“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.” (1Th 5:14 NKJV)
This is probably not the encouraging word you wanted to hear to begin the week. It is not the word I wanted to hear. To be honest, I am tired, and I wanted a “well done good and faithful servant” from the Holy Spirit.
I had an event at the house over the weekend and I hid my computer cord from myself. After looking for an hour and patience wearing thin, I found it. Once my computer was plugged in and recharging, I asked Holy Spirit what He wanted to say today. The very first thing I saw in my journal, written big and bold…BE PATIENT with ALL!
I studied this verse on Wednesday of last week and by Friday, I had failed the test a couple of times. We are supposed to read the word and do it. The Lord had prepared my heart, mind, and spirit with this word from Him. I had studied yet I had failed when it was exam time. Thankfully, the Lord is forgiving as well as my family and friends, but obviously I need to spend a bit more time studying. Want to join in so that you can pass the patience test.
Merciful Lord doesn’t say this just in one verse, but many times in the New Testament.
“Therefore, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See [how] the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.” (James 5:7 NKJV)
“You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” (James 5:8 NKJV)
Be patient. Be patient. Be patient with all. Think He wants us to be patient?
What is patience?
Long spirited
Forbearing
Long suffering
Slow to anger
Slow to boil
Slow to get inflamed
Long enduring temper
Enduring
Not losing heart
Persevering bravely
Mild and slow in avenging
There seems to always be and “and” with the Lord.
“Anda servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient…” (2Ti 2:24 NKJV)
This is not an ask, but a command… “A servant of the Lord must not…”
A servant of the Lord must:
Not quarrel, Greek word, machomai, meaning to war, fight, dispute, and war with words.
Be gentle, Greek word, ēpios, meaning to be mild; kind; friendly; good-natured; easy to talk to.
Able to teach.
Patient, Greek word, anexikakos, meaning, forbearing, enduring wrongs.
“The Lord is not slack concerning [His] promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2Pe 3:9 NKJV)
The Lord is patient with us, and He expects us to be patient with all.
Be patient with all men. Be patient with our spouses. Be patient with our children. Be patient with our parents. Be patient with our siblings. Be patient with our employers. Be patient with the person driving 40 mph in a 60-mph zone. Shall I go on? Be patient with all situations. Be patient with His coming. Be patient with all.
Ouch! Aren’t you excited about this week, this life of patience we are to live.
I enCOURAGE you with the word of the Lord. It is all I can do. I am in the same boat as you with patience. I am still trying to pass the test as a servant of the Lord. I can’t do it without Him.
Patient Father: Lead us. Help us walk in your steps of patience as we go this week. In Jesus name, AMEN.
God will use anything to speak to us. We just have to have ears to hear. Received this newsletter at the end of February as a reminder from Holy Spirit about the 2023 “ASK BIG” day! Suttle hint…you think?
by Tammy Phillips March 23, 2022
Last year, my friend shared this devotion with me and the LORD aligned a few more “witnesses” to hammer home the lesson: I need to ASK BIG of Him. That is exactly what I did. Actually, my prayer group and I did. As a group we meet weekly, seek, pray and ask of the Lord, but today is a special day, an ask the “IMPOSSIBLE” day.
And…this year Holy Spirit told me: 1. Do not limit God. 2. Do not put Him in a box.
I hope the following devotion by Joseph Prince inspires great faith in you, too…
ASK BIG
“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13)
“I want to begin this devotional by giving you this challenge: ask God for big things!
What do you desire to see in your life—in your family, health, finances, and career? What would you ask God for if you knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that He is good and that His love for you endures forever?
Ask God for them! Jesus came so that you might live a life that is marked not by lack, but by abundance; not by despair, but by the fullness of His love, joy, and peace.
I would like you to write down in your journal what you would ask God for if you knew that He hears your prayers. What are your dreams, hopes, and aspirations? What would you like to see come to pass in your life? What are you battling with today? Which area of your life would you like to see God’s power work in?
Write it down. Write it all down. Write what you want to see happen with Bible hope in your heart that He hears you and will supply. Write with a certain, joyful, positive, and confident expectation of good.
Don’t just ask God for small things. Ask Him for big things! For instance, don’t ask Him for just a job. Ask Him for a position of influence. Don’t just ask Him to restore your health. Ask Him for a long and healthy life filled with many good days.
Enlarge your faith to believe in God’s goodness. He is pleased when our faith is big. He is not offended when we ask Him for big things.
Would you do that right now? Just take a few moments and pen down your requests to God—God, who is almighty and more powerful than we can ever imagine.
God, who hung the planets in their places and spoke order into the world. God, who led His people in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God, who rained manna from heaven and brought forth water from dry rock.
God, who turned bland waters into the finest wine. God, who made the lame walk, the blind see, and the deaf hear. God, who multiplied five loaves of bread and two small fish to feed five thousand men. God, who raised the dead and conquered the grave.
Ask what you need of God, who loves YOU with an everlasting love!”
This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing.
I enCOURAGE you to ASK BIG and without limits accord to the word of God.
“In the day when I cried out, You answered me, [And] made me bold [with] strength in my soul.” (Psalm 138:3 NKJV)
Have you made the LORD your dwelling place? Where do you stay? Do you stand in His presence or to your knees do you fall, or do you allow yourself, your mind, to run to and fro? That the Lord’s job…not ours. One day, I am going to count the number of different ways in the Bible that He tells us to stand, don’t move, abide, dwell…It is all the same. Believe Him and what He says. When you believe His word, it makes it easy to ask Him anything because He is the God of everything. Slow read the rest of Psalm 91 and see what the Lord says:
9 Because you have made the LORD, Because you have appointed the LORD Because you have set up the LORD Because you have placed the LORD Because you have fixed the LORD
who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, your abode, your retreat, you lair.
