Jesus Is Lord

 1 Corinthians 12:3

Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the [power and influence of the] Spirit of God can say, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is [my] Lord,” except by [the power and influence of] The Holy Spirit. 

Exodus 17:15

And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi. (The LORD My Banner). 

1 John 4:2-3

By this you will know The Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this time. 

Romans 10:9-10, 13

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him out from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved. ~ For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved. 

    Why is this designation as LORD become so important even in this day and age? To be someone's Lord is to have the rule and mastery over them, as well as the protection and guardianship. To have Lordship is to have the governorship, as Isaiah wrote in  Isaiah 9:6 "...and the government shall be upon His shoulders...". Within His government He is the fulfillment of The Law (Matthew 5:17) and His Law is Love (Romans 13:10). 

    Who declared Jesus Christ Lord to begin with? His Father, Almighty God, gave His only begotten Son Lordship for a time (Psalm 110:1; Mark 12:36; 1 Corinthians 15:24-25). It is His Lordship we desire when we come to Him in faith, believing Him to be God's only begotten Son.       We come in faith with repentant hearts when we need to confess our sins. We come in faith believing that He not only hears the cries of our hearts but longs for us to hear the cry of His heart. We come to Christ as friend to Friend, meeting at the altar which we have set up for Him. Altars can be built anywhere. If that is not possible for you where you are, remember: when we clasp our fingers together, that is our altar, for prayer is where we meet God.

    The altars of the Old Testament were at times set up after the meeting had taken place as a remembrance of that meeting between God and man. As Moses had set up the altar in Exodus 17:15, one of our key verses for today. Moses named his altar THE LORD MY BANNER. Abraham built an altar, too. Genesis 22:1-19. Abraham and his son Isaac walked up a mountain carrying the tools and equipment needed to build the altar and lay the sacrifice. Abraham named his altar THE LORD PROVIDES. 

    We have named our altars, too. We may travel hither and yon, but the memory of where we were when we spoke with God and God revealed Himself to us is our Remembrance. There was a time when my kids were little that we had just enough money coming in to pay the rent and the utilities. But we had no money for food. So we sat together in the kitchen, held hands and prayed for God to bring us something to eat. No sooner had we said Amen than there was a knock on the door. On the porch were some a couple of friends, each with their arms full of groceries. God already knew our need and had prepared in advance to answer our prayers of faith. THE LORD PROVIDES. 

    Therefore with full confidence I may say, as Moses said, THE LORD IS MY BANNER. I will wave His Name across the plains, the mountains, the oceans, the valleys and the lakes. I will carry His Name into battle each time I declare that He Is Lord, for Christ is not just Lord, He is MY LORD. I declare in my heart, in my home, in my family, in my church, in my neighborhood, in my city, in my state, in my country, and beyond, that wherever The LORD leads me, I will go, because He goes with me. 

    JESUS IS LORD. 

JESUS IS  LIFE

LORD OF ALL 

Arming The Spiritual Warrior -- Pray Unceasingly

 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Pray without ceasing.

*Strong's Exhaustive Conc. No. 4336

PRAY: to interact with the Lord by switching human ideas for His own as He imparts faith {divine persuasion} (to us) 

By this definition we see that prayer requires faith and submission to God's will. For in order for my ideas, my thoughts, of what I am praying for to be exchanged for God's desire, I must submit to His Authority, His will, in everything. And I must submit with faith, believing that God will act on my prayer, even if what I am praying for doesn't turn out exactly as I wanted, but exactly as He wants. 

Ephesians 6:18

Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.

Luke 21:36

Watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

*Strong's Exh. Conc. No. 89

WITHOUT CEASING: incessantly; without any unnecessary interval (no gap); uninterruptedly

This is not impossible. A prayer warrior prays at all times of the day throughout his or her day. It is not that they drop what they are doing and kneel somewhere, but the prayer asked for is merely added to the prayers already being prayed internally. Yes, sometimes our lips move and people think we're either talking to ourselves or that we're crazy. 

There are some prayer warriors who not only pray in this way, but also have set times in which they just spend time in prayer with our Lord waiting for His response(s). 

