HE knows them that trust in HIM!!!

The Lord is always good to me!!!  HE IS THE ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS ME!!!  HE KNOWS MY MIND, and MY HEART!!!



HE KNOWS WHAT MAKES ME TICK!!!  HE KNOWS THE VERY FABRIC OF MY BEING!!!



HE LOVES ME!!!   And to know that HE LOVES ME makes my heart swell with pleasure!!!  And when “the going gets rough,” it comforts me!!!




One morning recently, when I asked THE LORD to speak to me, HE gave me this scripture because HE knew that I was deeply concerned about a certain situation-one that seemed very much beyond my control!!! 

I opened my Bible to Nahum and here is what I read!!!



Nahum 1:2-7 (KJV)


² God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

³ The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

⁴ He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.

⁵ The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

⁶ Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

⁷ The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.



You know, even as I read this passage again, I can hear HIM reassuring me that my enemies are HIS ENEMIES!!!  

This is what The Lord told David about his enemies!!!

Psalm 110:1 (NKJV)

A Psalm of David.

110  The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

God told me a long time ago that I was to be kind to my enemies and treat them right because HE WOULD take care of them for me!!!  And HE gave me this scripture!!! 



Psalm 37:1-3 (NKJV)


A Psalm of David.

37 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.

³ Trust in the Lord, and do good…

I can still remember the day that HE gave me this scripture and the mental image that HE gave me as I preached!!!



I could just see THE LORD cranking up a big old lawn mower!!!  And I knew that “HE WAS GOING TO CUT THE GRASS!!!”

In Psalm 37, God tells us NOT to be upset by or be envious of those who do evil because “they shall soon be cut down like the grass.”
 

Psalm 371 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.

So, as I read in Nahum, I knew that God had indeed once again seen my heart!!! 



Nahum 1 (KJV)


² God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.



And the more I read, the more I knew that HE UNDERSTOOD HOW I FELT!!!  And I knew that HE would take care of those who make themselves to be my enemies!!!!

³ The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

I am so glad that the Lord is slow to anger because that means that ALL of us have time to repent when we do wrong!!!  I know that once we accept Christ as our savior, God no longer calls us the wicked!!!  And that is very good news for ALL of us!!!



It took me a long time to understand that HE IS AT WORK in the storm and yes, even in the whirlwind!!!  And that when we cannot see HIM through the clouds, it is okay!!!  Because even when we cannot see it, HE IS WORKING AND MOVING FOR US!!!

 ⁴ He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers:

Did you know that GOD divided the Red Sea and then caused the East wind to blow all night?  Did you know that the wind dried the land that had been under the red sea, so that HIS CHILDREN would not get their feet muddy???



⁵ The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, …



If God tells the mountains to be removed, then they are removed!  If he says to the hills to become nothing, then indeed they become nothing!!!  Everything on the Earth knows God and awaits HIS command.



⁵  … yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

⁶ Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.


Who is it that can stand against God and win???  They can try, but they cannot succeed!!!  And because I am HIS CHILD, my enemies cannot prevail against me!!!  When I place my trust in HIM, My Father will STAND UP FOR ME!!!!

I know ALL this, but sometimes the fight seems too hard or too long!!!  And yes, sometimes the people seem too evil!!! 




And so when I read Nahum, I knew that God was reassuring me that HE had my back!!!! 



When I saw verse 7, I thought, MY GOD KNOWS THAT I TRUST IN HIM!!!  HE IS MY STRONG HOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



⁷ The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble;
and he knoweth them that trust in him.




MY FATHER KNOWS THAT I TRUST HIM!!! 



And that means the world to me!!!

Thanksgiving!!!

I had NOT intended to write a “Thanksgiving Day” post because Thanksgiving Day is NOT the only time of the year that we need to be thankful!!!   We should be thankful at ALL times!!!



