Heavenly Father,

I thank You for this new day. I pray Lord for Your forgiveness and help in this area. Help my word to be something that people can depend on. Help me Lord to be cautious about what I promise or commit to and that I seek Your will and Your face before giving my yes or no. Help me I pray to be a man of good character that others look to and can depend on for they know that I am with You and for You and from You. Lord, as I start a new year, I pray that You will be praised and glorified, honored and worship, not only by me, but also by others who can see You working in and through me. And Lord, I will give You all the praise and all the glory in Jesus' name. Amen.

 Remember:

• No matter what the pretence of the statements and comments you make, if you say that you will do something, you have to go through with it.
• No matter how it was presented to you, if you say that you will do something, you have to go through with it.
• Your oath is associated with Your character before God. If you go against what you said, it isn't that you shouldn't have to because they lied or tricked you, it is because your promise or oath was before God.

TODAY's DEVOTIONAL:

Keeping Oaths

By Os Hillman
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This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them. - Joshua 9:20

Joshua and the people of Israel were in the Promised Land. They were winning battles and were feeling good about their progress. One day a band of Gibeonites came by dressed as travelers in order to fool Joshua. They wanted to make Joshua believe they were merely travelers instead of enemies. The Gibeonites asked Joshua to make a peace treaty with them. Since Joshua chose to believe their story, he did just that. That was a mistake on Joshua's part. The Bible says Joshua did not inquire of the Lord about the Gibeonites. This forced Joshua to uphold the peace treaty with the Gibeonites, even though it was made under false pretenses.

Keeping our oaths before the Lord is a serious matter. One might think that Joshua had every right to consider the agreement with the Gibeonites null and void since it was done on false pretense. However, Joshua knew how God viewed oaths. He knew that a man's word, once it was given, should be good as done. There was no reversing it. He also knew that if he did not keep his oath, he was subject to God's disfavor, which meant his ways would not be blessed.

Whenever we become a child of God, we represent Him. When His children follow unrighteousness, He takes this personally. Unrighteousness opens us up to satan's attack. God's protection shield is removed. So Joshua knew that if he did not honor his oath, he would be subject to God's judgment.

Is there any unfulfilled oath you have made to anyone? Ask God this morning if you have not fulfilled a commitment to anyone. Then, if there is, go and fulfill. Otherwise, you will be subject to God's judgment for your unrighteousness.

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Today's Reading: 1 Timothy 2, Isaiah 34-35 and Psalm 119.65-96

Church Worship

1 Timothy 2 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, requests, and thanksgivings be offered to God for all people; ²for kings and all others who are in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceful life with all reverence toward God and with proper conduct. ³This is good and it pleases God our Savior, ⁴who wants everyone to be saved and to come to know the truth. ⁵For there is one God, and there is one who brings God and human beings together, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶who gave himself to redeem the whole human race. That was the proof at the right time that God wants everyone to be saved, ⁷and that is why I was sent as an apostle and teacher of the Gentiles, to proclaim the message of faith and truth. I am not lying; I am telling the truth!
⁸In every church service I want the men to pray, men who are dedicated to God and can lift up their hands in prayer without anger or argument. ⁹I also want the women to be modest and sensible about their clothes and to dress properly; not with fancy hair styles or with gold ornaments or pearls or expensive dresses, ¹⁰but with good deeds, as is proper for women who claim to be religious. ¹¹Women should learn in silence and all humility. ¹²I do not allow them to teach or to have authority over men; they must keep quiet. ¹³For Adam was created first, and then Eve. ¹⁴And it was not Adam who was deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and broke God's law. ¹⁵But a woman will be saved through having children, if she perseveres in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.

God Will Punish His Enemies

Isaiah 34 Come, people of all nations! Gather around and listen. Let the whole earth and everyone living on it come here and listen. ²The LORD is angry with all the nations and all their armies. He has condemned them to destruction. ³Their corpses will not be buried, but will lie there rotting and stinking; and the mountains will be red with blood. ⁴The sun, moon, and stars will crumble to dust. The sky will disappear like a scroll being rolled up, and the stars will fall like leaves dropping from a vine or a fig tree.
⁵The LORD has prepared his sword in heaven, and now it will strike Edom, those people whom he has condemned to destruction. ⁶His sword will be covered with their blood and fat, like the blood and fat of lambs and goats that are sacrificed. The LORD will offer this sacrifice in the city of Bozrah; he will make this a great slaughter in the land of Edom. ⁷The people will fall like wild oxen and young bulls, and the earth will be red with blood and covered with fat. ⁸This is the time when the LORD will rescue Zion and take vengeance on her enemies.
⁹The rivers of Edom will turn into tar, and the soil will turn into sulfur. The whole country will burn like tar. ¹⁰It will burn day and night, and smoke will rise from it forever. The land will lie waste age after age, and no one will ever travel through it again. ¹¹Owls and ravens will take over the land. The LORD will make it a barren waste again, as it was before the creation. ¹²There will be no king to rule the country, and the leaders will all be gone. ¹³Thorns and thistles will grow up in all the palaces and walled towns, and jackals and owls will live in them. ¹⁴Wild animals will roam there, and demons will call to each other. The night monster will come there looking for a place to rest. ¹⁵Owls will build their nests, lay eggs, hatch their young, and care for them there. Vultures will gather there, one after another.
¹⁶Search in the LORD's book of living creatures and read what it says. Not one of these creatures will be missing, and not one will be without its mate. The LORD has commanded it to be so; he himself will bring them together. ¹⁷It is the LORD who will divide the land among them and give each of them a share. They will live in the land age after age, and it will belong to them forever.

The Road of Holiness

Isaiah 35 The desert will rejoice,
and flowers will bloom in the wastelands.
²The desert will sing and shout for joy;
it will be as beautiful as the Lebanon Mountains
and as fertile as the fields of Carmel and Sharon.
Everyone will see the LORD's splendor,
see his greatness and power.
³Give strength to hands that are tired
and to knees that tremble with weakness.
⁴Tell everyone who is discouraged,
"Be strong and don't be afraid!
God is coming to your rescue,
coming to punish your enemies."
⁵The blind will be able to see,
and the deaf will hear.
⁶The lame will leap and dance,
and those who cannot speak will shout for joy.
Streams of water will flow through the desert;
⁷ the burning sand will become a lake,
and dry land will be filled with springs.
Where jackals used to live,
marsh grass and reeds will grow.
⁸There will be a highway there,
called "The Road of Holiness."
No sinner will ever travel that road;
no fools will mislead those who follow it.
⁹No lions will be there;
no fierce animals will pass that way.
Those whom the LORD has rescued
will travel home by that road.
¹⁰They will reach Jerusalem with gladness,
singing and shouting for joy.
They will be happy forever,
forever free from sorrow and grief.

