, You know the end from the beginning. I choose to trust in You at all times. Be Lord in my life, In Jesus name. Amen.

p.s. If you don't know Jesus Christ as you Lord and Savior, trust in Him today. He said, "I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6

There's going to be a Wedding!

"I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."

Matthew 26:29

The most sure sign of Jesus return, are His own words.

After He took the cup at Passover and gave it to His disciples saying that the cup is His blood of the New Covenant, the Covenant of forgiveness of sins, He then says that He will not drink of it again until they are in His Father's Kingdom.

- Jesus is speaking of the future union between the Bride (His church, believers everywhere) and Himself, we call it the "Marriage Supper of the Lamb".

Revelation 19:6
"Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: 'Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.' (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)"

We will sit down face to face with our Lord and eat and drink with Him at this time. It will not be something mystical or far out, it will be a literal time when we are before Jesus partaking of the fruit of the vine with Him.

May we have peace and joy knowing that His word is certain and will not pass away!

prayer:
Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your word, You said You are going to prepare a place for us and if You go You would return to receive us. Lord Jesus, in spite of what our eyes see in this world we thank You that Your word is certain and we will trust You, in Jesus name, amen. 

Mixed Signals

And they said, "May the Lord look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharoah and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us."

Exodus 5:21

Many times when we set out to serve God and obey Him things get worse before they get better. God had told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let His people go. Instead of listening to Moses and honoring God's command Pharaoh made it more difficult for the Israelites and increased their work load. 

It is the same in our lives. When we obey God with all our heart, many times things will get worse before they get better and we might wonder if it was worth it. Was it worth coming to Christ, is it worth following Him. The answer is, yes, if we continue to be faithful, the victory will come. Pharaoh eventually did release the Israelites. Yet, even after they were released they still had trials and difficulties, but God was always faithful, and those who persevered made it to the promised land.

The apostle Paul told Timothy that all who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (2Timothy 3:12). In the midst of these difficulties God is working in us, He is perfecting our faith, and eliminating the things that are not pleasing to Him. He is conforming us into the image of His Son and if we stay faithful to Him the end result will be much greater than the present sorrows.
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
2Corinthians 4:17


prayer:
Father, we thank you that you are at work in our lives, you know the end from the beginning and you know that our desire is to live and serve you faithfully. Give us the grace when the trials are great and let us know that this present difficulty is working a more exceeding weight of glory in our eternal future. We thank you and love you.
In Jesus name. Amen.

Something to Ponder

What is your greatest joy in life? Is it getting a new car a promotion at your job or maybe it was when you found that special person to whom you are now married. Maybe it is when you bought your first house or landed that dream job.

These are all wonderful things that bring joy to our lives and rightfully so, but could there be something greater, something more valuable than all these, more valuable than all the accolades and accomplishments of life?

Yes, I believe so; the winning of a lost soul. Jesus made it very clear that all of heaven rejoices when one lost sinner repents, "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth..." (Luke 15:7).

What is your greatest joy and passion? Is it to make heaven rejoice? Is it to make your Heavenly Father rejoice?

May we fix our gaze upon making our Heavenly Father rejoice when we win the lost. The immense value of a lost soul.



In His service,

Philip

Resting in High Places

 

He who dwells in the shelter of he Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress my God, in whom I trust."
Psalm 91:1-2


There can be no other verse that brings such peace and confidence to the soul to know that God is a refuge and fortress. There is rest for the weary soul in God, there is no fear in knowing that God is a refuge and a fortress. There is protection and guidance in life's most difficult circumstances. 

We have often heard the term of "refugee camp". A place where displaced souls come to find protection, shelter, and safety. Where they can be nurtured and assisted.

With God His "refugee camp" is much higher, for He is the refuge and the fortress and He Himself mans it. He gives His angels assignments and they do their task, verse 11. He protects and provides safety He, Himself is the Chief of staff, the King.

The question bears to mind, "How do I make the Most High my refuge and my fortress?"
First, it takes trust. Trust that is not just thought about but compels one to act. The Palmist says, "I will say of the Lord, He is." He spoke it with his vocal chords, others could hear him, he trusted in God. So we must confess with our mouth our trust in Him.
Then we must, call upon the Lord. Verse 15, our life must be a life of speaking to the Lord, of prayer, we cannot neglect the times of sweet fellowship and communion with the One who desires them the most.

