"Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." Daniel 6:10

Let's consider Daniel for a moment. Here is one of the great rulers of the Persian empire, in charge of the King's affairs and of the affairs of the entire government. If anyone is really busy -- it's Daniel! But in spite of all this responsibility, he makes it a point to set himself apart from the world and pray three times a day. This really struck me. I mean, how busy are we -- really? And busy doing what? Brothers & Sisters, so my conclusion: If we are neglecting to meet personally with our God, then we're simply doing more than He intended! Let's keep our priorities in order and be a people of prayer! There is so much work to be done, but not at the expense of our most important relationship. BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

"A soft answer turns away wrath: but harsh words stir up anger." Proverbs 15:1

People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes. How often, in all the issues we have to deal with talking with people, we know or we feel we are right; our idea, our position, our interpretation is it, and we're ready to fight for it. Forget the fact that we may not be, or that there might be something we're completely ignorant of. The truth is that sometimes we know better, and sometimes we don't. But the scripture teaches us, and I've learned from experience (most of the time), that arguing, forcefulness, and violence in my own voice are almost guaranteed to start a futile and ugly war of words. People are naturally defensive, and often, naturally offensive. But I can be the one to break the pattern...with a gentle answer. Brothers & Sisters, if my heart attitude is “Come, let us reason together, hear each other out, respect each other, speak softly, and trust the Lord for the outcome", and my tone of voice carries that spirit, I can actually help the other person to calm down and prevent a war. The fruit of the spirit is..... self-control. What a blessing! Do you want to start a fight.....or finish one? Give a gentle answer today and see what the Lord does! SOFTER IS BETTER!

"But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." Matthew 5:39

People read this verse, and think God is telling them to be passive -- to overlook what happened. That is not a bad thing -- but it isn't exactly what Jesus was saying. Turning the other cheek is not about being passive. It's about being active! So active that it actually confounds your enemy! Turning the other cheek is about taking an action so revolutionary, so shocking, so out of the ordinary that it shocks everyone around. It confounds the world -- and can also change it! Do you truly want to overcome evil? So stop sulking about it, stop dwelling on it and stop doing nothing about it! Take a most unexpected action of surprising love -- because that is what Jesus did for us.....and it changed our lives, didn't it? Has someone hurt you or sinned against you? Those things happen and they always will because of our sinful human nature. But now -- turn that into an action of love! Brothers & Sisters, let's make a habit of surprising those who hurt us! It may radically change lives, especially our own! TAKE YOUR ENEMY BY SURPRISE!

"Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-42

So often in ministry, the Lord deals with my own spirit, saying – "You need to step back and get refocused!" And we all know how hard it is at times when we get so busy with the normal everyday stresses of life tugging at our limited time. As we read the story of Mary and Martha, and how Mary chose the better part, while Martha was doing the housework. Now let's not deny the real importance of housework and practical matters; let's face it, with nobody doing that stuff, what would get done? Life would be a mess! But according to Jesus, something was wrong, and Martha had her priorities out of line. And He made it very clear, Mary had chosen the better part! Mary preferred and chose relationship and intimacy with the Lord over the physical preparations and housework associated with His visit. And Jesus blessed and protected her choice. And so the Lord has had to remind me, over and again of the importance of intimacy with Him...before getting down to the work! It's a constant temptation to slip into an emphasis on DOING the work at hand; and even in our own personal prayer time, to be mainly focused on those "urgent ministry needs"...and completely forgetting the most important thing, the "better part"- intimacy, personal communication, just BEING with Him. Brothers & Sisters, let's resolve to choose intimacy with Jesus! Let's choose the better part! Let's resolve to spend time with the Lord and develop that intimate relationship He so wants with us. That way we will constantly experience how deep and awesome His love for us is. And it will make the work we're called to do -- so much easier! CHOOSE THE BETTER PART!