The Value of the Law of the LORD

Psalm 119 ⁶⁵You have kept your promise, LORD,
and you are good to me, your servant.
⁶⁶Give me wisdom and knowledge,
because I trust in your commands.
⁶⁷Before you punished me, I used to go wrong,
but now I obey your word.
⁶⁸How good you are--how kind!
Teach me your commands.
⁶⁹The proud have told lies about me,
but with all my heart I obey your instructions.
⁷⁰They have no understanding,
but I find pleasure in your law.
⁷¹My punishment was good for me,
because it made me learn your commands.
⁷²The law that you gave means more to me
than all the money in the world.

The Justice of the Law of the LORD

⁷³You created me, and you keep me safe;
give me understanding, so that I may learn your laws.
⁷⁴Those who honor you will be glad when they see me,
because I trust in your promise.
⁷⁵I know that your judgments are righteous, LORD,
and that you punished me because you are faithful.
⁷⁶Let your constant love comfort me,
as you have promised me, your servant.
⁷⁷Have mercy on me, and I will live
because I take pleasure in your law.
⁷⁸May the proud be ashamed for falsely accusing me;
as for me, I will meditate on your instructions.
⁷⁹May those who honor you come to me--
all those who know your commands.
⁸⁰May I perfectly obey your commandments
and be spared the shame of defeat.

A Prayer for Deliverance

⁸¹I am worn out, LORD, waiting for you to save me;
I place my trust in your word.
⁸²My eyes are tired from watching for what you promised,
while I ask, "When will you help me?"
⁸³I am as useless as a discarded wineskin;
yet I have not forgotten your commands.
⁸⁴How much longer must I wait?
When will you punish those who persecute me?
⁸⁵The proud, who do not obey your law,
have dug pits to trap me.
⁸⁶Your commandments are all trustworthy;
people persecute me with lies--help me!
⁸⁷They have almost succeeded in killing me,
but I have not neglected your commands.
⁸⁸Because of your constant love be good to me,
so that I may obey your laws.

Faith in the Law of the LORD

⁸⁹Your word, O LORD, will last forever;
it is eternal in heaven.
⁹⁰Your faithfulness endures through all the ages;
you have set the earth in place, and it remains.
⁹¹All things remain to this day because of your command,
because they are all your servants.
⁹²If your law had not been the source of my joy,
I would have died from my sufferings.
⁹³I will never neglect your instructions,
because by them you have kept me alive.
⁹⁴I am yours--save me!
I have tried to obey your commands.
⁹⁵The wicked are waiting to kill me,
but I will meditate on your laws.
⁹⁶I have learned that everything has limits;
but your commandment is perfect.

Fear Not!

By Os Hillman

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. - 2 Timothy 1:7

God calls each of us to engage in spiritual warfare at times. Whenever satan wants to come against one of God's children, he does so by trying to intimidate through fear.

Goliath's formidable size and arrogant boasting intimidated Saul and Israel's army. And because God's anointing had fallen from Saul, he was unable to respond with courage to Goliath's charge. Fear paralyzes and torments. That is why Saul could not respond.

The anointing had fallen on David, who was just a young boy, but mighty in spirit. David did not cower at the size or shouts of the giant Goliath. He saw Goliath through the eyes of God, who saw him as a mere speck. David had righteous indignation for an affront to the armies of the living God.

David did not weigh the risk of failure because his faith was resting totally in God. That is another important factor in overcoming fear-complete trust in God.

When the Lord began training me to confront fear, the training grounds were a groundless lawsuit, intimidations, and calamity that confronted my very existence. Learning that these were merely tactics of the enemy, designed to instill fear, allowed me to stand firm in God's power to overcome.

Do not fear sudden calamity if you are walking uprightly before God. It may be setting the stage for a great victory that will bring praise and honor to your heavenly Father. These battles are training grounds for greater victories to come.

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Heavenly Father,

I thank You for this new day and all you have in store for me. I thank You for my time to present and pray You will grant me the confidence and wisdom that will be necessary. I pray for Your continued healing hand to be working on my rotator cup as I go through physiotherapy. I pray that Your hand will be over my family to help us to stay in proper alignment with You. God - Father - Wife - Children so that we can all stay under the covering of the blood of Jesus and safe from the attacks of flaming arrows from the enemy. Lord, before I step out today I pray for Your affirmation and presence, for Lord, if You aren't coming with me in area of my life, I don't want to leave this spot. Without You, I will not get to see, experience, feel Your love, miracles, presence, vision, hope, courage, and victory. Please Lord, go with me every step of the way. Lord, I will give You the praise and the glory and the honor in Jesus' name. Amen.

Psalm 119

Happy are those whose lives are faultless, who live according to the law of the LORD. ²Happy are those who follow his commands, who obey him with all their heart. ³They never do wrong; they walk in the LORD's ways. ⁴LORD, you have given us your laws and told us to obey them faithfully. ⁵How I hope that I shall be faithful in keeping your instructions! ⁶If I pay attention to all your commands, then I will not be put to shame. ⁷As I learn your righteous judgments, I will praise you with a pure heart. ⁸I will obey your laws; never abandon me! ⁹How can young people keep their lives pure? By obeying your commands. ¹⁰With all my heart I try to serve you; keep me from disobeying your commandments. ¹¹I keep your law in my heart, so that I will not sin against you. ¹²I praise you, O LORD; teach me your ways. ¹³I will repeat aloud all the laws you have given. ¹⁴I delight in following your commands more than in having great wealth. ¹⁵I study your instructions; I examine your teachings. ¹⁶I take pleasure in your laws; your commands I will not forget.

¹⁷Be good to me, your servant, so that I may live and obey your teachings. ¹⁸Open my eyes, so that I may see the wonderful truths in your law. ¹⁹I am here on earth for just a little while; do not hide your commands from me. ²⁰My heart aches with longing; I want to know your judgments at all times. ²¹You reprimand the proud; cursed are those who disobey your commands. ²²Free me from their insults and scorn, because I have kept your laws. ²³The rulers meet and plot against me, but I will study your teachings. ²⁴Your instructions give me pleasure; they are my advisers.

²⁵I lie defeated in the dust; revive me, as you have promised. ²⁶I confessed all I have done, and you answered me; teach me your ways. ²⁷Help me to understand your laws, and I will meditate on your wonderful teachings. ²⁸I am overcome by sorrow; strengthen me, as you have promised. ²⁹Keep me from going the wrong way, and in your goodness teach me your law. ³⁰I have chosen to be obedient; I have paid attention to your judgments. ³¹I have followed your instructions, LORD; don't let me be put to shame. ³²I will eagerly obey your commands, because you will give me more understanding.