10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague, Nor shall any strike, Nor shall any blow, Nor shall any mark, No touch, Nor hand reach you or … come near your dwelling.
11 He shall give His angels charge over you, He shall give His angels command over you, He shall give His angels orders over you, He shall set His angels over you.
To keep you in all your ways, To preserve you, To watch you, To guard you, To take care of you, To hedge you about with thorns.
In [their] hands they shall bear you up, Lift your head up, Carry you, Take you, Support you, Help you,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone, Run into an obstacle.
13 You shall tread… You shall walk, You will trample, You will pound, You will overtake, …upon the lion and the cobra.
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. You will tread upon. You will oppress. You will stomp on.
Don’t think our adversaries have a chance! Why? The LORD says…
14 “Because he (that’s you and me as followers) has set his love upon Me, He has cleaved to Me. He has attached to Me. He has joined Me. He followS Me.
Therefore I will deliver him. I will make an escape. I will make a way for him to slip out and away. I will set him in safety.
I will set him on high, I will exalt him, I will make him inaccessible…
because he has known My name. He has gotten to know Me. He has gotten acquainted with Me. He has turned his attention to Me. He has discovered Me. He sees Me.
He shall call upon Me. He shall cry out to Me. He shall shout to Me. He shall call Me by name. He shall accost Me.
And I will answer him. The LORD will answer you. Our loving Father God will stop and take your call, always.
I will be with him in trouble. I will be with you in distress. I will be with you in the tight place. I will be with you in the pressure. I will be with you in the fire. I will be with you in affliction. I will be with you in addiction. I will be with you when the world starts closing in on you. I will be with you.
I will deliver him and honor him. I will remove him. I will withdraw him. I will loose him. I will set him free. I will equip him for war. I will arm him. I will prepare him for battle.
With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.” I will show him My deliverance. I will show him My welfare. I will show him My prosperity. I will show him My help. I will show him My health. I will show him My victory.
I enCOURAGE you to trust the Lord Jesus Christ. I enCOURAGE you to call on Him and wait for His answer. Sometimes, we might think He has not answered. He always answers in His way, not ours. His word are true, and you can count on Him, over and over. If you choose to stay in worry, you are not staying in the place of trust. You have moved from complete faith in Him. Move back in with Him. Dwell with Him. What he says, He will do. Call Him. Trust Him.
Tomorrow, six of us will gather and pray. We are asking God for the “impossible.” How can we join you in boldly asking and believing for “big” things from our Father? Honestly, nothing is too big or too little to ask God.
Do you ever get tired of hearing your child’s voice? Neither does God. He wants to be in your presence more than you want to be in the presence of your children. He wants to keep you…just trust Him. Jump in and enjoy the ride.
Are you happy and healthy? Are you sick? Are you tired? Are your desperate? Are your lonely? Are you ready to give up? Are your ready to begin again? Are you taking care of a new baby or an elderly parent? Are you heading off to war or just heading to work? Have you received bad news? Have you received a good report?
No matter what you are going through, I have good news! If you are in Christ, the LORD has you covered. If you are not in Christ, come to Him, He wants to shelter you. He is hope, no matter. Meditate on the richness of the words in PSALM 91:1-8 (part 1-expounded)
He (You are “he,” if you follow Christ and this can be you, if you turn to Him. )
who dwells… who abides who remains who continues who sits down whose place is
in the secret place… in the cover in the covering in the hiding place in he protection
of the Most High
shall abide… shall lodge shall stop over shall pass the night shall continue shall stop shall show oneself obstinate shall show oneself stubborn shall say I am not moving shall say I am not leaving
under the shadow… in the shade super close under the protection under the defense
of the Almighty… of the Most Powerful of El Shaddai
2I will say of the LORD… He is my refuge. He is my shelter. He is my shelter from the rain. He is my covering in the storm. He is my place of hope. He is my place of trust. He is where I flee for protection.
He is my fortress. He is my strong hold. He is my strong place. He is my defense. He is my net. He is my mountain castle.
My God, in Him I will trust… in Him I have confidence in Him I will be bold in Him I will fear nothing in Him I will be secure in Him I will feel safe in Him I will be careless in Him I will confide in Him I will set my hope upon in Him I will throw my cares on in Him I will be confidant.
3Surely, certainly, when…
He shall deliver you… He shall recover you He shall rescue you He shall snatch you away He shall pluck you out He shall preserve you He shall provide you a way of escape He without fail with pull you out
from the snare… from the trap from the spring net from being spread out like lamina from being “spread too thin”
of the fowler… of the trapper of the bait layer of the entangler
and from…
the perilous… the noisome the wicked the perverse the mischievous the destructive
pestilence… plague destruction death what was spoken what was told what was threatened what was declared what was arranged what was set in a row and put in order.
He shall cover you with His feathers. He shall defend you. He shall hedge you in. He shall fence you in. He shall shut you in. He shall shut you up. He shall shut you off. He shall screen you over.
And under his wings, you shall trust… you shall take refuge you shall have hope you shall flee for protection.
His truth shall be your shield … your large shield that covers the whole body your guard by something that pierces your barb, you know, like barb wire
His truth shall be your buckler… your surrounding what goes around you what travels about you, to and fro.
