Attempts to Destroy the Royal Seed of YHWH

The Book of 2 Kings takes up recording the historical events of God’s people where the Book of 1 Kings leaves off. However, 2 Kings is more than just a compilation of the politically important or socially significant happenings in Israel and Judah. In fact, it is not as detailed a history as might be expected (three hundred years in only twenty-five chapters). Instead, 2 Kings is a selective history, one with a theological purpose. Therefore, the author selects and emphasizes the people and events that are morally and religiously significant. Second Kings presents God as the Lord of history. From history, this book establishes God’s providential working in and through the lives of His people for His redemptive purpose. It demonstrates the necessity of obedience to God’s covenant and the painful consequence of disobedience. Therefore, the Book of 2 Kings is not to be viewed as mere history, but as theology and lessons from history.

The message of 2 Kings is as relevant today as when it was written. God still controls human affairs. The nation, leader, or person who responds to and obeys the Lord will enjoy the benefits of their relationship with Him. Those who refuse and rebel will experience God’s discipline. Though people are sinful, God is the author of redemption, and He graciously forgives those who will repent and return to Him.

2 Kings 11:1 - Kings turns once again to the events in Judah. At the death of her son Ahaziah (10:25–29), Athaliah usurped the throne of Judah and attempted to protect her position by destroying the royal heirs. Among Judah’s rulers, she was the only reigning queen and the strongest proponent of Baal worship.  

Second Kings picks up the tragic history of the “divided kingdom” with Ahaziah on the throne of Israel, while Jehoshaphat is ruling in Judah. As with 1 Kings, the narrative is difficult to follow. The author switches back and forth between the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, tracing their histories simultaneously. There were nineteen regents in Israel, all of them bad. In Judah, there were twenty rulers, only eight of them good. Second Kings records the last ten kings in Israel, and the last sixteen rulers in Judah. Some of these twenty-six regents are only mentioned in a few verses, while whole chapters are devoted to others. Major attention is directed to those who either serve as a model of uprightness, or to those who illustrate why these nations eventually collapsed.

Contemplating the horror of the exile of God’s people, the author compiles 1 and 2 Kings to answer the looming question of why both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah had been taken captive. He writes with a prophetic message, showing that this punishment by captivity to foreign pagan nations was the inevitable consequence of the persistent violation of God’s covenant with them. Kings was written to cause the exiles to reflect on their history and return to the Lord. Perhaps this prophetic perspective is one reason why it was included in the “earlier prophets” in the Hebrew Bible.

The words of the prophets in 2 Kings 2:16 indicate that the Holy Spirit (the “Spirit of the Lord”) sometimes transported Elijah from one location to another (see 1 Kin. 18:12). This is not unlike Acts 8:39, 40, where Philip is described as having a similar experience.

This was a difficult period in the history of God’s people, a time of great change and upheaval. There was struggle from within and pressure from without. The result was a dark moment in the history of God’s people: the collapse and eventual captivity of both nations.

2 Kings 11:2–20 - In God’s providence, Joash had been concealed from the treachery of Athaliah. Through the skillful and quick organization of the priest Jehoiada, Joash was made Judah’s eighth ruler and Athaliah was put to death.  21 Jehoash is a variant spelling for Joash (v. 2).

The events covered in 2 Kings span a period of almost three hundred years. Second Kings records the turbulent experiences of God’s people from the reign of Ahaziah (the ninth king in the northern kingdom of Israel) around 853 b.c., through the fall of Israel to Assyria in 722 b.c., through the fall of Jerusalem and the deportation of Judah to Babylon in 586 b.c., and ends with the release of King Jehoiachin in 560 b.c. This was a difficult period in the history of God’s people, a time of great change and upheaval. There was struggle from within and pressure from without. The result was a dark moment in the history of God’s people: the collapse and eventual captivity of both nations.

The energizing spirit or power that enabled Elijah to prophesy was the Spirit of God (see 1 Sam. 10:6, 10 and 19:20, 23). Second Kings 2:9–16 then provides an interesting Old Testament parallel to Acts 1:4–9 and 2:1–4. Elijah went into heaven, Elisha sought the promise of empowerment to carry on his master’s ministry, and he received it. In a similar way, Jesus ascended, the disciples awaited the promise, and the Holy Spirit descended to empower them to carry on the work that their Lord began.

The failure of the prophets, priests, and kings of God’s people points to the necessity of the advent of Christ. Christ Himself would be the ideal combination of these three offices. As a Prophet, Christ’s word far surpasses that of the great prophet Elijah (Matt. 17:1–5). Many of the miracles of Jesus were reminiscent of the wonders God did through Elijah and Elisha in 2 Kings. In addition, Christ is a Priest superior to any of those recorded in Kings (Heb. 7:22–27). Especially, 2 Kings vividly illustrates the need for Christ as our reigning King. When asked if He was King of the Jews, Jesus affirmed that He was (Matt. 27:11). However, Christ is a King greater than their greatest king (Matt. 12:42). The reign of each of the twenty-six rulers came to an end, but Christ will reign on the throne of David forever (1 Chr. 17:14; Is. 9:6), for He is “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:16). 

