Psalm 18 ~ the Word of the Lord proves true

Psalm 18

I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16 He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

20 The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24 So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26 with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27 For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28 For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
29 For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

31 For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?—

32 the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.

36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.

37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

43 You delivered me from strife with the people;
you made me the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45 Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.

46 The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
47 the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me,
48 who delivered me from my enemies;
yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you rescued me from the man of violence.

49 For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing to your name.
50 Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.

George Carlin used to say, in the seventies, "God can throw a boat right over a hedge."

God would agree.

20 For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.





Excavations to Jericho ~ 
At the north end, a portion of the mud brick wall atop the stone retaining wall survived, demonstrating  the city wall did not fall in this area. Nothing remains of the mud brick city wall at other points investigated, showing that it had collapsed everywhere else.


Remnants of the collapsed city wall were actually found still in place in three places at Jericho. According to the Bible, Rahab’s house was incorporated into the fortification system (Jos 2:15). If the walls fell, how was her house spared? As you recall, the spies instructed Rahab to bring her family into her house and they would be rescued. When the Israelites stormed the city, Rahab and her family were saved as promised (Jos 6:17, 22–23). At the north end of the tell of Jericho, archaeologists made some astounding discoveries that seem to relate to Rahab. A portion of that mudbrick wall was still standing to a height of 8 ft. What is more, there were houses built against the wall! It is quite possible that this is where Rahab’s house was located.

 


We have learned of battles in the middle of the night where troops turned on themselves and went home. We know of Biblical prophecies fulfilled. Mostly this is people hearing in faith and walking in faith. Like Moses with his hands held up high for the battle. 2 Samuel 5 has David listening to the wind to hear when God is with him.

 


Eliat Miazar found David's Palace by looking for the Biblical directions. She found the clue, David built outside of the city walls - trusting God to protect him more than walls a troop can climb. 







Amazing Miracles During Time of War -

by Perry Stone
  
Astonishing miracles  have occurred in previous warsIsrael has fought. 

Many of the incidents are equal to the miracles we read about in the Bible. 

 Edmund “The Bull” Allenby
In 1917, the Egyptian Expeditionary Forces were moving across the Sinai Desert, headed toward Israel and Jerusalem. Edmund “The Bull” Allenby was the Christian General directing the army.

After arriving in Israel, Allenby was concerned about bloodshed in the Holy City of Jerusalem. After prayer, he read in his Bible the following passage:

“For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.

“As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.”
- Isaiah 31:4-5

Allenby noticed the prophecy alluded to a lion. Being from England, the General knew the emblem of the British Empire was a lion. Isaiah predicted God would fight for Zion (Jerusalem) as a lion. 

He then observed how the battle would be won... by birds flying.
Allenby decided to fly small scout planes over Jerusalem and drop notes in the Turkish language instructing the Turks to surrender Jerusalem. Having never seen an airplane, many of the Turks became fearful. After reading the pieces of paper dropping from the planes, the demand was to surrender Jerusalem. It was signed Allenby. In Arabic, the phrase Allah Nebi (similar to Allenby) means God’s Prophet. Needless to say, the Turks gave up Jerusalem without firing a shot and the British took control of the Holy City in 1917, where they occupied it until 1948.



The Battle of Netanyahu in 1948
When Israel was restored as a nation on May 15th, 1948, they were virtually unarmed. As a nation they owned five machine guns with about fifteen rounds of ammunition. They owned one mortar shell, and one tank. The surrounding Arab nations gave Israel one week to exist.

Between Tel-Aviv and Haifa the battle of Netanyahu occurred. The attack was planned by the Arabs to begin eight days after Israel’s proclaimed independence. However the Israelis’ had an idea that would be a trick, but it might work. On May 23rd, 1948, at midnight, the men, women and children lined cars, trucks, taxis, and anything they could find with an engine, side by side along the beach. They removed the exhaust pipes from all the vehicles.

At the same time another group took a number of large oil drums, put rocks in them and placed them at the top of the hill. At a given signal the engines were started and the drums were rolled down the hills. Early in the morning, the Arabs were awakened in the distance by a loud blasting and rumbling sound that filled the entire area. They were unable to see where the noise was coming from. The Arabs thought America had brought in Sherman Tanks. The entire Arab army of men fled, leaving behind a large chase of artillery.

 


The Battle of Bethshean
The Jews had no weapons to fight with. Then someone had an idea to trick the Arabs into giving up the city. A truck carrying metal pipes had wrecked. There were also a number of old wagons in the area. The Jewish men took the wagon wheels, and laid the metal pipes between them, forming what appeared to be cannons. In all, twenty fake cannons were created from the pipes and wheels.