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." Genesis 2:7; "And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man." 1 Corinthians 15:49; "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:14; "And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts." Revelation 21:6

The first man was called "Ah-dom", we know him as "Adam". The word used for "man", as in "mankind", in Genesis 1, is also the same word – "Ah-dom". "Ah-dom" is rooted in the three Hebrew letters, aleph-dalet-mem, and one of the Hebrew words for earth is "Adamah", which contains the same three letters, however it ends with the Hebrew letter "hay". "Adamah" means "red earth", or "red clay", and this word points to the natural earth elements, the "earth dust" that composed Adam’s body, and the body of every human being since. "Man" is "ah-dom", in a very real sense, "clay". If a piece of clay is to become anything, it has to be molded – and to be moldable it must become wet. Clay has a tendency to dry out quickly and become hardened, and once that happens, there's not much you can do with it. Since we are "ah-dom", made of clay, we are in constant need of water. This is true both physically, and also spiritually. Our bodies need a constant resupply of water to stay alive and function well. Our spirits also need "water", the "water" of the Word [Ephesians 5:26]. If we are constantly drinking this water of the word, our faith, which comes by hearing [Romans 10:17] will result in a magnificent promise from Jesus: "He that believes in me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water!" This water of His Word welling up through His Spirit will prevent us from becoming dry and hardened, and will enable us to "water" others, even to be, ourselves, a spring of living water. Brothers & Sisters, drink from the water of life. You don't want to become a hardened vessel, easily cracked or broken. Soak yourself in Him and in His word, so that God will keep you moldable, useful, and "drinkable" by others. Water is necessary, but it is also deeply refreshing, and Jesus's living water springs up, even to eternal life! DON'T DRY OUT!

"Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." Acts 14:22

I don't know about you, but it seems that the tests we're going through are getting harder and harder. Do you remember when you took tests in high school? At the time they may have seemed hard. But imagine if you had to take an elementary school test when you were in high school. You'd probably think – oh this is so simple. So if it seems that the testing of your faith is more intense – it simply means that you're graduating to new levels of faith! Our faith is being tested, and as we pass each "faith" test, we're finding different means of being tested. I suppose in a few years, we'll look back and think to ourselves – wow that was a hard test, but now it doesn't look so difficult! Brothers & Sisters, if you're going through a tough time right now, be encouraged because it simply means that God is graduating you to new levels of faith! The harder the tests, the greater the difficulty – the greater the reward, an increased blessing awaits you! Stay focused, stay alert and remember that God is trying to stretch your faith so that you can accomplish even more for His Kingdom! DOES IT SEEM THE TESTS ARE GETTING HARDER?

"He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm [z’roah in Hebrew] brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, Fury to His adversaries, Recompense to His enemies; The coastlands He will fully repay. So shall they fear The name of the Lord from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in, like a flood The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him." Isaiah 59:16-19

The Hebrew expression in this verse from Isaiah is rich with meaning. The root "nus" (from the expression "raise up a standard") is related to or sounds like numerous words which mean "sign", "miracle", "to drive away", "to flee", "cause to disappear", "a waving flag". This abundance of meanings in Isaiah's poetic style reveals the multiple dimensions of God's revelation; in this case, the way he deals with evil. The assertion in this word is that the Spirit of God will be powerfully activated when evil comes. Whether the enemy comes in like a flood, and then the LORD raises a standard against him...or, the enemy comes in, and like a flood, the LORD works miraculously and drives him away, the clear meaning and promise is that the presence of evil will not go unnoticed. God will respond powerfully, in His own way, and in His own time. We've often spoken of the increase of wickedness in these last days; virtually every day some new scandal appears. Evil is on the rise; its power being consolidated in many areas of social, political, and personal life. Our identification with the one true God who raises His standard in response to this wickedness, calls us to be His "standard bearers" in the midst of the flood of evil around us. This is not easy, but is a high calling for faith-filled and disciplined saints. Brothers & Sisters, our challenge now, more than ever before, is, do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. We cannot bear Jesus' standard if we yield to become like the world around us. Only by abiding, praying, staying close to Him, can we represent our Lord. Let's continue to encourage one another...daily. BE A STANDARD BEARER!

