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Team Tuesday - June 25, 2013

6/25/2013

This is a new study. Choose this day Whom you will serve.

Dear Saints,
One of the mountains that hug the coastline of my city is called Two Trees. These giants sit side-by-side, high atop a somewhat barren landscape and are a landmark for many travelers.

The Garden of Eden also had two trees that are a landmark for all humanity:
The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Two Trees—Two Kinds of Wisdom

Wisdom From Above
Proverbs 4:1-13
In all your getting, get wisdom. Why?
Because wisdom will:

Promote you
Bring you honor
Place on your head an ornament of grace
Deliver to you a crown of glory
Increase the years of your life
Your steps will not be hindered
When you run you will not stumble

And most important:
Keep wisdom…it is your life.

What is wisdom?
Definition of Wisdom: the power of judging rightly and following the soundest course of action, based on knowledge, experience, understanding, etc.; the power of being wise; insight into the true nature of things; the ability to discern modes of action with a view of their results

Demonic Wisdom
James 3:13-18
In all your getting, do not get earthly wisdom. Why?
It does not descend from above. It is earthly, sensual, and demonic.
Earthly wisdom will produce:

Bitter envying
Self-seeking
Boasting
Lying against the truth
Confusion

And most important:
It will produce every evil thing in your life. Uh Oh!

God’s Wisdom
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” James 3:17-18

“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God; and righteousness and sanctification and redemption; that, as it is written,

"He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” 1 Corinthians 1:30-31

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

“I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

“However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-8

The Tree of Life and The Holy Spirit
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

“These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 1 Corinthians 2:12-13

How do we acquire wisdom from above?

Seek first the Kingdom of God every day; after all, we are citizens who are born from above. “Seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God,” and where we are sitting as well. Study to accurately divide the Word of Truth.
2 Timothy 2:15.

Definition of Seek: try to find, search for, look for, track down, look into, dig for, probe for, investigate, explore, examine, scrutinize, inspect, pursue, hunt for, to obtain, aim for, inquire for

The Bombardment of The Information Age

Be choosey what you hear and receive.
Information does not mean transformation.
Learning facts does not necessarily give one wisdom.

When we study the scriptures, only those who read with the intent “to do” will eat the fruit of God’s Word. James said, “Be doers of the word, not hearers only deceiving yourselves.” Watch out for the “know it all” or “I’ve heard that before” attitude.

One day last week I was studying Psalm 1. The Holy Spirit led me on several different “rabbit trails.” I decided to look up the definition of scorn. I got out my old 1966 Webster’s Dictionary. Instead of the word scorn, my eyes first fell on a nasty picture of a scorpion. Yikes!

I read one of the definitions of scorpion: “in the Bible, a variety of whip or scourge, perhaps inset with spikes, 1 Kings 12:11.” How horrid! I immediately began thinking of Jesus being tortured with such an awful instrument as I looked up that scripture in Kings. It still brings me to tears.

When I began studying that day I was pressing through a cloud of weariness, but in a few moments what brought tears to my eyes brought tenderness to my soul and a total change in my outlook on life. If I would have allowed my soul to continue down the “woe is me path,” things would only have gotten darker and darker.

Life Application
Jesus said, “By your patience possess your souls.” That means He put the ball in our court.
Remember, “Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

Dear Saints, as people of prayer we must endeavor to stay strong. A weak Christian can do little for others in intercession.

Two Trees—Your Choice
The world screams for our attention every day. Make sure you set your heart to get wisdom from above. It is your life.

“Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live.” Read Proverbs Chapter 4.

Pray for Your State—Isaiah 40:3-5
The Church
The Lost
Elected Officials

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Team Tuesday - June 18, 2013

6/18/2013

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This is Part 20 of a continuing study. For previous lessons, just scroll down.
In this lesson we will study a new Key of Heaven: The Blood of Jesus.

Dear Saints of Prayer,
To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Jude 1 & 2

Whatever you’re called of God to do must be fulfilled for time is short.

We began our study on Matthew 16:13-20 which has led us to focus on vs. 19:
“And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

The Keys of Heaven previously discussed:

The Word of God
The Name of Jesus
The Holy Spirit
Weapons
Praise
Angels

Next Key of Heaven: The Blood of Jesus
“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,
and having a High Priest over the house of God,

“let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:19-22

We have boldness to enter the Holiest of Holies because Jesus, the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world, became the sacrifice and fulfilled God’s will.

