A Thanksgiving Prayer

                                           

  Many of us feel anxious; perhaps even more anxious than ever. There are dangers everywhere. Some are perceived and some are concrete but they are there. There are wars, terrorism, violence on TV, violence in the streets. There are diseases and toxins. This is a huge part of the world in which we live! …. Yet, the apostle Paul tells us to be anxious for nothing. Really, is he serious? Don’t be afraid? Don’t get depressed? Is it even possible? The answer is a resounding YES. You can live without anxiety and you can do it without burying your head in the sand and denying reality. We would be liars if we told you the world is in good shape. Obviously it is not. Paul wasn’t a liar either. There was danger and persecution in his day but he knew the truth. It is the only truth that undoubtedly and unashamedly brings peace. That truth is Jesus Christ. We wrote last week about His protection. We urge you now to go to Him (abide in Him) Pray to Him.  Give thanks to Him and if you are feeling anxious, ask Him to take the anxiety away and fill you with His peace.  He is faithful and true. The following is a prayer you may want to use. Remember your relationship with Jesus and pray to Him (your best friend) with sincerity.

Dear Lord, I pray to you today full of thanksgiving for Your presence and Your love for me. I trust You, I love You, I believe Your promises to me and my loved ones. Even though the world around me is in strife and chaos, I won’t be afraid. I don’t have to be afraid because You are with me. I know You are my champion so who could hurt me?  Help me to remain thankful and in Your presence. Help me to cast all my cares upon you because you care for me. Amen. 

1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV)
casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Names of God

Chris Tomlin wrote a song about Our God praising His greatness. A few of the lyrics are quoted in the graphic above. God is the great I Am. Almighty God could never be contained in one name. His attributes are diverse and all encompassing. He is light, truth, life, love, eternal, sinless and faithful. He is the beginning and the end. He is the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The following is a list of the names and attributes of God. If there is anything in this list of attributes that you feel you are lacking in or need more of, then look at these names, read where they are in scripture and call upon these names of the Lord. Is that it? Yes, because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. When He said, ”It is finished,” He made all of this available for you. There is only ONE upon whom you need to call, Jesus.

John 14:20 (NKJV)
20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

Romans 10:13 (NKJV)
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

Many people pray to saints.  Do they possess some of these same qualities such as healer, provider, etc? When they were alive they may have, but the scriptures are clear that we have One intercessor. Romans 8:34  It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
So, if you need peace in your life, health, protection, provisions or any of the other qualities in the following list, call upon God who WILL answer your prayers.

Numbers 6:24-26 (NKJV)
24 “The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
26 The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’

EL, ELOAH: God "mighty, strong, prominent" (Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 139:19) – etymologically, El appears to mean “power,” as in “I have the power to harm you” (Genesis 31:29). El is associated with other qualities, such as integrity (Numbers 23:19), jealousy (Deuteronomy 5:9), and compassion (Nehemiah 9:31), but the root idea of “might” remains.

ELOHIM: God “Creator, Mighty and Strong” (Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 31:33) – the plural form of Eloah, which accommodates the doctrine of the Trinity. From the Bible’s first sentence, the superlative nature of God’s power is evident as God (Elohim) speaks the world into existence (Genesis 1:1).

EL SHADDAI: “God Almighty,” “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2,5) – speaks to God’s ultimate power over all.

ADONAI: “Lord” (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15) – used in place of YHWH, which was thought by the Jews to be too sacred to be uttered by sinful men. In the Old Testament, YHWH is more often used in God’s dealings with His people, while Adonai is used more when He deals with the Gentiles.

YHWH / YAHWEH / JEHOVAH: “LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4; Daniel 9:14) – strictly speaking, the only proper name for God. Translated in English Bibles “LORD” (all capitals) to distinguish it from Adonai, “Lord.” The revelation of the name is first given to Moses “I Am who I Am” (Exodus 3:14). This name specifies an immediacy, a presence. Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him for deliverance (Psalm 107:13), forgiveness (Psalm 25:11) and guidance (Psalm 31:3).

