Podcasts about o father

God Empowers the Weak (1)  (audio) David Eells, 9/6/26 To all those who have struggled to please the Lord and do His Will, I want to share with you some good news. It will be a rest and refreshing, a casting down of the burden of salvation, in all its many facets, by self-works. It is not in ourselves to do these things but in Him. Personal strength and determination will not be enough. As a matter of fact, it will get in our way and His. He will wait until we give up so that He may give the free gift through faith that He also supplies. So, ask for faith. Gideon was faced with an army that was “like locusts for multitude.” He gathered together all the manpower at his disposal. All of this human strength stood in the Lord's way of doing a miracle for His glory. Man would certainly take the credit, and then others would not see the true source of our physical and spiritual salvation. (Jdg.7:2) And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. At this point, the Lord proceeded to choose only 300 men and then gave them trumpets for weapons. In the natural, there was none weaker than this army. Now the Lord could show that His “power is made perfect in weakness.” And what of David, who was naturally the youngest, smallest and weakest of Jesse's sons? When Samuel anointed him with the power of the Spirit, he went on to slay Goliath with a sling in the very next chapter. How often is this scenario repeated through the Scriptures so that we might know that weakness is a true strength when it qualifies us for the Lord's power. We should refuse to size up the opposition, knowing that when the “odds” are against us, they are in our favor. Our victory is assured by the fact that it was accomplished already at the cross. Each of us needs to become as a child because we can walk with the Lord if we become as a child. The thing about grownups is they're self-confident, self-sufficient, and self-dependent. The world thinks of those traits as being positive, but in the Kingdom, God does not consider it that way. The Lord says the only way you can enter into the Kingdom is to be a child. Jesus said, “suffer the little children to come unto me; forbid them not: for to such belongeth the kingdom of God (Mar.10:14). Forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God, is what it said in the original. Of such is the kingdom of God. (15) Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein. (16) And he took them in his arms, and blessed them, laying his hands upon them.” Now we tend to think of the Kingdom as someplace that we're going to so that we can enter into it, but actually we're entering into the Kingdom here on Earth. In reality, the Kingdom is to be every place in your life. The kingdom of God is within you (Luk.17:21), Jesus said. The Kingdom is every place in your life where God is able to rule, where He is King. God is not able to rule until you're in agreement with Him. To be a child is to be confident in your Father, not self-confident. It's to be dependent upon your Father, not self-dependent. This is valuable to God. As He said, “my righteous one shall live by (“from” in the Numeric) faith: And if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him” (Heb.10:38). What pleases God is that we live from faith, that we do not live from our self-confidence, or our self-sufficiency, or our own ability, or the strength of the arm of the flesh, but that we put our trust in God and walk with Him like a little child walks with his father. In other words, there's no other way to enter into the Kingdom. We must give up being grownups. We must become as children. In order for God to be able to rule everywhere in our lives, we have to become as children.  (Mat.18:1) In that hour came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? (2) And he called to him a little child, and set him in the midst of them, (3) and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. And these were His disciples that He was speaking to. These were not the lost Pharisees; these were the disciples of Jesus, those who were learning and following Him. He said you will not enter in unless you turn and become as little children. The process of the Christian life is this process of turning and becoming as little children and becoming God-dependent, God-sufficient and God-confident. (Mat.18:4) Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (5) And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.  You see, Jesus was a little child. That's Who He was. He says, if you receive one of these little children, you receive Me. That's somebody who's in My likeness; you receive Me. He was a child. He really was. He wasn't a grown-up in the ways of the world, in the ways of confidence in the world, the strength of the world. Grown-ups are known for making their own way, making their own living, being self-sufficient, being great providers, but the Lord wants to wash all that out of us. He wants us to put all of our confidence and our trust in Him and become as little children. If you receive one such little child, you receive Jesus. That's the way He was. He was confident in His Lord. I'll tell you, the best way we can help ourselves is by walking by faith in God's Word. You've probably heard the old saying that “God helps those who help themselves,” but that's not found in the Bible. That saying is credited to Benjamin Franklin in his Poor Richard's Almanack. No, the best way to help yourself is walking in faith in God's Word.  (Rom.14:22) The faith which thou hast, have thou to thyself before God. That's what the Bible says. You can help yourself. You can help yourself to everything that God has for you through faith in His Word. (Luk.10:21) In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes: yea, Father; for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight. What was He talking about? Reveal what things to the babes? Well, the disciples had just come back from being sent out by the Lord to take authority over the works of the devil. They came back rejoicing that God had given them authority over the power of the devil and that they had done the works of Jesus, and they saw that the spirits were subject unto them. But why did Jesus call them babes? Well, it was babes who received this revelation of the authority of Jesus, and it was babes who received this revelation of how to use the authority of Jesus. Let's back up a little in this chapter. (Luk.10:3) Go your ways; behold, I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves. (4) Carry no purse, no wallet, no shoes; and salute no man on the way. So we see they were babes because Jesus sent them out totally dependent upon the Lord.  (5) And into whatsoever house ye shall enter, first say, Peace [be] to this house. (6) And if a son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him: but if not, it shall turn to you again. And so he said, “salute no man on the way,” because you really don't know people, but you find out later who people are. We're going to find out before the end of the tribulation who people really are and who His children are.  God sent these disciples out as children, as totally dependent upon the Lord, not self-sufficient, not able to take care of themselves. He deliberately took away their ability to take care of themselves when He sent them by not letting them take any kind of insurance with them. The only thing they took was His assurance because He said, “the laborer is worthy of his hire” (Luk.10:7), meaning that if you just go, God will always pay His workers. You don't have to worry about it. God is that way. He wants us to go without our own sufficiency or our own insurance so that we can see His provision on the way. I really, truthfully believe that Jesus never changed this way of sending out people. Many times, if God says, “Go,” you may go. It doesn't matter if you have the wherewithal to do this. If God says, “Go,” you may go. He will never fail you. He will meet you on the way. He's done it many, many times with me when He said, “Go,” and I've noticed, “But, God, I don't have this” or “I don't have gas” or “I don't have money.” But God doesn't take “no” for an answer. If He says, “Go,” you can go because He will be there. He'll put gas in your car. He's done it to me several times. Or He'll make it run without gas. He's done that, too. Or He'll put money in your pocket somehow or another. He'll do it. Or He'll make your money stretch. He can surely multiply it. He can do all things. He'll have you meet up with people whom He has put there specifically to supply your needs, if you go by faith and be obedient to Him. If you go as a child, just trusting in your Father.  In America, there are far too few children. Everybody in America seems grown-up. Everybody in America wants to insulate themselves against anything that could happen, as though they don't believe in a sovereign God. The Bible says, “A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven” (Joh.3:27). God, Who is Sovereign, will make sure that He blesses you if you go by faith in Him. Believe me, the time is coming when everybody will have to go by faith in God because He's going to take away all the things that people have insured and insulated themselves with from the things that might happen in the world. But God is God. He never goes to sleep. He's never fallen off the throne. He's there always. He is going to make sure that His Word comes true. And we can be just like little children. We can cast ourselves on His mercy.  Children never even think about where the next meal is going to come from. Little children don't worry about those things; they just know that it's Momma and Daddy's responsibility; they'll take care of that. And you know, that's the way God is with us. He wants that kind of relationship with us. God's not happy with anything less. (Heb.10:38) My righteous one shall live from faith: And if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him. God doesn't have pleasure in self-sufficient people. He has pleasure in people who walk by faith, talk by faith, live by faith. And it is a pleasure to live by faith. I don't yet know all of what living by faith is; God's only shown me the little parts that He's shown me, but I would love to live by faith in every direction. Some directions I've never even thought about, and other people will come and say, “Oh, did you try this?” For example, a sister in the Lord once told me that she and some other people just picked up some instruments and started playing them by faith, and pretty soon they got better and better at it. They were surprised at how God blessed them. Well, that led us to pray over our children, Nathan and Jennifer, by faith, and God answered that prayer. I tell you, it was just the very next week after that when they started playing music, picking it up quite naturally, by ear. So there isn't anything God won't do for those who put their trust in Him.  There is nothing that God can't do and won't do for those who put their trust in Him. I believe this is the reason that He said He revealed these things unto babes. God reveals the authority of God and God reveals the power of His name to people who will become children, people who will cast care to the wind and put themselves in His Hands, just trusting in Him, believing in Him. (Eph.3:20) God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. God loves it when we are weak, but we don't see it that way. We like to be strong, and we do our best to make sure that we're strong in every situation that we can get in. As I said, we do our best to insulate ourselves from any possible mishap, but that doesn't please God. It doesn't please God that we put our trust in the gods of this world, the saviors of this world. The apostle Paul learned that lesson. He was caught up to paradise and he said, “On behalf of such a one (the man who was caught up to paradise) will I glory: but on mine own behalf I will not glory, save in my weaknesses” (2Co.12:5). The King James Version translates that word “weaknesses” there as “infirmities” because they had the idea that the apostle Paul had some kind of sickness or infirmities, but a closer look at this reveals that's not the case at all. Those translators believed the apostle Paul had an eye disease or something like that and that God said, “my grace is sufficient for thee” (2Co.12:9), meaning, “You just keep that because you need that; you need that to be an overcomer; you need that to humble you.” But obviously that would be contrary to a lot of the rest of the Word. The Bible says, “by whose stripes ye were healed” (1Pe.2:24). It doesn't say that we're healed only when we really need it, and it doesn't say that we're healed only sometimes. You were healed all the time. Let's read on. (2Co.12:6) For if I should desire to glory, I shall not be foolish; for I shall speak the truth: but I forebear, lest any man should account of me above that which he seeth me [to be,] or heareth from me. (7) And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch. So we see that he said what the “thorn in the flesh” was. He said it was a messenger of Satan, an angelos. The word there is angelos, which is translated 181 times in the New Testament as “angel” and the other few times as “messenger,” but it means the same thing. It's the same Greek word, angelos. Here was an angel of Satan that was sent to buffet Paul so that he wouldn't be proud. Paul didn't say it was a sickness that was sent to buffet him. And, by the way, to “buffet” is not just one blow, like a sickness. It's to beat over and over and over. It's many blows. That's what buffet means. But a thorn in the flesh, in this case, was an angel of Satan that was sent to buffet Paul. In the Old Testament, for every verse that talks about a thorn in the flesh, never, not once, is it ever a sickness. It was always referring to the enemies of God's people that came against them, and in this case it's the same thing. An angel of Satan was sent to buffet Paul so he wouldn't “be exalted overmuch.” (2Co.12:8) Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. (9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness. The King James here has that this word is “weakness,” but this word and the word up in verse five are the same Greek word, so one of them can't be “infirmity” and the other one “weakness.” Both of them have to be the same thing, and the truth is they are, because using the same Greek word in talking about Jesus, the Bible says, “for he was crucified through weakness” (2Co.13:4).  Now, nobody would have put “infirmity” there. Jesus wasn't crucified through infirmity, so they had to put the truth there and the King James did use “weakness” in that case. (4) For he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth through the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him through the power of God toward you. See, when you are weak in Christ, you're going to live through the power of God. It's when you are not able. It's being weak in ability to save yourself, being weak in ability to deliver yourself, being weak in ability to heal yourself. He says when you're in that condition, then God's power is going to be with you. This is the same thing Paul said back in 2 Corinthians 12:9. I'm pointing out this verse because in the King James they used the word “weakness” here and it could not possibly be put in as “infirmity” because we can't read anywhere in the Scriptures that Jesus was infirm, nor was He crucified because He was infirm. Now, that's the same word that's being used over here and over in 2 Corinthians 12:9. He said, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness.” You know, if we will be weak as a little child, God's power will be there. Most often, God's power is not there because we refuse to be weak. We want to be strong in a circumstance. We see what we think needs to be done and we run to do it, and we are not ceasing from our works. We are not entering into the Sabbath (Hebrews 4:11). We're not refusing to be strong. If we will refuse to be strong and we will put our trust in God, we will see His power there every time.  This reminds me of a vision I had years ago, in which Mary and I were sitting in some lawn chairs in front of our house in Louisiana. While we were sitting there, we saw this power line hanging from pole to pole. The strange thing about it, as we were looking at this and studying it, was that the power line was almost touching the ground in the middle because it was sagging so badly. And while we were watching that, a tornado came over that power line and sucked us up out of our chairs. Then the vision changed, and I feel like we were over in Florida, and the Lord was showing us something about our ministry over there. But what He showed me about that always stuck with me. As we were sitting there, ceasing from our works and resting in lawn chairs, watching the power of man come to an end (that's the power lines), as we watched the power of man come to an end, then the power of God took over. Man's extremity is God's opportunity. God's not ready to move until we cease from our works because we have faith. Every time you have faith, you can stop; you can cease from your work, you can cease from your struggling; you can cease from trying to save yourself because the Bible says you are saved. It doesn't say He will save you. If it said that, you'd wonder what method He wanted to use, but since His method is past tense and you believe it, you have to stop; you have to cease. And so God's power is made perfect in our weakness.  Paul said, “most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses (not “infirmities” because it's the exact same Greek word), that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2Co.12:9). Glory in our weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon us. That's the way a child is. They have all the power of Daddy because he is the provider, he is the deliverer, he is the savior. He takes care of it all, and they don't think it should be any other way, and we should be that way, too. We've been trained up to think otherwise, to be grownups, but you know, we shouldn't be thinking in any other terms than what a child thinks. This is the way God wants it.  Well, I think that we can see by now that the ‘verse,' “God helps those who help themselves,” is not Godly at all; it's antichrist. It will never allow you to enter into the power of God. It will never allow the Spirit and the power of Christ to rest upon you. So Paul says he glories in his weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon him. (2Co.12:10) … I take pleasure in weaknesses…. King James says “infirmities.” Nobody takes pleasure in infirmities. That's ridiculous. The word here is the same Greek word again; it's “weakness.” Yes, we take pleasure in weaknesses. It's great to be weak. It's great to not have the ability to deliver yourself because then you get to see the miracle of God. And he went on to say, in “injuries,” or actually the word there is “insults,” according to the ancient manuscripts and the Received Text and several others; it's “insults,” not necessarily “injuries.” You don't take pleasure in injuries, but “in insults, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2Co.12:10). Now, what was this buffeting that this angel sent his way, this angel of Satan? Some people say there are no such things as angels of Satan. You know that the demons are angels. Some people say the demons are not angels, but no, that's not what the Bible says. The demons are the angels of Satan, so just forget about that theology. Don't believe that and don't go down that road because it's wrong. Michael and his angels fought with Satan and his angels (Revelation 12:7), the Bible says. Demons are all fallen angels. That's where they came from. They are the fallen angels, the non-elect angels. So what is this buffeting? What are these many different blows that the angel of Satan brought Paul's way in order to make him weak, and bring him into a position of weakness? Well, Paul gives a list of them. (2Co.11:21) I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak. Yet whereinsoever any is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also. (22) Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. (23) Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I more; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths oft. He's talking about the places where he was weak to save himself. You know, when we get into places where we don't see any possibility of saving ourselves, that's wonderful because we get to see the power of God. If we walk by faith in those places, then we get to see the miracles of God. That's what God wants to teach us. He brings us into those places. Remember, God was the One Who sent this angel of Satan to humble Paul.  Why do we need humbling? We need humbling because we're grown-ups and we need to become children. We need to not be self-sufficient; we need to be God-sufficient. We need to be trusting in our Lord because His promises are there to save us in all these situations. So God brings us into these places, and Satan's angel brings us into these places where we're weak, where we need the power of God. If we will be weak, we will see the power of God. Many times we want to look for man's help, man's way, man's wisdom.  Let's continue reading Paul's list. (2Co.11:24) Of the Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save one. (25) Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep; (26) [in] journeyings often, [in] perils of rivers, [in] perils of robbers, [in] perils from [my] countrymen, [in] perils from the Gentiles, [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false brethren; (27) [in] labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. He was in all these places in order to be weak so he could see the power of God. God put him in those places, like He brought the Israelites into those places in the wilderness so that they could see the power of God. Being weak is not a time to be anxious or worried; it's a time when you should expect to see the power of God. It's God's purpose to bring us to weakness so we can see His power. This is His plan. Don't ever be cast down because of what you see, because what you see is these places that make you weak. It's God's plan for you when you get into these places that you put your trust in Him and that you see His power. This is the place where God's power rests upon you. This place of weakness, the place of your own inability to save yourself or deliver yourself, is the place you can look for the promise of God and trust in God.  Paul went on, “besides those things that are without, there is that which presseth upon me daily, anxiety for all the churches (2Co.11:28). (29) Who is weak (that's the word “weak”), and I am not weak? who is caused to stumble, and I burn not? (30) If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weakness.” That's another place that the King James calls it “infirmity.” It's the same word! In the same text, if a word is translated one way in one part of the text and another way in another part of the text, that is dishonest. That is deceiving; it's wrong. It either has to be one or the other. If you look at this word in other parts of the Bible, the conclusion is that it's talking about weakness, not infirmity. Thank God for the places that He brings us to where we're weak! That's the only place we ever see miracles. Do you realize that? It's the only place we ever see miracles, and yet that is the place we're most tempted to throw up our hands and be anxious or worried or troubled. That is the place where all miracles are given, right there, in a place of weakness, the place where you're unable. Now, if you have the mind of a child and you get in that place, you just expect Father to take over from then on. This is something that He normally does. God normally supplies your need, like in the teaching Jesus gave about the birds and the flowers. He said they don't labor and they don't toil to clothe and to feed themselves (Matthew 6:26,28). You mean, the Lord is saying you don't have to work to bring about this clothing and feeding? You don't have to toil? That's exactly what He said. Go back and read it. It's so clear. That's exactly what He said. He knew that you'd get yourself in a situation, and He even ordained these situations to come, where you wouldn't be able to provide for yourself. And He said, “are not two sparrows sold for a penny? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father (Mat.10:29). (30) But the very hairs on your head are all numbered. (31) Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Look, not even a hair falls out of your head; can you imagine that God doesn't know it?! He knows us so intimately that not one hair can fall out of your head without Him knowing it. I mean, your hairs are always falling out and growing back. How can He number the hairs of your head? That is an intimate God Who can number the hairs of your head. He knows a lot, so how could we possibly get into a situation that He doesn't know about and hasn't planned for? He is our Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord our Provider. (Php.4:19) And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. You can't get so far out that God can't reach you. You can't get in so impossible a situation that He can't take care of it. He can pay your taxes out of a fish's mouth (Matthew 17:27). He can do anything. Think about some of the things that God has done in the Scriptures, and He really did do them. He stopped the solar system for a day so Joshua could defeat his enemies. God can do anything. And, you know what? The great thing about it is He's “the same yesterday, and to-day, [yea] and for ever” (Heb.13:8). He is the same. He will still do anything to meet your needs if you will be weak and have faith. Be weak and have faith. Now, the time when you ought to have faith is when you're weak, because God doesn't need to meet your needs when you don't have any. You don't need a miracle until you need a miracle. Don't think that you can avoid a trial of your faith by receiving the miracle before you need it. No. God tries your faith. The miracle doesn't come till the miracle's needed. Trust in Him between here and there because He will be there. He will do what you need. Be confident in Him. Be children in Him. This is what we need to learn, and it's not an easy lesson. It demands the death of self, but religion has trained us up with the mind of the beast because religion has taught that God helps those who help themselves and it trains us to take care of these situations. Religion trains us to trust in the arm of the flesh. They even changed God into a god which He has never been so that they can trust in the arm of the flesh. “Now God does it this way,” they say, as if Jesus doesn't heal the same way He always healed, by laying hands on the sick or by speaking the word of faith. He's always healed that way and He still does. But you see, they've changed God so that you can trust in the arm of the flesh, so that you can be strong. You can run out and get the strength of the world, make your alliances with the world, get your insurance from the world. They'll change God and go to any extent to let the flesh live. But we have to become as a child; otherwise, Jesus says, you're not entering into the Kingdom of Heaven (Luke 18:17). The Kingdom of Heaven is where God rules, God reigns, God saves, God delivers. He hasn't changed. Man has attempted to change Him.  God put us here in this weak position. He planned for us always to be in a weak position, so that He could be our Savior. (2Co.4:7) But we have this treasure (the treasure Paul is talking about is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God) in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves. God put this treasure, this knowledge of God, in such a weak vessel so that when anything happened, it would have to bring glory to Him and not to us. He could have put us in a strong vessel. He could have put us in a very knowledgeable, very wise, very strong, very healthy vessel, and we wouldn't have needed His help. He wouldn't have needed to be God, would He? We would have been our own gods.  If we watch all the children's superhero shows, we'll notice the thing that's super about them is they're their own gods. They do what they want. They are able. That's not what God ever wanted. God didn't choose us because we are able. He chose us because we're not able. He wanted to give us His ability freely through grace, and that's unmerited. You can't earn it; you can't pay for it. He wanted to give it to us freely. When you get yourself in an impossible situation, think about it. God put you there and He put you there so that you could see how great He is. So God put this wonderful treasure in a very weak earthen vessel. (2Co.4:8) We are pressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not unto despair; (9) pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not destroyed; (10) always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus (which is the death of self), so that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body. God wants Jesus to live through us, but we have to be weak for Him to do that. The power of Christ will rest upon those who are weak. We're powerful only because we have faith in God. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13) but He doesn't strengthen until you're weak, you see. We have to cease before He will start. We have to keep the Sabbath and cease from our works and enter into His works through faith. God not only put us in a world that's bigger than us and with an enemy that was a lot bigger than us; He put us in a vessel that was weak to begin with, so that when the salvation came, we would also know it was from Him and not from ourselves. We think we're so great and we've been trained to be self-sufficient. Mommas and daddies train up their children to be self-sufficient. That's not what God wants. He wants a child. He's always chosen the weak (1 Corinthians 26-29). He's never chosen the strong and this gives you hope. This gives you hope that when you get in impossible situations, God planned for you to be there so that He could show you His power, His deliverance, and His salvation. This is God's plan. It's been His plan from the beginning and He's done it over and over. (Deu.7:6) For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. And did you know that God still does that? God has still chosen you above all the peoples upon the face of the earth. Did you know that? If He chose you, He chose you above someone else, but He didn't choose you because you're wiser or smarter or more able or mighty, because “not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]” (1Co.1:26). God chose the weak. God called the weak “above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.” (Deu.7:7) The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all peoples. And it's still that way, isn't it? God chose “the fewest of all peoples.” Why did He do that? Certainly, if He was fighting battles with all the Canaanites, He would want the greatest number, wouldn't He? No, because when the battle was won, He didn't want anybody to say, “Look what we did!” And when the battle is won in our lives, He doesn't want anybody to be able to say, “Look what we did!” “Look how powerful we are!” “Look how wise we are!” Or “Oh, we were smart enough to follow God.” You know, all these things that people could say. No. God said He didn't choose us because we were the mightiest but because we were the fewest. It's still that way today. The true Christians are few. Don't think that the Christians in this country are the many. What do they call them? The “moral majority.” That is just totally ridiculous! For proof of that, look at the people we have in elected office. If there was a moral majority, believe me, you would always have a government that was moral and good because that's the way democracy works. There's no moral majority. Never was.  God chose us because we were the fewest of all peoples. (Deu.7:8) But because the Lord loveth you, and because he would keep the oath which he swear unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, and from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (17) If thou shalt say in thy heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? (18) thou shalt not be afraid of them: thou shalt well remember what the Lord thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; (19) the great trials which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, whereby the Lord thy God brought thee out: so shall the Lord thy God do unto all the peoples of whom thou art afraid. And so shall the Lord thy God do to all of the curse that you come against, and to all of the flesh that you have to conquer, and to all the principalities and powers that you have to conquer. They are made strong, and you are made weak for a purpose, so that you can see the power of God move against them.  We never need to count on our own strength. David did that and brought a curse on Israel (2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21). He counted the people of Israel and brought a curse on them because God sent a pestilence that killed 70,000 men, just so David couldn't count on his own strength (2 Samuel 24:15; 1 Chronicles 21:14). When you count on your strength, look out because you have trouble coming. God's going to humble you. God's in the humbling process with us. He wants to deliver us from trusting in the arm of the flesh. You know, in almost every battle that Israel won, they were outnumbered. Isn't it amazing that God demanded that they be outnumbered before He would give them the victory? For example, in Judges we're told that the Israelites had an army coming against them that the Bible says were as the sands of the sea for multitude (Judges 7:12). The Midianites, the Amalekites and the children of the east were coming against them, and all the men of Israel who could be gathered together weren't enough to do the job and they knew it. At first they were counting on their own ability and the numbers they had, but they were ridiculously outnumbered. (Jdg.7:2) And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. Well, that was just the beginning of God whittling down the people and those people who are fearful will not be the ones who have the victory over the enemy. Being weak is one thing, but being fearful is quite another. Being fearful is not trusting in the power that God has given us to come against our enemy. Being fearful is judging by your own ability. It's looking at your own ability or your own inability, but that's where God is putting us on purpose. This is God's plan to put us in a position of weakness, to make our enemy look big. He sent the Israelites into a promised land where the enemies were giants, and they were vastly outnumbered. It was God's plan for it to look like an unfair contest. In every trial that we go into, it's going to look that way so that when we get the victory, we know it's God's power, not our own.  If you're thinking, “Yeah, but God chose Gideon, a great man of valor, to bring this about.” Well, let's go back and look at Gideon. (Jdg.6:12) The angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. The Lord tells you the same thing. He's with you. His authority is behind you whenever you walk for Him. Whatever we do, we do in the Name, representing Him. His power and His authority are behind us when we act on the Word. (Jdg.6:13) And Gideon said unto him, Oh, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian.  Have you ever thought, “Where are the mighty works of God?” Well, I'll tell you where they are. They're waiting on people to be weak. If people won't be weak, they won't see them. As long as we're strong to save ourselves, we don't need God. There's no faith involved in that. So now Israel had just gotten itself into a position of weakness, and do you know what? God chose just as weak a man to lead them. (Jdg.6:14) The Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian: have not I sent thee? “This thy might”? What is the Lord talking about? What does He mean here? It's because God sent Gideon. This kind of reminds you of Peter. “Lord, you just bid me to come to You on the water.” And when the Lord said, “Come,” Peter stepped out of the boat. The Lord said he could do it, and just on the word of the Lord, Peter did it (Matthew 14:28,29). He stepped out of the boat by faith. Nobody else stepped out of the boat, but he did. You know, if the Lord told you in the Word, that's all you need. “In this thy might.” God's always going to be behind His Word. If you step out on His Word, exercising faith in His Word, then His might is going to be there. You're always going to be weak, but His might will be there. “Have not I sent thee?” It's the same thing the Lord did to Moses when he protested, “O Lord, I'm not an eloquent speaker” (Exodus 4:10) and God answered him with, “Who hath made man's mouth?” (Exodus 4:11) God chose Moses not because he was great; God chose him because he was weak. (Jdg.6:15) And he said unto him, Oh, Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. Gideon wasn't listening, was he? “My family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least of my father's house.” There it is. God chose the weakest and the least. Don't expect God to send Superman. That's not what He's looking for. This will not accomplish the purpose that He has. God is going to send someone who's weak, someone who is like a child. That qualifies some of us. You know, we can be as a child; we are unable in so many things. Sometimes we're forced into a position of being unable. But I tell you that what Jesus wants for us is not that we be forced into a position of weakness, but that we walk in that position of our own free will, refusing to be strong. This is the great thing. If we will learn to refuse to be strong, we will see the miracles of God now. And when we get forced into that position later, it won't be a big thing. It was no big thing for Moses to go through the wilderness with the children of Israel. They were being tried. He wasn't being tried. He'd already gone out into that wilderness and lived in that wilderness by faith in God. And God sent him because he had been there. He sent him back to bring the rest of the Israelites through that wilderness. And if you've been there, it won't be a big trial for you, but you'll be able to show others. This is very important for the times that are coming. People who are weak are going to be strong in the times that are coming, and others are going to be fearful. This wilderness experience that's coming is going to weed out the strong from the weak. The ones who are strong, who've always trusted in their own strength and who refuse to do anything else, they're going to fall by the wayside. It's going to be the babes who are going to go through the wilderness and make it to the other side. And God's always planned it that way. God will not permit salvation to come any other way but by grace. Some people look around and they say, “Look what God did here,” and “Look what God did there,” but if you look carefully, it's what a man did. They're giving credit to a man. (Exo.7:3) And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. It's funny, but you see God on both sides of this thing. It was God who hardened Pharaoh's heart, as it says here, so that the miracles that came would be mighty miracles. God gave the Israelites a strong enemy who would not let them go. (Psa.105:25) He turned their heart to hate his people, To deal subtly with his servants. The Egyptians brought the people of God into bondage because they hated them. And in Psalm 106, God made them set His people free.  First God hardened the Egyptians, then He made them set the Israelites free. It was God's plan to put them in an impossible situation so that they would know how great God's salvation was. “I hardened Pharaoh's heart and multiplied my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.” (Exo.7:4) But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. (5) And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. It is God's plan to put us in an impossible situation. We think it's the devil's plan and the devil fighting against us. No, it's God's plan for us to be in impossible situations. A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven (Joh.3:27), the Bible says, so God puts us in these impossible situations full-well planning to do a miracle for us. When we get in these situations, we shouldn't look at the impossibility of the situation and then look at our strength and say, “Woe is me!” because we can see from history this has been God's plan all along. When we get in that kind of situation, we should figure that the odds are in our favor, if you figure odds. See, when a situation is impossible, that's when the odds are in your favor. It's just the opposite for the world because they count on their strength and not God's strength, but when you look with your eyes and you see the situation is impossible and you see the promise of God, that's when you should be confident in God. He put us in this situation so we could see what a great Savior He is. He hardened Pharaoh's heart; He turned the Egyptians' hearts to hate His people, to bring them into bondage so that He could do mighty miracles to deliver them. It was His plan all along to do mighty miracles to deliver them. Instead, people want to be strong. The Egyptians wanted to be strong. Pharaoh called for their wise men and sorcerers and magicians to see if they couldn't do the same curses that Moses was bringing. (Exo.7:11) Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers: and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their enchantments. (12) For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.  So the curse is sent by God upon the earth. The whole chapter in Deuteronomy 28 is about the curse, and it came by the Hand of God. I know that we've been talking about the hand of the devil, but that's not what the Scripture says. God said He sent the curse. But men, in whom we put our trust, they also propagate the curse. In this instance, Moses brought this curse, but also the magicians brought this curse. And the magicians, the sorcerers, never took away a curse, not one time. (Note that the word in the New Testament for “sorcery” or “witchcraft” is the word pharmakia.) According to this, they can't take away a curse. They can bring a curse, but they can't take one away. Moses was the one who always took the curse away, both the one that he brought (from the Lord) and the one that the magicians brought. Moses was always the one who took away both curses (Exodus 7:12; 8:13). And it wasn't until the sorcerers came to the end of their ability that God made a division between Goshen and Egypt. The sorcerers couldn't duplicate any of the curses from the plague of lice onward (Exodus 8:19). That's when God made a division, right there. When they failed to duplicate the plague of lice, when they came to the end of themselves, their ability, then God made this differentiation. By the way, we are called to walk in health. For instance, God said, “I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Exo.15:26). When did He do that? God did it right here. When the sorcery came to an end, when the witchcraft came to an end, then God made a division. From then on, the curses always fell upon the Egyptians and not on the Israelites. So what are we here for? We are here to be weak in the ways of the world. The carnal church is not weak in the ways of the world. They have absorbed and taken hold of the ways of the world; that's why they're called the “harlot.” And we're called to step out by faith, to put our trust wholly in God, not just in the area of healing, but in deliverance in circumstances. The Lord came to deliver us from everything that involves the curse of sin and of death. In fact, in Ephesians, where he says, “by grace are you saved (sozo) through faith,” the word “saved” there is used in the Scriptures for salvation of the soul, for salvation regarding healing, for salvation in circumstances (when they were in the boat that was filling with water, for instance), and for deliverance from demons. The same word is used in all of those instances. Sometimes it's translated “made whole.” (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; (9) not of works, that no man should glory. God will not permit us to have His salvation where we can earn it or where we are strong enough for it. He doesn't permit it. He puts us in situations where we're not strong or wise enough. But the world and the worldly Christian will try to convince you that you can be wise enough, you can gain enough strength to take care of this thing and they will give you all their worldly wisdom so that you'll come against it but, ultimately, because God loves you, He will see to it that you fail. In all of your efforts to save yourself, because He loves you, He will see to it that you fail. Men can't take one curse off, although they can sure shove it around. Only God can take a curse off because these curses come to try us, to get us in the position of being saved by God. Therefore, if you fail in this point, then you're going to go around the mountain again and you're going to come into the same trial again. This is why men can't ever deliver you because, if you do it man's way, well, you're just going to bump into it again down the road. You're going to go around that mountain, and the same trial again and again; and you'll just keep going around until you get it right. All man can do is put more curses upon you, you see. You'll keep going around and come back to the same trial until you get it right, until you do it God's way. How many times did God run the Israelites around out in that wilderness? And they cried, and they moaned, and they groaned, and they wanted to go back to Egypt (Exodus 14:11-12; 16:3). That's what the worldly church leadership is teaching people. “Go back to Egypt. Go ahead. There's nothing wrong with that. That's the way God does it now. Go on back to Egypt. Go back to the ways of the flesh. Go back to the strength of man, the arm of the flesh,” and so on and so forth, you know. They want you to put your trust in the arm of the flesh, but no, don't do it because there's a curse in that. (Jer.17:5 Thus saith Jehovah: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from Jehovah.) The curse is here, if nowhere else. You see, we've been given a certain amount of time to run this race and to bear fruit, and if all you do is run in circles, you're never going to finish the race. You never finish the race running in circles. We're running a race against time and at the finish line, we have to have the fruit. And God puts these trials in our way so that we go through them His way and overcome them His way. He puts them in our way because they're much bigger than we are. We can cry about going back to getting the strength of Egypt, or we can walk by faith in Jesus to overcome and have that strength for the next trial. Every time you overcome, you have that strength from Him. You can look back and remember what God did, and that's His plan. It was God Who brought the Israelites out into that wilderness, into some impossible situations.  When they first came out of Egypt and were going south, they were free; they were delivered; it was nothing but open country in front of them. (Exo.14:1) And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, (2) Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal-zephon: over against it shall ye encamp by the sea. (3) And Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. (4) And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he shall follow after them; and I will get me honor upon Pharaoh….  Who do you think Pharaoh might be? He was the ruler over the Egyptians, but I'll tell you another thing that can be seen here. If you remember, Paul likened the Israelites going through the Red Sea to them being baptized (1 Corinthians 10:1,2) and, of course, going through the Red Sea, the old man dies, but the new man is given life. So the old man was the Egyptian and the new man was the Israelite. When they went through the Red Sea, they were baptized in the Red Sea, in the water and in the cloud, and the old man, the Egyptian, died. Well, Pharaoh was the Lord, the god of the Egyptians. In fact, that was what his name meant – “The God.” Now, who is the god of the flesh? Satan. The devil is the god of the flesh and has been given power and authority to do what he does. Jesus said, “all authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth” (Mat.28:18). “All of it. All of it's been given unto Me.” Therefore, what the devil has, God gives him. And what the devil has, we give him. You can make “Pharaoh” bigger or you can make him smaller. You can take away his authority and power by agreeing with the Word, or you can give him authority and power by believing in him, believing in his strength and believing in his might. You can do that. Well, God made Pharaoh strong. He hardened Pharaoh's heart, and He made him strong. He made Pharaoh's people strong so that the salvation would be from God.  God gave us an enemy to conquer that appears to be so much stronger than we are, and that's the flesh. You look at your flesh. You look at the old man, the Egyptian, and you say, “Oh, Lord!” You get worried. The more you look at him, the more worried you get. “How am I ever going to beat this giant?” But God puts you in those positions on purpose. He has you there with enemies that appear much bigger than you are, but in actuality they're just bread for you. I like what Joshua and Caleb said about the people of Canaan: “they are bread for us” (Num.14:9). They're just something that is made for you to eat up and get bigger and stronger. God put them there so that His power would totally conquer them. He wasn't counting on your power. The Israelites had no power against the Egyptians. The Egyptians were a mighty, well-armed army, and God put the Israelites in that position so their salvation had to come from God. Back where we left off, Pharaoh wanted them to serve God in Egypt and God told Moses what to say to Pharaoh. (Exo.7:16) And thou shalt say unto him, the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou hast not hearkened. And then later, when Pharaoh was starting to give in a little bit, he called for Moses and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land (Exo.8:25); in other words, in Egypt. You know, that's right where a lot of Christians are. They're sacrificing to God in Egypt. That is, they think they're doing it God's way, but they're doing it in Egypt. (Exo.8:26) And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. See, we can't serve God in Egypt. We can't do it the Egyptians' way. If you're copying the world in any way in your salvation, then you're missing God because that's not the way God does it. Pharaoh's going to tell you, “It's okay. You can serve your god but just do it in Egypt, don't do it in the wilderness.” In Egypt they trusted in the strength that they received from Egypt and lived off the flesh-pots (Exodus 16:3); in other words, they lived off the flesh. But God wanted them in the wilderness where they couldn't have any help from anything else but Him. The power came from God, His ability. And the devil's going to tempt you the same way. He does it all the time. “It's okay, serve God, but do it this way. Just do it the way the Egyptians do it.” But God is doing it in such a way that we'll never be able to put our trust in the arm of the flesh again. It'll be a total victory over the flesh.  So God brought the Israelites out there into that wilderness, and He put them in this neat little trap between Migdol and the Red Sea to see what they would do. They didn't handle it well. They cried out, “Whoa! We wish you would have left us in Egypt to serve the Egyptians!” (Exodus 14:10-12) But God brought them there to part the Red Sea and do the greatest miracle of deliverance for them. He brought them to that situation, and we ought to see our situations that way too. We are in a wilderness experience going through this world. God is bringing us to all these impossible situations so that He can prove how big a God He is. His whole purpose is to prove how big a God He is. And the more impossible the situation, the bigger He becomes, in our mind anyway. That's what He wants. He wants us to glorify Him for what a great salvation He brings us to. And so God brought the Israelites from this trap to other traps. He brought them to the bitter waters (Exodus 15:23) and He had Moses throw in a tree that made the bitter waters sweet (Exodus 15:25). And I personally believe that the “bitter waters” symbolize our tongue because James talks about the sweet and the bitter waters that come from the same well, and he says it shouldn't be this way (James 3:10,11). (For a deeper understanding of this, read our book titled “The Tongue Conquers the Curse.”) God delivered us at the cross. That was the tree that was cast in that made the bitter waters sweet. God delivered us from the bitter waters of our own tongue because “death and life are in the power of the tongue; And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Pro.18:21). “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” We have the ability to change things in this wilderness that we're in with our tongue. God gave us that ability at the cross. He made the bitter waters sweet at the cross. The very next thing God did was make an ordinance. (Exo.15:26) If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee (Hebrew: Jehovah-Rophe). And God brought them to the place in the wilderness where there was no food (Exodus 16:3) and He gave them the food. He met their need for food. And He brought them to the place where there was no water (Exodus 17:1) and He brought water out of the rock (Exodus 17:6). God brought the Israelites to impossible situations, one after another, and He brought them against enemies who were much bigger than them. It was one impossible situation after another and, in every case, God planned a great deliverance for them, if they would just put their trust in Him. We see over and over in the Scriptures that God did this. Look at what God did with Gideon's army. The Lord whittled them down from 32,000 men to 10,000 and then from 10,000 down to 300 (Judges 7:7) to come against an army that was as many as the sands of the sea (Judges 7:12), so that Gideon's army couldn't say, “mine own hand hath saved me” (Jdg.7:2). There were too many Israelites for God to give the Midianites and Amalekites and children of the east into their hand, and He would have to whittle them down so that they would know that this was a mighty miracle from God. And how did He do it? He sent those 300 men out there with pitchers and torches, and when they broke the pitchers, the torches shone forth (Judges 7:20) and put the enemy in a fright (Judges 7:21). I believe those torches are likened to our spirit and that those pitchers are likened to our carnal vessel, our earthly vessel. The torch is like the spirit-man, so that when we're broken, the spirit-man is able to shine forth and the enemy is put to flight. What a simple thing! No swords, no cannons, no nothing! God made it ridiculous. He put a fright in those Midianites and Amalekites so that they feared and they ran, and they killed each other because of 300 torches. God's plan will work when reason just never will. You wouldn't think that would reasonably work. Nobody would make a plan like that except God, Who has the ability to put fear- total, devastating fear- in your enemy. I've seen Him do that. It's so wondrous how He can do that, make them turn and run. Praise God!