Nothing throughout eternity is more significant than what our Savior did. Nothing!

Old Testament: The Passover
The Passover is God’s righteous judgment and justice against “all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and against all the gods of Egypt…I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.”

In Exodus Chapter 12 the Lord gives Moses the instructions for the Passover.

Your lamb shall be without blemish, perfect or sound, a male of the first year.
You shall kill it at twilight and take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts of the houses where you eat it.
Then they shall eat the flesh that night, roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

Now the blood was a sign, both physically and spiritually. Where the blood was, God’s judgment of death would not enter in to destroy.

"For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.

"And it shall be, when your children say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?'
that you shall say, 'It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.'”

We can see that following the instructions of the Lord through His servant Moses brought protection from death to God’s people.

All mankind is not the same.

Who was God dealing with? He was dealing with the people of Egypt and all the people of Israel.

Redemption and freedom had come as an answer to the cries of God’s people. It was also according to God’s timing. Read Exodus 3:7-9. The Israelites would now be taken out, separated from the nation of Egypt, to become their own nation and to receive the land of Canaan. On the other hand, the Day of Judgment had come for Egypt who served and worshiped false gods. God Himself would deal with their sins.

The Day of Judgment had come—death to Egypt; but freedom of life for Israel.

Fast Forward About 1300 Years: The Deliverer of All Nations is Born!
The angel of the Lord said, “You shall call His name Jesus, (Savior), for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

New Testament: The Passover Lamb
Jesus came to fulfill the Law. “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Matthew 5:17

“For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” 1 Corinthians 5:7

"I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?’" Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.

"Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.

"He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” John 6:48-57

Things of the Spirit
We are so used to the natural world system we live in. The five-sense realm dominates most people: Smell; Touch; Taste; Sight; Hear. But for Believers, and in total contrast, things of the Spirit must dominate the natural realm.

God is a Spirit; those who worship Him must worship in the Spirit. You are a spirit.
We are instructed to live in the Spirit so that we will not fulfill the dictates of the flesh. Also, “The just shall live by faith.” The things of the Spirit realm are far more real and powerful than the natural realm. After all, you obtained eternal life by grace through faith in a Person you cannot see or touch. You believed that Jesus took your place and received the death sentence for your sins. Eternal life did not take place in you because of the five-sense realm of the flesh.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…See John 1:1 & 14.

All of the many ways we choose to study, to hear, and to receive and “eat” of God’s Word produce strength, spiritual food, to the New Creation Man. When your spirit and the Word are dominating your being, your mind, will and emotions will prosper and permeate the body with life and health. 3 John 2

Proverbs 4:20-27 are instructions to the advanced life.

It boldly declares the word is “health to all their flesh.” How? You certainly can’t see that taking place. Remember the “systemic illustration” the Lord gave to us a few lessons ago? Gardeners sometimes place a systemic fertilizer at the root of a plant to be absorbed into its system to promote health and protection.

Turning God’s word into flesh has to be a priority for the End-Days Church because we have a glorious assignment now and ahead. And God wants us healthy and prospering.

“For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.”

That sounds like John 15:7. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” It’s systemic and it produces faith! And faith is the victory that overcomes the world…the natural realm.

The Origin of Sin
Why do we have to have a sacrifice? Why does blood need to be shed for sin?

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Genesis 2:16-17

Disobedience to God’s will is sin which results in death.

But God’s abounding love calls out for mercy for us. What does the sacrificial death of an animal do?

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”
Leviticus 17:11

Hebrews 9 —“For the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh…”

“And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.”

The sacrifice is the substitute for God’s righteous judgment.
Beloved, there is right and there is wrong. Doing wrong has consequences.

Jesus came to pay a debt He didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay!

“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.

“Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:11-12

Communion—Christ, our Passover
“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” 1 Corinthians 10:16

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ ”Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you.

“For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:26-28

Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant and His precious blood forever speaks on our behalf: “Not guilty! The penalty of sin has been eternally paid for man’s complete redemption! Come boldly into Father’s presence behind the veil without shame or guilt. Enjoy the fellowship and grace of oneness with God, for He fervently desires you.”