We should know at ALL times that Our Father in Heaven loves us and
has given us HIS VERY BEST-HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON!!!  John 3:16



So, while we are thankful for our family and our friends, and for ALL the things that we have, we need to remember most of ALL to be grateful to Our Father Above for loving us so much!!!  



And we definitely need to tell HIM how thankful we are as often as possible!!!  



You know, even though we may sometimes forget it, Our Father is constantly looking after us!!!   HE IS CONSTANTLY WATCHING OVER US!!!




Just as GOD told His Children in the wilderness, HE tells us today that HE WILL NEVER LEAVE US NOR FORSAKE US!!!  Deut. 31:6

There are many songs and scriptures that tell us to give thanks unto The Lord, but the words from one song have stuck with me over the years.



I will enter HIS gates with THANKSGIVING IN MY HEART!  I will enter HIS courts with praise!



When I looked up these words, I was taken to Psalm 100.



Psalm 100 (NKJV)

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

¹ Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

² Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.

³ Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

⁵ For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

Most of us have so many things to be thankful for!!!  We are so truly blessed!!!




Even as I write this, I know that so many times we are THANKFUL for what God gives us, but we forget sometimes to WORSHIP AND THANK HIM just because of who HE IS!!!

When we were little we would climb up in the lap of the one we loved and we would be so glad to be with them!!! 




Most folks cherish even the memories of those moments!!!  



That is what God wants us to do!!!  



He wants us to climb up into HIS LAP, and snuggle deep into HIS LOVING ARMS so that HE CAN LOVE US AND KEEP US SAFE!!!   And just like any Father would do, HE will wrap HIS arms around us and hold us tightly!!!



HE WANTS US TO REST IN HIS LOVING ARMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!   HE WANTS US TO CHERISH THE MOMENTS THAT WE HAVE WITH HIM!!!




Just as a child reaches up to hold the face of his or her loved one, Our Father in Heaven wants us to reach up and take HIS FACE in our hands.   HE wants us to see who HE IS!!! 



HE WANTS US TO LOVE HIM FOR WHO HE IS-OUR FATHER!!!




IT PLEASES HIM TO SPEND TIME WITH US-TO JUST BE WITH US!!!  IT PLEASES HIM TO BE LOVED BY US-TO BE CHERISHED BY US!!!

HE LOVES US THAT MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



And just as any other Father, HE is pleased to provide for us and to take care of us!!!  



But HE wants us to love HIM because HE is Our Father, not because of what HE can give us!!!

Today, I am thankful that HE has me in the palm of HIS HAND!!!  


Isaiah 49:15-16 (TNIV)

¹⁵ “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
    and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
    I will not forget you!

¹⁶ See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
    your walls are ever before me.

I am so thankful today, that HE IS MY FATHER in HEAVEN!!!  I am thankful that I AM HIS CHILD!!!  I am thankful that I AM SPECIAL IN HIS EYES!!!    

He sees and knows exactly who I am!!!  AND HE LOVES ME!!!!

Healing is the Children’s Bread!!!

Have you ever heard someone say something and wondered if it was in the Bible?

Well, folks say a lot of things and claim that they are in the Bible.   



There are many things that folks say, that really are NOT in the Bible!!!

But other sayings are there, even though the exact words may NOT be there!!! 



What do I mean???

Well, for instance, one of the churches that I attended for years would always say, “Healing is the Children’s Bread!!!” 

Now, that sounds very spiritual!!!   And perhaps godly, but I looked and looked and could NOT find it in the Bible!!!

Then one day I was reading and the Lord said, Here is where they get the saying, Healing is the Children’s Bread!!!  

Matthew 15:21-28 (NKJV)

²¹ Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

²² And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

²³ But He answered her not a word.

And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”

²⁴ But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

²⁵ Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

²⁶ But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

²⁷ And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.




In verse 22, we can see that this woman is asking Jesus to cast the devil out of her daughter!!!! 


²² And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

And finally in verse 26, Jesus replies to her.  