5You shall not be afraid… You shall not show reverence to You shall not be in awe of You shall not be amazed by…
the terror by night the dread a sudden alarm the causer of terror
6Nor of the arrow that] flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. Not morning, noon or night…nothing to be scared of!
7A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; [But] it shall not come near you. It shall not come near you! It shall not approach you! It shall not join you! It shall not, no, never, overtake you!
8Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked.
I enCOURAGE to take out your Bible or your Bible ap and really meditate on the power and strength of the verses of Psalm 91. Above I have looked up what the main words mean in Hebrew and have expounded the verses to show how very rich and powerful God’s word is to us. If He said it, you can count on it. He does not lie.
Tomorrow, I will be back, and we will mediate on the last 8 verses of Psalm 91. All of this is in preparation for what my prayer team calls, “THE BIG ASK.” Wednesday, we will stretch our faith muscles and ask God for what looks impossible to us. We would love to pray for you. I challenge you to be thinking of how we can pray for you. How do you need God to show up big in your life?
“For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:37 NKJV)
The morning of March 10, 2022, Clarksville, Tennessee, USA
“First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” (1Ti 2:1-2 CSB)
I love divine appointments, assignments, and alignments. If you are a kid of the King, we have things to do. I wish I could download early March 10, 2022, into your brains and you could watch the same story that unfolded before me. It’s sometimes hard to explain a call from Holy Spirit.
Young and handsome, retired Major General Walt Lord and his beautiful- inside-and-out wife, Grace, invited my husband and I to a fundraising breakfast for S.A.F.E. All I knew was that it had something to do with the military. The day before Kris had attended a breakfast in Nashville where Governor Lee spoke on budgets and education. Kris had three such events in the early mornings of this particular week.
As I pulled out of our garage, Holy Spirit pricked my heart about how Kris and our leaders have to always be “on.” I felt the heaviness and burden of our leaders. Not only do they have their jobs to do, but they are also called to attend a multitude of events that can steal bits of time away from their major assignments, and any life outside of their call. I felt the burden of leadership. I recognized that Holy Spirit was calling me to pray even more fervently for our world, national, state, city, community, business, church, and family leadership.
Before I could pull out of our short drive, I looked heavenly and saw the wispiest white clouds painted on the azure background of the sky. I was thankful for the day. My burden was instantly lifted in the lightness of the moment. I knew my assignment, but as I looked up and focused on the Lord, He removed the heaviness.
Less than a mile later and not yet out of our neighborhood, I encountered a man I had never seen before. He was out for a morning run, but he was different. He was dressed in what looked like Marine PTU’s (physical training uniforms). He was definitely training his physique! The warrior was running up a steep, gradual incline carrying on his shoulders what looked like a backpack so large that a small human could be hidden inside. His burden was so HEAVY that he was struggling to make it up the hill.
Holy Spirit placed on my heart how heavy the burden on our military men and women. The running man served as a picture of the weight they carry physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Service men may get to clock out at the end of the day, but they never really leave work. They are always on and on-call.
Our leaders and militia do not get the luxury of “turning off.” They are on call 24/7. They must be ready to serve at anytime. Oddly, I had heard this same conversation amongst a group of leaders less than a week ago. Little did I know when I left the house that morning what the LORD had prepared for me.
My husband and I are privileged to attend many events because of his leadership role at Austin Peay State University. Our unspoken rule is he tells me when, where, and what events I need to attend, and I show up. This particular morning led me to a S.A.F.E place and divine assignment that had been put on calendar weeks ago. S.A.F.E. is an organization that “delivers confidential counseling free of charge to those affiliated with the military regardless of discharge type or length of service,” included are the active-duty service, veterans, and their families. They also provide free counseling to active Montgomery County First Responders and their families.
We were invited to “the Lord’s Table” for breakfast. How could you turn that down? Seated at our table along with Walt and Grace was Austin Peay State University President Dr. Michael Licari, Lieutenant Colonel Derek Di Bello, Command Sergeant Major Bryon Dinsmore, Tina Englen, Executive Director of Fort Campbell Chapter of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) and her husband. The table in front of us to the right seated County Mayor Jim Durrett, City Mayor Joe Pitts and his wife Cynthia. The table to front left yielded U.S. Congressman Mark Green who was the keynote speak at the breakfast. Mark Green “came to Tennessee in his last assignment in the Army as the flight surgeon for the premier special operations aviation regiment. As a Night Stalker, Green deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan in the War on Terror. His most memorable mission was the capture of Saddam Hussein. During the mission, he interrogated Hussein for six hours.” – https://markgreen.house.gov/biography
APSU President, US Congressman Mark Green, me and my husband.
Our amazing Lord had aligned, prepared, and plopped me right in the middle of the very men and women that he was calling me to “step up” my prayer game for.
Clarksville City Mayor Joe Pitts, Cynthia Pitts and us, again. (County Mayor Jim Durrett…where are you. I thought you were in this pic…)
Mark eloquently spoke of three different soldiers that he knew and how they exemplified three warrior characteristics: courage, sacrifice and the “never quit,” enduring attitude. He brought me to tears and moved my spirit with the stories of their “heart wounds” and the burdens these warriors carried.
I learned at the breakfast that S.A.F.E., is a ministry that provides a place where military and first responders can be heard, healed of their heart wounds, and helped to unload their burdens.
I enCOURAGE you to join me. I hope you have been moved and also heard the call of Holy Spirit to pray for our leaders and military! PS…it does not matter who you voted for we are called to pray for our nations leaders.
