God Has The Attitude Of A Shepherd Towards Us!

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever (Psalm 23).

 

The Father sees us as sheep, and He has the role of a shepherd in our lives. Here are some practical truths about sheep and shepherds that apply to our relationship with the Lord.

  

A shepherd knows his sheep by name and the sheep train themselves to know the shepherd’s voice. Sheep are helpless to defend themselves against enemies, and easily wander into danger.

  

The Father makes us to lie down in green pastures. A good shepherd will give his sheep the best food, and will lead them for miles to the greenest, most lush pastures. Good food means a healthy flock. Life is sustained by water, and the shepherd always looks for an abundant source near the grazing field. The Father is Jehovah Jireh to us. He provides us with everything we need to live in blessing. He’s always looking for the best supply for all of our needs!

 

The Father restores our souls. A shepherd looks after each sheep, and seeks to make it feel secure and cared for. The Father wants to minister to us and heal the emotional wounds that life brings. The Father as our shepherd restores our soul. He leads us to partake of the engrafted Word that will renew our minds and release pain from our emotions (James 1:21). He will lead us away from the activities of the flesh that rob us of peace and inward rest, and urges us to spend time with Him so that He can brush away our fears with His comforting Word.

 

The Lord our shepherd is with us in times of danger. The valley of the shadow of death is a gulley on the side of a mountain that the shepherd and sheep must pass through to get back home. Animals of prey watch from the surrounding hills for sheep that stray. The shepherd has a rod to defend the sheep from the prey. On the other end of the rod is a hooked end that the shepherd uses to grab the sheep by the neck when they are about to leave the fold. Sheep feel secure from danger as long as they know the shepherd is nearby to defend them.

  

The Father prepares a table before us in front of our enemies. A shepherd will look for a flat place in a field where the sheep can lay down, eat lush grass, and rest. As the sheep eat and rest, the shepherd is ever watching for the prey that seeks to harm his sheep. The sheep eat and rest in security as long as they can look up and see their shepherd.

  

The Father anoints our head with oil. A Shepherd will anoint his sheep on a hot, dry day. Oil soothes the parched skin and brings refreshment in arid eastern countries. Wounds from brier scratches or snakes bites are cared for by being dressed with oil. The Father ever seeks to bring healing, health and restoration to our parched lives.

 

Our cup runs over. It’s one thing to have a full supply, It’s another to have so much that your cup runs over! That’s what our shepherd desires for us as His sheep. He wants us to have more than enough!

  

His goodness and mercy are extended to us every day of our lives. His mercies are new every morning! Blessing chases us every day! Allow the Lord to be your shepherd today. Listen for His voice. Watch for the guidance He brings through His Word to you. Expect Him to nurture you and care for you spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. He is a good shepherd!

 

Believers Can Use Praise As A Powerful Weapon!

But You are holy, O You Who dwell in the holy place where the praises of Israel are offered (Psalm 22:3 – Amplified).

 

Believers have several weapons at their disposal as they fight the good fight of faith. They have the Word of God, the name of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, and praise and worship!

The Father watches over His Word to make it good as the Sword of the Spirit comes out of our mouth from our hearts in faith (Jeremiah 1:12). Demonic forces tremble when the command of faith is given in the Name of Jesus (Philippians 2: 9-11)! And we overcome satanic forces by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11).

But of all the weapons in our arsenal, perhaps praise is the strongest. When praise is offered, God Almighty shows up in the atmosphere! The weightiness of God, the power of who He is, manifests when praise is uttered. The power of God’s kingdom is aroused when our praise and worship are expressed.

 

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were praising and worship so loudly that the other prisoners heard them as they were held in chains in the dark prison. Instead of the atmosphere of the prison invading them, they decided to invade that atmosphere of darkness with the presence of God! And their chains fell off, the prison doors were opened, and they were set free! God responded to their praise, shaking the ground under their feet, and shaking the unbelief around them that threatened their lives!

 

During battle, the Israelites were instructed to put Judah (means praise) in the forefront of the combat. They would sing, for the Lord is good, and His mercy endures forever!  Israel’s enemies would be defeated time after time by an unseen host of angels as Israel fought with the weapons of a new type of spiritual warfare, praise and worship!