Faith in the Blood—This Changes Everything!

We exercise our authority to bind and to loose through the blood sacrifice of Jesus. We can enforce our protection by speaking, “I apply the blood of Jesus upon…” — anything that pertains to your life.

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Revelation 12:11

Your Identity with Divinity—Christ in You the Hope of Glory!
Don’t ever allow the devil to accuse you of past sins, failures or mistakes. Remind him of his eternal transgression and speak who Christ has made you to be through His blood: a new creation with eternal life, a joint heir of God. The righteous are as bold as a lion!

Old things have passed away. They do not exist because of the Lamb’s blood. Behold, all things have become new. We no longer regard ourselves or others according to the flesh for now we are Ambassadors for Christ! This is the place where we live our daily lives from.

In the Spirit there is no condemnation, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death. Christ has redeemed us from the curse, having become a curse for us, so that the blessing of Abraham would come upon us through faith. We are permanently delivered from the power of darkness because we have been transferred into the Kingdom of the Son.

Your foundation and power to overcome is located through His blood!
I do hope you practice taking Communion often. When the Israelites left Egypt there was not a feeble one among 2-3 million people! Psalm 105:37.

Assignment: Read and speak the “Who I Am Scriptures.” At the end of each verse say: “because of His blood.” It’s powerful, Saints!

Pray for Your State
Praise God, it’s a new day! God is with us just like He was when He separated and delivered the children of Israel from Egypt.
Speak the blood especially on The Lost. Loose the angels of God upon them.
Pray in the Holy Spirit for:

The Church—The Lost—Elected Leaders

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Team Tuesday - June 11, 2013

6/11/2013

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This is Part 19 of a continuing study. For previous lessons, just scroll down.
In this lesson we will study two new Keys of Heaven: Praise and Angels.

Dear Saints of Prayer,
To those called according to His purpose: may you increase in the favor and knowledge of God to continue and finish your race with great joy!

“And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

The Keys of Heaven previously discussed:

The Word of God
The Name of Jesus
The Holy Spirit
Weapons

Next Key: Praise
In our last lesson we looked at the life of David. The songs that David wrote came from a heart of passion for his God. Those words and melodies are so anointed that when David played his harp for King Saul, the King had freedom from a tormenting spirit. The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness will usher in joy! Isaiah 61:3

How would you define praise? Why do you think it can cause demons to flee?

Here men praise and give much glory to men for all sorts of accomplishments in this natural realm. Our praise is far different. It is words coming from our spirit, releasing our love and gratitude to our Father, and to His Beloved Son.

Praise is an expression of the heart.

Definition of Praise: to worship, celebrate, glorify, exalt, revere, venerate, honor.

What did Jesus say?
"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:23-24

Strategies from God…Sounds
“Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious.
Say to God, ‘How awesome are Your works!
Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.’”
Psalm 66:1

Imagine our President in a nationwide address telling Americans his plan to abolish a cunning enemy in the Middle East.
“I have appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness to go before the U.S. Army. Our weapons are this:

“Sing: ‘Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.’”

Jehoshaphat: King of Judah
I’m sure you remember reading about the crisis God's people faced when a multitude of armies came up to destroy them. God gave Jehoshaphat an amazing strategy and military victory. “The battle is the Lord’s.” Judah would not have to fight in this war; rather, they were to send those that praise God out ahead of the army! When they began to sing and to praise God, the Lord set ambushes against their adversaries. In massive confusion and utter chaos they killed each other! See 2 Chronicles 20. David put it this way in Psalm 35:26. “Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who rejoice at my hurt…”

What works for a nation is the same power that works for an individual.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Romans 8:31

A demonstration of glorious praise coming out of your spirit has enough firepower to turn any attack around with immediate results. When the change begins inside you, outward circumstances are soon to follow.

“Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples, to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the written judgment; this honor have all His saints. Praise the LORD!” Psalm 149:5-9

Remember, we live under a better covenant. We know our enemy is not flesh and blood, but principalities, powers, rulers and spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places and that our weapons are not carnal but mighty in God. We seek to be led by the Holy Spirit to attain the victory. He will lead you into the right strategy to turn the situation around.