Delivered by Enge Kristina from the Parish of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Jeremiah 1: 17-19; Rs psalm 71: 1-2.3-4a.5-6ab.15ab-17; Mark 6: 17-29.SPEAKING THE TRUTH AND DEFENDING PURITY The theme for our meditation today is: Speaking theTruth and Defending Purity. As we celebrate today the anniversary of John theBaptist's death, our hearts and minds are directed to this man, such a strongand courageous person, who was the voice of truth that went to reach thedeepest of human heart. He was so convinced to challenge the highest authorityof his time because of his immoral life, which was far from truth and purity. The life of John the Baptist is signified by thisstatement: "Speaking the truth and defending purity", which serveswell in the marriage life of a husband and his wife. This is also the spirit of life that gives the values ofsincerity and respect for human dignity to sustain people's life. Long beforeJohn the Baptist, there was the great prophet Jeremiah who was very depressedbecause his enemies severely threatened him to death, and yet he never turnedaway from God. He stood firmly with the truth of God, and his life was purelydedicated to God alone. What John the Baptist and Jeremiah did was theintegral part of the good news of Jesus Christ. The person of Jesus was thesource of truth and purity. Jesus himself reveals that people with pure mindsand hearts are always free from all the negative things such as falsity, lies,lustful desire, judgemental habit and oppression of the weak. And so by doingthe right things, the importance of sacredness of truth and purity would bewell preserved. Jesus Christ in many occasions had strongly criticizedthe Pharisees and the scribes because their hypocrisy, namely what they spokedid not correlate with what they acted in reality. This was clearly shown intheir impure intentions or false motivations. When lies, deceit, arrogance andlust dominate our lives as believers and members of the society, it is certainthat the truth will be lost and the purity of human conscience will beineffective. The enemies of truth, sincerity and purity usually act violentlyto destroy the promoters or bearers of truth. The prophet Jeremiah, the last prophet John theBaptist and the Lord Jesus Christ had experienced all these realities. However,the struggles and efforts to defend the truth and purity will never end todayand tomorrow. Why did the enemies not succeed in eliminating truth and purityin people's life, even though they had been trying hard to do it since the daysof Jeremiah? Because our human minds and hearts were created for living intruth and purity that comes from God. We believe and accept as fact of ourfaith, that God alone chooses to live in us and in our hearts. If we lose thisessence of faith, we will begin to deny the truth and purity in our lives. Weneed to hold firm this truth, that deep within us, we want to live a true andpure life on earth. Hopefully we still want to go back to this when we realizethat we have done something wrong in this line. Let'spray. In the name of the Father ... In Your grace, O Father, we find all Yourmercy to bring us back to You after we failed and disobeyed Your will.Strengthen us to be more faithful and righteous in our life of faith. Glory tothe Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Vina Kuesal from The Holy Trinity Parish in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia. 1 Corinthians 1: 1-9; Rs psalm 145: 2-3.4-5.6-7; Matthew 24: 42-51.LIVING IN ABUNDANCE OF GRACE Our meditation today has the theme: Living inAbundance of Grace. We are fortunate and so grateful to have a God who allowsus to aspire as high and as perfect as He Himself. We are given the possibilityto think on the abundance. We pray for that and we also learn how to achieveit. We say that God is truly abundant and we so believe that we will always begiven gifts from His abundance. Monica was a mother who enjoyed her life in abundanceof God's grace which was fostered through her piety and complete dedication toChrist. With this sufficient spiritual strength, she worked and tried with allher efforts so that her husband, who was not yet a Christian and her son,Augustine, who was full with enjoyments of the world, came to know Christ andembraced the Christian faith. All her hard labor and sacrifices brought aboutfine fruits in a proper time. It is enough to say that living in abundance isone of the major elements of our faith. If the Lord does not provide us anysense of abundance or something  greaterwe can achieve, it is very likely that He is not the God whom we believe in.But God reveals Himself. He is not a God who is hidden and very far from us. The Christian community in the city of Corinth enjoyedtheir spiritual growth in the fullness of God's grace. This growth gave SaintPaul satisfaction and gratefulness because he was entrusted by the Lordresponsibility to accompany and take care for this Church. He prayed and askedfor divine blessings for them, that the Lord Jesus Christ may increase andbestow His loving power to lead them. A good sign of growth and a trueChristian testimony anywhere in the world always need support and care from boththe divine power and the appointed leaders. On the other hand, unsupportive,indifferent and irresponsible leaders or shepherds of the community should notany more be entrusted with this special duty. When we are granted gifts from the Lord's abundance wereally enjoy the presence of God who does not let this life pass day after daymeaningless. One of the most important divine gifts for all of us is readinessor vigilance. People who are ready and vigilant are those who are full of hope,joy and enthusiasm for the Lord God reveals His will at any moment of life. Onthe contrary, those who are lazy, indifferent and careless for the Lord'spresence on their lives, they will surely find this life strange andmeaningless. This is a sign of ungratefulness to the abundance of God who givesus all the graces to become even better. So, the good news for us today would be this: God whois powerful in His abundance wishes to share His divine graces with us any timein our lives, and our duty is only to receive and make use of them for ourbenefit. Let'spray. In the name of the Father ... We thank You for your abundance, O Father,and may we fill this day with the works in line our professions and duties thatgive value to our commitment to fulfill Your will. Hail Mary, full of grace ...In the name of the Father ...