Daniel 6:10

Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

1 Thessalonians 2:13

And we continually thank God because, when you received the Word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as the True Word of God—the Word which is now at work in you who believe.

Romans 12:12

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.

We, the Spiritual Warrior, come to God in prayer, believing He will answer even before we call on His name. 

Isaiah 55:24

And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

Jeremiah 33:3

Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you know not.

We believe God answers the prayers of His people because He hears our prayers. 

1 John 5:15, 16

And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him.

Psalm 145:19

He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.

Matthew 7:7

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

Ephesians 3:12

In Whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him.

So, let us who are of the day, pray unceasingly for God's will to be accomplished; not only in us, but in in the hearts and lives of they whom we are praying for. 

 

Color of Worship-Orange-Yellow

JACINTH

1 Chronicles 12:8, 14

And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains...These were the sons of Gad, captains of the host: one of the least was over an hundred, and the greatest over a thousand.

Deuteronomy 33:20

And of Gad he (Moses) said,

Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: He dwelleth as a lion,

And teareth the arm with the crown of the head.

Depending on which author you read, the precious stone used to symbolize the tribe of Gad is either Sardonyx/Sardine or Jasper. But if the stones were set in the ephod in order of birth, that would make Gad's stone a Ligure. Ligure has been translated as being Amber, Opal, Jacinth and Onyx. 

AMBER

ONYX

Still, while type of stone may seem to be obscure, color variations stay the same. Ligure, Gad's stone, is a bold orange-yellow, which is what we were seeking. 

His name means "A troop overcomes", troop here means 'good fortune' (Genesis 30:11). But the way it is phrased "a troop overcomes" also means 'an overcoming army, a victorious army'. 

In 1 Chronicles 12:14 we read that the least one of the sons of Gad had the ability to overcome one hundred enemy soldiers, while the greatest, or strongest, had the ability to take down 1,000 enemy fighters. A troop overcomes, indeed.

1 Chronicles 12:8 says that these men of Gad separated themselves unto David. What does that mean? They defected, switched sides, to enjoin themselves to David, who was on the run from King Saul. These were "men of might and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler (lance or spear), whose faces were like the faces of lions (fierce), and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains." 

Matthew Henry's Commentary shows us that these men of Gad who joined themselves to David believed that God was with him and came to support him in battle, not like the others who had previously joined him: men who wanted or needed to hide out with David. These men of Gad were strong, efficient warriors and they left their lands to help David fight his battles. I would imagine that just their decision alone encouraged David and strengthened him emotionally, as well. 

And so we come full circle to this Color of Worship: Orange (-Yellow). A bold color that SHOUTS! to the enemy that their Conqueror has arrived. A troop overcomes, indeed. We raise our Banner high, our Banner being JEHOVAH-NISSI THE LORD MY BANNER. We are overcomers when our faith and trust is fully resting on what God can do and not on ourselves. For we know that our only part in any battle is to have faith, and not very much faith either. 

 

Mustard Seed

 

Matthew 17:20 "Faith as small as a mustard seed". The smallest seed in the garden is the one that produces an abundance. The littlest amount of faith in God can move mountains, put enemies to flight, uproot trees, tear down walls and overcome temptations. 

Ephesians 6:10-12 "Finally, my brethren (brothers and sisters in Christ), be strong in The LORD, and in the power of His might. 

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

A little bit of faith is being 'strong in The LORD and in the power of His might.

•  JEHOVAH-CHATSAHI THE LORD MY STRENGTH. (Psalm 27:1)
• JEHOVAH-GANAN THE LORD OUR DEFENSE and
• JEHOVAH-MAGEN THE LORD MY SHIELD (Psalm 89:18 for both)
• JEHOVAH-NAHEH THE LORD WHO SMITES (Ezekiel 7:9)
• JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH THE LORD IS PRESENT                   (Hebrews 13:5)
•  THE LORD IS MY HELPER  (Hebrews 13:6)
• JEHOVAH-'IZOA HAKABOTH THE LORD STRONG AND MIGHTY IN BATTLE (Psalm 24:8)

We are overcomers in every battle because The LORD fights our battles for us, when we let Him. The men of Gad knew that The LORD GOD was with David, so they left Saul's side of the battle and joined forces with David. We have got to stop fighting against God and join forces with Him! We must overcome the temptations that rise against us by THE WORD OF GOD spoken forth from our faith. Speaking Bible verses without backing them up with faith, is useless. Even the devil knows Scripture but it does him no good because he refuses to accept that GOD IS GOD. 