God has not changed. He still responds to praise by pouring out the weightiness of His presence, causing unseen enemies to flee. Don’t cower down to circumstances today.

Put on a good praise and worship cd; worship alone in your car or at home; or make a melody in your heart to God. However you do it, go after God in praise and worship today. Pull out that weapon of praise, and allow the Lord to fight your battles. The battle is the Lord’s. The victory is ours to enjoy!

Watch The Meditations of Your Heart!

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer (Psalm 19:14).

The Hebrew word for meditation here is higgayown and means to meditate, mutter, roar, speak, study, talk, or to utter. The Hebrew word gives reference to a murmuring sound.

The Father wants us to think and ponder things that will cause us to flow with His purposes. He wants to bless us BIG. The words be acceptable in the above text are from the Hebrew word ratsown and means to delight or to satisfy. It delights the Father when our inward meditations agree with Him! And here’s why.

 

We are already blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). All things that pertain to life and godliness already belong to us by faith. That is, all things necessary to sustain us both spiritually and materially have already been provided! (2 Peter 1:3-4). When our meditations, our self talk, the things that we really believe that make us what we are agree with the Father, it delights Him because we receive in life exactly what we believe! And when we agree with Him it gives Him permission to bless us.

 

All lack of agreement with the Father produces unmet need. He wants to help us in every area of life, but He’s hindered when we fail to agree with Him internally.

Proverbs tells us to keep our hearts with all diligence, because the things that we have in life flow out of it (Proverbs 4:23). We receive in life exactly what we believe in our hearts about ourselves (our inward thoughts, our self-talk). Jesus said all things are possible to him who believes. He said as you have believed, so be it done to you, and He said according to your faith let it be done to you (Mark 9:23; Matthew 8:13; Matthew 9:29).

 

When our inward belief system agrees with the Father, the impossible becomes possible, the limits are removed, and we change! Our needs are met, the chains are removed, and we grow into the person we were created to be when we choose to meditate and think on the word of God!

Begin today to make His word your constant meditation. You’ll then be challenged by the Father to change wrong beliefs, and your life and circumstances will change from the inside out and from glory to glory!

A Spiritually Healthy Person Has An Established Heart!

Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed.  Wealth and riches will be in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. A good man deals graciously and lends; he will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he will never be shaken; the righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established; he will not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies.  He has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be exalted with honor. The wicked will see it and be grieved; he will gnash his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked shall perish (Psalm 112).

Psalm 112 explains the blessings of the person who chooses to live by the word. This is the person who has an established heart.

A person with an established heart is not blown by the winds of adversity. A person with an established heart refuses to be motivated by fear but by faith in God’s unfailing promises. He has the patience to stand its ground when tests and difficulties come. He doesn’t cast away his confidence that things will change, but knows that being patient and acting like God’s word is true eventually brings results  (Hebrews 10: 35-36).

A person with an established heart will attract the blessings of God upon his home and his family. His obedience will affect his family for generations to come.

 

A person with an established heart will give generously and will be kind and considerate of others. He is not worried and upset when difficulties come because he knows that acting on the word of God brings results!

The person with an established heart is a light in the surrounding darkness and is an example for others to follow. He gives encouragement to the worried and to the weak, and becomes a source of  hope in times of great need.

 

A person with an established heart lives with a sense of righteousness, peace, joy, hope, rest, health, and prosperity. A person with an established heart breeds optimism in the darkest test. He is surer of the promises of God’s Word than the rising sun in the morning!

 

Your heart becomes established by daily meditating on, confessing, and practicing the Word of God. Take time today to establish your heart in the Word. You’ll gain inward strength and outward stability in the toughest place. The blessings of God will be upon you, and you will be a source of light and aid to all around you.

God Gives Strength To The Tired And Worn Out!

He gives power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak. Even the youths shall be exhausted, and the young men will all give up. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:29-31- Living Bible) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

Strong fellowship with God brings light into your daily life. The stronger the fellowship, the stronger the light. It’s the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus that sets us free from the law of sin and death.

Time spent in the presence of the Father waiting in prayer lifts us out of the wrestling match of the flesh into a place where we experience the inheritance of peace, joy, love contentment, and faith that the Father has for us as saints.

