Category: Uncategorized

by Tammy Phillips
May 30, 2021

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me…” (Isa 61:1 NKJV)

I cannot tell you how much I love God.  I am amazed every day as I sit at the feet of Jesus.  I am amazed to hear what Holy Spirit has to say through the written word and what He softly whispers in my ear.  I just adore when Abba reminds me of something special that He did.  As Father God continued to love me back to full surrender in Him, He spoke this intimate message to my heart on February 14, 2021, the day the rest of the world calls, “Love Day.”  My LORD loved me tender on this day. I read and dug through Isaiah 61:1, I fully understand that the LORD was speaking of the coming Messiah, Jesus.  However, the Lord also passes on the anointing and His ministry to us who believe.  Listen to what He intimately told me, and I am passing on to you:

Close your eyes and just listen to what the spirit of the Lord has to say.
The Spirit of the Lord God is a upon you. 
The breath of His mouth is upon you.
The breath of His nostrils is upon you.
The breath of life is upon you.
The breath of air…
The wind…
The cool breeze…
The creative word of God is upon you.

“All Scripture is God-breathed.”  (2Ti 3:16 NIV)

“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” (Psalm 33:6 NKJV)

God Himself is upon you.

Think of the breath of God on your skin, so close you can feel His very being.   Let your senses run wild.  Feel Him so close that you feel the warmth and breath of air coming from His nostrils on your face.  God is on you.  God is all over you.  The Lord God, the same God, that Spirit has anointed you.
He has rubbed you with oil.
He has smeared Himself all over you.
He has stroked His hand all over you.
He spread himself all over you.
He has painted you, specifically to lay colors, bright colors all over you.
He has concentrated you to Himself.
The Lord God is all over you.

I hope you are encouraged by these words.  I do not know what one more word added to an “I enCOURAGE you…” statement could add.  Be blessed.

  “The LORD will be to you an everlasting light and your God your glory.” (Isaiah 60:19 NKJV)

The Everlasting Light illuminates the way.
The Everlasting Light iridates knowledge.
The Everlasting Light chases away darkness.
The Everlasting Light gives light.
The Everlasting Light removes the obstacle of darkness.
The Everlasting Light drives out fear.
The Everlasting Light comforts.
The Everlasting Light heals.
The Everlasting Light strengthens.
The Everlasting Light emits peace.
The Everlasting Light brings focus.
The Everlasting Light says, “Don’t worry.”
The Everlasting Light makes us happy.
The Everlasting Light brings us joy.
The Everlasting Light delivers hope.
The Everlasting Light is always with us.
The Everlasting Light is the life of all mankind.

The LORD [is] my light and my salvation; Whom shall, I fear? The LORD [is] the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1 NKJV) 

I enCOURAGE you to turn to the Everlasting Light. Bask in the Everlasting light. Live in the presence of the Everlasting light. “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5 NKJV) There is no one nor nothing to fear in the Light.  His benefits are unlimited and His love unceasing.  Don’t let darkness occupy one part of your life.  Let your God be your glory.  Allow Him to shine in and through you.  Allow His presence and His reflection off you to draw others to Him.  Enjoy the Everlasting Flood Light of the Father.  There is absolutely nothing like it.

by Tammy Phillips
May 28, 2021

Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1 NKJV

In America we are blessed.  Most of us can turn on light by flipping a switch. We rise and shine our lights each morning in our homes.  It is one of the very first things we do to chase away the darkness.  We take the light for granted.   When the power goes out and we must bring out the candles, we realize how good light really is.  Can you imagine how dark, darkness really was 2000 years ago?  Can you imagine how dark things were before electricity? We have a small bathroom that has no windows.  I went into the darkness of that room, closed the door, and did not turn on the light.  It was black.  It was nothingness. I could not see the ground below, nor the sky above.  I could not see my spouse to the right or my child to the left.  It was dark.  I could not wait to turn the light on.

