Honoring God Even When We Hurt

Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is in me, bless His Holy name. ---Psalms 103:1

We have learned the importance of knowing the names of God so we can call on Him in our specific times of need. I have also indicated that we can be assured that God will walk with us through our circumstances. Psalm 91:14-16 reads, “Because he has set his love upon Me (God), I will deliver him, I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”

None of us can go through life without trouble. Scriptures tell us we are not promised days of ease and comfort, however when the winds of difficulty are upon us, God will be there by our side giving us peace, helping us seek guidance, and most importantly giving us a sound mind.

The following story came to me by e-mail but is very appropriate as we have been studying how a Child of God is to react to our difficult trials. Although this woman faced a bleak future, she knew to trust God, and use His Word as her source of comfort. The scripture she clung on to was Psalm 103:1-5 Here is what she wrote:

I received devastating news: I had breast cancer. Teary-eyed and frightened, I returned home from doctors' appointments and lab tests to find a message on my answering machine. My aunt's voice said, "Read Psalm 103:1-5. Read it over and over again. Read it every day."

I picked up my Bible and read: "Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being." I marked that page in my Bible. "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits . . .who . . . heals all your diseases" (niv). I typed out the words to take to the hospital.

As I repeated the verses, I replaced the word your with my: ". . . who redeems [my] life from the pit" (verse 4). I read the psalm through surgery and recovery and while I waited for test results: ". . . and crowns [me] with love and compassion" (verse 4). I continued reading it through my treatments, more than once a day when I was weak, exhausted, and afraid of the future - if I had a future - "so that [my] youth is renewed" (Ps. 103:5, niv).

I read those verses daily for over a year, until my strength was renewed and I had another opportunity for life. Today my life is back almost to what it used to be, but I am not the same. Now I understand the importance of praising God in every situation.
Carol A. Lowe (Texas, USA)

Confession: I will thank and praise my God even though I cannot see the future. I will thank Him for every breath I breathe and every minute I live. I will not look at the half empty glass but will see it as a half full glass. My attitude will be one of expectation!

Do You Thank Him?

We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near. ---Psalm 75:1

One day I was in our church where the praise was high. By that, I mean the words to the song was hitting heaven’s gate, the people were all engaging and the atmosphere was pregnant with expectation. I found myself reflecting on God’s goodness and how He had met need after need in my life. I just started praising God by saying, “Thank You,” over and over and over and over. There were no other words that could express my emotion at the time but just to thank Him.

From that time on, I have become a very thankful person. I believe that in that moment in time and spirit, I opened my spirit door to the spirit of thankfulness. I cannot pray a prayer in any other way than to thank God for whatever is going on in my life. I thank God for every part of my body and I name them one by one. For example, I thank God for a sharp mind, keen senses, a strong heart, kidneys, liver, adrenal glands, etc that function normally. I thank God for fluid joints and clean blood that flows through my veins.

I thank God at every meal that the meal will nourish my body, I thank God for our vehicles that work, appliances that will perform the way they are supposed to. I thank God for my wonderful husband who provides for us. I can go on and on, but the point I am making is that there is always something to thank God for.

If there is something that you need God to help you with, provide, heal, etc, trust Him with your situation, then start thanking Him for the results you expect to see. Repeat scripture back to Him, and thank Him that He hears your prayer. However, if there is any unforgiveness or bitterness in your life, you MUST ask God to help you forgive because He cannot answer prayer when there is a situation that you cannot release that individual(s). Mark 11:26) Then thank Him for taking care of this situation.

I want to tell you that as a result of a thankful life, God will do everything to give you the victory simply because you are looking to Him for your provision, healing, protection and already have enough faith to thank Him before you even see the results. I believe my body is disease free because of a thankful attitude. Our household is in good repair because of thankfulness. We are calamity free because we acknowledge Jehovah Nissi as our Conquerer and declare that “No weapon formed against us will prosper.” (Isaiah 54:17)

Here are some scriptures that will help you see how important thankfulness is:

That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works. Ps 26:7

Offer to God thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High, call upon Me in the day of trouble; and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. Ps 50:14,15

I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. Ps 69:30

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. Ps 95:2

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name. Ps 100:4

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Col 2:6,7

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving…Col 4:2

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6,7

Confession: I will admit I have not been a thankful person toward what God can and will do in my life. I will begin to praise and thank Him even when I can’t see the results yet.

Do You Trust HIM?

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. ---Proverbs 3:5&6 (AMP)

To trust means to have total confidence and reliance in someone or something. We trust the chair we sit on to hold our body weight up. We trust that our house will be there when we return home from work. We don’t even think about those things. It should be the same way with trusting our God.

We have learned in the last several weeks about the character of God. He is not only the Creator God, the Almighty and Lord and Master, but He is a personal God. He wants to see you succeed and be the victor in your everyday life. He is your Provider, your Healer, your Defender and your biggest Cheerleader! God is for you, not against you. He has done all that He can do by leaving the most beautiful environment we call Heaven to come to this despot, wicked world to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth.