Dear LORD:
Thank you for all our leaders, military and their families. We pray for righteous and just leaders in the world, our nation, state, community, city, military, church, and family. Draw our leaders and military men and women closer to your heart. Put people in their paths to guide them to you, their Salvation, Wisdom, Knowledge, Healer and Provider. We pray that our leaders align to You and Your word. We pray for wisdom, strength, courage and endurance for our leaders, military soldiers, and their families. Your word says: “Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” (Psalm 55:22 NKJV) We cast all our burdens on you and are confident that You will sustain the righteous, just leaders and will remove unjust leaders. Father, empower our leaders and military with Your power. Strengthen with your strength and guide with your wisdom and knowledge in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
If led, please click this link to read more about SAFE and to give to this wonderful organization:
Someone…Tina Englen and partner in crime left me a sweet selfie. Would not want to leave them out!
“‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” (Jer 32:17 NKJV)
“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.“ (Exo 23:20 NKJV)
The Lord has a place prepared for each of us to be right now. Are you in the right place? Don’t we all want to be in the right place at the right time? His will is for us to be…
In a place of health, not in a place sickness.
In a place of happiness, not sadness.
In a place of good, not bad.
In a place of enough, not a place of need.
In a place of faith, not in a place of fear.
“And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for [am] I in the place of God?” (Genesis 50:19 KJV)
“In the fear of the LORD [there is] strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge.” – Proverbs 14:26 NKJV
In a place of refuge, not a place of peril.
In a place of wisdom, not a lack of knowledge.
In a place of prosperity, not pandering.
In a place of contentment, not depression.
In a place of liberty, not oppression.
In a place of joy, not pain.
In a place of life, not death.
In Him, not a place of our back turned on Him.
Where is the Lord’s place? It is a “secret place.” Didn’t we all like hideouts as a kid. I loved to go to secret places where I could escape the world and no one could find me. I would hang out there for hours. As adults, don’t we crave the secret hiding place even more, though many would not admit it?
Where is the Lord’s place? Where is the “secret place?” It is in His presence. He keeps us in His place. It is where we can hideout.
“You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.” – Psalm 31:20 NKJV
Where is the Lord’s place? It is a “secret place.” It is the secret place of the Most-High. It is our dwelling place. HE is our dwelling place. The Lord is our place.
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most-High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. … Because you have made the LORD, [who is] my refuge, [Even] the Most-High, your dwelling place,“ – Psalm 91:1, 9 NKJV
Where is the Lord’s place? The LORD is our hiding place. We are hidden in Him. He is a place we can go, stay, and hide. He preserves us in trouble and surrounds us with deliverance.
“You [are] my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah” (Psalm 32:7 NKJV)
When we need God (Isn’t that always?), we must go to Him. We have to close the door to all the outside noise and call on Him in the “secret place.” He will answer and reward, give away, deliver (again), repay, recompense, render, requite, and restore openly. Great reward is found in the secret place of His presence.
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who [is] in the secret [place]; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly
… so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who [is] in the secret [place]; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” – Matthew 6:6, 18 NKJV
Where is the Lord’s place? It is a “secret place” where He can share His plans, purposes, and lead us to the place of victory. When we have been in the “secret place” of His presence, we come out smelling like the sweetness of Jesus. Undeniably, we can share His sweet smell in every place. It victoriously overcomes the stench of this world
“Now thanks [be] to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” (2Co 2:14 NKJV)
When you do not know where to go nor what to do….
I enCOURAGE you to go to your Hiding place, enter the “secret place,” the presence of the Most- High. Do not give “place” to the devil. (Ephesians 4:27 NKJ) Do not stay in the place of sickness, sadness, need, fear, peril, lack of knowledge, pandering, depression, oppression, pain nor death. In His presence, in the “secret place,” can be found health, happiness, faith, refuge, wisdom, prosperity, contentment, liberty, joy, life, enough, and more than enough.
Stay in your place…the right place…the”secret place” of the Most-High.
“Like a bird that wanders from its nest [Is] a man who wanders from his place.” (Pro 27:8 NKJV)
Today, unbeknownst to Pastor Scott Sheppard, I am turning my blog over to him. Below is a wise and concise excerpt from Pastor Scott. If you prefer to listen, here is the link that begins at 1:09 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZCMp1U_HEI&t=4173s ) He spoke so clearly what was on his heart and my mine. __________________________
WHERE IN THE BIBLE ARE WE AND WHAT DO WE KNOW? by Scott Sheppard February 27, 2022
“I was talking to my Dad yesterday and he asked, ‘Has the world gone crazy or is God trying to tell us something? ‘- Pastor Robert Sheppard.
The answer to that question is yes.
I am going to explain a little bit to you where we are on the Biblical timeline. WE KNOW that there’s been a ridiculous attack by Russia on the Ukraine and it’s not looking good. As we’ve been in worship there is a nuclear warhead that has been set on go from Russia. What does the Bible say about where we are? From the perspective that I have of the word of God, is there any significance to Russia and the Ukraine? Where are we right now as it relates to Biblical prophecy?
First of all, I believe we’re living in the end times. I believe that the Lord Jesus could come back to earth at any given moment and if He does, I HOPE YOU’RE READY. I hope you’ve told everyone you love that they need to be ready. I don’t normally preach these kinds of sermons, but I just felt like yesterday it was appropriate and necessary. Let me begin by saying …we are I are living in the last days. There are signs that the Bible tells us about. Jesus told us to look for these signs and when you see these signs, you’ll know that the time is near.
