God Sent His Living Rhema Word to Heal You - Receive It

The Holy Spirit gave me a Living Rhema Word about a specific issue while I was watching the teaching program, "Get Miracles While You Sleep" by Katie Souza! This Rhema Word was for my daughter, who is dealing with a problem which is affecting the whole family.  The scripture the Holy Spirit gave me was, 2 Thessalonians 2, pertaining to the situation and problem.  Thank you, Lord!

Excerpt from video "Get Miracles While You Sleep" by Katie Souza -   The Kingdom of God is like a man who scattered seed upon the ground.  The Word of God is seed.  Before you go to bed have a date with God.  Ask God to give you "A Living Rhema Word" so you can scatter the seed.  The secret to the issues you are having will be revealed to you in the night while you sleep.  Your heart will instruct you in the night seasons.  That problem that has been besetting you that you can't figure out what to do, you will get the instructions on how to fix it in the night while you sleep.  God is building our faith, showing a Word scripture which is about the issue.  He is making a cutting covenant and He wants to fulfill that covenant with us about the promise to solve that problem, through the night while you sleep.  You then play the chapter He gave you using the audio Bible App on your phone and put it on repeat function and play the chapter over yourself all night long.  That's how the man took the seed and scattered it.  God's Word does not return void unto Him. God sent this Word to heal you!  God is watching carefully over that Word to perform it.  You are now playing the Word God gave you that Word will not return void unto Him.  This is how you get the Kingdom to manifest in your life.  The Kingdom of God is like a man who scatters his seed upon the ground, then it sprouts and it grows, and then you get a manifestation, you get a miracle healing, you get a breakthrough, you get a financial increase, you get changed and you awake in His likeness.  Amen!

Rhema Word - 2 Thessalonians 2 (MSG)

6-8 You’ll also remember that I told you the Anarchist is being held back until just the right time. That doesn’t mean that the spirit of anarchy is not now at work. It is, secretly and underground. But the time will come when the Anarchist will no longer be held back, but will be let loose. But don’t worry. The Master Jesus will be right on his heels and blow him away. The Master appears and—puff!—the Anarchist is out of there.

In verse 3 he introduces him under the title "the man of lawlessness," and then calls him, "the son of destruction."  The falling away refers to massive rebellion against God and His authority by unbelieving humankind during the Great Tribulation.

9-12 The Anarchist’s coming is all Satan’s work. All his power and signs and miracles are fake, evil sleight of hand that plays to the gallery of those who hate the truth that could save them. And since they’re so obsessed with evil, God rubs their noses in it—gives them what they want. Since they refuse to trust truth, they’re banished to their chosen world of lies and illusions.

This is a person, a singular person.  But the spirit of Antichrist, or the attitude, is in the world even now.  Every individual in this world who under the power and influence of Satan attempts to thwart the work of God, attempts to thwart the work of Christ, attempts to attack the work of Christ or God, attempts to oppose it or to counterfeit it, has the spirit of Antichrist.

13-14 Meanwhile, we’ve got our hands full continually thanking God for you, our good friends—so loved by God! God picked you out as his from the very start. Think of it: included in God’s original plan of salvation by the bond of faith in the living truth. This is the life of the Spirit he invited you to through the Message we delivered, in which you get in on the glory of our Master, Jesus Christ.

We can be confident and encouraged because we have been sanctified and chosen to be saved by the Holy Spirit.  It’s important that we hold on to Christ’s teachings. They have been tried and tested and found to be true. Just like these teachings have withstood the test of time, God’s love has stood the test of time. Just like these teachings have transcended history, God’s love is infinite and eternal.

The Greek word for “chose” is used nowhere else in the New Testament. It means “to select for oneself” with the intent to enjoy it after it becomes yours. God chose His people before the foundation of the world; they could not possibly choose him unless he had chosen them first.

Being chosen by God is a call to responsibility. God has chosen us as his first fruits so that we can tell everyone we know about His love and saving grace. We will face ridicule, rejection and opposition like Jesus did, but we are to stand fast. We can do this because God will support, strengthen and encourage us. He loves us, consoles us and gives us hope because of His grace.

In the midst of suffering and persecution, it is imperative that our devotion to Jesus is strong, growing in faith, and securely rooted in the love of God our Father.  Seek to know God.  Pursue an ever-deepening relationship with Jesus, so that when you face opposition, you will be able to stand.

15-17 So, friends, take a firm stand, feet on the ground and head high. Keep a tight grip on what you were taught, whether in personal conversation or by our letter. May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.

Because God has done so much for them, His people are urged to stand fast and hold tightly to the truth that they have been taught. They might not understand everything that is happening, but they can be confident in the resources God has provided from eternity past to eternity future.

The word “traditions” does not refer to human institutions such as worship styles or musical preferences which will change with the times but the doctrinal teachings that originated with God and were taught by Paul and the other apostles. These must never change. Everything we do must be based on the lordship of Christ and the authority of the Bible. His standards must be our standards.

Knowing and practicing the Word of God strengthens our Christian walk and spirit. God’s grace and love encourage and strengthen us in every good deed and word. If we want to grow close to God, we have to forgive our enemies, encourage others and pray daily. This is hard work, and at times we will be discouraged, but it will be worth it in the end.