May our lives be filled with trust in our God, who promises to be a refuge and fortress to all that love Him. May He be found strong in your life today. May you find the rest you so desire, for it is only found in Christ alone. In the name of Jesus, Amen.



 

The generation of those that seek Him

"Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false...Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
Psalm 24:3-4,6

The question is asked by the psalmist David, "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The Scriptures then goes on to give the answer, and in verse six it says that such is the generation of those that seek God, that seek His face, the God of Jacob.

Are we of the generation that seeks God? Am I part of this generation that desires to know God and be found in Him - the true and Living God (O God of Jacob). The answer of who is part of this generation is clearly revealed:

1.Those who have clean hands, speaks of cleansing, those who have had their sins forgiven and have been washed in the redeeming blood of Jesus.

2.Have a pure heart, walk and motives are pure before the Lord, there is no hidden sin or guilt.

3.Do not lift up their soul to an idol, affections are set on the Lord, He is first in their life.

4.Do not swear falsely, speaks what is true and right, there is no deceit in them.

May we be part of this generation that seeks God with our whole heart.

prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, may I be part of the generation that seeks your face, that desires to be found in You and walks close to You. I ask for Your grace to enable me and to help in my weaknesses. I praise You, in Jesus name, amen.




 

He is willing

"When he came down form the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, 'Lord, if you are willing you can make me clean.' Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.'I am willing,' he said. 'Be clean!' Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, 'See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.'"
                                                                                           Matthew 8:1-4

I think there are times in our lives when we question whether the Lord is willing to touch us and intervene in certain circumstances. We may have feelings of guilt because of something we have done to create a disaster and we wonder if the Lord would be willing to touch that situation and make it whole.

But just as Jesus was willing to heal this leper He is willing to reach out and touch the "messes" that we may have created. He is willing to get involved and touch the areas that desperately need His healing touch. We only need to trust that He is willing.

prayer:
Lord Jesus, I thank you that you do not turn us away when we need You. You are willing to be involved in the smallest detail of our lives and You are willing to make us whole again when we have created a mess. I ask now that You would touch the areas that need healing in my life and make them whole. I Thank You, in Jesus name, amen.   

Stand in the Gap

"And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none."   Ezekiel 22:30

The Lord is looking for someone to intercede for nations, not only the United States of America but other nations. Ezekiel was living in such a time of apostasy in Israel, they had turned from God, rejected His laws and persecuted and killed His prophets. They would not listen to sound doctrine and the warnings from the prophets of God. They utterly rejected and cast them off, and for this God sent them in captivity and brought destruction upon them.

I believe there are many nations that resemble Israel during the time of this writing. They have rejected God and His laws and will not listen to His prophets. In the midst of this though, God is looking for those who will intercede and plead for mercy; it gives God no pleasure to bring judgement and see the wicked perish (Ezekiel 18:32; 33:11). He desires to heal and to forgive and see many come to repentance, but this will only come to pass if someone is praying and standing in the gap for thousands upon thousands of souls. Will you give yourself to intercede today and ask for souls? Will I?

prayer:
Father I thank you for your Word. Your word that bring conviction and speaks the truth. I pray that you would burden many of us to pray for our nations. That you would bring repentance to our nations and have mercy. Call many to repentance and faith in you. I ask this in Jesus name, amen. 

Sing to the Lord

"Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth." Psalm 96:1
"Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth,..." Isaiah 42:10

Isaiah the prophet echoes the exhortation from the psalmist to sing to the Lord a new song. He is expressing adoration and praise for the Lord, "Let all the earth sing to the Lord."

How important it is as Believers to cultivate a heart of praise and adoration for the Lord. The apostle Paul talks about, "Singing and melody in your heart to the Lord (Eph. 5:19)." This allows us to have our heart and mind on the Lord, nothing is crowding or taking His place in our heart.

prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for your Word that is powerful and quick to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. I thank you for this truth in your Word. May we put you first today and set our heart to worship and adore you. I praise you. In Jesus wonderful name, amen.