That night they set the fake cannons around the city. In their possession they had two mortars. The next morning they called into the city demanding the Arabs to give up the city or suffer destruction. The Arab leader laughed and the Jews shot a mortar into the city. The Jewish leader then told the Arab leader that he was surrounded by new cannons. A second mortar was fired from the opposite side and the Arabs, fearing the consequences the Arabs surrendered the city.



God has said that the righteous are protected, when the wicked want wickedness and will believe delusion.  God protects His believers Psalm 116.


2 Thessalonians 2
11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Romans 1:28
Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

Proverbs 1:7,22,29
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge






After the Battle of Monongahela, George Washington wrote from Fort Cumberland to his younger brother, John Augustine Washington, July 18, 1755:

“But by the All-Powerful Dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me!”


The United States and President Washington had another miraculous escape:


Marching all night long, Red Coats made a surprise attack on the Continental Army from behind on Aug. 27, 1776. An estimated 3,000 Americans were killed or wounded compared to only 392 British casualties.

General Washington watched 400 soldiers of the First Maryland Regiment charge six times directly into the British lines, allowing the rest of the Continental Army to find cover, he exclaimed: “Good God, what brave fellows I have lost this day.”

British General Howe trapped the American troops on Brooklyn Heights with their backs against the sea. That night, Washington made the desperate decision to evacuate his entire army by ferrying it across the East River to Manhattan Island.

The sea was tumultuous where the British ships were, but with amazing good fortune, calm in the East River allowing Washington’s boats to transport troops, horses and cannons. The next morning, as the sun began to rise, half of the America troops were still in danger, but a “miraculously” thick fog lingered, blocking the evacuation from being seen by the British.

Major Ben Tallmadge, Washington’s Chief of Intelligence, wrote: “As the dawn of the next day approached, those of us who remained in the trenches became very anxious for our own safety, and when the dawn appeared there were several regiments still on duty. At this time a very dense fog began to rise off the river, and it seemed to settle in a peculiar manner over both encampments. I recollect this peculiar providential occurrence perfectly well, and so very dense was the atmosphere that I could scarcely discern a man at six yards distance. … We tarried until the sun had risen, but the fog remained as dense as ever.”

General Washington was on the last boat that left. Had the Americans not been hidden, they would have been captured and Washington would have been hung.



The Ship with Paper Missiles
The year was 1956. Israel had been a modern nation for eight years, surrounded by hostile enemies who were planning wars to destroy the Jewish state. The navy of Israel was for all purposes, almost non existent. The main enemy of Israel was the Egyptians, under the leadership of President Nasser. The Egyptians had several battleships and Nasser gave orders to move one of the large ships toward Haifa, in Israel.

The Israelis had one beat-up hull of a ship. They immediately painted it and put huge paper Mache missiles on the deck. When the Egyptian ship arrived, the Israeli’s sent a smaller boat out to meet it and warned them they had a new ship with very large missiles pointed at the Egyptians. The orders were given for the Egyptians to surrender immediately, or be destroyed. Oddly enough, the Egyptians surrendered their battleship, to a hull with fake missiles!

The Miracle of the 67 War
Numerous miracles were reported during the famous 1967 war. One such story involved a Catholic journalist who was reporting on the front lines during the war. Ernie Miller had personally met this man in Baton Rouge, LA. The journalist was reporting from the Sinai Desert during the 1967 war. The battle had become very intense and there were numerous casualties. At one point an Israeli soldier was rushed into the medical tent, where the journalist was wiring front line information.

The journalist observed that the soldier was severely wounded. In fact he had been shot in the intestinal area, and his intestines were hanging from his body. He knew it was only a matter of time until the man would die. Yet, the man, who was fully conscience, began praying and saying the various names of God in the Hebrew language. As he prayed he began to talk about God’s ability to heal him and to defeat the enemy armies. To the journalist amazement, the man suddenly screamed, and jumped up from the cot. His intestines were back inside his body and the entire area was healed! The man was jumping and screaming, and ran out of the tent praising God.

The journalist told Ernie, “I am a Catholic and I am suppose to believe in miracles but had never seen one. That day, I saw one with my own eyes that was a true miracle!”
These amazing stories clearly demonstrate that the “Battle belongs to the Lord!”

As America fights a war on terrorism around the world, we should be in prayer that God will demonstrate his supernatural power to protect, and defend our young men and women who are risking their lives for the sake of our freedom.