Prayer:  I loose the hounds of heaven against Jezebel (1 Kings 21:23).  I rebuke and bind the spirits of witchcraft, lust, seduction, intimidation, idolatry, and whoredom connected to Jezebel.  I release the spirit of Jehu against Jezebel and her cohorts (2 Kings 9:30–33).  I command Jezebel to be thrown down and eaten by the hounds of heaven. I rebuke all spirits of false teaching, false prophecy, idolatry, and perversion connected with Jezebel (Rev. 2:20). I loose tribulation against the kingdom of Jezebel (Rev. 2:22). I cut off the assignment of Jezebel against the ministers of God (1 Kings 19:2). I cut off and break the powers of every word released by Jezebel against my life. I cut off Jezebel’s table and reject all food from it (1 Kings 18:19). I cut off and loose myself from all curses of Jezebel and spirits of Jezebel operating in my bloodline. I cut off the assignment of Jezebel and her daughters to corrupt the church. I rebuke and cut off the spirit of Athaliah that attempts to destroy the royal seed (2 Kings 11:1). I come against the spirit of Herodias and cut off the
assignment to kill the prophets (Mark 6:22–24). I rebuke and cut off the spirit of whoredoms (Hos. 4:12). I rebuke and cut off Jezebel and her witchcrafts in the name of Jesus (2 Kings 9:22). I rebuke and cut off the harlot and mistress of witchcrafts and break her power over my life and family (Nah. 3:4). I cut off witchcrafts out of the hands (Mic. 5:12). I overcome Jezebel and receive power over the nations (Rev. 2:26).

Prayer for Divine Intervention and Release Into Your Birthright

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for: Forgetting You, Lord, and exalting myself as lord of my life; Misusing godly supplies and money; Worshiping Your gifts instead of You, God, the Giver of the gifts; Not guarding my heart with all diligence towards You, Lord; Not reading and acting upon the Word of God;   Not spending time with You; Not sowing with an attitude of righteousness and therefore not reaping the fruit of unfailing love; Not breaking up my unploughed ground which has resulted in hardheartedness; Not extending and receiving mercy for myself and others; Not ploughing wickedness and reaping injustice;  Not eating the fruit of lies and deception; Not trusting in my own ways and my own strength; I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for wearing a crown of pride; I choose to exchange the crown of pride for Your crown of glory and a diadem of beauty.

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for being apathetic and passive towards my governmental inheritance and for not being partakers and stewards of prayer concerning the government and the battle at the gate. I choose now to be a gatekeeper and a watchman of prayer concerning the government of my home, neighborhood, city, county, state, country, and the world. I have a longing for justice and righteousness. I receive Your wisdom for strategies that will bring victory to Your Kingdom on earth.

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for not seizing the opportunity to pray and speak into the realm of influence into which You have placed me. I now choose to be obedient and redeem the time. Will You now bring me into your Kairos time and establish Your authority in me on earth as it is in heaven?

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for the priests, prophets, and leaders who have erred in vision and stumbled in judgement and were partakers in generational addictions. I repent and renounce for those teachers that did not teach godly precepts and did not develop line upon line, but gave milk instead of true discernment. I repent for not receiving with an open heart, the godly precepts of the Lord and closing the door to the blessings. I repent and renounce for hardhearted-ness and for allowing my heart to become dull.

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for putting up walls that keep me from hearing and receiving Your Word. I ask You to remove the walls that keep me from hearing and receiving Your godly precepts. I ask You Lord to break off the curse of hearing but not understanding, and seeing but not perceiving.

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for not hearing Your call to enter into Your rest. I repent for myself and all those in my generational line for striving in an attempt to minister to the flock. I repent for the leaders in my family line for not offering the Living Water but rather offering human wisdom and knowledge as the answer for spiritual matters. I repent for leaders in my family line that chose to bear the sin of the people rather than allow Christ to be the sacrifice.

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for those who were in positions of spiritual leadership and did not shepherd or feed the sheep but fleeced them. I repent for myself and those in my generational line who ruled by force and hardhearted harshness, who did not strengthen the diseased and the weak, who did not heal the sick, who did not bandage the hurt, and who did not bring back the lost that had gone astray. I repent for receiving and holding offense against unholy shepherds. Lord, I ask You to restore the scattered sheep. I ask that You return godly shepherds hearts to this generational line. Lord please break the curse that came from weak, exhausted and poor leadership which caused Your sheep to be led astray.

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for attempting to satisfy our spiritual thirst by going to broken cisterns and drawing from poisoned wells instead of the fountain of living water and for using human methods to accomplish the purposes of the Spirit.

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line who have forsaken You, the Lord of Host, through weakness and backsliding. I did not consider or realize what an evil and bitter thing it is to forsake You, Lord. I realize now that I did not fear, You, Lord.

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for being unwise, impatient and going here and there to increase knowledge instead of seeking You first.

Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit to move in Your love, and illuminate me with Your revelation. Please release me as a leader to walk in the fullness of Your wisdom and to shine like the stars of heaven, leading many to righteousness.

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for calling You, “Lord” but not obeying Your words. I repent for not healing the sick, casting out demons, and raising the dead as You commanded Your followers to do. I invite You to do these works through me by Your Spirit. I choose to obey Your commands.

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for striking agreements with the god of death to avoid the grave and the coming destruction, building on a refuge of lies and deceptions. Please annul this covenant with death and break this curse off me. I choose to build on You, Jesus, the true foundation, the Living Stone in Whom I will never be shaken.

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for being intoxicated with the world instead of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for not following Your command of submitting to the Father and to one another.

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for not abiding in Your light and for partaking in unfruitful works of darkness. Lord, please free me to awaken and arise to do Your will.