• Don't be lazy
• Don't take handouts for nothing.
• Don't be a gossip
• Don't meddle in other people's lives
• Live orderly lives
• Work to earn your living
• Don't get tired of doing good
• Don't treat those who don't obey like enemies, warn them as believers
• May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you

Pray for Us

2 Thessalonians 3 Finally, our friends, pray for us that the Lord's message may continue to spread rapidly and be received with honor, just as it was among you. ²Pray also that God will rescue us from wicked and evil people; for not everyone believes the message.
³But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and keep you safe from the Evil One. ⁴And the Lord gives us confidence in you, and we are sure that you are doing and will continue to do what we tell you.
⁵May the Lord lead you into a greater understanding of God's love and the endurance that is given by Christ.

The Obligation to Work

⁶Our friends, we command you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to keep away from all believers who are living a lazy life and who do not follow the instructions that we gave them. ⁷You yourselves know very well that you should do just what we did. We were not lazy when we were with you. ⁸We did not accept anyone's support without paying for it. Instead, we worked and toiled; we kept working day and night so as not to be an expense to any of you. ⁹We did this, not because we do not have the right to demand our support; we did it to be an example for you to follow. ¹⁰While we were with you, we used to tell you, "Whoever refuses to work is not allowed to eat."
¹¹We say this because we hear that there are some people among you who live lazy lives and who do nothing except meddle in other people's business. ¹²In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we command these people and warn them to lead orderly lives and work to earn their own living.
¹³But you, friends, must not become tired of doing good. ¹⁴It may be that some there will not obey the message we send you in this letter. If so, take note of them and have nothing to do with them, so that they will be ashamed. ¹⁵But do not treat them as enemies; instead, warn them as believers.

Final Words

¹⁶May the Lord himself, who is our source of peace, give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.
¹⁷With my own hand I write this: Greetings from Paul. This is the way I sign every letter; this is how I write.
¹⁸May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

       What will it take for us all

- the people of this nation

- to take notice and turn back to God?

Consider what happened Sept 11th...

• Did people humble themselves and turn back to God?
• Did God bring us under a covering so that we weren't hit again?
• Did we get comfortable and start back to the old ways?
• Did some people's character sink and bring another attack on our lives?

Consider the market in 2008...

• Does God have your attention?
• Are people humbling themselves and turning back to God?
• Are people repenting to God for what they have done?
• Is there a major decision in the wings?
• Is there a hard decision to make?
• Do you know what God would have you do?
• How do you want this country to go?

It is almost Nov 4th... what will your choices decide in regards to the direction in which this country will go

• Will it be away from God?
• Will be towards God?
• Do you know or realize what will happen if God's covering is removed from this country?
• If God isn't with us, do realize what will happen?

Jesus came that we would have life and life to the full. Have you chosen Jesus?

The Fate of Jerusalem

Isaiah 29 God's altar, Jerusalem itself, is doomed! The city where David camped is doomed! Let another year or two come and go, with its feasts and festivals, ²and then God will bring disaster on the city that is called "God's altar." There will be weeping and wailing, and the whole city will be like an altar covered with blood. ³God will attack the city, surround it, and besiege it. ⁴Jerusalem will be like a ghost struggling to speak from under the ground, a muffled voice coming from the dust.
⁵Jerusalem, all the foreigners who attack you will be blown away like dust, and their terrifying armies will fly away like straw. Suddenly and unexpectedly ⁶the LORD Almighty will rescue you with violent thunderstorms and earthquakes. He will send windstorms and raging fire; ⁷then all the armies of the nations attacking the city of God's altar, all their weapons and equipment--everything--will vanish like a dream, like something imagined in the night. ⁸All the nations that assemble to attack Jerusalem will be like a starving person who dreams he is eating and wakes up hungry, or like someone dying of thirst who dreams he is drinking and wakes with a dry throat.

Disregarded Warnings

⁹Go ahead and be stupid! Go ahead and be blind! Get drunk without any wine! Stagger without drinking a drop! ¹⁰The LORD has made you drowsy, ready to fall into a deep sleep. The prophets should be the eyes of the people, but God has blindfolded them. ¹¹The meaning of every prophetic vision will be hidden from you; it will be like a sealed scroll. If you take it to someone who knows how to read and ask him to read it to you, he will say he can't because it is sealed. ¹²If you give it to someone who can't read and ask him to read it to you, he will answer that he doesn't know how.
¹³The Lord said, "These people claim to worship me, but their words are meaningless, and their hearts are somewhere else. Their religion is nothing but human rules and traditions, which they have simply memorized. ¹⁴So I will startle them with one unexpected blow after another. Those who are wise will turn out to be fools, and all their cleverness will be useless."

Hope for the Future

¹⁵Those who try to hide their plans from the LORD are doomed! They carry out their schemes in secret and think no one will see them or know what they are doing. ¹⁶They turn everything upside down. Which is more important, the potter or the clay? Can something you have made say, "You didn't make me"? Or can it say, "You don't know what you are doing"?
¹⁷As the saying goes, before long the dense forest will become farmland, and the farmland will go back to forest.
¹⁸When that day comes, the deaf will be able to hear a book being read aloud, and the blind, who have been living in darkness, will open their eyes and see. ¹⁹Poor and humble people will once again find the happiness which the LORD, the holy God of Israel, gives. ²⁰It will be the end of those who oppress others and show contempt for God. Every sinner will be destroyed. ²¹God will destroy those who slander others, those who prevent the punishment of criminals, and those who tell lies to keep honest people from getting justice.
²²So now the LORD, the God of Israel, who rescued Abraham from trouble, says, "My people, you will not be disgraced any longer, and your faces will no longer be pale with shame. ²³When you see the children that I will give you, then you will acknowledge that I am the holy God of Israel. You will honor me and stand in awe of me. ²⁴Foolish people will learn to understand, and those who are always grumbling will be glad to be taught."

A Useless Treaty with Egypt

Isaiah 30 The LORD has spoken: "Those who rule Judah are doomed because they rebel against me. They follow plans that I did not make, and sign treaties against my will, piling one sin on another. ²They go to Egypt for help without asking for my advice. They want Egypt to protect them, so they put their trust in Egypt's king. ³But the king will be powerless to help them, and Egypt's protection will end in disaster. ⁴Although their ambassadors have already arrived at the Egyptian cities of Zoan and Hanes, ⁵the people of Judah will regret that they ever trusted that unreliable nation, a nation that fails them when they expect help."
⁶This is God's message about the animals of the southern desert: "The ambassadors travel through dangerous country, where lions live and where there are poisonous snakes and flying dragons. They load their donkeys and camels with expensive gifts for a nation that cannot give them any help. ⁷The help that Egypt gives is useless. So I have nicknamed Egypt, 'The Harmless Dragon.'"