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ…”

Next Key of Heaven: Angels
“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.” Hebrews 12:22-24

Angels are a major part of your inheritance and benefit package.

They are continually at work to provide for your needs and safety. Angels are not cute little babies or people who have died. They are magnificent created beings who excel in strength; ministers of fire!

They operate in the unseen realm and are on assignment by God to aid Kingdom Citizens who are sent to accomplish His plans and purposes in the earth. The same angels that brought about spectacular victories for Israel are still here at work on earth today. The Holy Spirit and angels work together. Angels are never to be exalted or worshiped.

“Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?” 1 Corinthians 6:3

"Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:10

“Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” See Hebrews 1:14 and also Hebrews 1:7.

“Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church…Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, ‘Arise quickly!’ And his chains fell off his hands.” See Acts 12:5 & 7.

“Bless the Lord, you His angels who excel in strength who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Psalm 103:20

The only time your Bible has a voice is when you speak it.

You have angels surrounding you 24/7. They are activated by:

God’s Direction
God’s Written Word
The Authority of the Believer
Prayer
Praise

Prayer, Words and the Unseen Realm
When the Syrian armies came to annihilate the armies of Israel, Elisha the prophet spoke to his fearful servant.

“Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw.

“And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

“So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, ‘Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.’ And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.” Read 2 Kings 6:17-18

Watch Your Words
When the angel Gabriel visited Mary the mother of Jesus to announce her divine, holy assignment, her response was, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be done to me, according to your word.” And the angel departed. Luke 1:37-38

But what happened when Gabriel visited the priest Zacharias and was told he and his wife would bear a son? “How shall I know this?” Uh Oh!

And the angel answered and said to him: “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.

“But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time."
Luke 1:18-19

Words of unbelief can prevent your angels from answering your prayers. Where is death and life? In the power of your tongue! Proverbs 18:21

Hear the prayer of Hezekiah and God’s magnificent and effortless triumph over evil! "O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.

“Then the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses; all dead.” Read Isaiah 37.

How many angels killed 185,000 wicked soldiers?

What an amazing victory! Surely, these same things are taking place today among us; in our counties, our nation, and for the safety of Israel. Surely the power of Praise and the work of Angels are bringing awesome results…some seen and some unseen. They have brought victories for us that we don’t even know about!

Saints, let us be more bold and courageous. God is with us. Confidence has great reward! Seek those things which are above, where Christ is.

Pray For Your State!
The Church, The Lost and Elected Leaders
Your work in prayer for the cities in your state has never been more important. Through prayer angels are sent out to bring about changes that God desires.

Praising God is a very effective way to begin prayer. It will help you to be led to hear and what to say.

Beloved, do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them! Our strength and momentum are increasing!

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Team Tuesday - June 4, 2013

6/4/2013

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This is part of a continuing study. For previous lessons, just scroll down.

Dear Partner in Prayer,
May strength and grace, (God’s ability to accomplish), be yours every day of your life. May the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit keep you and empower you.

You were made to do great things for God! Whatever you think you are there’s more…much more of you to come.

We began our study on Matthew 16:13-20 which has led us to focus on vs. 19:
“And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

The Keys of Heaven previously discussed:

The Word of God
The Name of Jesus
The Holy Spirit
Weapons

Recap and Conclusion of Weapons—Ephesians 6:10-18
The subject of “our weapons” that we have studied the past six weeks is of vital importance to every born again child of God.

We are the chosen generation that is operating under a divine end-time assignment to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord and for the Great Awakening. Our weapons are important because we have an enemy whose only desire is to oppose, hinder, steal, kill, and destroy.

No country sends their soldiers into combat without extensive training. When they are commissioned, headquarters sends them out with a purpose, a plan, and all the provision necessary to defeat the enemy.

Use Your Weapons
Putting on God’s armor and using it has never been so important. Every time you have been in a struggle with the enemy, you have always had greater ability than your opponent. I always told my grandchildren, “Remember who you are.” Our strength originates in the acknowledgement of who we are in Christ, Who is with us, and in heaven’s provisions.

We have learned our authority has been delegated to us by our Champion, Jesus Christ. The foundation of our ability to rule in life is because of the cross and because, when we were born from above, we were made one with Him.