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for all hidden sins and ask You to reveal them in the light of Your presence.  Help me discern my error and the error of my generational line. Cleanse me from hidden faults and uncover the lies which hide my sin and the deception I concealed from myself and others.

Lord, help me to confess my faults to others and to pray for others that I may be healed, so that You may present me faultless before the presence of Your glory.

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for disobeying You and for not keeping Your commandments. Lord, please remove all the resulting curses that have come upon me and my generational line: sickness, depression, despair, oppression, mental illness, loss, debt, lack, famine, slavery, fear, barrenness, fruitlessness, and failed marriages.

Lord, I choose to obey you. Holy Spirit, please help me to obey the Father. Please command all of Your blessings to come and overtake me and my generational line: fruitfulness, fertility, divine health, increase in the storehouses of finances and goods, harvests, blessings in all my ways, rain to the land in the right seasons, godly rulership and authority, a seven-fold victory over my enemies, and establishment as a part of Your Holy people.

I repent and renounce for myself and my family line for selfishness, self-centeredness, and self-protection and for not choosing to love myself and others. I choose now to live in all the fullness of love which will lead me to my birthright ordained by Jesus Christ. Lord, please disconnect me from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and connect me to the Tree of Life so that Your love will flow through me and touch others.

I confess that in Christ, I am free from the spirit of slavery and I am adopted as Your son.  I agree with You that I am Your child and Your heir according to Your promise.  I pray for Your divine intervention in my life. I also ask You to reveal Your glory in me, so that I can take my place as a son of God and set Your creation free from corruption and slavery.

Lord, please break the seal of the revelation of Daniel in my life and release me into the fullness of my birthright.

Lord, I choose to turn towards You.  I ask that You remove from my face the veil that separates me from You. Lord, please remove all ungodly devices and religious spirits and disconnect me from all ungodly heavenly places that keep me from Your glory.  I ask You to reveal Your glory in me.  I receive freedom from Your Holy Spirit and ask You to transform me into Your likeness with ever increasing glory.

I declare I will remember all the blessings and faithfulness of You, God, with a thankful heart

I declare I will be a good steward of everything You give me as You direct me

I declare I will keep my eyes on Your face and not on Your hands

I declare I will guard my heart with all diligence by being careful to protect my eye gate, ear gate, and heart gate

I declare I will sow righteousness for myself that I may reap the fruit of unfailing love

I declare I will seek You

I declare I will  extend mercy to myself and others and receive mercy for myself

I declare I will sow righteousness and reap justice

I declare I will eat of the fruit of the Tree of Life which is Jesus Christ

I declare I will trust in Your Word, Your Ways, and Your Strength

I declare I will be an over comer through Your grace and take back dominion over the land and over all creation

I declare I will enter into Your glory.

I declare I will no longer allow my sin to separate me from Your glory.

I declare I want to come and sup with You, Lord.

I declare I want You to disclose Your Face to me.

I declare I will no longer hide from You.

I declare this is the time to be transformed into Your realms of glory.

I declare this is a new time, a new period, and a new season.

I declare that this is the time of a directional shift into Your birthright for me.

IN JESUS' NAME I PRAY, AMEN!

The Harvest is Plenty but the Laborers are Few

Romans 10

11-13 Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.”

14-17 But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That’s why Scripture exclaims,

A sight to take your breath away!

Grand processions of people

    telling all the good things of God!

But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: “Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?” The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.

Romans 15

17-21 Looking back over what has been accomplished and what I have observed, I must say I am most pleased—in the context of Jesus, I’d even say proud, but only in that context. I have no interest in giving you a chatty account of my adventures, only the wondrously powerful and transformingly present words and deeds of Christ in me that triggered a believing response among the outsiders. In such ways I have trailblazed a preaching of the Message of Jesus all the way from Jerusalem far into northwestern Greece. This has all been pioneer work, bringing the Message only into those places where Jesus was not yet known and worshiped. My text has been,

Those who were never told of him—

    they’ll see him!

Those who’ve never heard of him—

    they’ll get the message!

Matthew 9

35-38 Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!”

Acts 2

14-21 That’s when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency: “Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight. These people aren’t drunk as some of you suspect. They haven’t had time to get drunk—it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. This is what the prophet Joel announced would happen:

“In the Last Days,” God says,

“I will pour out my Spirit

    on every kind of people:

Your sons will prophesy,

    also your daughters;

Your young men will see visions,

    your old men dream dreams.

When the time comes,

    I’ll pour out my Spirit

On those who serve me, men and women both,

    and they’ll prophesy.

I’ll set wonders in the sky above

    and signs on the earth below,

Blood and fire and billowing smoke,

    the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,

Before the Day of the Lord arrives,

    the Day tremendous and marvelous;

And whoever calls out for help

    to me, God, will be saved.”

Ephesians 3

14-19 My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

2 Corinthians 4

5-6 Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.

John 16

8-11 “When he comes, he’ll expose the error of the godless world’s view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He’ll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control; that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted.

12-15 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won’t draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said. He will honor me; he will take from me and deliver it to you. Everything the Father has is also mine. That is why I’ve said, ‘He takes from me and delivers to you.’

Ephesians 2

7-10 Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

2 Timothy 2

14-18 Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God’s people. Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out. Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they’re not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul. Hymenaeus and Philetus are examples, throwing believers off stride and missing the truth by a mile by saying the resurrection is over and done with.