In Matthew 24, he Jesus says it’ll be like labor pains of a woman…liking it to this the closer a woman gets to delivering her baby, the closer those labor pains become. Jesus used that illustration because He wanted us to understand the closer the signs of the times become the closer, we are to His coming. He gives us several things to be looking for in Matthew 24. You’ll hear about lots of wars and rumors of wars. What we’re seeing right now in Russia and the Ukraine is unparalleled. It’s like nothing we have seen in a in a long, long, time. It’s on a scale that none of us have witnessed. It’s different. Jesus also said as the time gets nearer, you’ll see plagues and if coronavirus was not a plague, I don’t know if we will ever see one. Ebola is still the greatest plague. It took more lives than any other.
Jesus said it wouldn’t just be wars, rumors of wars, plagues. He said he when the time draws near, there’s going to be a rising up of a leader’s who will dominate. They’ll be deceitful. The Bible names the leader who’s going to rise up and deceive, the Antichrist. I believe that what we’re seeing right now from Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, is a is a sign of the things to come. His dominant, deceptive ways….We’re seeing so much government overreach in the world…reaching beyond their boundaries. It’s showing the world an example of what we can expect to see when the Antichrist comes on comes on the scene.
The question I get more than anything these past couple of weeks. ‘Is Russia a part of Biblical prophecy?’ Before you can really answer that question, I think it’s important for us to understand the difference between the modern and the Biblical. We have to understand the places and the players in the entire game. We have to understand who they were then and who they are now. Today, what the Bible calls Magog is what we call Russia. The Bible calls Iran, Persia and Ukraine, Gomer and Turkey, Togmorah. There are names that we’re familiar with who carried their names all the way throughout like Ethiopia and
When we look at the situation that that’s taking place in Ukraine and what that means to most legitimate Bible scholars, we look at Ukraine and Russia and they will bring us back to the t Ezekiel 38. Ezekiel prophesied about a scattering and a regathering of Jews . If you know anything about history, you’ll know that world wars drove most Jews out of Israel. and they were all over the world. Since 1948, after World War II, when Israel was declared its own nation, there has been a regathering of Jews. More than sixty percent of all Jews in the world have regathered to live in their homeland of Israel. Happenstance? I think not. Twenty- five hundred years ago the prophet Ezekiel said it would happen. There will be a scattering and a sign of the times, would be a regathering the Jewish people back into their homeland. and We’ve seen it happen.
So, what about Russia? Ukraine? What roles do they play in the Biblical timeline? Biblical scholars take us back to Magog which is modern day Russia and to Gog which is a leader. Gog is not a place, but a person Gog is the leader of Magog. Gog gathers the regions together, leads the people, and is the architect of the battle that’s going take place. The Bible. says there’ll be an overtaking of Israel…
For the Biblical timeline to be accurate Ukraine either has to become allies with Russia or Russia has to conquer Ukraine. When you read through Ezekiel 36-39, you see that these things have to happen in Biblical order according to prophecy. Is this battle of Gog and Magog where regions led by Russia will gather Persia and all these other nations that are surrounding Israel and overtake. Ezekiel says that from the far north of Israel will come a great power. In the Bible this is called the spirit of Rush; it is Magog. If you look at your Biblical map, go to Israel, look directly to the far north and your will see Russia. The Bible says Russia will move in and arch over her, speaking of Israel. Gog will lead Magog (Russia) will be the nation that leads.
Ukraine used to be a part of the Russian empire. In 1991 they pulled away from Russia. The communist powers of Russia have not been happy since they separated. They’ve been declaring since the day Ukraine left that they would get them back. This is not a new battle a new fight, nor a new situation. It’s just taking some time to get here, but it was prophesied all the way back 2500 years ago from Ezekiel that was going to happen. now why do you say all
It’s so easy in times like these to get our right eyes off the real target. When you’re looking at Biblical prophecies and trying to understand the Biblical timeline, you can’t be distracted by Russia and Ukraine, nor by China and Taiwan. If you’re looking at Biblical prophecy, you have to keep your eyes on Israel because Israel is the center of all Biblical prophecy. Everything about Biblical prophecy pertains to Israel and everything that happens around Israel. Most Biblical scholars will tell you that the reason Russia and the Ukraine are important is because Ezekiel 38 has to become a reality. This nation from the north has to come in and to overtake Israel, or to attempt to overtake Israel.
Want to hear some really good news ? The Bible says that when that day happens all of these nations are going to going to come in. They’re going to try to overtake Israel. Russia is going to be leading the pack. They’re going to have Iran, Jordan and all the other nations who hate Israel, right there beside them. They’re going to all come on Israel. The Bible says that the greatest battle Israel ever won will happen on that day when God enables Israel to overtake them all.
What we’re seeing today between Russia and Ukraine is not is not about the Magog and Gog war. It’s preparation for that war. It’s what has to happen before that war can happen. The Ukraine has to either become allies or the Ukraine has to be taken over by Russia before the rest of this prophecy can be fulfilled.