He lived among us until He was in His early 30’s only teaching His last three years on this earth. When He did, He impacted thousands through His teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven, demonstrating His power and might through the miraculous and finally giving up His life so that we could be finally reconciled back to God by taking upon Himself all our sins. I call that extreme love!

Now, 2000 years later, we have the history of Jesus’ life recorded in the Bible. We have history of those men and women who have lived after that first century and were touched by God. We know that even in the 20th century men and women experienced a touch from God that healed, restored and changed their lives so that they, too, could carry the message of the Kingdom around the world. I, personally, have experienced His healing touch, and have personally seen the miraculous.

When we trust God, our El Shaddai, the All-Sufficient God with our lives and soul, we can live in peace because God is the author of our own history. It has already been written in the books in heaven. (Psalm 139:16) He has wonderful plans, not to destroy or hurt or maim but to promote, increase and display the life of God through you.

So you may be thinking, “Ok, so how do I trust God. I don’t see Him, I don’t hear an audible voice and I certainly can’t feel His arms around me, so how do I put trust in a Spirit-Being? Well, you trust many things you can’t see, feel or hear. You trust a government program. You trust your bank. So, why not trust the God you have accepted into your heart who has more concern and interest in you than those people around you?

Here’s what you do. When you are talking to God (praying) tell Him the situation as you see it. You can cry, you can be angry, you can be ashamed, but talk to Him. Then tell God what He has promised to you by reading the Psalms, Isaiah, Romans 8 or other encouraging passages. Make it in the first person using “I” or “Me.” When you do that, you are encouraging yourself and as you speak the Word back to God, you are fulfilling Isaiah 55:11 which says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

Lastly, give God the situation, your condition, your relationships and release them to Him. Once you have released it, let God deal with it. Trust Him with the best solution for your situation. It may not happen as you had imagined or feel it should be resolved, but God WILL BE the one who will walk with you through the situation and out the other end. Always TRUST GOD because He loves you more than any human on the face of the earth can or ever will.

Confession: I will trust God with all my heart and let Him lead me through the life He has destined for me.

Your Faith Makes You An Overcomer

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. ---1 John 5:4

There is a difference between believing in someone and something and having faith in someone or something. “What?” You may ask. The difference is when you believe, it is all mental. It is kept within your mind or your heart. When you have faith, then you can easily act or do something. Let’s say a child is at the swimming pool with his dad. In his mind, he believes that his dad will catch him when he jumps into the pool. Now the dad is in the water with arms outstretched and the child still believes. He could stand on the edge of the pool and believe all day, but will not exercise his faith. But when he pushes off and flies through the air into the arms of his daddy, that is the true expression of faith. His action indicates faith that his dad will catch him.

Now we can apply that to our thoughts toward God. We can believe that He is our Defender, our Healer, and our Provider all day but we will not see any evidence until we step out and take that plunge into His arms. Scriptures tells us, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6) “How do we take the plunge into the arms of an unseen God?” you may ask.

The first step toward faith is to know your God. You know Him by reading about Him in the Bible and seeing how faithful He was in those days. You could pick up books written by and about modern day men and women who have had God prove Himself to them through their own battles and situations. By doing that, you know that God has a history and that He is still alive today and very interested in seeing you through to your victory.

The next step is to express verbally back to God what He has said about you. If we just stay in the book of 1 John, we can speak back to God what the Word says. For example: You can say, “If I confess my sins, You are faithful and just to forgive me my sins and to cleans me from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Then tell the Lord where you know you missed the mark and sinned. Then you can meditate on then speak to the Lord this from 1 John 2:20, “I have an anointing from the Holy One, and I know all things.” You know things because the Greater One is in you, the Holy Spirit. He has come to teach, counsel and convict of sin. Let Him rule in your life.

Then acknowledge that there is an enemy that has been deceiving you and wants to destroy you. Read 1 John 3:8, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil.” We must run from the devil when he sets traps, enticements and lures to ensnare us to keep us from the destiny that God has designed for us. Jesus has destroyed his works so his biggest tool is deception.

Speak this verse in the first person, 1 John 4:4: “I am of God and have overcome them (the antichrist) because He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world.” Then got to 1 John 5:4 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” So, you have been speaking your confession which is expressing your faith in a God that will fight for you, defend you, protect and provide for you.

Lastly, although you may not see immediate results such as a miraculous healing or instant job, go ahead and thank God for hearing your prayer. “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14) We will know His will when we know His Word and His heart. Pray that you will increase in knowledge through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and you will see your victory.

Confession: My victory rests in the knowledge of God, my expressing His Word back to Him and thanking Him even before I see the evidence of my victory.