~The Message (MSG)

Father, it is written in Your Word that Jesus came to seek and save the lost. You wish all people to be saved and to know Your divine truth. Therefore, Father, I bring ______________ before You this day.  Thank You for calling me to be Your agent of intercession for ______________. By the grace of God I will build up the wall and stand in the gap before You for ________________, that he/she might be spared from eternal destruction.

Father, thank You for salvation. I acknowledge Jesus as the Lamb of God, Who takes away _________________’s sins, and the Holy Spirit, Who convicts and convinces him/her of sin, righteousness and judgment. Your kindness leads _______________ to repent (to change his/her mind and inner man to accept Your will). You are the One Who delivers _______________ and draws him/her to Yourself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and transfers him/her into the Kingdom of the Son of Your love.

Father, I pray that _______________ will hear the truth from someone standing in Your presence. The Good News was hidden from _____________. Satan, the god of this world, made him/her blind, and he/she was unable to see the glorious light of the gospel. Now, I ask You, Lord of the harvest, to thrust the perfect laborer into _____________’s path to share Your gospel in a special way so that he/she will listen and understand it. As Your laborer ministers to him/her, I believe that he/she will come to his/her senses—come out of the snare of the devil who has held him/her captive—and make Jesus the Lord of his/her life.

Having prayed all that I know to pray, I submit to the Spirit, Who also helps me in my present limitations. I do not always know how to pray worthily, but Your Spirit within me is actually praying for me in those agonizing longings which cannot find words. Having done all to stand, I stand on Your Word, and Father, I shall praise You and thank You for ____________’s salvation. I commit this matter into Your hands, and with my faith I see _______________ saved and filled with Your Spirit, with a full and clear knowledge of Your Word.
Amen—so be it!*

* After you have prayed this prayer, thank the Lord for this person’s salvation. Rejoice and praise God for the victory! Confess the above prayer as done! Thank the Lord for sending the laborer. Thank Him that Satan is defeated. Hallelujah!

~Prayers that Avail Much

DECLARE PSALM 91

The Lord’s Protection (91:1-13)

The Confidence (91:1, 2)

The Dangers (91:3-6)

The Examples (91:7-13)

The Lord’s Pledge (91:14-16)

Psalm 91:1  Whoever lives under the shelter of Elyon will remain in the shadow of Shadday.

Shelter - The temple (as in 27:5; 31:20; see also 23:6; 27:4), where the godly find safety under the protective wings of the Lord (see v. 4; 61:4). Most High.

The shadow of the Almighty. The shadow offers protection and is usually referred to as the “shadow of your wings”

There are three titles for God in these verses besides the personal name of the Lord (Yahweh): ‘Elyon (the Most High), Shaddai (the Almighty), and ’Elohim (here meaning “the Sublime God”).

In the secret place: The person who trusts in God is the one who lives close to Him. The title Most High emphasizes God’s majesty (92:1) and is parallel to the term Almighty, a translation of the divine title Shaddai. Together the terms Most High and Shaddai speak of God as a mountain-like majesty, in whose presence there is a “secret place” or a shadow. My refuge and my fortress may be rephrased as “my secure fortress.”

Psalm 91:2  I will say to Yahweh, “You are my Machseh and my Metsuda, my Elohim in whom I trust.”

(Psalm 142:5)  I call out to you, O Yahweh. I say, “You are my Machseh, my own inheritance in this world of the living.”

Psalm 91:3  He is the one who will rescue you from hunters’ traps and from deadly plagues.

Pestilence: Attacks that come like a plague. The metaphor is significant to the Hebrews since plagues of locusts and disease were common in the Middle East (Joel 1:4).  Fowler …pestilence: The images of a bird trap and various types of disease are a general description of dangers that might come to helpless people.

(Psalm 124:7)  We escaped like a bird caught in a hunter’s trap. The trap was broken, and we escaped.

Psalm 91:4  He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.  His truth is your shield and armor. 

His feathers …His wings: God is described as a mother hen under whose wings the psalmist can come for refuge (61:4; 63:7). Shield and buckler indicates complete protection from all harm. God is an all protective shield for the believer.

(Psalm 17:8)  Guard me as if I were the pupil in your eye. Hide me in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 91:5  You do not need to fear terrors of the night, arrows that fly during the day,

(Job 5:19)  He will keep you safe from six troubles, and when the seventh one comes, no harm will touch you: 

The interplay of words for night and day in these verses indicates the universal nature of God’s protection. Terror, arrow, pestilence, and destruction together refer to evil in general. Terror of night … the darkness. The darkness of night creates an inherently more dangerous setting; and perhaps due to the intensification of fever at night, illness in particular was feared.

Psalm 91:6  plagues that roam the dark, epidemics that strike at noon.

Some nights are filled with terror, and some arrows do fly by day. Yet when we find our security in the Lord, they do not have to terrify or intimidate us; He is our safety, and in Him we find rest. ~Charles F. Stanley

Psalm 91:7  They will not come near you, even though a thousand may fall dead beside you or ten thousand at your right side.

A thousand …ten thousand: Like the Israelites in Egypt who were spared the danger that touched their neighbors (Ex. 9:26; 10:23; 11:7), believers in the Lord are protected from any assault. look … And see: The punishment of the wicked is as sure as the deliverance of the righteous.

Psalm 91:8  You only have to look with your eyes to see the punishment of wicked people.

(Psalm 37:34)  Wait with hope for Yahweh, and follow his path, and he will honor you by giving you the land.  When wicked people are cut off, you will see it.