YAHWEH-JIREH: "The Lord Will Provide" (Genesis 22:14) – the name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac.

YAHWEH-RAPHA: "The Lord Who Heals" (Exodus 15:26) – “I am Jehovah who heals you” both in body and soul. In body, by preserving from and curing diseases, and in soul, by pardoning iniquities.

YAHWEH-NISSI: "The Lord Our Banner" (Exodus 17:15), where banner is understood to be a rallying place. This name commemorates the desert victory over the Amalekites in Exodus 17.

YAHWEH-M'KADDESH: "The Lord Who Sanctifies, Makes Holy" (Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28) – God makes it clear that He alone, not the law, can cleanse His people and make them holy.

YAHWEH-SHALOM: "The Lord Our Peace" (Judges 6:24) – the name given by Gideon to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord assured him he would not die as he thought he would after seeing Him.

YAHWEH-ELOHIM: "LORD God" (Genesis 2:4; Psalm 59:5) – a combination of God’s unique name YHWH and the generic “Lord,” signifying that He is the Lord of Lords.

YAHWEH-TSIDKENU: "The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16) – As with YHWH-M’Kaddesh, it is God alone who provides righteousness to man, ultimately in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who became sin for us “that we might become the Righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

YAHWEH-ROHI: "The Lord Our Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1) – After David pondered his relationship as a shepherd to his sheep, he realized that was exactly the relationship God had with him, and so he declares, “Yahweh-Rohi is my Shepherd. I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).

YAHWEH-SHAMMAH: "The Lord Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35) – the name ascribed to Jerusalem and the Temple there, indicating that the once-departed glory of the Lord (Ezekiel 8—11) had returned (Ezekiel 44:1-4).

YAHWEH-SABAOTH: "The Lord of Hosts" (Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7) – Hosts means “hordes,” both of angels and of men. He is Lord of the host of heaven and of the inhabitants of the earth, of Jews and Gentiles, of rich and poor, master and slave. The name is expressive of the majesty, power, and authority of God and shows that He is able to accomplish what He determines to do.

EL ELYON: “Most High" (Deuteronomy 26:19) – derived from the Hebrew root for “go up” or “ascend,” so the implication is of that which is the very highest. El Elyon denotes exaltation and speaks of absolute right to lordship.

EL ROI: "God of Seeing" (Genesis 16:13) – the name ascribed to God by Hagar, alone and desperate in the wilderness after being driven out by Sarah (Genesis 16:1-14). When Hagar met the Angel of the Lord, she realized she had seen God Himself in a theophany. She also realized that El Roi saw her in her distress and testified that He is a God who lives and sees all.

EL-OLAM: "Everlasting God" (Psalm 90:1-3) – God’s nature is without beginning or end, free from all constraints of time, and He contains within Himself the very cause of time itself. “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”

EL-GIBHOR: “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6) – the name describing the Messiah, Christ Jesus, in this prophetic portion of Isaiah. As a powerful and mighty warrior, the Messiah, the Mighty God, will accomplish the destruction of God’s enemies and rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15).
Read more about Names of God by Ken Hemphill .

The Psalm 91 Promise

Today we are going to present to you the meaning of Psalm 91 in a way we hope will be fresh and hopeful. Remember, the Holy Bible is a supernatural book inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. It is full of layers of meaning which fulfill a purpose to every person who has ever lived but those meanings never contradict each other. I believe my friend Joanne has a special gift from the Lord to understand and explain Old Testament writings through the lens of the new covenant, (the victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ). You know the Old Testament. It’s that section of the bible most often associated with a vengeful, wrathful God hell-bent upon cracking down on innocent humans…… and while we know that nothing could be further from the truth, we’ve got some explaining to do!
Psalm 91 is a beautiful song (yes the psalms were written to be sung and loudly proclaimed) about God’s heavenly protection. While I personally, fully believe in God’s help in this world, I was raised to have the mind of a skeptic. It’s one reason why Joanne and I work so well together to glean God’s truth. I’m the pepper to her salt, the yin to her yang and the sour to her sweet. Having said that I bet that many of you out there have had thoughts such as, “I’ve tried that Christianity stuff and it didn’t work for me.” OR maybe you are a believer but your thinking is more along the line of: “I believe God’s word but I know I don’t deserve His promises. I’ve just plain sinned more than He is willing to forgive.” Either way, the hope you CAN find in Psalm 91 is real… and it is for YOU.
In the next section we will present Psalm 91 in the New King James version. The explanations in the brackets are provided by Joanne. We will also provide the Message version of Psalm 91 to further clarify its relevance to YOU in TODAY’S world. We sincerely hope you will be blessed.