The Difference Between Belief and Faith

And He said to her, “Daughter your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

There was a woman in Jesus’ day who had dealt with an infirmity that kept her closed in her house for 12 years. She had gone to the doctors and spent lots of money, but she was not any better. She probably knew of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but her belief didn’t get any results.

One day, she heard about this man named Jesus who was talking about the Kingdom of God and people were getting healed. There was word buzzing on the street in her village that this Jesus was coming. Here is her opportunity to seek another avenue of help. She “believed” Jesus could do something about her physical condition because others were being healed of blindness, lameness and even the dead had been raised. How difficult could her malady be for Him to heal? So she BELIEVED!

She could have stayed home and believed that Jesus was the Healer. She could have talked to friends and family about this man and never stepped out of her house. She could still believe that He was the Healer. Believing means having conviction in something. It means knowing in your mind that something is true.

But faith is taking a step beyond “knowing about someone or something. Our lady with the issue of blood went beyond the believing stage. First, she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” This was her statement of faith. She said with her mouth what she believed in her head. Just knowing or believing and thinking to yourself will not be a step of faith. Our lady went beyond believing and stepped into the realm of faith. She spoke her belief, which was her confession.

Next, she dared to leave her house. Knowing that the penalty of her walking among people was stoning, she knew she was a dead woman anyway so she risked pressing her way through the crowd. Again, her faith had kicked into a high gear. Not only did she speak what she believed, but now she stepped out into the street and DID what was in her heart to do.

When she saw the crowds surrounding Jesus, she knew it was all but impossible to step in front of him and get His attention. But she pressed ahead anyway. This was expectant faith. She believed, she spoke, and she stepped out, now she was expecting something to happen. If she could just press through all those legs and reach the hem of his cloak, she thought, she would be healed. So she pressed and pressed, crawling on her hands and knees, reaching through the legs and . . . there! She touched his robe.

Suddenly all commotion stopped when Jesus, who immediately knew in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” The disciples were flabbergasted saying, “How can we possibly know with all these people pressing in?” But Jesus insisted, “Who touched Me?” And He looked around to see her and their eyes locked with a knowing that it was her who touched. The woman spoke and admitted the whole truth that it was her. Then Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

Belief will not make any changes in your life, but Faith will. Jesus is looking for those who will go beyond belief and speak their confession and do what they know in their heart. How about you? Are you keeping your beliefs to yourself and still expecting God to heal or protect or change your situation? The Bible says, "Without faith, it is impossible to please God."(Hebrews 11:6) Or will you step out in faith by acting on what you believe?

Confession: I know that Jesus can answer me when I call upon Him in faith. I will begin to speak out what I believe in my heart and do what the Holy Spirit tells me to do.

When You Know Your God

I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies. ---Psalm 18:1-3

I have spent two weeks sharing the character of God for a reason. I watch people in the congregations on Sunday just standing there, not engaging in the worship of their God and I wonder…why? I know they believe in God and will say they love Him, but there is no reflection in their face or behavior. So, I ask myself, why? It is really simple. They don’t know their God. They are there because their religion says they should be there. Or, they feel they need to be there, but don’t know how to enter in to worship.

God commanded His people (and that would be us, also) to know their God. That word, “know” in the Old Testament means “yada” which means to intimately delight in someone as a husband knows his wife. That is how we are to know our God, to intimately delight in Him. It is very easy to worship and praise God when we think of His characteristics and how He has demonstrated Himself in our own personal life.

I remember as business owners we had customers who had bought merchandise from us with the understanding that they would pay their bill within 30 days. The 30 days went by, then 60 then 90. We would call and write to these customers, but in the meantime our bills were coming due. I lost a lot of good sleep time thinking, agonizing and getting angry, agitated and almost bitter towards those individuals who were “stealing from us.”

Then I learned that I was absorbing all the concern when God was waiting for me to turn my concerns over to Him. You see, we had dedicated our business to our Lord. We had made Him a partner in our business. So, I turned all these matters over to him. I have to tell you, it was hard. But somehow, God provided enough work that we were able to pay for the merchandise that the customers didn’t pay for. We were able to continue to pay our employees, the insurance and the bank.

While going through this process, I also learned to praise God when I didn’t feel like it. “How do you do that?” you may ask. Well, I would reflect to the times in the past that God had walked with me through the hard times. I would think about His promises that He would not let me fail, that I would be the “head and not the tail, the lender and not the borrower.” I would let the encouraging words of the songs I was singing lift up my spirit-man even though my head was swirling with negative thoughts. By the end of worship, I would be shouting and praising God because He is faithful.

I have learned that when you lay your problems, your issues, your life before God, your job is then to TRUST Him to take over. Many times those customers did pay their bills, many times they never did get paid and we wrote them off as “bad debt” to the IRS. God will show you creative ways to prosper (move ahead in life), He will be your Rock, your Fortress, and your Deliverer. Just trust (have total confidence) in Him, then watch God and His hosts go to work for you.