The Disobedient People

⁸God told me to write down in a book what the people are like, so that there would be a permanent record of how evil they are. ⁹They are always rebelling against God, always lying, always refusing to listen to the LORD's teachings. ¹⁰They tell the prophets to keep quiet. They say, "Don't talk to us about what's right. Tell us what we want to hear. Let us keep our illusions. ¹¹Get out of our way and stop blocking our path. We don't want to hear about your holy God of Israel."
¹²But this is what the holy God of Israel says: "You ignore what I tell you and rely on violence and deceit. ¹³You are guilty. You are like a high wall with a crack running down it; suddenly you will collapse. ¹⁴You will be shattered like a clay pot, so badly broken that there is no piece big enough to pick up hot coals with or to dip water from a cistern."
¹⁵The Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says to the people, "Come back and quietly trust in me. Then you will be strong and secure." But you refuse to do it. ¹⁶Instead, you plan to escape from your enemies by riding fast horses. And you are right--escape is what you will have to do! You think your horses are fast enough, but those who pursue you will be faster! ¹⁷A thousand of you will run away when you see one enemy soldier, and five soldiers will be enough to make you all run away. Nothing will be left of your army except a lonely flagpole on the top of a hill. ¹⁸And yet the LORD is waiting to be merciful to you. He is ready to take pity on you because he always does what is right. Happy are those who put their trust in the LORD.

God Will Bless His People

¹⁹You people who live in Jerusalem will not weep any more. The LORD is compassionate, and when you cry to him for help, he will answer you. ²⁰The Lord will make you go through hard times, but he himself will be there to teach you, and you will not have to search for him any more. ²¹If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, "Here is the road. Follow it." ²²You will take your idols plated with silver and your idols covered with gold, and will throw them away like filth, shouting, "Out of my sight!" ²³Whenever you plant your crops, the Lord will send rain to make them grow and will give you a rich harvest, and your livestock will have plenty of pasture. ²⁴The oxen and donkeys that plow your fields will eat the finest and best fodder. ²⁵On the day when the forts of your enemies are captured and their people are killed, streams of water will flow from every mountain and every hill. ²⁶The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times brighter than usual, like the light of seven days in one. This will all happen when the LORD bandages and heals the wounds he has given his people.

God Will Punish Assyria

²⁷The LORD's power and glory can be seen in the distance. Fire and smoke show his anger. He speaks, and his words burn like fire. ²⁸He sends the wind in front of him like a flood that carries everything away. It sweeps nations to destruction and puts an end to their evil plans. ²⁹But you, God's people, will be happy and sing as you do on the night of a sacred festival. You will be as happy as those who walk to the music of flutes on their way to the Temple of the LORD, the defender of Israel.
³⁰The LORD will let everyone hear his majestic voice and feel the force of his anger. There will be flames, cloudbursts, hailstones, and torrents of rain. ³¹The Assyrians will be terrified when they hear the LORD's voice and feel the force of his punishment. ³²As the LORD strikes them again and again, his people will keep time with the music of drums and harps. God himself will fight against the Assyrians. ³³Long ago a place was prepared where a huge fire will burn the emperor of Assyria. It is deep and wide, and piled high with wood. The LORD will breathe out a stream of flame to set it on fire.

And Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he may see." Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. - 2 Kings 6:17

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day and for all that You have done in advance to be prepared for what is to come. Lord, I thank You for Jesus, the Rock of my salvation, the corner stone of my life. God I thank You for the intersection You brought into my life almost 8 years ago, when I was able to say yes and Amen to a living relationship with You. You were no longer some god out there somewhere, but You were the God, Emanuel, God with me. Lord, coming to the realization that Christianity isn't about rituals, but about a living, breathing, exciting relationship with You. Lord, I thank You for giving me an obedient spirit to follow Jesus' lead and get water baptized. I thank You for the week of spiritual emphasis where I was able to experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit like the believers who waited in Jerusalem when on the day of Pentecost, they were fill with the power Jesus had promised them. Lord, I thank You for Cleansing Stream which helped me to get a clearer view of the spiritual realm and to be able to get rid of some things that the enemy had been trying to use to hold me back from the fullness of what You have planned for me. Lord, I build my house and my life upon the Rock of Jesus Christ, trusting that in the good and the hard times that my footing will be firm and allow me to weather any storm that the enemy will try to send my way. I pray Lord that others will also turn to You. I pray that as people consider choices they are to make that they would evaluate them against Your Word, the Holy Bible, that gives us a prism to shine the thoughts, the words, the ideas through and can help us to see if it is right, if it is true. If a white light goes through a prism, you get the rainbow, if you use something that isn't pure white, you don't get the effect or results. For FAITH is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Lord, I thank You and praise You, for all that You have said and all that You have done and will give You all the praise, all the honor, all the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Each of us can become so busy that we continue to operate not realizing that Jesus is no longer with us if we aren't in fellowship with Jesus.

From today's devotional by Os Hillman - Going Without Jesus:

Are you experiencing daily, even moment-by-moment, fellowship with Jesus? If not, you will wake up one day and realize Jesus is not with you in your endeavors. It may, like Mary and Joseph, create a certain fear in you that you may have lost a very important relationship. Doing business without Jesus' presence leaves us powerless and prone to live in fear. Jesus said He would never leave or forsake His children. However, we can walk away from His fellowship by refusing to be with Him. Do not let this happen to you. He longs to have daily fellowship with you because He loves you.

The Isolation Chamber
By Os Hillman
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Be still and know that I am God.... - Psalm 46:10
There is a time and place in our walk with God in which He sets us in a place of waiting. It is a place in which all past experiences are of no value. It is a time of such stillness that it can disturb the most faithful if we do not understand that He is the one who has brought us to this place for only a season. It is as if God has placed a wall around us. No new opportunities--simply inactivity.
During these times, God is calling us aside to fashion something new in us. It is an isolation chamber designed to call us to deeper roots of prayer and faith. It is not a comfortable place, especially for a task-driven workplace believer. Our nature cries out, "You must do something," while God is saying, "Be still and know that I am God." You know the signs that you have been brought into this chamber when He has removed many things from your life and you can't seem to change anything. Perhaps you are unemployed. Perhaps you are laid up with an illness.
Most religious people live a very planned and orchestrated life where they know almost everything that will happen. But for people in whom God is performing a deeper work, He brings them into a time of quietness that seems almost eerie. They cannot say what God is doing. They just know that He is doing a work that cannot be explained to themselves or to others.
Has God brought you to a place of being still? Be still and know that He really is God. When this happens, the chamber will open soon after.