Psalm 91  (NKJV)
1Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High (God)
[‘El’Elyon = The Exalted One (Gen. 14:18, 19)]
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
[‘El Shaddai = God Almighty, All Sufficient, All Powerful (Gen. 17:1)]
2 I will say of the LORD, [Yahweh, YHWH= The personal, most intimate name God assigned to himself (Exodus 3:14; Deuteronomy 6:4)]
“He is my refuge and my fortress
My God, [Elohim = the Godhead, plural = the Creator (Gen. 1:1)]
 in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler[a]
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler. [rampart = an embankment of earth; a wall used to screen troops from frontal enemy fire; a bulwark or earthen defensive wall]
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day, [gun fire; or words spoken against you]
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, [diseases, viruses, plagues]
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. [terrorist attacks, etc.]
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
[Hebrews 1:7, 14 angels are ministering spirits]
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
[Luke 10:19 (AMP) “Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on [a]serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.” a = demonic spirits]

14 “Because he [she] has set his [her] love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him [her]; [put your name in these brackets!]
I will set him [her] on high, because he [she] has known My name.
15 He [She] shall call upon Me, and I will answer him [her];
I will be with him [her] in trouble;
I will deliver him [her] and honor him [her].
16 With long life I will satisfy him [her],
And show him [her] My salvation.”

Notice there are two things for you as a believer to do with this Psalm: Abide in His presence and declare this psalm. If you know Jesus is your Savior then abiding in His presence is not difficult to do. His Spirit (the Holy Spirit) already dwells inside of you. To abide in Jesus means to have a personal relationship with Him. How do you treat other humans with whom you have personal relationships? You talk with them, laugh with them, care for them and most of all, make time for them in your lives. To have a relationship with Jesus means the same thing. Talk to Him, listen to Him, think about Him and make Him your number one priority. Next, believe His promises and say them out loud. The bible tells us that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17. It really is that simple.
We encourage you to read Psalm 91 out loud every day. Saying and hearing the words will build your faith. Why not put Psalm 91 on your cell phone and set it to remind you to look at it each day. There are several excellent Bible apps and web pages which can help to put God’s words at your fingertips no matter where you may be including Bible app, Bible Gateway and Blue Letter Bible.

 Lastly, if you prefer a modern language version to read and say out loud then here is Psalm 91 from The Message Bible. Remember, the Lord can be your very best friend. Abide in Him and get His promises in your heart. That is how you will find safety in His presence.

Psalm 91 The Message (MSG)
 1-13 You who sit down in the High God’s presence,
    spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow,
Say this: “GOD, you’re my refuge.
    I trust in you and I’m safe!”
That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
    shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
    under them you’re perfectly safe;
    his arms fend off all harm.
Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
    not flying arrows in the day,
Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
    not disaster that erupts at high noon.
Even though others succumb all around,
    drop like flies right and left,
    no harm will even graze you.
You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,
    watch the wicked turn into corpses.
Yes, because GOD’s your refuge,
    the High God your very own home,
Evil can’t get close to you,
    harm can’t get through the door.
He ordered his angels
    to guard you wherever you go.
If you stumble, they’ll catch you;
    their job is to keep you from falling.
You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes,
    and kick young lions and serpents from the path.
14-16 “If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says GOD,
    “I’ll get you out of any trouble.
I’ll give you the best of care
    if you’ll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times;
    I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I’ll give you a long life,
    give you a long drink of salvation!”

