If you follow Eagle Mountain International Church online somewhat, (or simply care about Israel), but missed last Sunday’s service, you can hear an informative talk/overview about their involvement in assisting the Jewish people in Israel (and helping Jews to return to Israel from other countries) given by Pastor Terri Pearsons. This was shared with the congregation after Pastors George and Terri returned from a recent trip to that country. (Scroll in to about 30 to hear the report.)
Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem A Song of Ascents, of David
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Our feet are standing Within your gates, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that is built As a city that is compact together; To which the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord– An ordinance for Israel– To give thanks to the name of the Lord. For there thrones were set for judgment,… The thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. “May peace be within your walls, And prosperity within your palaces.” For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, “May peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good.
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills– From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
Lord, you are the source of my help on any given day. You made the heavens and the earth–On you, my hope will stay.
I will look even to the hills–On their horizon, I’ll always see, through the eye of faith, my Savior, heading down with help for me.
P. A. Oltrogge
“He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.” Psalm 121:3-8 NKJV
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Psalm 91:1-2 NKJV (and entire Psalm)
“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation. God is to us a God of deliverances; and to God the Lord belong escapes from death.” Psalm 68:19, 20 NASB
“Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” 1 Samuel 17:47 (words of David to the Philistine, Goliath)
“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint…” written of Jesus, in Luke 18:1 KJV
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21 NKJV
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” words of Jesus in John 14:27 NKJV
In these times of obvious good versus evil, we thank God for (and pray for) those who are standing strong against evil and, as we feel led, we also do what we can, remembering the promise that our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth, in whom we’ve placed our faith and who we look to, pray to, and offer our praise.
This week (and last week–archives are available), Andrew Wommack is helping people to understand the true nature of God–His goodness, and His unconditional love for you, which he defines as “Christianity 101.” You can view these programs right on Andrew’s website at http://www.awmi.net under This Week’s TV.
You may also want to visit http://www.jerrysavelle.org where Jerry Savelle teaches on thanking God in advance and offers his book, The God of the Breakthrough will Visit Your House.
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV
In peace or in a storm, picture the Lord… If “walking on water,” keep your eyes toward the Master who is out there, encouraging you to “Come.” He’s the author of our faith–where it is from. He’s the perfector or finisher of our faith, too. If you feel your faith falter, He will yet see you through.
P. A. Oltrogge
Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.
Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” Matthew 14:22-23 NKJV
…some compelling words, spoken by England’s Queen Elizabeth, who requested prayer from her countrymen before her coronation….for wisdom and strength that she would be able to faithfully serve God and them all the days of her life….
“For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life,” she said in 2000. “I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example.”
“I know just how much I rely on my own faith to guide me through the good times and the bad,” she said. “Each day is a new beginning. I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God.”
In her 2016 address, Her Majesty explained. “Billions of people now follow Christ’s teaching and find in Him the guiding light for their lives. I am one of them because Christ’s example helps me see the value in doing small things with great love, whoever does them and whatever they themselves believe.”
…and from the Bible:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a newcreation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulnrss.” Lamentations 3:21-23 RSV
The Way, The Truth, and the Life…
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
“Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'” John 14:1-6 NKJV
“This is My commandment, that you loveoneanother as I have loved you.” John 15:12 NKJV
(The Queen’s love of the Bible and its gospel message led to her participation in the publication of a special book to commemorate her 90th birthday. Titled The Servant Queen and the King She Serves, coauthored by Catherine Butcher and Mark Greene, this overview of Her Majesty’s Christian faith was published by Bible Society UK.)
Michael is in Ukraine as your voice of hope and your hands of love to the suffering people. We can’t reveal his exact schedule for security reasons, but he is going deep into the war zones—a trip almost no one else is making. The danger is real, but the need is also real, and we must respond. On this trip to Ukraine we’re delivering diesel generators and winter clothing as well as food. We must not stop helping meet the urgent needs, no matter how dangerous it may be. Will you help the suffering people of Ukraine with your gift today?
Winter in Ukraine is coming soon. Temperatures will drop to 20 below zero. The Russians have bombed or shut down much of the power grid. Electric plants and coal mines have been closed. Without help, many of those who have been driven from their homes will die, including precious elderly Holocaust survivors. Our City of Refuge storehouses are about to become even more important than they already are.
The people of Ukraine—about 500,000 of them are Jewish—are facing hunger, fear, and threat of war. Together we can show them hope, and remind them they are not forgotten. But we can’t do it without your help. I am asking you to rush your most generous gift so that we can help with this urgent project and continue to provide help and hope to the hurting Jewish people of Ukraine.
Your support of the Jerusalem Prayer Team today allows us to purchase food, medicine, clothing, and other necessities of life for the poor Holocaust survivors of Ukraine, as well as to continue to operate the Friends of Zion Museum, to stand up and speak out for Israel, and to meet urgent humanitarian needs among the poor Jewish people living in Israel. Thank you so much for being part of this vital worldwide prayer movement.
Jesus distinguished the state of people’s hearts in receiving God’s Word, as seed sown….in the following way. A sower goes out to plant his seed….
The seed falls sometimes onto the roadside, or onto where mostly rocks are found. At times, it falls among thorns; but, at other times, it falls on the good ground.