We overcome with THE WORD OF GOD and with The Power of The Holy Spirit of GOD. Both must be evident in our lives that we might truly be the people of God. Our might is pitiful; His might is powerful. Our strength is weak; His strength is magnified. 

Let us walk in victory every step of this journey we are walking with our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! Let us walk by faith and not by sight. Let us walk in our integrity, in His light, in His WORD. 

Jerusalem Belongs to GOD

2 Chronicles 6:6 "But I have chosen Jerusalem that My Name might be there; and have chosen David to be over My people Israel."

Jerusalem belongs to GOD. Israel belongs to GOD. To declare war on either is to declare war on GOD.

The Word of GOD tells us to 'Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" in Psalm 122:6 and "Pray for the salvation of Israel" in Romans 10:1.

Let us pray earnestly and fervently.

Praise The Lord

2 Chronicles 20 - links to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Scriptures, where you can see meaning of all words, phrases.

Not until the people called upon The Lord God did they get to hear from God, and do God's will (follow God's directions), did they get the victory in the battle that was before them. The enemy against them was of greater force than their armies. Fear began to take hold, but instead of falling on each other, or trying to fight on their own, they sought God in His house. All of Judah, all of Jerusalem came together to seek God and know God's answer. And when they ceased from speaking, they waited. Until God's reply came through one of God's prophets, when The Spirit of The Lord came upon him. "Listen to me. Do not be afraid, nor dismayed: this is not your battle, but Mine," says God through Jahaziel, "Tomorrow go down....near the wilderness. Set yourself in place, take your stand, and see the salvation of The Lord."

At least three nations' worth of armed forces were about to invade Judah and Jerusalem without provocation. For when God had brought His people into the lands initially, He had kept them from invading Moab and Ammon. But here, Moab and Ammon, and descendants of Ammon, decide they will get rid of this people. And what do you think happened? What always happens when God's chosen are come against?

1. God's people come to God's house
2. Seeking God's direction in matters such as this
3. God's people wait for God's reply
4. Praise The Lord for His Word
5. Then do what God tells them to do
6. That Victory might be theirs, also

Regardless of the hour in which God's people are come against, the solution is to seek God's face in your hour of need, and do what God tells you to do. The words of Jehoshaphat ) to Judah and Jerusalem? Early in the morning all they who were come against obeyed The Word of The Lord. Into the wilderness, the battleground, they went. Including the women and children. Jehoshaphat gave this word, now and for ever: "Believe in The Lord your God, so shall you be established (grounded, set on firm foundation); believe His prophets, so shall you prosper (grow, go out)." He chose singers to praise The Lord. All the people worshipped God in that wilderness. Can you imagine the looks their enemies gave each other? Surprise and laughter, perhaps would be a first impression, right? What if you came against your enemy singing God's praises? As that person would take aim to plant one on you, imagine him hitting himself. Now who's laughing?

But that's what happened. As the people sang God's praises, and praised Him for His endless mercies, The Lord God pitted their enemies against each other instead of against God's people. And when Judah came to the watch tower, where one could see for miles if enemies were approaching, he saw no one standing. Nothing but dead bodies every where. Not a single enemy was left standing.

It took them three days to remove all the goodies from the dead. {God's people don't waste anything.)  On the fourth day, they blessed The Lord. With music and singing, they returned to Jerusalem to God's house to worship The Lord. And God gave Jehoshaphat peace in his time, that no one came against the nations Judah and Jerusalem until his death.

That's why we praise The Lord. We believe in The Name of The Lord God for our salvation and foundation. We believe His prophets and our souls prosper, we grow in The Word of The Lord. We can go into God's presence and out again without fear of dying, for we have God's favor upon us. We seek God's will, God's direction for our lives. We wait on His reply before we do anything. We have prayer meetings and gather together in God's house. We worship God together, praise God together, bless God together. We don't do anything alone. We do it together. We are not God's persons, we are God's people. Fear is not our focus, God is.