Now let me tell you good news, if you’re a believer, bad news, if you’re not a believer, this does not have to happen before Jesus can return. JESUS CAN COME TONIGHT! What the Bible is showing us…time is getting closer and closer and closer. What Jesus says is a real powerful picture. He says in Luke, ‘When you see these things beginning to happen, freak out, live in fear and throw in the towel because the days are over.’ That’s not what he said! He did say it was going to happen ,right? He said when it does happen, ‘when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end [will] not [come] immediately.” … ‘Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.’ (Luke 21:9, 28 NKJV)
You know Christ’s return is eminent and that’s why we’re in such a place right now where we have to be living for Jesus. It’s a bad day to be an atheist, but it’s also a bad day for believers not to be telling their nonbeliever friends that is too close not to get it right with Jesus. You got people you love, you got people you care about…this prophecy…what’s going on between Russia and Ukraine. It is a reminder, It’s a picture that we are so close ,and you better live ready! You are better live right. My wife told me this morning to tell people they have to get right. The Bible says there’s going to be many who say, ‘Lord, Lord , Jesus, Jesus,’ and He is going to say, ‘Who are you?’ ( Matthew 7:21-23). You know what He’s talking about? He’s talking about people that were in church every Sunday, people who prayed, they sang the songs. They did religion, but they never KNEW JESUS.
Now this thing going on in the world right. Where in the Bible are we?The Bible is telling us to make sure you’re ready, right now. Time is getting close. It’s reminding us that there’s that a Biblical timeline. You and I are seeing the Biblical timeline revealed, not only wars and rumors of wars and famines. Famines are happening at a rate that we’ve never seen him in human history. Did you know that over the last 100 years more Christians have been slaughtered than at any other time? There’s almost not a day that goes by that my wife doesn’t send me a text message about another earthquake. Jesus said, ‘When you see these signs…’
Last night, I looked up, ‘earthquakes on the rise.’ I found that earthquakes that register at 6.7 or higher, over the las 100 years are happening at a rate faster than ever. The last ten years, they have grown at rate faster than the last 100.
You and I are living in a time when we are seeing the Bible revealed.
How do you know this isn’t the battle of Gog and Magog? One of the reasons is because the alignment of all the countries that are involved haven’t completely come together. Another reason that I know is because the Bible says when it happens, speaking of Israel, it says that there will be a peace. They’ll be at rest. The Bible says their gates will have been taken down, their bars removed, and they would be living at a time of peace. Israel is not there yet to welcome that kind of a battle. In other words, it says it’s going to happen almost when they’re sleeping. One translation of the Bible says it’ll happen when Israel is unaware. Half the Jews in the world have moved back to Israel which has already fulfilled the first part of that prophecy. The second part doesn’t have to be fulfilled before the Lord returns. All through the Bible prophecy is being revealed. The Bible says, when you see all these things, lift up your eyes, lift up your head because you redemption…the time you’ve been looking… lift it up because you’re almost out of here…
It’s not about the Russians. This is about power. There are good people in Russia.
Our Christian brothers and sisters all over Russia need our prayers right now to cover them.
We need to pray for NATO and our world leaders. We need to pray for President Joe Biden. He needs our prayers right now. We need our president to hear from God. We need our president to have a greater fear of God that he has of man. Our job is to pray for him. It’s our God ordained responsibility. Did you know that if you’re not praying for your leaders, you’re out of the will of God ? It’s not about political party or who you voted for, who you agree with or don’t agree with, it’s about what the Bible says. The Bible says that we pray for our government. We must pray for those who rule over us. They need Jesus. They need to hear from Jesus. They need to turn their hearts. They need to turn their minds and they need to be more afraid of Jesus than they are afraid of man. We need to we need to pray for 44-year-old President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his family. These are prayers all of us need to pray. All of us need to give. All of us need to do something because that’s what we do. We don’t just sit tell sad stories and talk about how bad things are. We take action! We don’t fear. We don’t run. We don’t hide. We follow the words of Jesus.
When you see these things around you, pull your shoulders back, lift up your head toward heaven because you’re about to see Jesus flip open the sky–that’s what Jesus said–that’s my interpretation of what he said, but that’s what he meant. It’s what we’re going to do.
If you don’t know Jesus, it’s not a good time in our world not to know Jesus. We come to church every week praying that somebody will get hope for the future and healing from the past. Your only hope for the future is to know Jesus. If you don’t know Jesus, my prayer is that Jesus would tap on your heart, and you would open the door and let him in. If you do know Jesus, but you’re not walking right, I pray something in your spirit would awaken you. MAYBE take a look at Biblical prophecy and you would realize that they could predict what we’re seeing today…2500 years ago…there must be a God in heaven, a God who knows and wants us to know. He says that He doesn’t want us to be unaware. It is why I took the time to preach this message. God wants you to be aware and doesn’t want you to be confused. I want you to know where you are, where we are at this time the world. He is coming again. HE IS COMING AGAIN! IT IS HIS WILL THAT NONE SHOULD PERISH BUT ALL WOULD HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. The only way we get it, is we get to know Him.
I wonder, is there anybody who would say, ‘I don’t I know him. I don’t know him, or I know him, but I have not allowed my love for Him to change the way I live. I know him but I’m not living like I love him, and I want that to change today. He loved me so much that He gave his life for me; I want to be able to love him enough to live my life for him. He never asked you to die for Him. He just asked you to live for Him.
If you need Jesus, or if you know Jesus, but you are not living like you love Him. If you say, I want Him in my life. I need him in my life. I don’t want to be unaware. I don’t want to be caught off guard when Jesus comes. I want to be living for Jesus. When he comes, I want to be right with Him. There’s a whole lot of people that are hunkered down, hiding, fighting for their lives in basements. They can’t get up and can’t move. I’m going to ask you to move because you can. We have freedom that our brothers and sisters in Ukraine don’t have right now. They can’t out in their streets. They can’t step out into the grocery store. They can’t step over to see their parents, but you can step out and live for Jesus. There’s something symbolic about stepping toward Him. I encourage you to make move toward Him. He made that move for us when He left heaven, came to earth, lived the perfect life, and died a sinners death so that we could have life. I don’t really give a rip what anybody else thinks. I just want to make heaven happy. I’m going to live for Jesus. I’m not ashamed. Stand up! When you do heavens going to start rejoicing.