(Psalm 27:14)  Wait with hope for Yahweh.  Be strong, and let your heart be courageous.  Yes, wait with hope for Yahweh.

Psalm 91:9  You, O Yahweh, are my Machseh!  You have made Elyon your home.

(Psalm 71:3)  Be a rock on which I may live, a Maon where I may always go.  You gave the order to save me!  Indeed, you are my rock and my Metsuda.

(Psalm 31:2)  Turn your ear toward me.  Rescue me quickly.  Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong Metsuda to save me..

(Psalm 17:6)  I have called on you because you answer me, O El.  Turn your ear toward me.  Hear what I have to say.

Psalm 91:10  No harm will come to you.  No sickness will come near your house.

(Proverbs 12:21)  No lasting harm comes to a righteous person, but wicked people have lots of trouble.

Psalm 91:11  He will put his angels in charge of you to protect you in all your ways.

Angels function as examples for believers, as they obey and worship the Lord without ceasing (Isa 6:3). Paul referred to angelic beings as powers, rulers, dominions and authorities (Eph 1:21; Col 1:16). Though a post-Enlightenment world pushes the nonphysical to the margins, the Bible’s descriptions of angels remind the believer that the spiritual world is real.

(Psalm 34:7)  The Messenger of Yahweh camps around those who fear him, and he rescues them.

(Luke 4:10)  Scripture says, ‘He will put his angels in charge of you to watch over you carefully.

This was quoted by Satan to mislead Jesus in His wilderness temptation by attempting to coax Him into irresponsible behavior (Matt. 4:6).

Psalm 91:12  They will carry you in their hands so that you never hit your foot against a rock.

The psalmist notes here that God “will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone” The angels of God are not the cute, harmless little cherubs often pictured in popular culture. They are messengers of enormous power, sent to do God’s will. The Lord in His mercy sends them to help us.   ~Charles F. Stanley

Psalm 91:13  You will step on lions and cobras.  You will trample young lions and snakes.

The lion and the cobra: The animal and snake imagery in this verse pictures all kinds of evil that might threaten the coming One. The Father will protect Him no matter what the danger.

Psalm 91:14  Because you love me, I will rescue you.  I will protect you because you know my name.  (Protect him. Lit. “raise him to a high, secure place.”) The verb used here for love is not the usual Hebrew word for love. It has the idea of “holding close to,” even “hugging tightly in love” (Deut. 7:7; 10:15). He has known My name speaks of an intimate, experiential knowledge of the Father (John 1:18).

(Psalm 9:10)  Those who know your name trust you, O Yahweh, because you have never deserted those who seek your help.

God describes directly the same person addressed by the psalmist in vv. 9–13. This person is the coming One. My refuge is the same word used in v. 2. Dwelling place is the same word used in Ps. 90:1.  Most High: The psalmist indicates that the coming One’s faith in God is the same as the psalmist’s.

Psalm 91:15  When you call to me, I will answer you.  I will be with you when you are in trouble.  I will save you and honor you.

Although the psalmist (and reader) are not promised total immunity from calamities, the Lord assures him that He will be present with those who call upon Him and that He will deliver and honor them.

In prayer, we connect our need to God’s supply.

The Lord invites us to come to Him in prayer at any time of the day, for any reason, with any problem, challenge, or request (Ps. 50:15; 91:15; Is. 55:6; Jer. 29:12; 33:3). What keeps us from taking Him up on His offer?  ~Charles F. Stanley

Psalm 91:16   I will satisfy you with a long life.  I will show you how I will save you.

(Isaiah 43:2)  When you go through the sea, I am with you.  When you go through rivers, they will not sweep you away.  When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, and the flames will not harm you.

~Names of God Bible (NOG)

Psalm 105:1-6 Hallelujah!

There is nothing to compare with seeing the face of the Lord. When you seek first his kingdom; his way of doing and being right all things will be added unto you. When you seek the Lord it is easier to resist temptation; it transforms you. If you have invited Jesus into your heart and have been born again, the presence of God goes with you. However, there comes a time to get quiet, meditate and soak in his presence. Enter into this time by giving thanks unto the Lord; pray that the words of your mouth and the meditation of your heart will be acceptable in his sight, asking the Holy Spirit to help you. You may sing praises to Him. Praise him for all of His marvelous deeds. Glory in His holy name. Seek, inquire of and for the Lord, and crave Him and His strength (His might and inflexibility to temptation); seek and require His face and His presence [continually] evermore. (Psalm 105:1-4)  

PRAYER:  One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple. LORD, I seek you with my whole heart, and desire to walk in your ways. I praise you today with uprightness of heart. With my whole heart I seek you; do not let me wander from your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O LORD! Teach me your statues, in the name of Jesus, I pray. You are a Rewarder of those who diligently seek you. (Psalm 27:4; Psalm 119:1-16; Hebrews 11:6)

Lord, the plans of the mind and orderly thinking belong to me, but from You comes the [wise] answer of the tongue. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but You, Lord, weigh the spirits (the thoughts and intents of the heart). I roll my works upon You [commit and trust them wholly to You; You will cause my thoughts to become agreeable to Your will, and] so shall my plans be established and succeed. In the name of Jesus I thank You for directing my paths.  (Proverbs 16)

Holy Spirit, help me plant the good seeds of righteousness. I expect to reap a crop of peace and love. I plow up the hard ground of my heart for now is the time to seek the Lord. Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth. I am a peacemaker planting seeds of peace and I will reap a harvest of goodness in the name of Jesus. Amen. (Hosea 10:12 (Living);Psalm 26:2-3 (NIV);James 3:18 (Living)

Psalm 105: 1-6 Hallelujah!
Thank God! Pray to him by name!