Joseph Prince and Perry Stone: Why We Love These Guys!

Good morning. Some mornings are meant to be times of sleeping in while others are meant to be productive. Today, as I watched rays of pink and gold filter in through the bedroom blinds, the Lord laid it on my heart to share more of His good news. I hope you have had the opportunity to peruse around our blog a bit and have clicked on the links to the wonderful ministries we have shared. In addition to those I want to mention our two favorite TV ministry teachers. First, let me say that I am aware that there is almost as much misinformation and confusion on Christian TV as there is in the secular news media. That is because well-meaning people tend to follow their traditions and their doctrines rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to lead them to all truth. So, this is an admonition to pray and seek Jesus before you turn on that set. Joanne and I have been operating in this mode for a while now and continue to be astonished by the blessings we’ve received by watching, reading or listening to those whom the Holy Spirit has sent us. Having said that, let me introduce you to two of our favorites:  Joseph Prince and  Perry Stone . Joseph Prince is your go to pastor for deep and meaningful teachings on Grace, Blessings, Favor and Healing. If you need a touch from God because you feel depressed, unloved, and sick or oppressed in any way, he is your guy! Let Joseph Prince teach you about just how much you are loved by God. Perry Stone (my personal favorite) is an incredible teacher of biblical truth. I have been amazed time and again by the layers of truth he is able to uncover when he teaches about Jesus. Maybe the fact that I had a grandfather named Perry and that I have a son with the same middle name causes biases on my part but seriously, I just can’t get enough of his Spirit led, prophecy revealing teachings.  

Today, I would like to share Perry Stone’s teaching on the Jesus Code. I watched this for the first time last night and was so inspired by the revelations Perry set forth regarding this 'mystery'. You can watch it here: 

Joanne and I both believe that these two TV Pastor's have been anointed to teach and preach to us in these end times (however long that may be). Immersing yourself in the bible, in prayer and in solid biblical teaching is another way to protect yourself and your loved ones in these perilous times. May God richly bless you!

~Sarah

My Protector… in HIM I put my trust!

Who can we trust to help and protect us in this world today?

If you are a believer in the Lord, Jesus Christ, then the Lord, Himself, will guard and protect you and cause the circumstances in your life to work out.  Even if there are a few “bumps in the road” or “detours” the end result will be a good one. There was a book written in 1978 titled, When Bad Things Happen To Good People. The author, Harold Kushner, a conservative rabbi put forth the premise that God loves and comforts His children but is unable to prevent tragedy because He really isn’t omnipotent. It seems as if many Christians today may be holding on to that same view. We would like to offer a more hopeful (and biblical) answer to who can we trust to protect us in this chaotic world. Jesus has promised many times of His faithfulness and His protection. It is true that our world is fallen and in a state of active decay. When Satan deceived Adam and Eve, he gained a foothold on this world…… one which Jesus overcame at the cross.  

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct[a] [Or make smooth or straight] your paths.

Have you ever seen a fort or military base that is guarded night and day?  The Lord is our fortress and high tower.  We should ‘run to Him’ in times of trouble.  Run to His Word and speak the promises of God over yourself and your loved ones.  The Lord, Jesus Christ, shields us from the enemy and keeps us safe. 

Psalm 144:2 (NKJV)

 My lovingkindness and my fortress,

My high tower and my deliverer,

My shield and the One in whom I take refuge,

Who subdues my [the] people[a] under me.

Psalm 18:2, 30 (NKJV)

 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

As for God, His way is perfect;

The word of the LORD is proven;

He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

Psalm 3:3, 6 (NKJV)

 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,

My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people

Who have set themselves against me all around.

Jesus shields us from this world. How does that happen? When we declare His promises out loud. Open your mouth and SPEAK the truth of the Word of God to the circumstances around you and He Will be faithful. Have you ever tried it? Are you willing?

Psalm 27:5  ( NKJV) 

 For in the time of trouble

He shall hide me in His pavilion;

In the secret place of His tabernacle

He shall hide me;

He shall set me high upon a rock.

~Joanne and Sarah