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Heavenly Father,
We look to you as we stand together against this against Your church, Your body. Lord, Your Word says: "I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, to give you a hope and a future". Lord, it also says, that two or more come together in agreement and pray, You are there. In Deuteronomy, we see that if we stand upon the solid rock, that one can put a hundred to flight and two can put ten thousand to flight. So Lord, we come together and ask Lord, that You send Your angels down to cover this church. I pray Lord that You will thwart the attacks of the enemy who would love to kill, rod, and destroy Your body and remove the unity. Lord, You can see what is taking place, and I ask that You raise up prayer warriors at the church, and take what the devil had planned for evil and use it to make the church even stronger. Lord, I ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen  

Be Ready for the Lord's Coming

1 Thessalonians 5 There is no need to write you, friends, about the times and occasions when these things will happen. ²For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come as a thief comes at night. ³When people say, "Everything is quiet and safe," then suddenly destruction will hit them! It will come as suddenly as the pains that come upon a woman in labor, and people will not escape. ⁴But you, friends, are not in the darkness, and the Day should not take you by surprise like a thief. ⁵All of you are people who belong to the light, who belong to the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. ⁶So then, we should not be sleeping like the others; we should be awake and sober. ⁷It is at night when people sleep; it is at night when they get drunk. ⁸But we belong to the day, and we should be sober. We must wear faith and love as a breastplate, and our hope of salvation as a helmet. ⁹God did not choose us to suffer his anger, but to possess salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰who died for us in order that we might live together with him, whether we are alive or dead when he comes. ¹¹And so encourage one another and help one another, just as you are now doing.

Today's Devotional from Today God Is First:

How and Where God Speaks by Os Hillman

The hand of the Lord was upon me there, and He said to me, "Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you." - Ezekiel 3:22

Today's Reading from the Word of God :

1 Thessalonians 4, Isaiah 20-22 and Psalm 115 in the Good News Translation

Do you know how to live a life that is pleasing to God?

• God wants you to be holy and completely free from sexual immorality.
• Each of you should know how to live with your wife in a holy and honorable way, not with a lustful desire, like the heathen who do not know God.
• None of you should do wrong to other Christians or take advantage of them.
• Love one another as God loves you.
• Make it your aim to live a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to earn your own living, just as we told you before. In this way you will win the respect of those who are not believers, and you will not have to depend on anyone for what you need.

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A Remnant That Prays
By Os Hillman
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One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." - Luke 11:1
God is calling out a remnant of workplace believers throughout the world who understand the role of prayer in their work. These people have learned that prayer is not a five-minute exercise in the morning devotion time, but it is a vital strategic tool to discern and know God's will and purposes in their work lives. You see they have learned that their work lives are their ministries to God and others.
These men and women have entered into covenant relationships with intercessory prayer partners who help discern the activities they should be involved in. Some even have paid staff, who intercede for the decisions and activities in which they will be involved. They are a small remnant of workplace believers who know that skill and technique are not enough to fulfill God's purposes.
A servant of the Lord has well said: Prayer is the rail for God's work. Indeed, prayer is to God's will as rails are to a train. The locomotive is full of power: it is capable of running a thousand miles a day. But if there are no rails, it cannot move forward a single inch. If it dares to move without them, it will soon sink into the earth. It may be able to travel over great distances, yet it cannot go to any place where no rails have been laid. And such is the relation between prayer and God's work. Without any doubt God is almighty and He works mightily, but He desires you and I to labor together with Him in prayer, prepare the way for His will, and pray "with all prayer and supplication" (Eph. 6:18) to work on our behalf. Many are the things, which God wills to do, and would like to do, but He is awaiting the prayers of the saints. Let me say to all who have wholly given themselves to God: Do examine yourselves and see if in this respect you have limited Him day after day. [Watchman Nee, Let Us Pray (New York, New York: Christian Fellowship Publishers, 1977), 11.]
Is prayer a vital part of your strategic business practices? Put prayer on the front lines, instead of making it an afterthought. You will begin to see renewed power in your work life.

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Today's Devotional from Today God Is First (TGIF) by Os Hillman:

God's Double-talk

The Lord said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go." - Exodus 4:21

Today's reading from the Word of God using the Good News Translation:

1 Thessalonians 1, Isaiah 11-13 and Psalm 112

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day and for the revelation and truth of Your Word. I look even at the first part of what You are speaking to me and to those who read my entries and realize that You desire that we realize and receive Your grace and peace.

Grace - We find in the dictionary has many meanings for grace - elegance, politeness, generosity of spirit, and prayer at mealtimes. ^{(footnote/reference)}If we think of grace as believers, we see that it is even more than that - "divine grace refers to the sovereign favor of God for humankind - especially in regards to salvation - irrespective of actions ("deeds"), earned worth, or proven goodness. Grace is enable power  sufficient for progression. Grace divine is an indispensable gift from God for development, improvement, and character expansion." ^{(footnote/reference)}

Peace - We find the dictionary has many meanings for this also - freedom from war, tranquility, mental calm, harmony. (footnote/reference) If we think of peace of God as believers, it goes even deeper. We are to hold onto the promises of God which provide a solid foundation allowing us no matter what is going on around us to have an inner peace, a peace that goes beyond all understanding for those who don't know Jesus.  The peace that guards our hearts and our minds from the lies and fears of the devil, the enemy of our soul.

I thank You Lord for the plans You have for this day. I pray that You will go before me and prepare in advance what will need to happen. I will prepare what I need to do and say, trusting in You that all that is required You will provide, for Your Word says, "I know the plans I have for You", says the Lord, "plans to give me a hope and a future". And I continue to see Your hand in my life working on things that are so much bigger than what I could have imagined or could have asked for. You are leading me through experiences that continue to build up my faith and give me memories that help me to press in and press on when challenges come my way. Lord, I praise You, I worship You, I glorify You, and I honor You, in Jesus' name. May all I say and do today bring praise and glory to You, in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Would you be ready for this?

The Peaceful Kingdom

Isaiah 11 The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new king will arise from among David's descendants.
²The spirit of the LORD will give him wisdom
and the knowledge and skill to rule his people.
He will know the LORD's will and honor him,
³ and find pleasure in obeying him.
He will not judge by appearance or hearsay;
⁴ he will judge the poor fairly
and defend the rights of the helpless.
At his command the people will be punished,
and evil persons will die.
⁵He will rule his people with justice and integrity.
⁶Wolves and sheep will live together in peace,
and leopards will lie down with young goats.
Calves and lion cubs will feed together,
and little children will take care of them.
⁷Cows and bears will eat together,
and their calves and cubs will lie down in peace.
Lions will eat straw as cattle do.
⁸Even a baby will not be harmed
if it plays near a poisonous snake.
⁹On Zion, God's sacred hill,
there will be nothing harmful or evil.
The land will be as full of knowledge of the LORD
as the seas are full of water.