Pray this prayer:
Thank you for Your grace that saves me and Your spirit that draws me. Thank you for bringing me to this place. I give myself to You. Forgive me of all of my sins? Give me a brand-new start? Thank you for dying on the cross for me. Thank you for getting up out of that grave. Thank you for the courage you gave me today to get up out of my seat and to give my life to You, Lord. I receive this gift of salvation from You. I ask You now to move in my life. Give me a brand-new beginning, empower me by the Holy Spirit. Use my life as an asset to your Kingdom in Jesus name. Amen.” __________________________
I enCOURAGE YOU TO TURN OR RETURN TO JESUS, when He comes you do not want to miss Him and you definitely want Him to know you . And, I, Tammy Phillips, daughter of the Most High God, attest that you want to know Him. Life with Him is AMAZING. Life without Him…not so much. Join the family! Join the kingdom of God. Your alternative is an eternity separated from Him…in a place you do not want to go…hell.
Comment, text, call, email, message, if you want me to pray with you at anytime. Love to you all!
“Look at this sky the LORD wove together!” (photo by Maria Silén, Säkyla, Findland)
by Tammy Phillips February 21, 20211
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)
God’s plan was you! He planned for your birth. He planned for you to be right here right now. If he had given you a biographical book of your life for your 16th birthday, you would not believe its contents.
The word of God in Psalm 139:15 -16 tells us that we were intricately and skillfully formed, as if embroidered with many colors in the depths of the earth. God’s eyes saw our unformed substance and in His book were written all the days that were appointed for us and before we were even born. He did write a book about us we just did not get the luxury of reading it.
“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I could count them, they would outnumber the sand.” Psalm 139: 17-18
Stop! Pause! Think about this. God thinks about you all the time! You are always on His mind. His thoughts of you outnumber the sand. God has not forgot about you. You are important to Him, here and now. His eyes are always on you. And, I do not care how old your are. God had and has a plan for you. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us so…
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)
You probably have heard and read this quote from God many, many times. However, God is alive, and He always has new things to show us in His word, no matter how many times we have read a verse. For about ten years, I have journaled and have filled thirty plus journals. I have seen this verse every morning on the front of my journal, yet the other day, it rose in my sprit again. I sought God and look at the treasure I found…
For I know… I see… The thoughts that I think toward you… The thoughts that outnumber the sand… I think about you all the time… I know the thoughts, the “mahasaba, ” which is the Hebrew word for thoughts meaning… the plans the purposes the charges the inventions the imaginations The word “mahasaba” comes from the word, “hasab” which means to plait, to weave, mixing colors and threads; to invent, and to compose.
Not only did the Lord weave your body together with various colors, but He also wove your life, your plans, and purposes together. He has a beautiful, colorful plan for you.
His plan is to show you Himself fresh and new, no matter how many times you have read the same verse. If you seek Him, you will find Him! If you seek Him, you will find His plan and purpose for you. He had me start sharing his gospel via writing in my fifties and start a prayer group at fifty-five. BUT GOD…I love his most recent charge, come-to-action, so much. He inspired my mother at seventy-five, you heard me, seventy-five, to teach her first solo Bible study on REVELATION. She took a class on teaching precepts. We do not even talk as much anymore because she is even more committed to studying and presenting His word to her retirement community. She has stepped into her purpose “for such a time as this.” I am so proud of her for answering the call.
Don’t tell me you cannot learn something new. God always has something new for you. Don’t tell me you are too old or too young. “God is bigger than your head!” -Cindy McGill
Finishing out Jeremiah 29:11…God has thoughts of peace, “shalom,” toward you. The Hebrew word “shalom” means wellness, soundness, safety, wholeness, health, and completeness.
He started a good work in you. He will complete and fill you up with a purpose if you allow. He will give you “hope and a future,” literally a colorful cord woven together for you to hang on to.
I enCOURAGE you to trust the Lord. Seek Him early. Hear Him, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” He is waiting for you. What are you waiting on?
“All about the love!” (Didn’t have an electric slide picture)
by Tammy Phillips February 14, 2022
“Behold, how good and how pleasant [it is] For brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1 NKJV)
I had laundry that needed to be folded before we left for a long day of a string of events, a celebratory breakfast, a lunch reception, two basketball games and “a date-night” dinner in Nashville. I flipped on the television to distract me into speed folding the mound of laundry on our bed. I caught the tail end of a movie. There were some obvious conflicts at the wedding, particularly with the best man and the groom. I believe that the best man chose not to disclose a secret that would have destroyed the groom’s wedding. In the close, it seemed that they all made peace. The movie ended with the entire cast of the wedding doing the electric slide. It was in that moment that Holy Spirit went to work to teach me more about unity.
Unity or the word united literally means to be one; a unit; a junction; altogether; joined together. In the dance despite their many differences. They chose forgiveness. The chose love. They moved as one, individually, yet altogether. It was beautiful. It was smooth. It was easy. Their focus was not on what divided them, but what was most important, love. And love conquered. “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1Pe 4:8 NIV)
The LORD wove each of us together, various colors and yet created us to be one person.