Bible Gateway Study

Put your hands out and say, Lord, I receive Your Rhema Word tonight.  I need my seed so I can scatter it and I believe that when I scatter that seed, and I then go to sleep it will sprout, grow and increase even though I know not how.  I believe that I can go to sleep and awaken in Your image and Your likeness.  I decree You're going to change me, You're going to heal me, You're going to fix my mind, You're going to settle my emotions, You're going to cleanse my will, while I am asleep.  I believe that I am going to walk into my promised land. I believe I am a child of Abraham, the true sons of Abraham, so I can have an encounter like Abraham.  You're going to cut covenant with me while I sleep that will lead me to my promised land.  Amen!  Thank you, Jesus!

Get Miracles While You Sleep!  

Katie Souza

       

Love Unleashed is a Love That Forgives

The Lord gave me a Rhema Word when I prayed for a situation, which was Hosea 5:3.  Hosea, whose name means “Salvation” or “Deliverance,” was chosen by God to live out his message to his people by marrying a woman who would be unfaithful to him. His sensitivity toward the sinful condition of his countrymen and his sensitivity toward the loving heart of God fitted him for this difficult ministry.

There are many things about God that is difficult for us to grasp. The very concept of a great and gracious God is nearly beyond us. What we know of Him, He has revealed to us in the Scripture. And even though we read it, we still struggle to fully understand Him. One aspect that is especially difficult for us is to understand the love of God. We ask ourselves, "How could He love me?" And yet the Scripture reminds us again and again that He does! We realize that God showed His love for us in giving His Only-begotten Son to die on Calvary.  We read it, but it is hard to grasp.

In the small O.T. book of Hosea, we find a glimpse of God's love. Hosea, along with Amos, prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel while Isaiah and Micah ministered to the southern tribe of Judah. In the first two chapters of Hosea we see a broken home and a broken nation. A broken relationship between a man and his wife, and a broken relationship between a people and their God.  God used a heartbreaking tragedy in the life of Hosea in order to enable Hosea to catch a glimpse of the sorrow and suffering God experiences when His people sin against Him. In the five verses comprising chapter 3, the love of God is described and demonstrated four ways.

I. God's Seeking Love

A. God commanded Hosea to love Gomer

1. She had left Hosea to follow after other lovers.
2. By all human standard, Gomer had forfeited her right to any degree of acceptance.

B. He was to love her according to the love of God.

1. Here is a great lesson to be learned about God's love.
2. God does not love man because man is lovely!
3. God loves man because God is love!
4. Gomer was Hosea's wife and the mother of his children.
5. Hosea loved her before she fell and now He is to love her as she is.

C. God's seeking love is seen through the ministry of Jesus Christ.

1. Man had willingly disobeyed God and thereby lost any right of acceptance.
2. But God so loved…while man looked to other gods, God looked down with love.

(Romans 5:8) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
3. Jesus didn't go to the cross for us because we were worthy, but because God loved us with a seeking love.

II. God's Redeeming Love

A. Hosea redeemed Gomer (bought her back) from the slave market.

1. She had voluntarily sold herself, she had become a slave…a concubine.
2. Hosea bought her back at the price of a slave which speaks of her worth and value.
3. When Hosea found her, a woman who had defiled herself in prostitution, he saw her in a way he had never seen her before.
4. He saw her through God's eyes and loved her with the love of God.
B. God redeemed us.

1. We were once slaves to sin, Satan, and self but God sought us and loved us with a redeeming love!
2. Mere silver and gold could not buy us back.
3. Peter reminds us that it took the blood of God's only Son, Jesus.

(1 Peter 1:18-19) Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

III. God's Disciplining Love

A. For Gomer, a period of discipline was necessary.

1. She was to be kept separate.
2. She was not to behave in the same manner as before her redemption.
3. This renewed relationship was not to be taken lightly.
B. For new believers discipline is also necessary.

1. There needs to be a time of instruction and nurturing for proper growth.
2. Just as our own children need time to grow into maturity, the same is true for God's children…those who have been born again.
3. They need time to grow in grace and knowledge.
4. That is what discipline is all about…it is about discipling…training and teaching.
C. God disciplines in love.

1. God knows how subtle our adversary is.
2. Satan attacks us when we are at our weakest point.
3. Obedience to Christ's commands, Bible study, coming to church, are important to all believers…but they are especially important to new believers in Christ.
4. Discipline leads to spiritual growth and maturity.

IV. God's Triumphant Love (4-5)

A. The nation of Israel will experience triumph.

1. History records for us that the nation is about to be taken into captivity.
2. But God gives the promise of their return and their great victory.
3. God's love encourages the nation that He will not forget them.
B. The love of God will not forsake.

1. God is a longsuffering God.
2. It is His love, not our merit, which will bring triumph.

(Romans 8:35-39) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
3. If God is for us…who can be against us?
C. The love of God will bring us victory.

(Job 19:25) For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
(2 Corinthians 5:8) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
(1 Corinthians 15:57) But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1. These statements of victory and triumph are not based upon man's achievements or man's abilities.
2. The victory is in God through His Son Jesus Christ!

The only perfect example of love is found in God Himself. When God enters into marriage with His people, He recites vows that promise permanence, a right relationship, fair treatment, love unfailing, tenderness, security, and continuing self-revelation (2:19, 20). Our love must drink from this spring; then draw for others, offering to them, not the best form of human love we can give, but the pure, undiluted love of God in Christ.