The Happiness of a Good Person

Psalm 112 Praise the LORD!
Happy is the person who honors the LORD,
who takes pleasure in obeying his commands.
²The good man's children will be powerful in the land;
his descendants will be blessed.
³His family will be wealthy and rich,
and he will be prosperous forever.
⁴Light shines in the darkness for good people,
for those who are merciful, kind, and just.
⁵Happy is the person who is generous with his loans,
who runs his business honestly.
⁶A good person will never fail;
he will always be remembered.
⁷He is not afraid of receiving bad news;
his faith is strong, and he trusts in the LORD.
⁸He is not worried or afraid;
he is certain to see his enemies defeated.
⁹He gives generously to the needy,
and his kindness never fails;
he will be powerful and respected.
¹⁰The wicked see this and are angry;
they glare in hate and disappear;
their hopes are gone forever.

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day. I thank You that You planned and orchestrated my change and move. I thank You that You allowed me to move away from the day-to-day into a new place where there was no schedule or set plan. I thank You that You allowed me to move into a place where I was open to hearing from You and a place where the distractions and focus could be put into the right place. I thank You for saving me. I thank You for anointing my wife and I with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I thank You for the right teaching so that we were baptized in Water. I thank You for an opportunity to go to and be freed from many things through Cleansing Stream. I thank You for then preparing our heart and our lives to step into leadership roles. God You are so incredible. Without having been through the transition and these experiences I couldn't walk each day with hope - because I have a hope in You, it isn't about the government or the markets, it is about my eternity which I know I will spend with You. I have help, for all good gifts come my Father in Heaven, who is the fountain of life and provides for me and for my family. Knowing that my name and the name of my family members is in the book of life allows me a peace. As my children get older, they will get the chance to receive Jesus (as my oldest has done), and I thank God daily for the peace that this brings. God, I thank You for the courage to pursue after the plans You put before me. I thank You that instead of running because the enemy tries to speak words to induce fear, I turn to Your Word, and choose to hold on to it in courage, knowing that whatever the enemy would want to do, that You will take every attack and every attempt and turn them around from bad and use them for good. Lord, I thank You for the life You have given me. I thank You that I am not the same today as I was yesterday. God I come to Your Word today with anticipation as I know it is alive and can speak to me daily. Lord, I lift up this day to You, giving You all the praise and the honor and the glory, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Today's Reading from the Word of God using the Good News Translation: Revelation 21-22, Isaiah 9-10 and Psalm 111

⁵Then the one who sits on the throne said, "And now I make all things new!" He also said to me, "Write this, because these words are true and can be trusted." ⁶And he said, "It is done! I am the first and the last, the beginning and the end. To anyone who is thirsty I will give the right to drink from the spring of the water of life without paying for it. ⁷Those who win the victory will receive this from me: I will be their God, and they will be my children. ⁸But cowards, traitors, perverts, murderers, the immoral, those who practice magic, those who worship idols, and all liars--the place for them is the lake burning with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."

David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. - 1 Samuel 17:39

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day and all that is within it. This is the day, that You have made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Lord, I thank You and praise You and worship You and honor You today, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Lord, back towards the end of 2005, as I had setup a spaces site how during my morning devotional time, You had directed me to change my site to be viewable by the public and how picking its new name was derived by the Word of God I had been receiving. Back then I was reading the Book of Revelation and that is how I selected "From 2005 to Eternity", for as Your Word says that those written in the Book of Life will spend eternity with You and my goal and hope is that people who read this blog will come to know You to the point where they will get their names in the Book of Life, and that we will get to spend "From 2005" or whenever they found this blog "to Eternity" praise and worshiping God.

The second message was that we are not to be people who live and walk in fear, but who through our hope in Jesus Christ was in power and hope. So remember, FEAR NOT, JUST BELIEVE. In today's reading from Isaiah, it is spoken as "keep alert, stay calm, and not to be frightened or disturbed."

Lord, I thank You for such a blessing and honor to get to read and hear from You through Your Word. I thank You that many have come to my sight as seekers and I pray Lord, that You have taken them under Your wing. And Lord, we will all give You the praise and the honor and the glory in Jesus' name. Amen.

Jesus used parables to communicate principles of the Kingdom of God. He said each believer's life should have the same impact on his or her world as salt has on food. Salt gives food flavor and brings out the best, while at the same time it serves as a preservative.

How would someone describe you?

Might you be sweet? Might you be sour? Might you be salty?

Would they say you are doing what they would have expected?

God is looking, are someone who will stand in the gap? Or who will go?

Isaiah 5

The Evil That People Do

⁸You are doomed! You buy more houses and fields to add to those you already have. Soon there will be no place for anyone else to live, and you alone will live in the land. ⁹I have heard the LORD Almighty say, "All these big, fine houses will be empty ruins. ¹⁰The grapevines growing on five acres of land will yield only five gallons of wine. Ten bushels of seed will produce only one bushel of grain."
¹¹You are doomed! You get up early in the morning to start drinking, and you spend long evenings getting drunk. ¹²At your feasts you have harps and tambourines and flutes--and wine. But you don't understand what the LORD is doing, ¹³and so you will be carried away as prisoners. Your leaders will starve to death, and the common people will die of thirst. ¹⁴The world of the dead is hungry for them, and it opens its mouth wide. It gulps down the nobles of Jerusalem along with the noisy crowd of common people.
¹⁵Everyone will be disgraced, and all who are proud will be humbled. ¹⁶But the LORD Almighty shows his greatness by doing what is right, and he reveals his holiness by judging his people. ¹⁷In the ruins of the cities lambs will eat grass and young goats will find pasture.
¹⁸You are doomed! You are unable to break free from your sins. ¹⁹You say, "Let the LORD hurry up and do what he says he will, so that we can see it. Let Israel's holy God carry out his plans; let's see what he has in mind."
²⁰You are doomed! You call evil good and call good evil. You turn darkness into light and light into darkness. You make what is bitter sweet, and what is sweet you make bitter.
²¹You are doomed! You think you are wise, so very clever.
²²You are doomed! Heroes of the wine bottle! Brave and fearless when it comes to mixing drinks! ²³But for just a bribe you let the guilty go free, and you keep the innocent from getting justice. ²⁴So now, just as straw and dry grass shrivel and burn in the fire, your roots will rot and your blossoms will dry up and blow away, because you have rejected what the LORD Almighty, Israel's holy God, has taught us. ²⁵The LORD is angry with his people and has stretched out his hand to punish them. The mountains will shake, and the bodies of those who die will be left in the streets like rubbish. Yet even then the LORD's anger will not be ended, but his hand will still be stretched out to punish.
²⁶The LORD gives a signal to call for a distant nation. He whistles for them to come from the ends of the earth. And here they come, swiftly, quickly! ²⁷None of them grow tired; none of them stumble. They never doze or sleep. Not a belt is loose; not a sandal strap is broken. ²⁸Their arrows are sharp, and their bows are ready to shoot. Their horses' hoofs are as hard as flint, and their chariot wheels turn like a whirlwind. ²⁹The soldiers roar like lions that have killed an animal and are carrying it off where no one can take it away from them.
³⁰When that day comes, they will roar over Israel as loudly as the sea. Look at this country! Darkness and distress! The light is swallowed by darkness.