We’re to live in the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. This frees us from the law of sin and death. Just as the laws of aerodynamics and the laws of lift and thrust work together to override the effects of the law of gravity; causing a large aircraft weighing hundreds of tons to sail into the air, so the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus will free us from the habits and weights that keep us from God’s highest and best.

Someone has said that an acronym for BUSY could be Being Under Satan’s Yolk. Satan wants to nickel and dime your time today so that you have little time to spend where it matters most; in God’s presence in the Word and in fellowship with Him in prayer.

If you decide to put God first in your day, Satan can’t attack you with busy! You’ve already prepared yourself for anything that comes that day by being strengthened in His presence.

Take time with your Father today. He wants to hear you. He wants to speak to you. He wants to minister His peace and His calm to you. He has the answer for every issue of life. His power in you is greater than any force or opposition you face today.

Take time to dwell with Him in that secret place of fellowship today. It will show on you!

Your Biggest Battles Are Between Your Ears!

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:1-2).

Spiritual battles are won or lost in the battlefield of the mind. Spiritual warfare is not out in the atmosphere somewhere. It’s between your ears! Satan knows that whatever rules your thoughts will eventually manifest in your life. Things that you meditate on get down into your underlying thoughts, into your spirit, and from there they rule your life.

 

We are encouraged to think on things above because thoughts rule conduct. We’re to imitate God. The only way to do that is to think like God. We have the mind of Christ. He’s given us the ability to think like Him!

 

Most believers allow their thoughts to meander all over the place. Throughout the day by thought association, events, people, smells, and a thousand things we come in contact with tag thoughts from the past in a millisecond. These thoughts mushroom if not controlled and can stir up the old man and can create much doubt and fear. Don’t let the negative mental  parade in your mind continue!

I learned years ago that thoughts must be purposely challenged and redirected. The mind has a mind of its own! It will lead you where you don’t want to go if you allow it to be in charge. Take the reigns of your mind today by forcing yourself to turn away from the negatives that creep into your thoughts.

The only way thoughts can be changed is for them to be replaced. Years ago (before electronic gadgets) I wrote Philippians 4:8 on a note card and kept it with me. Ever so often I would pull it out and read true, honest, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, praiseworthy. If my current thought life did not agree with these words, then I made myself think on a scripture. I would choose a scripture a day and write it down, seeking to memorize it. Then, when I found my thoughts racing down the wrong path, I would bring them to a halt by forcing myself to think on a scripture.

It worked! And instead of my natural mind and my fickle emotions ruling me, I learned that the Holy Spirit through my spirit could rule me. When He’s in charge then love, joy, and peace rule your life.

 

You begin to live in sync with heaven, and every day becomes an adventure with the Father. Yes, tests and trials still come, but with every challenge you have an inward content knowing that all things work together for good to them who love God, and are living in His purposes! Keep your mind and you’ll win every battle!

Today, don’t just seek things above as the beginning verse states, but force your thoughts to think things above! This will clean your life up, keep the enemy away, and draw you close to the Father and Jesus moment by moment!

   

World Events Are Moving Towards Jesus' Return!

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:6-8).

I want to comment some more on the unrest currently expanding in the Middle East ,Northern Africa, and now Europe (France) with radical Jihadists and ISIS. In my studies and reading about the Second Coming of Jesus, I see eerie parallels to what is occurring right now. Without a proper understanding of the Word of God, it’s hard to make sense out of what we see and hear from that part of the world. Why did radical terrorists kill those 12 innocent people in Paris at the newspaper office where some guys published a satirical cartoon about Islam? What has America done to deserve treatment  such as what happen in Benghazi with the attack on our embassy and the killing of our Ambassador to Libya? Why are these radicalized people so upset with Israel and the US, burning our flags and encouraging violence and death to our representatives?

Some basic ideas are necessary in order to make sense out of the chaos. When it comes to understanding what the Bible says about world events just prior to the return of Christ, here are some things to keep in mind.

1. This is a spiritual battle that began over three thousand years ago. Abraham had a son named Ishmael by his concubine Hagar. This was before his child of promise Isaac was born when he was one hundred years old. These boys were in conflict from birth. This conflict continues through their descendants. It’s a natural conflict with a spiritual root system. The Arabs are descendants of Ishmael, while the Jews are descendants of Isaac. Both have roots in Abraham. Isaac was the child of promise by grace and faith. Ishmael was the child by human independence, pride, and carnality.