Fight the Real Enemy (1) (audio) David Eells, 8/23/26 Old Man Vs. the New Spiritual Man William Steenland - 12/07/2013 (David's notes in red) I dreamed I was watching a political race between two candidates: an old man about 65 and a young man (or new spiritual man) of about 30. The old man had his arms and hands out. I can't remember what he was saying. All I knew was he was lying through his teeth. It was almost comical, the things he was saying. It was totally unbelievable and silly, but the crowd was eating it up and loving it. (The world loves the thinking and speech of the old man, who is their kin, even though it is all a lie. He speaks according to the curse that he sees and not according to the faith; in the flesh and not in the Spirit. He doesn't speak the language of our Kingdom and cannot bear its fruit.) The young man had a questioning look on his face, as if he was upset at this old man. As the old man just kept lying and lying, the young man walked right up to him and said, “You know, I am an adult”. (The young man, or new man, is the mature one in the Kingdom and has power over the old, foolish man.) The young man put the old man in a headlock and dropped him to the ground, where they wrestled and wrestled. (The headlock implies the new man bringing into bondage the mind of the flesh or old man. Let me share a dream I had, where I had the old man in a headlock. I knew he was a giant; only he appeared normal in size. We saw a big giant, and when I turned the old man loose from the headlock, he said, “Bigger, bigger, bigger” to the big giant. I knew if the old man was permitted to speak, he would cause the giant to grow. So, then I karate chopped him in the Adam's apple and said, “No! Smaller, smaller, smaller”. This is because if we let the flesh speak the old man becomes a giant that in our eyes is impossible to conquer. He is then bigger than the promises of God. Then we will be overcome by him. If the spiritual new man speaks him smaller, even dead according to the Word, we will overcome him. The good confession is: (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that [life] which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, [the faith] which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. ... (Rom.6:3) Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (4) We were buried therefore with him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have become united with [him] in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of his resurrection; (6) knowing this, that our old man was crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin... (11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. (12) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof. So speaking according to the promises brings the old man down to conquer him.) Suddenly, the dream changed. It was no longer the old man and the young man or new man wrestling. It was David and me wrestling outside on the grass. (This represents the Davids' words and teachings are wrestling with our old man, the flesh.) I, like the old man, was in a headlock and losing terribly. (When the old man loses, we win.) I had no choice but to tap out. (Meaning to give up and let God rule in you through the new spiritual man.) After I tapped out, we got up and sat on a white concrete wall. (When the new man wins, that is called sanctification, meaning separation from sin, signified by the white rock wall.) We were next to a big white factory (where sanctification is being mass-produced in many people through the new man conquering the old man). The police were walking around, as if to catch us fighting. I had my head down and said to David, “Wow, I never had anyone be a father to me before”. (Because the new or spiritual man is being produced in your life through the ministry of end-time fathers of the seed of David.)  I turned to look up at David and he was gone. (Because the Lord is the unseen Father and the Davids are only vessels for His use.) I saw a UBM brother in the distance in a wheelchair and went to talk with him. (As we manifest this sanctification, we are able to pass it on to those who are spiritually crippled, unable to walk in the Kingdom because they walk dangerously upon the earth where the Beast and curse can crush them.) I had a second dream where I was in the middle of two ancient armies --Roman and German -- coming together (like in the Gladiator movie). (The Roman army could well represent the apostate right-wing. The German army may well represent our own left-wing government. Read “Germany” Attacks United States. In our day, a civil war is coming between the right and the left, and both will be a threat to true Kingdom believers who refuse to fight with the world, against the world. Our ministry of the Good News is to both.) I was totally naked, except for a pair of white boxers. (The coming battle will mature many Christians delivered from both sides and now in the middle.) I knew that I couldn't try to fight my way out. (We are forbidden to fight with flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness.) These intense armies were slowly moving together to fight. I was walking down a narrow path, just escaping between them as they were coming together. I kept on the narrow path (of obedience to the Word) to escape the war. (Father will divide and conquer, as He fought in the day of battle for Jehoshaphat and Gideon.) Suddenly, I wasn't naked anymore, except for the pair of white boxers, but I was in the woods in full armor, and the battle was out in the distance from the woods in the clearing.  I had escaped from the war. (The mature will take no sides and so be hated by both.  Father will save them from this Beast through the armor of God's Word. And then taking their authority over their old man and all the power of the enemy.) I was now in full armor and riding a big horse and holding a huge axe. (Representing having the beastly flesh under authority with the weapons of spiritual warfare.) I looked down where there was a green demon lying crippled and close to dying. (Green represents life and demons represent the true spiritual enemy; hence, they will be losing their spiritual life or power through those who conquer the old man.) He was lying next to a stump of a cut-down tree. (Like with Nebuchadnezzar, Babylonish America is falling to internal and external foes for seven years of madness in leadership.) He was still talking trash, saying he would kill me and so on. I got off the horse and lopped off his head. (Through conquering the old man, we have full authority over all the power of the enemy. (Luk.9:1) And he called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. ... (10:19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you.) End of dream.   Fear Not For I Am With Thee Tianna Fire - 12/31/22 (David's notes in red)  The Holy Spirit was speaking to me through my husband, Samuel, and I felt the presence of God strongly. However, my flesh was fearful, as I could feel parts of my old nature dying. It was being washed away, and the Holy Spirit was increasing inside of me. (I feel sometimes my flesh fears dying to self, although the spirit and soul desire it. The enemy knows he is defeated and works with the flesh to grasp at every straw in order to survive.) (Rom.8:13 for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live.) I was really just desiring to hold onto Jesus, and I was agreeing with the Spirit and not wanting to give in to the flesh's fear. (When we are faithful to receive the Word of the Lord through His vessels and submit to it, our spirit man is strengthened as it is washed clean from the filthiness of the old man. My husband Samuel represents our spiritual Husband, Jesus. When we submit ourselves to the authority of His Word, we bear His fruit in our lives.)   I then saw, to my right, Jesus' giant hand come through the roof of our home and rest in front of mine, indicating and welcoming me to hold His hand. I put my hand where I saw His and felt an abundance of peace and comfort, knowing that He is always there and He won't let me go. He knows what I am experiencing, and He will get me through it. He has already gone through it all for me. (Mat.11:28-30) Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. And (Joh.16:33) In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.) He is patiently waiting for us also to grab His hand [and lean upon His strength]. (Isa.41:10) fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.   Victory Assured for God's Army B. A. - 02/23/2012 (David's notes in red) I saw myself inside a worldly Marine Commander's tent on a battlefield. (Symbolizing a worldly religious leader.) The Commander was going over rescue plans with three of his Special Ops Men. (Leading his brethren to rescue one captive to demonic forces.) Earlier that day, one of the men named Brad in his platoon had been taken captive by the enemy while trying to take a nearby city. (“Brad” is short for “Bradley”, meaning “broad meadow”. Possibly symbolizing in this case, bearing the fruit of much flesh, since Peter said, “All flesh is as grass”. These are the people who get overcome by the enemy spirits easily.) After receiving their orders, the three Special Ops Men set out to rescue Brad (an acronym for bruised, rejected and defeated). Ops Man #1 went in first. As soon as he took two steps into the city, he was confronted by the largest enemy he had ever seen in his life. He pulled out his gun and fired, but the bullet came out of the chamber and fell onto the ground. He had no choice but to surrender. Next, Ops Man #2 was sent in. He saw the mistake Ops Man #1 made, so he decided he would use a hand grenade so he wouldn't have to get too close to the enemy. He pulled the pin and threw the grenade at the enemy, but the grenade was a dud. He was captured and taken prisoner along with Ops Man #1. Lastly, Ops Man #3 went in. His strategy was to get down on his belly and sneak his way around the enemy. What he didn't know was that the enemy saw him coming. When he got just a few feet into the city, the enemy came up behind him and knocked him out. All three of these men were thrown into prison with Brad. (2Co.10:3) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh (4) (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds.) Upon hearing this grim report, the worldly Marine Commander was at a loss as to what to do next since all of his TOP men had been taken prisoner. (When the leadership is taken captive to demonic forces, they are in a ‘work' they are not qualified to do.) His Lieutenant said, “Sir, there is a young Private from another army waiting outside to see you”. The Commander asked him, “What army is he from?” The Lieutenant said, “I don't know, sir, but I think you should at least see this Private”. (Turns out he is just a Private in God's army, which is higher in rank and authority than all of the carnal armies. (Psa.8:2) Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established strength, Because of thine adversaries, That thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. If you have the two-edged sword of the Word, saint, you have the authority over the demonic forces holding the immature Christians captive.) So the Commander granted Private entrance into his tent. The Commander asked, “Son, do you understand the gravity of this situation?” The Private answered, “Yes, sir, I do”. The Commander asked, “Well, son, what makes you think that you have what it takes to rescue these men?” The Private said, “Sir, with all due respect, this kind of war can't be fought by worldly standards and weapons”. (Eph.6:10) Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places].) The Commander asked, “What do you mean by that statement?” The Private stated, “Sir, this is a very different kind of war and requires higher intelligence and weaponry. My Commander (The Word in our heart is Commander Jesus) sent me to you as He said I would be capable of handling this rescue alone. Upon your approval, Commander, I would like to try”. (The disciple is full of faith and confidence. (Mar.16:17) And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons.)  The Commander said, “Alright, Private, I'll give you a shot at it, but if you get captured you are on your own”. The Private stated that he understood the risks, but he knew he would be fine. As the Private neared the city, he dropped to his knees, bowed his head, and began to pray. When he finished his prayer and thanked the Lord, he proceeded onward. Upon entering the city, he was immediately confronted with enemy #1, Rebellion. He was a BIG ENEMY, ugly and hideous. Rebellion said to the Private, “Haven't I seen you somewhere before? You sure look familiar”. Private said, “Oh, yeah, we've met”. Rebellion said, “You look pretty scrawny, Private. I can't believe they would send somebody like you in here”. (Zec.4:6)... Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of hosts. While Rebellion was running off at the mouth, he didn't see Private pull out the large bazooka he had hidden behind his back. Private took aim and pulled the trigger. A large, powerful blast of water hit Rebellion right in the heart. It blew him into so many pieces he looked like snowflakes coming to the ground. (The washing of water with the Word is our authority to convict others of sin and to cast out their enemy.) Next, Private was going around a corner onto the next street, and there he was -- archenemy Anger was standing there with a big grin on his ugly face. He said, “Well if it isn't little ol' Private. I sure didn't expect to see you here”. Private said, “No, I don't expect you did”. Anger raised up his weapon to fire on Private and said, “Might as well get this over with quickly; it's lunch time and I'm hungry”. Private said, “I couldn't agree more”. He pulled out his weapon, and before Anger could get off a shot, Private hit him right in the middle of his forehead and he fell dead like a rock. (Conquering the mind of the flesh in which anger can live. (2Co.10:5) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ ...)  Private stopped and sang praises and thanks to the Lord, then proceeded on. He hadn't gone far when out popped Bitterness from behind a bus. Bitterness yelled out to Private from a distance, “Hey, Private, remember me? I whipped you good the last time I saw you.” Private stated back in a calm and controlled voice, “I remember, Bitterness. I wasn't prepared for your attack last time, but all that has changed”. Bitterness took a deep breath and spat a deadly, green-looking slime out of his mouth (slander and criticism) to destroy Private. Private remembered the last attack, so he was ready. He took aim and hit Bitterness right in the mouth and knocked his head onto the ground. (He destroyed the mind of flesh with the Word.) Private found the captives and led them out of the city. It was late in the day, so they stopped to camp for the night. Private expected victory, so he had brought plenty of food and water for himself and the captives.  Later, as they were sitting and warming themselves by the fire, the four men asked Private how he was able to rescue them all by himself. (Psa.149:6) [Let] the high praises of God [be] in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand; (7) To execute vengeance upon the nations, And punishments upon the peoples; (8) To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron; (9) To execute upon them the judgment written: This honor have all his saints. Praise ye Jehovah. Even the least Private outranks the demonic nobles and kings over this world.  (Luk.10:17) And the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject unto us in thy name. (18) And he said unto them, I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven. (19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. (20) Nevertheless in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. (21) In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding (the Commanders of apostate religion), and didst reveal them unto babes (or Privates): yea, Father; for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight. He told them about this special army he was in and how wonderful his Commanding Officer was to all the men. He told them his Commanding Officer wrote an awesome book (the Bible) that contained absolute truths and strategies on how to defeat your enemies. The Private told them that after completing this training, you won't have any problems defeating your enemies. He said, “I was once like you. I got my instructions from the world and I wasn't very successful in defeating my enemies. My Commander and His book changed my entire life”. Upon hearing this Real Good News, these men wanted to know more about the Private's Commander and this awesome book. Private spent all night reading the book to these men. In the morning, they all made their way back to base camp. Private delivered the four men back to their Commander. As Private turned around to leave, the worldly Commander stopped him and said, “Son, you can't leave yet. We have a reward for you”. Private stated, “Sir, with all due respect, I can't accept that reward, as it belongs to my Commander, not me. (Jesus warned us not to receive the glory of men or we would not have the glory of God.) You see, sir, it was my Commander (Jesus) and His weapon (the Word of God) that rescued these men. I was just the vessel He used to accomplish His mission. As Private was walking out the door, the four men that he had rescued came running up to join him. They told Private they had resigned from their army and they wanted to join up with his army. They couldn't wait to meet his Commander and learn more from that awesome book. Private was happy to take these new recruits to meet his awesome Commander.   Torment to Those Who Fight Back  G. C. - 04/28/2009 (David's notes in red) In this dream, I recall being inside a house that was owned by a semi-Christian believer who is in sin with his girlfriend. I had left his house and went into the street to sleep with nothing but a coat on the ground to lie on. Looking back, it was almost like I was downtrodden, but I would rather be in the street than in a household of sinners.  As I was lying there, a group of men from my past gathered around me. These were guys whom I had known in my high school days and thereafter; men that I had partied with and hung out with, but I always knew had hatred for me. They started to kick me in the head and curse me. They were beating me like a dog in the street. I looked around at them and noticed one of them was a recent convert of the Lord, whom I have been helping to disciple. I was shocked to see him in the midst of these attackers because I have done so much for him, by sending him money and food, writing him letters of encouragement, and being the only person there for him during his time of trouble. I cried out to him, “Why are you just standing there? I have done so much for you!” He just ignored me and watched as I was beaten.  As the attack went on, my anger was kindled, and I began to fight back, but with Samson-like power. They could not stand before me. I was knocking them down like bowling pins. I knew that this was not Godly behavior, but the persecution was so intense that my flesh prevailed and fought back with the attackers. (Jesus said, “Turn the other cheek”; “Forgive and you will be forgiven”; “Love your enemies”; “Resist not him that is evil”; “He that lives by the sword will die by the sword”; etc. Paul said by the Lord, “Overcome evil with good”; “Avenge not yourselves”; “Render to no man evil for evil”; “Vengeance is mine saith the Lord”; “Bless them that persecute you; bless and curse not”. Obedience to these commands is to take up our cross and follow Jesus so we can be His disciples.) All the while, I was so distressed that this brother had sided with the heathen. After I physically prevailed against them, I remember being in severe trouble with the police department and court system.  Very heavy charges had been brought against me for attacking the men, even though I was merely defending myself. The world had completely sided with the men, and I was under severe judgment. They brought me before rulers and councils that were always against me. A sense of fear and dread lay heavy upon me throughout the dream. I was so scared and hopeless. I was in so much trouble and was facing many years in prison for my crimes. I remember making so many excuses for my actions and trying to justify my behavior, but it was all to no avail. Not only did none of the authorities side with me, I also had no boldness before the Lord. You must understand that throughout the dream I felt my life was over; it was like a nightmare. I wanted to wake up from the nightmare but could not; it was like I was trapped in this other realm where nothing made sense and I could not get out. After what seemed like weeks and weeks, I found myself in a room with an arbitrator and the men, all of whom were in agreement that I was in the wrong. I finally got the revelation that I had to forgive them and apologize to them for fighting back. I did not make any excuses and just asked my enemies to forgive me and said that I should never have hit them. AS SOON AS I DID THESE THINGS, I INSTANTLY WOKE UP FROM THE NIGHTMARE. IT WAS LIKE BEING LET OUT OF PRISON. THE DREAD LEFT ME AND I WAS FREE.  I realized God was teaching me that soon I may be attacked and persecuted, even by Christians, but I cannot get offended or fight back. It will be better in the end for me if I suffer and take it all patiently. There may be times when we may feel alone, and many will leave our side, even those we have helped, but we cannot fight or get offended. Even if we do fight back in defense, the world and its authority will side with the worldly, and we will be in trouble for doing what only seemed natural. (And the Lord will not help us until we repent and forgive, just as Jesus taught His disciples.) Important related teachings:  The Sword or the Cross? How Shall We Die? Audio Series Let me share the following with you from our book, How Shall We Die? This is available for free download on our website. When we submit to the Word of God, we die to our old self. We've learned that Jesus' teachings concerning this nonresistance, submission to governments, loving your enemy, turning the other cheek, and so on, are very crucifying, but they're commanded of the Lord and, as we obey Him, He is going to come to be manifested in us. I'd like to look further at this in the Book of John.  One of the biggest problems I've seen is that God's people have a problem discovering where the kingdom of the world stops, and the kingdom of heaven starts. We really need to delineate that very explicitly with the Word of God. (Joh.18:36) Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. In the Old Covenant the Jews had a natural kingdom, a physical kingdom. In the New Covenant it's obviously not that way – it's a spiritual kingdom, as we're going to see as we read on. Theirs was a very worldly kingdom. They were wrestling with flesh and blood, but our battle is with the principalities and powers as Ephesians 6:12 shows. Jesus said that His servants wouldn't fight, even to deliver Him from death, or from the Jews, or from the Beast kingdom, which was the Roman Empire at that time. His servants wouldn't fight because they were defending a different kind of kingdom, and they were using a different kind of sword. Jesus also went to His cross, physically, as a type and a shadow of us going to our cross, spiritually. (Mat.16:24) Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (25) For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it. Except we take up our cross and follow Him, except we lose our life, we cannot enter the kingdom of God. The word “life” there is psuchē, not the physical life, but our soulish life. So, in order to walk in His steps, we follow Jesus' physical crucifixion by going to our spiritual crucifixion of self. Part of that is submitting to His Word, even when it disagrees with our worldly desires. He said, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight.” But since His Kingdom is not a worldly kingdom at all, His servants do not fight, even to defend Him or to defend themselves. However, we do have One Who fights for us, don't we? In fact, His power is far greater than anything we could wield. Jesus told His disciples, “Don't you know, I could call 12 legions of angels if I wanted help? You don't have to bring out that puny sword.” 12 legions of angels! A Roman legion was between 4500 and 6000 men. And we also have angels. If we depend on God, His power is made perfect in our weakness. If we want to see the power of God to defend us, then we have got to quit trying to defend ourselves. What kind of kingdom is Jesus talking about? Peter says, “But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1Pe.2:9). He is speaking here to those who are born again; it says He “begat us again” (3). Those who are born again belong to this holy nation – “holy” meaning separate, sanctified, separated from the world. All of God's born-again people are one holy nation that covers the globe, and we know He's no respecter of persons. (9) But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God's] own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. He said that they're “a royal priesthood.” We know that this is spiritual and not physical because of this verse: (5) Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. We're spiritual priests; we offer up spiritual sacrifices to the Lord. As a chosen generation, we are a spiritual Kingdom, not a physical kingdom whatsoever.  The Lord has told us in the New Testament that He is not a respecter of persons. Whether He's talking about Jews or Gentiles, He uses that phrase. When He's talking about servants and masters He uses it as well. He's not a respecter of persons because He judges them alike. Read what Peter said to the Gentiles: (Act.10:34) And Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: (35) but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him. Out of all nations, God has made one nation of those who are born again. By the way, this nation is still called Israel. As it says in Romans 11, those who walk by faith have been grafted into that olive tree that's called “all Israel.” Read it.  We are now Jews according to the Spirit. We are now priests who offer spiritual sacrifices, the most important of which is that we offer up our bodies as living sacrifices. That means we offer this body up to serve the Lord and not to serve ourselves. In this manner, our reason rails against the fact that the Lord does not permit us to go along with the world by warring with one another, or defending ourselves with weapons, or anything like that. He has told us to submit to the governments and authorities around us, which, in some cases, does not sit well with our reason, especially when they're so contrary to the ways of the Kingdom. But He says it, and we do it because we've decided that He knows more than we do. (Jas.2:1) My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, [the Lord] of glory, with respect of persons. (9) But if ye have respect of persons, ye commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. The Bible also warns us: (2Co.5:16) Wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh…. It doesn't matter what nation a Christian comes from – they are our brethren. As a matter of fact, they are our brethren, but the natural people around us who don't know God are not. Many times Christians make alliances and allegiances with the wicked people around them, the antichrist people around them. But that's not our Kingdom. We're to “know no man after the flesh.” We know no one by skin color, nationality, or tongue. We're all one in Christ Jesus, Galatians tells us. There are no physical attributes that God accepts. He only wants born-again people. The Lord says that His Kingdom is quite different than the physical kingdom. (Luk.17:20) And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation. Now what were they expecting? They were expecting a physical kingdom. Many Christians really think this is a kingdom today, a kingdom of some religious organization of people on earth. There's nothing that we can see that is the Kingdom of God – not our church building, not our preacher; everything we're looking at is not the Kingdom of God. It is the born-again man that is the Kingdom of God. (21) Neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you. That's what the Numeric version says, but it's a strange thing that the phrase “within you” can also be translated “in the midst of you.” As a matter of fact, in the footnote, the Numeric version says that either one of these translations has a numeric pattern because it means both of those things. It means “in the midst of you,” as in “among the disciples, between the disciples”; and it also means “within you” is the Kingdom of God. “Flesh and blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of God” (1Co.15:50). That's why I said, “No, not your pastor,” because the man you're looking at there is not going to inherit the Kingdom. It's the spiritual man on the inside. He's even going to get a new body to inherit the Kingdom if he's born again, serving the Lord and bearing fruit. So there's nothing physical; it is the spiritual that counts, and in the spiritual Kingdom of God, we fight with the spiritual methods.  We have powerful weapons that the world knows nothing about and that it cannot resist. (2Co.10:3) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh (4) (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds). Their weapons are useless against the weapons of our warfare, which are not fleshly or carnal.  Many people fear that if they give up their right to defend themselves or their country, God can't take care of them. Well, as we saw, 12 legions of angels are at His disposal. If He just sends one to be by your side (and we know from the Scriptures that you have at least one), that one could kill 185,000 men, so that angel can certainly take care of you. The more we learn to put our faith in Him, the more we see that our puny weapons are worthless and that we shouldn't make any allegiances with nations that are not our nation.  Many people lean upon patriotism to a natural nation, which is not God's Kingdom and not of God's Kingdom and is a very dangerous and foolish thing to do. In fact, it says we're all just strangers passing through. (Heb.11:13) These all died in faith, not having received the promises (those are the New Testament promises), but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. This earth is passing away, but our Kingdom is eternal. We are not to pledge our allegiance to this world. (14) For they that say such things make it manifest that they are seeking after a country of their own. Meaning, of course, that if we're just strangers and pilgrims, that this is not our country. We're seeking after one that is our own. (15) And if indeed they had been mindful of that [country] from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. Do you know that many people do return to bondage, to allegiance to nations that are not their nation? We belong to one nation; it's a worldwide, spiritual nation, but it's a real nation, and we are spiritual priests in that spiritual house with spiritual sacrifices. (16) But now they desire a better [country], that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city.  God is not ashamed of those who don't claim that this world is their home or that this nation is their nation, but who claim citizenship of the spiritual nation, whose spiritual city, the New Jerusalem, is their capital. For the rest, who are members of the world, who have united themselves with the world, it's a different story. I know that God's grace covers our ignorance. Thank God for that. We're very ignorant, but God, by His mercy and by His grace, forgives us, and that's great; but when we get knowledge and understanding, we have to do something with it. This relates to what we're talking about here. If we don't act on what we see here to become a “holy” nation, which means a “separate, or sanctified” nation, then God is ashamed of us.  We see this separation here: (2Co.6:14) Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers…. Would you go out and fight for the world? Would you defend an antichrist kingdom? That's what the Bible says you'd be doing. Would you go out and kill the devil's servants for the devil? That happens, too, because we have brothers and sisters all over the world and some of them are ignorant; some are in the foreign militaries, and they think they're fighting patriotically for their country. But we see from the Scriptures that that's not so. We have one country and we are ambassadors for that country. (14) Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity…? Even what the world calls “good people” are not our brothers and sisters. We have a holy nation, a separate nation. (14) … Or what communion hath light with darkness? (15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial…? If you're fighting for a nation of this world, guess who the god of this world is? Who is it who causes nations to go out and kill each other by the thousands and hundreds of thousands? Do you think that is righteous? We've been deceived about this. When we join with the world against the world, we're leaving our Kingdom. (15) … Or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever? (16) And what agreement hath a temple of God with idols? for we are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Now what is he talking about? What does it mean to yoke with the unbeliever? Obviously, we can do it with war, politics, marriage, business – we can do it in so many ways, but God says, “Don't do it.” We can reason our way out of it, or we can seek to do His will. I understand that sometimes a person comes into this knowledge and they're already yoked in a situation like that. We can be unequally yoked in a marriage, and God says not to leave them because how do we know that they might not be saved or sanctified through our faith? (1 Corinthians 7:16) We can't tell a Jew by looking at the flesh anymore. They might be one of those chosen from the foundation of the world, but we have to wait and see. (1Co.7:15) Yet if the unbelieving departeth, let him depart…. We're not bound in such a case. After acquiring knowledge, we don't want to enter into an unequally yoked situation like that. We can marry, but only in the Lord (1 Corinthians 7). Concerning politics, some people say, “I'm a Republican.” Oh, really? Wouldn't you just rather stand for the Lord? Wouldn't you rather do what He wants you to do? And besides, He's going to install any kind of government He wants anyway; and usually they are vessels of dishonor, not vessels of honor, to fulfill His Will. Especially when you're talking about an end-time Beast government that God is putting together to chasten His people, to bring them to their cross, to which they refuse to go. So you see, God doesn't necessarily want good vessels in the government to do that, but many people are deceived into thinking that they can vote in godly people. It just hasn't ever worked that way. That's not God's plan. So, with politics, with war, should we become unequally yoked with a bunch of people who are antichrist to go and kill other people for the devil? There is no physical warfare in our Kingdom. It's all spiritual warfare: turn the other cheek; love your enemy; do good to them that despitefully use you. Why would we reunite? Why would we go back to the country from which we are coming out, as Paul said? God is not ashamed to call us His children and Himself our God. If we're looking for that spiritual country, we're not pledging allegiance to a wicked nation of this world. (2Co.6:17) Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord…. Some people think that's just talking about the Harlot. Well, that's part of it because the Harlot is a worldly church. They have more affinity for the world than they do for the Lord. But it's also talking about coming out of the world, if you look at the text. Make no allegiances with the world. (17) … And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you. We want the Lord to receive us in all things, but we're not willing to give up the world to do it. (18) And I will be to you a Father, and ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Notice that sonship comes to those who become separate from the world.  Sometimes God will separate us from allegiance to the world and from being unequally yoked. We should accept it when the Lord does that. (1Co.7:15) Yet if the unbelieving departeth, let him depart…. That's an example, but Paul goes even deeper: (2Co.7:1) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. We are not to join with the world in their bitterness, their anger, their lust against other nations, because we don't know anybody after the flesh. We don't have an allegiance to one man who is maybe one color, or maybe one nationality, against another man. The Lord is no respecter of persons, and we're also forbidden to do so. James said it was a sin. We don't hold one man more valuable than another man, especially when referring to a bunch of lost people in the world. They all belong to one another. But when we come into the Kingdom, we are one holy nation worldwide, and God has called us to be separate, in order for us to be sons of God. Praise God! You may say, “That's radically different, David.” Well, no, it's been there all the time. We're just reading the black and white here. There's nothing really hidden about this. (1Jn.5:19) We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the evil one. All of the world- what men call “good people” and what men call “bad people,” they're all in the devil, all in the evil one, and he is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). We are in the world, but we are not of the world, according to what Jesus said. We're just passing through, on our way to a spiritual and eternal Kingdom. God doesn't appreciate it when we make allegiances and alliances with the wicked. He wants us to be separate.  That's made very plain here: (1Jn.4:1) Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. So he's talking about the spirits of people here. (2) Hereby know ye the Spirit of God (he's talking about the Spirit of God in people): every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: (When we run into the spirit in a person that confesses that Jesus is in that flesh, that's the Spirit of God.): (3) and every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and this is the [spirit] of the antichrist, (Notice: Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is the spirit of antichrist.) whereof ye have heard that it cometh; and now it is in the world already.  Lots of people have that theology, but every time the word “antichrist” is mentioned in the Scriptures, it's not talking about an individual; in every case it's talking about the corporate spirit of all lost mankind. Antichrist is as close to us as the next pagan, the next lost person. (4) Ye are of God, [my] little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. (1Jn.4:5) They are of the world: therefore speak they [as] of the world, and the world heareth them. There is He that is in you and he that is in the world. These are two nations – the nation of the world and the nation of God's people. That is the nation of Christ and the nation of antichrist. (6) We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he who is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. The whole world, Jesus said, is going to hate us; all nations are going to hate us. The reason God is going to do that is to get God's people to join together. What way can God's people come to realize that the kingdom they live in and have patriotism toward is not the Kingdom of God, other than by turning it to hate them? The pharisees were at the top of a kingdom that hated Jesus. Many preachers who claim Jesus hate His Word and Him. And God will, for His name's sake, turn the whole world to hate His people. He caused the Egyptians' hearts to hate His people, and in these days God is going to do the same thing because God's people do not know that this world is not God's Kingdom and that they will never build God's Kingdom in America or any other place. God's Kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. God's people must also realize who the enemy is. There's “He that's in us”, and there's “he that's in the world”, who is Satan in the body of all lost mankind. He that is in us is Christ from heaven. The Beast from the pit is in the lost, and Christ from heaven is growing in all born-again believers. Jesus said,“He that is not with me is against me” (Mat.12:30). That's anti (against); that is antichrist. “The whole world lieth in the evil one,” Scripture says. Satan is the god of this world. Would you be patriotic for a nation overwhelmingly made up of antichrist people? Don't you realize those are the devil's people? No, we're not here to judge them; we're here to bring them the Gospel, to offer them the grace of the Kingdom, and we will see which among them is chosen of God because “he who is of God hears the words of God.” We are to be separate, to have “no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” (Eph.5:11). “Fellowship” means “having in common.” It means “giving and receiving.” We are not to receive the things of the wicked world. We have fellowship with the world many times when we're just sitting there, feeding on that old TV or social media because we're polluting ourselves. (1Co.5:6) … A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. God wants us to have fellowship, “having in common,” with His Word, fellowship with Jesus Christ. Once a person is joined patriotically to the world, they're joined to a spirit that has murdered as many people as religion. Those are the two major killers of people – religion and patriotism. Some of you may say, “I never thought of it that way, David.” No, some of you are probably as mad as a wet hen at me right now, but it doesn't make any difference. This is the Word of God. Straight out of the Word, it says that we need to separate from this wicked world. They live according to their lust; they wage war against other nations because they think they have a right to. God says that we don't have a right to. We're to love our enemies; that's what He commanded. We're to offer them the Gospel, not a sword. What does it mean to worship the image of the Beast? We see the image of the Beast in Daniel chapter three and a revelation of it in Daniel chapter two. It is all the nations of the lost people of the world in one image of a corporate man; there's “the Antichrist” right there. Are we members of that? Are we patriotic toward that? (1Jn.2:15) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (17) And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. Eternal life has to do with our doing the Will of God. Some of these things that we're looking at are not popular, but they will separate us from the world, and that's what's necessary to be sanctified. (Heb.12:14) Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification (separation) without which no man shall see the Lord.  Sanctification is this process of separating us from the world, from sin, from evil, from these antichrist people around us, unto the Kingdom of God, the one holy nation that does not recognize race, creed, or nationality. Obviously, when we get fully in the Kingdom of God, into heaven, we're going to have so many brothers and sisters that we'll be glad for the variety. God is; He created them all. Many a young man has gone out and died for a nation because of the vainglory of life, as he tells us in verse 16, and they think they're going to have great glory fighting for this world, but there's no glory in it. It's contrary to God's way; it's contrary to His nature. He hates it. The people who are being killed are the very people that we're supposed to be offering eternal life to, and yet, we're sending them off to eternal damnation. What are we here for? Wars don't come from God. (Jas.4:1) Whence [come] wars and whence [come] fightings among you? [come] they not hence, [even] of your pleasures that war in your members? There are no just wars. We are not to go to war along with the world, if we want to enter the spiritual, eternal Kingdom of God and not have God be ashamed of us. But if we're going to war with the world after we receive knowledge, God is ashamed of us. Now I'm not saying that God is condemning our forefathers here in America for the wars that they fought. The great thing about God is, To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin (Jas.4:17). But the Lord wants us to grow up in this day, so when we look at these things, He wants us to act on them. It doesn't matter that our forefathers fought and died to give freedom to America. That has nothing to do with what God is doing with us here and now. He is creating sons of God in these days. Jesus, the Son of God, cannot even be imagined as taking up a weapon and fighting for natural Israel. As a matter of fact, when Jesus prophesied, He prophesied judgment on natural Israel and talked about the Beast kingdoms encompassing them and destroying them. And He was on God's side. That's where we have to be, on God's side. No matter what nation we come from, we have to be on God's side. What does God think? What does He want? (2) Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain... People fight over land; they fight over oil; they fight over what they think is injustice. They war with other nations and kill thousands of people, and the sad thing is the political Christians today don't understand that that's all of the devil, and they're pushing for it. (2) … Ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not. Whatever we need, just ask God. (Mar.11:24) … All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them. What do we need to take away from anybody else? Why is it that people need the world anyway? What's wrong with a simple life? People lust after so much. Wars come from it because people lust after things they could have for the asking. God will take care of it. (Jas.4:3) Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend [it] in your pleasures. (4) Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? What does he call the friendship of the world? Well, those who go out and fight with the world. (4) … Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God. If we're going to go out and make an unholy alliance with the wicked world, we become the enemy of God because now we become a member of the body of antichrist. We want to be separate, sanctified from the wicked world, having “no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.” We are to share God with the world, not be part of them. People say, “Well, David, what am I supposed to do if someone attacks my family? Am I supposed to just stand there and look at them or am I supposed to do something physical to take care of this?” Do you remember the words of Jesus? (Mat.26:52) Then saith Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. They thought they were just defending family; He called them transgressors. In Luke 22, those who took the sword were transgressors. “All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” That doesn't sound like you're taking care of your family. That sounds to me like you're coming across as fighting against God and, ultimately, it will cost you. (53) Or thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and He shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? Does God promise to protect us with His angels? Sometimes not, if we protect ourselves. God says that His power is made perfect in our weakness. We don't ever get to see God defend us until we quit defending ourselves, and basically, that's what He was saying here. What did God say about the angels defending His people? (Psa.91:10) There shall no evil befall thee, Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent. (11) For he will give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. Wow! He's talking about those who are in the “secret place of the Most High”, those who are abiding in Christ! How do we abide in Christ? By obeying His commands. (1Jn.2:24) As for you, let that abide in you which ye heard from the beginning. If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father. What we heard from the beginning is that which is written in His Book. If we abide in the Son, He promises His angels will take charge over us, to keep us. (Psa.91:12) They shall bear thee up in their hands, Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. We can't even have an accident when we're abiding in Christ. Notice that they will protect you if you believe it. They will keep you. If you ask, “But what if somebody attacks?” you're denying the Lord here. You're denying what the Word of God says very plainly. (13) Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: The young lion and the serpent shalt thou trample under foot. That seems like a pretty dangerous thing to do and it's a good way to get bitten if we're not walking with the Lord, but we're talking about the protection of God for those who abide in Him. Recently I was raking some leaves out of my way with my fingers, which caught a copperhead underneath and flipped him out. He was mad but I stomped on him. Think about Daniel in the lion's den. Why did God close the mouths of lions? Daniel was abiding in the secret place. And would He only do that for Daniel? No. (Psa.91:14) Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him…. Who is it who loves the Lord? He said, those who keep His commands. You see, when you have obeyed these things that we're looking at, you love the Lord, and you're abiding in the secret place of the Most High. Your enemy can't find the secret place.  Don't think about what things happen in the world, as if you're in the world. Don't compare yourself with the world. If you want to see God defend you, stop defending yourself. His “power is made perfect in weakness” (2Co.12:9). (Psa.91:14) Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. God holds your faith and your trust in Him very highly, but not all the “what ifs” that the devil can put into your mind. (15) He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble: I will deliver him, and honor him. (16) With long life will I satisfy him, And show him my salvation. Wasn't Jesus saying this when He was speaking to Peter? “Put up your sword. All they that take the sword are going to die by the sword. Don't you know I could call 12 legions of angels?” What kind of puny defense is a sword or a gun? How many people get killed with their own swords and their own guns? But we're not taking any chances when we lean on God. We can lean on the medical profession and die of all sorts of things. Even their medicine has killed many. Some people think, “Oh, I'll take my chances, David. I need to trust in my gun and drugs.” You need to trust the Lord. You are taking a chance any other way. Jer 17:5  Thus saith Jehovah: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from Jehovah.  Wouldn't you rather have a defense like this? (Psa.34:7) The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, And delivereth them. You might not even have the chance to get to your gun. I remember a testimony of a man a few years ago who picked up a hitchhiker. The guy shot him three times point blank, and he was never touched by the bullets. They don't even know what happened to the bullets. An assassin shot at me close range and my angel disappeared the bullet and there was a witness. Michael and I were in his truck sliding down a steep hill on ice. I saw clearly our vehicle pass THROUGH a parked car on the side of the road and our tracks in the snow proved it. (8) Oh taste and see that the Lord is good (we just need to taste and see): Blessed is the man that taketh refuge in him. If we trust in ourself, we're not taking refuge in Him. We haven't put our trust in Him. God will guide you around or through a lot of these things that happen to the wicked. We have a Passover Lamb. (1Co.5:7) … For our passover also hath been sacrificed, [even] Christ. The Passover Lamb is for us to be delivered from the curse on this world. The death angel, the curse, passed over the Israelites who had the blood on their doorposts, but the death angel destroyed the Egyptians all around them. If we're really going to be believers, we don't need to listen to these horror stories that happen to the world because it normally happens to the world; they're the Egyptians. We have a Savior, and part of our covenant is deliverance. Now, I know that not everybody partakes of all of the Covenant. They take a part, bits and pieces here and there, and in the part that they believe, they partake of. But the part they don't believe in doesn't do them any good. (Hos.4:6) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (understanding)…. God's people are destroyed because they don't agree with this Word. Many are trusting in their ability to shoot straight or to have enough ammunition stored up in the house. And to hold off whom? I have an acquaintance who lived not too far from me, and when my kids were growing up, I went to his house, and it was an arsenal. The guy had bazookas and everything. I said, “Man, what are you getting ready for?” He said, “I'm getting ready for the Germans.” So I told him, “You'd better get ready for the Americans because they may be coming to get you.” And that's the truth. We'd better get ready for the church to come against us. We'd better get ready for this Beast government to come against us when we don't take their mark. Forget about the Germans. Oh, they're coming, but they're coming to take care of the Americans who persecute the Christians. That's how it's going to happen. But “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him.” That guy's liable to blow himself up over there with all that stuff, or his wife might fall out with him and just shoot him with something, since it's nice and handy. I hope it's not a bazooka. At any rate, if we trust the Lord, there's nothing that any man can do if we put our faith and our trust in Him and abide in the secret place of the Most High. So don't give ear to all these horror stories – “What if this? What if that?” That's just the devil. We have something sure here to depend upon. The Lord says that we have these angels round about us. They won't even let us dash our foot against a stone. They'll protect us in the days to come. We can trust in God.  “The angels are mighty,” the Bible says in Psalm 103. But I'm not trusting in angels; I'm trusting in God. (Psa.103:19) The Lord hath established his throne in the heavens; And his kingdom ruleth over all. (20) Bless the Lord, ye his angels, That are mighty in strength, that fulfil his word, Hearkening unto the voice of his word. Did you know that we have to be entitled for these words to be fulfilled on us and for us? We have to walk by faith, so that when the angels hearken unto the voice of His Word, they are “ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation” (Heb.1:14). (Psa.103:21) Bless the Lord, all ye his hosts, Ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. (22) Bless the Lord, all ye his works, In all places of his dominion: Bless the Lord, O my soul. The Lord God Almighty is our Savior in all things, and He will defend us and keep us. Jesus laid down His life, but no one took His life. (Joh.10:17) Therefore doth the Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. (18) No one taketh it away from me, but I lay it down of myself…. When they tried, He just passed through their midst. The Lord told me years ago that bodily translation will be common in the days to come. Can you imagine, if you're not able to buy and sell or get on a jet plane to go from here to there, what God is going to do to get His Gospel all over the world? He says that it's going to happen. He can translate you into trouble, and He can translate you out of trouble. We heard a testimony here not too long ago of a minister who was in Africa. He was being accosted by a witch doctor, and God snatched up that witch doctor and threw him over in the midst of the deep, dark woods; it took him a week to walk out of there. God can protect you. He can take the enemy out, or He can take you out. Or He can just stop the bullets, but He can protect you. We need to put our trust in Him to find out what that's like. You know, we're in the minority here, as the people who trust in God. All the horror stories, all the statistics that you hear are overwhelmingly about what happens to unbelievers. Find some statistics about those who trust in the Lord. That's a small and narrow group of people, I agree, because even most Christians don't trust in the Lord. We need to find out what that's like because we're coming to the most dangerous time in all of history. Jesus said, “ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake” (Mat.24:9). God's raising up a great enemy. We're going to need to know how to walk in “the secret place of the Most High”; we're going to need to know how to put our trust in the Passover Lamb, so the death angel will pass over, no matter what. Every one of you out there who is a born-again child of God, you have an angel whose job it is to protect you. Believe me, no man on this earth can do anything to you without God's Will. God bless you, saints. I just pray that you'll be full of faith and seek out what it is to abide in Jesus Christ.

LESSON 224God Is My Father, And He Loves HisSon.My true Identity is so secure, so lofty, sinless, glorious and great, wholly beneficent and free from guilt, that Heaven looks to It to give it light. It lights the world as well. It is the gift my Father gave to me; the one as well I give the world. There is no gift but This that can be either given or received. This is reality, and only This. This is illusion's end. It is the truth.My Name, O Father, still is known to You. I have forgotten it, and do not know where I am going, who I am, or what it is I do. Remind me, Father, now, for I am weary of the world I see. Reveal what You would have me see instead.- Jesus Christ in ACIM

Delivered by Gladys from the Parish of Saint Gabriel in the Diocese of Bandung, Indoneisa. Nahum 1: 15; 2: 2; 3: 1-3.6-7; Rs psalm: Deut 32: 35cd-36ab.39abcd.41; Matthew 16: 24-28.IF LIFE CAN BE EXCHANGED Our meditation today has the theme: If Life Can BeExchanged. The exchange of goods in the past was done in a barter system, forexample, it was occurred when bananas were brought from mountains zone in orderto be exchanged with fish from beach zone. However, times have changed and theexchange system also changed, and so it is no longer the activity ofexchanging goods but buying goods. We use money to buy goods in markets andshopping centers. Can a person be bought or exchanged in this way? Forexample, a person goes to a rich man, then he is taken by that rich person withamount of money as his value to be given to the person's family. Perhaps thiskind of purchase could be happened, but such incident should be classified assomething abnormal and even a crime in our society. This type of exchange takes place in the context ofmarket and trade. The Lord Jesus teaches us a type of life exchange, which isnot in the context of trade or market. He presents a new lifestyle that bringssalvation to our bodies and souls. To those who choose to follow Him, theprinciple condition is to make a life exchange, that is, a change ofpersonality and the spirit of life. The lifestyle of this world with its temporalachievements is no doubt has made us selfish, enjoying easy life, and wanted tobe served. Jesus demands that this style is to be exchanged with the newlifestyle of His own, which is a self-denial or renunciation. Its main symbolis the carrying of the cross. This act complements what God has done for eachone of us, when He bought us from this world with a very high price. We werealready made His own by the sacrament of Baptism and by our membership in the Church.So we experience an exchange of life in the sense that we belong to Jesus andthe lifestyle of this world is exchanged with the one of Jesus Christ, namelythe self-denial. This does not mean that the world, culture and societyare no longer part of our lives, or rather we lose our right to have thisworld. We actually still experience and have all in this world, but we haveassumed a higher dignity for ourselves being people from this world, namely thefollowers of Christ. We have this dignity and we feel how meaningful we are.The proof is that we promise to befaithful to God through our words and deeds. However, we are not totally freefrom temptation and sin. In fact, the great challenge for sons and daughters ofGod is to maintain their dignity. The prophet Nahum in his preaching said that,God always wants to restore human life that has been damaged by sin. As sonsand daughters of God, we are so special because we are always being restored bythe good and merciful Lord.Let'spray. In the name of the Father ... O Father, give us your power to sanctifyourselves through our words and deeds, and may our lives today be pleasing toYou. Hail Mary ... In the name of the Father ...

August 4, 2026Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:6-13Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 18:10-30; Acts 27:27-44“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Paul is presenting a typology. Fancy word, I know, but it just means that one thing is a type of another, or one thing is an example. The Church at Corinth has fallen into the same trap as the Israelites of old who wandered in the desert. Each thought that because they were God's chosen people, they could go about and live however they desired, free from judgment or temporal punishment. That is why the five examples that Paul gives in our Reading for today are each specific sins that the Corinthians are struggling with.This is a very specific warning about viewing the Gospel as a license to sin as opposed to the grace to fight against temptation. Christ and His cross has accomplished everything of the Law, and He has done it for you, but that doesn't give you permission to indulge in the sinful things of the flesh like idolatry, sexual immorality, and covetousness. … In the most simple of ways: the cross grants you forgiveness, not permission.And so against any sort of haughtiness that is prevalent in our sinful flesh, Paul urges us not to be so pompous as to think we cannot sin (v. 11). Instead, he confronts us with the reality that the sinner within the Christian is just as susceptible to temptation if he relies on his own reason or strength as the unbeliever. What is worse, the Christian has been given the Law so that he knows what loving God and loving his neighbor actually looks like. The good works of the Law are necessary for the Christian; they are just not necessary for salvation.Luther tells us, when commenting on verse 13, “‘But God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength' … however different it appears to human reason and however much every temptation seems to be beyond measure and intolerable.” Call out to the Lord in the day of trouble, and He will answer you. Pray fervently to your Heavenly Father that He will stand firm in His promise to you and trust Him fully that He will do what He says.But most importantly, when you succumb to those temptations, do not despair as if you have no hope. Be forgiven for the sake of Christ and be raised to new life in your baptismal identity in Him.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.With prayer the Father we implore: O Father, glorious evermore, We plead with Thee for grace and pow'r To conquer in temptation's hour, Alleluia! On Christ, the true bread, let us feed; Let Him to us be drink indeed; And let us taste with joyfulness The Holy Spirit's plenteousness. Alleluia! ( LSB 874: 3, 5)Rev. Eli Lietzau, pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

In Episode 209, we explore Luke 10:21-24 and a moment of pure, Spirit-filled joy that causes Jesus to break into spontaneous prayer. The seventy-two disciples have just returned from their mission. The Kingdom is advancing. And Jesus, filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit—not urgency, not burden, but joy—turns to His Father in prayer. He prays: "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike." Through guided meditation, discover what this prayer reveals about how God works. Not through the impressive. Not through the powerful. Not through those who already have all the answers. But through the humble—through those who come like children, without pretense, without agenda, without the need to already know. This is the posture that opens us to revelation. Then Jesus turns to His disciples privately and says something extraordinary: "Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen. I tell you, many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, but they didn't see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn't hear it." Think about who Jesus is talking about. Abraham. Moses. David. Isaiah. Jeremiah. The greatest figures in all of Israel's history. They longed for what the disciples have. They caught glimpses. They saw shadows. They received promises. But they didn't see the fulfillment. And now the disciples are standing in the middle of it—walking with the Messiah, witnessing the Kingdom advancing, experiencing the full revelation of who God is in Jesus. This episode explores what this means for you. You live on the resurrection side of history. You have what kings and prophets longed for. You have the cross—the full payment for sin. You have the empty tomb—the conquest of death. You have the Holy Spirit living inside you—the very presence of God. You have the complete Word of God. You have access to the Father through Jesus. Abraham didn't have this. David didn't have this. Isaiah didn't have this. But you do. Learn why wonder is the natural response to revelation and how familiarity can quietly steal the awe that should mark every day of your life. Discover how to reclaim that wonder through deliberate gratitude—naming the specific things you can see, know, and experience because Jesus chose to reveal the Father to you. Find the joy that filled Jesus—the joy of knowing God and being known by God—and let it become the foundation of your day.