"For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak. So shall they fear The name of the Lord from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in, like a flood The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him." Isaiah 59:17,19 ; "The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light." Romans 13:12

War has erupted in Ukraine that threatens to draw all of Europe into the conflict. Along with that, the United States is working toward a nuclear deal with the Iranian government that threatens Israel's existence. Rumors abound that a nuclear deal with Iran will unleash billions of dollars that will fund terrorist organizations on Israel's borders. How will Israel react? The war drums are beating ... and the question is -- how should we as believers respond? First, we have to win the spiritual battle that we're currently fighting! Whether you realize it or not, we as believers have been at war since we came to faith! "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Thus Paul instructed us in Ephesians. We fight against the kingdom of Satan. We fight with spiritual weapons; prayer, the Word of God, faith in His truth, and His power– these are not carnal weapons but spiritual. We are seated in the heavenlies with Him [Ephesians 1:20], and in His authority, we make our stand. The enemy's weapons are temptations, fiery darts of doubt and disbelief, discouragement, weariness, earthly pleasures. Thus the enemy distracts us from and disarms us in the battle position. But what soldier goes to war without taking the equipment necessary for war? A soldier on the battlefield without his weapons is useless and helpless and in great danger. So it is in the spiritual realm. We need to actively take up our spiritual armor and weapons to fight the enemy. And we have this promise -- when the enemy comes in -- like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall raise up a standard against Him! Are you ready to make your stand in this day? Brothers & Sisters, now, today, war is a very real threat in the physical realm – but it's already been here for millennia in the spiritual realm. So by all means necessary take up the armor of God today – stand with Him in faith and win your battle, one day at a time -- win the battle over your thoughts and your actions. God, "The LORD of Hosts" is with you, to strengthen, equip, and overcome; and His victory is assured! PREPARE FOR WAR!

"And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one having harps and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book and to open its seals, for You were slain and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. And You made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign over the earth." Revelation 5:8-10

From the beginning of Genesis (Genesis 4:4) to the end of the Bible (Revelation 22:3), there is a common theme -- the Lamb! In Revelation 6 we read about the Lamb who sits in the midst of the throne -- worshiped by all of heaven because the Lamb was worthy to take the book and open the seals therein. The most harmless of creatures -- the object of sacrifice, becomes the authority of heaven. Isn't it interesting that the focal point of heaven is a Lamb? The world seeks power, fame and glory... The world's mentality is "survival of the fittest"... This is the way "nature works". And yet, how would a lamb fare in this competitive environment? It appears to be the weakest of all the animals, and yet, is the symbol of power and authority in the Kingdom of God! An amazing paradox. Authority in the Kingdom of God is marked and even defined by gentleness and sacrifice, in total opposition to the world's definition. When Jesus died as the lamb of God -- He revealed the greatness of sacrifice. Likewise, Revelation 12:11 declares of the martyrs, "They conquered by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony; for they loved not their lives even unto death." Several of Jesus' paradoxical statements illustrate His Kingdom priorities. "He that loses His life for my sake -- shall find it". [Matthew 10:39]. "He that seeks to be greatest in the Kingdom shall become a servant to all". [Matthew 23:11]. Victory through death? Gain through total loss? Great stature through abject servanthood? Such are the beautiful ways of our Lord. Brothers & Sisters, meditate on the Lamb, and you will discover the greatness in humility, the authority in harmlessness, the responsibility in servanthood, the victory in surrender, and the majesty in submission to the great God of creation. In His world, servants become kings; surrender becomes victory; death turns to resurrected life. Take hold of the paradox of the Lamb -- take hold of the Kingdom of Heaven! TAKE HOLD OF THE MYSTERY OF THE LAMB!

"And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." Jonah 3:4; "For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." Romans 8:24-25

When the prophet Jonah entered Nineveh, he gave a message of hopelessness -- in 40 days your city will be destroyed! He did not say, Nineveh will be destroyed "unless", but emphatically prophesied destruction to the people of the city -- seeming to say their situation was hopeless. Yet hearing this message Nineveh repented, and because their repentance was genuine God spared the city for a season and many lives were saved. Jonah's prophecy of judgment was averted, and Nineveh's destiny was changed by their response to the deep conviction from a message of doom. That's how it is with God. He is so compassionate, so longing to forgive and restore people to Himself, that He seems to "change His mind" showing how His mercy triumphs over judgment. Brothers & Sisters, is there a "prophecy of doom" over your life? Are your sins piled so high that God's judgment seems irrevocable and imminent? Don't despair ... repent! With our compassionate God, there is hope even when it seems all is lost. You may have wandered very far from Him -- but if Nineveh, a pagan city, hardened and ripe for judgment and "hopelessly" heading toward destruction, could be saved -- shouldn't you also have hope if you turn back to the Lord? Don't give up -- with Jesus there is always hope! BECOME A SPRING IN THE DESERT!