Darkness is the absence of light.   We go through trials in life when it is the darkest dark and the cloud of doom hangs over us.  However, when the Lord and the Light come on the scene, He chases away every atom of darkness.  “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1Jo 1:5 KJV). Light can exist in darkness.  It overtakes darkness, but darkness cannot exist in light. Hallelujah.  His presence chases away the darkness!

When the Light comes and the Light has come, He brings great joy and peace. All we have to do is invite the Light into our lives and He will come faster than we can turn on a light switch.   Think about the last breakthrough you had.  Think about the last time the Lord appeared on the scene, overcame your dark situation, and illuminated you with His salvation. The best thing about the Lord is He will light our path all the way through, if we will allow Him. Didn’t you want to  tell everybody that you had made it through the darkness and could see the light of day?

Isaiah encourages us to do the same in Isaiah 60:1, can you hear him shouting about the coming of the Messiah?

ARISE!
Up!
Get up!
Stand up!
Rise up out of the darkness!

SHINE!
Give light!
Be light!
Be bright!
Be luminous!
Be on fire!
Give the light away that was so freely given to you.

FOR YOUR LIGHT HAS COME! 
AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD IS RISEN UPON YOU!

He has flooded you with Himself and His light, His presence, His glory is all over you.   The prophet says, “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people…” (Isa 60:2 KJV). Darkness covers whole earth.   Gross darkness covers the people.  “Gross darkness” is the Hebrew word, ʿărāp̄el, meaning dark, thick, gloomy clouds. In reality and spiritually it can be dark and cloudy for days.  What do we yearn for in those times? The Sunshine from on high.

BUT THE LORD …

He is always the Savior of the day!  As Christians, when it is darkest, we have this confidence, that the Lord has come and He will arise, iridate, scatter His rays, shoot forth His beams of light and life upon us, and His glory shall be seen upon us. (Isaiah 60:2 KJV).  How cool is it that God can be seen in, on us and all over us?  

Arise and shine!   You cannot hide the light.  If you had invented the light bulb, would you have wanted to keep it just for yourself?  Wouldn’t you have been so excited to share it with the world?  Wouldn’t you want others to be blessed from what you had found out?  If Jesus is truly your Savior and the Light of your life, why not tell everyone about Him?  One of my favorite deliverers of the word of God boldly stated it like this:

“Have pluck; that is a plain English word, but I do not know how to put my meaning better. Have pluck enough to come out and be a Christian; do not for ever be like a rat behind the wainscotting, but come out, and acknowledge yourself on Jesus Christ’s side, and proclaim the everlasting gospel wherever you have the opportunity.” – C. H. Spurgeon, January 1, 1882,

Pluck is an old English word meaning spirited and determined courage.  So…

I enCOURAGE you to have pluck!  Arise and shine!  Your light has come!  If you need more words of  encouragement, we also have this promise from the mouth of our Savior,  “I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12 NKJV). If you have the light of life, rise and shine!  The rest of the world needs your light!   If you don’t, invite Jesus in.  He will light you up!  You will never be the same.  I promise you, there is an eternal place of darkness and there is an eternal place of light.  Don’t live your life now or forever in the dark.  Jesus is the Only Way and the Light.  If you are not lit up, don’t feel like rising nor shining, you may have your back turned to the Light.  It is time to turn to Him!

 

by Tammy Phillips
May 27, 2021

“The Redeemer will come to Zion and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” says the LORD. (Isa 59:20 NKJV)

Thank God, when there was no way out, He made a way.  When we are in impossible situations, it is no surprise to God.   Jesus says, “but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) He lifted a standard made an escape in Jesus, our Redeemer.  When we are caught in the grips of sin, Jesus is our  answer.  When we are in desperate situations and cannot see our way to the other side, the Lord paid for our escape with the blood of Jesus.