Confession: There is no God like You, O Lord. It is in You that I will trust. My life is in your hands. I will praise you when I don’t feel like it because I will recall when you did see me through, and I will praise You because I am excited about the future with You beside me.

Hidden Names of God

From the rising of the sun to its going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised. ---Psalm 113:3

For the last twelve devotions, I have given you names of God that reflect His character. Character means a distinctive quality. Each name we looked at had just one facet of God’s character. And although I shared only twelve names, you can see that God is not just a single name that you gloss over but a multi-faceted God that can attend to your every need. God is like a cut diamond with all those different faces but on one diamond.

When King David looked over his life as a shepherd, he reflected upon God’s wonderful attributes. He wrote it in a beautiful word picture in the 23rd Psalm. Let’s look at the whole 23rd Psalm and see how God shows his character:

The Lord is my Shepherd = Jehovah Rohe
I shall not want = Jehovah Jirah, the Lord Our Provider
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters, = El Shaddai, The Almighty God
He restores my soul = Jehovah Rophe, The Lord Who Heals
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake = Jehovah Tsid Kenu, The Lord our Righteousness
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, = Jehovah Nissi, The Lord My Banner
I will fear no evil = Jehovah Shaloam, The Lord Our Peace
For You are with me = Jehovah Shammah, The Lord Is There
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me = Jehovah Shaloam
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies = Adonai, the Master
My cup runs over
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life = Jehovah Tsebaoth, The Lord of Hosts
For I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever = Kingdom of God
AMEN

When we know the character of God, we should have no fear or anxiety. Think of young David. As a youthful shepherd he was anointed to be the king of a nation. But that didn’t happen for over a decade. He had to patiently wait. Life went on and he found himself in the house of King Saul who became so jealous of him that he wanted to kill him. David was running for his life, hiding in caves. But God had a plan for his life and that was to be the King of Israel. David lost his wives and families to the enemy, but he was still destined to be King.

David had his friends and devoted followers want to kill him because of circumstances they found themselves in. He had to pretend he was insane while he found refuge in the camp of the enemy. No one believed he would become King. But David found himself recalling how God was faithful to him as a shepherd boy. He looked at his rod where he had recorded the victories that God walked with him through.

How about you? Do you have a dream, has God given you a vision, have you been anointed to do something for the Kingdom of God? Then do not fear. God is with you, He has gone before you, He will be your shield. Step out of your comfort zone and do what God has called you to do.

Confession: Many times I have felt I should do something for you, Lord, but I have resisted because I have been fearful of the unknown. I want to be like David and remember that your character is multi-faceted and can help me no matter what my circumstance. Help me to be ever mindful of your incredible ability to walk with me and be all I need.

Jehovah Tsabaoth - The Lord of Hosts

As birds flying, so will the Lord of Hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it. ---Isaiah 31:5

Before Satan rebelled in Heaven, it wasn’t necessary to have armies of warring angels. But when the great deceiver, Satan challenged the Most High God (El Elyon) there was a cosmic battle between Satan, God and their respective “angels.” When Satan was cast out of heaven, he deceived Adam and Even in the Garden, then the perpetual battle began. Until Satan is finally cast into the pit, the battle will continue.

The term Lord of Hosts appears 282 times in the Bible. It is a military term that means “God of Battles.” You see, God is a Warrior and a Fighter. You and I are His army. One reason we see people in the Body of Christ live defeated lives is because we fail to acknowledge the Lord of Hosts…the God of Battles. We cannot live in the deception that once we are saved our battle with sin and the devil is over. To the contrary, we have all been activated to the front line!

Paul tried to help us understand when he wrote in Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Our warfare is spiritual. If you have a spouse or loved one involved in something immoral or self-destructive, the battle you must wage is not against that person, but with the cruel, satanic forces bent in destroying, killing and stealing from that person. Wage war with the real foe. Battle against the spirit realm, not the flesh.

I love the story of the youthful David when he approached the giant Goliath. He said, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the Armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you.” (1 Samuel 17:45,46) This is how you must talk to your circumstance, with confidence that you know God will fight your battles in the spirit realm. But it is your responsibility to speak to your situation and speak to the Lord of Hosts releasing His hosts to fight on your behalf.

You and I have the victory against Satan and all his devices because of Jesus. He destroyed the works of the devil so the only tool the devil has is deception. Our success will not be accomplished through human manipulation, but by the Lord of Hosts. He is the One who defeated the devil! He is the Almighty God! Anchor your trust in the Lord of Hosts. Depend upon Him. He is the Lord of Battles, the Lord of Victories. Call on Him by His Name, and ask Him to do what He is capable of doing.

Confession: My God will fight for me. He is the Lord of Hosts and wants me to be the victor. I’ve got enemies and the Lord of Hosts is ready to defend me. So I call on Jehovah Tsebaoth to “go get em.”

