"Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed."Psalms 37:3

The word "verily", in this verse, is the Hebrew word “emunah”. It also means "faith" or "faithfully". When we trust in the Lord, and our trust is demonstrated by doing good, He declares that He will faithfully feed us. How will we be fed? The Hebrew word for "fed is" "roeh", which also means "shepherd". Yes, the good shepherd feeds his flock who trust Him, by leading them to green pastures, and He does it faithfully. Messiah (Jesus) is our Chief Shepherd. We know His voice, trust him, and follow His direction, so we don't go hungry. Brothers & Sisters, we're continuing to trust in the Lord and do good; to dwell in the Land and be fed. But our deepest hunger is for the Shepherd Himself... to be nearer to Him. He feeds us, in every way. Yet His deepest longing is that we dwell with and in Him, as He said, "Abide in Me and I in you". Not only does our life depend on Him, Who is faithful, but the greater relationship He offers and desires is to be our friend, and even our Husband. BE FED AND MORE!

"For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil."1 Peter 3:12

I came across a short illustration that I believe will bless you. "Teacher", said a young boy, "why is it that so many prayers are unanswered? I do not understand. The Bible says, ‘Ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find; knock and the door shall be opened unto you.’ But it seems to me a great many knock and are not admitted. The teacher answered, "Did you ever sit by your fireplace on some dark evening and hear a loud knocking at the door? Going to answer the knock, have you not sometimes looked out in the darkness, seeing nothing, but hearing the pattering feet of some mischievous boy, who knocked but did not wish to enter, and therefore ran away? It is often so with us. We ask for blessings but do not really expect them. We knock but do not mean to enter. We fear that Jesus will not hear us, will not fulfill His promises, will not admit us. And so we go way." "Ah I see," said the boy, his eyes shining with the new light dawning in his soul. "Jesus can’t be expected to answer runaway knocks. He has never promised it. I mean to keep knocking and knocking until He can’t help opening the door." Brothers & Sisters, let's become persistent in our prayer life and expect God to open the door! ARE YOU KNOCKING?

"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."Luke 10:19

Have you ever thought about how much power God releasing in our midst right now? Is it 20%... 50%... 100% of His great power?? I would venture to say that God is not even releasing a fraction of 1% of His power today. That might sound crazy to you, but think about it. If He were to release all His power on this earth, don't you think that sin would be completely destroyed and righteousness and holiness would abound? God is an all-powerful, all-encompassing God, and there is no limit to what He can do. He chooses to release His power through His saints -- through sinners that have been washed by the blood of the Lamb! We have access to amazing power from on high -- but we have to be open vessels, allowing the anointing of God to flow through us! Brothers & Sisters, the power to tread upon serpents, scorpions and every power of darkness has been given to us! Let's pray like we've never prayed before! And allow the Lord to use us as vessels through which His power can be released! ACCESS THE POWER FROM ON HIGH!

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance (aphesis) to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty (aphesis) them that are bruised,"Luke 4:18

The Greek word 'aphesis' means forgiveness. But in this particular verse it’s translated as both deliverance and liberty. Isn’t it interesting that deliverance and liberty are directly tied together with forgiveness? One of the most effective tools the enemy uses to steal our joy is unforgiveness. With just a little foothold of unforgiveness in our lives, we can easily become bound with chains of bitterness, resentment, anger and rage. If we let that foothold linger without dealing with it, eventually it will lead to our own self-destruction. Brothers & Sisters, let's not let the unrighteous actions of others toward us become a stumbling block in our walk. We have been forgiven much and in the same way, we must release those who've hurt us to the Lord. But when we release them, I think we'll find that the person we'll really be releasing is ourselves! AND LIBERTY AND DELIVERANCE FOR ALL!

"For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith."1 John 5:4

In 2nd Samuel Chapter 9 we read of the story of King David and Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan and the grandson of the first king of Israel, King Saul. After Jonathan's death, David went forth to show kindness to Saul's house. Mephibosheth had become lame at the young age of five -- he had lived his entire life as a cripple. When David calls him forth, Mephibosheth replies "What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?" His identity was completely based on his disability, when in fact he was the grandson of a king! He had forgotton his royal lineage and was wallowing in self pity. Yet David looked beyond his disability and recognizing who he was, offered him a place at the King's table. How much time do we spend wallowing in our own self pity, groaning about things with which we struggle daily...so much so that it becomes who we are! The enemy would love nothing more than to keep us focused on our disabilities so that we are distracted from the calling of God on our lives. He wants us to have a "victim mentality". But let's not lose focus of the reality of who we are. In Jesus we are a chosen generation, part of a royal priesthood, and the King has offered us a place at His table! We are heirs of His great throne!! Brothers & Sisters, in Him, we should have a victor mentality! Press forward -- know who you are in Him and take your rightful seat at the King's Table. HAVE A VICTOR MENTALITY!

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a re-warder of them that diligently seek him."Hebrews 11:6

One of the greatest stories of the Bible is David and Goliath. It's such a good story, in fact, that the world has come to make common use of it! A prime example of this is when the underdog faces an invincible champion in just about any sport on national television, commentators always seem to make mention of David and Goliath. Imagine the scene at the time of David. The children of Israel were small compared to the Philistines (incidentally, they are still small today -- there are very few tall people in Israel!). And here they are faced with this enormously frightening giant, Goliath, champion of the Philistines. Brothers & Sisters, we all have some scary Goliaths to face in our lives. You may be facing one right now. Have faith, my friend! In our greatest distresses God wants to show Himself powerful! Let's walk in faith for His victory! HAVE ABUNDANT FAITH!

“The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them!”Psalm 16:3

In the midst of a psalm focusing on God’s faithfulness, David paused to reflect on particular people whom he admired, who had been a blessing in his life. These were his “true heroes.” He knew that some appeared to prosper by chasing “after other gods.” But David was not fooled: “I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood or even speak the names of their gods.” Instead, he focused on pleasing and obeying God. David realized that he could trust God and commit everything to Him, confident that He would “guard all that is mine.” He remembered the many ways He had blessed and provided for him, giving him “a wonderful inheritance!” Through every experience, David sought to serve God: “I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.” He knew that God always was with Him. Because He was “right beside me,” David knew he would “not be shaken.” He could rejoice, be glad, and rest in safety. In fact, he knew that God would show him “the way of life” and grant him the joy of His presence. He would experience “the pleasures of living with you forever.” How interesting that, in the context of this focus on God, David interjected comments about his “true heroes.” These were the people in whom he took pleasure, who provided examples for him to follow. People God used in his life. Brother & Sisters as you think about your life, have there been people who have been particularly important to you? People who have modeled what it means to serve God? Who have been positive examples for you? Make sure to show appreciation for these “heroes” of the faith. And seek to be a hero to others. Live in such a way that others see Jesus in you and want to follow your example.