    Tell everyone you meet what he has done!

Sing him songs, belt out hymns,

    translate his wonders into music!

Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs,

    you who seek God. Live a happy life!

Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works;

    be alert for signs of his presence.

Remember the world of wonders he has made,

    his miracles, and the verdicts he’s rendered—

        O seed of Abraham, his servant,

        O child of Jacob, his chosen.

    

~Bits and Pieces of  "The Message" 

Prayer of Devotion of Our Salvation

Dear Heavenly Father, I come into your presence with thanksgiving. It is by fearful and glorious things [that terrify the wicked but make me sing praises] that you answer my prayers in righteousness (rightness and justice). You are the God of my salvation. You are my confidence and hope. I know that in the morning you hear my voice, O Lord; in the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for you and watch and wait [for you to speak to my heart]. Thank you for answering me from your holy heaven with the saving strength of your right hand. For in you, O Lord, do I hope; you will answer, O Lord my God. I love you with all that is within me, and I praise your holy name.  (Psalm 20:4-6)

My desire is to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before others or have their good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  (Philip. 3:10 (NIV); Galatians 2:20 (Message)

In the name of Jesus, I shall go to all to whom you send me, and whatever you command me, I shall speak. I will not be afraid of their faces, for you are with me to deliver me. Whenever I feel afraid, I will trust in you. I will praise Your Word, in you I have put my trust; I will not fear, what can man do to me? You have spoken, and my faith is in you. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Jeremiah 1:6-8: Psalm 56:3-4; Philippians 4:13)

I will look for occasions to bring healing, to strengthen and bless others. I purpose to do good every time it is possible. I will not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of my hand to do so. If my enemy is hungry, I will feed him; if he is thirsty, I will give him a drink. In the name of Jesus, I will overcome evil with good.  (Proverbs 3:27; Romans 12:20-21)

Holy Spirit, I ask you to perfect the fruit of my lips giving praise. Thank you for this mighty weapon of praise, which stops and stills the enemy. I am joyful in the Salvation of my Lord. I greatly rejoice in your strength, O LORD; and in your salvation! You have given me my heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of my lips. You meet me with the blessings of goodness…you give me life and length of days. You have made me exceedingly glad with your presence. Be exalted, O LORD, in your own strength!  (Psalm 8;  Psalm 21)

This is the day the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it! My delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on Your law I habitually meditate (ponder and study) by day and by night. Then I shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water; ready to bring forth fruit in my season; my leaf shall not fade or wither, and everything I do shall prosper and come to maturity.  (Psalm 118:24; Psalm 1:2-3)

My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth and pray for you.  I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.  (Ephesians 3:17-19 MSG)

Prayers that Avail Much

Matthew 6:25-34 / Do Not Worry

Matthew 6:25-34 / Do Not Worry 

Jesus resumes the theme of single-hearted devotion to God and deals with the related attitude of freedom from anxiety over daily needs. He illustrates the worthlessness of worry by showing that it is unnecessary (vv. 26, 28–30), unfruitful (v. 27), and unbecoming to a Christian (vv. 31, 32).

6:19–34 Jesus warns against avarice and its corresponding anxiety, contrasting the uncertain temporal nature of earthly treasure with heavenly treasure, which is enduring.   He demanded that his disciples invest their treasures in God’s kingdom, not in earthly possessions  

6:25 The noun form of the Greek word merimnao (worry) used in this verse is found in the Parable of the Sower (“cares”; see ch. 13). Jesus’ admonition here is important because it indicates that there are those who are hearing His teaching but, because of daily cares, will allow it to be “choked” and become unfruitful in their lives. 

6:27 Stature here probably means “length of life,” or age. Cubit then means a “length” of time, not a distance.

6:32 — “ … For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”  God doesn’t tell us to stop worrying over food and shelter and clothing because we don’t really need them; He knows we need them. We can stop worrying because He has promised to take care of the essentials.  (Life Lessons - Charles F. Stanley)

6:33 Rather than being preoccupied with material things, our ambition should be to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness, knowing that as we do so, He has pledged Himself with covenant faithfulness to respond—all these things shall be added to you.  

To seek … the kingdom of God and His righteousness means to desire God’s righteous rule on this earth (vv. 9, 10).

34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Financial Fear Is:  

1. Unreasonable (v. 25)

2. Unnatural (v. 26)
3. Unhelpful (v. 27) - Worry and fear do not produce anything worthwhile.

4. Unnecessary (v.30) - God promises to take care of our needs.

5. Unbelieving (v.31,32) -  We are acting as if God does not exist.

Answers to Life’s Questions

NKJV Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible Notes

How can I overcome anxiety?

Matt. 6:25–34

God did not design you to be anxious or nervous. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the crowds, “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ … Therefore do not worry about tomorrow .…” (Matt. 6:31, 34).

All of us have worried about the basics of life. When we reduce most of our anxieties to their lowest terms, we discover they involve fundamental things: where we live, what food we buy, what clothes to wear, what friends we have, what others think about us. In all these concerns, the issue for believers in Jesus Christ comes down to trust.

Do you believe that you are in charge of your life? Or do you acknowledge that God directs and provides? Your answer has everything to do with your anxiety level.

