Warrior of The Word - Ephesians 6:10

 

 

Ephesians 6:10

Finally, my brethren,

be strong in The Lord, 

and in the power of His might.

    Finally. A last word before I sign off. Remember this. 

To my brethren: my brothers and sisters in Christ. 

    Be strong in The Lord. Not just be strong in and of yourselves, but IN THE LORD. How do we be strong in The Lord? 

• Declare our trust in Him - Psalm 28:7; Proverbs 3:5
• Admit He is our Strength, our Shield - Psalm 28:7; Deuteronomy 33:29
• Live according to The Spirit - 2 Corinthians 5:7; Galatians 5:25; Isaiah 42:16

    And in the power of His might. What is the power of The Lord's might? The Holy Spirit of God. It is the active, moving Word of God crossing into and overcoming the thresholds of darkness in cultural warfare and occultism. This power overcomes tradition and ethnicity boundaries (that's how we've always done it). Especially when those boundaries worship a different god than God. 

    This living power of God breaks down the walls of occultism and declares war on the dark spirits who surround the men and women who are stuck in its trappings. We speak with the authority given us against: witchcraft, sorcery and divination. We pray deliverance for those who practice necromancy: communication with the dead. 

    We pray against the spirits who lead people such as mediums, seers and oracles, into divining the future through means other than the prophetic Word of God. And we pray against their manipulation of The Word of God, for that is how the serpent tricked Eve. He questioned God's Word (Did God really say that?) Genesis 3:1. 

    The power of His might is still moving, still active, still living, still going into the darkest recesses of men's and women's hearts and minds. He is reaching out to draw others out of the darkness of this world into "His marvelous Light" by speaking words of love, words of grace, words of mercy, words of peace in Christ through His people. Us. 

    

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Two

 

Luke 11:2

And He said, "When you pray, say, 

'Our Father Who is in heaven, 

hallowed be Your Name. Your kingdom come, 

Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.'" 

    Our Father. Abba, Father. Acknowledging the relationship we have with God now through our faith in Jesus Christ. Let us come boldly and with the confidence that our heavenly Father not only will hear us, but answer us.

    Who is in heaven. Our heavenly Father always loves us, never leaves us, waits patiently for our return when we wander, and is preparing His home for our eternal stay. 

    Hallowed be His Name. Holy, unblemished, sanctified, consecrated, set apart. We recognize the holiness of God in our prayers to Him. For His Word tells us that He is holy and wants us to be holy. Lord, make me holy is a strong prayer and you'd better be ready for the process while you wait for the result.

    His kingdom come. God's kingdom, founded through His Son Jesus Christ, advancing through the power of His Holy Spirit. After we have first prayed for our salvation, let us now pray for the salvation of all others. Let us pray for the salvation of our families, our friends, our enemies, the strangers among us, those in authority over us. 

    His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. With utmost obedience and radiant joy let us learn God's will that we may know it and obtain it for ourselves. Let us be as eager to hear God speak and obey His will, as His angels are ready to obey when He speaks. 

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part One

 

Luke 11:1

And it came to pass, that, 

as He was praying in a certain place, 

when He ceased, 

one of His disciples said unto Him, 

"Lord, teach us to pray,

 as John also taught his 

disciples."

Where do we go when we want to learn how to pray to our heavenly Father God? We go to Jesus, The One in Whom we have placed our trust for salvation. We go to our Lord, The One Whom we have surrendered our hearts and given our lives to. And we ask the first simple question that brings us into the presence of God, when we pray.

We have to be willing to learn, for the confidence of the statement is, 'teach us'. The unwilling heart cannot learn anything, not even a simple prayer.

'To Pray' Lord, teach us to talk to God that He may hear our prayers.

The Great Commission

 

Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in The Name of The Father and of The Son and of The Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”

    We first make disciples of Christ when we tell somebody our testimony of saving faith in Christ. We tell them Who Jesus is, why Jesus came to us, and how much Jesus loves each and every one of us. 

