"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."Isaiah 9:6

Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Sar Shalom, in Hebrew). You may have already known that the word "shalom" means peace. But actually, it has several meanings in Hebrew. Shalom means peace, completeness, prosperity, safety, contentment, health, blessing, and rest -- and not only that. Shalom is the common word for hello and goodbye. So, when you greet someone or bid them a farewell "shalom", what you are actually doing is speaking all those blessings upon them -- and really, speaking over them the ultimate peace, Jesus, Himself! Brothers & Sisters, 'tis the season to speak shalom over one another -- in doing so, we'll truly be His ambassador of peace in this world so filled with chaos! SHALOM!

"Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me."Psalms 56:2-4

Some experts believe that acute stress can provoke changes in the heart that may lead to death. In one study, fifteen cases were identified in which people died after a physical assault, even though the injuries alone were not enough to kill them. Eleven of the fifteen showed a type of heart-cell death, similar to a reaction in experimental animals that feel helpless to anticipate or avoid danger. We live in a day that godlessness is on the rise -- a day in which the world (and even some of the church) is motivated by money, power and the desire for worldly pleasures -- a day in which the fruit of this behavior is apparent even to the worst of us. It's a scary time. Even amidst these frightful times, though, isn't it wonderful to know that we don't have to pretend we're not afraid? God knew we would be afraid from time to time. But He encourages us to redirect our attention to put our trust again in Him. He, who is all-powerful and watches over us intently. What a gracious and compassionate Father we have! Brothers & Sisters, let's ask the Lord to help us keep our focus on trusting Him for all things. When we are focused on this, there's no stopping us from doing the great things He has called us to do! MY FRIENDS IN CHRIST, TRUST HIM EXPLICITLY!

"For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day."2 Corinthians 4:16

There is a process going on in us believers. Since the day the Holy Spirit came to dwell in us He has been at work with perfect wisdom and supernatural power to renew and transform our character, to some extent, our personality, and even our physical body. Our outward man, this mortal body with its natural weakness and sinful ways was doomed to death and is "wasting away" even now. Yet a new life dwells within this clay jar, and that life is constantly at work having a profound effect on the body which contains it. The Holy Spirit is working renewal, the manifestation of God in and with us. Real estate developers do something similar. They buy a piece of property that is terribly run down, seemingly useless, without much value to the naked eye...and reform it completely, from the inside out. With great skill and vision, they know what to keep, what to get rid of, what part of the property needs renovation, refurbishing, or complete rebuilding. So it is with God and us. He knows everything that comprises our life from the moment of conception; our gifts, abilities, strengths, weaknesses, wounds, and all the characteristics of our personalities. And He wants to completely renovate us according to the vision He has for our lives, which is much greater than we can imagine. He has purchased the "property" of our lives, with His blood, and His Holy Spirit is powerfully and skillfully at work developing the Lord's "real estate"! Brothers & Sisters, your life is in good hands. Your Developer knows exactly what He's doing with you. You might be a little tired or discouraged, run-down, or even wrecked in some places, but soon, you will sense, once again that He is building, renovating, and renewing you in the best possible way...for eternity. DON'T FAINT, YOU'RE BEING RENEWED!

"Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord--that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful."James 5:11

Some time ago, an old mule fell into an abandoned well which was no longer in use. The farmer who owned him tried and tried to pull the mule up out of the well -- however, after many attempts, he realized he was not going to be able to rescue his mule. So the farmer decided to solve two problems simultaneously--- by burying the mule in the well. Tragic as it was, he would bury the mule alive, and in the process, prevent future accidents of this kind by filling up the well hole. Taking a shovel, the man began to toss shovel fulls of dirt on the animal to bury him. However, following every toss of soil, the stubborn mule simply shook the dirt clean off his back. This caused the floor beneath him to steadily rise. The relentless farmer continued to shovel, while the stubborn mule persisted in shaking off the annoying dirt. This mutual perseverance eventually raised the mule up to ground level, where he could happily walk out of his impossible predicament...free at last. We all have, somehow or other, fallen into a hole a time or two. Some of us give up after a few attempts to escape, resigning to a state of imprisonment in our predicament -- but this is not God's intent for our lives. His will is for us to persevere -- become stubborn like a mule -- fight, kick, and continually toss the dirt off our backs -- until we get out of the hole! Brothers & Sisters, life for many of us can be a series of trials or just one or two seemingly endless ones. But perseverance is an essential quality of true disciples -- and as we press in, press through, and press on, deliverance will finally come, often in the most unexpected way. The floor will rise each and every time we shake off the dirt. So take a lesson from a stubborn mule and a relentless farmer. Be tenacious! Don't let the trials of this life get the better of you -- because success is in your spiritual DNA, a sure inheritance from your Savior Jesus! TUBBORN AS A MULE!

"Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a shofar into every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. And he said to them, "Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: When I blow the shofar, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the shofars on every side of the whole camp, and say, 'The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!' " So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the shofars and broke the pitchers that were in their hands."Judges 7:16-19

When God called Gideon to lead Israel against their enemies, He wanted to show that a small army empowered by God was more effective than the largest armies. But notice how they fought – without weapons that an army would normally use. They fought with shofars and lamps! They fought with weapons that the world would consider ineffective, yet triumphed mightily over their enemies. They shouted as loud as they could, sounded the shofar, and broke the vessels that held the fire so that their lamps burst through with brightness. This breaking of the lamps of clay holds a powerful metaphor for us. If we too are "earthen vessels" holding the fire of God – the Spirit of God within us, then a "breaking" of the outer man is necessary for His inner light to burst through. Victory can come out of brokenness. Our old life of self, often called the "old man", when truly crucified and broken, will give way to the release of the Lord's Spirit of God in our lives. The death of our Lord has broken the power of our self-life since we were crucified with Him. Walking in that awareness brings light and victory. Brothers & Sisters, let the love, joy, peace, and all the fruit of the Spirit breakthrough in your life. Your old life of Self has been and is being broken, as Jesus's victorious light shines through your earthen vessel. LET THE LIGHT BREAK THROUGH!

"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses."Psalms 107:2-6

In his book, Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan has written one of the most beautiful allegories about the journey we all travel as believers. The book describes the hero, Christian, and his journey from the City of Destruction to his heavenly destination, the Celestial City. Now there's one part of Pilgrim's Progress that I want to focus on today -- walking through the Swamp of Despondency! At one point during their travels, Christian and his companion suddenly find themselves there....in the Swamp of Despondency. Still bearing his burden, Christian, begins to sink in the mire. His traveling companion manages to get out, but he returns to the City of Destruction without giving aid to Christian. Christian is left all alone and sinking even deeper in the mire, until Help, the allegorical figure for the Holy Spirit, pulls him free from the swamp. Christian then asks Help why this dangerous plot of land has not been mended so that poor travelers might go safely to the Celestial City. Help replies, "This miry slough is such a place that cannot be mended." How true it is in real life! As hard as we try to avoid them, whether young in the Lord, or spiritually mature...swamps of despondency seem inevitable, and we must struggle through them! Charles Spurgeon once wrote to his students in the book, "Lectures to my Students", "Fits of depression come over most of us. Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy. There may be here and there men of iron...but surely the rust frets even these." Brothers & Sisters, there are times in our lives when we will struggle through the swamps of despondency -- but praise God that He has provided us a helper for those times of need! We need to press through, seeking and trusting the power of the Holy Spirit to pull us out of those nasty swamps, and set our feet back upon the Rock of our salvation. Let's also look around to see our brethren who may be struggling in the swamps of despondency, so that, rather than abandoning them, we might give them a hand on their journey to the celestial city! PRESS THROUGH THE SWAMPS!

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."Revelation 12:11

As parents trying to raise kids in this world, we're constantly reminded by the Lord of Proverbs 22:6, 'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.' The Hebrew word 'train', in this passage is, 'Chanak' which can be translated, 'train up' or 'dedicate.' It's the root word from which we get the word, Chanukah. The festival of Christmas is not only a time of rejoicing, but also a time of 'dedication.' Let's be reminded of the cost that the Maccabees were willing to pay to make their stand against Antiochus -- who was led of the same anti-christ spirit that swirls around us today. They were willing to lay it all down and dedicate themselves to serving God. Brothers Sisters, as the spirit of anti-christ is released in this age, we also need to make a stand in the Spirit and consecrate ourselves for the battle before us. So this holiday season, let’s not only rejoice in the victory we have, but continue to walk in it, wholeheartedly dedicated to serving God – no matter the cost! RE-DEDICATE YOURSELF!