Jesus also, in at least two of His sermons to the Pharisees, takes His text from Hosea. When questioned about His spending time in the homes of tax collectors and sinners, Jesus quotes Hosea to show that God desires not just empty words or heartless rituals, but genuine care and concern for people (6:6; Matt. 9:13). And, when the Pharisees accuse Jesus’ disciples of Sabbath breaking, Jesus defends them with the same reminder that the heart of God places concern for human need above religious form (Matt. 12:7).

The love of Hosea for his wayward wife reminds us that the preeminent fruit of the Spirit is love (Gal. 5:22). “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:5).

The Book of Hosea teaches two outstanding lessons concerning the Holy Spirit: 1) It is important to depend on the presence of the Spirit, and 2) negative things happen when the Holy Spirit is missing from a life. Twice Hosea uses the phrase “the spirit of harlotry” (4:12; 5:4), and tells the consequences of being filled with an unholy spirit. Like Paul in Ephesians, Hosea connects such a spirit with wine, which enslaves the heart. This spirit of harlotry also causes people to stray into false ways and false worship in contrast to the Holy Spirit who guides us in true ways and true worship (4:11–13; Eph. 5:17–21). John records the words of Jesus concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit who will witness to Christ; on the other hand, the spirit of harlotry keeps people from knowing God (5:4; John 15:26).

If the people around us do not see the love of God in us, they will not find it anywhere. Like Hosea, all believers are called to demonstrate to their neighbors by their attitudes and by their actions God’s love in Christ to a world blindly groping for indications of authentic love.

To Walk in Love

Father, in Jesus’ name, I thank You that Your love has been poured forth into my heart by the Holy Spirit Who has been given to me. I keep and treasure Your Word. The love of and for You, Father, has been perfected and completed in me; and perfect love casts out all fear.

Father, I am Your child, and I commit to walk in the God-kind of love. I endure long; I am patient and kind. I am never envious and never boil over with jealousy. I am not boastful or vainglorious, and I do not display myself haughtily. I am not rude and unmannerly, and I do not act unbecomingly. I do not insist on my own rights or my own way, for I am not self-seeking, touchy, fretful, or resentful. I take no account of an evil done to me, [and I pay no attention to a suffered wrong]. I do not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but I rejoice when right and truth prevail. I bear up under anything and everything that comes. I am ever ready to believe the best of others. My hopes are fadeless under all circumstances. I endure everything [without weakening] because Your love in me never fails.

Father, I bless and pray for those who persecute me [who are cruel in their attitude toward me]. I bless them and do not curse them. Therefore, my love abounds yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment. I approve things that are excellent. I am sincere and without offense till the day of Christ. I am filled with the fruits of righteousness.

Everywhere I go I commit to plant seeds of love. I thank You, Father, for preparing hearts ahead of time to receive this love. I know that these seeds will produce Your love in the hearts to whom they are given.

Father, I thank You that as I flow in Your love and wisdom, people are being blessed by my life and ministry. Father, You make me to find favor, compassion, and loving-kindness with others (name them).

I am rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, knowing that You are on my side and that nothing is able to separate me from Your love, Father, which is in Christ Jesus my Lord. Thank You, Father, in Jesus’ precious name, amen.

To Walk in Love
Bible Gateway
Brandon Webb/Sermons

Get Miracles While You Sleep!

Katie Souza

This  video will help you walk in a realm of Miracles

Hosanna / "Immanuel" God With Us

HOSANNA

This morning on Dec, 18, 2016,  I heard the word "HOSANNA".  I decided to do a Bible search of the word and found an article John H. Stek had written on the subject of Hosanna which I have excerpted into my study.  Searching the Bible accordance there was only one scripture which was Matthew 21:9, so I then searched in BibleGateway, using the word "Hosanna", I found six references and I have added them below.

HOSANNA

A Joyful Aramaic exclamation of praise, apparently specific to the major Jewish religious festivals (especially Passover and Tabernacles) in which the Egyptian Hallel (Psalms 113-118) was recited. Originally an appeal for deliverance (Heb. hosia na, Please save Psalm 118:25 ), it came in liturgical usage to serve as an expression of joy and praise for deliverance granted or anticipated. When Jesus came to Jerusalem for his final presentation of himself to Israel, the expression came readily to the lips of the Passover crowds.

In the Bible the expression occurs only in accounts of that event. Matthew, Mark, and John all transliterate it (Luke does not, but appears to paraphrase it with the Greek word for "glory": see his "glory in the highest, 19:38 ). According to Matthew, the crowd that accompanied Jesus that day shouted "Hosanna to the Son of David!" (21:9), as did the children later in the temple (v. 15). Mark ( 11:9) and John ( 12:13 ) do not have "to the Son of David, " but all three follow the opening cry with, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" (from Psalm 118:26 ). Matthew and Mark conclude the people's cries with "Hosanna in the highest" (apparently an echo of Psalm 148:1 ), which John omits. But Mark inserts "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David" ( 11:10 ), and John adds, "Blessed is the King of Israel" ( 12:13 ). These appear to be interpretations of "he who comes in the name of the Lord." And they agree essentially with Luke's formulation of the people's words taken from Psalm 118:26, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord" ( 19:38 ).