We have set ourselves in place, we have taken our stand. And we will not back down, nor shall we retreat. For God is in this place and the battle is His. 

Lost Soul Valley

Written a few years back, after I moved to Kenosha, WI from a neighboring county. It has a haunting melody. When I listen to just the music being played back for me, this one sounds like it's coming from the waterfall way up high, echoing the cry of God's heart, for His people to be saved.

 

Firedancer

When the Spirit of the Lord hits me,
I am filled, I am filled.


When the Spirit of the Lord lifts me,
I am healed, I am healed.

I am filled with awe and wonder
I am healed with joy and grace
I am dancing deep in spirit
For I walk in power in this place


When the Spirit of the Lord is on me
I can sing in power and peace
For the Lord my God, my Creator
Lives and breathes inside of me.


I am filled with awe and wonder
I am healed with joy and grace
I am dancing deep in spirit
For I walk in power in this place

I am filled, I am healed




For the flame of God within me
Is consuming all of me
That the light of my Salvation
Is the only life you see


I am filled, I am healed


I am filled with awe and wonder
I am healed with joy and grace
I am dancing deep in spirit
For I walk in power in this place


~No weapon formed against me
Shall ever overcome
For the Spirit of God within me
Has made himself at home
I have risen from the ashes
He has clothed me with Himself
A crown of life adorns my head
And a Sword is in my mouth~


I am filled, I am healed


For the glory of God sustains me
He is my Honey and my Wine
He is the Bread of my existence
He is the Life that ever shines

I am filled, I am healed

I am filled with awe and wonder

I am healed with joy and grace

I am dancing deep in spirit

For I walk in power in this place

I am filled

I am healed

Fully Clothed

     Well, I went to church last night. And the whole sermon was meant for me. Yesterday's blog, I was so exhausted, it was a cry for help on my part and also an encouragement because it reminded you that I am just a person, too. Everyone gets tired at some point; it's natural. But to be exhausted to the point where thought and motion are next to impossible, that's different. 
     Ephesians 6:10-20 describes the armor a Christian is to wear each time we go begin our day, every day. Because every day that we remain in God's will we are a double threat to Satan. Knowing this we need to exercise great wisdom and strength in overcoming his tactics against us; one of which is 'weariness'. What I have been feeling for the last few days is exactly that: weariness. Until now.
I got the message I needed to hear and I got the rest I so badly craved; 1 1/2 hours of the Word of God preached (and taking notes) and 10-12 hours of rest.

     This a small example of the armor a Roman soldier would wear. The armor Paul instructs us to put on is compared to this. Half of his ministry he was in prison, guarded by Roman soldiers. (Think how many of them came to know Christ through Paul's witness and faithful testimony!) Knowing what the Roman soldier needed to protect himself, Paul was able to line up each piece of our spiritual armor on that same scale. As each of them needed to dress himself daily, so do we also need to wear the full armor of God. 
     BREASTPLATE: Protection. Worn on the back and the front, it is held together on the sides and the shoulders; on the sides with straps; on the shoulders with metal shoulder pads. Protects the back (kidney, spleen, spine), the front (heart, lungs, ribs) and the sides (liver, pancreas, abdomen). This part of the armor is so heavy that they needed to help each other put it on. Underneath the breastplate, a soldier wears a protective garment, called a tunic, which reached to the middle of his thigh.
     GIRDLE: Protection. It would have been more than just a belt. The higher the rank, the more costly the item. Decorated leather strips hung down from the middle of the belt to protect the soldier's manhood. Other strips would hang down all the way around the belt, like a leather skirt, protecting the hips and thighs. The higher the rank, the prettier or more decorated the girdle. These belts jangled when the soldiers marched to warn their enemy that they were approaching, giving the enemy an opportunity to flee the vicinity.  
     HELMET: Protection. Centurions and other officers wore crests on top of their helmets so the other soldiers would know who to follow in battle. The helmet protects the head, the neck and the sides of the face. 
     SHOES: Protection and Weapon. Their shoes were made of leather. The topside of the sole had leather straps attached to it which were laced across the foot and up the leg, tying in the back of the calf. While some soldiers wore greaves which reached over the knee and up the thigh, most wore a shorter greave which covered the calf up to the knee. This would protect them from falling down and being killed if the enemy stabbed their legs. For marching purposes the underside of the sole had metal studs, to make them last longer. In times of battle, some could switch shoes to ones that had a metal spike attached. This gave them the ability to grip the ground and fight better. The spike could also be used as a weapon. Either by lifting that leg and striking out, or if the soldier had fallen he could still lash out at his enemy and do some damage. 
     SWORD: Protection and Weapon. A short sword (18"-24"), it was used in hand to hand combat in the crush of battle. Worn close to the hip it was always at hand. Kept sharpened it could wreak havoc on the enemy. 
     SHIELD: Protection and Weapon. The Roman soldier's shield was the nearly the full length of his body. It was rectangular and rounded, able to protect the soldier not only from a frontal attack, but from the side also. Some shields had decorations on the front, showing where each unit was from. Sometimes they would raise the shield above their heads, together, giving them protection from an aerial assault in the mountain areas of battle. 