2. God has made four covenants that will be fulfilled: The Abrahamic Covenant, The Palestinian Covenant, The Davidic Covenant, and The New Covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant promises that God will bless all the families and nations of the earth through Abraham and his progeny. The Palestinian Covenant promises a certain parcel of land to Abraham and his descendants forever. The Davidic Covenant promises that one of King David’s ancestors will sit on the throne of Israel forever. We know this ancestor to be Jesus the Christ! The New Covenant promises that all mankind can be regenerated and cleansed from sin by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. All who partake of the New Covenant are heirs of all of God’s promises to Abraham!

3. God revealed many times through the prophets that before the return of Christ in His Second Coming, Israel would once again become a nation after having been scattered all over the world as disobedient exiles from their God promised land (See Deuteronomy 30: 1-3; Hosea 2: 14-23; Ezekiel 11: 16-21; Isaiah 11: 11-12; Isaiah 14: 1-3; Isaiah 27: 12-13; Isaiah 43: 1-8; Isaiah 49:8-16; Isaiah 66: 20-22; Jeremiah 16: 14-16; Jeremiah 23:3-8;Jeremiah 30: 10-11; Jeremiah 31:8, 31-37; Ezekiel 11: 17-21 ; Ezekiel 20:33-38; Ezekiel 34: 11-16; Ezekiel 39: 25-29; Hosea 1: 10-11; Joel 3: 17-21; Amos 9: 11-15; Micah 4: 4-7; Zephaniah 3: 14-20). Israel became a nation again in 1948 after 1,1878 years of exile. This a tremendous signpost that tells us that the Second Coming of Christ is soon. Furthermore, in 1967 Israel regained control of Jerusalem for the first time since A.D. 70! Israel will NEVER AGAIN CEASE TO BE A NATION! For eternity!

4. When Jesus returns, He will personally judge every nation that has harassed, dominated, and hindered Israel and His plans for it. The Bible is His-Story, the history of God’s  purposes and dealings with His people both Old and New Covenants. When the Bible addresses the return of Christ, ALL of the scripture about this event have to do with Israel and the nations that have dominated it through the thousands of years of time since it began as a nation. These nations are in the Middle East and Northern Africa. The Bible doesn’t mention the USA, because we have not ruled Israel and its land over the centuries of time. The Bible is written from the perspective of Israel and Jerusalem being the center of activity, not from the perspective of the USA and its power over the last few decades. This a really important point. Without understanding this, you will be hopelessly confused when studying about the Second Coming of Christ.

5. Hang with me as I explain this one.The Bible mentions the nations that have dominated Israel and its land there in the Middle East since it became a nation. Every nation or empire that has ruled Israel through history has assumed control of the previous empire and it’s land that ruled Israel and the Middle East. These empires include the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman Empires. And when Jesus returns, He will judge every single one of these nations for their resistance to His purposes for Israel.

According to Revelation 17:10-11, an empire would emerge that would assume the control over Israel and the Middle East that the Roman Empire had for two thousand years. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. (11) The beast (empire) that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.

These verses are so insightful. Verse 10 mentions seven kings or empires that will rule over Israel before Jesus Christ comes to rule the earth. Then it reveals that five of these kings or empires have fallen or have been defeated and assumed by the next empire that will rule over Israel and the Middle East. As I mentioned, the five that have fallen or have been defeated are the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, and the Grecian empires. During the time of John writing the book of Revelation, Rome ruled Israel and the Middle East and Rome was the sixth empire to rule over Israel and the Middle East.

According to history, Rome divided into the Western and Eastern Roman Empires. The Western Roman Empire lost it’s power around 476 AD. The Eastern Roman Empire rose to power under the Roman Emperor Constantine in the 300’s AD and it ruled from the city of Constantinople in Turkey until it was defeated by the Ottoman conqueror Mehmet 2 in 1453 AD. The Ottoman Empire was Islamic. It rose to power in the eleventh century, a few hundred years after the prophet Muhammad's death in 632 AD.