The God of the Bible is a God of miracles and He still manifests His power today!
Remember, your greatest secret weapon is faith in God and prayer, and your greatest gift is the ability to use wisdom to your advantage. Many of the battles won by Israel have been a result of outwitting the enemy.

Note: One of the most important Psalms in the Bible is the 91st Psalm. It would be well to copy this Psalm and place it somewhere in a pocket or in an area where it would be on you at all times. Remember, hundreds of thousands of Americans and Jews and Christians from around the world are praying for your safety and your safe return! A thousand shall fall by your side and ten thousands at your right hand, but it will not come near to you (Psalms 91).

God bless us - having eyes of faith toward HIM.

Philippians 2:13
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him




Out of the Depths: A WWII Vet's Miracle of Survival
09-08-2014
Mark Martin

And that brings us to July 30, 1945.
A Japanese submarine spotted the Indianapolis in the Philippine sea and fired a spread of torpedoes.

Two hit their mark and in less than 15 minutes, the ship went down.

Around 900 of the nearly 1,200-man crew who survived the initial attack found themselves oil-soaked, many with injuries, and clinging to kapok life jackets in the shark-infested waters.

"I thought of mom and dad back home; I thought of six younger brothers, an older sister and a younger sister, and I thought of this certain brunette that said that she would wait for me," Harrell recalled. "And I told the Lord, 'I don't want to die; I want to live!'"

Harrell, who was 20 at the time, said he began to think of scriptures.

"'I'll never leave you nor forsake you,'" Harrell quoted from the Bible. "Seemingly that came to mind, no audible voice, but I knew that the Lord was speaking to me. 'Lord, You're speaking to my heart. I'm going to make it.' Well, I didn't know I'm [sic] going to be out there four and a half days."

Four and a half days of unbelievable horror. No food; no water; and yet surrounded by water in all directions, along with sharks.

He said shipmates, who not in their right mind either because they were injured or because they drank salt water, began to hallucinate.

"He leaves the group," Harrell said, referencing a shipmate. "And he gets out 50 to 75 yards, and you hear a blood curdling scream, and you see that kapok go under. And then like a fish cork, then that kapok brings that body back up. But by now all the blood and more, more sharks, more fins, and they are kind of fighting over what was there."

Despite witnessing scenes like that, Harrell refused to give up hope.

He believes God directed him and several of his buddies to a crate of rotten potatoes. The "hearts" of the potatoes were still edible.

He also believes God sent a small rain cloud one day to provide desperately needed water.

"So what do you do? 'Thank You, Lord! Thank You, Lord! Thank You!' And that little rain cloud comes over; you get a few drops, maybe a few tablespoons full of water," Harrell explained.

Miraculous 'Angel'

The brutal conditions took their toll. The number of sailors and Marines dwindled down to a little more than 300.

Finally, a plane flew over the area low to the water -- a miracle because the pilot, Lt. Wilbur Gwinn, wasn't looking for the survivors. He didn't even know they were missing -- no one did.

"Lt. Gwinn goes aft; he opens the Bombay door, and in just a flash, he looks down at the ocean below, and what he saw was an oil slick," Harrell said.

Flying even lower, Gwinn, who they called "Angel," saw debris, sharks, and sharks attacking survivors.

He radioed for help, and eventually, 317 crew members of the USS Indianapolis were pulled from the water.

Harrell spent months in hospitals, recovering. After everything he went through, it's easy to see why Harrell is a decorated Marine. He was even awarded The Purple Heart.

A letter dated August 13, 1945, reads: "The Purple Heart is awarded by the medical officer in command to Edgar Alvin Harrell for wounds received in action against an enemy of the United States on July 30, 1945."

Out of the Depths

Harrell went on to marry Ola, the brunette who waited for him.

Only 36 survivors of the worst Navy disaster in the history of the United States, the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, are still alive.

Harrell shares his story of God's providence at schools and churches. He calls it a ministry.

He and his son, David, also chronicled the unforgettable story in a new book, Out of the Depths.

"There's not a day that goes by, many, many times a day, I just look up and say, 'Thank, You Lord!'" Harrell exclaimed. 



Today St. Patrick is remembered for volunteering to return to Ireland after escaping slavery. To know he understood the Irish and will bring Jesus Christ to the people he had come to love. To drive out the snakes, the druids,  who poisoned the people with false doctrines of  human sacrifice. Bringing the hope and freedom of the knowledge and love of Father God.





Father God,
You are with us all daily.