²⁶ But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”



So, Jesus is saying here that Healing and Deliverance are the CHILDREN’S BREAD!!!!  

How Blessed I Am to Dwell in HIS PRESENCE!!!

When I read Psalm 84 the first time the words struck me!!!  They stayed with me!!!  And as I read it again today in the Amplified Bible, I was even more amazed!!!



I must say that I would much rather spend one day with God than to live an eternity without HIM!!!   



I hope that you can say the same!!!



Psalm 84 (AMP)

¹ How lovely are Your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!

² My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God.

³ Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

⁴ Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

⁵ Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

⁶ Passing through the Valley of Weeping (Baca), they make it a place of springs; the early rain also fills [the pools] with blessings.

⁷ They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]; each of them appears before God in Zion.

⁸ O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

⁹ Behold our shield [the king as Your agent], O God, and look upon the face of Your anointed!

¹⁰ For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else]; I would rather be a doorkeeper and stand at the threshold in the house of my God than to dwell [at ease] in the tents of wickedness.

¹¹ For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

¹² O Lord of hosts, blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts in You [leaning and believing on You, committing all and confidently looking to You, and that without fear or misgiving]!




What more is there to say!!!

   

Delight in HIM!!!

I have long since preached that God wants to be involved in ALL aspects; every area of our lives!!!   HE wants to lead and guide us in everything that we do!!!

I know that there are many who say, “You shouldn’t bother God with the things that you can do” or “Don’t bother HIM with the small stuff!!!”

To you who believe that, I say, “NONSENSE!!”

And I will tell you what Kenneth Copeland said many years ago about this same thing!!!  THE ONLY THING THAT BOTHERS GOD IS YOUR UNBELIEF!!! 



Well, I am here to tell you, “THAT IS A LIE FROM THE PITS OF HELL!!!  NOT ONLY THAT, BUT IT IS UTTER NONSENSE!!!”  “YOU NEED TO QUIT LISTENING TO THE DEVIL!!!”



What you are really saying is that God doesn’t truly care about us!!!



Or could it be that you think so little of yourself that you don’t know how much God loves you????  



Do you NOT know that God wants to walk hand in hand with us?   HE wants us to place our hand in HIS, and say, I want to walk with you, Abba Father!!!  Please help me!!!  Please lead me!!!  I trust YOU!!! 

Did you know that Adam walked with God in the garden???


Genesis 3:8-10 (NKJV)

⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

⁹ Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

¹⁰ So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

Did you know that God made clothes for Adam and Eve?  That is how much HE CARED!


Genesis 3:21 (NKJV) Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.



God truly loves ALL HIS KIDS and that includes you and me!!!



Did you know that God knows how many hairs you have on your head???  And HE knows when the little bird falls from its nest!!!


Matthew 10:29-30 (CEV)

²⁹ Aren’t two sparrows sold for only a penny? But your Father knows when any one of them falls to the ground.

³⁰  Even the hairs on your head are counted.


There is nothing too small for God!!!  HE IS OUR FATHER and HE CARES ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT CONCERN US!!!   



GOD will help you find your keys, your shades, and yes, even your cell phone!!!    



HE will help you do the plumbing, or change your transmission fluid!!! 



HE will help you pay the bills and HE WILL GLADLY HELP YOU GET OUT OF DEBT (if you listen and do as HE tells you!!!)



HE will tell you when to leave your phone in the other room because that person is going to call in the middle of the night or early the next morning when you have been up ALL night!!!



MY HEAVENLY FATHER LOVES ME SO MUCH AND I LOVE HIM MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF!!!  I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT HIM AND I WOULDN’T WANT TO!!!!



I can’t speak for anyone else, but I do NOT want to have to do anything on my own!!!  I WANT GOD TO BE IN EVERY PART OF MY LIFE!!!!



THE WORD tells us that if we delight ourselves in THE LORD, HE will delight in us and HE will give us the desires of our heart!!!

Psalm 37:3-4 (NKJV)

³ Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

⁴ Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Teach me Your Ways, O LORD!!