Spiritual Eyes of Faith (1) (audio) David Eells, 8/2/26  V. W. - 6/4/19 (David's notes in red) I had this dream where some of us of local UBM were in the living room of a house. Some of us were talking casually, sitting at a picnic table that was in the living room. My husband and I were sitting next to each other; Debbie Fenske was to the right, a little farther away. She was talking to us about the book we are reading in our Wednesday Bible studies, The Real Good News. (This book is about what the Gospel provides for those who overcome through faith.) She said something about the chapter we are in, and she had read a few chapters ahead. She was also very excited about the deliverance the Lord is doing now, and something about spiritual warfare. I remember seeing Joe D. (who has come here to visit) sitting in a chair diagonally across from her, smiling. As she was talking about the book, I knew we were now receiving “grants”. (For those who take part in the cleaning up process, the heavenly “grants” will come to those who have faith in the promises.) Then, when I woke up I thought of (Php.1:29) …to you it hath been granted in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer in his behalf. (Those who suffer with Jesus in our death to self will also reign with him through the grants. (2Ti.2:11) Faithful is the saying: For if we died with him, we shall also live with him: 12 if we endure, we shall also reign with him: if we shall deny him, he also will deny us. (Rev.2:26) And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations. All the promises we've been given from the Lord are past tense, so we see them as being “granted” already.) I thought about how a grant is a gift to be used for a specific purpose. And I searched the New Testament for the word ‘granted' and found these verses. (I added the Old Testament grants to overcomers.) It is amazing to see all the things the Lord is granting us now. Thank You, Father, for Your grace and for granting us to be delivered out of the hands of our enemies! Thank You for all the things You are giving us. May we use all You grant us for Your Kingdom and glory in Jesus name, Amen! (Luk.1:73-75) The oath which he sware unto Abraham our father, 74 To grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies Should serve him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before him all our days. (Act.4:29) And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness. 30 while thy stretchest forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of thy holy Servant Jesus. 31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness. (Act.14:2) But the Jews that were disobedient stirred up the souls of the Gentiles, and made them evil affected against the brethren. 3 Long time therefore they tarried there speaking boldly in the Lord, who bare witness unto the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. (Act. 27:23-25) For there stood by me this night an angel of the God whose I am, whom also I serve, 24 saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must stand before Caesar: and lo, God hath granted thee all them that sail with thee. 25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even so as it hath been spoken unto me. (Rom.5:5) Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus: 6 that with one accord ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Gal.3:16) Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (And He grants to those who abide in Christ who are sons of Abraham by faith.) 17 Now this I say: A covenant confirmed beforehand by God, the law, which came four hundred and thirty years after, doth not disannul, so as to make the promise of none effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise: but God hath granted it to Abraham by promise. (Eph.3:16-19) that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God. (2Pe.1:3-4) Seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. (1Ch.4:10) And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that thy hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it be not to my sorrow! And God granted him that which he requested. And He will grant us this too. (2Ch.1:11) And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thy heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of them that hate thee, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: 12 wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee; neither shall there any after thee have the like. (Ezr.3:6) From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah: but the foundation of the temple of Jehovah was not yet laid. 7 They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and food, and drink, and oil, unto them of Sidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar-trees from Lebanon to the sea, unto Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia. (Trump as Cyrus is conquering D.S. Babylon and freeing the Christians and granting them expenses to build the true Temple. Its happening!) (Ezr.7:6) this Ezra went up from Babylon. And he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which Jehovah, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of Jehovah his God upon him. 7 And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinim, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. 8 And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. … 13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and their priests and the Levites, in my realm, that are minded of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, go with thee. … 15 and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem, 16 and all the silver and gold that thou shalt find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill-offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem; (Just as above, Ezra was granted to lead the people of God out of Babylonish bondage with a grant from the King to build the temple of God, which is a type of God's people so it will be granted today.) (Est.5:8) If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to-morrow as the king hath said. (Esther the Bride was granted to save the people of God from the D.S. Beast kingdom and bring them to their spiritual Red Sea destruction so it will be today.) (Neh.2:7) Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through till I come unto Judah; 8 and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the castle which appertaineth to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. (Again a grant from the King to rebuild the true Temple of God and so it will be in our day.) (Est.5:6) And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. (So ask today, Bride, for whatever you need!) (Est.7:2) And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. (The Bride is granted to be a joint heir with Christ.) (Est.8:11) wherein the king granted the Jews that were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, their little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey, (The Bride is granted to give authority to destroy the D.S. Beast kingdom.) (Est.9:12) And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what then have they done in the rest of the king's provinces! Now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy request further? and it shall be done. 13 Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews that are in Shushan to do to-morrow also according unto this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows. (The Bride is granted to give authority to utterly destroy the D.S. Beast kingdom.) (Job.10:12) Thou hast granted me life and lovingkindness; And thy visitation hath preserved my spirit. (Pro.10:24) The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him; And the desire of the righteous shall be granted. 25 When the whirlwind passeth, the wicked is no more; But the righteous is an everlasting foundation. (Psa.20:4) Grant thee thy heart's desire, And fulfil all thy counsel. (Psa.119:29) Remove from me the way of falsehood; And grant me thy law graciously. 30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness: Thine ordinances have I set before me. 31 I cleave unto thy testimonies: O Jehovah, put me not to shame. 32 I will run the way of thy commandments, When thou shalt enlarge my heart. (Psa.140:7-11) O Jehovah the Lord, the strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. 8 Grant not, O Jehovah, the desires of the wicked; Further not his evil device, lest they exalt themselves. Selah. 9 As for the head of those that compass me about, Let the mischief of their own lips cover them. 10 Let burning coals fall upon them: Let them be cast into the fire, Into deep pits, whence they shall not rise. 11 An evil speaker shall not be established in the earth: Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.   Abiding in Heavenly Places Alenna Timoshchuk - 12/17/21 (David's notes in red) I dreamt that my husband went to visit David Eells and Michael, but instead of visiting them where they lived now, he actually was visiting them in heaven. (Representing the first fruits Man-child ministers living in “heavenly places in Christ”.) None of them were dead; they were still alive on this earth, but it was like there was a lower part of heaven that was open to those who abide in Christ, and they could visit it, even though they were still alive on earth. (The first fruits come into perfection through Christ first by abiding with Him in heavenly places.) I got to see a bit of it as if I was looking through my husband's eyes and it looked like it was just above all the mountain peaks. (Looking through our husband's eyes represents seeing the way our heavenly husband Jesus sees. The Bride has the eyes of a dove, representing the Holy Spirit, just as her husband Jesus does. (Son.4:1) Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are as doves behind thy veil. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of mount Gilead. And (Son.5:12) His eyes are like doves beside the water-brooks, Washed with milk, and fitly set.) It had beautiful pine trees and rivers, and Michael and David lived in a beautiful large log cabin, a really fancy one. (For anyone who loves the outdoors and appreciates nature, this would be their dream place. Just the prettiest scenery you could ever imagine.) (I was shown in a vision years ago a tower of logs that represented the UBM ministry that the Lord was giving me. This log cabin represents the UBM ministry living the crucified life, represented by the cross timbers at the corners.) My husband stayed with them for three days, then came back to me and was just so excited, telling me all about it. He was saying how Michael (Meaning, “Who is like God”) held a staff in his hand, and if someone wanted to enter that part of heaven, then he'd hold it out, and if the color turned red, then the person could not enter because they were not abiding in Christ. But if it turned green, then they could go in. He told me how relieved he was when the staff turned green and not red. He started telling me about how wonderful and beautiful everything was up there. (The first fruits have very good discernment; the discernment of Jesus, and the wicked don't ever get past them. (2Co.10:6) and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full.) Then he pulled out a branch from a pine tree and gave it to me. It had the most beautiful aroma. I thought it was so sweet that he brought me a souvenir from heaven. (Pine trees are evergreens, and they represent everlasting life. Jesus is the Father of Eternity and the Branch. This is the gift or souvenir that Jesus has brought back to us with His resurrection. (Isa.9:6) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father (Hebrew: Father of Eternity), Prince of Peace.) Then I told him, “I want to go so badly. I want to be in heaven.” And he smiled and hugged me and said, “Let's go for your birthday on March 6th. (3/6 or 3+6=9. Nine was the hour that Jesus died on the cross, and there are 9 fruits of the Spirit for those who have died to self. And, as in the natural, those who die get to go to heaven. Our birthday begins when we begin to die to our flesh by living the crucified life; then we begin to bear the fruits of the Spirit of God as He makes us a fully born again new creature in Christ.) Then he said, “Maybe then we can stay there for a month.” (30 days? Jesus was 30, as the Law states, when He began his ministry.) I was so excited! I knew it would be the best birthday I've ever had, but I worried a little that we wouldn't have enough money to not work for an entire month. (God will always make provision when He holds the green staff because we walk by faith to follow in His footsteps.) Then I woke up.   Seeing Others Through Faith Eve Brast - 06/13/08 (David's notes in red) The Shulamite bride in Song of Solomon had the eyes of a dove, meaning she saw things the way God's Spirit sees things. This dream teaches us to see others by faith as God does, to see that they have already been given godliness through Christ. This is the opposite of the way the faction views righteous people. (2Pe.1:2) Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; 4 whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in that world by lust. Spiritual eyes see the end from the beginning. I had a dream that began in an indoor swimming pool area. The voice of David Eells was talking over my right shoulder throughout the whole dream. He was showing me different people and situations; people that I had wondered whether they were saved or would be saved, or if these people were making the right choices or living their lives the right way. These things had disturbed or concerned me throughout my life. (Rather than wonder about them, we should have faith for them to be saved. (Php.1:6) being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ: 7 even as it is right for me to be thus minded on behalf of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as, both in my bonds and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers with me of grace.) David would show me these different people. Some of them were close friends or family members; others were strangers whom I had never seen before, or people I had only had brief encounters with. I was walking on the right side of the pool. David's voice was talking over my shoulder in my right ear from behind me. Suddenly, I could hear the voices of my son Noah and his friend Nathan squabbling ... I walked up to them, not sure how to handle their squabble, and was frustrated with their childish foolishness ... Then David Eells walked over to both of them and, in a gentle way, started teaching them ... He calmed them with a gentle voice. Then he showed them how to…reconcile their differences. (Mat.5:9) Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.) Then the scene changed. David's voice was still in my right ear, teaching me. The more he taught me, the more my spiritual sight opened up, and I began to see these people the way God sees them or knows them, even when they are still living in sin or ignorance. (We have to be the peacemakers between the immature and teach them to let God be the judge between them.) The next scene was outdoors on some land that David owned... I drove up in a flatbed pick-up with food, plants, flowers and one small crate of special baby birds. I was contributing these things as a gift to UBM. (No buying and selling but giving and receiving.) All of us lived on his land and had our different positions and chores or things we were assigned to do, based on what we were good at. (Everyone will work according to their assigned gifts and abilities from God, Him working in them to will and to do of His good pleasure; this creates peace and rest.) ... The women and I carried all the food, plants and flowers into the greenhouse nursery to tend to them. I set the baby birds on the top right corner of a table in the center of the nursery. (Baby Christians in the nursery will grow up like the Father's planting.) One of the women who was older than me in her 50's with dyed, dark brown hair walked past the birds and looked down at them with presumptive irritation and said, “What are those?” I started to tell her, but she cut me off because her true intention was to make a point that she wasn't going to help me feed them or care for them. She said, “Well, I hope you don't expect me to take care of them”. I was offended at first by her presumptuousness. But David's voice on my shoulder explained to me why she said that, because that was not God's calling for her and then something amazing happened. All at once, I was able to see her heart attitude and knew this woman intimately as God saw her! All my anger just melted away …and I loved this woman and was so grateful for all she had done for UBM. I was shown how precious and valuable she was to God, and I cherished her like a hidden treasure! (Everyone will learn to appreciate individual callings and gifts as the people manifestly become the body of Christ. No one will do without, for the body will minister to itself as it was in the Book of Acts.) After this, the scene changed, and the plant nursery turned into my grandmother's house. It was Christmas, and there were gobs of Christmas décor everywhere. My mother's family was celebrating Christmas and standing around, eating and talking to one another. My grandmother was being the good hostess that she has always been, preparing food and asking everyone about themselves ... (In God's nursery, the babies can grow up out of their Babylonish traditions without condemnation.) Suddenly, I realized that my grandfather was there. (He passed away back in September 2007.) He was dressed in a colorful Christmas sweater and he looked so young and full of life! (Representing those who are immature, who are dead in their sins, can grow up out of Babylonish works.) My grandmother acted as if it were normal to have a dead man mulling around her house! My mom finally came in, and I rushed over to her in a panic and said, “Thank God you are here! Grandpa is alive! And he is running around here talking to everyone!” I was fearful and horrified. My mother was surprised and concerned. She didn't know what to do except pretend like everything was normal and talk to my grandpa like he was still alive. My mom and I were the only two who realized that my grandpa had died. (Resurrection life will come to those in immature Babylonish habits when we see them and talk to them as though they are alive from the dead and new creatures in Christ. (2Co.5:14) For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and he died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again. 16 Wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh: even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know [him so] no more. 17 Wherefore if any man is in Christ, [he is] a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. 18 But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beseech [you] on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God. 21 Him who knew no sin he made [to be] sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him.) As I stood there, I could hear David's voice over my shoulder again, and it calmed me down, and my fear melted away. ... Then that amazing thing happened again! I started quietly observing my grandpa as he talked and interacted with the other family members. He was beautiful and radiant. He was kind and his heart was childlike. I saw him the way God had seen him! (Yes, by faith and renewed imagination as a new creature in Christ.) He was going around, really just pouring his soul into his children and grandchildren! I couldn't believe what a precious soul this was! (My grandpa used to be a very hard man in his younger years. When I was a child, I heard him and my father arguing as my dad tried to share the Gospel with him. A stream of obscenities would pour out of his mouth. He said he didn't need God. Later in his life, during his 60s, he had a change of heart. He got involved in a local Methodist church and went to Sunday school and church most Sundays and dragged my grandma along, who also got involved with that church. They were really serious about it all. (As baby Christians, we were all involved in a simplistic experience of Christianity, so we should love these as Christ loved us as His babies who are learning to walk -- at the same time correcting the system and leaders who would keep them as babes.) When he had been alive, I judged them for their denominational choice and what I viewed as a shallow, almost worthless relationship with God. (Babies play in the shallow end of the pool until they grow up. We must speak justification by faith to them to give them the joy and confidence of their salvation.) As I was observing my dead grandpa at this Christmas party, I was able to see his heart the way God saw him. It was incredible to me how I could feel how God felt and saw my grandpa! I saw that God cherished his childlike faith and his desire to help others understand things and mentor them, and his desire to help others with their projects. (We must see the immature as accounted righteous by faith.) At that moment, I knew that he was with the Lord and not in hell, as I had been concerned about it since his death. The scene changed again, and my grandmother's house turned into the apartment of two homosexual men. As I observed them, they couldn't see me. I was immediately disgusted that I was in their home. (We are forbidden to judge any of the lost, for they have not grace yet to obey and are in bondage, to be pitied [1 Cor.5:9-13].) I was fearful of some sort of defilement or something. These two men were nicely dressed. I listened to them talk. They had several Great Dane dogs that were running around in the backyard. I wasn't happy about those dogs. … As I was feeling threatened by these men and their dogs, I heard David's voice talking in my right ear again, and as I listened, the threat melted away, and I began to see these men's hearts. They had such compassion and loving kindness in their hearts! I watched them love and care for their animals, when suddenly I heard a knock at the door. One of the men went over to open the door. There was a naked man who was obese and hairy all over his body, sitting in a wheelchair with a colostomy bag taped to his lower abdomen that was filled with feces. He was homeless and needed a place to live and someone to help him change his colostomy bag every day. The sight of this man horrified me, and I doubted these men would take him in. I watched as they happily discussed the possibility between themselves and eagerly agreed to take this crippled, naked man into their home and take care of him! I was astounded at their love for other people, their compassion, and their blindness to the flaws of others. God showed me all the qualities that he had formed in their hearts, how He used the betrayal and rejection that they had experienced throughout their lives in order to form Christ in them! I was seeing the end from the beginning in these men (even though they were still in ignorance and lost in their sin). (Those who have been sinners and rejected can appreciate the acceptance of Christ through the Gospel. Some lost people have more of the nature of Christ than some Christians, but they are not justified through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus. In everyone whom God will ultimately draw and call to Himself, He prepares the soil by breaking it up through adverse circumstances and failure, so that through repentance and faith the seed of Christ is planted. Those who are forgiven of much are able to love much. (Luk.7:47) Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, [the same] loveth little.) God told me, “These are mine!” And they were so beautiful!! So perfect in heart! Such compassion that I had never seen or experienced before! It just made me want to weep. I felt defiled by my own attitudes and judgmental self-righteousness and was horrified at myself. David's words had helped me to see things and people the way that God saw them, in process. I was able to finally see my own heart clearly and repent to God. After this dream, seeing others the way God sees them became a permanent gift. (God sees us as a finished product from the beginning through Jesus' sacrifice, and we must do the same for others. As we forgive them, God forgives us. We can tell them the good news that they are free from sin. The repentant sinner will appreciate this greatly.) They looked so precious to me, and I just cherished each one in my heart like a rare jewel! I didn't see their sin anymore or their imperfections. I wasn't concerned about their immediate state or what they were planning to do that was sinful or wrong. I just saw the end from the beginning and felt such rest! (Seeing our loved ones through the sacrifice of Christ by faith gives us rest that God will do the work in them.) Not only did God settle my uncertainty about the salvation or spiritual condition of all the people whom I have prayed for or been “concerned” about in my family or other people's families, but He gave me the faith I needed to believe in the sanctification of others that we pray for and believe for their salvation. (When we pray for lost loved ones, we are commanded to believe we have received what we prayed for and see it as done. (Mar.11:24) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received (in original Greek) them, and ye shall have them.) This has been an issue for me that I have worried over and struggled with a lot. These situations were representative of all the lost loved ones whom the saints of God are praying and believing for! Praise God for peace of mind and for His great mercy! To be balanced on this subject, we must not give grace to believers who walk in willful disobedience. (Heb.10:26) For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries. 28 A man that hath set at nought Moses law dieth without compassion on [the word of] two or three witnesses: 29 of how much sorer punishment, think ye, shall he be judged worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him that said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense. And again, the Lord shall judge His people.   Learning to Walk in the Spirit Winnie Osegueda - 1/25/22 (David's notes in red) In this dream, I was at my mom's house and there were quite a few different types of people of all colors and nationalities. (I believe this could be part of God's elect still stuck in the mother harlot Church.) There was a man who came into the house who looked like Brandy Arney when he was a bit younger. This man looked like a mix between Brandy Arney and the actor Daniel Craig, who plays James Bond. (Bond is a play on words representing the first fruits Man-child who are bonded together in the agape love of Christ to teach the woman, as Revelation 12 shows. The Man-child body of all nations teaches the woman to fight for the Kingdom like Bond fought for his.) I wanted him to come in because he was going to show me how real the spiritual realm is, and I invited him inside. He was wearing a white or light cream sweater as he stood across from me in front of my mom's front door. As “Brandy/Bond” stood there, I saw his spirit man come out of his body and I was blown away. I asked him how to do that, and he began to teach me. (This represents learning to walk in the Spirit and be led by the Spirit rather than walk in the flesh. (Rom.8:12-14) So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: 13 for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.) Then, as I stood there, my spirit man also came out of my body. This aspect of the dream felt so real. I literally felt myself leave my body. (living in the flesh no more) As I was “walking in the spirit,” I could see and feel my spirit man's arm and hand touch a white lady's sweater with ruffles on the shoulders that was folded over on the back seat of a wooden chair in my bedroom. I believe this sweater was for me. (These are the righteous acts of the saints that we are clothed with when we walk in the Spirit, denying our flesh.) (I see this dream as a parable of coming out of the flesh and walking in the Spirit, and how we are able, by faith, to put on the Lord's righteous garments.) Then I woke up. I asked the Lord for a couple of verses regarding myself in this dream and I received by faith at random: (Joh.3:12) If I told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you heavenly things? (We walk in Heavenly things when we walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.) And (Eph.4:14) (14-16 for context) that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; 15 but speaking truth in love, may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ; 16 from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love.   Seeing Christ in the Mirror Marie Kelton - 1-28-22 (David's notes in red) During the night the Lord gave me a vision of my spiritual man in a dark place. (1Co.13:10-12) but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known.) She was wearing all white and standing in front of a vanity that was all white with a desk and a chair. My spiritual man was looking in the mirror and saw a black being there. I knew it was my flesh man in the mirror. (Jas.1:23-24) But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves. 23 For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: 24 for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.) My spiritual man broke the mirror by hitting it. (Because we cannot see the old man in the mirror, or we will not be justified by faith and not have the power to obey.) Then I saw the Lord standing next to my spiritual man in front of the vanity. (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.)   Get the Beam out of Your Own Eye C. P. - 1/15/22 (David's notes in red) In a vision, I saw a mist and heard the word “fumigate”. (Fumigate means to exterminate or disinfect using smoke or chemicals.) (I believe this mist is the prayers of the saints, as well as the Holy Spirit). Then in the mist I saw a wooden beam. (Mat.7:1-5) Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye; and lo, the beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.) In the wooden beam, there was the tiniest little black speck, but as the mist continued to stay on the beam, the black speck became bigger until something wriggled out from the wooden beam. It looked like a newt or a small lizard. It was struggling to survive so it left. (The black newt or lizard can be the spirit of judgement, which hangs around with rejection and fear of rejection. These unclean spirits are curses from the evil one. All factious spirits of criticism, judgement, rejection, etc. leave when the fumigation mist of the saints' prayers comes. We need to be praying for our brothers and sisters! (1Th.5:23-25) And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it. 25 Brethren, pray for us.) The prayers, both personal and collective, for ourselves and for others, are how we cast out the beam from our own eye. Then you can see the beam and what was in it. Our prayers to be cleansed from all unrighteousness are heard, and He will complete the good work He has started in each one of us! Praise God!) This vision greatly encouraged me, and I have been trying to use every opportunity in my daily disciplines to pray for others, even if it is in the Spirit with tongues. I asked the Lord if I should share this dream with the body to encourage everyone, and received by faith at random (Psa.65:5) of them that are afar off, so that's an affirmative! (In context 5-7) By terrible things thou wilt answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, Thou that art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of them that are afar off upon the sea: 6 Who by his strength setteth fast the mountains, Being girded about with might; 7 Who stilleth the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples.   The Lord is Cleansing His Body Winnie Osegueda - 9/20/21 (David's notes in red) I dreamt that I was at the house where we (UBM) meet locally. (Winnie here represents the Bride body that the Lord is faithfully attending to in order to get them cleaned up and ready for ministry during the 7 years of tribulation.) I was sitting on the couch that I normally sit on with my family, which is on the right of David. Instead of David sitting on the chair he normally sits in, however, he was sitting beside me. As David sat next to me, he turned into another man, whom I had not seen before. This man was regular-looking and was younger, but not too young. He also had a nice tan, like someone who'd been out in the sun often. (I believe this man was Jesus, but at the same time, he was also still David.) (Jesus and David 'merged together' represents the Lord through the David/Man-child body of ministers shepherding and caring for their flocks in faithfulness and love.) The man began to speak to me and told me that when I sing, it sounds very beautiful to the Lord. (Our praise and worship are not just songs that we sing to the Lord, but we worship Him with the sacrifice of our lives through obedience to His Word and taking up our cross daily to follow Christ in our suffering of death to self. (Joh.4:23) But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers. The Greek word for worship here is Proskuneo, meaning to “kiss towards.” i.e. an act of love towards God is worship. This could include praise, singing, or what we normally think of as worship or other acts of love towards Him and our fellow man.) (For the morning prayer meeting on the morning that I received this dream, the verses I got by faith at random were the story of the woman with the alabaster jar of expensive perfume, which I received confirmation of when Chuc received the same story in a different gospel the following day or two. (Mar.14:3) And while he was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster cruse of ointment of pure nard very costly; and she brake the cruse, and poured it over his head. (This was an act of love toward the Lord.) (I believe this could be symbolic of giving the Lord our all and holding nothing back.) Winnie went on to say: He also said that He hears my pain and that it echoes through the kingdom. In the dream, I knew immediately that it meant I needed to cast my burdens onto the Lord. When the man said this to me, the thought came to me that I had to lay down my pain and give it to the Lord. (When we allow the enemy to inflict his pain upon us by receiving his fiery darts, it affects the whole body of Christ, and everyone suffers when one is suffering. This is how it echoes through His Kingdom.) The man also said to me, “Can't you see the angels around you?” I looked up and saw several angels above me, almost forming a circle. (Psa.91:11) For he will give his angels charge over thee, To keep thee in all thy ways. (Psa.34:7) The angel of Jehovah encampeth round about them that fear him, And delivereth them.) (We must keep our angels who are assigned to go forth for us into battle against our enemies employed. (Heb.1:14) Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation?) As this man was talking to me, I could see his eyes were very kind, and they also teared up. The man had a lot of compassion, and as he was telling me all these things, my eyes began to well up with tears. As a tear began to fall down my left cheek, the man reached over to wipe it away. As he wiped away my tear, he also began to rub a black spot off of my face. (Jesus not only came to wipe away our sorrows and give us His joy and freedom, but He also came to take away all our sins, spots, and blemishes.) A feeling of shame tried to creep up on me, as if I did not want the man to look too closely at my faults and flaws. (Shame and condemnation will keep us trapped in a prison and an endless cycle, and we will not be effective for the Kingdom of God if we stay in this state.) Then I woke up suddenly. The verse that came to me as I was typing this was: (Eph.5:25-27) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it; 26 that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, 27 that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. This is a work that the Lord will complete in us, and all we have to do is repent and believe. (1Jn.1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  I asked the Lord if I should share this dream with the body and received by faith at random: (Eph.2:21-22) in whom each several building, fitly framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit. (I thought this was a pretty good confirmation.) (I believe, and also Winnie, that when the Lord removed the black spot, she was representing the Body.)   Loving the Hidden Treasure Eve Brast - 07/30/2016 (David's notes in red) I dreamed that my son Elijah and I were in the basement of a greenhouse where David and Michael lived. It was painted forest green. (I believe Father is using a word play here for a greenhouse where plants are nurtured and protected from the harsh elements.) (This is what we do. Eve represents the Bride of the “last Adam”. Elijah means “my God is YAHWEH”, meaning “my mighty one is YAHWEH”. Those who trust in God's strength to do their works.) The basement had a dirt floor, and the dream started with Elijah and me pulling up a large golden crate out of the ground that had been unearthed. (An obvious hidden treasure in the UBM house. The golden ark of the covenant.) We opened the lid and golden light shone forth from its contents. I don't know who had unearthed it, but he and I were excited to carry it upstairs and show it to our brethren. It was surprisingly lightweight and wasn't at all hard to carry up the basement stairs. (God's hidden treasures are Jesus' light burden. His treasures put faith in us, which gives His power to bear any burden.) Elijah and I brought it and set it on the threshold between the living room and dining room, and I knelt in front of it as Elijah moved around to the other side in the dining room next to Michael Hare. I thought in the dream that it was a “hope chest”. (A hope chest is something that young girls used to have in the old days, where they would store things away for the time when they would be married.) (Representing a treasure hidden for Eve, as a type of the Bride's marriage.) There was a well-lit kitchen off to my right and in front of us, where David was busy preparing something for us all to eat. (Jesus said we must eat His body and He is the Word made flesh, the manna from Heaven that the fleshly tire of, for they value flesh.) Several brethren were standing behind me, waiting to see what was inside the crate. They seemed perturbed at us for bringing the crate up out of the basement. (These are not one spirit with the Bride because of a critical spirit. They are not in one accord to prepare for the coming outpouring.) It's hard to explain, but I could see things through their eyes, as well as my own view. I was going back and forth between what I was seeing and what they were seeing and thinking. Once I knelt down in front of the golden crate, I was then inside the minds of those behind me. I saw myself through their eyes kneeling down in front of an ugly, old wooden crate that had mud and dirt on it. (They do not value the treasure of the Bride as she and the Groom do.) When I opened the crate, the people stepped forward, and when they looked inside, they saw nothing but a small piece of white paper lying on the floor of the upper right-hand corner of the crate. It looked like the corner of a larger piece of white paper that had been torn away. (They don't see the whole page but only a small portion. God gives knowledge and wisdom to those who will use it. He does not give the hidden treasure to those who are only hearers and not doers because they would just be more condemned for not obeying.) They began to make critical comments and think critical things about the crate. They said, “There is nothing in there but a little piece of trash! Why did you drag that old thing up here?” (They who speak against the gifts and Word of God become defiled by what they speak. (Mat.15:18) But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings: 20 these are the things which defile the man... The righteous treasure everything that comes from God. Those who are satisfied with the world don't hunger for the things of God. (Pro.27:7) The full soul loatheth a honeycomb; But to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. (Psa.17:15) As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with beholding thy form.) At the same time, I was able to see myself opening the crate through my own eyes, and when I opened it, Elijah, Michael, and I saw that same warm, beautiful golden light come shining forth out of it again. We saw a rich, golden crate and, as we watched, two silver trays of thinly sliced sourdough bread came rising up out of the light. (Sourdough represents “bitter in the belly” or flesh. The bread of Heaven is the light, and it is Christ. Search for Him as for treasure. (Pro.2:3) Yea, if thou cry after discernment, And lift up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures: 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, And find the knowledge of God.) One side was completely full of bread, and the other side still had a third of its bread left on the tray. (Two tablets in the ark that were placed there with a bowl of manna and Aaron's rod.) (Both the manna and the tables represent the bread of the Word: (Heb.9:4) ... the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was a golden pot holding the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant...) I said in amazement, “Look at that!” But the people behind me asked, “Look at what? There is nothing there!” Then I heard Father say to me in my right ear, “My promises and entrance into My Kingdom are obtained by faith, but they (meaning the ones behind me) only walk by sight. They can't see what you see.” Michael then gestured with an open hand toward the two trays of bread floating in front of me, cocked his head to the side and said, “Y'all have got two days to eat this bread or else it's going to go bad and we'll have to throw it out! Now get to eatin.'” (Those who saved the bread for another day, saw it go bad. Eat it now or lose it. In Exodus 16, what was the manna that was given? Actually, the word given in Exodus 16 for manna is the word “man”. Look at your footnote at the bottom of the page. The footnote says “man”. Do you know who that man was? The man who came down out of Heaven and gave life to the world. The one we have to eat in order to have life. It is Jesus, the Word. How do you eat Jesus and have life? You have to consume Him. He is the Word made flesh. The Word has to go into you and become a part of your being. How does it do that? You have to believe and obey it. This is exactly what the Word says: (Exo.16:4) Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you... Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven for you”. Exodus continues, 4 ... and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or not. What is it to eat your portion every day? It is to walk in God's Word. He is proving them to see if they will walk in His law. We are supposed to partake of God's Word and walk in it every day. Did you know that for six days they went out and gathered the manna? When they tried to store it up, it bred worms; but when they gathered it for the seventh day, it did not breed worms. What does six mean? Six means “man” and what is earthly and worldly. Seven means rest for those who believe it.) At this point, I had a vision of a flock of Mallard ducks outside the house waiting for that molded bread that had not been eaten after the two days were up, to be tossed to them. (Ducks are waterfowl.) (The bread of the Word is to bring us into the resurrection life of Christ on the third day. (Luk.13:32) And he said unto them, Go and say to that fox, Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I am perfected.) I picked up a slice of bread from the tray that had one-third of the bread left and took a bite. It was good but really sour. The people behind me were angry and were asking, “What bread? What are you talking about?!” They couldn't understand because they didn't have the faith to see what was right in front of them. All they saw was the natural state of that crate and all the negative things. They couldn't even see the bread to eat it. (Luk.8:10) And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to the rest in parables; that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. (Mat.11:25) At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes... Notice that the treasures are hidden from those who are wise in their own eyes. At this point, I was sad for them and felt alone. I obediently kept eating the bread, but I asked Michael, “How am I going to eat all this myself? I'm only one person.” (Those who love the hidden manna are one in Christ.) He didn't answer; he only smiled at me because I was helping to eat the bread so that it wouldn't go bad. Then I woke up. When I woke up from this dream, I asked Father for a verse or text for this dream and received Acts 1:12 (12-26). This is also the verse I gave at the morning prayer meeting. This text talks about the need for us to be in one accord (for the outpouring) as God replaces Judas with another who is faithful to eat the bread. I asked Father for a verse for the critical brethren behind me and received (Pro.8:13) The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil: Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, And the perverse mouth, do I hate. This whole chapter is an excellent parable for this dream!   Why Die Walking After the Flesh? Suani Guzman - 03/01/2011 (David's notes in red) I asked the Lord for a dream, and He gave me a very good one. There was a woman whose name was Delilah (meaning “weakened, uprooted or impoverished”) who had lost her son. (She was weakened and uprooted because she lost her spiritual man or fruit of the womb of her heart, as in the parable of the sower. How can we lose our spiritual man or fruit? (Jud.12) Twice dead plucked up by the roots. Jesus said in (Joh.15:2) Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away.) Some Christians gathered to pray about finding the boy. (Praying for her to find her fruit again.) They were waiting for me to finish washing my teeth. (Son.6:6) Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes, Which are come up from the washing; Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them. Each tooth has its opposite so that a person may be well fed spiritually. (Gen.49:12) His eyes shall be red with wine, And his teeth white with milk. The teeth must be washed with the milk of the Word. In this way, clean teeth mean clean spiritual food of the Word.) My son began to pray a mellow prayer, and I felt that prayer wouldn't do it. I started to pray with power and faith. We finished and went on the search. I think the boy's name was Elijah (“my God is YHWH”) and his father's name was Onesimus, a carpenter, who was a very good father. (Onesimus was the runaway slave who met Paul and became “profitable or helpful”, as his name means, when he brought forth the fruit of the spiritual man, his son.) I found an old man who was attaching a boy to a pallet. (The old man had taken the spiritual man captive. It's called walking in the flesh. A pallet is for moving merchandise around. So the old man makes merchandise of the spiritual man, much like false ministers do.) I went over to him and took the boy off and grabbed him. I put the old man on my side like carrying a baby (We must take the old man where he would not go, as Jesus said to Peter) and asked him, “Where is the boy, and who do you work for?” He wouldn't say. I said with a firm determination, “I will win”; then he said, “You already won.” (Through Jesus, we have already won against the old man, who works for the flesh and the devil. (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that [life] which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, [the faith] which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. (Gal.5:24) And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof.) While still carrying the old man, I noticed the empty packaging of what he had been using to attach the boy, and I picked it up. I read the label, hoping to trace it to the kidnappers. The price tag read “Humble Oct. 6-11”. (The Lord paid the price to set us free from this bondage above. And the old man will pay a terrible price for taking authority over the spiritual man. What is “Humble Oct.6-11”? This is the opposite of and solution for what happened above when the old man took authority over the spiritual man. This symbolizes the 10th month or book, 6th chapter, 11th verse (Watch this formula), which is (2Sa.6:11) And the ark of Jehovah remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months: and Jehovah blessed Obed-edom, and all his house. A Gittite is a Philistine of the city of Gath. This is the old man of the flesh that dwells in the land. When the flesh is “Humble”ed, as Obed was under David, and serves the spiritual man, who is the ark of God's presence, he is blessed. The very next verse says that the ark was taken to the city of David, which is Zion, the Bride. 12 And it was told king David, saying, Jehovah hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with joy. It is the most joyful thing for the ark of God's presence to rest in the Holy of Holies of our spiritual man in the Holy City. In the time of Eli, the ark was taken captive under the authority of the Philistines or fleshly man in 1 Samuel 4-6, and it brought a curse to all their cities so much that they returned it under the authority of the spiritual man, Israel. So when we walk in the flesh, we bring these curses on us, but when the spiritual man is in the lead, we are blessed. The moral of the story is so perfectly written in (Rom.8:12) So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: 13 for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. This warfare against the gods that rule over the flesh man and seek to bring under subjection the spiritual man is spoken of in the New Testament, (Here it is again) 10th book, 6th chapter, 11th verse: (Eph.6:11) Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]. Amen.