     And just how does knowing all this about a Roman soldier's armor help us today? Each piece of armor is also needed in our daily walk, our daily battle with God's enemy, the devil. And all of us need to be wearing it.
     Ephesians 6:10-17 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

     Now we are ready. Ready to face the day. Ready to face the enemy. Ready to win. 

Worth the Wait

     As I was telling my friend Jean earlier: "The harder it is to get there, the more I need to be there." She had asked if I was going to church tonight. I try to get to church every time the doors are open. But some days are more of a challenge. I actually got to bed by a little after 10pm last night and slept all night. But I doubt I rested, because I got up for an hour at 8am but laid back down at 9 and didn't wake up until 12:45pm. The body needs more than sleep; it needs rest. And I am not getting any. Yet. The journey is worth the wait.

     But I will soon. My body is exhausted. Every step groans of itself. I sit down to read and the pages blur, my eyes close and I take these little catnaps. And then I am revived for awhile. I stretch my legs out on the recliner, extend my arms, wiggle my fingers: massage my body from the hips down and stand up. Talking to God the whole time.


     You may think I am talking to myself cause you see my lips moving. I ask you, "Why talk to myself, when I can talk to the One who made me?" And He listens. Why does God listen to me when I talk to Him? Great is His faithfulness. For He has said He will never leave me nor forsake me. He turns His ear towards me to hear me. I yawn. And yet our time together is not yet done.


     God guides me to my bed, my resting place. Sometimes I fall asleep while praying and sometimes I fall asleep while singing. These last three nights I have woke up singing Mercy Me's Bring the Rain. This is not a restful song. And though I know this song by heart, it is not one I would have chosen to wake up to. For it gives the message of preparedness to be at the forefront of the battle. And you and I both know that we are seldom at our best first thing in the morning. Nonetheless, there it is. Even before the sun rises, the song flows into my spirit. 


     Where I am currently in life was a destination of times past. But this leg of the journey is not the end of the road. I haven't crossed the finish line yet; I'm still running, figuratively speaking of course. If my thoughts linger on the weight of the race, I become more tired. And though a nap would be good right now, I would not get up in time for church. And the dreams.


     If the dreams were good, maybe then I'd get some rest. But I must needs carry my Sword into spiritual battle even in my sleep. Which is why I probably wake up exhausted instead of rested. I am attacked on every level. And I need help repelling the enemy wherever he tries to invade. Even my rest. In Nehemiah, every family worked together to repair the walls and the gates around Jerusalem. And when they were come against by those who did not want to see a united Israel, they rotated who would do the work of the Lord and who would defend those who worked. 


     Where is that? Who fights while some work, some rest. For they rotated in shifts. By working together in this fashion, they were able to complete the building of the walls and gates in 52 days. Because God was on their side. And when their enemies saw that God was on Israel's side, they ceased their attacks. Their journey was worth the wait. 


    And so is ours.