As I went to pick up my Bible today, I saw this scripture!!!


Psalm 86:11 (KJV) Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.



I thought, Wow!!!  What an awesome scripture!!!



So, as a friend and I were talking, I shared this scripture with her!!!

Of course, I was reading out of the KJV, and my friend said that she would look it up in the New Living Translation (NLT) when she got home!!!  That is what she reads!!!



Since I had my phone, I looked up this scripture in that version and I was even more wowed!!!

Here is what Psalm 86:11 says in the NLT!!!


Psalm 86:11 (NLT) Teach me your ways, O Lord,
    that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.

I must admit that the way the writers worded this scripture is truly beautiful!!!

GOD IS SO GOOD TO ME!!! 


I know that it shouldn’t amaze me that HE IS SO WONDERFUL!!!!  But the abundance of HIS LOVE for us and how HE shows us so much MERCY AND GRACE does amaze me!!!



And so today, this is my prayer!!! 

Walk with me ALL day today, LORD!!!  Be with me every moment!!!  Lead me and guide!!!  Pull me up short if necessary!!! 


“Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.” 

God Rules the Raging Sea!!

Do you ever read a scripture and realize that even though you have read it before, you missed something?

That happened to me last night!!!


I wanted to read for a bit before I went to sleep and my Bible was already open to Psalm 89, so I started reading it again!!!  And this is what I saw.


Psalm 89:9 (KJV) Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.

The raging sea!!!  Wow!!!  Just those very words make me think of huge waves and high winds raging against a small boat trying to capsize it!!! 



And indeed, the sea will rage, but God and ONLY GOD can calm the sea!!! 


Matthew 8:23-27 (AMP)

²³ And after He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.

²⁴ And suddenly, behold, there arose a violent storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; but He was sleeping.

²⁵ And they went and awakened Him, saying, Lord, rescue and preserve us! We are perishing!

²⁶ And He said to them, Why are you timid and afraid, O you of little faith? Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great and wonderful calm (a perfect peaceableness).

²⁷ And the men were stunned with bewildered wonder and marveled, saying, What kind of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!



When Jesus spoke, the sea, the winds and the storm obeyed HIM!!! 


Mark 4:36-41 (CEB)

³⁶ They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along.

³⁷ Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped.

³⁸ But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?”

³⁹ He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, “Silence! Be still!” The wind settled down and there was a great calm.

⁴⁰ Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?”

⁴¹ Overcome with awe, they said to each other, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

Did you notice what Jesus was doing as the storm raged??


HE WAS SLEEPING!!!

That is what we need to do when the storms of life rage!!!  When we trust in God and don’t let our circumstances effect us, then we HAVE PEACE and even lay our head down and rest!!!  We can sleep PEACEFULLY while the storms rage!!!



This is one of my favorite verses because I know that if Jesus spoke to the storm, I can, too!!! 


Mark 4:39 (NKJV) Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.



PEACE!!!  BE STILL!!!

We need to speak PEACE over our lives because God has given us NOT ONLY power, but authority over ALL the powers of the enemy!!!


Luke 10:19 (AMP) Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.



Did you know that God tells us in HIS WORD that we can do greater things than Jesus did???


John 14:12 (NKJV) “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

HE Rebuked Kings For Their Sakes!!!

The other day God showed me several things in HIS WORD!!!  I had written about part of what HE had shown me, but I had forgotten about the other!!! 


Psalm 105 kept coming back to my mind, so I reread it!!!  And God reminded me of something that HE had already shown me in His Word!!!  I wanted to share it with you!!

Psalm 105:1-15 (NKJV)

 

105 Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!


Do you know that magnifying God and giving HIM praise is NOT the same as giving THANKS to HIM??? 


Many times, we say, “God, you are wonderful and mighty!!  You are glorious and full of power,” but we don’t say, “Thank You, Lord!!!” 