Delivered by Elyanne from the Parish of Saint James in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Jeremiah 28: 1-17; Rs psalm 119: 29.43.79.80.95.102; Matthew 14: 22-36.GOD IS TO BE FEARED OF, NOT GHOSTS The theme for our meditation today is: God is to be Fearedof, not Ghost. During a time of economic hardship due to a long dry season, afarmer and his family prayed in these words: "O Lord, do not let us gohungry or thirsty." This prayer was shared on a WhatsApp group in the localparish community, and soon many farmers and their families were saying the sameprayer. God heard their prayers, and it seemed that even during this difficulttime, the farmers did not run out of food from their fields.  In the Old Testament of the Holy Scriptures, it is saidhow God's people who wandered in the desert often experienced hunger becausefood was not enough. Therefore, God provided them manna and meat, even though itwas not enough to satisfy them. They still complained and protested becauselife as a wanderer in the desert was full with difficulties and sufferings. Jesus Christ fell pity over many people who followedand heard Him along the way of His public ministry. He was so moved with pity forall those who were experiencing difficulties, not only those who were hungryand thirsty, but all the problems both physical and spiritual of people of Histime. One of those problems which was spiritual in nature is fear. This fearmust be overcome with a life of peace, calmness and trust in God as well as inourselves as believers. In general, people become worried, doubtful, afraid,and distrustful when trials and difficulties come upon them. In today's Gospel,we are told that the apostles were in a boat and they were so disturbed bystrong winds and violent waves. In such difficult circumstance the Lord came tohelp them. They became afraid because they thought that it was a ghost. Inanother occasion, the people of Israel who had lived for a long time in exile,were visited by a shocking news that caused fear, namely their freedom and thepossibility to return to their homeland. A man's fear of God is a sign that he has a truefaith. God always comes to our favors and He certainly saves us. Therefore,this fear is useful to help us prepare ourselves as best as we can, so that Hefinds us in a state of true faith, we are prepared to welcome Him, and we areactive in our daily undertakings. Such fear is very contrary to the type offear towards others who are not God such as ghosts, demons, and other subjectsthat only intend to disturb and tempt us. For us Christian and our journey ofsalvation, we must fear God, not ghosts. God is with us to help us, whereasghosts do not. Let'spray. In the name of the Father ... In Your love and mercy, O Father, we wishto put all our needs, especially today, so that we can receive Your blessingsthroughout this day. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit... In the name of the Father ...

October 12, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. Way back in season 6 of our podcast, we took an extended look at “A Call to Prayer” by J. C. Ryle; those episodes turned out to be some of our most popular. For the next few days, we want to revisit a sampling of those episodes. If you find them encouraging, as I do, this review might spur you back to our 2022 and 2023 episodes to hear everything Pastor Ryle has to say about our call to prayer. Thank you for listening. Drops July 16th We truncated our introduction for the last half of our October episodes. Our shorter introduction ends at the 3:18 mark if you would like to skip to that mark. This way, you have less to wade through.In my zeal for the moving call for our intimate relationship with the Savior, I missed that it began with a prayer.In my defense, Jesus says God's truths are revealed to babes. This is descriptive of your host.Did you know your relationship, including prayer, is an answer to this prayer of Jesus:At that time Jesus answered and said, "I praise Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes. 26 "Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight. 27 "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 "For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."Matthew 11:25-30To the glory of God, our salvation not only saves us from His wrath but restores the reason for our creation. To walk with Him in the cool of the day, getting to know Him as we are known for eternity. “What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more.” Robert Murray M'CheyneAssistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossardwww.freerangepreacheronprayer.comfreerangeprayer@gmail.comFacebook - Free Range Preacher MinistriesInstagram: freerangeministriesAll our Scripture quotes are drawn from the NASB 1977 edition.For access to the Voice Over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.comOur podcast art designed by @sammmmmmmmm23 InstagramSeason 008Episode 038

25 At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to the little ones.In illo tempore respondens Jesus dixit : Confiteor tibi, Pater, Domine caeli et terrae, quia abscondisti haec a sapientibus, et prudentibus, et revelasti ea parvulis. 26 Yea, Father; for so hath it seemed good in thy sight.Ita Pater : quoniam sic fuit placitum ante te. 27 All things are delivered to me by my Father. And no one knoweth the Son, but the Father: neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him.Omnia mihi tradita sunt a Patre meo. Et nemo novit Filium, nisi Pater : neque Patrem quis novit, nisi Filius, et cui voluerit Filius revelare. 28 Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you.Venite ad me omnes qui laboratis, et onerati estis, et ego reficiam vos. 29 Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls.Tollite jugum meum super vos, et discite a me, quia mitis sum, et humilis corde : et invenietis requiem animabus vestris. 30 For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.Jugum enim meum suave est, et onus meum leve.Primus and Felician were brothers. After suffering the most cruel torments for the Faith, they were beheaded at Rome. A.D. 286.

Send us Fan MailWelcome back to the DMR Cinema Vault! In this comprehensive, long-form spoiler review, we are breaking down the final season of the hit Amazon Prime video series, The Boys + The major breaking DMR news that we are one of the first shows globally on Apple Podcasts to be utilising their video format!First, we explore what The Boys is as a show, diving deep into its origins as a brilliant superhero satire TV show and analyzing how it completely flips traditional Marvel and DC superhero movie tropes on their head. Next, we provide the ultimate character, power, and cast guide. We break down the strongest Supes ranked by powers and match them with the incredible real names and previous roles of the actors who play them—including Karl Urban as Billy Butcher, Antony Starr as Homelander, Jack Quaid as Hughie Campbell, Erin Moriarty as Starlight, Laz Alonso as Mother's Milk, Tomer Capone as Frenchie, Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko, Jessie T. Usher as A-Train, Nathan Mitchell as Black Noir, Chace Crawford as The Deep, Susan Heyward as Sister and the hilarious Daveed Diggs as O Father!We look at the ultimate climax of the final season, discussing the comic book accurate ending for Billy Butcher, what happens to Homelander in the finale, and the ultimate fate of The Boys and The Seven. We wrap up by examining the comic vs show differences and how these storylines conclude to set up the future franchise spinoffs, Gen V and the Vought Rising prequel series.Finally, Dewey's final thoughts on why some of the big movie franchises need to convert into series to explore their many ideas we see in film and not rush them, which can ultimately discourage fans & may effect ticket sales.Chapters:0:00 Intro & DMR Apple Podcasts2:46 Audible 30 Day Free Trial5:10 What The Boys Is9:34 DC & Marvel Sup Movies11:51 Characters, Powers + Actors24:30 The Fate of The Boys + Sups33:12 Gen V & Vought Rising34:27 Movie Franchise vs SeriesDMR is proud to be part of the Audible Creator Program. Support the channel and grab a 30-day free trial + any audiobook for free (even if you cancel!) here:

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Philp Tallon about his article, “The Life Metamodern with Wes Anderson”. https://www.equip.org/articles/the-life-metamodern-with-wes-anderson/This is also our 500th episode and Philp was our very first guest on Episode 001 with The Films of Quentin Tarantino. and the article Reservoir Gods: Quentin Tarantino's Premodern Theology. Please see more of Philip's work below.One way you can support our online articles and podcasts is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10, which is the cost of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click here. Please see related articles and podcasts below:Mission Impossible FilmsEpisode 450: The Living Manifestation of Destiny: The Meaning in the Mission: Impossible Movies“The Living Manifestation of Destiny: The Meaning in the Mission: Impossible Movies”Christopher Nolan Films Episode 400: Rage Against the Dying of the Light: Christopher Nolan's Fighting FilmographyRage Against the Dying of the Light: Christopher Nolan's Fighting FilmographyHorror Movies: Episode 350 Possession and Exorcism Movies in a Modern AgeThe Power of the Devil Compels Us: Possession and Exorcism Movies in a Modern AgeSherlock Holmes Episode 243: The Fall of Sherlock: Investigating the Victorian Detective in a Modern AgeThe Fall of Sherlock: Investigating the Victorian Detective in a Modern AgeSteven Spielberg Movies:Episode 139 Clear Skies, Hurt Hearts, Can't Lose: Why Spielberg's Aliens Help Make us More HumanClear Skies, Hurt Hearts, Can't Lose: Why Spielberg's Aliens Help Make us More HumanAlfred Hitchcock films:Episode 100: A. Hitchcock FilmsThe Coen Brother's Films:Episode 050: O Father, Where Art Thou? The Coen Brothers and the Riddle of Existence“O Father, Where Are Thou? The Coen Brothers and the Riddle of ExistenceThe Films of Quentin Tarantino:Episode 001: The Films of Quentin Tarantino“Reservoir Gods: Quentin Tarantino's Premodern Theology  Don't miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

O my Love, my only Good, Most Holy Trinity, I adore You, hidden in the depths of my soul. To You, to Your honor and glory, I dedicate my life. May every thought, word and deed of mine be an act of adoration and praise directed towards Your Divine Majesty enthroned in my heart.O Father, Infinte Goodness, behold Your child, clothed in the likeness of Your Son. Extend to me Your arms that I may belong to You forever.O Son, Divine Lord, made man, crucify me with Yourself that I may become, in union with You, a sacrifice of praise for the glory of Your Father.O Holy Spirit, Fire of Everlasting Love, consume me on the altar of Divine Charity, that at the end of life, nothing may remian but that whichbearas the likeness of CHrist.O Blessed Trinity, worthy of all adoration, I wish to remain in spirit on my knees, to acknowledge forever Your reign in me and over me, to Your everlasting glory.Through the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the pure heart of St. Joseph, I consecrate my life to Your adoration and glory.At the moment of death, receive me, O Triune Love, that I may continue my adoration of love through all eternity. Amen. (200 days indulgence) Thank you for your support. God bless all of you.PatreonSend us Fan MailSupport the show

Our Enemies Were Defeated (1) (audio) David Eells – 5/27/26 Saints, our enemies are already defeated, and we enter into and appropriate this promise by faith. Fight every battle like the enemy is conquered. Luk.1:67-75 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; For he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people, 69 And hath raised up a horn (a strength or weapon against enemies) of salvation for us In the house of his servant David (This represents Jesus, and now Jesus in the Man-child David reformers.) 70 (As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old), 71 Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; (We have already been saved from the wicked enemies because Jesus was cursed for us. Believe and confess this, avoiding willful sin, until it manifests.) 72 To show mercy towards our fathers, And to remember his holy covenant; (It is His covenant to save us from enemies.) 73 The oath which he sware unto Abraham our father, 74 To grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies Should serve him without fear, (We were delivered from the hand of the wicked.) 75 In holiness and righteousness before him all our days. (We were given Jesus' holiness and righteousness, which the wicked refuse in their unforgiveness and judgment of Esau's seed.) I know of the natural fulfillment of this text, but the Lord was showing me a spiritual fulfillment too. Zec.12:1-9 The burden of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel. Thus saith Jehovah, who stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him: 2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem (The Bride) a cup of reeling unto all the peoples round about, and upon Judah also shall it be in the siege against Jerusalem. (The wicked stagger with hatred for the Bride. The Dragon, shown to be Satan in his world body in Revelation 12, has one consuming desire: to devour the Man-child so he can then devour the Woman. Those of his vessels who proclaim to be Christians besiege them, for they are of the Dragon. Just as their forefathers did to Jesus, the prophets, and the saints, they consider themselves to be doing God a favor. I have been amazed since we heard from God years ago of the parallel between the faction in the Church and the faction in the government. The God of the leftist, communist, anarchist, fornicators, etc., shows the same hatred and uses the same slander against the Trump administration. They are always assured by Satan that they will win because they cheat, but they ultimately will lose, for all the evidence of their perversion, theft, lies, etc., is against them, and all will be revealed. Rev.12:11-12 And they overcame him [the Dragon] because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time. (And remember we wrestle not against flesh and blood but principalities and powers.) Back to Zec.12:3 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples; all that burden themselves with it shall be sore wounded; and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together against it. (The wicked hate the Bride for she is a manifestation of all that sinners hate. She is a manifestation of Jesus who came unto His own and His own received Him not.) 4 In that day, saith Jehovah, I will smite every horse with terror, (The horse represents the strength of the beastly flesh that is harnessed to do man's and therefore Satan's will. They are in terror now because they fear that all of their evil is known and will be (and are being) prosecuted. The faction in both camps of the Dragon is launching one last desperate attempt to destroy their enemy, but God has foretold their end. The Red Sea, Sennacherib, Jehoshaphat, the Northern army, is their end.) I will smite… his rider with madness (Even the average lost man sees their insanity. They can't stop telling on themselves that they are communists, anarchists, racists, murderers, fornicators, etc.); and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the peoples with blindness. (They will not be able to find a way to defeat us or a way out of their predicament.) 5 And the chieftains of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Jehovah of hosts their God. 6 In that day will I make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they shall devour all the peoples round about, (Just as David did) on the right hand and on the left; and they of Jerusalem shall yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem. (David conquered unregenerate Jerusalem, which was called Jebus. The Jebusites were the old man of the land, the wicked who had to be removed so it would become Jerusalem, the Bride. It is coming to pass by the grace of our God.) 7 Jehovah also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem be not magnified above Judah. 8 In that day shall Jehovah defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem (The Bride, according to John in Revelation.): and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of Jehovah before them. (What enemy can win when God is in His people by His Word and Spirit?) 9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. (And so it shall be.) Psa.44:2-8 Thou didst drive out the nations with thy hand; But them thou didst plant: Thou didst afflict the peoples; But them thou didst spread abroad. 3 For they gat not the land in possession by their own sword, Neither did their own arm save them; But thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, Because thou wast favorable unto them. 4 Thou art my King, O God: Command deliverance for Jacob. 5 Through thee will we push down our adversaries: Through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. 6 For I will not trust in my bow, Neither shall my sword save me. 7 But thou hast saved us from our adversaries, And hast put them to shame that hate us. 8 In God have we made our boast all the day long, And we will give thanks unto thy name for ever. Selah. Rom.8:31-37 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth; 34 who is he that condemneth? (Satan, the Dragon, and his body) It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (And who is mightier than the prayers of Jesus for us?) 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. (As the flesh of sheep was sacrificed to bring atonement, so we ourselves must be sacrificed to make us pure before God. The power by which we do this is that of Jesus' sacrifice. He died that we may die to self.) 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. It was said to the Bride, a position that was once forsaken when God's people went into captivity for their sins, but now God is building her again. Isa.54:1-17 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith Jehovah. 2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. 3 For thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. 4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth; and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more. 5 For thy Maker is thy husband; Jehovah of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called. 6 For Jehovah hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. 7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee (As it was with Jesus, Who said, “My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me” but then resurrection life came into Him); but with great mercies will I gather thee. 8 In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting lovingkindness will I have mercy on thee, saith Jehovah thy Redeemer. 9 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me (The waters of the Word killed the wicked and saved Noah); for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. 10 For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed, saith Jehovah that hath mercy on thee. 11 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. 12 And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones. 13 And all thy children shall be taught of Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of thy children. 14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee. 15 Behold, they may gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall because of thee. 16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. 17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah, and their righteousness which is of me, saith Jehovah. 1Co.15:57 but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not vain in the Lord. Deu.20:4 for Jehovah your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. 2Co.11:13-15 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light. 15 It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. 2Co.4:1-6 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, even as we obtained mercy, we faint not: 2 but we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that perish: 4 in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Even when the reprobates hear this text, they are unmoved. Rom.1:20-2:11 For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse: 21 because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves: 25 for that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile passions: for their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due. 28 And even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful: 32 who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practise such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practise them. Rom.2:1 Wherefore thou art without excuse, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest dost practise the same things. … 5 but after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up for thyself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6 who will render to every man according to his works: 7 to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life: 8 but unto them that are factious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, shall be wrath and indignation, 9 tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek; 10 but glory and honor and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek: 11 for there is no respect of persons with God. Luk.10:17-20 And the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject unto us in thy name. 18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. 20 Nevertheless in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. We must take care to fight the demonic enemies. The spiritual enemies that our human enemies have given their lives over to serve. Mar.16:17 And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons... Eph.6:10-18 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. (Let the weak say, I am strong) 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. (If you will not stand now, what about the evil day?) 14 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (We are the righteousness of Christ; we do not have to give in.) 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. (He sends many thoughts into our minds to conquer us, like wrestling with people (the flesh) instead of him. We should have faith in the truth to defend ourselves.) 17 And take the helmet of salvation (And quench the fiery thoughts), and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. (Be filled with the Holy Spirit so you can pray in the Spirit.) These spiritual powers are now under the feet of His Body. Eph.1:17-23 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; 18 having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 and what the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might 20 which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 and he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Notice the Lord is the head of the body and He put the enemies under His feet, the lowest member of His body.) Col.2:12-15 having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, I say, did he make alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses; 14 having blotted out the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us: and he hath taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross; 15 having despoiled the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. (To triumph means to celebrate the victory.) Luk.10:1 Now after these things the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself was about to come. ... Luk.17 And the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject unto us in thy name. (They did not have the Holy Spirit at this time, but they were given the authority of the name of Jesus.) 18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven. (They were casting down the dominion of Satan.) 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents (demons whose poison is in the head = deception) and scorpions (demons whose poison is in the tail = to make you powerless, respectively), and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. (Believe and confess this victory efore the enemy.) 20 Nevertheless in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. (These scorpion spirits come to rob you of justification by faith so that you lose the benefits of Jesus' sacrifice and have to start over to recognize the benefits of the crucifixion. Many are crucifying Jesus afresh.) If you have confessed any sins that you know of, which are the only ones that count, He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7-9), then you are justified. Then reconciliation is made, and you are to see Jesus in the mirror by faith because, as Paul said, you don't live anymore; Christ lives in you. Gal.2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. 2Co.3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. Then you are to reject the condemnation of the devil. If you see yourself in the mirror after you have confessed all sin, you are beating up “Christ in you” just like the faction does. You are crucifying Him afresh. If you are condemning yourself after you confess your sins honestly, you do not believe Jesus, and you will get no grace to overcome. You are beating Him up in you. If you are in willful sin, confess and forsake it and see Jesus in the mirror. Confess His righteousness and holiness are yours, and you don't live anymore. There is no other way to have power from God to defeat self. When the disciples asked, “What must we do to do the works of God?” Jesus said, “Believe on him who He hath sent” … Eve Brast dreamed of wisdom to resist crucifying Jesus on 8-29-20: What I heard the Lord saying was: “Why do you, My people, crucify me afresh continually? For you are indeed crucifying me afresh.” (According to the dream, it is by helping the evil spirits to crucify Jesus.) I thought this dream was just a personal correction, but when I heard the Spirit say, “My people,” and Lexi's interpretation of M. L.'s tongue, He said, “Why are you, My children, forsaking Me for the world?” I knew this dream was a corporate correction to the body. (When we accept what demons say about us instead of what Christ says about us in His promises, we are giving up ground to the demons, we are crucifying Christ in us.) Here's the dream: I was walking through an old western town along the main dirt road with Jesus. He was to my right, and at first, I was happy to be walking next to him. But then I looked up and saw that the whole left side of His face and head had been severely beaten, and He was all bloody. (The wicked deface Christ to others. He is not like them. We should be a revelation of true Christianity.) He had blood stains on his garments, and He looked like He had been dragged through the dirt. I was horrified to see Him like this, and I felt immense pain for Him. And then I became very angry and indignant and asked Him, “Who did this to you?!” He turned and gestured with an open left hand and arm to a group of followers, who were supposed to be His disciples, about 10 to 20 paces behind us, and I looked back at them. They were clamoring at Him and shaking their fists in anger at Him and also at one another. There was much confusion amongst them. (Those from among God's people who fall away to become slanderers, railers, accusers, and haters of the righteous are these. These are the wicked who crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame, but we are exhorted to hold on to the faith and not help them to kill us. Heb.6:1-12 Wherefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on unto perfection; not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 of the teaching of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this will we do, if God permit. 4 For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. 7 For the land which hath drunk the rain that cometh oft upon it (The Word), and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receiveth blessing from God: 8 but if it beareth thorns and thistles, it is rejected and nigh unto a curse; whose end is to be burned. 9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak: 10 for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and the love which ye showed toward his name, in that ye ministered unto the saints, and still do minister. 11 And we desire that each one of you may show the same diligence unto the fulness of hope even to the end: 12 that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Notice the wicked are facing Eve and the Lord. When they accuse you, they are accusing the Lord, as in Mat.25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me. (If you accept those spirits' words, you will crucify Christ in you again.) I looked back up at Jesus, and He looked at me with such love in His eyes, but it was mixed with hurt and a questioning look of, “Why did you take part in helping them?” Suddenly, I got the revelation that I had helped these people to drag Jesus through the dirt and crucify Him afresh. I was all at once horrified by this realization, and as I woke up and began to process what I had dreamed. (When do we help the wicked crucify Jesus again? When we accept what their scorpion spirits speak to us of condemnation, accusation, slander, faction, reminding us of our past, instead of believing we were crucified with Christ. Through witchcraft, they send these spirits against the righteous and even those who do not qualify as saints but favor the saints. As the witches are warring against the Trump administration with these lies now, and some are believing them and turning away from truth. Eve asked for prayer from Michael and me. We learned she was believing the condemnation of these spirits, which helps them to crucify Christ in her. So, we reminded her of the good news of grace, and she was cured. We were all forgiven, healed, and delivered from sin.) Luk.11:20-23 But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. 21 When the strong man fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace: (Satan's kingdom) 22 but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him (Jesus), he taketh from him his whole armor (Notice: Satan has lost; he has no defense against us.) armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. (to us) 23 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. (We must be plundering Satan's kingdom by faith, or we will flee from the scorpion demons. (Scattereth here is the Greek word “skorpizo” meaning, “to penetrate and put to flight” as a scorpion or a hornet does with its tail to make you run from it, just as the hornet drove the enemies from the Promised Land.) Examples of Scorpion scattering demons: fear, anxiety, rejection, guilt, shame, unbelief, self-pity, discouragement, depression, fear of man, unforgiveness -Mat.18:34-35, condemnation - 1Jo.3:21-22. Examples of the Hornet scattering: Deu.7:20, Jos.24:12, Rev.21:8). If we are running from the demons, they are taking back the ground behind us, crucifying Christ in us. Then we have to return to faith and start all over, taking back that ground Jesus gave us. Consider the nature of these spirits carefully and how, when you accept them, they conquer your faith and justification, and you cannot stand before the demons. You must war with the Sword of the Spirit and use your faith against these and others, or you will not bear fruit. Pray and ask the Lord to help you discern your thoughts. 2Co.10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh 4 (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds), 5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; Being subject to God gives us power over the enemy. Jas.4:7 Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. How can we be subject to God? 1Jn.1:7-9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Jas 5:16 confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working. Be not deceived, you must repent by faith in the promises, or you cannot enter the kingdom. 1Co.6:9 Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men,10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God. We have absolute authority over the demons' lies. Luk.10:19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. 20 Nevertheless in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. 21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes: yea, Father; for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight. Mar.16:17 And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Joh.14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Col 3:17 And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Mat.18:19 Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven. Mar.11:22-25 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. 24 Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25 And whensoever ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any one; that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. (If you do not forgive, you have no benefits of the Kingdom of God but are under demons.) Mat.6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Mat.18:34-35 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due. 35 So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts. The faction demons refuse to obey this. Col.1:12-13 giving thanks unto the Father, who made us meet (able) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; 13 who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; Mat.10:5-8 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and charged them, saying, Go not into any way of the Gentiles, and enter not into any city of the Samaritans: 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give. Mar.7:26-30 Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race. And she besought him that he would cast forth the demon out of her daughter. 27 And he said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs. 28 But she answered and saith unto him, Yea, Lord; even the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. 29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the demon is gone out of thy daughter. 30 And she went away unto her house, and found the child laid upon the bed, and the demon gone out. Luk.13:11 And behold, a woman that had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years; and she was bowed together, and could in no wise lift herself up. …16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound, lo, these eighteen years, to have been loosed from this bond on the day of the sabbath? (2Co.7:1) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Mat.28:19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.   Printer-friendly version

Todaywe are delving into one of the greatest mysteries of the Bible here inPhilippians 2:7, where the Apostle Paul wrote, “But made Himself of noreputation, taking the form of a bondservant.” Today we are going to talkabout how “He emptied Himself”. What an amazing truth we find here—thatJesus Christ, the God of heaven, emptied Himself and came among us. Philippians2 takes us into the humility of Jesus Christ. Remember, that is what Paul isteaching: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Theheart and mind of humility that Jesus had brought Him to planet Earth as ahuman being. Verse6 shows us that Jesus is fully God. We talked about that yesterday. Now verse 7shows us what He was willing to do for our salvation. Paul says, “But madeHimself of no reputation.” The phrase literally means “He emptied Himself.”Now, this has sometimes been misunderstood, so we need to look at it carefullytoday. Jesus did not empty Himself of His deity. Jesus never stopped being God.When Jesus walked on earth, He still forgave sins. He still calmed storms. Hestill received worship. He still claimed equality with the Father. He was fullyGod and fully man at the same time. So what did He empty Himself of? Helaid aside the independent use of His divine privileges. He voluntarilysurrendered the visible glory and heavenly privileges that He had with theFather before the world began. Remember John 17:5, where Jesus prayed, “Andnow, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I hadwith You before the world was.” Think about what Jesus left behind: the worshipof angels, the splendor of heaven, the glory of eternity, the uninterruptedfellowship of heavenly majesty. He entered into a fallen world filled withsuffering, rejection, hatred, and pain. The Creator stepped into His creation. Theeternal God became a baby. What humility! Paulcontinues by saying that He took “the form of a bondservant.” Notice thecontrast in verse 6: He was in the form of God. In verse 7, He took the form ofa servant. The One who ruled heaven and the universe became a servant onearth—not merely a servant, but a bondservant, a slave. Jesus did not pretendto serve. He became a servant. Think about John 13, where Jesus washed thedisciples' feet. That was the work of the lowest household servant. Can youimagine that? The hands that formed the galaxies washed fishermen's feet. Thatis the mind of Christ. Mark10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto but tominister.” This is so opposite of our culture today. The world says, “Promoteyourself, demand recognition, protect your image.” Jesus says, “Serve.” Remember,real greatness in the kingdom of God is found in servanthood. Matthew 23:11says, “He who is greatest among you shall be your servant.” Yes, many peoplewant the crown, but few want the towel. Yetthroughout Scripture, God honors servants. Joseph served in prison beforeruling in Egypt. David served sheep before leading Israel. Moses served in thewilderness before delivering a nation. Jesus served all the way to the cross. Thequestion today is this: Where is God calling you to serve?Maybein your home.Atyour church.Atwork.Maybein a hidden ministry that nobody ever notices. Yousee, the flesh wants applause, but the spirit wants obedience. One of thegreatest tests of humility is whether or not we are willing to serve when noone sees us and no one praises us. Are we still joyful today in serving theLord? The mind of Christ says, “Yes, I will serve.”Today,ask yourself:AmI looking to be served or to serve?DoI quietly resent humble tasks?AmI willing to do unnoticed ministry?Thatmay mean being a nursery worker, cleaning the church, helping elderly people,or being a faithful prayer warrior that nobody knows about. Heaven sees it all.Remember this: Jesus never asked us to go lower than He already went. Remember:“He emptied Himself” and so should we!

 1 These things Jesus spoke, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said: Father, the hour is come, glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee.Haec locutus est Jesus : et sublevatis oculis in caelum, dixit : Pater, venit hora : clarifica Filium tuum, ut Filius tuus clarificet te : 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he may give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him.sicut dedisti ei potestatem omnis carnis, ut omne, quod dedisti ei, det eis vitam aeternam. 3 Now this is eternal life: That they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.Haec est autem vita aeterna : ut cognoscant te, solum Deum verum, et quem misisti Jesum Christum. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.Ego te clarificavi super terram : opus consummavi, quod dedisti mihi ut faciam : 5 And now glorify thou me, O Father, with thyself, with the glory which I had, before the world was, with thee.et nunc clarifica me tu, Pater, apud temetipsum, claritate quam habui, prius quam mundus esset, apud te. 6 I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou hast given me out of the world. Thine they were, and to me thou gavest them; and they have kept thy word.Manifestavi nomen tuum hominibus, quos dedisti mihi de mundo : tui erant, et mihi eos dedisti : et sermonem tuum servaverunt. 7 Now they have known, that all things which thou hast given me, are from thee:Nunc cognoverunt quia omnia quae dedisti mihi, abs te sunt : 8 Because the words which thou gavest me, I have given to them; and they have received them, and have known in very deed that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.quia verba quae dedisti mihi, dedi eis : et ipsi acceperunt, et cognoverunt vere quia a te exivi, et crediderunt quia tu me misisti. 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them whom thou hast given me: because they are thine:Ego pro eis rogo; non pro mundo rogo, sed pro his quos dedisti mihi : quia tui sunt : 10 And all my things are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.et mea omnia tua sunt, et tua mea sunt : et clarificatus sum in eis. 11 And now I am not in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name whom thou has given me; that they may be one, as we also are.Et jam non sum in mundo, et hi in mundo sunt, et ego ad te venio. Pater sancte, serva eos in nomine tuo, quos dedisti mihi : ut sint unum, sicut et nos.Our Lord Jesus Christ has manifested the Name of His Father to man: that they may know Him, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent.