    We teach these new disciples how to live a Christ-centered life, and Who The Holy Spirit is, for it is He Who trains us in holiness living.
    We baptize these new disciples, fully immerse them, in water, in public. Sometimes right out in the open, sometimes within a church's building.
    We who have made an independent, conscious choice to believe in The Name of Jesus Christ for our salvation also want to tell the world right away by being baptized in whatever water is available. It is this baptism that symbolizes we are dying to what we want and living for what God wants.
    We learn what God wants us to know when we attend Sunday School, not only as children, but attending adult Bible Classes. Some are able to have church services every night of the week, with different studies and prayer meetings for each night.
If we hunger and thirst for the things of God, we will always find God's people ready and eager to help satisfy us. I am thankful I had a couple of strong role models for Sunday School teachers when I was a youth and a teenager; one of whom was my Mom. 

    Leaving us with that last reminder, that God never leaves us to do this all on our own: He is always with us. His Light leads us and His mercy and goodness follow us. His Word is a fire burning within us and we must tell as many people as we can about God's great Love and Mercy and the grace that awaits them if only they, too, would believe. 

SO IN LOVE -Isla Vista Worship

Warrior of The Word - Waging War

 

2 Corinthians 10:3

For though we live in the flesh, 

we do not wage war according to the flesh.

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in The Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Ephesians 6:12

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

    We wage war with our prayers and with our worship to The Living God, Who is The Creator of All Things, Who is The Father of The Only Begotten Son; Who is our heavenly Father, Whom we can approach freely and frequently through The Son Jesus Christ.

    We wage war on our knees, with our tears and our hearts. But we do not wage war alone. When we begin to pray earnestly, God hears the first urgent breath before the words are ever spoken, if there are words to speak.

    We wage war together, when we pray with each other and for each other. Even if we do not know one another in this life, in Christ we are known, for we are His body. From the cellular structure inside to the outer appearance, we are the body of Christ, and we all need prayer to continue the work which God has given to each one of us. 

    We wage war when we speak with the authority which Christ has within us, when we declare triumph over injury, over sickness, over death. We pray that The Lord God bind our winds, heal our diseases and raise our dead to the advancement of His kingdom and for His glory, honor and praise. 

    We wage war when we pray for those who are dying without first believing and knowing Him. We pray for our missionaries who are willing to go to foreign nations to share the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ; even sharing with those who hate them for speaking The Name of Jesus. 

    We wage war when we pray for our church leaders. We pray for them to be Holy Spirit filled men and women of God. We pray for them to lead faithful and faith-filled lives that they would continue to lead God's churches in the way He would have them to lead. Our churches do not need to be bigger: they need to be fuller, so full that they spill into the streets, the byways, the highways and the alleys. 

    We wage war against spiritual darkness. We pray against witchcraft. We pray against star-sun-moon worship. We pray against tarot. We pray against fortune telling, psychics and the all-seeing eye. We pray against vengeance and bitterness. We pray against lust on every level. We pray against prideful hearts. Whomever we are praying for specifically, we pray against whatever is taking them away from knowing and believing and living The Lord Jesus Christ.

    We pray against anything that is not of God and The Lord Jesus Christ with the full knowledge that we are entering the arena of darkness with a quiver full of Holy Spirit power (arrows) and Word of God knowledge (bow). 

    We do not wage war lightly, for war of any kind is fraught with danger. One little setback could become a retreat. But we will not retreat. We will pray. 

    Let us pray even now for The Spirit of The Living God to have His way in us and in the people we are praying for. 

Warrior of The Word - His Word on My Tongue

 

2 Samuel 23:2

The Spirit of The LORD spoke through me; 

His Word was on my tongue.

    What a sweet exercise in faithfulness to our God. Some of the last words of King David of Israel are here written for our benefit. Here he remembers where he came from, his journey to kingship, and his life's work: songs of praise to His God.

In verses 3 and 4 David describes the office of an anointed kingship:

    3. The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God.

    4. He is like dawn's first light, like bright sun blazing on a cloudless morning, glistening on grassland that flourishes after a rain shower.'

These are the words of wisdom spoken by King David to his son Solomon as the crown is set upon Solomon's head. The sad words of warning came next.

    5. Although my house be not so with God; yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although He make it not to grow.

    King David knew that though not all in his household were living in righteousness, that he had an everlasting covenant with God. And though it was his desire to see his household have this same covenant relationship with God, he knew that just wasn't going to be possible, for some of his sons had already rebelled against his crown and authority. (2 Samuel 18;1 Kings 1:5)

    Would that our nation would have an anointed ruler over it, whose authority and rulership were a blessing and a glory to the land. We must pray for the leadership of our country, that it would have the courage to hear and obey The Word of God, trusting in God and following His direction, even if it appears foolish to everyone else.