You answer prayers. Jesus was told in the Garden of Gethsemane - God's Plan would continue.

In faith we see, You answer prayers, "Yes, wait, no, later." Let Your Good Will be accomplished. For Your Plan is for a Hope and a Future - with faith, hope and Love. Joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Encouragement, justice with mercy, humility to Father God.

We lift all our cares to You, praying with Jesus as our Savior and asking in His Name. Your will be done for us, our loved ones, the People You give us and this Nation. Your plan is to save the world through Jesus Christ. Your mercy and Love are unfailing. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

2 Timothy 2 ~ be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men

 

 

2 Timothy 2

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is trustworthy, for:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.


14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.

15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. 19 But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,”
and,
“Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use,  set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.

24 And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.



Every morning, with prayer 3 portions of Scripture are chosen. This morning 2nd Timothy Chapter 2 was chosen. Which was a lovely God incidence, when we went to Morning Prayer, one of the Readings was 2 Timothy 3 and the Morning's Sermon was chosen from 2 Timothy 1.


The Lord knows these God incidences are His and really delight me for weeks to remember God moves in our lives.


Our sermon was marvelous. Fr. Brian White did the Sermon and he asked us to remember someone in our lives who had increased our faith. Who had given us Truth to be entrusted with a believing faith in Jesus Christ. We did and we went around the room offering names of people who had flamed faith into fire. Brian went on to say the looks on all of our faces was a joy to see us recall these people Father God had brought us.

My father in law would have named his grandmother. She told him she was going to Heaven and he was going to find Jesus is real so he would be part of her Heaven. This one event when he was 11 changed his life by Jesus for all eternity.


All of the people we named are athletes for Jesus Christ. And when Jesus is proclaimed from the heart - the Eternal Victory is Achieved.


Thank You, Father God, in Jesus Christ. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Hebrews 13 ~ Let brotherly love continue.

Hebrews 13

1 Let brotherly love continue. 

The Word of God records the fellowship of the Disciples and the Family of Jesus Continues.


2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 

Paul certainly records with Luke that angel visitations happened.  Even in Prison, Jesus was there to lead, comfort and guide and heal.



3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.

4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 

Peter was not un-married, nor did Jesus ever ask him to be single. The men and sisters-in-law of Jesus all traveled to bring the Good News.



5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?” 

Jesus was seen to be the Love and the Promises. The Word of Life.




7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 

Paul wanted Governor Felix to know Jesus. Felix was to suffer the loss of his family when Pompeii was destroyed. Paul's gift of Jesus is lasting.



9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 

The least popular teaching of Jesus was to eat His Body and drink His Blood. Today we rely upon the Grace of Jesus in Communion. His Disciples bravely continued in what Jesus had told them to teach.




11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 

Jesus changes lives. The men hid and then with multitudes, praised the Eternal Victory of Jesus.




14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 

The House of Jesus has many rooms.




15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. 

Thank You, Father God for the Love Jesus has for us today.






17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Beloved, let us love one another for Love is of God. This is the Commandment of Jesus.






18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Father, help us to live the way, the truth, the Life Jesus wants for us. Amen.




20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead 
our Lord Jesus, 
the great shepherd of the sheep,
by the blood of the eternal covenant, 
21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, 
working in us [you] that which is pleasing in his sight,
 through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.


2 Corinthians 1:20
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.



22 I appeal to you, brothers, [brothers and sisters] hear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23 You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon.

24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. 25 Grace be with all of you.



Amazing things … Paul believed and wrote about. His promises were all complete even after Jesus Christ returned to Heaven. Paul believes the same things that happened to Abraham 2-3,000 years ago,  still occurs.


Some of the most important points in this chapter - the promises of God toward those who have preached the Good News. Paul is saying we can recall God has rewarded those individuals who have believed, lived and preached the good news. And in my life, I can say I do remember the reward of those who have believed. Sometimes seriously unhappy things have occurred to those preaching the Good News, but not permanent things to eternity. Just as Hebrews tell us, they have not been permanently flattened:



Hebrews 11:32-40

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.



2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.


Proverbs 24:16
for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again,
but the wicked are brought down by calamity.


Revelations 3:5
He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.


We are correct to pray for each other and our spiritual leaders. May Father God equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us [you] that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Father GOD,

I would love to feel not dizzy ever again from my ears or my eyesight. That would be lovely.

Bless us to have a Life of the Fruit of Your Holy Spirit that we will please You Father and find the Joy that was Yours so well. Dwell in us, please and help us in seeking You first, to find Your Blessings each day. Help us to finish well.