“For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb.My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricatelyand curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth.” (Ps. 139:13,15)
He is weaving the body of Christ together in the same way. We are all various colors, red, yellow, black, brown, beige, and white. I am visual. The Lord showed me the other day that He is preparing and weaving us in to one perfect bride of various colors. Do you know what color pure light is? Light is a spectrum combination of seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Light is all the colors of the rainbow. It is not black. It is not white. It is all colors. He is weaving the bride together just like He wove us individually together.
The Lord calls us to walk in Light, to be a light and to reflect Him. He calls us to walk in unity. Ephesians 4:1-6 tells us so,
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. [There is] one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who [is] above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Eph 4:1-6 NKJV)
When we walk in unity bearing one another in love, no matter our differences, we become the one beautiful dance, the one beautiful body, separate but acting and moving as one. We become the bride that Christ is waiting on and then there will be no holding him back.
Our country was created in the same manner as our bodies. We are called the United States of America. We are fifty individual states and when we move as One, we are a force to be reckoned with. Currently, we are divided on so many factions. We are even divided on how and why our America was created. We were created one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We allowed God to be taken out of so many things in our nation. We are divided. We are losing our liberties. And justice for all is not a dream but reality if we bow our knees and submit to God alone. He is the only answer for our states to be united and to move as one again.
What a great picture! We all stop, put aside our differences and be the UNITED STATES, one nation under God, doing the electric slide altogether. Choosing forgiveness. Choosing love.
“You can’t see it. It’s electric! You gotta feel it. It’s electric… I’ve got to move. I’m going on a party ride. I’ve got to groove, groove, groove, and from this music I just can’t hide. Are you comin’ with me? Come let me take you on a party ride. And I’ll teach you, teach you, teach you…I’ll teach you the electric slide…” -Marcia Griffiths
I enCOURAGE you to make today a day of love, set aside your differences and choose love. It IS your choice. You do not always have to be right. You do not always have to win. I promise you, neither you, nor I know everything. I do know that everybody wants to be loved. If we would just choose love over all the hate that is being stirred…just get back in the groove…“It would be electric. Boogie woogie, woogie…” Start today and then try it again tomorrow and the next day…and so on. It all starts with being united with the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are not with Him, choose Him today. Pray this prayer with me.
“Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.” (Psalm 86:11 KJV) Teach me to love like You. Teach me to forgive like You and live like you. Teach me to see like You. Heal me. Heal our marriages. Heal our families, churches, cities, counties, states, our nation. Teach us to be one. Teach us to do Your “electric slide,” so we can slide on into being the glorious bride that you are waiting for. It is all for Your glory. Amen
“Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!” (Romans 12:16 NLT)
“For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be [in the likeness] of [His] resurrection,” (Romans 6:5 NKJV
The wedding rehearsal was waiting for one groomsman to begin. Where was James? It was the question we were all asking and then he appeared. He had decided to take an early morning beach ride to the casual rehearsal venue. Along the way, he experienced a flat tire. He had to walk and push the bike a little way to make it to the destination. When he arrived, he was “flat tired!”
Isn’t that just like life? We are cruising through day-by-day and then pop! Pressure comes so hard and fast that your internal tire just goes flat. The troubles of life can suck the air right out of you just like a flat tire on an early morning beach ride. Life comes to a halt because you are “flat-tired!” We have to get off the bike of life and push it to find a place to revive the “tire.”
Are you riding on the bike of life “flat-tired?” Have circumstances, situations and the cares of the world knocked the breath out of you? Do you need a revival? I know the place of revival if you are “flat-tired.”
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.” (Psalm 138:7 NKJV)
David walked in the middle of trouble, I would say that he was “flat-tired.” He knew Who would revive, help, and save him. He knew where and who to go to when he needed his “deflated tire” of the inner man brought back to life. The Hebrew word for revive is chayah which means:
Revive
To live
Make alive
Recover life
Repair life
Restore to life
Renew
To live well
To flourish
To quicken
The idea of breathing
I hate getting “flat-tired.” Hate it. It is trouble I just don’t want to be bothered with. Isn’t that like all cares? Who wants to be bothered? The good news is inner revival is really an easy fix. Trust the Lord as Savior, Deliver and Reviver. He is life and it is He who breathes His life into our “flat-tired.” It is His word that brings life and healing. David said three times in Psalm 119 , “Revive me according to Your word.”
In Proverbs 4:22, Solomon says the LORD’s words “are life to those who find them, and health to one’s whole body.”
When you are feeling flat and lifeless, fill up on the word of God and pray the words of David:
“Revive me according to Your word. … Revive me in Your way… Revive me in Your righteousness. … Revive me according to Your lovingkindness Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word. … Revive me according to Your justice. … Revive me according to Your word. … Revive me according to Your judgments. … Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness.” (Psalm 119:25, 37, 40, 88, 107, 149, 154, 156, 159 NKJV)
Hear the answer of our kind and loving Father, “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name [is] Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy [place], with him [who] has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive: the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isaiah 57:15 NKJV)
His will is to revive us. His will is for us to live, recover, be repaired, be restored, to flourish…to breathe. He is not about us being “flat-tired.”
I enCOURAGE you to get your “flat tire” fixed. Jump back on the bike with the Lord and ride along the beaches of life with the cool, salty breeze of His presence blowing in your face. This my brothers and sisters is true revival.
“Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live.” (Pro 4:4 NKJV)
“He gives power to the weak, And to [those who have] no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew [their] strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” (Isa 40:29-31 NKJV)
Complete in Him 