"For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard." Acts 22:15

Many times, our unbelieving family and coworkers -- society in general, can make us feel small and inferior -- like second-class citizens -- because we are believers. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, somehow, we begin to believe it! We become what I like to call "mopey Christians," just moping around, keeping our faith hidden under a bushel, feeling afraid to say a word about Jesus, in fear that we might offend someone! And that's precisely what the enemy wants us to feel! But we can choose whether or not to give in to his foolishness today! Jesus said that those who follow after Him shall never hunger or thirst -- they have been set free from the law of sin and death -- they've been renewed, cleansed, forgiven, loved with an everlasting love! How on earth can we mope about that?? Brothers & Sisters, we need a reality check. We should be holding our heads high today and ready to tell people about the great work He's done in us! We have been redeemed! DON'T BE MOPEY!

"He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked-- But with the rich at His deaths [plural in the Hebrew], Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth." Isaiah 53:8-9

Acts 3:15 and killed the Prince of life [in Hebrew, lives], whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. An interesting parallel exists between these two passages of scripture: Isaiah 53:9 and Acts 3:15. Isaiah renders the "death" of the messiah in the plural form, "deaths" ("motav"). Acts renders the life of the Prince of Life as "lives" ("chaim"). Some scholars suggest that the plurality of the word death indicates a violent death this servant would suffer, and that making the noun plural is a way of emphasizing the terrible intensity of his experience. Jewish counter-missionaries suggest that the "death" in plural shows that the suffering servant is not an individual man, but a group of people, specifically the nation of Israel, thus denying that the passage refers to an individual messianic figure. I like to look at this passage as a reminder that Jesus suffered death for me, personally, but also for every one else who would believe in Him. Since we all died with Him on the cross as He died to sin, it could be said that He suffered many deaths for all those He loved. Tracing the parallel to the Acts passage we can understand why it says there that He was the "Prince of Lives". The phrase is "sar ha-chaim" in the Brit Hadashah (Hebrew New Testament), indicating a plurality of life. In His suffering of deaths, He became the Prince of lives! How many lives did He save? How many kinds of life? We'll find out someday....maybe. Brothers & Sisters, Jesus' death was complete; a finished work of comprehensive grace; totally effective and absolutely personal. His resurrection was equally full, final and personal -- through Him we died to sin, and need no longer walk in it; and through Him we live to God, and can walk in newness of life, abundant life -- for He truly is the Prince of Life! FOLLOW YOUR SAR HA'CHAIM!

"Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it? As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up, Or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood!" Isaiah 10:15

One constant pitfall we must watch for is taking credit for something that God does in or through us, or using the gifts and callings of God for self-exaltation. In that light it may be easier to handle poverty, weakness, or insignificance, than wealth, ability, power or authority, since poverty and frailty are not normally things we boast about, and they cause us to recognize our need for God. Prosperity, gifting, and anointing, on the other hand can be powerful temptations, leading to pride, covetousness, and self-sufficiency. Saul, who came from a humble background, was anointed king of Israel, yet his heart was revealed when the Lord exalted him, but he exulted in his own position, eventually coveting it so severely he became a fierce enemy of God. The Lord then removed His spirit from Saul and the true condition of the man became apparent to everyone. Even the great Solomon whose gifting, anointing, and prosperity were unsurpassed in some ways, seems to have taken for granted his abilities and wealth, and, somehow, rationalizing his blatant disobedience to God's law, he fell into idolatry and brought disaster to the Kingdom of Israel. This seems amazing, given the fact that Solomon's most precious gift was his wisdom. (Those with this gift should take note). Brothers & Sisters, be careful how you handle the gifts and successes that God gives you! Enjoy His blessings as you serve in your family, business, or ministry – but never forget where it all comes from, and to whom the glory belongs, cause if you do, He will be sure to remind you. BE CAREFUL TO TAKE CREDIT!