Isaiah 6

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on his throne, high and exalted, and his robe filled the whole Temple. ²Around him flaming creatures were standing, each of which had six wings. Each creature covered its face with two wings, and its body with two, and used the other two for flying. ³They were calling out to each other:
"Holy, holy, holy!
The LORD Almighty is holy!
His glory fills the world."
⁴The sound of their voices made the foundation of the Temple shake, and the Temple itself became filled with smoke.
⁵I said, "There is no hope for me! I am doomed because every word that passes my lips is sinful, and I live among a people whose every word is sinful. And yet, with my own eyes I have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
⁶Then one of the creatures flew down to me, carrying a burning coal that he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. ⁷He touched my lips with the burning coal and said, "This has touched your lips, and now your guilt is gone, and your sins are forgiven."
⁸Then I heard the Lord say, "Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?"
I answered, "I will go! Send me!"
⁹So he told me to go and give the people this message: "No matter how much you listen, you will not understand. No matter how much you look, you will not know what is happening." ¹⁰Then he said to me, "Make the minds of these people dull, their ears deaf, and their eyes blind, so that they cannot see or hear or understand. If they did, they might turn to me and be healed."
¹¹I asked, "How long will it be like this, Lord?"
He answered, "Until the cities are ruined and empty--until the houses are uninhabited--until the land itself is a desolate wasteland. ¹²I will send the people far away and make the whole land desolate. ¹³Even if one person out of ten remains in the land, he too will be destroyed; he will be like the stump of an oak tree that has been cut down."
(The stump represents a new beginning for God's people.)

Psalm 109 ²⁰LORD, punish my enemies in that way--
those who say such evil things against me!
²¹But my Sovereign LORD, help me as you have promised,
and rescue me because of the goodness of your love.
²²I am poor and needy;
I am hurt to the depths of my heart.
²³Like an evening shadow I am about to vanish;
I am blown away like an insect.
²⁴My knees are weak from lack of food;
I am nothing but skin and bones.
²⁵When people see me, they laugh at me;
they shake their heads in scorn.
²⁶Help me, O LORD my God;
because of your constant love, save me!
²⁷Make my enemies know
that you are the one who saves me.
²⁸They may curse me, but you will bless me.
May my persecutors be defeated,
and may I, your servant, be glad.
²⁹May my enemies be covered with disgrace;
may they wear their shame like a robe.
³⁰I will give loud thanks to the LORD;
I will praise him in the assembly of the people,
³¹because he defends the poor
and saves them from those who condemn them to death.

Today's Devotional: (by Os Hillman from http://www.TodayGodIsFirst.com) The God of the Valley The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, "This is what the Lord says: 'Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord'." - 1 Kings 20:28 Today's Reading: (from the Good News Translation at http://www.DailyBible.com) Revelation 15, Esther 6.14-8.17 and Psalm 107.1-22

Heavenly Father,
I thank You fort his new day and for the incredible wisdom You provide through Your Word and through Your Holy Spirit. Lord, I have seen that in the valleys I have learned and developed a lot. I learned with the first team I was Intl PM, to not respond in a physical way, but to learn and not flee in accordance with Your will - this helped me to be more assertive and less reactive to criticism. Had I not learned that, I wouldn't have been able to survive when I transitioned to another team, larger, more senior, and more assertive/aggressive. In that team I not only learned that trusting in God will open the doors that the world would have wanted to keep shut (ex. every time a meeting was scheduled on a given subject, it was canceled), God opened the door and we saw great miracles and outcomes (ex. in a meeting one of the managers asked me to write the spec for the discussion we never had). I also learned about priorities and not micro managing as my diabetes went out of control as the sign to re-evaluate what was going on. Priorities needed to be adjusted - God first, Wife 2nd, Family 3rd, everything else needed to come after that. (With God being first things like my body is a temple of the Lord made sure I was taking care of my health) With God first, I was able to get wisdom to make the right decisions and add the things that needed to be added and remove the things that needed to be removed in order for the priorities and balance to return. Lord, when I consider about my move to a new job in a new country, it was a time where I was able to take head knowledge about You and have it moved into my heart. Your saving grace, Your baptism of the Holy Spirit, Your water baptism, and then Your power to direct me onto a path into leadership. God there is nothing too big for You and I thank You that in the storms and in the valleys You are there and that You help me to remember that You will never leave me nor forsake me. I thank You that you remind me that I am not to lean on my own understanding, but to trust in You. Lord, You are awesome and I thank You for Your Word and the devotion I have read today. May it be in my heart and help me to be the man of God You have called me to be and that Your Holy Spirit can flow through me. I give You all the praise and all the glory in Jesus' name. Amen.

"Lord God Almighty, how great and wonderful are your deeds!
King of the nations, how right and true are your ways!
⁴Who will not stand in awe of you, Lord?
Who will refuse to declare your greatness?
You alone are holy. All the nations will come
and worship you, because your just actions are seen by all."

Today's Devotional: Tested for Abundance We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. - Psalm 66:12b   Today's Reading: Revelation 14, Esther 5.1-6.13 and Psalm 106.24-48

The route to abundance:

For you, O God, tested us; You refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us to a place of abundance (Psalm 66:10-12).

Do you desire wisdom of God?
Do you desire knowledge of God?
If you could ask God for one thing, what would it be?
Choose carefully.

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day. I thank You Lord, that You are opening doors that I can see Your hand on the handle. I thank You God for keeping the doors shut that I should not walk through. Lord, grant me wisdom today as I look at my day, that I may accomplish all that You have for me. Lord, grant me wisdom to be able to prioritize my time to be as efficient as possible and focused as possible on Your plans which are bigger and better than my plans. Lord, I thank You so much for Your Word and this time to spend with You. Lord, my time with You fills my cup to overflowing with Your Spirit, that I may be able to pour into the lives of all those around me. Lord, I love You. May You receive all the praise and all the glory in Jesus' name. Amen.