Have you ever watched a mouse running inside a wheel? The faster he runs, the faster the wheel moves—but he doesn’t make the slightest progress. He does not even have the sense to get off the wheel.

That is what anxiety does to you. You run faster and faster, trying harder and harder to meet demands or prevent disaster—and still you do not have control over your circumstances. So when something does not go quite right, your frustration level continues to mount.

There is a way off the wheel, however. God created you. He knows your deepest needs (Ps. 68:19). He longs for you to end the anxiety cycle and let Him lead (Matt. 11:28). First Peter 5:6, 7 says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” The word “casting” is related to the Greek verb used in Luke 19:35, when on Palm Sunday the people of Jerusalem threw their garments onto a colt for Jesus to ride. The word describes the same motion: a deliberate action of setting something down and leaving it there.

Jesus wants you to throw your cares on Him and leave them there. You depend on Him for life itself, and you acknowledge this reliant relationship by saying, “Here, Jesus. Take my problems. You have the answers! I trust You to show me what to do and to take care of the consequences.

”PRAYER TO CAST CARES ON THE ALTAR 

"Father, I am carrying the burdens of my relationships and circumstances.  I choose to lay all my cares, all my worries, all my fears, all things I cannot change on Your altar.  Father, I lay my spouse on Your altar.   Father, I lay my children on your altar.  Father, I lay my job, my finances on Your altar.  Father, I lay (name the circumstances that you cannot change) on Your altar.  You are my supply and You alone can move in my circumstances.   I give these to You and trust You with them, in Jesus' name.  

LIVE TO LOVE

ROMANS 12

12:1 Therefore: In light of the great plan of salvation outlined in chs. 1—11, particularly all the mercies (benefits) it brings to us as Christians, let us respond appropriately.

12:2 World is literally “age,” referring to a godless system. We are not to accept the pattern of an age whose god is the Devil (2 Cor. 4:4). On the contrary, we are to be transformed by a renewed mind committed to the ideals of the kingdom of God. Prove means to test and to prove by practice in everyday life that God’s will for us is good and acceptable and perfect.

12:3–8 Transformed kingdom living calls for lives marked by humility and service through giftedness to the body of Christ. In discussing the matter of giftedness, Paul reminds us that just as the physical body is made up of many members, each with a different function, the church is a body of many members, but all closely related and constituting a unity in Christ, with each one having individual functions and responsibilities. We are not to inflate our own position nor to begrudge others their office.

12:3 Paul refers to his own function in the body as an authoritative apostle through the grace given to him. The measure of faith is not saving faith but the faith to receive and to exercise the gifts God apportions to us. The term “measure of faith” is best understood as a synonym for “spiritual gift.”

12:4, 5 Our different gifts and abilities should make us love and depend more on one another, and therefore should make us more united as one body in Christ.

12:6–8 There are basically two interpretative approaches to this passage on gifts: 1) To see them as a category distinct from that of other NT passages, often referred to as the Father’s creational gifts. See note on Eph. 4:8, 11; or 2) to see them as a repeat or overlap of many of those mentioned in either 1 Cor. 12:12–29 or Eph. 4:11.

Ephesians 4:8 Amplified Bible (AMP)

8 Therefore it says,

“When He ascended on high,

He led captivity captive,

And He bestowed gifts on men.”

Ephesians 4:11 Amplified Bible (AMP)

11 And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct].

12:6 Prophecy refers either to those whose creation gift from the Father enables them to view all of life with special ongoing prophetic insight, independent of public office or special use by the Spirit in giving public prophecy; or to the manifestation of public prophecy, speaking something that God has spontaneously brought to mind (1 Cor. 12:10). In proportion to our faith likely means that prophecy of any sort is to be exercised in accordance with the biblical maturity God has granted the speaker, recognizing that God is the originator of the gift.

12:7, 8 Ministry suggests either those whose special creation gift enables them to most effectively serve the body in physical ways; or the rendering of any type of service by anyone in the church (1 Cor. 12:5). Teaching refers either to those who are specially gifted to keep an eye on and instruct the revealed truth of God’s Word, regardless of public office; or to those in the public office of teacher (Eph. 4:11). He who exhorts describes either those whose creation gift enables them to best apply God’s truths through encouragement; or to those (such as pastors) who are called to publicly bring encouragement to the church.

12:9–21 Love is to be the guiding principle in Christian relationships not only with fellow believers (vv. 9–13), but with enemies as well (vv. 14–21). Paul mentions many specific Christian duties that are to characterize transformed living, but love is the dominant note in all the exhortations.

-Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy].

-Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good.

-Be devoted to one another with [authentic] brotherly affection [as members of one family], give preference to one another in honor.

-Never lagging behind in diligence; aglow in the Spirit, enthusiastically serving the Lord.

-Constantly rejoicing in hope [because of our confidence in Christ], steadfast and patient in distress, devoted to prayer [continually seeking wisdom, guidance, and strength].

-Contributing to the needs of God’s people, pursuing [the practice of] hospitality.

12:13 Hospitality is the fruit of a transformed, Spirit-filled life. It is showing an interest in others and giving ourselves to loving and supporting them, even as God does us (see Phil. 2:4). Leaders are to be front-runners in the practice of hospitality (see 1 Tim. 3:2).

-Overcome evil with good, having love for God and love for others your motive.

12:18 Because some people may remain violently opposed to us, there are times when all efforts toward peace fail. However, the Christian is to make certain that he is not at fault when peace breaks down.