Those from whose lips "Hosanna" rose that day seem to have looked on Jesus as God's anointed one from the house of David of whom the prophets had spoken and through whom they hoped that all their messianic expectations would be fulfilled. However misguided their particular expectations may have been, their actions underscore the theme of the Gospels that Jesus is indeed the promised son of David through whom the redemption announced by God's prophets has come. In him the age-old cry, "Lord, save us, " has become the glad doxology, "Hosanna, " which equals: "Praise God and his Messiah, we are saved."

Most likely the authors of the Gospels transliterated "Hosanna" rather than translating it because it served on the people's lips as a joyful exclamation which, if translated, would have sounded like a prayer. In similar fashion, John transliterated "Hallelujah" in Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, 6 because it had become an exclamation of praise whereas originally it was a call to praise ("Praise the Lord").  ~John H. Stek

Matthew 21:9 - Hosanna means “Save now.” It was more than a cry of acclamation. Essentially, it was a plea from an oppressed people to their Savior for deliverance. Later it came to be a standard shout of praise. Ps. 118:25, 26, from which the quote comes, is messianic; therefore, the people were publicly acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah.

Matthew 21:1–11 - During the last week of His ministry, Jesus deliberately fulfilled messianic prophecies. The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, which took place on Sunday before the Crucifixion, was an enacted parable, a dramatic way in which Jesus proclaimed His messiahship. This fulfilled in minute detail the prophecy of Zech. 9:9.

Matthew 23:39 Jesus voices a note of hope as He looks toward His glorious return, when He will be recognized as King (see Phil. 2:10, 11).

Phil. 2:5–11 - Paul uses the example of Christ to enforce an appeal for unselfishness. As Christ willingly laid aside His heavenly glory to come to Earth and die, we should be willing to look beyond our own interests for (“not only . . . but also,” v. 4) the sake of others. Although his purpose is to strengthen his exhortation rather than to establish doctrine, Paul here presents one of the greatest statements in the NT concerning the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

Matthew’s aim is to present Jesus, not only as the Messiah, but as the Son of David, and to elaborate this truth in such a way that it would aid the Christians in their controversies with the Jews. He shows how Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, and how the Law is filled with new meaning and supplemented in the Person, words, and work of Christ. Matthew also points out how the rejection of Christ by Israel’s leadership results in the extension of God’s salvation to all people who will receive, rather than reject, His Son. “The kingdom of God will be taken from you [Israel] and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it” (21:43).

Matthew’s emphasis on Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy (41 OT quotes) shows that Jesus’ life and ministry were part of the single plan of God throughout the history of Israel, and that His death and Resurrection were part of God’s divine plan from the beginning. The entire Gospel stresses that Jesus is Immanuel—God-With-Us.  Because God is with us in the Person of Jesus, Matthew’s Gospel calls for complete obedience in personal and corporate life.

The Book of Psalms, and the principles of worship they reflect, minister to the soul of man and to the heart of God because they are the product of the work of the Holy Spirit. David, the major contributor to the Book of Psalms, was anointed by the Holy Spirit (1 Sam. 16:13). Not only was this anointing for kingship, but it was for the office of a prophet (Acts 2:30); and the prophetic statements he recorded were by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:44; Acts 1:16). In fact, the lyrics of his songs were composed by the inspiration of the Spirit (2 Sam. 23:1, 2), as were his plans for appointing chief musicians and choirs with their accompanying orchestras (1 Chr. 28:12, 13).

Specific statements show that the Holy Spirit is at work in creating life (104:30); that He faithfully accompanies the believer (139:7); that He guides and instructs (143:10); that He sustains the penitent (51:11, 12); and that He interacts with the rebellious (106:33).

~Bits and Pieces of Study in the New Spirit Filled Life Bible

Psalm 21:1-7  Psalm 32:7  Matthew 21:6-9  Matthew 21:15-16  Mark 11:8-10  John 12:12-15

Divine Intervention from the Heavens

God will appear to us in the midst of natural things (Exodus 3:2) And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

Driving home from visiting family I was soaking in the beautiful countryside as the sun rays engulfed the whole sky. I looked up into the clouds and noticed the busyness of the movement of the 3 different layers of clouds. The lower layer was moving to the left, above that layer, the second layer moved to the right and the third layer was moving to left. I spoke out loud, "That is amazing, something must be going on in the Heavenlies right now." After saying those words, a paper-thin, black and white checkered cloud came out of the beautiful sun-rays. It had my attention, it looked like it was out of place, and I kept an eye on it, when I could, as I drove. After passing a couple of cars, I glanced over to the direction I had last saw it and didn't see it. Searching for it, I looked up in front of me and then looked out the left side window and the cloud was right over me coming down on the van. It surprised me and I can only describe it as viewing a TV screen up close, and then it was gone. My first thought was that it had to be something God was doing, I was amazed! Excited, my brain went in high gear, and then I wondered if the cars I had just passed saw it too! Then I thought why hadn't I taken a picture of it and then I asked the Holy Spirit the meaning of what just happened and I knew the Lord had given me something, and I received it. When I got home I called my sister to let her know I made it home and then told her what happened.