Excerpt from today's devotional by Os Hillman

God's economy of abundance often has little to do with material blessing. In God's economy, abundance is often measured in wisdom and knowledge of Himself. It is then that we are truly blessed. Wisdom cannot be gained through intellectual pursuits. Wisdom comes only through experience. Real wisdom comes from the kinds of experiences that come only through the deepest tests. Lessons of refinement, including prison accompanied by burdens, lead us through the fire and water. This is the territory that must be traveled to reach that place of abundance. It would seem strange that a loving God would use such means with His children. What we often fail to realize is that God's measuring stick is the character and likeness of Jesus Christ Himself in each of us. This cannot be gained through a life of ease and pleasure. Ease and pleasure fail to refine.

Is God using your workplace to refine you today? Has He placed you in a prison or laid burdens on your back? Take heart if this is the place you find yourself, and realize that if you are faithful through the tests, you will enter a place of abundance that few will ever attain. The darkest hour is just before daybreak.

So did you choose?

Let's go back to see 2 Chronicles 1:

7.That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." 8.Solomon answered God, "You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. 9.Now, LORD God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10.Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?" 11.God said to Solomon, "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12.therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have." 13.Then Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place at Gibeon, from before the Tent of Meeting. And he reigned over Israel. 14.Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 15.The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 16.Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue--the royal merchants purchased them from Kue. 17.They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.

And in Luke we hear from the mouth of Jesus:

22.Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23.Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24.Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25.Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? 26.Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27."Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28.If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29.And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30.For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31.But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32."Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33.Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

If today were the day, would you be ready?

The Lamb and His People

Revelation 14 Then I looked, and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion; with him were 144,000 people who have his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. ²And I heard a voice from heaven that sounded like a roaring waterfall, like a loud peal of thunder. It sounded like the music made by musicians playing their harps. ³The 144,000 people stood before the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders; they were singing a new song, which only they could learn. Of the whole human race they are the only ones who have been redeemed. ⁴They are the men who have kept themselves pure by not having sexual relations with women; they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from the rest of the human race and are the first ones to be offered to God and to the Lamb. ⁵They have never been known to tell lies; they are faultless.

The Three Angels

⁶Then I saw another angel flying high in the air, with an eternal message of Good News to announce to the peoples of the earth, to every race, tribe, language, and nation. ⁷He said in a loud voice, "Honor God and praise his greatness! For the time has come for him to judge all people. Worship him who made heaven, earth, sea, and the springs of water!"
⁸A second angel followed the first one, saying, "She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! She made all peoples drink her wine--the strong wine of her immoral lust!"
⁹A third angel followed the first two, saying in a loud voice, "Those who worship the beast and its image and receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand ¹⁰will themselves drink God's wine, the wine of his fury, which he has poured at full strength into the cup of his anger! All who do this will be tormented in fire and sulfur before the holy angels and the Lamb. ¹¹The smoke of the fire that torments them goes up forever and ever. There is no relief day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, for anyone who has the mark of its name."
¹²This calls for endurance on the part of God's people, those who obey God's commandments and are faithful to Jesus.
¹³Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Happy are those who from now on die in the service of the Lord!"
"Yes indeed!" answers the Spirit. "They will enjoy rest from their hard work, because the results of their service go with them."

The Harvest of the Earth

¹⁴Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was what looked like a human being, with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵Then another angel came out from the temple and cried out in a loud voice to the one who was sitting on the cloud, "Use your sickle and reap the harvest, because the time has come; the earth is ripe for the harvest!" ¹⁶Then the one who sat on the cloud swung his sickle on the earth, and the earth's harvest was reaped.
¹⁷Then I saw another angel come out of the temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.
¹⁸Then another angel, who is in charge of the fire, came from the altar. He shouted in a loud voice to the angel who had the sharp sickle, "Use your sickle, and cut the grapes from the vineyard of the earth, because the grapes are ripe!" ¹⁹So the angel swung his sickle on the earth, cut the grapes from the vine, and threw them into the wine press of God's furious anger. ²⁰The grapes were squeezed out in the wine press outside the city, and blood came out of the wine press in a flood two hundred miles long and about five feet deep.

Today's Devotional: (from Today God Is First by Os Hillman) When Plans are Thwarted But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. - Daniel 10:13

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day and for Your Word. I thank You for having sent Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who came to lead the way and not just speak of Your kingdom and what is right, but to show us how to live - to give us life and life to the full. I thank You Lord, that You sent the Holy Spirit to give us power and comfort, counsel and direction. Bless my family, friends, and those I will encounter today. Fill me up with Your spirit to overflowing that it will spill into the lives of those around me. I thank You and praise You today and always in Jesus' name. Amen.

A bit over 4 years ago now, I remember thinking, God you put the dream of having a horse in an 8 year old little boy, if this is Your plan, can you find a place within 20 minutes of the church. At that moment, God reminded me of a sermon I had heard earlier that spoke of the analogy of driving/steering a car and that it is much easier to steer a car when it is moving. I had one of those Aha moments, I needed to start looking. So I went online and did a real estate search for something within the area and found 2, one was about 7 million dollars and the other was 14 million dollars, both of which were WAY too expensive for me to even consider affording. A friend from church happened to be a real estate agent and so we asked for his help in this endeavor. We had two criteria - a place with a pasture for the horse(s) and a nice house for my wife and family to live. After having seen 20 places for sale (either with a nice house but not horse ready or horse ready but not living ready), God put another property a bit higher than the price range I had pulled out of the air at the start of the adventure to our agent and we thought we would at least take a look. God opened a door with the right timing for us to sell our old house. The sellers of the house were very gracious to us in allow us as much time as we needed. God had provided more than we could have asked or imagined and in many ways he managed to make parts of the move cheaper than our old house. Let's give God all the praise and all the glory and all the honor in Jesus' name. Amen.

Do you remember one of the criteria we had when we started to pursuit what God had promised? The time it would take to get to church. - checking what http://local.live.com tells me today I see that for the shortest distance = 20 minutes, for the shortest time = 17 minutes. God is good and has a sense of humor too. I wonder if I should have picked a different time? :) I am so glad that God is in charge and for where he has allowed me to live to raise my children. And my family enjoys living at a place with 1 pony, 2 horses, 15 chickens, 2 bunnies, 2 cats, and 1 dog and those are the ones that are outside. :)

PS I saw Facing the Giants - it is a great moving produced by a church with such truth and examples of life. They have now come out with a new moving that I look forward to seeing called Fire Proof.