Author: Tammy Phillips

by Tammy Phillips
March 25, 2021

I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. (Psalms 3:4-5 KJV) 

The word “selah” is used in the King James Version of the Bible 75 times, mostly in the Psalms.  The Hebrew translation of selah is pause; cease; cause to rest; be silent.  Mostly used in the break of songs.

I like Webster’s 1828 dictionary definition:

PAUSE: noun paux. [Latin pausa; Gr. to cease, or cause to rest.]
A stop; a cessation or intermission of action, of speaking, singing, playing or the like; a temporary stop or rest.

And…

PAUSE, verb intransitive pauz. To make a short stop; to cease to speak for a time; to intermit speaking or action.

In this crazy, seemingly, out of control world, it is so easy to become overwhelmed.  A friend and family member may say one thing.  The media says another.  The television says another and the “news” and social media…oh my goodness.

If it was a practice of David, I think it is definitely a practice that we should adapt! Selah. Whether it was a pause in His song or taking the time to reflect on the magnanimity of our great God, it was used often in the psalms. 

I enCOURAGE you to SELAH as often as you need.  Pause!  Take a break.  Meditate on our God who created the earth and all that is in it.  Think about His great love.  

I have a good friend who calls it the “EXHALE.” Whatever you call it, just do it.  Practice the Selah!

by Tammy Phillips
March 24, 2021

“What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.” Matthew 10:27

It is a dark time in the history of the world.  However, God is talking loudly to His people.  God is talking light and life and love.  What do you hear God whispering in your ear?

“I love you.”

“Turn to Me.”

“I have got this.”

“Be encouraged.”

“I am Lord.”

“Don’t worry.”

“You are protected.”

“I got you covered.”

“Hope in Me.”

“Follow Me.”

“Be saved by Me.”

“Pray.”

I enCOURAGE you to turn off the noise of the darkness.  Gently, proclaim the Light.  Shout His merciful, kind whispers from the rooftops.  Encourage others. Minister to others.  Step into the Light.

Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. (Psalm 96:3 NKJV)

 

by Tammy Phillips
March 23, 2021

Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my Name.  (Psalms 91:14 KJV)

Many people claim to know Jesus as their Savior.

God did not step down out of eternity and clothe Himself as a man, Jesus, just to give us eternal life.  Jesus came to give us life and life abundantly, NOW.  He is all we need, NOW.   He is everything we need, NOW.

The phrase from Psalm 91:14, “Because he hath set his love” is actually one word in Hebrew, hasaq.  Hasaq means to join together; cling; cleave; adhere; attached with very great love.  Have you set your love on God?  How is your relationship with Him?  Do you take Him to the club with you, dance or golf?  Do you take Him to work with you?  Do you take Him on the road with you?  Do you take Him to the grocery with you?  Are you joined with God?  Have you set your love on God? 

Psalm 91 promises that because you have loved and joined forces with God, He will deliver you (cause you to escape, help you smoothly and sleekly slip away altogether!)

And He will set you on high.   What do you set on high?  Things that are precious to you.  Things that are super special to you.  Things you want to hide. Things you want to protect.

Why does our God do all this? Because we know His Name!   We know His name as more than just Savior.  He is our Salvation in every situation.  He always was, always is, always will be.  Slow read and meditate on who He really is to us…

He is our Creator.
He is our Deliverer.
He is our Guide.
He is our Healer.
He is our Light
He is our Love.
He is our Lord.
He is our Provider.
He is our Refuge.
He is our Rock.
He is our Strength.
He is our Truth.
He is the Way.
He is our Everything.
He is Everlasting.

And these are just a few of His Names.  You have to know Him to know His names.  You have to know His name to know Him.

I enCOURAGE you to set your love on Him.  Don’t leave His side and He will not leave yours.  He will deliver you.  He will set you on high because you know His Name.  You know Him and He knows you.  You love Him and He loves you.

by Tammy Phillips
March 22, 2020 

I am so sad and mad at all the bad news.  Jesus brought good news!  Matthew 4:23 tells us that

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. (Matthew 4:23 NKJV)

You know! I know…the good news!  You know and I know that God>coronavirus!  The enemy tries to impress with those big, long, fancy names.  We know the name above every name, JESUS!  We know Philippians 2:10, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth.” This includes this stupid virus. BOW COVID-19. Cease and die! Corona virus:  You have no rights in our cities, state, nation nor world!  By the authority of the name of Jesus, leave! Jesus paid for healing by the stripes He took on his back! Be whole, healed and complete in Him! In the MIGHTY name of Jesus, I ask and believe.  Amen!!!! 

“One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid anymore, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you in order to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.’” (Acts 18:9-10 AMP)

I enCOURAGE you to join me. Do not fear!  Keep on speaking and sharing the good news of the Kingdom of God.  Share Jesus and do not be silent!  God is with us and if He is for us, who can be against us?

 

by Tammy Phillips
March 21, 2021

For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: Hebrews 8:10 KJV)

We often talk about our Bible verse tattoo!  What would yours say?  I have favorites that have gotten me through the storms, tornadoes and tsunamis of life.  After reading Hebrews 8:10, I realized that God has beaten us to the punch.  We have no need of tattoos on the outside because the Lord says that He will write or engrave His laws on our hearts and put them in our mind.  All of His Word is there for us whenever we need it.

Then the Holy Spirit led me to Matthew 22:36-40:

“Teacher, which [is] the great commandment in the law?” ³⁷ Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ “This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40 NKJV)

God engraved the Old Commandments into two stone tablets. He engraves the New Covenant or Commandments into our heart.  He engraves love!  Love covers it all!   Love Jesus.  Love others like you love yourself.  Everything falls under Love!  God is Love.  I imagine that there need only be one word “tattooed” on our heart…LOVE.