In this Psalm, we are reminded that we should NOT only give THANKS TO THE LORD, but we should call upon his name!!!  As the New Century Version says, We should pray to HIM!!! 


Then verse 1 tells us to “Make known His deeds among the peoples!”  That means that we should tell everyone how good HE is to us and what ALL HE has done for us!!!


 
² Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!


We are to sing unto the Lord and worship HIM; sing praises to HIM.  And again it tells us to tell of ALL HIS WONDROUS WORKS; HIS GOOD DEEDS!!!



³ Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!


We are to give honor and magnify HIS GREAT NAME!!!  Our hearts should be merry and joyful because the Lord is OUR GOD: OUR SAVIOR; OUR DELIVER; OUR PROVIDER!!!  Therefore we rejoice in knowing HIM!!!



⁴ Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!


We ask HIM to strengthen us!!!  We seek HIS FACE which is HIS GOOD PLEASURE; HIS APPROVAL!!!  For if God is pleased with us then nothing else matters!!!  Seeking HIS Face and NOT HIS Hands means that we are NOT seeking HIM for what HE can do for us, but what we can do to please HIM!!!



⁵ Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,


When times of trouble come, or things look bleak, we are to remind ourselves of ALL that HE HAS DONE for us and how HE HAS BROUGHT US OUT in times past!!!  In doing so, we have encouraged ourselves in The LORD and given ourselves hope!!!



⁶ O seed of Abraham His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!


Not only is God speaking to us, but this psalm was originally written to the children of Israel!!!



⁷ He is the Lord our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.


THE LORD; HE IS OUR GOD AND HE HAS SHOWN HIMSELF MIGHTY IN ALL THE EARTH!!!  HE HAS SHOWN HIMSELF MIGHTY TO ISRAEL AND TO ALL THOSE AROUND!!!



⁸ He remembers His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,


HE WILL NOT FORGET HIS PROMISES!!!  NO!!!! NEVER!!!  It doesn’t matter how much time has passed!!!



⁹ The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,


God made a covenant with Abraham TO GIVE ABRAHAM AND ALL HIS DESCENDANTS THE PROMISED LAND; A LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY!!!!  This covenant was a divine agreement between Abraham and God, and GOD WILL NEVER FORGET THAT AGREEMENT!!!!



¹⁰ And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,

¹¹ Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance,”


GOD has shown Jacob that HE HAS NOT FORGOTTEN HIS EVERLASTING COVENANT to give the seed of Abraham the promised land!!! 



¹² When they were few in number,
Indeed very few, and strangers in it.

¹³ When they went from one nation to another,
From one kingdom to another people,


God promised Israel this land long ago when they were only a small nation and before they even came and took the land!!!  Even as they traveled through the wilderness to this LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, God reassured them of HIS PROMISE!!!  



¹⁴ He permitted no one to do them wrong;
Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes,

¹⁵ Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm.”



This is the promise that God made to Abraham and his descendants!!!


Genesis 12:1-7 (NKJV)

12 Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.

² I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.

³ I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

⁴ So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

⁵ Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.

⁶ Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.

⁷ Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

God was with Abraham as he continued on his journey to the land of Egypt. 
And when Pharaoh desired to make Sarah his wife, God caused great plagues to come upon the land!!!


Genesis 12:14-17 (NKJV)

¹⁴ So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful.

¹⁵ The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house.

¹⁶ He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

¹⁷ But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

When Jacob and his sons left the place where they had dwelt and traveled home to Canaan, God cause ALL those around them to fear greatly!!! 


Genesis 35:5 (NKJV) And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.



GOD drowned the Egyptians in the Red Sea when they pursued His Children, Israel!!! 


Exodus 14:13-14, 26-30 (NKJV)

¹³ And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.

¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”


²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.”

²⁷ And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

²⁸ Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained.

²⁹ But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

³⁰ So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.



GOD made the walls of Jericho to crumble before them!!!  He gave Israel victory in battle after battle and the fear of them fell upon the land because of their great GOD!!!