On the 8th of August, I was checking my e-mail and saw an email from Doug Addison. It went to the August Spirit Connection Webcast Archive and it got my attention. It said, (Excerpt) Prophetic Word for August: Embrace the Change—Help is on the Way!...Get ready for radical realignment over the next 6 months! In this webcast, Doug offers encouragement (John 16–17) to those going through the "pain of change" and transition. There is an increase of spiritual activity happening right now as God releases blueprints, strategies and new keys to those who have been hidden or under “house arrest” in their callings. God is revealing the reason you are on the earth right now! Doug also released an important call to prophetic intercessors for now until November. Plus, an extended Q&A time.

After viewing the video I wanted to share it with others I knew that it would apply to. It was such a blessing to me and was something I needed to hear. God is so good!!! Thank you, Jesus, for the word you send through your prophets who encourage us.

LINK BELOW:
Here is Doug's Blog Post for August 9th, 2016 - Prophetic Word for August: Embrace the Change—Help is on the Way!

IN CHRIST "ALL ARE THE ROSE OF SHARON"

Through the night I woke hearing my granddaughter speaking in tongues and thanked the Lord for blessing her.  I was dozing back to sleep and then heard the words "ALL ARE THE ROSE OF SHARON" and the feeling of  happiness and being loved, knowing that we all are His beloved.  I then thought was this an interpretation of what my granddaughter spoke in the Spirit.  

I like how Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary explains Song of Solomon 2:  Believers are beautiful, as clothed in the righteousness of Christ; and fragrant, as adorned with the graces of his Spirit; and they thrive under the refreshing beams of the Sun of righteousness. The lily is a very noble plant in the East; it grows to a considerable height, but has a weak stem. The church is weak in herself, yet is strong in Him that supports her. The wicked, the daughters of this world, who have no love to Christ, are as thorns, worthless and useless, noxious and hurtful. Corruptions are thorns in the flesh; but the lily now among thorns, shall be transplanted into that paradise where there is no brier or thorn. The world is a barren tree to the soul; but Christ is a fruitful one. And when poor souls are parched with convictions of sin, with the terrors of the law, or the troubles of this world, weary and heavy laden, they may find rest in Christ. It is not enough to pass by this shadow, but we must sit down under it. Believers have tasted that the Lord Jesus is gracious; his fruits are all the precious privileges of the new covenant, purchased by his blood, and communicated by his Spirit; promises are sweet to a believer, and precepts also. Pardons are sweet, and peace of conscience sweet. If our mouths are out of taste for the pleasures of sin, Divine consolations will be sweet to us. Christ brings the soul to seek and to find comforts through his ordinances, which are as a banqueting-house where his saints feast with him. The love of Christ, manifested by his death, and by his word, is the banner he displays, and believers resort to it. How much better is it with the soul when sick from love to Christ, than when surfeited with the love of this world! And though Christ seemed to have withdrawn, yet he was even then a very present help. All his saints are in his hand, which tenderly holds their aching heads. Finding Christ thus nigh to her, the soul is in great care that her communion with him is not interrupted. We easily grieve the Spirit by wrong tempers. Let those who have comfort, fear sinning it away.  

Clear directions are given in the discovery of covenant blessings, “Follow in the footsteps of the flock” (1:8). Footsteps here is literally “heelprints,” and may be an allusion to Jacob, the national father whose name connotes “a heel.” Jacob’s shepherd role and his lifelong struggle for the blessing of God and man are cited as the biblical norm for God’s people (Hos. 12:3–6, 12, 13). He was born grasping his brother’s heel, a congenital manipulator. He was “disjointed” with deception at the core of his being as illustrated by his limp at Mahanaim (Gen. 32). He was forced to live outside the land under the threat of an angry brother. He returned to the land after twenty years with a faulty family foundation. Deception, lack of love, jealousy, anger, and love for hire (for mandrakes) went into the shaky substructure. The very names of the Twelve Tribes show the need for a new family history.

According to Romans 5:5, “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.” On the basis of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is the bond and the binding power of love. The joyous oneness revealed in the Song is inconceivable apart from the Holy Spirit. The very form of the book as song and symbol is especially adapted to the Spirit, for He Himself uses dreams, picture-language, and singing (Acts 2:17; Eph. 5:18, 19). A subtle wordplay based on the divine “breathing” of the breath of life (the Holy Spirit, Ps. 104:29, 30) in Genesis 2:7 seems to surface in the Song. It shows up in the “break” or breathing of the day (2:17; 4:6), in the “blowing” of the wind on the Shulamite’s garden (4:16), and surprisingly in the fragrant scent and fruit of the apple tree (7:8).

Father, in the name of Jesus, we come before You to claim Your promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14 AMP: “If My people, who are called by My name shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”

    We are Your people, called by Your name. Thank You for hearing our prayers and moving by Your Spirit in our land. There are famines, earthquakes, floods, natural disasters, and violence occurring. Men’s hearts are failing them because of fear.

    Lord, Your Son, Jesus, spoke of discerning the signs of the times. With the Holy Spirit as our Helper, we are watching and praying.

    We desire to humble ourselves before You, asking that a spirit of humility be released in us. Thank You for quiet and meek spirits, for we know that the meek shall inherit the earth.

    Search us, O God, and know our hearts; try us, and know our thoughts today. See if there be any wicked way in us, and lead us in the way everlasting.

    Forgive us our sins of judging inappropriately, complaining about, and criticizing our leaders. Cleanse us with hyssop, and we will be clean; wash us, and we will be whiter than snow. Touch our lips with coals from Your altar that we may pray prayers that avail much for all men and women everywhere.