Solomon's talks skanks.Jesus is targeted for resurrecting Lazarus from the dead.PASSAGE OF THE DAY 79"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.John 17: 3 -5

Delivered by Ariel from the Parish of Saint Albert the Great in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Acts of the Apostles 4: 1-12; Rs psalm 118: 1-2.4.22-24.25-27a; John 21: 1-14.IN THE NAME OF JESUS ​​CHRIST Our meditation today has the theme: In the Name ofJesus Christ. The Easter message of peace continued to be preached and sharedto many people. The proclamation of the gospel of the risen Christ showed evena significant growth and brought along its fruits. Peace as the Easter greatestgift is not just a beautiful word that can be employed to be just an emptypromise, but it truly embodies the person of the risen Christ. God himself isforever our peace and this cannot reduce over time until His message of peacemeets its end. The peace that we pursue and create in this life takes itssource from the peace of God. Our growth and practices of faith really help us tocreate peace in this life on earth. This is expressed in every act of lovewhich is the greatest divine law that we must practice. On this basis, Peterand the rest of the apostles were sure of love and mercy that they put intopractice so as to bring peace to the people they served. To bring peace toeveryone and the environment around us, we are taught to use this basicformula: In the name of Jesus Christ. It is mostly hoped that with this phraseof prayer,the Lord Jesus Christ as our Peacemaker enters and dwells in thosewho receive the gift of His blessings.  On another occasion at the beach, when Peter and therest of the apostles returned to their routine fishing activities, the risenJesus appeared and showing them a gesture that brought peace and joy. He gavean example of service by providing them food to eat as the fishing worksalready exhausted them out. The washing of the apostles' feet during theoccasion of the last supper was the main inspiration for all other forms ofservice. The spirit and act of service must be practiced continually in reallife by this first community of believers. Jesus wanted to emphasize that eventhough the apostles and disciples would return to their normal and routinelives, service must remain their primary spirit and act of growing as Hisfaithful followers. The inspiration from the two readings today illuminateour growth of faith with a wisdom from above, that every form of our act oflove which is manifested in various services should always be in the name ofthe Lord Jesus Christ. The legitimacy or justification for this manifestationis Jesus Christ Himself. By using "in the name of Jesus Christ", wetruly believe that this name is above all forms of name, label, status, andfigure. With "in the name of Jesus Christ", all the rulers of theworld and even the power of darkness such as Satan and his servants are madeobedient and are under the control of the almighty God. So with "in thename of Jesus Christ", we live our lives every day under God's protectionand guidance. As an expression of faith integrated in our Christian prayers, wealways pray by saying: "In the name of the Lord Jesus" or"Through the intercession of Jesus Christ", and by this we entrustourselves to God, our Father. Let'spray. In the name of the Father ... O Father in heaven, send us your Spirit tostrengthen and guide our lives as every time we say: In the name of JesusChrist. Hail Mary, full of grace ... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Martinus Ifan Fernanto from Our Lady of Sorrow Parish in the Diocese of Bandung, Indonesia. Exodus 12: 1-8.11-14; Rs psalm 116: 12-13.15-16bc.17-18; 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26; John 13: 1-15.A MEANINGFUL HOLY THURSDAY  Our meditation today has the theme: A Meaningful HolyThursday. This day in the Holy Week is called Holy Thursday and white is itsdominant liturgical color. Vestments for the ministers and servers, and thedecoration are all in white or golden appearance. This color symbolizes joy andglory. Today's celebration, meaning the Last Supper celebration tonight,centers on Jesus Christ's actions that give us meanings of glory, joy, powerand feast. In this celebration there is a ceremony of Jesuswashing the feet of His apostles. This action of Jesus teaches us to serve oneanother in humility. This is the sign of a great joy. The atmosphere of joy andthe triumph of love that we share together as a community of People of God canbe manifested through our mutual services. For this, Jesus says that we mustlove one another as He first loves us. He teaches us His greatest law writtenin the Scriptures, namely to love our neighbors. The celebration tonight reminds us of the Eucharist,the great sacrifice of the Holy Mass instituted by Jesus Christ, who sacrificedHimself, for that was the will of His Father. His words and deeds of love areactually, the sources of our joy and they are the signs of the presence of God'sglory. The Eucharist itself is our joy, as the incarnated Word of God presentin His Body and becomes the spiritual food we share together as one Church.Along with the Eucharist, Jesus established the Sacrament of the Priesthood.This is an important joy for the entire Church because this Priesthood aims toperform the Eucharist for the whole members of the Church. The priesthoodexercises the power of the Lord who leads the People of God and guides them inthe light and truth of the Lord. In this celebration we also remember the criticalmoments of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, where beads of blood sweatflowing and dripping to bring Him to the glory of the cross which was justclose at hand. The situation of Gethsemane was full of trials and death threatthat made everything so frightening and dangerous. But like the Lord himself,we must have courage and faith in order to able to pass through. Between Gethsemane and Golgotha there ​​is a crucialmoment when one experiences how the suffering and death are already awaiting toan actual happening. Usually the temptation always comes to bring him or heraway from that terrifying reality. Jesus himself even says: O Father, let thiscup pass from me. But we must follow our Master Jesus Christ, who with allwillingness and encouragement went on to overcome the temptation, and be ableto drink the cup of sufferings. This is the real Christian joy. Even though we are all sinners who often oppose God andothers, we have not lost faith in God and we as the one Church still enjoy the fruitfulnessof the Eucharist and the Priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ who sanctifies usand opens the way for us to salvation. Let'spray. In the name of the Father ... Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen our faith tocontinue to believe and be faithful to the Eucharist as a means of oursalvation. Our Father who art in heaven... In the name of the Father ...

“In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.” (

EP 601 Boniface Mwangi: Rejected by His D.O Father, Raised by a Single Mum & Forged by 2007 Kenya

Matthew 11:25 ¶At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. 26  Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. 27  All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. 28  ¶Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.song written by Will L. Thompson

10:1 After these things the LORD appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. 10:2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. 10:3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. 10:4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. 10:5 And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. 10:6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. 10:7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. 10:8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: 10:9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 10:10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 10:11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 10:12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. 10:13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 10:14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. 10:15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. 10:16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. 10:17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

10:1 After these things the LORD appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. 10:2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. 10:3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. 10:4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. 10:5 And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. 10:6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. 10:7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. 10:8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: 10:9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 10:10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 10:11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 10:12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. 10:13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 10:14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. 10:15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. 10:16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. 10:17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

25 At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to the little ones.In illo tempore respondens Jesus dixit : Confiteor tibi, Pater, Domine caeli et terrae, quia abscondisti haec a sapientibus, et prudentibus, et revelasti ea parvulis. 26 Yea, Father; for so hath it seemed good in thy sight.Ita Pater : quoniam sic fuit placitum ante te. 27 All things are delivered to me by my Father. And no one knoweth the Son, but the Father: neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him.Omnia mihi tradita sunt a Patre meo. Et nemo novit Filium, nisi Pater : neque Patrem quis novit, nisi Filius, et cui voluerit Filius revelare. 28 Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you.Venite ad me omnes qui laboratis, et onerati estis, et ego reficiam vos. 29 Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls.Tollite jugum meum super vos, et discite a me, quia mitis sum, et humilis corde : et invenietis requiem animabus vestris. 30 For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.Jugum enim meum suave est, et onus meum leve.The founder or the eremetical life retired at the age of fifteen into the desert and lived there in the exercise of prayers and penances more than a hundred years. He died A.D. 343.

Our Election in Christ (3) (audio) David Eells, 1/14/26 I'm going to continue to speak on our election in Christ and how God has chosen Israel, and who Israel is in the New Testament. In (1Co.15:22) For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. Everybody who abides in Christ is going to be made alive, so it's important for us to know what it means to be “in Christ.” Does it mean, “I accepted Jesus as my Savior”? It could be, but it might not be. Some people truly want Jesus to be their Savior. They are truly repenting and believing, while other people are merely parroting words. Did you know that the Bible says salvation and eternal life were not given to you? (Gal.3:16) Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. The promise that God gave to Abraham was only to Abraham and Christ. And the promise of eternal life was given to Christ; it was not given to us. The gift of eternal life is in Christ. God didn't give the gift of eternal life into your hand outside of Christ. He gave that gift in Christ and only if you are abiding in Christ do you have that gift. The “once saved, always saved” believers think that they have been given a gift of eternal life which is outside of Christ, but that's not Biblical. (1Jn.5:11) And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The eternal life that God gave us is in Jesus. The only way you can have it is to be in Jesus because the promise wasn't to you, it was to the seed of Abraham, “as of one.” That seed is Christ. (12) He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life. Let's face it, some only have religion. Jesus said, (Joh.15:1) I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. No man is going to pluck you out of Jesus' hand; the Father is the Husbandman and He is the One Who is going to pluck up the plant. (2) Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away.... There are people whom we have considered to be Christians who are not Christians. They may have started out with Christ, but they have not come to Him. (2) Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit. (3) Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you. (4) Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me. (5) I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing. (6) If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch.... He is “cast forth” from where? He is “cast forth” from being in Christ. He said, “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away.” If you are bearing fruit (Galatians 5:22,23; Ephesians 5:8-10), you are in Christ and have nothing to worry about. If you are not bearing fruit, it's because you are not abiding in Him. “To abide” means “to endure,” “to persist,” “to continue,” “to remain,” “to be steadfast.” To abide in Christ is to abide in His Word. It is to have ears to hear His Word (Matthew 11:15; Mark 4:9; Romans 11:8; etc.) (Joh.15:6) If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (7) If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (8) Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and [so] shall ye be my disciples. It's in bearing fruit that you are proven to be a disciple. You can come into Christ, but you won't stay there if you don't bear fruit. (2Jn.9) Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son. The “once saved, always saved” crowd believes that after you step over the line, that's it, but Jesus said that if you don't bear fruit, you are not My disciple and you are going to be cast forth as a branch. The word translated “elect” and the word translated “chosen” are the exact same word. The Greek word eklektos is translated sometimes as “chosen” and sometimes as “elect.” It's many who are called but few who are chosen. Jesus speaks about the man who made it into the marriage feast, but didn't have on the wedding garment. (Mat.22:11) But when the king came in to behold the guests, he saw there a man who had not on a wedding-garment: (In Rev 19:8 the wedding garment was “the righteous acts of the saints”, which also represents our fruit.) (12) and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding-garment? And he was speechless. (13) Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and cast him out into the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. (14) For many are called, but few chosen. Those who are abiding in the Kingdom are the ones who are bearing fruit and are chosen, or eklektos, or “elect.” The elect are all called and once they are saved, they are always going to be saved, but “many are called.” Among the called, there are those who don't bear fruit and there are those who bear fruit. Those who bear fruit are chosen. God said in (Hos.11:1) When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. You say, “He was talking about Jesus.” No, He was primarily talking about the children of Israel and then it was used of Jesus. He called them out of Egypt and into the wilderness, and then He tried or tested them. Some bore fruit and went into the Promised Land, and those were the elect. Those who died in the wilderness, in type, had been called, but they were not the elect; they were not chosen. (Num.32:11) Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me: (12) save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun; because they have wholly followed the Lord. Joshua and Caleb bore fruit and were chosen. Here's a good example of this: (Rom.11:26) And so all Israel shall be saved.... Is that all of natural Israel? No, because (Rom.9:27) … If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that shall be saved. So, who is “all Israel” who is going to be saved? (Rom.11:19) Thou wilt say then, Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. The “branches” that were broken off are the natural Jews who would not believe. (20) Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Paul is talking about the Gentiles who are standing in the vine by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: (21) for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee. So, where is unconditional eternal security?? (22) Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. (23) And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. In the New Testament, “all Israel” is those natural Jews who believe and those Gentiles who are grafted into the vine by their faith. All the people who were broken off for unbelief were not Israel, but all of true spiritual Israel is going to be saved. Look what Paul said about the end of the Jewish Covenant: (Rom.11:5) Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant (This is speaking of a remnant of Jews.) according to the election of grace. (6) But if it is by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. (7) What then? that which Israel seeketh for, that he obtained not; but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened. He said a remnant of natural Israel was elect, but Israel as a whole did not obtain grace. The called who were not the elect were hardened and the elect obtained grace because they believed. This was at the end of the Jewish Covenant. Now we are coming to the end of the mostly Gentile Covenant, and today “Israel” is the Gentile church and the few Jews; I.e., all who are “circumcised in heart.” (Rom.11:7) What then? that which the “Israel of God”(As a type of this Church) seeketh for, that he obtained not; but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened. Is that Scriptural? Yes, because the Bible plainly says that the lukewarm are going to be spewed out of the body (Revelation 3:16) and there will be a great falling away (Revelation 12:4). Pagans can't fall away. Those people who fall away have to have been believers first, or they could not have fallen away, and the Lord is not coming until the falling away comes to purify the Church. (2Th.2:2) To the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; (3) let no man beguile you in any wise: for [it will not be,] except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition who was reprobated. The same statement can be made of the Gentile era because the elect are going to obtain grace to bear fruit and the rest are going to be hardened. The rest are going to fall away, exactly as Jesus showed in the Parable of the Sower. This should really give you the fear of the Lord. By the faith that God has given us, we are responsible to take God's grace and put it to work in our lives. We are responsible for obeying what we see in the New Testament, not in “Church.” Everybody who abides in the vine, which is Jesus, whether it's the remnant of natural Israel or whether it's the remnant of the Gentiles, is true Israel. And “all Israel” shall be saved because all true Israel is the elect, regardless of race. At the end of the Jewish Covenant, Jesus came to prove who the elect remnant was among the Jews. Jesus said, (Joh.16:21) A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. (22) And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. Our personal man-child is born to us as the fruit of Christ being manifest through us to the world. All who exercise faith in the promises will bear His fruit, which looks like Him. In these days, the corporate Man-child body, in whom is the full manifestation of Jesus, is coming to prove who the first fruits elect remnant is in the Church, and the Man-child is going to use the same method that Jesus used to bring this nature to the Church. What was Jesus' method? (Mat.13:10) And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? In other words, “Why are you saying things to them that are so hard to understand?” (11) And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. (12) For whosoever hath, to him shall be given.... “Whosoever hath” what? Well, if we go back three verses, we'll find the answer: (9) He that hath ears, let him hear. It's like when something makes perfect sense to you, but when you try to explain it to other people, somehow they just can't understand what you're saying unless they have the gift of faith. You see, Jesus' method for separating the elect from the non-elect was to preach the Word and when He preached the Word, the elect understood because they had ears. (Mat.13:12) For whosoever hath, to him shall be given (If you have ears, it's going to be given to you. Sometimes we do not hear the word of the Lord with the respect that we should have. God is speaking.), and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath. People who don't have ears to hear are going to lose what understanding they do have. Remember what happened to the servant who was given the one talent? (Mat.25:14) For [it is] as [when] a man, going into another country, called his own servants (The Greek word there is doulous and it actually means “bondslaves.”), and delivered unto them his goods. (15) And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his several ability; and he went on his journey… (24) And he also that had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering where thou didst not scatter; (25) and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own. (26) But his lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I did not scatter; (This servant had no ears; his knowledge was false. His Lord did scatter it, to him. He didn't realize that all was given to him by grace. It did not come by their works. Many think they own what they have.) (27) thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back mine own with interest (or fruit). The servant with the one talent didn't bring forth any fruit from what was given to him. The Lord took away the one talent from him and gave it to the servant who had the 10 talents. (Mat.25:28) Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him that hath the ten talents. (29) For unto every one that hath (ears) shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away. Again, a person who doesn't bear fruit is not “harkening,” which means “to hear and obey,” unto the voice of the Lord, and even what they do have is going to be taken away from them. Jesus told us, (Mat.10:34) Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. That “sword” separated the righteous from the wicked, and the wicked from their demons. That was a good thing because a little leaven leavens the whole lump (Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:21; 1 Corinthians 5:6; Galatians 5:9). (Jer.48:10) Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently; and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood. Now, there are a lot of preachers who are not going to cut anyone with the Word; it's too easy to lose tithes that way and so they aren't going to step on anyone's feet. Your sword is supposed to separate. The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword and it divides. (Heb.4:12) For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. The Word divides the carnal from the spiritual. Jesus wasn't trying to explain things to people who didn't have ears to hear. Even if He had given it to them, as we've seen, they could not have kept it. (Luk.13:23) And one said unto him, Lord, are they few that are saved? And he said unto them, (24) Strive to enter in by the narrow door (Many pass up the narrow door of grace until it is too late.): for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able. (25) When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us; and he shall answer and say to you, I know you not whence ye are; (26) then shall ye begin to say, We did eat and drink in thy presence, and thou didst teach in our streets; (27) and he shall say, I tell you, I know not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. Well, they were walking with Jesus, but they had not come to Him, just as Judas walked with Him and did miracles and signs but was an unrepentant thief until he couldn't turn back. Jesus warned us (Mat.7:21) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. How could they do these miracles if He didn't “know” them? It's because Jesus gave them authority to do those works (Matthew 28:18-19; Luke 9:1). You see, “knowing about” someone is not the same as “knowing” someone. “Knowing you” is like the relationship Adam had with Eve. He knew Eve. This is a personal relationship with the Lord, like a husband knows his wife. “I never knew you” is what Jesus will say about a person who was doing the work of God, but was not giving good ground to the seed. Some people think they surely must be acceptable to God because they are doing the work of God. No, you can do the work of God and yet totally fail in your personal relationship with God. Personally, someone can be a total failure in their life of obedience to God, but they can still go cast out demons and do many mighty works. It's not gifts that open the door to the Kingdom, folks, it's fruit. He said that many are going to seek to enter in, but they will not be able. When the five foolish virgins came to the marriage feast after the door was shut, they called out, (Mat.25:11) … Lord, Lord, open to us. (12) But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Were they Christians? Yes, they were Christians and they did start out and seek to enter in, but they did not bear fruit. In a way, at the end of the Jewish Dispensation, the Lord was getting up to close the door, and Jesus was a part of God closing that door. Though all of those Jews, according to the Old Testament, were Covenant people, all but a remnant were rejected at that time, and God closed the door. Here we are at the end of the Gentile Covenant and the exact same thing is getting ready to happen again, which lets us know that we have to bear fruit. What's the difference between the called who don't bear fruit and the called who do bear fruit? The called who do bear fruit are the elect among the called because they abide in Christ by their faith, and therefore they receive more grace. Those who don't abide in Christ eventually lose even what grace they have. Hopefully, they will return when they receive the greater knowledge that is coming. Grace comes by faith. The only difference between those who bear fruit and those who don't bear fruit is that some walk by faith in the truth and some do not. There's no use in worrying, “Am I the elect or am I not the elect?” The only way you are going to prove that you are the elect is to walk by faith. You have that choice; everyone who is among the called has the choice to walk by faith or not to walk by faith. Why did Jesus rebuke His disciples for their unbelief? Did Jesus rebuke them because they couldn't walk by faith? Did He rebuke them because they weren't the elect? No, He rebuked them because they could walk by faith, but they were not walking by faith at that moment. He does the same with us sometimes when we are not walking by faith. But notice that they repented and He didn't remember their sins against them. (Joh.17:6) I manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them to me; and they have kept thy word. He said that they were obedient disciples. Jesus doesn't remember our sins against us, either, but He wants us to repent and walk by faith. So don't get caught up in, “Am I just called and not elect?” All you have to do is walk by faith because, if you walk by faith, you will bear fruit and you will be the elect. We are here in this wilderness to walk by faith and to prove that we are ‘Joshua and Caleb'. The Jews who convert to Christianity have no problem with predestination, calling and election because that's what they have been taught all of their lives. It's the Gentiles who have a problem with it because it's so foreign to their thinking. (Deu.7:6) For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. (7) The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all peoples: (8) but because the Lord loveth you, and because he would keep the oath which he sware unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. There are answers here to some theological problems if you believe that history repeats. As Jesus said, (Mat.5:18) … Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished. And Paul told us, (1Co.10:11) Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. One theological problem is all the prophecies we've heard about the coming great revivals because people feel that God has failed unless He converts a large number of humanity. We can see here, if God has failed in the New Testament, He certainly did fail the Old Testament, but God wasn't going after large numbers. In fact, He picked the fewest of all peoples to be His people. He was after quality and not quantity. Some people think that God is out to convert the people of the world, yet Jesus prophesied, (Mat.7:13) Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby. (14) For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it. Even though Jesus will “compel” many to come in, He didn't prophesy that great masses of humanity would be running into the Kingdom of Heaven over the course of time. Another theological problem for people is the classic question, “What about the heathens in deepest, darkest Africa? What is God going to do about them?” Well, we just saw that back in the days when God chose Israel and even all through the Old Testament, they were a small group of people compared to the rest of the world. If you had asked one of them that question, they would have replied, “What are you talking about? Don't you understand that God has chosen Israel?” And if you repeated your question, “Yes, but what about the heathens in the deepest, darkest Africa who have never heard about God?” They would have replied again, “Don't you understand? God has chosen Israel.” The Jews understood this. If you give people this answer today, they don't understand, but the Jews did understand because they were raised with the predestination doctrine. Now, I do have a couple of answers for this problem: one is election and the other is conscience. Let me point out that God said He was going to judge people according to their conscience, but first, I'd like to clarify something here. He's talking in this Scripture about Christians coming to God, as opposed to the Jews who were with God under the Law. And so He says, (Rom.2:15) In that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing [them]; (16) in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men, according to my gospel, by Jesus Christ. A person's conscience is either going to accuse or excuse them. We know this text is talking about Christians because they are the only ones “who show the work of the Law written in their hearts.” But the rest of the world is going to be judged according to conscience, too, and conscience won't put any of us in Heaven. Jesus said, (Mat.24:37) And as [were] the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. If God did the same thing He did in the days of Noah, some would find grace and the rest would find justice. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8). He was elect; he found grace and the rest found justice. God did no wrong for the rest had defiled their conscience they were born with. Remember what Jesus spoke in the Parable of the Husbandman, who went out at different hours and hired people to work in his vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). The people who were hired last worked for only one hour, while the rest of them worked through the heat of the day. When it came time to pay the people, the husbandman called the last first and paid them a shilling and then He paid everyone else a shilling. But those who were hired first were unhappy. (Mat.20:11) And when they received it, they murmured against the householder, (12) saying, These last have spent [but] one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. (13) But he answered and said to one of them, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a shilling? (14) Take up that which is thine, and go thy way; it is my will to give unto this last, even as unto thee. (15) Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? or is thine eye evil, because I am good? That's the Lord's reasoning. God is never going to do less than justice, and in fact, God is almost always merciful. He doesn't have to be merciful, but at the least, He's always going to do justice. We've received God's grace, but we don't deserve it; it's a gift of God. When God judges, the world will receive righteous judgment (Acts 17:31), but true Christians will receive grace. Praise the Lord! So the answer to “What about the heathen in deepest, darkest Africa?” is that the heathen in Africa are going to be judged according to their conscience. Their conscience will either condemn them or excuse them. Everyone in the world has a conscience, but for some, their conscience has condemned them until it became quiet and just gave up condemning them. Their conscience finally became hardened, you see, because they rebelled against it. God has chosen the few and He's always chosen the weak among men in the next two verses. (1Co.1:25) Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (26) For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: So we see that God is clearly speaking of calling weak men. Then the translators, who probably didn't consider themselves weak and foolish, added things in the text over and over in the next three verses, which they italicized, showing it was not in the original text. Clearly, God is not speaking of things but MEN. So when we read them without things but with minor corrections from the Numeric Pattern, the text fits together and makes sense. (27) But God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things strong; (28) and the base things of the world, and the things despised, did God choose, [yea] and them things that are not, that he might bring to nought those things that are: (29) that no flesh should glory before God. Clearly, He chose weak and the base men so no one can brag. He wants to prove His power to save. He has always chosen small and weak Israel. Even in the New Testament, spiritual Israel, those who are after the same faith as Abraham, is still the only one who is chosen. (Psa.147:19) He showeth his word unto Jacob, His statutes and his ordinances unto Israel. (20) He hath not dealt so with any nation; And as for his ordinances, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord. Not showing the nations His ordinances and statutes in the Old Testament is the equivalent of not giving someone “ears to hear” the Gospel in the New Testament. Jesus told the Jews in (Joh.6:44) No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him... And (37) All that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. God is not wrong by giving mercy to some and reaching out with the good news to bring them into the ark, no more than He was wrong when He brought those few into the ark in Noah's day. God is not wrong. And in many cases, God does not open the ears of people and He hardens hearts, and He hides things from “the wise and capable.” (Isa.45:15) Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour. You may ask, “What's His method of hiding things?” Well, the devil is one. (2Co.4:3) And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that perish: (4) in whom the god of this world (The devil is the god of this world because the world copies and thus worships him.) hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn [upon them]. The devil has permission to do this. Also, (Mat.11:25) At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding (This is speaking of the Pharisees, Sadducees and their students.), and didst reveal them unto babes: (26) yea, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight. (27) All things have been delivered unto me of my Father: and no one knoweth the Son, save the Father; neither doth any know the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal [him]. So it pleased the Father to hide some things, and in this text, He talks about hiding them even from religious people. There truly is a supernatural blindness on people. You've probably seen it when you try very simply to share the Gospel or a revelation from God with people, but somehow they just can't see it. And you look upon them almost in awe, wondering, “Why can't they see it? It's so simple.” Of course, it's simple to you because you have a gift they don't have. You have the gift of hearing.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Genesis 25-26; Psalm 6; Luke 10 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! In today's episode, join your host and Bible reading coach, Hunter, as we journey together through Genesis 25–26, Psalm 6, and Luke 10. Whether you're brand new or a longtime listener, today's readings invite us to discover the transformative power of scripture—reminding us that more than anything, our greatest hope is to truly know that God is with us, and that God is love. As we encounter the stories of Abraham's descendants, listen to David's honest cries in Psalm 6, and hear Jesus send out the 72 disciples in Luke, Hunter unpacks the "secret" that fills Christ and the Father with joy: the invitation to live a "with God" life anchored in Jesus' name—not in our own strength or resources, but in the blessing of His presence. Through personal reflection and heartfelt prayer, Hunter encourages us to rest in this joyful, transforming truth and to let it shape our everyday lives. So, settle in for a thoughtful time of Bible reading, prayer, and encouragement—a time to invest in your soul and be reminded that, above all else, you are loved. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Jesus is telling a secret, and he is thrilled at the thought of it. In Luke 10, verse 21, we find Jesus filled with joy through the Holy Spirit, saying, "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way." This secret fills both the Father and the Son with great joy. So what is this secret? The secret is Jesus himself. He is the way to God, the way to life. He is what every heart is looking for. Jesus is the King, and he is proclaiming the kingdom. Jesus is the secret to it all. It's not the law, not traditions or piety, but living in the name, the power, and the presence of God. The God who is with us and for us. When Jesus sends out the 72, notice he tells them not to take anything with them—no bag, no money, no staff, nothing but his name. The only thing they are equipped with is the name of Jesus. The "with God life" isn't about our resources, our money, our provisions, but only about him. They are to go with his name, his message, his blessing, and his presence to the world. This is the "with God life"—a life of utter reliance on God, of being available to his presence and his agenda. When we allow him to lead, we end up fulfilling the law, becoming people of mercy, like the Good Samaritan. We participate with Christ; his power works in and through us. We're not the hero—Christ in us is. That's the secret: his presence in you, which Paul says is your hope of glory. Let's live in the reality of Christ in us. Let's awaken to the wonder of stepping out into the day simply in his name—not striving, not pushing or fretting, but knowing our real life is hidden with God in Christ. Our truest self is found in learning more and more to love God, our neighbor, and ourselves. Today, walk with him, eyes and ears wide open to his presence in you. Let him lead, and let him fill you with his joy. That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. That's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife, for my daughters, for my son. And that's the prayer that I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Matthew 11:1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.  11:2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,  11:3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?  11:4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:  11:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  11:6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.  11:7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?  11:8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  11:9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.  11:10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.  11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.  11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  11:14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.  11:15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.  11:16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,  11:17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.  11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.  11:19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.  11:20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:  11:21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  11:22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.  11:23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  11:24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.  11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.  11:26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.  11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.  11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Shared via Bible KJV( https://play.google.com/store/... )

At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

At that time Jesus answered and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to babes.Matthew 11:25 AFV

 25 At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to the little ones.In illo tempore respondens Jesus dixit : Confiteor tibi, Pater, Domine caeli et terrae, quia abscondisti haec a sapientibus, et prudentibus, et revelasti ea parvulis. 26 Yea, Father; for so hath it seemed good in thy sight.Ita Pater : quoniam sic fuit placitum ante te. 27 All things are delivered to me by my Father. And no one knoweth the Son, but the Father: neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him.Omnia mihi tradita sunt a Patre meo. Et nemo novit Filium, nisi Pater : neque Patrem quis novit, nisi Filius, et cui voluerit Filius revelare. 28 Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you.Venite ad me omnes qui laboratis, et onerati estis, et ego reficiam vos. 29 Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls.Tollite jugum meum super vos, et discite a me, quia mitis sum, et humilis corde : et invenietis requiem animabus vestris. 30 For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.Jugum enim meum suave est, et onus meum leve.St Margaret Mary Alacoque was born at Verosvres (France) in 1647 and entered the Order of the Visitation at Paray-le-Monial in 1671. Jesus appeared to her in numerous visions, displaying to her His Sacred Heart, sometimes burning as a furnace, and sometimes torn and bleeding on account of the coldness and sins of men. In 1675 the great revelation was made to her that she, in union with Father de la Colombiere, SJ, was to be the chief instrument for instituting the Feast of the Sacred Heart and for spreading devotion to the Sacred Heart throughout the world. She died on October 17, A.D. 1690.

25 At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to the little ones.In illo tempore respondens Jesus dixit : Confiteor tibi, Pater, Domine caeli et terrae, quia abscondisti haec a sapientibus, et prudentibus, et revelasti ea parvulis. 26 Yea, Father; for so hath it seemed good in thy sight.Ita Pater : quoniam sic fuit placitum ante te. 27 All things are delivered to me by my Father. And no one knoweth the Son, but the Father: neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him.Omnia mihi tradita sunt a Patre meo. Et nemo novit Filium, nisi Pater : neque Patrem quis novit, nisi Filius, et cui voluerit Filius revelare. 28 Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you.Venite ad me omnes qui laboratis, et onerati estis, et ego reficiam vos. 29 Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls.Tollite jugum meum super vos, et discite a me, quia mitis sum, et humilis corde : et invenietis requiem animabus vestris. 30 For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.Jugum enim meum suave est, et onus meum leve.The Seraphic Patriarch of Assisi was a man especially raised up by God in the Middle Ages with the mission to reconvert the world to Christ. Francis was born in a stable, and heralded into the world by angelic song; he commenced his work with twelve followers, whom he sent two by two to preach the Gospel. He espoused most high Poverty, and received in his own body the marks of the Sacred Passion on Mount Alvernia. Francis' message of charity, peace and justice was heard by men and women of every grade of society, and thousands in consequence desired to leave all and follow Francis in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Therefore he founded the Order of Friars Minor, the Second Order of the Poor Clares, and the Tertiaries or Third Order which bear his name. St Francis died about sunset on Saturday, 3rd Ocober 1226.