Jehovah Rohe - The Lord My Shepherd

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…Psalm 23:1

Many times in the Old and New Testament, sheep are mentioned; sometimes in reference to a flock of the wooly animals, sometimes as an example of how the Lord looks upon people. It is interesting that when you study sheep, they have a LOT of needs. First of all, they have no sense of direction. They cannot defend themselves; they don’t use logic or reason, but most of all they need help just to make it through each day.

King David was reflecting on His God when he wrote the 23rd Psalm. Of course, we know that David was a shepherd before he became king, so he knew what sheep were like, dumb!!! They needed a shepherd to walk with them, guide them to the quiet waters and to pastures where they could get their sustenance, they needed the shepherd to gather them and protect from their predators.

So as David was thinking about God and worshipping Him, he began his psalm. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. God is the Shepherd of His people. He is responsible to take care of those who have asked Jesus, who was God wrapped in human skin, to be their Lord and Savior. We tend to forget this. God is willing and quite able to be all you need Him to be. He loves you so much and He wants to walk with you, guide you, feed and shelter you.

The shepherd always carries a staff. The staff is to work with the sheep. He uses the crook of the staff to put around the neck of the sheep to pull them out of a hole or ravine. Sometimes the sheep end up on their backs while sleeping, but they cannot roll over on to their feet, so the shepherd uses his crook of the staff to help the animal up. He can also use the staff to select certain sheep out of the flock to pick parasites, massage it or sometimes just to talk to it to calm it down. But the staff is also used to whack the sheep to get it to respond to his voice.

The rod is another thing in the shepherd’s arsenal. It can be used to defend the sheep from predators. It is a weapon that can deliver lethal blows to large animals. Something else the rod was used for was a diary. Yep! It was hard for a shepherd in the field to get a notebook and pen, so the rod became the tablet. Certain victories were always found scratched into the wood of the rod. For instance, when David fought with the bear or the lion or even the giant, he would etch into his rod the event. Then when he came to another difficult situation, he could look at the rod and say, "I fought the bear and won. I killed the lion because God gave me strength. The giant died when God gave me wisdom and strength."

As a result, in Psalm 23 David wrote, “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” I thank God that He has a staff to keep me in line and help me when I need help. I love the rod that protects me and will come to my defense. But I also love the memories of how God has walked with me through difficult times and never left me. He will direct your path and protect you when you need protected. He is all you need and will cover everything in your life. He is El Shaddai, the all encompassing God.

Confession: I acknowledge God as my Shepherd. I need His protection, guidance, and correction. I will let God direct my path and let Him lead me to the still waters. I understand the staff and the rod are wonderful tools that the Lord can use on me and for me and I accept His help in my life.

Jehovah Shaloam - God of Peace

Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

No money, position, or possessions can buy peace. Everyone is looking for it, and will even go to extremes to find it. Some find it in buying stuff, some in drugs or alcohol. So look to other people like psychiatrists, spiritualists and will even make long distance trips to the other side of the world to find peace. Peace is not something you will find externally but within yourself. How do you do that?

I would suggest that you look at the definition of peace or shaloam. It means basically, wholeness; nothing missing, nothing broken. Is there nothing missing or broken in your life? This is another introspective question. No one can answer this but you. Is there something that nags in the back of your mind that keeps you bound up? Is there a legal or financial issue hanging “out there” that you can’t forget? Is there something in your past that won’t let you go?

The Bible has a lot to say about peace. God even required a “Peace Offering” for the sins of the people in the Old Testament. To do that, a goat, sheep or dove was sacrificed for God to redeem their sins. Then, God was constantly telling His people in the Old Testament “Do Not Fear for I am with you,” or “I go before you,” or “I will not leave you.” You see, God had a covenant with His people. He was bound to them to care for, provide and oversee their lives.

In the New Testament we find a new Redeemer, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He became the ultimate sacrifice once and for all. No longer do we need to give an annual animal sacrifice. His death on the cross, that one time, took care of ALL the sins of ALL the people who would one day accept His birth, death and resurrection. As a result, we are considered righteous (in right standing) in the eyes of El Elyon (the Most High God). We are now in Covenant with God who will provide for us, protect us, be with us at all times and even go ahead of us. He is at our side, our back, above us and under girds us with His everlasting arms.

Now tell me, what do you have to be afraid of, concerned over, anxious about? In Romans 8:15 we hear how close we are to the Trinity: “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” If we are an heir of God and a joint heir of Jesus, then we have power and authority over every device the enemy has to throw at us, no matter what the situation.

Our job is to TRUST our Abba, Father; our Daddy. He knows what is best, what is healthy, or what is prosperous for you. Trust His judgment. Trust His Love. Trust His hand. Then sit back and be at peace because you are not in control of your life, God is! He is waiting for you to declare your life back to him. Cast your cares on Him and He will care for you.