    Lord, we desire to release rivers of living water for the healing of the nations. In the name of Jesus, amen.  ~Prayers That Avail Much

"Riding a White Horse through Troubled Times"

While praying a healing prayer for my Dad, I saw a white horse and when I finished the prayer, Dad said, "That was a good prayer, what is that book?  I showed him the book and told him what the Lord had shown me in the spirit in the past, leading me to purchase the book, "Healing the Whole Man" by Joan Hunter.  

When I saw the white horse in the vision the Holy Spirit showed me, I was puzzled at what it meant. One of the first thing I did think about was Jesus riding on the white horse, when I saw it.  But still confused about what the meaning was, I then asked the Holy Spirit to give me discernment.  When He shows me pictures a lot of times I don't know what He wants me to do.  If the discernment doesn't come through prayer and fasting then I wait. 

I looked up any info I could about the meaning of a white horse below:

Meaning of a White Horse – salvation; rescue; redeem; royalty

White – righteousness, holiness 

Just today, I continued the search for a picture of a white horse and found the picture which I have added in the post.  With the picture was another person's post from a blog called "Heaven Awaits" and the post was called, "Riding a White Horse through Troubled Times" , which caught my attention. 

I am inserting some paragraphs from the content of the blog, "Heaven Awaits": 

..."To me, the white horse was given to us as a gift from God, to protect us from any dangers we might encounter on our life path. Our job is to just “keep going.” We do not know where the road is going. We see no destination, just more road. But it is the path the white horse is on, and he is our protection, and our way to get there...

Jesus will come someday, and he will also ride a white horse. He is “the way.” If we stay faithful on the path of holiness, we will be safe from harm. God knows the destination for each one of us. We just have to trust Him. The snakes will come up to us, but they will not be able to touch us...

Do not keep your eyes on the snakes, or the problems, or the storm, or on people. Keep your eyes on the path, and stay on the white horse God has given you, who has chosen the path of holiness."...

Father right now, in the name of Jesus, I curse the root of the cancer cells and cast out the spirit of cancer.

In the name of Jesus, I command Dad's electrical and magnetic frequencies to come into harmony and balance.

In the name of Jesus, I command any damage to the cells during treatment to be recreated and function normally. 

In the name of Jesus, I command the marrow of his bones to come alive. 

In the name of Jesus, I command his electrical and magnetic frequencies to come into harmony and balance.

In the name of Jesus, I curse any prions and command them to dissolve and be absorbed by his body. 

In the name of Jesus, I command his body's defensive "killer" cells to multiply, attack, and destroy all cancer cells.

In the name of Jesus, I command healing to any damaged tissues and organs and normal function be restored. 

Thank you, Jesus!

Beautiful Names of YHWH

"Jehovah" at Exodus 6:3. (1611 King James Version) Jehovah (/dʒᵻˈhoʊvə/ jə-HOH-və) is a Latinization of the Hebrew יְהֹוָה, one vocalization of the Tetragrammaton יהוה (YHWH), the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible.

Use in the Bible: In the Old Testament Yahweh occurs 6,519 times. This name is used more than any other name of God. Yahweh is first used in Gen 2:4.

Yahweh is the promised name of God. This name of God which (by Jewish tradition) is too holy to voice, is actually spelled "YHWH" without vowels. YHWH is referred to as the Tetragrammaton (which simply means "the four letters"). YHWH comes from the Hebrew letters: Yud, Hay, Vav, Hay. While YHWH is first used in Genesis 2, God did not reveal Himself as YHWH until Exodus 3. The modern spelling as "Yahweh" includes vowels to assist in pronunciation. Many pronounce YHWH as "Yahweh" or "Jehovah." We no longer know for certain the exact pronunciation. During the third century A.D., the Jewish people stopped saying this name in fear of contravening the commandment "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain" (Exd 20:7). As a result of this, Adonai is occasionally a substitute for YHWH. The following compound names which start with "YHWH" have been shown using "Jehovah." This is due to the common usage of "Jehovah" in the English of these compound names in the early English translations of the Bible (e.g., the Geneva Bible, the King James Version, etc.). ~Blue Letter Bible

We will remember the name of the Lord our God. By the name of God is generally understood, in Holy Writ, the various properties and attributes of God: these properties and attributes make up and constitute the name of God. As when Solomon says, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it and is safe." And, by remembering, considering, meditating upon this name of God, the psalmist represents himself as comforted or strengthened, whatever might be the duties to which he was called, or the dangers to which he was exposed. Others were for looking to other sources of safety and strength, "some trusting in chariots, and some in horses;" but the psalmist always set himself to the "remembering the name of the Lord our God;" and always, it would seem, with satisfaction and success. And here is the peculiarity of the passage on which we wish to dwell, and from which we hope to draw important lessons and truths -- the psalmist "remembers the name of the Lord his God;" not any one property or attribute of God; but the whole combination of divine perfections. And he "remembers" this "name;" the expression implying, not a transient thought, but meditation -- consideration; and yet the result of the recollection is gladness and confidence. ~Henry Melvill

Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant. The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us: That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.  And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require:  That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else. Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.  Isaiah 8:56-61

Arise, shine for your Light has Come!

"I praise you, God, because you are a personal God, who gives me the honor of knowing you personally, just like you did to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. . . ." (Matthew 8:11).