In Israel, “goel ,“ kinsman-redeemer, was do the part of next of kin.  He had certain responsibilities:

• Pay the ransom of a fellow Israelite to set him free from the bonds of slavery (Leviticus 25:48).
• Avenge the blood of a murdered family member (Numbers 35:19).
• Buy back relatives’ property that had been given up. (Leviticus 25:25).
• Carry on the family name by marrying a widow who did not have a child (Deuteronomy 25:5-10).

The “goel,” the kinsman-redeemer, was responsible for preserving and protecting his people, their property, and the future generations of the family.  Jesus did this for us.  He purchased us out of the bonds and hold of sin. He avenges wrongs done to us. He protects our inheritance. He blesses our descendants.

Who does the Redeemer come to?  Isaiah 59:20 says that He comes to those who “to those who turn from transgression?”   He comes to those who repent from rebelling in the way of the Lord.  It is simple.  He comes to those who turn from the slave master to the Redeemer, who turn from wrong to right, who turn from hate to love, who turn from a lie to the truth, and who turn from the destroyer to the Savior. 

I enCOURAGE you to turn to the Lord.  Turn to Him in life and every situation in life.  He is our Redeemer, Avenger, Deliverer and Savior.  He stepped from heaven and bought us back from lack, sickness, sin, and death with His own blood.  He made away when there was no way.   In Him…we are whole, healed complete and free.  To God be the gory for sending us Jesus, our Kinsman Redeemer.

by Tammy Phillips
May 26, 2021

Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: (Isa 59:1 KJV)

How many treasures are found lying on the surface?  Gemstones and precious metals must be mined.  The same is true with the word of God.  We are not going to get the answers we seek by osmosis.  We cannot sit idly by and expect to hear from God.  We turn on the television and radio to hear.  We open our phones and computers to garner the knowledge we seek.  The same is true with God.  We must dig into the word to find the treasures and the answers we seek. 

Sometimes, we need a reality check and the word of God will be the treasure and  eye opener we need. Thank God that He has a sense of humor!  and I love it when the prophets and disciples deliver  reproof with a witty verse.  In Isaiah 58, The Israelites had been whining about why God was not honoring their fast or answering their calls for justice and deliverance.  Have we ever whined to God in our wait?  Have we ever questioned why God has not saved us from our trial?  Have we ever feared and asked, “Can you really God do this?”  Holy Spirit recently posed this question to my sister, “Do you think I am not big enough to handle this?”

God has not changed.  He is the same, today, yesterday, and forever (Malachi 3:6).  He is a good and loving Father.  The prophet Isaiah wittingly gives it to us straight in Isaiah 59:1.  To paraphrase in my own words.  This is what I heard Isaiah say:

Behold! LOOK!  Pay attention!  Come on, man!  The Lord’s hand is not short.  It has not been cut off and it has not lost its power that it cannot save, deliver, set free, preserve, help, avenge, rescue, conquer or be victorious.  And!  The Lord’s ear is not heavy.  He has not lost His hearing.  It is not dull, dimmed, hardened, burdened, or troubled by out requests.  It can bear up under anything and endure everything.  The Lord is not the problem. 

If the Lord is not the problem…He has not lost His strength and His ears are not stopped up… what is?  The prophet tells us in Isaiah 59:2, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden [His] face from you, so that He will not hear.”   

Remember, the reality check?  God isn’t the problem.  It’s us?  Imagine that?  We like to blame God for everything and take no responsibility for anything.  Our sin is the problem.

 Sin does not keep us from the presence of God.  Jesus bridged that gap and said, “Lo, I am with you always, [even] to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:20 NKJV).  Our sins have separated us.  The Lord did not separate from us.  We separated from Him and turned our back on His ways.  He also did not hide His face from us.  Our sins are a result of us turning our back on the Lord and away from His face.  This makes so much sense.  Who in their right mind is going to answer someone, who has their back turned to them? 

At the point of sin, we are separated from fellowship of God because we are not thinking the same as God and our words are not agreeing with His.  We are also separated from the blessings of God because we are not trusting God that He is big enough to handle our problems.  Furthermore, sin separates us from some of the benefits of God’s love.  God loves us. We are His heirs.  For example, He promises us long life.  However, if we stuff untold sweets in our mouth, continually, we are not exercising self-control and will not reap the benefits of God a given long life.   Sin also kind of separates us from the “protection” of the umbrella of God.  Sometimes, the only way God can get us to turn around and repent is for us to go through a little training for correction.  Perfect example of this is when we speed, see a policeman, pray that we do not get stopped, and issued a ticket.  Sometimes, grace is exercised and sometimes we get a ticket to teach us to slow down.

I enCOURAGE you not to blame “it” on God.  The Lord is not the problem.  Deal with your own sin and God will do the rest.  Sin is not big nor small.  Sin is sin. Know that you are not a problem too big for God.  He created you. He loves you.  No problem is too big for the Lord to hear or handle.  His hand is just as powerful as it has ever been.  Jesus won the battle long ago and paid for our goof ups and turn arounds.  Don’t let sin separate you from God’s best.  It is just not worth it.

With a strong hand and outstretched arm. His faithful love endures forever. (Psa 136:12 CSB)

by Tammy Phillips
May 25, 2021

Those from among you shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. (Isaiah 58:12 NKJV)

JESUS CAME SO THAT WE MAY HAVE LIFE MORE ABUNDANTLY!

 In John 10:10, Jesus clearly exposes the strategies of our enemy, Satan, to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  In the powerful words of Isaiah 58, God plainly outlines his better plans, purposes, and our assignment to repair, restore and rebuild where the enemy has destroyed.   God desire is to take our broken-down shells and form them into His glorious temple full of abundant life.   We have an assignment as followers of Christ to build up the broken down.  Jesus was a carpenter by trade and in the Spirit.   He repaired, restored, and rebuilt the lives of the broken.  If we follow Him, we are by default in the same line of work as He, construction works for the Kingdom.

When our hearts are aligned with the Lord, when we have spent time learning His policies and procedures and when Holy Spirit has trained and freely poured into us, our assignment is to freely pour out.  If you accept the kingdom construction position …

1.  You will REBUILD and RESTORE

• the old waste places
• the dry places
• the desolates
• the drought-stricken places
• the place parched by the heat of the breath of the enemy

2.  You shall RAISE UP, erect, help arise, make resolute the foundations of many generations.  We begin by suring up the foundation of the broken.   Jesus is and must be the Cornerstone of any building that will last forever.

 3.  You will be called the REPAIRER OF THE BREACH:
“Repairer,” the Hebrew word, gāḏar, means to wall up, build a wall, hedge in, fence in, mason.  We are to be wall builders in Him where the enemy has attempted to breach and destroy. We are to build people up not tear them down.  “Breach” is the Hebrew word, pereṣ, meaning gap, break, broken, the broken down, the broken in pieces, shattered and scattered.  

How do we repair the gap in the wall? 

We will build up the broken down in Christ.  Fill it with the word of God. We do not tell people where they are broken, they know that. We are to give the broken the gap filling hope in Jesus. Our message to the broken, “You are complete in Him.” (Colossians 2:10).  He is everything they need to fill the vacuum of emptiness.

Be the Repairer of the Breach that stands in the gap, interceding and repelling the enemy.  Jesus did it first and we follow His example.  “This is the act of the bravest soldiers who expose their lives to the most eminent peril.”

“So, I sought for a man among them who would make a wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. (Ezekiel 22:30 NKJV) 

4.  You will be the RESTORER OF THE STREETS TO DWELL IN:

You will be called:

• RESTORER
• Returner
• Refresher
• Renewer
• Bring-backer
• Turn-backer

OF THE STREETS 

• Paths
• Trodden Ways
• Highways

TO DWEEL IN

• To continue
• To abide
• To remain
• To sit

 We are repentance publishers.   We are to tell people the good news.  Our job is to let them know they are going the wrong way and direct them to turn around and go the right way, the only way.    Restorer, share the words of Jesus: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father, except through Me.” (John 14:6 KJV)

I enCOURAGE you to let the Lord heal your brokenness. Allow Him in, to restore, repair and rebuild you broken places.  When you know that you are healed whole and complete in Him, you can begin your construction job as a wall builder, foundation layer, and street repairer.  You can help the next broken building of a  person.  You can begin to fill in the gaps.  Start with yourself and pass it along.  It leads to a glorious, abundant lie. 

by Tammy Phillips
May 24, 2021

To fast means to abstain from food.  The primary idea is the mouth being shut or covered over.  Makes sense that if we keep our mouth shut, we can hear more clearly from God.   God’s fast is a time of reset.  It is a time to be laser focused on His heart and purposes for the individual and for others.   It is a time to break free.  It is a time of freedom.  I do not know what a fast looks like to you, but I encourage you into God’s fast.  According to Isaiah 58:6-7:

THE PURPOSE OF GOD’S FAST

• To loosen, open wide, throw open the bonds of wickedness and wrong that hold us captive.
• To undo, move, loose, set free, unfasten, jump, shake off the heavy, bar of yoke that burdens, binds, and ties in knots. 
  Take the yoke of Jesus.  It is easy and it is light. (Matthew 11:30)
• To let the oppressed, the broken, the cracked in pieces, the bruised, the crushed, and the discourage go free and spread loose. 
  He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3 NKJV)
• To break, to tear off, to break off, lift up, pluck away, pull out, root out every yoke of burden.
• To share, divide, or break bread with the hungry. Physically and spiritually.  Our bread shared can point others to the Bread of Life.
   And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. (John 6:35 NKJV)
• To bring home the poor, depressed, in mind or circumstances, the browbeaten, the downcast, the afflicted, the lowly, and the needy who are cast out and restlessly roam.
• To cover and clothe the naked and exposed.
• Not to hide yourself from your own flesh and blood.

God says in Isaiah 58:9-10, “If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the fingers, and speaking wickedness, if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul”, then there are;

PROMISED BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S FAST

• Your light shall break forth like the morning.
  Answers and illumination will come.
• Your healing shall spring forth speedily.
  Healing of the hurt and broken will come fast from the Great Physician. 
• And your righteousness shall go before you.
  Only righteousness is Jesus. He leads the way.
• The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
  The glory of the Lord brings up the rear…no worries there.
  God has our back!
• Call, and the LORD will answer; cry, and He will say, “Here I am”
  What comfort. God answers and God is always with us.
  “Fear not, for I [am] with you; Be not dismayed, for I [am] your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'[Isa 41:10 NKJV]
• Your light shall dawn in the darkness.
• Your darkness shall [be] as the noonday.
  “To the repentant, God promises blessing. Not only will we have light, but even our darkness shall be as the noonday!”-David Gusik
• The LORD will guide you continually.
  When you turn to the Lord, He leads you forth. He transports. He shows the way…ALWAYS.
• He will satisfy your soul in drought and in the parched place.
  “But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” (John 4:14 NKJV)
• He will strengthen your bones.
  Fear the LORD and depart from evil.  It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.(Proverbs 3:7-8 NKJV)
• You shall be like a watered garden (flourishing)
  You will be a flourishing place not a parched place. 
• And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
  “But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14 NKJV)

 I enCOURAGE you into God’s fast.  Take time to shut your mouth.  Cover your mouth in prayer.  Return to the Lord.  Hear what He has to say.  I cannot tell you how the fast helps me refocus and reset to God’s heart.  Freedom from what binds and burdens can be found.  God can be found.  Also, we can never out give God.  When we return to Him with hearts wide open, He always pours, and I mean pours, until I am overflowing with His love, mercy, kindness, and goodness.   This is where I am headed.  Join me?  

 

by Tammy Phillips
May 23, 2021

“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore, do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. [Job 5:17 NKJV]   

When something is off or out of line, we know it.  When we are off or out of alignment, we know it.   When a car is out of line, we know it.  How do we know?  There is uneven rapid wear on the tires.  Steering is noisy.  The steering wheel is crooked when driving straight.  We are pulled to the right or the left.  The ride is bumpy.  It is not smooth it is not straight.  It is not easy. 

Like a car, when we rolled off the Manufacturer’s assembly line, we came preset with special angles that align us correctly.  For us to travel the way we are supposed to, we need precise alignment.  Misalignment can lead to uneven wear, poor or shorter life. Misalignment is expensive. Keeping aligned ensures optimal controllability on the journey.  Alignment helps us last longer and travel smoother on our journey.  Ultimately, perfect alignment will keep our wheels pointed in the right direction.   And, when our journey is smoother, it’s smooth sailing or cruising ahead.  Plus, we will require less energy to keep going.

“Happy is the man who God corrects.”   “Happy” in this scripture means blessed.  “Happy” is a derivative of the Hebrew word ‘āšar which means to be straight, to be level, right, happy; to go forward, to go straight, advance, to be made happy and be blessed.   When God corrects us, He makes us straight, right and aligned to the way we are meant to be.  God’s correction, although painful, eliminates that feeling of being off.  His discipline repairs, reforms and rebuilds us to the way He created us to perform on the journey down the road of life.

If a car is supposed to have its alignment checked every 6000 miles, shouldn’t we expect our Father who loves us to check our alignment as we journey down the path, He has us on?   Properly aligned cars perform better and more efficiently.   We can then deduce that properly aligned people perform better, are more efficient and happier.

The Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon translates “correct” to be in the front, to be in the sunshine, to be in the clear.  Love it!   Happy is the man who God puts in the sunshine and makes clear.

“Therefore, do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.”   Do not reject or refuse the discipline and instruction of the Most Powerful God.  He knows what is best for us.  He knows what alignment looks like.  He uses His word to correct us.   He uses the example of Jesus to align us to plumb.   As we ramble down the road of life, we will hit potholes and run into obstructions that knock us out of align, just like a car.   Thank God we have a loving Father who checks on us and used His word and others to correct us, so that we perform optimally and can be our happiest self.

I enCOURAGE you to readily accept the correction of God because happy and blessed you will be.  He said it!  I believe it.  Alignment might sting just a little bit but walking upright and fully aligned to God is living your best life. Who wants to feel off and live off anyways?

by Tammy Phillips
May 22, 2021

“Man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward. ⁸ “But as for me, I would seek God, And to God I would commit my cause– (Job 5:7-8 NKJV)

If one thing is absolute, it is trouble.  It will come.  We can whine and cry about our troubles to anyone and everyone, but it does NO good.  It does not help.  In Job 5, Eliphaz gave his friend, Job, the best advice in his trouble.  How many times do we say to our friends, “If I was you, I would…”?  Eliphaz did the same.  He literally said, If I was you and I was you in trouble, I would seek God, first.  The best advice is always to turn to God and lay it all out to Him. “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray.” (James 5:13 KJV).  If we are not willing to go to God, well then, we should expect more trouble.  Why go to God?  Simply, He is God. He is our Help.

Go to God.  Commit or leave it with God.  “Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, ⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7 NKJV) Leave it at His feet.  Let Him fight the battle.

Why seek God?  Eliphaz reminds Job and makes his case for God in Job 5: 9-16…

God does great things.
God does magnificent things.
God does it large.
God does it the greatest and the largest.
God can do anything.
God can do everything.
God is God. He is great and He is good.

God does unsearchable things.
God does unfathomable things.
God does unaccountable things.
God does unmeasurable and innumerable things.
God is God.  He is great and He is good.

God does marvelous things without number.
God does wonderful things.
God does surpassing and extraordinary things.
God does miraculous things.
God does amazing things without number.
God is God.  He is great and He is good.