We pray for this Nation in Jesus and His Good Creation.  Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

John 20 ~ I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.

 

John 20

20 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”

3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.


5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.

8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.


11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”

14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”

Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” 

She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Teacher!” 

17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, 
‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”




18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.


19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 

20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 

21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”






24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” 

But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 

27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 

28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 

29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”


30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Isaiah 55

55 “Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3
Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
4
Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
5
Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.

6
“Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
7
let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

12
“For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

Jesus will appear to us every day.


Believe. This IS the work given to mankind.


2 Corinthians 1:10
He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us


1 Timothy 2
3This is good and acceptable in the sight of
God our Savior,
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.





And in reading this Post, you are aware the most precious words we cherish together are :
"My Father and your's." Adopted in Jesus.


For me, I know what I know that I know and know.
All of the Word of God is true.
And my Aunt Clarice died one night and in that dream, it was a phone call from Heaven hearing her Crying out, "ALL OF THIS IS TRUE. Every Word of the Bible is True! Jesus Loves You!" And waking to find she had gone on to Heaven.


This Gift of God is part of us this very day and always.
Abraham had plenty of hum drum days.

Abraham was like us - wait upon the Lord. This is the journey of The Prodigal Son. We are making our souls a garden for Jesus.

We are so crass to believe that Jesus is being a complete overstatement when a Sparrow falls to the Ground. And He is well aware of the Sparrow. He is.


GOD made the UNIVERSE. Time. Gravity. THIS Planet in a desert we call space. Life created going through a void of life.
All Circumstance is HIS.


A dear man in our family WANTED CHILDREN. God gave him a barren wife. He said, Ok. Then his wife was ill a long time. Ok. She passed on. And our dear friend said this is the way God wanted my life.

This is love one another as you love yourself.
This dear man certainly expected his wife to care and respect him. And she knew he was part of her all in her life and into eternity.


What we are doing is Worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth. We all have a different journey.


My Grandmother had a miracle of Father God in her 7th decade. Grandmother Bit was given in marriage to a Minister, an Episcopal Priest. How is this possible. Grandmother was given a plot of Spiritual land to cultivate the straight paths of the Lord and she did and did not. God still made her life Shine. I dreamed and saw Grandmother completely fulfilled in Heaven. And her 4 Great-grand children, 3 have her name only for Love.

Take up your cross.
Life will give us this whether we ask God or not. Whether you want this or not. This is the boundaries of life Jesus gives you. These boundaries belong to God. Maybe you are shy. Maybe you are angry. Maybe you have depression. Maybe you are poor. There is not doubt, you have a wilderness to make into a garden and dwell where your soul is your hearth for JESUS.

Each day we progress by
1. Open your heart.
JESUS know every cell I have. Make this a place FOR YOU. LOVE the people I am given.
Fully Expect to be treated with Respect.
Know that a heart has sorrows and joys and no other know completely except Jesus knows that heart. My heart to Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Hero. Beloved.

2. Do not expect others to plow your garden, your soul for you. Know Jesus. Know your heart to His. Know His Path for you. Be grateful. All this is True.

3. Find out when your truth is biblically aligned and comes to you. The lady clerk at Sam's said, "Find what GOD has Given to you today."
If we neglect to feel this, know this, have gratitude, for today - we are missing LIFE Abundant. Today.



Jesus did not worry about all people. He says He is not a respecter of persons. But always Know Revelation has a chapter where God mourns the loss of the people who would not Love Him. And He has Sorrow. God has Bought us with HIS BLOOD. AB blood type actually.

Look at the Wonders of God and do not fail. Do not be the 9 lepers who said yeah, that was so yesterday.


You have to look for His mercies to renew each day.
There will be years of hardship. The prayers of Moses say so.



Joshua and YESHUA (Jesus) have a very important part.

Joshua and Yeshua were not showy. They did not live to flaunt themselves.

Joshua was a shepherd for many long years in expectation - exactly like Jesus. The Exodus is about making a hearth in the desert and becoming brave for Jesus. Being grateful and expectant in all circumstances.

Joshua could not get others to follow the LORD and still Joshua did with gratitude and expecting the goodness of God.

Just like... David. Wow David, what a mess. Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia. Just like Grandmother. All people have fallen. I know I am saved by the Gift, the Grace and the Terrible Cost of Jesus' death. In Jesus, I will Live.



If you could see My Grandmother in JESUS.

The Garden is Paradise.