I awoke one morning hearing these words,  "Arise, shine; for your Light has Come".  Researching it I found the scripture and more info on the subject below.

THE GENTILES BLESS ZION

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. (Isaiah 60:1-3 KJV)

What is this light and from where does it spring? As Isaiah proclaims, The Lord shall arise upon thee, the glory of the Lord shall be seen upon thee. God is the Creator and Sustainer of the light, and it is in His light that we see the true light. The Lord has returned to us the light of His countenance that we may display it to others. In loneliness and solitude let us still shine for Jesus, like the stone-white steeple of a church, smitten by a searchlight in the night.

As we read these prophecies we long for their fulfillment. Verse one calls the redeemed of the Lord, to Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For too long the night had brooded on Mount Zion, but at last the watchers see the sky brightening into the splendor of dawn, and the cry goes forth that the day is at hand. Zion, the people of God, are called upon to arise from their lazy, lounging, sleeping state and embrace the glory that is theirs in the Messiah. For the Messiah is the light of the world who shines into the darkness of the human soul and situation. This arising is not deliverance from the captivity of Babylon or from the guilt of sin. This radiance is that deliverance from inaction that comes by the empowering of God’s Spirit (59:21). It is the light of God being reflected by the people of God. Like a city gleaming in the light of a newly risen sun, they that arise in the name of Jesus will shine with a beauty that is not their own.

The features of the extended context of our passage conveys the glory that God has in store for His people. With the eye of faith the prophet Isaiah sees the glory of the LORD as though it had already happened. He saw what others could not see. He understood what others could not understand. He was laying hold of the future with such a faith that he lived his present life in the light, strength, and joy of that future. We too need to let the certainty of our eternal future cause us to presently reflect the light of God’s glory to a world in darkness. The light you shine forth may be the only hope they have of knowing that there is a light that can reach them and dispel the deep darkness in which they are living.

Here it is predicted that the people of YAHWEH will be empowered by the Spirit of God to bring the good news of salvation to mankind. Because of the Messiah’s redeeming work (59:19a, 20-21), light (blessing) will fill His people, who in turn are to shine forth, as a spiritual light to the nations, revealing God’s Word and glory to them. In that way, the church will be instrumental in defeating the spiritual darkness that pervades the world (29:18; John 12:35; Acts 26:18; Rom. 2:19; Col. 1:13; 1 Peter 2:9).

When the Lord returns to live among His people the nations will be attracted to the light of His glory (vv.19-20) and will flock to Israel for the light (the blessings of salvation from spiritual darkness). This will occur in the Millennium. Though everyone entering the Millennium will be saved, people will be born during that 1,000-year period of time. Many of them will come to salvation because of God’s work on Israel’s behalf.

Verse 3 indicates what shall invite such multitudes to the church. And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. The nations will naturally gravitate from the darkness of their own experience to the light that is rising - dawning in the people of God. The brightness of the presence of God in His people will be irresistible. However far God’s people may fall short of all that God is, if they will only reflect the light of Christ in some part of its power, even kings will come and fall at Jesus’ blessed feet.

What multitudes shall come to the church. Great numbers shall come. Nations (or Gentiles) will be saved ( Rev. 21:24). 1st the nations will come because of the light that shines through us. The light of the glorious gospel, which the churches shine forth as the lamp-stands, that the light of Christ courses through to the peoples of the world. This light reflects, reveals much of God and His good will to man. It brings true life and immortality are to light. It invites-beckons all the seriously searching for love, for truth, for hope, for significance to come and join themselves to the church that they may have the benefit of this light to inform them concerning truth and duty.

Second the people will come because of type of light with which Christians shine. The purity and love of Christians, their heavenly-mindedness, uncorrupted by the world, and patient sufferings, are the brightness of individual Christians and the church’s rising, will draw many to Christ and into the church. The beauty of holiness in an evil world is the powerful attraction by which Christ will bring people to Himself in the day of His power (Ps. 110:3).

This prophecy was addressed to the faithful of God both at the time of Messiah’s first coming and at the time of His second coming. The coming of the light described here was ignited in the first coming of Christ and will be realized in its brilliance when He comes again to establish His reign on earth. His coming will be like the dawning of a new day to bring the healing, peace and righteousness that mankind cannot find in themselves.

Today people and nations wait in darkness. Today our great God waits for us to respond to the Spirit of Christ in us and ask for the nations. Will you ask — and keep on asking? Will you share and keep on sharing? God will answer and shine forth the light of His glorious gospel both through you and through the church.

PRAYER: Almighty God, You make Your people shine with the holy brightness of true light. Oh God of creation and recreation, we seek upon our everyday labor as Christians, as a church, and as a nation, Your glorious blessings. May the light and hope in our hearts fashion the deepest prayers for the people in darkness. May we pursue the right without self-righteousness. May we know unity without conformity. May we grow in strength without pride in self. May we, in our dealings with all people of the earth, ever speak truth and serve justice. Let the light of Your gospel shine ever brighter and brighter. Grant that here on earth we may walk in the light of Jesus’ presence and in our last day awaken to the brightness of Your glory because of Your only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

~Bits and pieces of Sermon shared by Dennis Davidson

FEAR NOT "TAKE MY HAND"

Isaiah 41:13 (CJB) For I, ADONAI, your God, say to you, as I hold your right hand, 'Have no fear; I will help you.

GLIMPSES OF GOD'S GREATNESS THAT ISAIAH GIVES

Glimpse #1 

In Isaiah 41:1 God says, "Coastlands, listen to Me in silence, and let the peoples gain new strength; let them come forward, then let them speak; let us come together for judgment."

Here is a picture of God calling all the coastlands and all the peoples to gird up their strength and come before him for judgment. The God of Isaiah 41:10 is the judge of all the earth. He calls all nations to give an account of their lives and their religions and their thoughts. He is not called to account. He is not on trial. They are. They come into his courtroom. He is the judge of all and will pass sentence on every person. That's the God who is with you to strengthen and help.

Glimpse #2

In Isaiah 41:2-3 Isaiah asks, "Who has aroused one from the east [probably Cyrus the Persian king that God stirred up to come against Babylon] whom He [God] calls in righteousness to His feet? He delivers up nations before him, and subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, as the wind-driven chaff with his bow."

Here is a picture of God rousing a king and leading him in conquest and delivering up nations before him. So the God of Isaiah 41:10 is Ruler of the rulers of history. He controls the affairs of men and nations for his purposes. That's who gives the pillars for fearlessness in Isaiah 41:10.

Glimpse #3

In Isaiah 41:4 Isaiah asks, "Who has performed and accomplished it, calling forth the generations from the beginning? 'I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. I am He.'"

Here is a picture of God not only judging the nations and ruling the rulers of the earth but calling all the nations of the earth into being--"calling forth the generations from the beginning." God is the first--he is the absolute reality before all other reality and on which all other reality depends. He is the uncreated first. And he will be there with the last when all is accomplished according to his eternal purpose.

When God answers, "I, the Lord, am the first . . ." the word "Lord" is "Jehovah or Yahweh.  Franz Deilitzsch comments on this verse: "It is the full meaning of the name Jehovah which is unfolded here; for God is called Jehovah as the absolute I, the absolutely free Being, pervading all history, and yet above all history, as He who is Lord of His own absolute being, in revealing which He is purely self-determined; in a word, as the unconditionally free and unchangeably eternal personality" (cited in E.J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, vol. 3, p 76). That's the God of Isaiah 41:10 who strengthens and helps and upholds.

Glimpse #4

In verses 5-7 Isaiah shows us the desperate attempts of the nations to persuade themselves that they and their gods are strong. Verse 5: they are afraid and they come together. Verse 6: they try to encourage each other not to be afraid, and say, "Be strong!" Verse 7: the idol makers who smooth the metal and nail up the idols with nails try to encourage each other and say, "It is good."

In other words, there is a picture of the unrepentant nations desperately trying to convince themselves that their self-wrought gods, made with soldering and nails, are really adequate for their needs.

Over against this desperation of self-reliance and idolatry God says to his people in verses 8-9, "But you [are] Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend, you whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its remotest parts, and said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.'"

That is what God has done for us in Christ. He chose us before the foundation of the world. He called us out of darkness and death. And he took us for himself to be his. To make himself our God.

There are some truths in the Word of God that I want to give you. These truths will help us in these days of discouragement, dismay, despair, and disorientation so we can stay encouraged. I have determined that there are three things that will get us through the trials and discouragements of life.

The Five Pillars of Fearlessness
1.  "For I am with you"--"Do not fear, for I am with you."
2.  "I am your God"--"Do not look anxiously about you, for I am your God."
3.  "I will strengthen you."
4.  "surely I will help you."
5.  "Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

When God calls you to be free from fear as you do evangelism, as you take a test, as you face an interview, as you take a stand against an unjust business practice, as you confront someone with sin in their life, when you leave a secure position and take a risk in a new venture, when you face an operation or a treatment, when you lose a spouse or a friend--when God calls you to be free from fear (to overcome this natural emotion and have peace, he does not leave the command hanging in the air. He puts pillars under it. Five of them. That's the nature of all Biblical commands. They come with divine support.

Fear not . . . God is with you;

Fear not . . . God is your God;

Fear not . . . God will strengthen you;

Fear not . . . God will help you;

Fear not . . . God will uphold you.

The key to overcoming fear is resting on the pillars of the promises of God.  ~Bits and Pieces from the sermon by John Piper

Isaiah 41:10-13 (AMP) 10 Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice. 11 Behold, all they who are enraged and inflamed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; they who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. 12 You shall seek those who contend with you but shall not find them; they who war against you shall be as nothing, as nothing at all. 13 For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you!

Many things will discourage you in this life. When you see the world growing in power and wickedness, it will discourage you. When it seems that nothing is the same as before, it has the potential to discourage you. You would think that because of the wickedness of the world the church would fight harder than ever before. However, Jesus declared in Matthew 24:12, (KJV) “12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” God wants us to be an encouraged people!

When studying the Word and praying, I saw a vision of God's hand and he said, "Take My Hand."  ~Debi Webster Perry

From Genesis to Revelation, God has spoken to people through dreams and visions! We can choose to invite God's Spirit to speak to us in any way that He chooses. God has not limited us to know Him only with our minds and the written logos Word of God. We can invite Him to make Himself known to us through open spiritual eyes and ears. Praise God! He wants us to know Him intimately!

More Study on the Hand of God:  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10208488417788268&set=a.1394488662546.78714.1242077685&type=3&theater