GOD ISN’T DEAD AND HE HASN’T GONE TO SLEEP!!! 


HE WILL COME TO RESCUE HIS PEOPLE AGAIN!!! 


HE WILL STAND UP FOR ISRAEL AND HE WILL SAVE THEM!!!


AND ALL NATIONS WILL KNOW THAT HE IS THE GOD OF ISRAEL!!! 

Love and Hate

Have you ever read the book of Esther???  



Have you heard how Esther, a Jewess, became Queen of all the land from India to Ethiopia (now known as Cush?)

If not, it is well worth the read.  It is a book of intrigue and passion, of love and hate.



And yes, ALL this is in the Bible!!!



Let’s look at what happened while Esther was Queen.


Esther 3:1-6 (CEV)

¹ Later, King Xerxes promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha to the highest position in his kingdom. Haman was a descendant of Agag,

² and the king had given orders for his officials at the royal gate to honor Haman by kneeling down to him. All of them obeyed except Mordecai.

³ When the other officials asked Mordecai why he disobeyed the king’s command,

⁴ he said, “Because I am a Jew.” They spoke to him for several days about kneeling down, but he still refused to obey. Finally, they reported this to Haman, to find out if he would let Mordecai get away with it.

⁵ Haman was furious to learn that Mordecai refused to kneel down and honor him.

⁶ And when he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, he knew that killing only Mordecai was not enough. Every Jew in the whole kingdom had to be killed.



Have you ever noticed that some folks seem to hate anyone who serves God?  And sometimes they have no idea why!!!  God has chosen people everywhere!!! 



Be careful who you hate!! 



I know that some would say, “Why wouldn’t Mordecai bow down to this man?”



That is simple!  Jews do NOT bow to anyone or anything, but The Lord God Almighty!!!  Therefore, Mordecai would NOT even consider bowing to Haman. 



So, Haman schemed and came up with a plan to avenge his wounded pride, and in doing so he planned to destroy NOT just one man, but a whole people!!!!  


Esther 3:8-12 (NCV)

⁸ Then Haman said to King Xerxes, "There is a certain group of people scattered among the other people in all the states of your kingdom. Their customs are different from those of all the other people, and they do not obey the king's laws. It is not right for you to allow them to continue living in your kingdom.

⁹ If it pleases the king, let an order be given to destroy those people. Then I will pay seven hundred fifty thousand pounds of silver to those who do the king's business, and they will put it into the royal treasury."

¹⁰ So the king took his signet ring off and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jewish people.

¹¹ Then the king said to Haman, "The money and the people are yours. Do with them as you please."

¹² On the thirteenth day of the first month, the royal secretaries were called, and they wrote out all of Haman's orders. They wrote to the king's governors and to the captains of the soldiers in each state and to the important men of each group of people. The orders were written in the writing of each state and in the language of each people. They were written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with his signet ring.



How can anyone hate another person so much?  And yet they do!!!  Even in our world today!!!  Look at Iran today.  Iran hates Israel!!!  And they want to see Israel wiped from the face of the earth. 



Look at radical Muslims.  They hate Christian and Jews alike.  Some people hate us because we are Americans!!!



And yet God loves ALL of these people and wants to see them ALL saved!!!




We find that the Jews were to be wiped from the face of the earth on the day scheduled by Haman. 



Esther 3:13-14 (NCV)

¹³ Letters were sent by messengers to all the king's empire ordering them to destroy, kill, and completely wipe out all the Jewish people. That meant young and old, women and little children, too. It was to happen on a single day—the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which was Adar. And they could take everything the Jewish people owned.

¹⁴ A copy of the order was given out as a law in every state so all the people would be ready for that day.

When Haman made his plan he had no idea, that Queen Esther, was one of God’s chosen people!!! 



Esther 4:5-13 (NCV)
 

⁵ Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was.

⁶ So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square that was in front of the king’s gate.

⁷ And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries to destroy the Jews.