Let us be continually established in these truths:
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore…”
Matthew 28:18

Jesus is seated, “…far above all principality, and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named…” Ephesians 1:21

“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.” Colossians 1:16

“Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” Colossians 2:15

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

And, we The Church are:
“…raised up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…” Ephesians 2:6

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love…” Colossians 1:13

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Ephesians 6:10

God said, “Let there be light,” and light was. God also said, “Be strong in the Lord,” which has the same power and ability to produce His strength within you if you walk by faith and receive it. His strength begins in your heart.

Fellowship—The Fountain of Victory
Everything we do for the Lord comes forth from the secret place of fellowship with the Lord. Everything!

Those believers who are steadfast and secure know that diligence to a morning routine of putting God first place, before we go forth into the world, is the understructure where we are re-established in our reason for living. This is the place where we get our batteries re-charged and our purpose re-fired! It is our contact with Home Base. And really, the rest of the day’s actions should flow from here…faith, hope, and love! This is how Jesus lived and also someone else we are familiar with.

DAVID: From a Shepherd to a King
Read —1 Samuel Chapters 16 & 17

Where did David develop the boldness and tenacity of strength to defy the giant Goliath? From his youth, David had developed a lifestyle of fellowship with the Lord. When Samuel was sent to choose a man to be anointed as king and thought surely Eliab would be chosen, God spoke this to him:

"Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Years of intimate fellowship with the Lord, unnoticed by the world, brought forth a relationship of trust between David and the Lord that worked both ways. We can imagine David living in the beautiful countryside of Israel playing his harp and making melody to the Lord. This prophet composer learned about his God while in “the green pastures, next to the still waters” of his homeland. That companionship remained with David throughout His life.

We are blessed today to read the intimate expressions of his heart and a life that continually sought and praised the Master. Just think, millions of Christians take his written words with them to church every Sunday! One of my favorite scriptures that I pray from is Psalm 91:

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

You cannot trust your life to someone you do not know.

This is the source of David’s strength! And this is the source of our strength. We are to be strong in the Lord because we know who He is and trust Him. Who else has died for you, Beloved? The Father gave His innocent, tenderhearted Son for you. No one throughout eternity will ever love you more.

David and Goliath
The Philistine army sent their champion, the giant, completely arrayed with impressive armor, to assault and persecute God’s people in preparation to exterminate them.

"I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together."
When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

Don’t we love David’s response to this crisis and to his brother’s attitude toward him? “Is there not a cause?”

The King and all his armies were fearful and confused. But God had the answer. God sent them a man after his own heart, courageous and strong. God knew and trusted in David because David had the spirit of faith. David had the spirit of faith because he knew his God.

“And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak.”
See 2 Corinthians 4:13

“Then David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."

“But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.

"Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God." Moreover David said, "The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you!"

David had a history that experienced the mighty power of God.

“So the Philistine said to David, ‘Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

“And the Philistine said to David, ‘Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!’

“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

"This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

"Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands."

Then David then ran toward his enemy, not with the King’s armor but with the unseen armor of God. Really, David’s powerful statements of faith, “calling things that be not as though they are,” went out ahead of him.

He put his hand in the bag and took out a stone, slung it and struck the giant so that the stone sank into his forehead and down he went! David took the giant’s own sword, stood over him and cut off his head with it. It doesn’t appear to me that David even broke a sweat until perhaps as he had to carry the giant’s head. Not exactly a cute little Sunday School story but a real account of a spectacular military conquest over evil.

What happened to all those threats of annihilation that Goliath said he would do? What about his gigantic size and all of his great and awesome armor? Where were Goliath’s gods? What about the enormous army of the Philistines?

God is with us! Immediate Shift…

One man’s victorious triumph of courage swept like a wave of power over the entire army of Israel which resulted in a great victory as the Philistine army fled in fear. The battle is the Lord’s!

“Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered;
Let those who hate Him flee before Him.
As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
Let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.” Psalm 68:1-3

Pray For— The Church—The Lost—Elected Leaders

Our God is with us! Take that boldness and courage into prayer today. Let our Champion lead you into the prayer that changes cities. As The Church we operate in a higher realm of authority knowing that our adversaries are not flesh and blood.

And let’s pray for the peace of Jerusalem today.

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