So those hearts considered as “the roadside,” hear the Word but the devil snatches it away. Therefore, as it’s sown, we must pray that people really “hear” what God has to say.
Some do hear it with joy, (“rocky soil”) but their grasp of the gospel isn’t of great duration….for in time of temptation or trial, their belief has no depth for either situation.
The seed that’s fallen among thorns exemplifies those who let other things…such as cares, riches, or pleasures of life choke the Word, and they lose the benefits it brings.
But when the Word falls onto good ground–these are hearts where it will endure…to bring about fruit that will last. Their hearts are earnest and pure.
So help us, Lord, daily, to attend to Your Word, thereby giving it firmer root…and then find Your opportunities to serve, with Your love, bringing forth precious fruit.
P. A. Oltrogge
…shared in best detail by Jesus in Luke 8:4-15 NASB (also in Matthew 13 and Mark 4)
Now when a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable: “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the sky ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky soil, and when it came up, it withered away because it had no moisture. Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. And yet other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as much.” As He said these things, He would call out, “The one who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Now His disciples began asking Him what this parable meant. And He said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest they are told in parables, so that while seeing they may not see, and while hearing they may not understand.”
“Now this is the parable: the seed is the word of God. And those beside the road are the ones who have heard, then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky soil are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and yet these do not have a firm root; they believe for a while, and in a time of temptation they fall away. And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked by worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity. But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and virtuous heart, and hold it firmly, and produce fruit with perseverance.
And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. Acts 16:13-14
My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:20-23
I believe in miracles… I believe they can happen overnight.
I believe in miracles… I believe in faith over fright.
I believe in miracles… even when my faith has taken a hit.
I believe in miracles… because my God doesn’t want me to quit.
I believe in miracles… in God’s forgiveness and covering of mistakes.
I believe in miracles… and in God’s ability to heal heartbreaks.
I believe in miracles… agreeing with what’s written in scripture.
I believe in doing so, that’s the vehicle for “changing the picture.”
I believe in miracles… even if their coming seems slow as molasses.
I believe in miracles… for problems are what God’s power surpasses.
I believe in miracles… Jesus works them, and He is the Master.
I believe in miracles… Of things hoped for, faith is the confident forecaster.
I believe in miracles… They’ve been documented in so many cases.
I believe in miracles… because I believe in God’s divine daily graces.
P. A. Oltrogge
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” said by Jesus in John 10:10
“And Jesus answering saith unto them, ‘Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.’” Mark 11:22-24 KJV
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” said by Jesus in Matthew 7:7-8
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6
“Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart….” from Luke 18
“What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.” 1 Corinthians 14:15
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.” Psalm 103:2-4
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19 (read by and fulfilled by Jesus)
“Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrible. He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons. He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; and he does not turn back from the sword. The quiver rattles against him, the flashing spear and javelin. With shaking and rage he races over the ground; and he does not stand still at the voice of the trumpet. As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’ And he scents the battle from afar, and thunder of the captains and the war cry.” Job 39:19-25 NASB/Ryrie
In Job, we read a reflection by God of the horse’s boldness and might– a description that can inspire us in our own lives in any spiritual fight.
“He laughs at fear and is not dismayed…” We can rely on and be confident in God, rejoicing after we’ve prayed.
“From the sword, he does not turn back–” God’s equipped us with a powerful Sword (His Word) in any attack.
We confront and resist the devil, knowing our covenant with God is in force. Laughing at fear, continuing in praise, we know that God is our source.
“As often as the trumpet sounds,” we carry on in our spiritual race– seeking to find, follow, and fulfill God’s will, for a final reward by His grace.
Always remember the Lord’s outcome at the ending of the story of Job– when he, after all, was blessed very richly, despite the devil’s probe.
P. A. Oltrogge
probe — an investigation Satan sought to investigate just how strong Job’s faith in God would be if he was visited with adversities.
“The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.” Psalm 34:15 (KJV)
“You know we call those blessed (happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God) who were steadfast and endured (difficult circumstances). You have heard of the patient endurance of Job and you have seen the Lord’s outcome (how He richly blessed Job). The Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.” James 5:11 Amplified Bible (AMP)
“Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” James 5:11 (NLT)
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13 (NKJV)
We’re standing in faith in the evil day… as we continue to praise God, staying in faith after we pray.
“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 (NASB)
1 John 5:14-15; Hebrews 4:16; Hebrews 10:23
Jesus is Lord!
How to Find, Follow, and Fulfill God’s Will CD series by Andrew Wommack at http://www.awmi.net
I’ve come across your path today, and I may not know your name; but though we’re not acquainted, I’d like to speak of Jesus just the same. He knows the details of your life–anything you’re going through; yes, even if you don’t know Him, He knows all about you.
I’ve found Him to be a faithful God, Who I know in a personal way. He desires to help each person intimately–all we have to do is pray. For those who’ve put their trust in Him, guidance becomes very sure. His will is good and perfect, coming from a heart that’s loving and pure.
If you’re facing worries, never despair–the name of Jesusis a strong tower—to run into for help and wisdom, which flow richly from that Name’s power. And at the name of Jesus, one day, every knee will bow; but God’s Spirit is moving every day, seeking all who will honor Him now.
P. A. Oltrogge
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe.” Proverbs 18:10 (NASB)
“Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11 (NASB)
The Porch of the Lord 