    We pray for the salvation of our leadership, and the indwelling power of God's Holy Spirit to direct them in the way they should go.

    We pray for evidence of these two things in their lives, both personal and public. We pray that our leadership serve with honor and integrity, leading our country with grace and dignity.

    And we pray for their families, that they, too, would believe that Jesus Christ is Lord; that there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved; that they choose to live a life of faith in God, serving and loving him with all their hearts.

And we pray for ourselves, to serve God in Truth and Mercy, living lives that honor Him and His Word in His Spirit. May we, too, be filled with gratitude for all that our God has done, and is doing, in us and in the people around and over us. 

Amen.

    

Names of God - 'EL

 

Isaiah 45:22

“Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I Am God, and there is no other."

LOOK TO GOD FOR OUR SALVATION

Proverbs 4:27

Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove your foot from evil. (Deuteronomy 5:22)

Matthew 7:13, 14

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. For strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it."

John 10:9

 "I Am The Gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture."

Isaiah 55:7

Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to The LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.

Hebrews 4:14

Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus The Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess. 

John 20:31

But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is The Christ, The Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name.

Acts 4:11, 12

This Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Hebrews 12:2

Looking unto Jesus The Author And Finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

GOD IS GOD

Deuteronomy 4:35

You were shown these things so that you would know that The LORD Is God; there is no other besides Him.

Psalm 86:10

For You are great and perform wonders; You alone are God.

2 Samuel 7:22

How great You are, O Lord GOD! For there is none like You, and there is no God but You, according to everything we have heard with our own ears.

Isaiah 44:6

Thus says The LORD, The King and Redeemer of Israel, The LORD of Hosts: “I Am The First and I Am The Last, and there is no God but Me."

Revelation 1:8,17, 18

“I am The Alpha and The Omega, The Beginning and The Ending,” says The Lord, “Who is and Who was and Who is to come, The Almighty.”

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am The First and The Last, I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."

Deuteronomy 32:39

"See now that I Am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand."

Exodus 3:14

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

Isaiah 43:10, 11

“You are My witnesses,” declares The LORD, “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may consider and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed, and after Me none will come. I, yes I, Am The LORD, and there is no Savior but Me.

1 Corinthians 8:6

Yet for us there is but one God, The Father, from Whom all things came and for Whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through Whom all things came and through Whom we exist.

John 17:3 (Jesus' prayer in the garden before His arrest)

Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, The Only True God, and Jesus Christ, Whom You have sent.

Warrior of The Word - His Word in My Mouth

 

Jeremiah 1:9

Then The LORD reached out His hand, 

touched my mouth, and said to me: 

"Behold, I have put My Words in your mouth."

Matthew 10:20

For it will not be you speaking, but The Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Acts 2:4

And they were all filled with The Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as The Spirit enabled them.

2 Peter 1:21

For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

    The Lord is still speaking to those who will listen to and obey His Word. He is still calling us to "Come, hear what I am saying; do what I am calling you to do." And we respond, "Yes, Lord".

Warrior of The Word

 

 

1 Peter 4:11

If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying The Words of God. 

If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to Whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

    It is not possible to speak The Word of God in Truth unless we have The Spirit of God living in us, working in and through us, to empower us with God's strength. He is the fresh Wind which blew through the upper rooms where 120 disciples of Christ waited for The Promise of The Comforter to arrive and aid them in the advancement of God's kingdom. 

    Unless He is leading us to study out for ourselves that we may know God and His Christ more fully day by day, we are reading our Bibles without understanding and our ability to learn is faulty. For we have not the Fire of God burning within us, calling us out of the darkness of our hearts and this world, into the Light of God's presence. 

    Come to the cross and see Jesus. Look up at Him and say, as the Centurion soldier did, "Truly this Man was The Son of God".  But let us say, "Truly this Man IS The Son of God!" Embrace the cross of Christ, the blood-stained symbol of humility and death and forgiveness. For it is here that we are forgiven when we repent of our sins against God. 