Isaiah 41:18

"I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water."    Isaiah 41:18

Price Paid

"For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."
1Corinthians 11:26

This chapter in 1Corinthians concerns the Apostle Paul's teaching on "the Lords Supper" or Communion, as Evangelicals call it. He begins by reprimanding the Corinthian Believers for the manner in which they are partaking of this meal (yes, it was a meal). Many of the Believers viewed this time as nothing more than a free meal. They would come, grab food, eat, some would get drunk and not care for those who were poor and truly needed the food. The Apostle Paul scolds them for their behavior.
He exhorts them that the whole purpose of eating the "Lord's Supper" was to remember the Lord's death until He comes back again.

The "Lord's Supper" is not "snack time" its a time for remebrance. Its a time to discern, understand the great price the Lord paid for our redemption. We are to examine our hearts, and see if we really understand Christ's death on the Cross, if we understand its great significance. If we do that there will be life to what we are doing and we will benefit from it. The next time you partake of Communion truly remember its full significance. 

prayer:
Dear heavenly Father thank You for sending You only begotten Son to earth to die on the cross for our sins. May we truly be aware of the great price that Your Son paid for our redemption. For He gave Himself for us, He took the punishment that we deserved. We thank You, in Jesus name, amen.

Psalm 34:1

"I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth."
Psalm 34:1

Bless the Lord when? - At all times
His praises are to be where? - In my mouth.
Praise Him when? - Continually......

Lord help us to bless you at all times, and may your praise be in our mouths and from our hearts and may we  praise You continually. We ask this in Jesus wonderful and matchless name.  Amen.

contrition

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."                Psalm 51:17




God desires brokenness and contrition in our lives. Psalm 51 was written by David after his tragic sin of adultery and murder with Bathsheba and her husband Uriah. David is crying out to God in repentance and brokenness for his sin that he had committed, he asks the Lord to cleanse him and to create in him a clean heart and to renew his spirit. Then he confesses that it is not sacrifice and offerings that God desires from him (animal sacrifice), but a broken and a contrite heart.  


We also need to know that God is not desiring outward works to please him but an inward sensitivity and yielding to His Spirit. Where we are quick to recognize when we do not please Him, when we offend Him, when we do not walk in His commandments. Quick to recognize His leading, to obey Him. David was restored to a right relationship with his Lord because of his brokenness and contrition. So we also need to walk in the same sensitivity and contrition.

Prayer:
Father, I ask in the name of Jesus to create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me daily. That You would make me sensitive to Your dealings with me. That I would recognize the leading of Your blessed Spirit and that I would walk in Your perfect plan and desire for my life everyday. I praise You and ask it all in Jesus name. Amen.

Awareness

"For in Him we live and move and have our being..."
                 Acts 17:28


In this portion of Scripture the Apostle Paul is speaking to the philosophers of Athens, who were very religious and loved debating about the latest philosophies of the day. They loved knowledge, new ideas and new gods. In their seeking to promote their own knowledge they had missed the reality of the Living God. Paul said in the verse before that He (Jehovah God) is not far from each person.
Jesus is not difficult to find, He is nearer than the air we breath, for He created the very air we breath. It takes a sincere seeking of the heart and stillness of the mind to sense His reality. He is near for, "In Him we live and move and have our being..." In this time of year lets remember that He is not far, but near and seeks to be loved.

prayer:
Lord Jesus we praise You, we thank You for coming to earth so long ago and we thank You for dying on the cross to pay the price for our sins. Thank you for the joy of this time of year, may You be Lord. In Your name, amen.

Prayer

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
                                                                                     Philippians 4:6


I think we need to be reminded again and again how important it is as Believers to continually be in contact with our Heavenly Father. To be in continued fellowship and communion with the Holy Spirit. 


God desires that we live a stress free life. 
That doesn't mean we will not experience stress or trials, as a matter of fact the Bible guarantees trials and tribulations, but they do not have to rule our hearts and minds. 


The key to living a stress free life is to continually be in fellowship with the Lord through prayer, live a life yielded to the Holy Spirit. Then as it says in the following verse: "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."


May we cultivate an attitude of prayer, daily. Knowing, that our Heavenly Father is interested in our lives.


prayer:
Lord Jesus I pray that we will present all our petitions to You, knowing that You are in control and care about every detail of our lives. Draw us by Your Spirit each and every moment to be in continued fellowship with You. Amen.