Confession: I admit I am not resting peacefully in the arms of my Daddy, Abba Father. I have neglected to let Him carry me through my situation. From this day forward, I will not hold on to my problems or circumstances to worry about, but will trust My God to walk with me through them and keep my mind open to His voice and direction.

Jehovah Tsid-Kenu - The Lord Our Righteousness

Now this is His name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Rightenousness

Hundreds of years before Jesus appeared on the earth, the Lord prophesied to Jeremiah that One would come who would be our righteousness. Righteousness means, right standing with God. Up to that point, there was no one who was good enough, holy enough, or could do enough good works that would satisfy El Elyon, the Most High God. There was sin and corruption in the world and we are all born with sin because we come from the loins of Adam.

The Lord told Jeremiah in chapter 23:5 & 6, “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.” In Hebrew that means, Tsid-Kenu.

Jesus, from the lineage of David did come. He came as a Servant-King. His purpose to this earth was to bring the dominion of the Kingdom of God back to the earth and deliver it to God’s special anointed people, the Israelites. Through Jesus’ life of love and action, servant hood as well as demonstration of the Kingdom of God, we can now stand before God. This could not happen before the presence of Jesus on this earth. We are all sinners and unworthy of the presence of the most Holy God unless we accept Jesus as the Son of the Living God. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become brand new. When God looks at you, He sees only purity and perfection because of the blood that Jesus shed on the cross.

We are the righteousness of God! “For He (God) has made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21) Another scripture that helps us to realize we are brand new is 2 Cor 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” That word “new” doesn’t mean remodeled or remanufactured. It means “completely made new, fresh.

When we accept Jesus to come into our lives, we must realize that an opportunity to change the way we perceive, think, react is available. We will go to our same home environment, we will travel in the same car and work for the same employer, but now that we are a new creature, we see, think and react different because the Holy Spirit is within us. Jesus is our Righteousness and has made us in right standing with God the Father. He has done His part, now we must continue the work He has begun by obeying God’s laws, trusting Him, and adoring Him through praise and worship.

Confession: Jesus is my Righteousness. He made the way for me to be in right standing with the Most Holy God. I will do my part by learning His laws and obeying them. I will trust my God because He knows what is best for me and I will adore Him through praise and worship.

Jehovah Rophe - The Lord that Heals

“…I am the Lord who heals you. ---Exodus 15:26b

Sickness and disease have existed since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. God’s creation was designed to live forever, but Adam and Eve opened the door to sin and death because of their rebellion. Satan is the one who introduced the destruction of the flesh because he hates all mankind. For that reason, we have dealt with sickness and the corruption of our flesh. Sounds depressing, doesn’t it?

The Hebrew children who were wandering in the desert experienced sickness and death although they were God’s anointed people. In the story in Exodus 15, they hadn’t had water for three days and were murmuring and complaining. Moses knew God was the provider and cried out to God. The Lord showed him a tree. When Moses cast it into the waters, the water was made sweet. There God made a stature and an ordinance (Spiritual Law) for them and there He tested them. He said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His statutes, I will put none (or in the original language, ALLOW) of the diseases on you which I have brought on to the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

Jehovah Rophe really means, The Lord, Your Health. It’s better to have health than to have to seek healing. God wants His people to walk in divine health. That means we must listen to the voice of the Lord and follow His laws. He wants you to examine your life and make necessary adjustments.

Here’s the Good News! God’s Word is like medicine and will heal emotional wounds, physical sickness, diseases and even make wounds heal faster. When you take and read His Word you are taking in health. That is why God told his people to listen to His Word. You will receive healing by reading and meditating on God’s Word. You must, according to this scripture, continuously feed upon His word of life, healthy and healing.

Jesus quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2 when he spoke in Luke 4:18-19: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

This is your time; this is your opportunity to seek healing. Seek God for your healing. 1 Peter 2:24 says, “who Himself bore our sins (past tense) in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness (right-standing with God) by whose stripes you WERE healed (made whole and cured.)"

Confession: God and God alone is my Healer. He established a way for me to be healed by accepting His Son as my Savior. As a child of God, I can read His Word and it will be applied to my life. Jesus came to bear my sins and diseases when He hung on the cross and by His stripes I have been healed.

Adonai - Master and Lord of Lords

For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. ---1 Corinthians 7:22

In the Old Testament as well as New Testament times, the Hebrew culture allowed slaves only on a limited basis. It would be the man or the members in the family that would allow themselves to be taken as a slave, usually because they were so destitute they couldn’t live on their own. This arrangement would be limited for only six years. During that time the slave would be given food, lodging, given direction in labor and given protection by the master who owned him or her.

Upon the seventh year, freedom was offered the slave. The master would supply some material wealth and if the slave married before his service, the whole family went free. However if during his service the master provided a wife the man could go but the wife and any children had to stay. The man had to make a choice, go free and leave his family or stay whereupon he would be labeled a “bondslave” and commit the rest of his life to the master. When he chose to stay, his ear would be pierced with an awl and a plug inserted in the hole with the special color or coat of arms of the master’s household.

