Defiance is Beheaded

Psalm 14:1....The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God."
They are corrupt,  They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good.    NKJV

Psalm 14:1 Amplified: The [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart, There is no God.
They are corrupt, they have done abominable deeds; there is none that does good or right.

Romans 3:10-13 Amplified................10 As it is written, None is righteous, just and truthful and
upright and conscientious, no, not one. 11 No one understands [no one intelligently discerns or comprehends]; no one seeks out God .12 All have turned aside; together they have gone
wrong, and have become unprofitable and worthless; no one does right,  not even one! 13 Their throat is a yawing grave; they use their tongues to deceive ( to mislead and to deal treacherously). The venom of asps is beneath their lips.

Psalm 5:9-10............9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;

Their inward part is destruction; Their throat is an open tomb;

They flatter with their tongue. 

10 Pronounce them guilty, O God!

Let them fall by their own counsels; Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,

For they have rebelled against You.   NKJV

Defiance is seen vividly in these accounts. They do not seek God, they go wrong in every decision they make.  They are the unprofitable and when they speak, they speak with venomous words that kill another. 

In the time of David, we saw him come against Goliath. Now when thinking back to that time, we remember David minding his own business of shepherding sheep. In his 24 hour daily routine of keeping the sheep in hand, he was asked by his father Jesse to go to the front lines and take food to his brothers who were in the military and others who were in the stand off with the Philistines. David held a place in regard to God and His power, for he saw God do mighty things for him while tending those sheep in the wilderness.

We know one hulk of a man stood against the whole might of Israel and his name was Goliath. He was DEFIANCE!

1 Samuel 17:4-19

4 And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 And he had bronze greaves on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. 7 Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him. 8 Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, "Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." 10 And the Philistine said, "I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together." 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. 

(In verse 8, we understand that the giant was after Saul. For he made the remarks that they who stood at the front line were the servants of Saul.)

12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse, and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years, in the days of Saul. 13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul. 15 But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. 16 And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening. 17 Then Jesse said to his son David, "Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp. 18 And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them." 19 Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.   NKJV

Yes, David had become the messenger of what was transpiring with Goliath. (verse 18)....Carry back news of them...!

1 Samuel 17:21-27

21 For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army. 22 And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. 23 Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them. 24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. 25 So the men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father's house exemption from taxes in Israel." 26 Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" 27 And the people answered him in this manner, saying, "So shall it be done for the man who kills him."   NKJV

David asks: "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel?" "For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

1 Samuel 17:40-52

40 Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. 41 So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. 42 And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. 43 So the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" 45 Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's, and He will give you into our hands." 

48 So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hastened and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.   NKJV

In David's story, we find he was faithful to do what he was asked to do when asked by Jesse, his father, to take food to the brothers.  In the case of Goliath, we find hostility for others. Goliath was openly challenging Israel. He was the prideful in his own stature and muscular development. He saw Israel as weak and insignificant. Goliath was faithful to  himself. And he took that great pride and spoke. He displayed his mockery toward Israel and their God. Yes, his throat was the open tomb.

 The abominable works: the hateful and the loathing leading to destruction was evident every time he spoke.   Meaning: Philistine: pelishtiy...OT:6428....one who rolls in the dust

David was probably seen as one who came to publicly ridicule the mighty men who were to fight "Goliath"....the one who rolls around in the dust. Yet, this man was a GIANT. AND he presented a problem to King Saul and his mighty men. But David did not ridicule anyone. He took his stand with God and ran quickly to complete God's plan for him to do. And when the stone sunk into Goliath's forehead, David again ran quickly and took Goliath's own sword from the sheath that was fastened to his body, raised the sword...........and removed his head permanently.

Have you seen those who like to roll in the "dust"?  Kick up some dirt, throw stones at another person, protest loudly and still have no "good" results? Have you seen those that boast in themselves?

Our counsel is to be with the Lord. We are to find His will in His word for us. In that counsel, we find that He is the faithful and true. In that Word, we find hope, love, safety and wisdom!

Defiance is on every corner. It is raising its ugly head. And wherever it might be seen, remember what David spoke. "I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. AND I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD'S and He will give you into our hands."

Going out in God's name is that He is 1st in our lives. We speak that His name is above every other name. We declare Him to be the One TRUE God! Consider for a moment the defiance we may project on our own. It could be the putting of our trust in our abilities or even in knowledge. Gaining knowledge that is wisdom from the world can be detrimental when not putting God 1st. That knowledge of the world is problematic. But God's Word delivers us to safety and moves us out of harm's way.

From Ephesians 6:17, we find that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. Leaving His Word and guidance can bring us into many mistakes and failure. David used the smooth stone. It was the tested in the wilderness. It was the proven and in it we see Christ our Cornerstone. As David confessed God before the infidel, he was the ready and the prepared. And the sword was used against Goliath when he was knocked out cold by the small, smooth stone. Ah, yes God will confound the wise of this world indeed!

For the "giant" was only knocked out with the smooth stone to the forehead. But it took the power of God in David to run alongside the fallen giant and take his sword from its sheath and take off his head. Yes it took the power of God and David had to have a trust in God.

1 Samuel 17:37........ 37 Moreover David said, "The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you!"  NKJV

We cannot rely on our own experiences from trials or tribulations of the past. For David saw deliverance from the paw of the lion, to that of the bear and yet these were different animals that acted much differently in battle. Each animal attacks knowing their own skill. 
So too, we must think on where our walk is with the Lord. Do we sing praises like David did in the wilderness? In every act we do each day, is it done unto the Lord and to His praise?

And I close with this:

1 Samuel 21:1-6, 8-9........................21:1 David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he met him, and asked, "Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?" 

2 David answered Ahimelech the priest, "The king charged me with a certain matter and said to me, 'No one is to know anything about your mission and your instructions.' As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find." 

4 But the priest answered David, "I don't have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here-provided the men have kept themselves from women." 

5 David replied, "Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men's things are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!" 6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the LORD and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away. 

8 David asked Ahimelech, "Don't you have a spear or a sword here? I haven't brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king's business was urgent." 

9 The priest replied, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one."   David said, "There is none like it; give it to me."    NIV

Pressure had come to David. Saul was breathing out lies and cruelty about David. And Saul wanted David gone for good. David fled into the Philistines territory. Looking into Psalm 34, we find a man so in tune with God that worship was forever on his mind. In reading the pages of his life and his fight against Goliath, the moment of real trusting in God came when brought before Achish the king. And appearing as a madman before the king proved success to David.  He found concealment within his own country. Yes, he found the cave of Adullam that was in the wilderness of Judah. David still sought to make "his boast in the Lord".

What the enemy has chosen to use against you, know that it will certainly come back upon himself. As with David, and asking for the bread, he gained 5 loaves..........5 meaning grace. The sword kept under the ephod was used again by one with authority as of a "priest".  We have a High Priest who intercedes for us. In our daily affairs of life, battles will show up on the scene, but where we stand, makes the difference of who fights for us. Is it in ourselves and our abilities, or is it in our allowing God the Holy Spirit to guide us through?

"Lord behold we have here two swords"........and He said, "It is enough".
 Luke 22:38.

enough...hikanos...2240........enough for the....coming season is the meaning.

And they certainly saw great war before the nation of Israel.

God's word is powerful and it is the weapon to wield upon the enemy. David used praise. Interesting the giant had a weaver's beam that if thrown into the direction of David would have went through him and planted him in the ground, yet the giant did not use it. He had the sword and did not use it. And  he even carried the javelin,  yet it was not used either.

Rely on God...........and He will show you what you have in hand that is from Him that will be used. What the enemy has in his hand will be used against himself. Understand, you have the victory in Jesus' name. Amen.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV

WHAT PLANS?

Jeremiah 29:8-14
8 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the LORD.

10 For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.   NKJV

Now most people within the body of Christ can quote this scripture. The most wonderful thing to hear is that God has thoughts toward us and they are of peace and not of evil to give you and  me a future and a hope! That makes you want to smile, give a shout and give thanks for God has thoughts about us.

In truth all of chapter 29 should be read in its entirety to gain the true picture of what is going on here as this was given.

In reality, the text is meaning that which was taught to the people at the time was by those prophets who only spoke what the people wanted to hear. God was wanting their foundation to be built on the truth of what He wanted for them. It was to be by that Word of God to discern the truth and not heed any false teaching or way. 

Psalm 127:1 

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand in guard in vain.

These people had been in captivity and God did not want them to put down roots in Babylon. In a foreign place, these men and women dreamed dreams and had desires of the earlier days of freedom and life they had known. But in the place of the captive, one has only the dreams. As they had thought and then spoke on "what they desired" they came up dreaming about it, but alas it was not from God.

I think of ministering to people and especially those who have come from really hard places. In the jail ministry, I think of those who so desire to go back home to their own thing and ways. They would ask for prayer regarding the life they had. But I would always remind them that God had better for them, and His plan was found when we seek Him with our whole heart. 

For finding those who think as you, do as you, is not always good unity. Enlarging our hearts to receive that which we have already experienced, is never from God. He desires us to have the richness in life that brings change as the seasons change.

I remember this happening twice in the last ten years. I had been praying for these different pastors. They seemed to be going forward in the things of God and after sometime, I noticed they seemed to ask the unusual thing to pray for at the time. The asking is good in prayer, to find God's plan if something seems amiss. But when praying for people and that includes pastors, you must give them that word which is given by God for them.

In the case of these people, they wanted to flatter the false prophets so that the words the prophets spoke to them would be the good, the fun, the joyful and flatter me if you will!

So many today and that includes pastors, are still riding around in that 1963 Chevy Panel Wagon, they call ministry, because someone they liked ministered a word to them, and it was a good word. But they are still running ministry based on that word from that time. God desires us to have a good foundation to build hopes upon.  We must be willing to teach that word that God has placed on our hearts. It is important to share with others what God is speaking. 

Luke 12:1-3

12:1 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. 

NKJV

God's Word speaks loudly, and will confirm what He is doing. Though these men and women who were in captivity,  had they kept hearing God, they would not be the deceived. But there are those who, like some pastors, who will give only that word which will soothe the man, to give him something he wants to hear and not give them truth when they really need it. Some pastors will do it to keep people coming back week after week. But if we look at other pastors, and I can think of a few off hand, they are giving the TRUTH and we see them gaining momentum that ONLY COMES FROM GOD!

These men and women being separated from the vast numbers in another country, would all be gathered again together and brought to where they were meant to be from the beginning. We too, have the place to be brought together with other individuals, not of the false and the pretentious, but in the word of God that brings truth and light to us in a walk that is fulfilling.

Yes, Jesus came to set captives free. He even said it TO  those WHO needed it the most and they became unhinged and sought to kill HIM!

Luke 4:17-30

And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 

18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me 

To preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives 

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed;  

19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."  

20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?" 23 He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.' " 24 Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian." 28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. NKJV

Yes, rejection was the dominate factor here. They did not want to hear this from the carpenter's son who they knew. They liked the preeminence and gave heed to their own vain appetites. 

Jesus said, "This scripture (this writing) is fulfilled in your hearing". Jesus as the Prophet was giving that which had come. And He was the appointed by God!

"Yes, is not this Joseph's son"? Jesus had spoken with power and was backed up by truth of the Word.

Yes, He came to bring freedom to the captives, to open the eyes that were blind, and especially to those of the oppressed.  Jesus came to show the "new way" to walk, and it was not under a rule of the Pharisees that was hard and very harsh. Jesus bore witness that the Prophet Elijah had been sent to Zarephath in the region of Sidon to the widow. Yes, she was a gentile. And then He brought up the truth that Elijah had seen many lepers in Israel yet, he was sent to Naaman the Syrian. Yikes! GENTILES! THAT WOULD BITE!

So the kindly folk became hostile and wanted Jesus done away with, so they could continue on in their "own way of living".

We must call upon God and hear Him. We must go and pray and seek His plans for us...........that we would not listen to that "smooth talk"..........to stroke that kitty cat fur, but be willing to take a stand with God and find that plan that brings us to freedom for life, to no longer be captive to the past thing or things or held by that last good word spoken decades ago, but to find the fresh Manna that brings us to life and joy in the Holy Ghost! For truly should that Word was given by God decades ago and not by man, it will surely come to pass. It will be fresh, filling, adding zest to make all of our days of wholeness and peace. We should not be weary in this time of season. We should be looking forward to that hope that is within us. For His Word is given to instruct us, leading us in righteousness that is truth and justice, so that we may carry out His plan for us today. So if something does come our way, it will not be because of sin, because we did not want to hear it, but merely be but a very narrow speed bump as we travel on this journey through life with God taking our hand all of the way HOME!

2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.   NKJV

Let's remember these people as the ones who sinned against God and they were sent into captivity. They ended up in Babylon, which is serving the world in bondage. Today we are the "new man in Christ" when we have received Him as Lord. We are to remain, abide in the truth of what God has given us, so that we are not carried off by idolatry and into sin. Our sight should be kept on the Lord Who has Come and Know that HE IS COMING AGAIN, SOON!

 REMEMBER THAT NOT ONE OF GOD'S WORDS WILL FAIL WHEN HE GIVES IT TO YOU!

Father, we thank You for the opportunity to become the "new man" in Christ.
We are thankful for His crucifixion and that we can have life abundantly now in this lifetime. We truly seek to find YOU in the Word and in prayer to hear You speak truths to us. Help us when we are weak, for YOU make us strong. Help us when we might become weary,  Refresh the weary and satisfy the faint. (Jeremiah 31:25) Father, today we are reminded of that from Hebrews 12:1-5 that we willing throw  off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, so that we run with perseverance the race marked out for us. We fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Even as Jesus endured such opposition from sinful men, may we continue forward, not growing weary or losing heart, but face the tomorrows with courage in our hearts that God is for us. It is in Jesus' name we have prayed.  Amen.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV 

ENDLESS, BLESSED, AND ACTIVE

In recent days, we had been with our grand-daughter, and one word, she kept speaking about in praying for others was "instruments" of God! That word is one that I relish. It means we are instrumental in accomplishing something, to be a part of, and see completion in that "something". Back in June, I had written a prayer for a blog called, "WHAT GREAT LENGTHS", and in it was the words for the kingdom of God that was to be endless, blessed and active.
Our lives certainly should depict that which is of the endless in eternal life with God, thoroughly blessed like Psalm 23 mentions.

Psalm 23:5-6......You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever         NKJV

Has God ever blessed you so much, that everywhere you go, that goodness of God, that mercy is being seen by those who you just passed by, who just saw good from God overflow into their lives when you came into their life? For the verse above states, "that goodness and mercy shall follow me".....you.....us ......when we follow God and His ways. People will see our lives blessed and we are so blessed that we are distributing the overflow of good to others!

Exciting, right?

Philemon 6..............6 I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.  NIV

Being active for the kingdom of God, knowing that it has come, and we have a part in the end time of seeing the harvest of souls. We have our part as the instrument God will use!

That being blessed is receiving that Word of faith and having a trust that God will do what He has said He will do.

Ezekiel  36:33-36..... 33'Thus says the Lord GOD: "On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. 35 So they will say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.' 36 "Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it."                    NKJV

Receiving Jesus as Lord brought us up out of a pit and into marvelous Light of His love. In receiving Him, we receive all that He died on the Cross to give us. We moved from being the desolate land to being something of beauty. In a sense like from above, the garden of Eden. What was wasted and ruined in our lives was changed, and became fortified with the Word of God. The crooked places became straight. 

Luke 3:4-6..............."A voice of one calling in the desert, 

'Prepare the way for the Lord, 

make straight paths for him. 

5 Every valley shall be filled in, 

every mountain and hill made low. 

The crooked roads shall become straight, 

the rough ways smooth. 

6 And all mankind will see God's salvation.'"       NIV

Yes, it was in receiving salvation from God that the desolate became alive, living to be fruitful and see change, not only for ourselves but for others as well.

 In verse 36 of Ezekiel 36.....we see that others, nations (peoples) will see that it is the Lord who has rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate.  "I the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it."

Walking with the Lord, hearing His commands and obeying them brings a blessed life.

Psalm 103:1-5.....Bless the LORD, O my soul;

And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits: 

3 Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases, 

4 Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 

5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. 

NKJV

You and I  have received if we believe. It is His benefits that we have bodies healed, and we are the redeemed from destruction. We have eternity with God that is living in His Presence and not in hell, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Our lives have been crowned...........with His lovingkindness and tender mercies.....so every time we are blessed with more than enough, we can distribute.

 We are the satisfied with youth being restored to us daily when we read that Holy Word. Keeping it before our eyes and walking in those statues that are of righteousness, holiness, justice, and peace.

INSTRUMENTS!
When we think of an instrument, we think of sound. It is what we hear when a violin is being played or when someone strikes keys on the piano. But what happens when God touches our hearts? What sound do we make? When someone crosses our path are we the ACTIVE in sharing our faith in every good thing we have in Christ Jesus?
For what we do here on earth for the kingdom of God will be done for an eternity. We may not know the place, but we certainly know if we are those who pray..........who teach, who exhort, who sing, who give without holding back!
God has government and it is established on Jesus' shoulders. We may not see it right now, but it is still there in the spirit, it is in our hearts who adhere to His teaching, and it EXISTS! AND WHEN JESUS RETURNS, IT WILL COME INTO FULL VIEW!
As an instrument of Jesus, we can speak the word of God and believe that truth will prevail in our lives.  It may take a week, a month or even a few years for something we believe in to occur, but it will happen and will be on God's timing and not ours. He is never late, but always on time!


2 Timothy 2:20-21..........20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 21 If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.       NIV

In closing: Our desire should be that which is of gold or silver, tried in the fire and used for glory of God. If we are the man cleansed from the ignoble things........cleansed from ....that which is unworthy, shameful, despicable....and become that instrument for noble purposes....we are the instruments for.......that which is righteous, virtuous, honorable,  the regal, the striking, the man or woman made in the image of God to live a purposed life. One that is instrumental in God's plan is one who will pray. They are those who submit to wisdom that is from above and begins with a holy life characterized by love. As those instruments, we live right with God and gather as families to communicate God's love to others. In being in the Word of God, we are reminded to put others first daily. Our priorities become those God has for us. AND IT IS DIRECTED TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD THAT IS ENDLESS, BLESSED AND ACTIVE.

NOW THANKS BE TO GOD THE FATHER, WHO ALWAYS CAUSES US TO TRIUMPH IN CHRIST JESUS. AMEN.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV 

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