August 30, 2025Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 12 - Psalm 75:1-2, 6, 9; antiphon: Psalm 75:7Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 12:20-13:5, 33-34; 1 Kings 14:1-16:28; 2 Corinthians 8:1-24“We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near.” (Psalm 75:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Tomorrow's introit reminds us of this blessed reality: the Name of the Lord is near. In fact, it is so near, it is upon you!These are some awesome and particularly appropriate words for an introit—psalm verses for entering our Lord's sanctuary and being brought into His presence.You were given the ability to call on our holy and Triune God at your Baptism, when the Lord used your pastor to speak and wash you into new birth from above. In those joyous moments, the Name of the Lord came near as He placed His name upon you! “I baptize you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” Now the name of the Lord is so near, it is on you. In you. At Baptism, you were blessed with the Gift of calling on Him in prayer. Praying, praising, and giving thanks. God brings you, His child, to talk with Him “as dear children ask their dear father.”The Word of the Lord continues bringing His name near. Your pastor preaches. In Bible Class, you are taught that Word, as His name comes near. The Word is spoken in conversations of encouragement among faithful family and friends, and that brings God's name near, too.Of course, the high point of every Lord's Day is when the Name of the Lord is near, coming with the holy and precious Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Here is the greatest moment of the presence of God. The clearest, most felt and experienced nearness of God and His Name. With His own flesh and blood, Jesus brings the name of God in, with, and under Him to permeate you, bless you, and nourish you with His forgiving and saving presence. Where His name is, there He is to make you His own.So here we are, entering the sanctuary of the Holy Trinity, with His name washed onto us from Baptism and repeatedly placed on us with Word and Sacrament. With that holy name upon us, Jesus, who makes His name near, makes us worthy to enter His church building and receive Him yet again in Word and Sacrament, and we respond with giving thanks.We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. (Psalm 75:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Baptized into Your name, most holy, O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I claim a place, though weak and lowly, Among Your saints, Your chosen host. Buried with Christ and dead to sin, Your Spirit now shall live within. (LSB 590:1)Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Study the early Church Fathers, Scripture, and Christian history alongside FLAME's conversational voice to see for yourself why their teachings from Scripture are important to study, and live out, today.

LESSON 224God Is My Father, And He Loves His Son.My true Identity is so secure, so lofty, sinless, glorious and great, wholly beneficent and free from guilt, that Heaven looks to It to give it light. It lights the world as well. It is the gift my Father gave to me; the one as well I give the world. There is no gift but This that can be either given or received. This is reality, and only This. This is illusion's end. It is the truth.My Name, O Father, still is known to You. I have forgotten it, and do not know where I am going, who I am, or what it is I do. Remind me, Father, now, for I am weary of the world I see. Reveal what You would have me see instead.- Jesus Christ in ACIM

From "Last Retreat Day 14" found in The Complete Works vol 1: 36. “It seems to me that all is loss since I have known the excelling knowledge of my Lord, Jesus Christ. For love of Him I have forfeited everything; I have accounted all else rubbish that I may gain Christ, so as to be found in Him, not with my own justice but with the justice that comes from God through faith. What I want is to know Him, to share in His sufferings, to become like Him in His death. I pursue my course, striving to attain to what Christ has destined me for by taking hold of me; my whole concern is to forget what is behind and to strain forward constantly to what is ahead; I run straight to the goal . . . , to the prize of the heavenly vocation to which God has called me in Christ Jesus.” 212 The Apostle has often revealed the greatness of this vocation: “God,” he says, “has chosen us in Him before the creation of the world that we might be holy and immaculate in His presence in love. . . . We have been predestined by the decree of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, so that we may be the praise of His glory.” 213 37. But how do we respond to the dignity of this vocation? This is the secret: “Mihi vivere Christus est! . . . Vivo enim, jam non ego, vivit vero in me Christus. . . .” 214 We must be transformed into Jesus Christ; again it is St. Paul who teaches me this: “Those whom God has foreknown, He has predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.” 215 It is important then that I study this divine Model so as to identify myself so closely with Him that I may unceasingly reveal Him to the eyes of the Father. First of all, what did He say when He came into the world? “Here I am, O God, I come to do your will.” 216 I think that this prayer should be like the bride's heartbeat: 217 “Here we are, O Father, we come to do your will!” The post BTP-LR20 – Day 14 – Part 2 – The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity – Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Category - Devotional Humanity, one and all, are a bruised reed and smoking flax. It is not until the pain makes us desperate for mercy outside ourselves that we will call out to the only name given among men, by which we must be saved!So writes Richard Sibbes:"The bruised reed is a man that for the most part is in some misery, as those were that came to Christ for help, and by misery he is brought to see sin as the cause of it, for, whatever pretenses sin makes, they come to an end when we are bruised and broken. He is sensible of sin and misery, even unto bruising; and, seeing no help in himself, is carried with restless desire to have supply from another, with some hope, which a little raises him out of himself to Christ, though he dare not claim any present interest of mercy. This spark of hope being opposed by doubtings and fears rising from corruption makes him as smoking flax; so that both these together, a bruised reed and smoking flax, make up the state of a poor distressed man."We pray with fear and trembling for our beloved and every soul we genuinely care about:"O Father, be as gentle as Thou canst, but as vexing as is necessary to bruise my beloved so they will seek Thee for what Thou alone has to offer, the spring of life in salvation."How can we pray our cherished ones be bruised and smoking? We know, from the gracious words of our Lord and Savior, who in our turn bruised us to seek His grace:"For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it. 36 "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? 37 "For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?Mark 8:35-37Our So What?Despite the sorrows that perhaps lay ahead for our beloved, as the prince of preachers said:"If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.""What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more."Robert Murray M'CheyneAssistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossardwww.frponprayer.comfreerangeprayer@gmail.comFacebook - Free Range Preacher MinistriesInstagram: freerangeministriesAll our Scripture quotes are drawn from the NASB 1977 edition.For access to the Voice Over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.comOur podcast art was designed by @sammmmmmmmm23 InstagramSeason 007Episode 058

Your Nightly Prayer

It's Friday of Ordinary Time, Proper 6 in the Church Calendar, June 20, 2025.Our general order and lectionary come from the Book of Common Prayer Daily Office.Psalm 88Luke 21:5-19Today's song: Love Rescue Me (U2, Bob Dylan)Playlist of songs from Morning Prayer.If you have a prayer request please ⁠submit it here⁠. Sign up ⁠here⁠ for the email list.Morning Prayer and Worship is a production of Steady Stream Ministries, a 501(c)(3) non profit organization. Thank you for your support. ⁠You can go here to find out more⁠.Get an ad-free feed of the podcast with a monthly contribution of any amount!⁠Join our Facebook group here!⁠Photo by Theo Felten.The Lord's Day: Of God the Father, Rite TwoFor you are the source of light and life; you made us in your image, and called us to new life in Jesus Christ our Lord.Collect of the DayFirst Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday, Rite TwoAlmighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

It's Thursday of Ordinary Time, Proper 6 in the Church Calendar, June 19, 2025.Our general order and lectionary come from the Book of Common Prayer Daily Office.Psalm 83Luke 20:41-21:4Today's song: Hold Me Jesus (Rich Mullins)Playlist of songs from Morning Prayer.If you have a prayer request please ⁠submit it here⁠. Sign up ⁠here⁠ for the email list.Morning Prayer and Worship is a production of Steady Stream Ministries, a 501(c)(3) non profit organization. Thank you for your support. ⁠You can go here to find out more⁠.Get an ad-free feed of the podcast with a monthly contribution of any amount!⁠Join our Facebook group here!⁠Photo by Marian Florinel Condruz.The Lord's Day: Of God the Father, Rite TwoFor you are the source of light and life; you made us in your image, and called us to new life in Jesus Christ our Lord.Collect of the DayFirst Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday, Rite TwoAlmighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Phil Tallon about his article, “The Living Manifestation of Destiny: The Meaning in the Mission: Impossible Movies “. [Editor's Note: This review contains spoilers for Mission Impossible — The Final Reckoning.]  https://www.equip.org/articles/the-living-manifestation-of-destiny-the-meaning-in-the-mission-impossible-movies/Some related articles and podcasts by this author:Christopher Nolan Films Episode 400: Rage Against the Dying of the Light: Christopher Nolan's Fighting FilmographyRage Against the Dying of the Light: Christopher Nolan's Fighting FilmographyHorror Movies: Episode 350 Possession and Exorcism Movies in a Modern AgeThe Power of the Devil Compels Us: Possession and Exorcism Movies in a Modern AgeSherlock Holmes Episode 243: The Fall of Sherlock: Investigating the Victorian Detective in a Modern AgeThe Fall of Sherlock: Investigating the Victorian Detective in a Modern AgeSteven Spielberg Movies:Episode 139 Clear Skies, Hurt Hearts, Can't Lose: Why Spielberg's Aliens Help Make us More HumanClear Skies, Hurt Hearts, Can't Lose: Why Spielberg's Aliens Help Make us More HumanAlfred Hitchcock films:Episode 100: A. Hitchcock FilmsThe Coen Brother's Films:Episode 050: O Father, Where Art Thou? The Coen Brothers and the Riddle of Existence“O Father, Where Are Thou? The Coen Brothers and the Riddle of ExistenceThe Films of Quentin Tarantino:Episode 001: The Films of Quentin Tarantino“Reservoir Gods: Quentin Tarantino's Premodern Theology Don't miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.

It's Monday of Ordinary Time, Proper 6 in the Church Calendar, June 16, 2025.Our general order and lectionary come from the Book of Common Prayer Daily Office.Psalm 80Luke 20:9-19Today's song: Song of Freedom (Ben Ward)Playlist of songs from Morning Prayer.If you have a prayer request please ⁠submit it here⁠. Sign up ⁠here⁠ for the email list.Morning Prayer and Worship is a production of Steady Stream Ministries, a 501(c)(3) non profit organization. Thank you for your support. ⁠You can go here to find out more⁠.Get an ad-free feed of the podcast with a monthly contribution of any amount!⁠Join our Facebook group here!⁠Photo by Roman.The Lord's Day: Of God the Father, Rite TwoFor you are the source of light and life; you made us in your image, and called us to new life in Jesus Christ our Lord.Collect of the DayFirst Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday, Rite TwoAlmighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Entrance Hymn #362 Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! Sequence Hymn #295 Sing Praise to Our CreatorOffertory Anthem Holy Trinity Prayer (Ayres) Communion Anthem My Lord, What a Morning (trad. Spiritual, arr. Hayes) Offertory & Communion Anthems: Antonio Rodrigues, soloistPost-Communion Hymn #366 Holy God, We Praise Thy Name (vss 1-4)THE COLLECT OF THE DAYAlmighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.FIRST READING Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31Reader A reading from the Book of Proverbs.Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out:"To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live. The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth-- when he had not yet made earth and fields, or the world's first bits of soil. When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race."ReaderThe Word of the Lord.PeopleThanks be to God.CANTICLE 13 A Song of...

CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO SERMON HANDOUT Trinity Sunday The Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Old Testament: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 1Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? 2On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; 3beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out: 4“To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live. 22The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago. 23Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. 24When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. 25Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth— 26when he had not yet made earth and fields, or the world's first bits of soil. 27When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, 29when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, 30then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, 31rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race. Psalm: Canticle 2 or 13 Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; *        you are worthy of praise; glory to you. Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; *        we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever. Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; *        on the throne of your majesty, glory to you. Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; *        we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever. Glory to you, beholding the depths; *        in the high vault of heaven, glory to you. Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *        we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever. Epistle: Romans 5:1-5 1Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. Gospel: John 16:12-15 12“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

False Prophet Revealed (audio) David Eells – 4/13/25 Who is the False Prophet and how may we identify him? Experience and the Word have taught me concerning prophecy that if the majority of God's people believe something, it must be wrong. God hides His truths in dreams or visions that are parables so that the false prophets and carnal Christians cannot see them. Let's read Mat 13:10-13 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. But privately He explains them to His disciples Mar 4:33-34 And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it; 34 and without a parable spake he not unto them: but privately to his own disciples he expounded all things. He hides things from the wise and understanding (of this apostate religious system) and reveals them to babes. Luk 10:21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes: yea, Father; for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight. Notice that “disciples”, meaning, learners and followers, get to partake of the hidden manna. Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth but he that receiveth it. And Pro 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. John's Revelation was given to him as a parable of Jesus. If it were literal, the false prophets would know what is going to happen and that is contrary to Jesus' own words. When the disciples were young and under the law they did not recognize the false prophets. As a matter of fact, they respected them! And so it is today! I want to show you who have eyes and ears, who the false prophet is and what his work is. The False Prophet is a corporate body of religious leaders that, to the trained eye resemble those of Jesus' day. In all of Jesus, Peter, and John's writings outside of the Book of Revelation, the warning is that false prophets (plural) would come. In Revelation, false prophet (singular) is used, but in an allegory. Since Jesus said in the end time that Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; …  We read that many false prophets shall arise; verse 11 And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray. And verse 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Then the false prophet in Revelation is a symbol of a corporate body like the rest of the characters in Revelation are; the beast, the woman, the harlot, the bride, etc. It's the only way that Jesus and John can both be right. You might say, “David, aren't you sharing the secrets with the false prophets?” Have no fear; they are too proud to admit they have passed on the lie of the traditions of men and repent. Moses prophesied the coming of the true prophet and the false prophet. Deu 18:15-22 Jehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 16 according to all that thou desiredst of Jehovah thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of Jehovah my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. 17 And Jehovah said unto me, They have well said that which they have spoken. 18 I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. 20 But the prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. 21 And if thou say in thy heart, How shall we know the word which Jehovah hath not spoken? 22 when a prophet speaketh in the name of Jehovah, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which Jehovah hath not spoken: the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him. The true Prophet of course, is the Son of God Jesus Christ. He is the Spirit that is in His true corporate body. (1Co 15:45 So also it is written, The first man Adam became a living soul. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.) He is the head of His body the Church which is female (Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, being himself the saviour of the body.). Jesus' headship is manifest physically through the 5-fold ministry (Eph 4:11 And he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;). The senses of the head correspond to the ministers. For example: the prophets are the eyes (Isa 29:10 For Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes, the prophets; and your heads, the seers, hath he covered.) – Evangelists are the mouth (the ministry to those outside of the body), Teachers are the ears (1Ki 3:9 Give thy servant therefore an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this thy great people? 12 behold, I have done according to thy word: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart;) “Understanding” here is the Hebrew word for “hearing”. Soloman heard answers from the Lord.  (1Ki 10:3 And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not anything hid from the king which he told her not.). It takes the 5-fold ministry to raise up others into the head (Eph 4:15 but speaking truth in love, may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ;). We can see a false headship in these days because of the Nicolaitan error which Jesus hates according to (Rev 2:6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate., and verse 15 So hast thou also some that hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans in like manner.) That false headship is that the pastor usurps the authority of the rest of the 5-fold ministry to be the head of the church. The Spirit of Christ is manifest through the 5-fold ministry to lead His body, the church. So also the spirit of antichrist is identified in (1Jn 4:3 and every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it cometh; and now it is in the world already.). This spirit is manifested through men as a false prophet to lead his body the harlot. The false prophet also has a female body, the corporate harlot, who receives not the seed of the true husband. These do not confess Jesus, the Word, which was given in the beginning. Confess here is a word meaning “to speak the same as”. The false prophet body cannot say what Jesus said. Christ sows His seed, which is the true Word, as we read in His parable in Mat 13:18-23 Hear then ye the parable of the sower. 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the evil one, and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side. 20 And he that was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that heareth the word, and straightway with joy receiveth it; 21 yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway he stumbleth. 22 And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the care of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 23 And he that was sown upon the good ground, this is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; who verily beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.) The true Prophet, Jesus, always sows the Word. The false prophet cannot confess Him. In Rev 13:11 And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like unto a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. Here we see a false lamb who speaks for the dragon. We see the head of the false prophet with two horns like unto a lamb, and he spake as the dragon beast. Also in verse 5 and there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies (meaning, to speak against); and there was given to him authority to continue forty and two months. In verse 15, we see the body (harlot) of the false prophet. Rev 13:15 NENT And it was given to her to give a spirit to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause that as many as should not worship the image of the beast should be killed. Bible Numerics shows a perfect pattern for “her” in the ancient manuscripts and in the most accurate New Testament, the Numeric English New Testament by Ivan Panin. There is no pattern in “he” or “it”. Numerics show beyond a shadow of a doubt which manuscript is right and where. As the harlot of Judaism caused Jesus to be crucified, so will the harlot of Christianity cause His body to be crucified. Let me show this another way. In 1Ki 18, Ahab represents the beast with ten horns, for he ruled over the apostate ten tribes, who worshiped the image of the beast (the golden calf). Ahab's wife, Jezebel, killed the saints and prophets. Compare this for relationship in Rev 17:1-3 …saying, Come hither, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters; 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and they that dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her fornication. 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness: and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. There she is ruling by the ten horned beast again.) Jezebel is a clear type of the harlot in (Rev 2:20 But I have this against thee, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess; and she teacheth and seduceth my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols.) She, like the harlot, was guilty of the blood of the prophets and of the saints. (1Ki 18:4 for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Jehovah, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) (2K 9:7)(Rev 18:24) In Rev 17:16 when the Beast is through using the harlot, he devours her. Rev 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest, and the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her utterly with fire. And so it is with Jezebel in (1Ki 21:23 And of Jezebel also spake Jehovah, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel.). The true ministers of God are fed at the Churches table (1 Cor 9:13,14) and the false prophets (corporately the false prophet) are fed from Jezebel's table (1Ki 18:19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, that eat at Jezebel's table.). The false prophets of Baal and the false prophets of the Asherah represent the two horns of the false prophet in Rev 13:11 And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like unto a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. Find out who the two horns of Baal and Asherah represent in modern times, and you will know who the corporate false prophet is. These two go back to the tower of Babel and were originally Nimrod in (Gen 10:8-10) and his wife Semiramis, the false virgin Asherah. When Nimrod died and Semiramis became pregnant claiming that Nimrod had become the Sun God, Baal, who then by virgin birth was reborn as her son, Tammuz, the false son of God. Then of course, the Babylonian worshiped the false Father, Son and Virgin about 2,300 years before the true Virgin birth. Semiramis probably knew of the prophecy in Gen 3:15 concerning the virgin birth. This false scenario is still worshipped in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. At the dispersion at Babel this legend went throughout the World and these three were given different names in different cultures, many of which are in the Bible. The golden calf in Egypt was a symbol of the Father (Baal) in the Son. Pharaoh's title meant Great Temple of the Sun God. Sun images all over the world and in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches symbolize the false Son. The Israelites, with their golden calf thought they were worshiping “YHWH” or “Elohim”, the true God, but it was Baal. One horn, the 450 prophets of Baal represent those who teach another Jesus. This is the apostate protestant ministers. The other horn is the 400 prophets of the Asherah or those who worship the virgin. This is the Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and many others that are into Mariolatry. Mary is my sister and I love her but she is not the mother of God according to (Rom 1:3) concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, (In Genesis Jesus was called the “seed of the woman”, who was Mary, the seed of David.) 4  who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord. Here we see Mary is the mother of Jesus' flesh, which is “Son of Man”. His spiritual man was “Son of God” (Verse 4) and born of God. John 3:6 says, “that which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit”. The false prophet has always been the head of the harlot, and she sitteth (present tense) on 5 world empires that are fallen but still present in Rev 17:10. These were never Christian: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media Persia, and Greece. The corporate leadership of all false Christian religions is the false prophet. Emperor Constantine was head of the early Roman Empire or beast as Daniel 7:7 describes it. Rome was the great beast devouring all the beasts before it (Dan.7:23). Much like the world is today, his kingdom was divided because of much religious faction. Because of Babel there were, to the untrained eye, similarities between the pagan religions and Christianity. In order to unite his empire, Constantine decided to capitalize on these similarities and merge paganism with Christianity. Through the temptations of bribery and power, the backslidden leadership of Christianity gave in. Constantine gathered together at his round table religious leaders of every sect and gave them a position of authority. This corporate false prophet was to advise him and exercise authority over his religious empire. He presided over their councils and put down individual theological differences for the sake of unity. “That which hath been is that which shall be” (Ecc 1:9). Our modern-day revival of the Roman beast, the United Nations, has within its body the whole earth (Dan 7:23) and is doing exactly what Constantine did to unite the earth. The “World Conference on Religion and Peace” was a gathering together under the U.N. of all sects of religious leaders from all over the world to bring unity to religion and hopefully the world. This corporate false prophet with the authority of the U.N. has created a corporate one world religion called the United Religions (the U.R.). Once, when I was teaching on the false prophet several years ago, a brother came into the meeting who had just received a confirming dream. Let me share that with you. Mark W. Dream  (David's notes) I went to church and to the altar to get delivered from smoking. There were many people up front. I knew that the pastor was walking toward me to get away from someone who smelled like smoke, and I thought, “I hope he doesn't come down here because I smell like smoke too”. Just then, my sister came to me very happy and said, “Oh, it's OK now, look over there.” I looked over and saw this man light up a cigarette. There were some booths and a sign that read “smoking section”. People said, “You don't have to quit because now we can smoke in church”. I said, “No, I want to quit smoking.” (Spiritually, smoking is to partake of an unclean spirit because “breath” and “spirit” come from the same word in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Smoke is an unclean breath. “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and is become a habitation of demons, and a prison [booths] of every unclean spirit...” Rev.18:2) Then the scene changed, and I saw on TV that everyone was rejoicing because a great agreement had been made to have “one church”. I saw that the agreement was two stacks of paper (two horns of the false prophet), but nothing was written on them. (This is a sign that everyone will drop their doctrinal demands, which in the case of Christians is truth, in order to have unity - Jude 3,4). Then I went to this extremely big church. I couldn't even see the other end of it (This is the U.N. corporate apostate church). I happened to open the wrong door, and I saw inside a giant ministers' conference. (The corporate False Prophet) They were being shown a film on how to scan barcodes on the foreheads of their congregation with a beam of light without them knowing it. (The spiritual mark of the beast given by the false prophet abusing the light of the word.) More interpretation: This is the corporate two horned false prophet who makes merchandise of the people of God (2 Pet 2:1-3) and the Word of God (2 Cor 2:17 in Greek) and marks those belonging to the Beast in their foreheads (or minds Rom 8:5-6, Rev 13:16). Remember in Jesus' day, the “respectable” religious folks who walked after the mind of the flesh cast their vote against him. They were followers of a “respectable” group of ministers who gave them that mind using the light of the word. Remember that 10 out of the 12 tribes and their ministers worshiped the beast (golden calf) and had his mark in their foreheads (mind) and hand (works). The false prophets are the ones who war against this Word the most. It's an honor to have these against me as they were against my Lord Jesus. They protect their prestige, authority, position, and bank account. Draw close to God and His Word so you may be able to recognize them. Daniel 3:4,5 says, “Then the herald cried...peoples, nations, languages... fall down and worship the golden image (of the beast).” This word, “herald” is the only Greek word in the text at a time before Greek became a world language. It is the same word used in the New Testament for preacher. The command to worship the image (Rev 13:14,15) will come from the pulpits in the form of a deception so strong that, “if possible, even the elect would be deceived” (Mat 24:24). If the truth weren't hidden in the parable of Revelation, there would be no strong delusion. In Daniel 3:7, all worshipped the image, even the Israelites except Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These three wouldn't bow because they wouldn't eat of the beast's food (word) and wine (nature) and be defiled (Dan 1:5-16). If you receive the word and nature of a Babylonish false prophet, you too will be defiled and bow down (Mat 15:6-20). In Constantine's court, there sat the senate of secular rulers over the countries under his control. These foreshadowed the ten horns in Daniel's vision of the end time Roman Empire (Dan 7:7). The ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings (end time secular rulers), who have received no kingdoms as yet, but they receive authority as kings, with the beast for one hour (Rev 17:12). The horn represents power for it is the weapon of the beast. A king without his kingdom has no power. These kings gave their kingdoms to the beast in (Rev 17:17). From among these kingdoms in Constantine's day arose the religious rulers. They were different, for they were a corporate body of religious leaders from among all the kingdoms. This is exactly what Dan 7:8,24) says. The little horn came “up among” the ten and was “different from the former” because he was a corporate religious body among leaders of corporate secular bodies. Now, the little horn is the false prophet of Rev 13 is easy to see because it had eyes (Dan 7:20), which makes it a prophet (Isa 29:10). He had “a mouth that spake great things” (Dan 7:20) and made war on the saints (verse 21). This identifies the false prophet who was given to the beast in Rev 13:5-7 for the false prophet is the beast's mouth to religious people. In Jesus and Constantine's time, the corporate false prophet kept the people in line for the beast (Rome) because of the threat of loss of position (John 11:47,48). It was this corporate false prophet who was guilty of the blood of Jesus, the Apostles and prophets (Mat 23:29-36). Pilot, representing the Roman beast, did not want to kill Jesus. This is the way it will be in our day. The false prophet Sanhedrin was afraid the Romans would come and take away their position if they didn't put down the Jesus rebellion. Another type of the little horn was Antiochus Epiphanes in 175-164 B.C.. He came up among the horns of the division of Alexander the Great's kingdom and was king of Syria, which means “lifted up”. I emphasize that this king of the “lifted up” was a type because many believe that the history of his acts in Daniel are literally speaking of the end-time antichrist. Daniel prophesies what is clearly now history in chapters 8:9-14, 23-26 and 11:21-39 regarding Antiochus, but he is also a type and shadow of what is to come. His compelling interest was to subject God's people to himself, much like the false prophets of today. He “magnified himself” (Dan 8:25) above all the gods of the Harlot and “the one desired of women” (Dan 11:37) - Jesus was desired of seven women who are the church in Rev 1:11. Isa 4:1  And seven women (the Church) shall take hold of one man (Jesus) in that day, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name (In their rebellion against the Word, they still wanted to be called Christians.); take thou away our reproach. The false prophet, Antiochus deposed the Jewish high priest Onias 3 and usurped his place. Many today usurp the position of Jesus as head. If you permit a person to exalt themselves or their teaching above Jesus and the Scriptures, they become to you a false prophet. He will even use the Word to paint an image in your mind of a false Jesus (2 Cor 3:18), which is none other than the image of the beast (spoken of later). Antiochus, in his position as “lord of God's heritage” then sacrificed a son on the altar and sprinkled the Holy Place with the swine's broth. He cast down many of God's people and caused them to lose their position in the heavenlies like the end time saints (Dan 8:10, Epe 2:6, Rev 6:13). He took away the continual burnt offering (Dan 8:11, 11:31) in the end time will be in the middle of the tribulation or seventieth week of Daniel when the mark is given. (Dan 9:27). We are the sanctuary or temple of God (1 Cor 3:17). Our old life is the continual burnt offering (Rom 12:1) as we take up our cross and follow Jesus and lose our old life (Mat 16:24,25). It is a burnt offering because in the midst of the fiery trial (1 Pet 4:12, Mat 3:11,12) when we obey God, the flesh burns up (2 Cor 4:16,17). If we walk after the mind of the flesh and take the mark, the burnt offering ceases (Dan 8:12). We are to be as gold and silver refined in the fire by burning up the impurities of flesh - Mal 3:2,3. Many will follow the example of Antiochus and sacrifice the Son. Heb 10:29 of how much sorer punishment, think ye, shall he be judged worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God.  They follow the false prophets and are defiled, turning back to their sins (2 Pet 2:1-3, 18-22). These are they who give up their life of sacrificing their flesh in the fiery trial in the middle of the tribulation and take the mark of the beast (Rev 13:5-7, 16-18 and Dan 9:27), having been deceived by the false prophets. If you allow the false prophets to identify the mark of the beast and the image, you will not be able to see it when it comes. The Pharisees and Sadducees could not identify the true Image of God, Jesus Christ. What makes you think that they could today? It is not the visible Image and Mark of the beast that you should fear, but the invisible. This is how it can be a deception. Any physical mark can only be put on one who has the spiritual mark already. It will identify these people as members of the body of the beast. Antiochus also set up a statue of Jupiter in the Holy of Holies. He, like the little horn of Ahab's day, Jesus' day, Constantine's day, and the U.R. of our day, gives to the people a false Image of God. Even among Christians, you will notice there are different ideas about who Jesus is, what His nature is, what His teaching is, and what His attitude is toward us. Much of this leads people to worship another Jesus, which is an abomination. Become familiar with the Jesus of the Bible, the true Image of God (Heb 1:3, Jn 1:1). The tip of the little horn starts in the leadership of the U.R., but like Mark W.'s dream, it shows that it goes all the way down to the man in the pulpit. All of them together are the false prophet, the head of the harlot. “Be not many of you teachers, my brother, knowing that we shall receive the heavier judgment” (James 3:1). Now, I'd like to share a few more revelations with you that reveal the end-time false prophet.   War, False Prophet, Harlot, Mark, War Below are two dreams on these subjects East and West War in the Middle East Bill Steenland - 11/14/2014 (David's notes in red) I dreamed there was a lion and a white tiger fighting one another very fiercely with a lot of back and forth, while rolling around on the ground. (I think the white tiger represents Russia, Iran, India, and China [Eastern nations] going to war with the “lion” [Britain, America, Australia, Canada, Europe and NATO].) (The lion with eagle's wings in Daniel is Britain and her lion cubs with the US and its air power. Siberia is part of Russia. The white Siberian tiger represents Russia.) (I was watching Putin in this video, and the Lord said to me, “The white tiger!” Why hadn't I seen it before? We are really seeing the fulfillment of this dream now. This topic is huge in the book Hidden Manna for the End Times, now that I think about it. We are really seeing the posturing and coming war that is shown in that dream now, with all the lines being drawn in the sand over Europe and Asia. (Ultimately this war that the Deep State has tied to start many times, to distract from their evil, will come to pass but I for one have fought for peace.) As the lion and the tiger fought, the scenery and the settings were changing. It was as if they were rolling back and forth in the Middle East from the mountains to the desert to more mountains, back to a dry parched setting like a desert and then a combination of the two. It was as if they were rolling around, fighting each other across the whole Middle East. This is the strange part: There was a black car following them everywhere they went. (This is the Satanic Deep State powers that be, the banksters, with money invested on both sides of the war, as always.) All I knew was that they were in the Middle East and that it was a huge power struggle for territory. At the end of the dream, I saw a black man in full-blown black Masonic attire with a black plate that had a golden pyramid on it. (D.S. Masonic powers that be.) The eye was not floating over the pyramid. It was one that has always represented Lucifer (The antichrist spirit who will once again rise up in Revelation 13 and control the Beast and finally bring their war between East and West to make money off of both.). (Masonic agenda is unfolding; their god Lucifer is the “all-seeing eye” over the Beast one world government.) The black plate was hanging on his chest (the breath/spirit/demons of the Beast). He was standing in the middle of these two fighting animals as they fought, but he was much bigger than the cats. He was kicking his toes into the ground on each side, as if one foot or toes was the lion and the other foot was the tiger. He would kick his toes into the ground one at a time toward the other foot. (End-time fulfillment of the 10 kingdoms from Daniel 2, known as Nebuchadnezzar's image or dream.) (The two feet of the image of the Beast in Daniel's revelation are the end-time Eastern Roman Empire, which Russia is the head of, and Western Roman Empire, which the US is the head of. The clay is nations that were not a part of the original Roman Empire seed, typed by the iron. This Roman Empire is the sixth head that was smitten unto death which is revived. Satan and his earthly representatives, the Deep State powers that be, are kicking their pawns back and forth in the Middle East. The pawns of the U.S. and Russia have also always had their pawn nations that they prefer to fight through, supplying weapons, logistics, trainers, etc., so that they are not personally drawn into a nuclear world war. [Although nukes may be used in this war, it is not the full-scale nuclear war that will come at the end of the tribulation, as seen in Bill's other dream below.] They have engaged in this covert warfare for many years, and it will continue because it makes money for the powers that be and decreases populations, plus it keeps the nations under control. I would say the big black man is the world Antichrist Beast ruled by Satan.) Dan.2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things; and as iron that crusheth all these, shall it break in pieces and crush. 41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 43 And whereas thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron doth not mingle with clay. (Islam is invading the nations by the DS to bring division.) 44 And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. (This begins with the Man-child reformers.) 45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. In the dream, I knew the black man over the big cats was Tiger Woods, the pro-golfer. (Tiger has a family heritage from many nations and represents the world beast like the Dan 2 vision of the world beast.) He is like the melting pot of nations and religions melted into one. Tiger Woods spent most of his life standing on grass, playing golf. (This war of back and forth is like a golf game to them. Life is cheap.) Here are a few details from Wikipedia about his multinational family tree: Woods was born in Cypress, California, to Earl (1932-2006) and Kultida (Tida) Woods (born 1944). He is the only child of their marriage; however, he does have two half-brothers, Earl Jr. (born 1955) and Kevin (born 1957), and a half-sister, Royce (born 1958), from the 18-year marriage of Earl Woods and his first wife, Barbara Woods Gray[14]. Earl, a retired lieutenant colonel and Vietnam War veteran, was of mostly African American, as well as Caucasian, and possible Native American and Chinese, ancestry[15]. Kultida (née Punsawad), originally from Thailand (where Earl had met her on a tour of duty in 1968), is of mixed Thai, Chinese, and Dutch ancestry[16]. He refers to his ethnic make-up as “Cablinasian” (a syllabic abbreviation he coined from Caucasian, Black, American Indian, and Asian).[17]. Woods' first name, Eldrick, was coined by his mother because it began with “E” (for Earl) and ended with “K” (for Kultida). His middle name Tont is a traditional Thai name. He was nicknamed Tiger in honor of his father's friend, Col. Vuong Dang Phong, who had also been known as Tiger.[18]. The name Eldrick is an English baby name. In English, the meaning of the name Eldrick is “old/wise ruler”.   False Prophet, Harlot, Mark, Nuclear War Bill Steenland - 06/22/2015 (David's notes in red) The dream started off where I was in a big city, like New York or Philly. I had a large white tablet in my hands. There were two guys who were working on it, but we were talking about the mark of the Beast. The guy was talking about the basics of where it goes and so on. The second man was sitting on the step. He had a really faraway look on his face, like he had spent a long time looking at the physical properties of the mark. He sat down on the step and just kept saying, “It's so much more than a mark”, over and over. Then he said, “Calling it just a 'mark' doesn't do it justice. It's much more than that”. (I found out later in that dream the mark will have currency on it as an incentive to take it after a total global economic meltdown.) I looked back at the tablet. I knew that in the dream, when I looked down at the tablet, I could see anything I wanted to or any place I wanted to and that I could be there by looking at this tablet. (It means the Word of God written upon the tablet of our hearts, which gives spiritual insight and discernment. 2Co.3:2 Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men; 3 being made manifest that ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in tables that are hearts of flesh. Maybe that is why when I looked at the tablet later in the dream, I could see future events and see into the spiritual realm. 1Co.2:10 But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.) I was watching a video of a beach as I walked around with the tablet. Then I found myself there on the beach at a resort. I was walking around this beach next to the resort. (Fellowshipping with Abraham's seed, the children of faith. God told Abraham that his children would be as the sands of the sea. Heb.11:11 By faith even Sarah herself received power to conceive seed when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised: 12 wherefore also there sprang of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of heaven in multitude, and as the sand, which is by the sea-shore, innumerable. Rom.4:11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision; that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be in uncircumcision, that righteousness might be reckoned unto them.) (The promised seed, the Man-child Isaac, would bring forth the great multitude of fruit, just like in these end times.) While I was walking around, I saw an old friend whom I knew was caught up in confusion, walking around, too. In the dream, I knew that I had a room at this beach resort. I went to my room and relaxed on my bed (representing resting in the promises of God). I pulled out the tablet and I saw a picture of Benny Hinn. He was wearing a red shirt. (Red represents sin, as in the “man of sin”: 1 John 3:4,10.) (Isa.1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.) He looked very effeminate; there was make-up on his face (I.e. what you see is not what you get) and he had his arms out, as if to present something. I noticed there was a witchcraft book in front of him. (1Sa.15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, he hath also rejected thee from being king.) 1Co.10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have communion with demons. 21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons: ye cannot partake of the table of the Lord, and of the table of demons. There was a table with a whole bunch of objects in front of him that were being used in witchcraft to send curses. (Those infected with Kundalini and who practice false signs and lying wonders are sent out to deceive God's people. God is the one allowing it. 2Th.2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming; 9 even he, whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Jesus warned of false leaders. Mat.24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. The word for “false Christ” is pseudochristos or false anointings. (When God does signs because of the faith of His people but the signs do not confirm the life and word of the minister, they are false signs and lying wonders: Mar.16:20 And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen. Deu.13:1 If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give thee a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods (another Elohim or Jesus'), which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of dreams: for Jehovah your God proveth you, to know whether ye love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul.) They have another Jesus because they received another Word and another spirit. This scripture explains why he was performing witchcraft in the dream: Gal.1:7 which is not another gospel only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema. 9 As we have said before, so say I now again, if any man preacheth unto you any gospel other than that which ye received, let him be anathema (accursed). When people receive another Word, they can receive this working of error mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 3:9-11. Kundalini is a huge working of error that the Harlot Church is going under. Like in the dream, they say they serve God but are in rebellion and witchcraft. When people pray and fellowship with people who are serving these Kundalini spirits, they open themselves up to this working of error because, frankly, they are praying with a witch, and they get slimed with this curse from Galatians that they are under. Here is a call of God to leave these false teachers and churches: Isa.2:5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of Jehovah. 6 For thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they are filled with customs from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines (Kundalini has been named the false prophetic movement for good reason), and they strike hands with the children of foreigners. (They have joined the Eastern religions through Kundalini spirits.) 7 And their land is full of silver and gold (Benny Hinn is reportedly worth $60 million. (Somebody is not eating while these kind surfeit and care not for the needs of others. Ecc.5:11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, save the beholding of them with his eyes? Isa.56:11 Yea, the dogs are greedy, they can never have enough; and these are shepherds that cannot understand: they have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain, from every quarter.), neither is there any end of their treasures (prosperity message); their land also is full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots. (His Rolls-Royce and private jets.) 8 Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands. (This type builds a false temple made with man's hands, which God says He does not inhabit. Act.17:24 The God that made the world and all things therein, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.) Isa.10:1 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers that write perverseness; 2 to turn aside the needy from justice, and to rob the poor of my people of their right that widows may be their spoil (Their ministries are funded by the poor and the fatherless whom they rob. Benny has promised to these poor people that if they give him $1000, God will multiply it. (When God is teaching His children to give, He may honor their faith but not a greedy leader.), and that they may make the fatherless their prey! (Those who have no true spiritual fathers but are hirelings.) 3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? (What will they do when the Lord comes manifested in the Man-child ministry to bring justice?) Back to Bill's dream: There was a book on the table in front of him. As I looked at the book, I heard a news broadcast in the background. The female broadcaster said these words: “Benny Hinn has a new social media program to join,” like Alex Jones has, and another name that was mentioned but was blanked out. (I believe it was a reference to Facebook. I believe these social media programs are the hive mentality of corporate bodies of people who are under the deception of certain spirits. For instance, Facebook is vanity and self-promotion. Benny is obviously Kundalini and the Harlot Church. As I looked at the book, I heard the famous singer Katy Perry singing these lyrics: “I hear that the mark of the Beast is coming and I want one”. (Katy is a perfect symbol of the Harlot Church who will take the mark of the Beast. She is also being used as a type of the Harlot spirit that cause the falling away and, finally, the mark of the Beast.) 1Ti.4:1 But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons. (The Feast of Unleavened Bread in Exodus 12 was for seven days, representing the tribulation. Anyone who ate leaven during that time was cut off from the people of God, so we must come out from them now. This will be a great falling away of the people who are cut off.) Next, there were two aliens in my room. They were demons. I knew in the dream that the Harlot Church who rides the Beast was rolling out another deception: aliens. I immediately turned the tablet off, and the demons left. Then I had an open vision while there on my bed. I was looking at a world destroyed by a nuclear war with Russia and a total global economic collapse. (The war between East and West is bound to end this way.) Joe.2:30 And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The pillars of smoke mentioned in Joel could be the mushroom cloud pillars of nuclear war. That word “pillar” can also be translated as “column” that could stretch from the earth to the heavens, literally. I was looking at a soldier and a young boy of about 14 years old. The sun was not giving its light, like the scriptures mention. I saw the boy with the mark of the Beast in his hand; it was glowing in the dark while in his hand. It was slightly curved in shape, like a banana. (Representing the fruit of the wicked? A crescent shape?) It was glowing green and yellow. The boy was thinking the following words in his head, and I heard them very clearly. As he looked up at a totally destroyed world, he thought, “We don't ever have to worry; we are safe. The government knows where we are at all times and will be here shortly to help us”. (Notice he had the mark before the nuclear war came and he was programmed to trust in Antichrist.) Rev.13:16 And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark on their right hand, or upon their forehead; 17 and that no man should be able to buy or to sell, save he that hath the mark (In the dream, I knew that this mark had electronic currency on it.), even the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man: and his number is Six hundred and sixty and six. (We who refuse the mark will be in the wilderness with God our supplier.) Dan.9:27 And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing (or pinnacle) of abominations shall come one (abomination = the mark) that maketh (them) desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate. (In the midst of the week, many so-called Christians will take the mark as sons of perdition in the temple of God's people. This mark is an abomination that makes them desolate, which means devoid of God.) As I watched the boy, I knew that people would take the mark for many reasons, but one reason is that there will be currency given to the recipient so he can survive. I came out of the vision and said to myself, “I need to find my old friend”. I knew in this dream that there were a lot of people who needed to hear this warning: Rev.18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come forth, my people, out of her, that ye have no fellowship with her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues: 5 for her sins have reached even unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. And 2Co.6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement hath a temple of God with idols? for we are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you, 18 And will be to you a Father, And ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.   False Prophets Revealed Rex Veron - 11/29/2004 (David's notes in red) I believe this is an end-time dream. (This dream is as seen from God's perspective of the false prophets who have put on their deceptive show to deceive the people as to their true nature and false teaching.) I saw a mouse standing in front of a medium-sized congregation, preaching and teaching. It stood up on its hind legs and was the size of a small terrier dog; it had the face of a man. The face was nondescript and no one I knew. (The false prophets standing in the pulpits of God's people are indeed very small in spiritual stature and the vilest of beasts attempting to depict themselves as men of God. As in a plague, they are the carriers of spiritual disease that have brought spiritual and physical death to multitudes.) It had a red broad brimmed hat with little gold tassels hanging from the brim. (They attempt to glorify their own thinking, but underneath is still hidden the brain of a spiritual mouse. The red color here is an attempt to appear to have blood-washed thinking but instead, it is sinful thinking. Isa.1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.) It wore a red vest with some tassels hanging from the edge. (They attempt to glorify their own heart, which is not covered by the blood but the sin of the fallen nature. Underneath their show is the heart of a spiritually small beast.) It wore red pants with tassels hanging from the bottom of the pant legs. He had jester-type shoes with a little gold bell on each end of the toe curl. (They love to bring attention to their walk by ringing their own bell when they put on a show to be seen of men. However, before God and those with understanding, they are seen as jesters who walk crooked as the curled toes depict.) It had a stubby tail like a bulldog with a gold cover on it that was flattened out and looked like a spoon upside down. (As unclean dogs, they are dung eaters and that which should be left behind, as Paul pointed out, and flushed is glorified by these apostates and fed to the people as doctrine.) The people kept saying, “We can't stand this any longer, he needs to be made to be quiet, get rid of him”. (When the people begin to awaken, they become dissatisfied with the religious show and want more of God and His Word to sustain them.) I went to the front, picked him up and took off his hat, his vest, his pants, and I started to put him down. (It is here that the true ministers are able to uncover the false thinking, heart and walk of these apostate leaders.) Then I heard a voice saying, “You must take his shoes off and the golden tail, as well. You cannot turn him loose with those on”. (It is necessary to also reveal the apostates' evil walk and despicably unclean doctrine that the righteous will forsake.) I then took his shoes and golden tail off and set him on the floor, and he vanished. (When the truth is revealed, they become nothing in the eyes of God's people, as their yoke is broken off of them.) Turning back to the people, they were quiet and at peace; nothing was said. While still dreaming, I thought the entire scene strange and was wondering about it when I heard, “Get up and write the dream down”. I awoke, wrote it down and meditated about it and then I went back to bed.   False Prophet & Son of Perdition G.C. - 12/2007 (David's notes in red) In this dream, I was watching a scene go down. There was a line of people shuffling forward toward a podium. There were two men at this podium: a father and a son. (In real life, I know them.) The father was dressed in full Masonic priest regalia and was wearing what seemed to be a pope-like hat. The son was on his left hand, and he was dressed like a normal person. Many who only see the letter of the parable in dreams would think this father to be the pope, but this is not how parables work. Like the pope is the “holy father” over the Catholic, meaning “universal” Church, so this father represents a corporate False Prophet over a world body of apostate religions. Many of these very visible leaders are also Masons. Judas, who was called the Son of Perdition, sold the body of Christ to the Sanhedrin, which was this corporate False Prophet in their day. Likewise a corporate Son of Perdition hidden in the body of Christ today will betray them. This way, both people in this parable represent a corporate body today. I watched in horror as the father was giving the mark of the beast to the people in line. (Rev.13:16) And he (the False Prophet) causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark on their right hand, or upon their forehead.) As soon as the people received the mark they instantly transformed into a wild pig and leaped straight into a furnace off to the side of the podium. (2 Pet. 2:12) But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed. (Php.3:18) For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, [that they are] the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is perdition, whose god is the belly (like wild pigs), and [whose] glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things (mark in the forehead). I considered what was taking place and tried to warn the people about the furnace (of the great and terrible day of the Lord and Hell itself), but they seemed not to take heed to what I was saying. They were willfully taking this mark as if under strong delusion. It was horrible. Note: Although in real life I worked for this father, he had NEVER called me before. All the business matters were usually handled through his son. After I woke from the dream, the father called me on the phone! He asked me to come to his office to have a meeting with him and his son. So that was a sure confirmation from the Lord. They are merely figures the Lord used to show me something in the dream. They own their own company and are in the business of buying and selling (Just like the “merchants of Babylon” who “make merchandise of you”). The father's name is ROLAND, meaning “renown throughout the land”. This reminds me of the men of renown or giants of old. We have giants today, too: the megachurch pastors of the apostate church. The son in real life is a lukewarm Christian who is given to drunkenness (which is spiritually like the Son of Perdition).   Discernment Delivers from False Prophets Jay N. - 06/09/2008 (David's notes in red) I dreamed I was in a class with several other students. We were in this big room which looked rather like a gymnasium, and I remember thinking and missing my friends from other classes, whom I remembered were now long gone away. David Eells was our teacher, and I was standing next to him. (A type of the David man-child reformers.) David was telling me that the previous night, there was a party at his next door neighbor's house and he didn't get much sleep. (God's people giving into lasciviousness have truly caused me some loss of sleep.) He was casually dressed, like a sports teacher or a trainer. (We have to train the people of God to get in shape for the contest to come.) Standing next to him, I could see his profile, and I noticed he was wearing a patch or a piece of wool over his nose, like he had a nose job, or even more, it looked to me like something he was wearing to filter the air he was breathing. (This nose filter represents the ability to discern good from evil. The nose gives discernment to the mind that is neither seen nor heard. Wool over the nose represents having the true clothing or actions of sheep, which filter out the false spirits, which is the meaning of “breath” in Hebrew.) The next thing I remember was a tall man entering the room, accompanied by a woman. (The tall man is seen in many dreams as the corporate false prophet and his companion is the harlot church.) They were dressed in suits and looked to me like teachers. The man came and was standing next to me, and I knew they were there to acquire some students for themselves. (They will seek through lasciviousness, meaning a license to excess, to draw aside disciples of Christ.) I tried to ignore him since I could tell what his intentions were, and then he pointed his finger at me. I looked around for David but couldn't see him. (We will face temptation alone.) I turned to the man and looked at his face for the first time. He was so tall, almost all the way up to the ceiling; I remember feeling the pain in my neck as I was struggling to look at his face. (His great size represents a corporate body of people.) He was nicely groomed, with curly hair and he had bright grey, watery eyes. (They tend to see things in grey, not black or white, as in wrong or right.) Being determined, I told him that I was not going with him because David was my teacher. As I was saying these words I was getting weak. I remember being hardly able to say that last word, “teacher”, but I succeeded. He looked shocked and very offended because obviously he had the authority to choose from the class as he liked, and he looked at the woman (harlot?) with disbelief. He looked back to me, trying to put some kind of smile on his angry face, and then I woke up. (The Sanskrit meaning for “Jay” is “victory”. Although tempted, Jay obviously represents those who gain the victory over the false prophet and harlot because of their training in discernment. We are told that the Word exercises our senses to discern good from evil: Heb.5:12 For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food. 13 For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. 14 But solid food is for fullgrown men, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________Opening Words:“Give thanks to the Lord, and call upon his Name; make known his deeds among the peoples.” Psalm 105:1 Confession:Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God. Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. The InvitatoryLord, open our lips.And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Jubilate (Psalm 100)The earth is the Lord's, for he made it:Come let us adore him. Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *serve the Lord with gladnessand come before his presence with a song.Know this: The Lord himself is God; *he himself has made us, and we are his;we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise; * give thanks to him and call upon his Name.For the Lord is good;his mercy is everlasting; * and his faithfulness endures from age to age. The earth is the Lord's, for he made it:Come let us adore him. The PsalterPsalm 65Te decet hymnus1You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; *to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem.2To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come, *because of their transgressions.3Our sins are stronger than we are, *but you will blot them out.4Happy are they whom you chooseand draw to your courts to dwell there! *they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house,by the holiness of your temple.5Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness,O God of our salvation, *O Hope of all the ends of the earthand of the seas that are far away.6You make fast the mountains by your power; *they are girded about with might.7You still the roaring of the seas, *the roaring of their waves,and the clamor of the peoples.8Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your marvelous signs; *you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.9You visit the earth and water it abundantly;you make it very plenteous; *the river of God is full of water.10You prepare the grain, *for so you provide for the earth.11You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; *with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.12You crown the year with your goodness, *and your paths overflow with plenty.13May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, *and the hills be clothed with joy.14May the meadows cover themselves with flocks,and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; *let them shout for joy and sing. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. LessonsDeuteronomy 8:7-18English Standard VersionFor the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.“Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.' You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.2 Corinthians 9:6-15English Standard VersionThe point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written,“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;    his righteousness endures forever.”He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!Luke 17:11-19English Standard VersionOn the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” The Word of the Lord.Thanks Be To God. Glory to God (Gloria in excelsis)Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God,you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us;you are seated at the right hand of the Father; receive our prayer.For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,with the Holy Spirit,in the glory of God the Father. Amen.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The Apostles CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersLord, have mercy.Christ, have mercyLord, have mercyOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. The SuffragesO Lord, show your mercy upon us;And grant us your salvation.O Lord, guide those who govern usAnd lead us in the way of justice and truth.Clothe your ministers with righteousnessAnd let your people sing with joy.O Lord, save your peopleAnd bless your inheritance.Give peace in our time, O LordAnd defend us by your mighty power.Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgottenNor the hope of the poor be taken away.Create in us clean hearts, O GodAnd take not your Holy Spirit from us. Take a moment of silence at this time to reflect and pray for others. Lord, hear the prayers of your people; and what we have asked faithfully, grant that we may obtain effectually, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.The CollectsThanksgiving DayAlmighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Daily Collects:A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceO Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that, guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. A Litany of ThanksgivingLet us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us.For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea,We thank you, Lord.For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,We thank you, Lord.For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends,We thank you, Lord.For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,We thank you, Lord.For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,We thank you, Lord.For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,We thank you, Lord.For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,We thank you, Lord.For the communion of saints, in all times and places,We thank you, Lord.Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen. A Prayer of St. John ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time, with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will grant their requests: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. DismissalLet us bless the LordThanks be to God!Alleluia, Alleluia! BenedictionThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________Opening Words:“Give thanks to the Lord, and call upon his Name; make known his deeds among the peoples.” Psalm 105:1 Confession:Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God. Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. The InvitatoryLord, open our lips.And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Jubilate (Psalm 100)The earth is the Lord's, for he made it:Come let us adore him. Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *serve the Lord with gladnessand come before his presence with a song.Know this: The Lord himself is God; *he himself has made us, and we are his;we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise; * give thanks to him and call upon his Name.For the Lord is good;his mercy is everlasting; * and his faithfulness endures from age to age. The earth is the Lord's, for he made it:Come let us adore him. The PsalterPsalm 107Part IIPosuit flumina33The Lord changed rivers into deserts, *and water-springs into thirsty ground,34A fruitful land into salt flats, *because of the wickedness of those who dwell there.35He changed deserts into pools of water *and dry land into water-springs.36He settled the hungry there, *and they founded a city to dwell in.37They sowed fields, and planted vineyards, *and brought in a fruitful harvest.38He blessed them, so that they increased greatly; *he did not let their herds decrease.39Yet when they were diminished and brought low, *through stress of adversity and sorrow,40(He pours contempt on princes *and makes them wander in trackless wastes)41He lifted up the poor out of misery *and multiplied their families like flocks of sheep.42The upright will see this and rejoice, *but all wickedness will shut its mouth.43Whoever is wise will ponder these things, *and consider well the mercies of the Lord.Psalm 108Paratum cor meum1My heart is firmly fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; *I will sing and make melody.2Wake up, my spirit;awake, lute and harp; *I myself will waken the dawn.3I will confess you among the peoples, O Lord; *I will sing praises to you among the nations.4For your loving-kindness is greater than the heavens, *and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.5Exalt yourself above the heavens, O God, *and your glory over all the earth.6So that those who are dear to you may be delivered, *save with your right hand and answer me. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. LessonsIsaiah 65:17-25English Standard Version“For behold, I create new heavens    and a new earth,and the former things shall not be remembered    or come into mind.But be glad and rejoice forever    in that which I create;for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,    and her people to be a gladness.I will rejoice in Jerusalem    and be glad in my people;no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping    and the cry of distress.No more shall there be in it    an infant who lives but a few days,    or an old man who does not fill out his days,for the young man shall die a hundred years old,    and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.They shall build houses and inhabit them;    they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.They shall not build and another inhabit;    they shall not plant and another eat;for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,    and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.They shall not labor in vain    or bear children for calamity,for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord,    and their descendants with them.Before they call I will answer;    while they are yet speaking I will hear.The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;    the lion shall eat straw like the ox,    and dust shall be the serpent's food.They shall not hurt or destroy    in all my holy mountain,”says the Lord.Revelation 22:14-21English Standard VersionBlessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. The Word of the Lord.Thanks Be To God. Glory to God (Gloria in excelsis)Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God,you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us;you are seated at the right hand of the Father; receive our prayer.For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,with the Holy Spirit,in the glory of God the Father. Amen.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The Apostles CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersLord, have mercy.Christ, have mercyLord, have mercyOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. The SuffragesO Lord, show your mercy upon us;And grant us your salvation.O Lord, guide those who govern usAnd lead us in the way of justice and truth.Clothe your ministers with righteousnessAnd let your people sing with joy.O Lord, save your peopleAnd bless your inheritance.Give peace in our time, O LordAnd defend us by your mighty power.Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgottenNor the hope of the poor be taken away.Create in us clean hearts, O GodAnd take not your Holy Spirit from us. Take a moment of silence at this time to reflect and pray for others. Lord, hear the prayers of your people; and what we have asked faithfully, grant that we may obtain effectually, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.The CollectsThanksgiving DayAlmighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Daily Collects:A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceO Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that, guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. A Litany of ThanksgivingLet us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us.For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea,We thank you, Lord.For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,We thank you, Lord.For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends,We thank you, Lord.For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,We thank you, Lord.For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,We thank you, Lord.For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,We thank you, Lord.For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,We thank you, Lord.For the communion of saints, in all times and places,We thank you, Lord.Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen. A Prayer of St. John ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time, with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will grant their requests: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. DismissalLet us bless the LordThanks be to God!Alleluia, Alleluia! BenedictionThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________Opening Words:“Give thanks to the Lord, and call upon his Name; make known his deeds among the peoples.” Psalm 105:1 Confession:Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God. Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. The InvitatoryLord, open our lips.And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Jubilate (Psalm 100)The earth is the Lord's, for he made it:Come let us adore him. Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *serve the Lord with gladnessand come before his presence with a song.Know this: The Lord himself is God; *he himself has made us, and we are his;we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise; * give thanks to him and call upon his Name.For the Lord is good;his mercy is everlasting; * and his faithfulness endures from age to age. The earth is the Lord's, for he made it:Come let us adore him. The PsalterPsalm 102Domine, exaudi1Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come before you; *hide not your face from me in the day of my trouble.2Incline your ear to me; *when I call, make haste to answer me,3For my days drift away like smoke, *and my bones are hot as burning coals.4My heart is smitten like grass and withered, *so that I forget to eat my bread.5Because of the voice of my groaning *I am but skin and bones.6I have become like a vulture in the wilderness, *like an owl among the ruins.7I lie awake and groan; *I am like a sparrow, lonely on a house-top.8My enemies revile me all day long, *and those who scoff at me have taken an oath against me.9For I have eaten ashes for bread *and mingled my drink with weeping.10Because of your indignation and wrath *you have lifted me up and thrown me away.11My days pass away like a shadow, *and I wither like the grass.12But you, O Lord, endure for ever, *and your Name from age to age.13You will arise and have compassion on Zion,for it is time to have mercy upon her; *indeed, the appointed time has come.14For your servants love her very rubble, *and are moved to pity even for her dust.15The nations shall fear your Name, O Lord, *and all the kings of the earth your glory.16For the Lord will build up Zion, *and his glory will appear.17He will look with favor on the prayer of the homeless; *he will not despise their plea.18Let this be written for a future generation, *so that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord.19For the Lord looked down from his holy place on high; *from the heavens he beheld the earth;20That he might hear the groan of the captive *and set free those condemned to die;21That they may declare in Zion the Name of the Lord, *and his praise in Jerusalem;22When the peoples are gathered together, *and the kingdoms also, to serve the Lord.23He has brought down my strength before my time; *he has shortened the number of my days;24And I said, “O my God,do not take me away in the midst of my days; *your years endure throughout all generations.25In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, *and the heavens are the work of your hands;26They shall perish, but you will endure;they all shall wear out like a garment; *as clothing you will change them,and they shall be changed;27But you are always the same, *and your years will never end.28The children of your servants shall continue, *and their offspring shall stand fast in your sight.” Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Lessons1 Maccabees 4:36-59New Revised Standard Version Catholic EditionThen Judas and his brothers said, “See, our enemies are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it.” So all the army assembled and went up to Mount Zion. There they saw the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, and the gates burned. In the courts they saw bushes sprung up as in a thicket, or as on one of the mountains. They saw also the chambers of the priests in ruins. Then they tore their clothes and mourned with great lamentation; they sprinkled themselves with ashes and fell face down on the ground. And when the signal was given with the trumpets, they cried out to Heaven.Then Judas detailed men to fight against those in the citadel until he had cleansed the sanctuary. He chose blameless priests devoted to the law, and they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an unclean place. They deliberated what to do about the altar of burnt offering, which had been profaned. And they thought it best to tear it down, so that it would not be a lasting shame to them that the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar, and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until a prophet should come to tell what to do with them. Then they took unhewn stones, as the law directs, and built a new altar like the former one. They also rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior of the temple, and consecrated the courts. They made new holy vessels, and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple. Then they offered incense on the altar and lit the lamps on the lampstand, and these gave light in the temple. They placed the bread on the table and hung up the curtains. Thus they finished all the work they had undertaken.Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-eighth year, they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering that they had built. At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals. All the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed Heaven, who had prospered them. So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and joyfully offered burnt offerings; they offered a sacrifice of well-being and a thanksgiving offering. They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and fitted them with doors. There was very great joy among the people, and the disgrace brought by the Gentiles was removed.Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev.Revelation 22:6-13English Standard VersionAnd he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” The Word of the Lord.Thanks Be To God. Glory to God (Gloria in excelsis)Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God,you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us;you are seated at the right hand of the Father; receive our prayer.For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,with the Holy Spirit,in the glory of God the Father. Amen.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The Apostles CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersLord, have mercy.Christ, have mercyLord, have mercyOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. The SuffragesO Lord, show your mercy upon us;And grant us your salvation.O Lord, guide those who govern usAnd lead us in the way of justice and truth.Clothe your ministers with righteousnessAnd let your people sing with joy.O Lord, save your peopleAnd bless your inheritance.Give peace in our time, O LordAnd defend us by your mighty power.Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgottenNor the hope of the poor be taken away.Create in us clean hearts, O GodAnd take not your Holy Spirit from us. Take a moment of silence at this time to reflect and pray for others. Lord, hear the prayers of your people; and what we have asked faithfully, grant that we may obtain effectually, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.The CollectsThanksgiving DayAlmighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Daily Collects:A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceO Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that, guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. A Litany of ThanksgivingLet us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us.For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea,We thank you, Lord.For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,We thank you, Lord.For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends,We thank you, Lord.For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,We thank you, Lord.For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,We thank you, Lord.For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,We thank you, Lord.For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,We thank you, Lord.For the communion of saints, in all times and places,We thank you, Lord.Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen. A Prayer of St. John ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time, with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will grant their requests: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. DismissalLet us bless the LordThanks be to God!Alleluia, Alleluia! BenedictionThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen

GRATITUDE STARTS AT HOME Colossians 3:14-15    “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of            perfectness.           And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are           called in one body; and be ye thankful.” Right before Paul speaks to the family in Col. 3:18-21, he calls on them to Love each other Let peace rule Learn to be Thankful   This passage in Colossians is a reflection of what Paul wrote to the Ephesians in Ephesians 5:20, “Giving Thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Which is followed by 5:22-6:4, Paul's “Hallmark” passage on marriage and family.) We can all look at the culture around us and recognize that entitlement and ungratefulness is rampant! There doesn't seem to be love and peace that Paul talks about in Col. 3. Is gratitude the key? Or A key? Our lives, our homes don't have to reflect the culture. We can have a “culture” of thankfulness in our homes, a place that fosters love and peace. 1.) Does gratitude matter? A.) Yes, because it is commanded and modeled in the Bible.   “give thanks”—71 verses “Thankful”—3 verses “thanksgiving”—27 verses.         (128 verses total) “thankfulness”—1 verse “thank”—26 verses   Psalm 30:12b, “…I will give thanks unto Thee for ever.” Psalm 100:4, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 107:1, “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever.” Psalm 147:7, “Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God.”     *Jesus modeled thankfulness:   Matthew 15:36, “And He took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.” (Mark 8:6, John 6:11) Matthew 26:27, “And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to the them, saying, Drink ye all of it;” (Mark 14:23, Luke 22:17 and 19) Matthew 11:25, “…Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father, …” (Luke 10:21, John 11:41     *Paul regularly gave thanks to God and others:   I Cor. 15:57, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” II Cor. 9:15, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” Eph. 1:6, “Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you  in my prayers.” Col. 1:3, “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you.” I Thess. 3:9, “For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God.”     *And Paul (under Inspiration) gave commands to give thanks:   Eph. 5:4, “Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.” I Thess. 5:18, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I Timothy 2:1, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;”     *Love is mentioned in the Bible over 280 times…peace is mentioned 400 times! Thankfulness is mentioned several times right along with them. Maybe the love and peace we crave is only one “Thank you” away.*     B.) Yes, because it improves your health, attitude, and relationships. “The importance of this matter of gratitude can hardly be overstated. I've come to believe that few things are more becoming in a child of God than a grateful spirit. By the same token, there is probably nothing that makes a person more unattractive than the absence of a grateful spirit.” Choosing Gratitude, NDW, p23. Prov. 15:13, “A merry heart taketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” Proverbs 15:15, “All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.” Prov. 17:22, “A merry heart doth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drouth the bones.” (“A grateful heart is a happy heart.”)   An article by MayoClinic, December of 2022, adds, “Gratitude should be practiced daily, just as you'd take a ‘magic pill,' if it existed.” They added that practicing gratitude could lessen chronic pain and the risk of disease.   Gratitude improves our countenance, perspective, and outlook, making us much easier to be around or live with.   Grumpy people  vs Happy people Prickly people vs Gentle people Irrational people vs Restful people On Edge people vs At Ease people (go with the flow) Negative people vs Positive people Doom and Gloom people vs Scriptural people Entitled people vs Grateful people It may be that your personality leans toward “glass half empty,” rather than “glass half full,” but a grateful heart will temper your emotions and allow your loved ones to enjoy you better.