Adonai can be translated as being both plural and possessive, so it can be considered as a fact of the Trinity. Adonai is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and when we accept Jesus as the Son of the Living God who died for our sinfulness and rose on the third day, walked on the earth for 40 days then ascended into heaven, then we make Him our Master and Lord. At that time, we then become a “bondslave” to our Heavenly Father, Adonai.

It is Adonai’s responsibility to provide food, lodging, direction and protection. We choose Him because He is a good Master and will take care of our every need. He can do this only when we choose to let Him. We must not only make Jesus our Savior, but make Him the Master of our life. Let Him have total control to do what He does best. Let Him call the shots and give Him the reins of your life. Doing that will allow Adonai complete control and give you more power and authority than you can imagine!

Confession: I have made Jesus my Savior, now I choose to let Him be the Lord and Master of my life. I turn my life, my circumstances and all my situation over to Him. I willingly become His bondslave. In return, I will be provided for, protected and given direction.

El Shaddai - Almighty God

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless and I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” ---Genesis 17:1,2

In the Garden of Eden, man and woman had a perfect life. There was nothing missing, there was peace, provision, beauty and perfection. God walked and talked with Adam and Eve as friends. When they disobeyed God, Adam and Eve turned in the opportunity for all of mankind to continue to live in that perfection. No longer was it possible for a Holy God to commune with sinful man. From that point on, God had to guide mankind and reveal Himself in other ways.

God revealed His characteristics through different circumstances man found themselves in or when God wanted to move man toward his destiny. This is what happened when He spoke to Abram. God was prophesying to Abram. First God identified Himself as “Almighty God” which in the Hebrew language is El Shaddai. El is the singular form of Eloheim, and Shaddai is literally rendered “sufficient” or self-sufficient”. Therefore we look to God as El Shaddai who is able to deal victoriously and even destructively with His enemies.

Also, El is interpreted as a field. Fields multiply seed and produce abundance. It is also referred as breast or many breasted One. God is the One who will provide productiveness and give more than enough. He is an All Sufficient God. When God was speaking to Abram, He said, "I will make My covenant (or bond) between us and I will multiply you exceedingly."

Jesus, the Son of Man, came to demonstrate the love of God and to pass on attributes of the Father to us. Jesus said in John 10:10, "I came to give you life and give it to you more abundantly." That is multiplication. Jesus, who was God in the skin was El Shaddai in the skin who was passing on the opportunity for anyone who would believe to multiply and live in abundance. By the way, abundantly means “super-abundance, excessive, overflowing, surplus, over and above and more than enough.

When we place our trust in El Shaddai, He will turn natural circumstances around and give us supernatural miracles through our belief in Jesus Christ. To activate El Shaddai moving in your life do these three simple things:
1. Learn to speak to Him using the language that God will understand – His Word.
2. Learn to trust Him; have confidence that the Word that is written and spoken through the Bible is Truth and applies to you!
3. Worship Him. He deserves all our adoration because there is nothing that He cannot do.

Jesus defeated Satan and all his works. Is it too difficult for El Shaddai to heal your body, provide a job, a home or money to pay your bills? Is it too difficult to restore your relationship? No, El Shaddai will meet your needs now and for the rest of your life!

Confession: My God, El Shaddai, is capable of multiplying me exceedingly. That means I will move ahead in my life when I speak to Him, trust Him and worship Him.

Jehovah Shammah

…For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 5b-6

Let us assume you have accepted Jesus as your One True Living God. Immediately upon your confessing Jesus as your Savior, you became a home for the Holy Spirit. Jesus, who was only one man, had to leave this world so the Holy Spirit could be present in every person who believed.

The Apostle Paul had such an insight to the working of the Trinity that he wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:17, “But he (you) who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” This verse means you are in union with God through Jesus who made the way for you to have daily communion with God and the Holy Spirit who is your counselor and teacher.

In our focus verse today, it says that He Himself said, not the insurance company, not the president, not your family but Jesus said He will not leave you. Never means not ever, in no case, no situation, you can never be bad enough or sick enough for me to leave you. It is impossible for God to leave you!

God will never relax His hold on you. He will never leave you in the midst of your pain. He will not walk out on you in the middle of your crisis or trials. When we understand this concept, then we can boldly say, “The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear! What can man do to me?”

Fear is Satan’s number one weapon against you. If he can get you to be fearful, worried or anxious then he will get victory over you. But if you cast down that fear, and trust that God’s Word never fails, and then you will be the victor! God sent His Word (the Bible) to perform it! That means we can and must use the Word of the Living God as our weapon. Then the devil will be defeated every time because God will rise up from your words and slaughter your enemy.