Father God,

Your Home, our eternal Kingdom with You was given as a free gift of Jesus Christ, King of Kings. To me. To us. A multitude.From every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.

Salvation belongs to our Father God. You are worth to be King of Kings, sits on the Throne of Heaven.Lamb of God, our Jesus, our Savior!

Help us to please You each day. Guide our hearts, dwell in us, we ask.

We want to come to You, before the throne of God,
and serve You day and night in Your Temple Home
to be daily sheltered with Your Presence.

Jesus is the Bread of Life
Jesus is Living Water and there we will hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun will not strike us,
nor any scorching heat.

For You, Father God and Jesus the Lamb are in the midst of us
and You will be our Shepherd,
and You will guide our soul, heart, words, work to springs of living water.

Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God. Let us be covered by the Name of Jesus forever and ever! Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

John 19 ~ Testimony

Pontius Pilate left two signs for Archaeology to uncover his identity in Judea.

John 19

1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.

The flogging instrument seen on the Shroud of Turrin. These are the Wounds of Jesus marks.

Sancta Sanctorum and Scala Sancta

These twenty-eight marble steps called the Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs) were the steps of the palace of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem

4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"

6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!"
But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."

7 The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 "Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"

11 Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."

13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour.

"Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews.

15 But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked.

"We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.


16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

 View from the Cross seeing the North side of the Temple from Golgotha.

 Earthquake historically recorded in Passover of A.D. 33 The rock was taken from Golgotha.

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."
22 Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

A cross seen with a sign "King of the Jews" Pilate had written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The ties would have held the condemned down to avoid the prisoners hanging crucified on the Passover & the condemned was nailed to the cross three times. To have death occur from trauma as well as suffocation.

23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

A seamless robe is a garment created with great care. Unusual even today.

24 "Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing."

So this is what the soldiers did.

25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips.

30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.






35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," 37and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."

38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.










Josephus records Pilate's predecessors respected Jewish customs by removing images on their standards when entering Jerusalem, Pilate allowed his soldiers to antagonize the Jews several times very violently and unnecessarily.

Philo describes a similar incident, Pilate was chastened by Emperor Tiberius after antagonizing the Jews. Both report that Pilate repeatedly caused near-insurrections among the Jews because of his insensitivity to Jewish customs. In describing his personality, Philo writes Pilate had "vindictiveness and furious temper", and was "naturally inflexible, a blend of self-will and relentlessness."

There is a theory Pilate was deeply unsympathetic to the Jews because he worked for Lucius Aelius 'Seianus' under Emperor Tiberius. Seianus Death on the Gemonian stairs was considered extremely dishonourable and dreadful. Ordered by Tiberius and Pilate began to shape up for the loss of Seianus.

Eusebius stated Pilate suffered misfortune in the reign of Caligula (AD 37–41), was exiled to Gaul and killed himself there. The 10th century historian Agapius of Hierapolis says that Pilate killed himself during the first year of Caligula's reign, in AD 37/38.





How does this relate to us today?

Mary Magdalene is forever changed from meeting Jesus. She is new. She realized again the wonder of God and His Promises.

Pontius Pilate was never to have a post as high as the one where his wife warned him not to order the crucifixion of Jesus. Meeting Jesus, according to the Historians, changed his life. He was on a downward trajectory.

When we consider Jesus, hearts are revealed.







This occasionally intersects our lives - the response to Jesus as a new creation. For most of us, we are living our beliefs to some degree - reading this Post.

For me, each day, what occurs to me, after 5 decades of life and being told all my life "you are Not a morning person" - what has changed is I can feel Jesus' mercies to me renew each day. There is going to be a time in the morning to early afternoon - where I can feel the excitement of His Promises of Jesus being in my life. I am able to put down cares and concerns and take time to find a very pleasing gratitude of God in my life. Today. Knowing that as someone who loves Jesus, the door to Eternity is here.

The idea that if I have a bad day and let my concerns overshadow my joy - tomorrow is probably going to be better after I give my cares over to the One who cares for me most. Jesus has given me strength to find a way to find the way Jesus has made my day sufficient and good and I feel gratitude.

If we look for the signs God is paving a path to His Plan, we see those signs. Using our eyes of faith.


All of the story of Jesus is real. He bought us for Grace. And will have us to His Kingdom for Eternity.



Thank You, Father God.
For Your Son, Jesus.

Bless those I love. The People You have given to me.

I ask in Jesus the Lord for blessings upon Churches, this Nation and those who believe and will believe
in Jesus - across this world You want to save in Jesus Christ. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †