Face / Faith

Misread face for the word faith, once alone and once with a friend, but aren’t they the same thing?

Isaiah 50:7 (NIV), “Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.”

Matthew 6:17 (NASB), “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV), “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

James 2:18, “I’ll show you my faith by my works.”

Dear Lord Jesus, may I be bold as a lion in face and faith, Amen.

Keys to Hell & Death

Revelation 1:17-18 (NIV), “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. Then He placed His right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

Hallalujah, praise God!

2 Timothy 1:8-10 (NIV), “So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me His prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

Amen, Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life!

Matt 10:28 (KJV), “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

 

Hate Sin

Jesus says in Matt 6:9 (KJV), “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” Pastor John Bevere teaches how God is holy and He hates sin and we need to, too.

Dark & light can’t mix, says another Pastor.  The scripture is clear.

Don’t compromise with the enemy, or ‘the world’ (see http://www1.cbn.com/teaching/the-consequences-of-compromise). Read James 4:4.

Gave my heart to the Lord again today: “Lord, I’m sorry for when I hurt You & abandoned You, for when I sided with the world and turned away from You and Your truth, give me a brand new life from this day forward and live in me forever.”

Smith Wigglesworth says, when you say you’re born again, you’re prophesying (John 3:5, 1 Peter 1:23).

Someone saved my life tonight.

That You May Be Rich

God gave me a word that I would make a friend ‘rich.’ It’s unknown if it’s rich in material or in the Word.

Matt 12:34-36 (NKJV), “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.“

Revelation 2:4-5 (NKJV), “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.“

Revelation 3:17-19 (NKJV), “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.“

Deliver Us From Evil

Jesus prayed in Matthew 6:13.

Don’t appease the dragon, kick him out of your house.

Eph 6:11, “Stand against the devil’s schemes.”

Desiring God, Interview with John Piper:

“First, I think when it says “deliver us from evil,” it probably does mean “the evil one,” but it works either way because he is behind every temptation. The primary strategy of the devil is to deceive us. He is primarily a deceiver. Revelation 12:9 says, “The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.” John 8:44 says, “When he lies, he speaks out of his own nature.” So the strategy of the devil in bringing about temptation and evil is to deceive us, to put thoughts in your mind or feelings in your soul that are false. He lies to us about where happiness is best to be found.

“So how does Jesus ask the Father to deliver us? And we have another prayer, interestingly enough, besides the Lord’s prayer. And Jesus prays the same thing, only he expands it and answers the question. Compare John 17 to the Lord’s prayer. And here is what Jesus prays in John 17:15: “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.” And then verse 17 says, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” Now that should not be a surprise to us that he says to the Father, “There is an evil one out there. His primary strategy is deceit. Please, guard them from that evil one. And here is the way I think you should do it.” Like the Son could tell the Father how to do it; namely, in the truth. “Make them holy in the truth; your word is truth.””

https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-does-god-deliver-us-from-evil

Incognito

Did Peter pretend not to know Jesus outside Ciaphus’ house, thinking he needed more time to help Jesus escape from His captors? (Luke 22:60).

Later, Jesus totally forgives him and gives Peter a ministry, “Feed My sheep,” John 21:17

*Do we hide what we’re doing or what we truly believe because we want to hold our cards close to the vest and change the outcome? We’ll wait till the other person’s cards are on the table, then we’ll reveal what we think or feel, like when it’s safe.

Dear Lord God, nothing’s hidden from You.  What do we care what others think?  We want You to be pleased.

 

Speak Life, again

Prov 4:20-22 (KJV), “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”

Hate the sin, love the sinner, right?

In the name of Jesus, right now I rebuke every filfthy, distasteful, rude, mocking word said to or about myself and everyone who reads this.

We are children of God, He says who we are, not _______!  We are loved, forgiven, righteous, blessed, planned and hoped for.  We have the Holy Spirit, the oil of gladness, love, joy, peace, faithfulness, truth, and purity.  God the Father’s on our side, who can be against us?

 

Under His Wings

Ruth 2:12 (KJV), “The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.”

Psalm 91:4 (KJV), “He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”

Malachi 4:2 (NLT), “But for you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.”

Matthew 23:37, (NIV), “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.“

Together

…it makes sense.  Together we glorify Christ, God.  We were created for God’s glory. (prayer heard on TBN tv station).

Isaiah 43:7 (NKJV), “Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NIV):

Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

group hand fist bump
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When Will We Be Like Diamonds?

A prophet once told me that I will be like a diamond, shining the Lord’s light.

A well cut diamond reflects light to maximize the stone’s brilliance, according to the jewelry website.

Psalm 66:10 (NIV), “For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.”

Proverbs 17:3 (KJV), “The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.”

Isaiah 48:10 (NIV), “See, I have refined you, though not as silver;
    I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”

2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (KJV), “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.”

1 Peter 4:12 (NIV), “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”

Revelation 2:17, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”