I enCOURAGE you to enjoy your new-found tattoo, the one that God wrote on your heart.  I can’t wait to tell everybody about mine!

 

 

by Tammy Phillips
March 20, 2021

I, even, I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And will not remember your sins. (Isaiah 43:25 NKJV)

As I rested my head on the pillow, I heard a question rise in my spirit. “Do you remember the first mistake you ever made?  Do you remember the first time you sinned?  Do you remember the first sin your kids committed?”  My answer to every question was, “no.”

The Lord said in Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am He that blots out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins.”

Blot out is the Hebrew word, machah, which means to stroke or rub over; to wipe away; destroy; erase.

I am so glad my God has a BIG BOTTLE OF WITE-OUT!

God is not a liar.  He says He doesn’t even remember them!  It was Jesus that whitewashed us!  No words can express my gratitude to my Heavenly Father for His Word and for His, Son Jesus who paid for our sins with His blood.

I have missed the mark.  You have missed the mark.  Our spouses have missed the mark (although they believe that they are perfect).  Our kids have missed the mark.  Our parents have missed the mark.  Our friends and enemies have missed the mark.  Who do we think we are to keep track and remember our most recent sins when God said they are blotted out and that He forgets them?  Who are we to keep record of others most recent offenses, when God said He has erased them and that “HE WILL NOT REMEMBER THEM?”

The Holy Spirit answered my questions with Acts 3:19. He broke it down like this for me: 

REPENT (change your mind for the better, think differently).
NOW!  BE CONVERTED (turn around, return to God)
THAT YOUR SINS (where you missed the mark; where you made a MIS-take; where you wandered off the path, and where you just did wrong.) may be
BLOTTED OUT (anointed; washed in every part; wiped away; obliterated; erased;white-washed; “whiteout”)
SO THAT TIMES OF REFRESHING (revival, catching and recovering your breath,) SHALL COME FROM THE PRESENCE (face) OF THE LORD.

In case you need more encouragement, He says it again in Hebrews 8:12,

“For I will be merciful and gracious toward their sins and I will remember their deeds of unrighteousness no more.

And, again…

For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34 NKJV)

Need one more encouragement? 

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. ¹² As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalms 103:11-12 NKJV)

I enCOURAGE you to embrace the Lords BIG BOTTLE OF WITE-OUT!  You easily forget the first sins.  Forgive yourself and others.  Forget the sins of yourself and others.  God did.  Who do we think we are?

PS… Just learned that “wite” means blame or reproach.  Reproach means shame, disgrace; charged with fault.  God is a God of “wite-out.”

 

by Tammy Phillips
March 19, 2021

Oh, that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! (Psalms 107:8 KJV)

I heard the voices of the sullen faces coming from the old church pews.  They thought they needed to occupy those pews every Sunday.  No joy.  No laughter.  No happiness.  No praise.  I heard duty coming from their lips as they sang their sacred hymns. (They are my hymns, too.  I just sing them a little different.) Listen closely, you can hear : “Praise God from whom all blessing flow…”

David all but begged the Israelites and us, in Psalms 107, to praise God because of His WONDER FILLED WORKS.  He asked them to thank God for His amazing works.  They cried!  God heard.  He saved them.  He delivered them.  He healed them.  The very same thing He does for us…not just once, but on a daily basis.

Luke also told us in chapter 17 about the disciples praising God with a loud voice and rejoicing.  The disciples were magnifying Jesus and His amazing works. The old Pharisees tried to get Jesus to rebuke the disciples. He said, “if they don’t cry out the rocks will.”  (Ain’t no rock getting my praise!)

Yadah is the Hebrew word for praise which means:

• To use the hand
• To cast the hand
• To throw at
• To throw down
• To revere or worship (with extended hands)
• To show or point out with hand extended.

It blows my mind that we hoop and holler for anything and everything but Jesus. We throw up a praise at ballgames, graduation, and music concerts…a praise misplaced.  The ONLY one deserving of our praise is God Almighty and Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Some of those old timers might think that we are crazy.  We need to lead the way and get our praise on.  To the enemy and all people who try to silence our praise, I enCOURAGE you to sing in the day with Yadah! Yadah! Yadah!  Throw all praise to him.

O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good: for His mercy endures forever. Psalms 107:1 NKJV

 

by Tammy Phillips
March 18, 2021

Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD. (Psalm 150:6 NKJV)

When Satan throws punches at us, he tries to knock us down and overthrow us. He tries to hit us so hard that it takes our breath away.  We need to realize that he is going to scream, cry and pitch a fit until Jesus returns. He doesn’t know when Jesus is coming, but I believe he is in full panic mode right now.

I enCOURAGE you to be resolute!  Don’t let the enemy of your soul move you!  Don’t let him bother you.  Do not allow him take your breath away.  Use your fighting words.  Praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord.  Praise ye the Lord!  Praise will run that devil right out of your situation.

by Tammy Phillips
March 17, 2021

Neither give place to the devil. (Ephesians 4:27 KJV)

With all the crazy that is going on in the world, our minds can become clouded and easily distracted.   

According to Philippians 4:8, “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”  Occupy with these things.

If a thief came to the front door, would we open the door and say, “Come on in and let’s party?”  Absolutely, NOT!  We would fight with everything in us to keep him out.  Neither give place to the devil, the false accuser.  He is a thief and a liar.  He wants to fill our minds with fear, doubt and unbelief.  Our battle is not against the problems of today.  Our battle is against fear and doubt of our yesterdays and tomorrow.  When we occupy our minds with the truth of the Word, we give no place to the devil!

I enCOURAGE you to fill all of your heart and mind with promises of God.  Do not give the enemy one inch because he will barge in and try to take over! OCCUPY!