    Come to the garden and see Jesus. Draw near to Him, as Mary did, when He spoke her name. For He speaks your name even now. Being God and The Word of God wrapped in flesh, He was able to overcome death, hell and the grave, walking out of the tomb (leaving it empty) and into a resurrected body, a glorified body; as 'the firstfruits of God'. The only God Who died for all of us also conquered death for all of us. 

    Come to the upper room and see He Whom Jesus has sent to us. Be prepared. Out of the thousands who followed Jesus only 120 men and women were now gathered together in fellowship and prayer, waiting for the arrival of The Comforter. They did not know what or who to expect, nor how this Comforter would arrive. But they were neither afraid, nor fearful. 

    Come to Jesus. Come to The Word. Come and see. 

The Color of Worship - White

Revelation 3:5

Like them, he who overcomes will be dressed in white. And I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels. 

Romans 13:14

Instead, clothe yourselves with The Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

CHRIST OUR COVERING

    White is the color of righteousness, for Christ Jesus is our righteousness. We are made right with God through the atoning power of the blood of God's Lamb. And when we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, we are taking upon ourselves Hisself. We are choosing to be His own people. Therefore, His righteousness is the white spiritual covering with which we are covered. 

    Galatians 3:27

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

    Colossians 3:9-11

Do not lie to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all and is in all. 

    Ephesians 4:17-32 speaks of how we are to be changed once the covering of Christ is upon us. For the purpose of this study, we go to verse 24 (Amplified Bible) "And put on the new self [the regenerated and renewed nature], created in God’s image, [godlike] in the righteousness and holiness of The Truth [living in a way that expresses to God your gratitude for your salvation]."

CHANGED FROM GLORY TO GLORY

    2 Corinthians 3:18

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of The Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from The Lord, Who is The Spirit. 

    2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, Who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His Light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

    Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

    1 John 3:2

Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.

    

The Color of Worship - Silver

 2 Corinthians 6:16, 17

What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of The Living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” 

“Therefore come out from among them and be separate," says The Lord. "Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 

    Silver is the color of sanctification, of purification, of being set apart {separated from} for The Lord's glory and purpose. Thirty pieces of silver was the redemption price of both slave {Exodus 21:32}and under-valued shepherd. {Zechariah 11:10-13; Matthew 26:15; 27:3-10}. 

    In Zechariah 11:10-14 silver shekels forewarn of the breaking of two covenants because of their refusal to listen to Him. The first covenant broken was the covenant of peculiarity, of being singled out by God to be His own {Zechariah 11:10; Matthew 21:43; Romans 11:20-22}. The second covenant broken {Zechariah 11:14; Jeremiah 19:1-13; Matthew 27:9} was the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. No longer would they get along with each other in brotherly love, but now they hate each other because of the abundance of sin in their camps, in their hearts.  

    Only in Christ have the two covenants been restored. Only in Christ has God redeemed a people who were not His own. Only in Christ has God redeemed His elect, the people He called to be His own though they rejected Him time and again. Only in Christ can we love one another with the love of Christ. Only in Christ is anything made possible that seems impossible. 

SANCTIFICATION 

    Hebrews 9:22

According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

    Exodus 30:11-16 tells us that the silver given for the building of the tabernacle was the atonement price paid to ransom each man's life who consented to being numbered in the census. Therefore silver represents the atoning power of Christ to redeem us from sin and death. 

    Romans 3:25 - Christ Our Atoning Sacrifice

God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.

    1 John 2:2

He Himself is The Atoning Sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. {John 3:16} 

    1 John 4:10

And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as The Atoning Sacrifice for our sins.

    Hebrews 2:17

For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, in order to make atonement for the sins of the people. 

PURIFICATION

    1 Peter 1:22

Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.

    Zechariah 13:9

This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My Name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’” [Hosea 2:23; Jeremiah 31:33]

    1 Peter 1:6, 7

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

SEPARATED

    1 Peter 2:9 

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

     1 Thessalonians 2:4

 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, Who tries our hearts.

    2 Timothy 2:15

Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles The Word of Truth. 

    2 Corinthians 10:18

For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

    Jeremiah 9:24

But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.

    

    

    

    

    

    

Names of Christ - Son of Man

ANTHROPÓS HUIS 

(pronounced AN-thro-pos hwee-os')

SON OF MAN 

Mark 9:31

For He taught His disciples, and said to them, "The Son of Man is delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."

    Every time the phrase 'Son of Man' is used in the four gospels, it is used by Jesus Himself to reinforce that He is both God and man. It is a Messianic phrase reminding us that He is God's Son and man's son at the same time. 

[Matthew 12:8; 26:24, 64] [Mark 8:31; 9:12, 31; 14:21]

 [Luke 9:22; 22:22] [John 5:27; 12:34] 

    Daniel prophesied in Daniel 7:13, 14 of seeing The Son of Man with The Ancient of Days: "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, One like The Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to The Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

    In His flesh He will die, yet in His divinity He will overcome death and hell, and rise from the grave, throwing off the encumbrances of the flesh. He will ascend on clouds into the eternal presence of His Father, and be seated at His right hand. But first, He must die. 

    Not because of His divinity, but because He will bear the weight of the punishment of sins that have been committed by all the world since sin first began in man. From the time Adam and Eve sinned until the last man and woman have sinned, the massive weight will be placed on His shoulders, and the presence of sin on Himself will cause God to turn away from His only begotten Son. {Matthew 27:45, 46; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 8:3; Philippians 2:7, 8; Isaiah 53:6} 

    Two nights and three days His body will lie in the grave. But on the third day He will rise, just as He had said that He would. But not in the body that He had died in. Does a flower bring it's seed with it when it blooms? No. The seed goes into the ground and breaks apart to shoot the stem up through the ground where it will bloom, spreading its fragrance in the wind. He rose in a new, glorified body.

    So, too, will the righteous rise out of the ground with new bodies, as Christ did. For He could not allow Himself to be touched in His glorified body as it was. (He was sinless in life, in death and in the resurrection. Sin no longer covered Him for He had overcome sin's malicious grasp.) John 20:17, Jesus speaking to Mary, "Jesus said to her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God." 

    I tell you now that you may hear, The Son of Man is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. He died for me and for you. By faith in His Name (Ephesians 2:8, 9; Romans 10:9, 10, 13) we are saved from sin's punishment: death and hell, which shall also be destroyed. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Revelation 19:5-15 describes the second resurrection of the dead and their eternal reward. I tell you now it is  better to be in the first resurrection of the dead. 

THE SON OF MAN - The Belonging Co. & Andrew Holt

    

    

Prayer Cards - Prayers of The Saints

 

Revelation 5:8

When He had taken the scroll,

 the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders

fell down before The Lamb. 
Each one had a harp, 

and they were holding golden bowls full of incense,

which are the prayers of the saints. 

    So much going on in this verse, but we are centralizing today's study on the last five words: the prayers of the saints. With that thought in mind let us first see what denotes a saint. We cannot use the dictionary for this, as it is opposed to what a saint is according to the Bible/Scriptures. 

    Strong's Exhaustive Concordance describes "saint" as: unlike any other, different (distinguished/distinct), likeness of nature with The Lord because [it means] different from the world, set apart (for God)

    Are saints only in the New Testament? No. Saints are mentioned in the Old Testament, as well. Here in Daniel 7:18 "saints" refers to "the holy ones (of God)", they who are set apart for God's purpose because they have chosen to believe in and obey The God of Israel, Almighty God. Following this definition there were many saints spoken of in the Old Testament. This verse is Psalms tells us best:    

    Psalm 64:10  The righteous shall be glad in The LORD, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory (exult).

    ~The people whom God has chosen for His own are not always saints. Too many times people reject God as their God. They refuse to obey His Will, will not acknowledge His Word and rebel against His Spirit. They set up their own gods (idols) to worship and pray to. They bring their gifts and offerings to empty nothingness and their prayers will not be heard by The True God, The Living God.~

    God chose to send His only Begotten Son into the world to save the world, the whole world not just parts of it. But we need to choose Him back. It is not enough to say, 'I believe in God', we must also choose to be obedient to His Word and listen to His Holy Spirit, Who will lead us on the path of holiness and transform us into levels of holiness until we meet God face to face. It's not an easy life path to walk, but it's definitely worth the effort. 

    John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in The Name of the only begotten Son of God." 

    -The saints of The Most High reject evil, and love The Lord - Psalm 97:10

    -The holy ones sit at His feet and receive His Word - Deuteronomy 33:3

    -The blessed of The Father will inherit a kingdom He has prepared - Matthew 25:34

    -The blameless have an inheritance that will last forever - Psalm 37:18

    -A kingdom and priests who serve God - Revelation 5:10

    -Priests of God and Christ over whom the second death 

    has no power - Revelation 20:6

    -Sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus - Galatians 3:26

    What are prayers? A subject we speak of almost everyday. Forty-seven days and counting so far. We have learned thus far that prayers are our vital source of communication with our God. We commune with Him. 

    Psalm 77:6 I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. (KJV) 

    Other versions translate this word 'commune' as: search my soul (NLT), mused (BSB), with my heart I conversed (BLB), meditate in my heart (ESV), think very carefully (NET Bible), consider in my heart (New Heart English Bible). 

    When we pray to our God, we don't always use words. In fact, it isn't always just us speaking to God from deep within in our hearts: His Spirit within us reaches out to the heart of God in His own voice. Romans 8:26 'In the same way, The Spirit helps us in our weakness (infirmities). For we do not know how we ought to pray, but The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.' 

    The prayers of the saints are the prayers that have reached God's hearing, gotten His attention and are motivated by the love of God within us. We desire to see His kingdom come. We long to see our families, our friends, and our communities filled with the knowledge of saving grace through faith in The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ. 

    Our prayers move mountains, obstacles we sometimes see as impassable, but know and believe that our Lord will move for us through our faith in Him. That mustard seed faith that makes mountains move from one place to another (Matthew 17:20); that causes mountains to be wet and sunken under water (Mark 11:23). 

    Our prayers are constant (1 Thessalonians 5:17). From our waking to our resting, our hearts and our minds are focused on interceding for everyone. These prayers are not just for people we know, but people we don't know. We pray that the gospel message is delivered everywhere, that all may know The Name by which all men must be saved. 

    I am a saint. And I'm praying for you. 

NOT IN A HURRY - Will Reagan/United Pursuit

    

 

It Is Written - Speak The Word

 

It Is Written

    Words that force The Word of God to remind the enemy of God that GOD IS and THERE IS NONE OTHER. That His Word is powerful. And strong enough to repel every attack which is come upon His people. 

It Is Written - House of Prayer

    Matthew 21:13 And said unto them, "It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."

    A reminder to God's people that we are His houses of prayer.

~MESSIANIC PROPHECY~

It Is Written - Numbered With The Transgressors

    Luke 22:37 "For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, 'And He was reckoned among the transgressors': for the things concerning Me have an end."

    Many prophecies concerning the coming Messiah which had been written by the prophets were being fulfilled in Jesus' time because He Is The Messiah. Events which foreshadowed His life and His mission are written in The Old Testament. For example, when Adam and Eve sinned the first sin, blood had to cover their sin. So, the first physical death was an animal of God's choosing. I think it may have been a young lamb; simply because an unblemished, perfect lamb had to be sacrificed at the temple to cover the sins of the people every year. And we know that Jesus is God's perfect Lamb (John 1:29). 

~CHRIST'S TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS~

It Is Written - Man Lives By Every Word of God

    Matthew 4:3. 4 The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are The Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

It Is Written - Do Not Tempt God

    Matthew 4:5-7 Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt The LORD your God.’ ”

It Is Written - Worship God 

    Matthew 4:8-10 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” “Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’ ”

    When Satan, the devil, tempts God's people, we can rebuke Him with The Word that is within us, for Christ Jesus lives in us by faith in His Name. We cannot let hunger of any kind, or hopelessness in any situation, or fame, greed get inside our hearts, for we would lose the righteousness of God. We must stand firm in our faith in The Word of God, filling our hearts and our minds with every Word of God which He speaks to us. 

~FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD~

It Is Written - God Frustrates The Intelligent

    1 Corinthians 1:19, 20 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

It Is Written - The Righteous Live By Faith

    Romans 1:17 For the gospel reveals The Righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

It Is Written - Christ Came to Be The Ultimate Sacrifice For Sin

    Hebrews 10:7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ ”

It Is Written - All Will Be Taught By God

    John 6:46 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

    Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.

    Proverbs 2:6 For The LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 

    John 8:47a Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. 

    Do you hear the words of God?