⁸ He also gave him a copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and that he might command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people.

⁹ So Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai.

¹⁰ Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai:

¹¹ “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.”

¹² So they told Mordecai Esther’s words.

¹³ And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews.

The words, “FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS” ring out in my heart!!!

Esther 4:14-17 (NCV)

¹⁴  For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

¹⁵ Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai:

¹⁶ “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”

¹⁷ So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him.



As we can see, God gave Esther great favor with the King!! 


Esther 5:1-4 (NCV)

¹ On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner courtyard of the king's palace, facing the king's hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the doorway.

² When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, he was pleased. He held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand, so Esther went forward and touched the end of it.

³ The king asked, "What is it, Queen Esther? What do you want to ask me? I will give you as much as half of my kingdom."

⁴ Esther answered, "My king, if it pleases you, come today with Haman to a banquet that I have prepared for you."

Haman’s hatred was so fierce towards Mordecai that he could NOT be content to know that the Jews were to be destroyed.  Nor could he just be happy to have been honored to eat with the king and queen. 



Esther 5:9-14 (NCV)

⁹ Haman left the king's palace that day happy and content. But when he saw Mordecai at the king's gate and saw that Mordecai did not stand up or tremble with fear before him, Haman became very angry with Mordecai.

¹⁰ But he controlled his anger and went home.

   Then Haman called together his friends and his wife, Zeresh.

¹¹ He told them how wealthy he was and how many sons he had. He also told them all the ways the king had honored him and how the king had placed him higher than his important men and his royal officers.

¹² He also said, "I'm the only person Queen Esther invited to come with the king to the banquet she gave. And tomorrow also the queen has asked me to be her guest with the king.

¹³ But all this does not really make me happy when I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king's gate."

¹⁴ Then Haman's wife, Zeresh, and all his friends said, "Have a seventy-five foot platform built, and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go to the banquet with the king and be happy." Haman liked this suggestion, so he ordered the platform to be built.

As always, God intervenes for HIS CHOSEN ONES!!! 


Esther 6:1-2 (NCV)

¹ That same night the king could not sleep. So he gave an order for the daily court record to be brought in and read to him.

² It was found recorded that Mordecai had warned the king about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway and who had planned to kill the king.

And if you don’t think that God has a sense of humor read these next 2 verses!!!  God turns the tables on Haman and makes him look the fool or so it seems to Haman, himself!!! 



Esther 6:10-11 (NCV)

¹⁰ The king commanded Haman, "Go quickly. Take the robe and the horse just as you have said, and do all this for Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king's gate. Do not leave out anything you have suggested."

¹¹ So Haman took the robe and the horse, and he put the robe on Mordecai. Then he led him on horseback through the city streets, announcing before Mordecai: "This is what is done for the man whom the king wants to honor!"

And as he comes home and begins to complain to his wife and friends about what happened to him that day, he is rushed off to the banquet that unbeknownst to him is to be his last supper!!


Esther 7:1-10 (NCV)

 ¹ So the king and Haman went in to eat with Queen Esther.

 ² As they were drinking wine on the second day, the king asked Esther again, "What are you asking for? I will give it to you. What is it you want? I will give you as much as half of my kingdom."

 ³ Then Queen Esther answered, "My king, if you are pleased with me, and if it pleases you, let me live. This is what I ask. And let my people live, too. This is what I want.

⁴ My people and I have been sold to be destroyed, to be killed and completely wiped out. If we had been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because that would not be enough of a problem to bother the king."

 ⁵ Then King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he? Who has done such a thing?"

 ⁶ Esther said, "Our enemy and foe is this wicked Haman!"
  
Then Haman was filled with terror before the king and queen.

 ⁷ The king was very angry, so he got up, left his wine, and went out into the palace garden. But Haman stayed inside to beg Queen Esther to save his life. He could see that the king had already decided to kill him.

 ⁸ When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, he saw Haman falling on the couch where Esther was lying. The king said, "Will he even attack the queen while I am in the house?"
  