12:19 Instead of taking vengeance ourselves, we should give it over into God’s hands and thereby give place to wrath. God will exact vengeance at the final judgment or even in this life, sometimes through the instrumentality of civil government (13:4), When government officials use force to restrain and punish evil, they are not doing wrong. Rather, they are God’s minister (servant) and are doing good. Therefore, Christians may serve as police officers and soldiers in good conscience.

In the book of Romans the Holy Spirit gives power in preaching the gospel and in working miracles (15:19), dwells in all who belong to Christ (8:9–11), and gives us life (8:11). He also makes us progressively more holy in daily life, empowering us to obey God and overcome sin (2:29; 7:6; 8:2, 13; 15:13, 16), giving us a pattern of holiness to follow (8:4), guiding us in it (8:14), and purifying our consciences to bear true witness (9:1). The Holy Spirit pours God’s love into our hearts (5:5; 15:30), along with joy, peace, and hope by His power (14:17; 15:13). He enables us to pray rightly (8:26) and to call God our Father, thereby giving inward spiritual assurance that we are God’s children (8:16). We are to set our minds on the things of the Spirit if we wish to be pleasing to God (8:5, 6). Though Paul discusses spiritual gifts briefly in Romans (12:3–8), he makes no explicit mention of the Holy Spirit in connection with these gifts, except to refer to them as “spiritual” (or “of the Spirit”) in 1:11. The present work of the Holy Spirit in us is only a foretaste of His future heavenly work in us (8:23).

In the book of Philippians the Spirit’s work in three areas is mentioned in the letter. First, Paul declares that the Spirit of Jesus Christ will direct the accomplishment of God’s purpose in his own experience (1:19). The Holy Spirit also promotes unity and fellowship in the body of Christ (2:1). Common participation in Him breeds singleness of purpose and maintains a community of love. Then, in contrast to the lifeless ritual observance of formalists, the Holy Spirit inspires and directs the worship of true believers (3:3).

Direct references to the Holy Spirit in 1 Timothy are rare, but He was at work from the inception of the church at Ephesus (see Acts 19:1–7). The “intercessions” (2:1) are prayers that involve the Holy Spirit’s assistance (Rom. 8:26, 27). The statement that “the Spirit expressly says” (4:1) underscores the continuing activity of the Holy Spirit and Paul’s sensitivity to His promptings. In 4:14 Paul reminds Timothy of “the gift” that was given to him “by prophecy,” a special ability for ministry given as a charisma of the Spirit when hands were laid on him. Further, “a good testimony” (3:7) would also include a leader’s being “full of the Holy Spirit” as with the first appointment of leaders (Acts 6:3).

In the book of 1 Corinthians (12:13) Paul states the basis for the principle of unity within diversity. The gift of the Holy Spirit is the common life of Christians and a greater dynamic than all human distinctives. The Greek grammar in this statement parallels other passages that speak of being “baptized with the Holy Spirit” (see Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5; 11:16). While Spirit baptism describes a primary spiritual reality for all believers, Paul still pleads for a Spirit-filled experience (Eph. 5:18) that includes the manifestations listed here.

1 Cor. 12:8–11 These nine gifts specify the varied distribution necessary for a full manifestation of the Spirit: The word of wisdom is a spiritual utterance at a given moment through the Spirit, supernaturally disclosing the mind, purpose, and will of God as applied to a specific situation. The word of knowledge is a supernatural revelation of information pertaining to a person or an event, given for a specific purpose, usually having to do with an immediate need. The gift of faith is a unique form of faith that goes beyond natural faith and saving faith. It supernaturally trusts and does not doubt with reference to the specific matters involved. Gifts of healings are those healings that God performs supernaturally by the Spirit. The plural suggests that as there are many sicknesses and diseases, the gift is related to healings of many disorders. The working of miracles is a manifestation of power beyond the ordinary course of natural law. It is a divine enablement to do something that could not be done naturally. Prophecy is a divine disclosure on behalf of the Spirit, an edifying revelation of the Spirit for the moment (14:3), a sudden insight of the Spirit, prompting exhortation or comfort (14:3, 30). Discerning of spirits is the ability to discern the spirit world, and especially to detect the true source of circumstances or motives of people. Different kinds of tongues is the gift of speaking supernaturally in a language not known to the individual. The plural allows different forms, possibly harmonizing the known spoken languages of Acts 2:4–6 and the unknown trans-rational utterances in Corinthians, designed particularly for praying and singing in the Spirit, mostly for private worship (14:14–19). The interpretation of tongues is the gift of rendering the trans-rational (but not irrational) message of the Spirit meaningful to others when exercised in public. It is not the translation of a foreign language. Note: None of the gifts require a “public” setting, although each may and should be welcomed in corporate gatherings.

1 Cor. 12:12–26 In comparing the church to the human body, Paul shows how the wide diversity of gifts assures unity in the church. Each gift contributes something necessary to the common life and growth of the whole.

1 Cor. 12:27–30 Members individually: The lessons from the human body are now practically applied to individuals. No one has all the gifts. Any order of ranking would contradict the context, which is a mix of the gifts, ministries, and activities of the Trinity, illustrating how variety and diversity operate in different people (12:4–6). Helps describes all forms of loving service and support, a manifestation of the Spirit often overlooked. Administrations is another of the less honorable, that is, less noticeable ministries (v. 23), giving guidance and assistance behind the scenes. 
~Bits and Pieces of NSFB