Jehovah Shammah will never leave you or forsake you. He will never leave you defenseless. You have every tool you will ever need to live a life of victory. That means you can walk in total health, you can walk in peace, you can get that job you want. You can live a prosperous life which means you will move ahead in every aspect of your life.

What does Psalm 23:4 say? “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” You see, you are walking through; not settling down or putting down roots to stay in that valley. You are walking through! Verse 5 “I will fear no evil” which could be sickness, poverty, discouragement, rejection, or brokenness. Why will you fear no evil? “For You are with me!” Jehovah Shammah is there with you all the way. When we understand that God is with you, you rest easier, breath normally; your mind is not swirling with terrible possibilities and you will experience peace!

Confession: The God I serve will never leave me. He will see me through in every circumstance of my life. Knowing God is with me, I can be confident that I will come out as a victor. Knowing Jehovah Shammah is with me gives me peace of mind.

Jehovah Nissi

And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people. For the Gentiles shall seek Him. And His resting place shall be glorious.” Isaiah 11:10

Banners were usually placed on a high place as a sign of strength. When a country goes to war, there is always the flag or the colors of that nation flying ahead of the soldiers. Soldiers will follow the banner. If the one carrying the banner is hurt and falls, another soldier will run to pick up the banner and continue forward with it.

Jehovah Nissi means The Lord is my Banner, my Refuge, Flag, Streamer, Standard, and Signal. When we seek the Lord, we will find that He is going ahead of us in our battle. He is pressing through the trials of life expecting you to follow His signal.

Jesus is our banner of redemption. When Jesus hung on the cross of Calvary, He became our Banner. He redeemed you and me from our sinful nature which we posses from birth. When we accept Him as our Lord, Master and Savior, He will always go ahead of us as our banner.

Jesus is also the Banner of Warfare. When we accept Jesus as our Lord, we still go to a house full of the same people, to the same job where it is not going to be a perfect life. We deal with a fierce spiritual battle between evil and good, Satan and Jesus. We are humanity and they are battling over your will and emotions. Jesus is there with His banner.

Jesus is the banner for Recovery. When Christians get hurt by other people, Christians or non-Christians, there needs to be a healing, and Jesus will stand as our Banner of Recovery.

Jesus is our banner of Strength. Acts 7 talks about Stephen and how he stood strong for Christ. It was Jesus waving that banner that made him strong. In Acts 7:56 Stephen cries out saying, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Jesus was standing next to God waving his standard, his banner while Stephen was sharing the Truth.

It is up to you, but you are given an opportunity to look to Jesus as your Standard. Acknowledging that Jesus is going before you and helping you to fight your battles. Whether your battles are with people, disease, finances, or caught up in circumstances outside your control, Jesus is waving His Banner over you saying, “You CAN make it. You ARE worthy! You ARE a winner and I will help you make it through.”

Confession: Jesus is my Banner. He is my Victory and He is my Encourager. I will look to Jehovah Nissi today as the One who will lead me through the battle called Life.

El Elyon - Jesus

…Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name. ---Philipians 2:9

In my last blog, I was discussing the fact that El Elyon is a plural name. When the world was being spoken into existence, it was not a singular God that created and formed the world, but the Trinity, God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. We know that was done “In the Beginning” and was recorded in the Old Testament.

Then Jesus came to the earth! Isaiah 9:6 tells us that a “Child will be born and a Son given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.” Jesus was sent to the earth to reestablish the government of heaven that Satan had dominated since the Fall in the Garden of Eden. With the government of heaven comes wholeness in mind and body, well-being in life and a stability in thinking. Jesus taught about the Kingdom of Heaven everywhere He went.

When Jesus left the Heavenly Kingdom, He left a place of perfect peace. The apostle Paul wrote to the church of Philippi the following: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond-servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:7-11) NKJV

This is a very important truth that we must understand. Jesus was God in the flesh. He gave up all His status and wealth that was held in heaven and became like a slave in man’s world. He did this to regain the dominion lost by Adam by allowing Himself to be crucified on the cross. When He did this, God Almighty lifted Him up to the highest position, above all others. Jesus was truly all human, but also all divine. As complex as it seems, the humanness of Jesus is what was exalted. By His act of selfless sacrifice. God honored Jesus’ obedience by a super-exalted position of honor and glory.

As a result, when we believe in Jesus and call on the Name of Jesus, every knee will bow which includes the angels of heaven, beings on the earth and the demonic hosts of hell. There is a great deal of power in the Name of Jesus. Jesus is El Elyon in this application. THE MOST HIGH GOD!!!!

Confession: Jesus destroyed the works of the devil when He sacrificed Himself. First He sacrificed all that He enjoyed in Heaven to come to this earth, then He sacrificed His physical body so that I could have a relationship with God the Father. As a result, I can use the Name of Jesus to utilize the angelic host, defeat the demons of hell and all their tactics and be confident that they will bow their knees.