As soon as the king said that, servants came in and covered Haman's face.

 ⁹ Harbona, one of the eunuchs there serving the king, said, "Look, a seventy-five foot platform stands near Haman's house. This is the one Haman had prepared for Mordecai, who gave the warning that saved the king."
  
The king said, "Hang Haman on it!"

 ¹⁰ So they hanged Haman on the platform he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king was not so angry anymore.

As we can see, God gave NOT only great favor to Queen Esther, but also the wisdom to know what to say to the king, so that he would spare her and ALL of her people (God’s people.)



Esther 8:1-2 (NCV)

¹ That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther everything Haman, the enemy of the Jewish people, had left when he died. And Mordecai came in to see the king, because Esther had told the king how he was related to her.

² Then the king took off his signet ring that he had taken back from Haman, and he gave it to Mordecai. Esther put Mordecai in charge of everything Haman left when he died.

Now, that is NOT the end of the story, even though it was indeed the end of Haman, the man who chose to make himself the enemy of God people!!!



Esther 8:3-12 (NCV)

 ³ Once again Esther spoke to the king. She fell at the king's feet and cried and begged him to stop the evil plan that Haman the Agagite had planned against the Jews.

 ⁴ The king held out the gold scepter to Esther. So Esther got up and stood in front of him.

 ⁵ She said, "My king, if you are pleased with me, and if it pleases you to do this, if you think it is the right thing to do, and if you are happy with me, let an order be written to cancel the letters Haman wrote. Haman the Agagite sent messages to destroy all the Jewish people in all of your kingdom.

 ⁶ I could not stand to see that terrible thing happen to my people. I could not stand to see my family killed."

 ⁷ King Xerxes answered Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, "Because Haman was against the Jewish people, I have given his things to Esther, and my soldiers have hanged him.

 ⁸ Now, in the king's name, write another order to the Jewish people as it seems best to you. Then seal the order with the king's signet ring, because no letter written in the king's name and sealed with his signet ring can be canceled."

  ⁹ At that time the king's secretaries were called. This was the twenty-third day of the third month, which is Sivan. The secretaries wrote out all of Mordecai's orders to the Jews, to the governors, to the captains of the soldiers in each state, and to the important men of the one hundred twenty-seven states that reached from India to Cush. They wrote in the writing of each state and in the language of each people. They also wrote to the Jewish people in their own writing and language.

 ¹⁰ Mordecai wrote orders in the name of King Xerxes and sealed the letters with the king's signet ring. Then he sent the king's orders by messengers on fast horses, horses that were raised just for the king.

 ¹¹ These were the king's orders: The Jewish people in every city have the right to gather together to protect themselves. They may destroy, kill, and completely wipe out the army of any state or people who attack them. And they are to do the same to the women and children of that army. They may also take by force the property of their enemies.

 ¹² The one day set for the Jewish people to do this in all the empire of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.



God saved HIS PEOPLE from being killed and even allowed them to NOT only fight anyone who came against them, but to take the property of their enemies!!! 



Esther 8:13-16 (NKJV)

¹³ A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

¹⁴ The couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in Shushan the citadel.

¹⁵ So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.

¹⁶ The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor.




As I read this last verse today, I was overwhelmed (even as I am now) with the feelings of LOVE that GOD HAS FOR HIS PEOPLE!!! 



Esther 8:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ And in every province and city, wherever the king’s command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them.

And I can feel and hear the Lord saying, “I will rescue my people!!!”




GOD HAS DONE IT BEFORE AND HE WILL DO IT AGAIN!!!



So, be careful who you hate!!!  



And what you plan against others!!!



And to Iran I say, “Look out, because just as Haman built the gallows that he was hung upon, so are you planning your own demise!!!”




As it says in Joshua 24:15, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!!!” 



WE WILL STAND WITH ISRAEL!!!  AND WE WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF HE LORD!!!