So, the empire that conquered the Roman Empire and rose to power in the Middle East was an Islamic Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and it ruled from Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Turkey from 1453 AD until around 1923. After World War 1, the Islamic Ottoman Empire lost its control of the lands in what we know now as the Middle East. This empire with its Islamic Caliphate faded away. Turkey became a secular pro-Western country.

This verse in Revelation 17 reveals that this seventh empire ruling over Israel and the Middle East, which I believe was the Islamic empire, would last for a while then would not be, that is, it would lose power. That’s exactly what has happened! And Revelation 17:11 reveals that the eighth empire to assume power in the Middle East would  come from the seventh empire. I submit again that the seventh empire is Islamic. This eighth empire that will be in power when Jesus returns will be the reformed Islamic “Ottoman” Empire! It will have its base in Turkey! Islam will once again be a major player in Middle Eastern affairs before the return of Christ, and will seek to stop God’s purposes for Israel and the church.

For many years now, End-Time teachers have said that the Roman Empire would revive again and from that empire the Anti-Christ would rise. I submit that yes, the Roman Empire may rise, but not the Western Roman Empire, but the Eastern Roman Empire that rose to power in Constantinople, now Istanbul, Turkey. And this revived empire will be an Islamic Empire seeking to revive an Islamic Caliphate in the Middle East and Northern Africa.  

6. The battle of Armageddon, the battle that will end all battles, will be the armies of the Anti-Christ seeking to remove Israel from the map as a nation. Ezekiel 38 and 39 mentions the last battle, and it mentions Gog, who is the Anti-Christ, and Magog, the land from which the Anti-Christ comes. It also mentions Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. The origin of the people mentioned here can be traced back to modern day Turkey, which was the seat of power for the Ottoman Empire from 1453 until 1923! This is where the Anti=Christ will originate. Who is he? We may soon know.

So, in a nutshell, here is what has been and is happening in our world that shows us that Jesus is returning soon. The nation of Turkey has been changing from a secular, pro-western nation to an Islamic country for several years now. Recip Erdogen, the current President of Turkey, has been instrumental in combining Islamic law with the government of Turkey through his political party for over a decade now. Turkey has the second largest army in NATO (4 million troops), and is now a central figure in bringing agreement between the Islamic nations of North Africa and the Middle East. Watch for a huge rise of power in the Middle East through Turkey.

The current situation in Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, and several other Islamic nations where the embassies of the US have been breached and US flags taken down and replaced by Islamic flag is prophetic. We are watching the rise to power of radical Islamic jihad against the powers of the nations of the West, mostly the USA and Israel. The instability will continue until these nations adopt to some degree Sharia law (Islamic law), and demand compliance to these laws by their citizens. Eventually, these nations will band together under the rule of a Middle Eastern ruler termed by the Bible Anti-Christ. Serious persecution of Christians and Jews in the Middle East and Northern Africa will result. And, it may spread to our own beloved country unless our politicians work hard to keep it out.

7. Look for a peace agreement between Israel and its Islamic neighbors. Daniel 9:27 is clear that this Middle Eastern Leader, Antichrist, will confirm a covenant between Israel and many (probably the Islamic driven nations surrounding Israel) for seven years. When you see that seven year peace treaty affirmed, count seven years from that time and you will experience the Second Coming of Christ! And before that, the rapture of the church to heaven will occur!

It could very well be that the instability we are witnessing right now in the Middle East will be one of the catalysts for a peace agreement to arise and be ratified. Again, watch how Turkey may provide leadership to these nations in the Middle East. Things are falling into place like the pieces of a puzzle.

Jesus return is on the horizon! Before the rapture of the church and during these tumultuous days, there is a prophesied revival that will cover the earth (see Isaiah 60:1-3; Joel 2:28-32)! It’s time to engage God full force. Don’t look back. Don’t look at yourself. Don’t look around. Look up! Your redemption is getting close. Jesus wants to use you to minister life to all around you who walk in darkness. Get into the Word of God. Saturate yourself in it. Get familiar with the Holy Spirit and how He speaks. He wants to use you to set people free from sin, sickness, and all kinds of habits that mar life. The harvest is ripe! The time to act is now!

Here are four books that I highly recommend to you: The Islamic Anti-Christ  by Joel Richardson; God’s War on Terror by Walid Shoebat; Mideast Beast  by Joel Richardson; and The Prewrath Rapture of the Church by Marvin Rosenthal.