He gives rain for the earth and water for the fields.
He gives prosperity to the poor and protects those who suffer.
He frustrates the plans of schemers so the work of their hands will not succeed.
He traps the wise in their own cleverness, so their cunning schemes are thwarted.
He rescues the poor from the cutting words of the strong.
He rescues them from the clutches of the powerful.
He gives hope to the poor.
He shuts the snapping jaws of the wicked.

LOOK AT GOD!  Wouldn’t we like to see some snapping mouths shut?  If we lay our troubles at the feet of Jesus, He will do just that.

I enCOURAGE you…
No matter how you define your trouble…
No matter how bad it looks…
No matter how impossible it seems…
if I, were you, “I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause…”
He does great things.

by Tammy Phillips
May 21, 2021

Please don’t run away because of title or verse. Read to the end. 

“You shall not commit adultery.” (Deuteronomy 5:18)

Obviously, this encouragement is a little different.  I have told the Lord that I would write what He wanted me to write, even if I did not understand.   I have no idea where this is going but here we go.

If you are thinking about it, STOP.  If you are thinking about it, do not do it.   

The five words what make up Deuteronomy 5:18 is one Hebrew word, nā’ap̄. I have always understood that it meant be faithful to your husband or wife and to the marriage bed.  It absolutely means remain faithful.

One of the wisest men who ever lived, King Solomon, said it like this:

Drink water from your own cistern and running water from your own well. ¹⁶ Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? ¹⁷ Let them be only your own, And not for strangers with you. ¹⁸ Let your fountain be blessed and rejoice with the wife of your youth. ¹⁹ [As a] loving deer and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love. ²⁰ For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, and be embraced in the arms of a seductress? (Proverbs 5:15-20 NKJV)

Wow!  Well, I have learned something this morning.  Adultery also, has another meaning.  In scripture, it means idolatry, or apostasy from the true God. It means turning your back on God and being unfaithful to Him.

“And I said, after she had done all these [things], ‘Return to Me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.  “Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear but went and played the harlot also. 9 “So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. “And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the LORD. (Jeremiah 3:7-10 NKJV)

Do not be seduced by the sweet words of any woman, man, food, drink, drug or anything that will entice you to turn aside from God.

For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth [is] smoother than oil; ⁴ But in the end, she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. ⁵ Her feet go down to death, her steps lay hold of hell ²⁰ For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, and be embraced in the arms of a seductress? (Proverbs 5:3-5, 20 NKJV)

I enCOURAGE you DON’T DO IT!    “Remove your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house.” (Proverbs 5:8 NKJV). Don’t even get close to the temptation that would draw you away from your spouse, but more importantly, your God.   Don’t be the one when your flesh and body are almost consumed that will say, “How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction! ¹³ I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!” (Proverbs 5:8, 12-13 NKJV)

DON’T DO IT!

“Most people who follow unlawful pleasures, think they can give them up whenever they please; but sin repeated becomes customary; custom soon engenders habit; and habit in the end assumes the form of necessity; the man becomes bound with his own cords, and so is led captive by the devil at his will.” -Clarke

DON’T DO IT!

“For the ways of man [are] before the eyes of the LORD, And He ponders all his paths. ²² His own iniquities entrap the wicked [man], And he is caught in the cords of his sin. ²³ He shall die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.” (Proverbs 5: 21-23 NKJV)

And if you need further clarity, like I did…

“For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. ²² An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. ²³ He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.” (Proverbs 5:21-23 NLT)

DON’T DO IT.  Don’t be unfaithful to God.  Don’t turn your back on Him and what He has called you to, faithfulness to Him and your spouse.

Sadly, in the end, this odd encouragement was for me.  I had been very faithful on my food journey, but I took a detour at my son’s wedding.   It is time to get back on the highway.  It is time to eat the right way.   It is time for me to be faithful to God in my eating.  I hear the Lord in my spirit saying, “Don’t do it.”  Where do you need to be faithful? Where do your hear the Lord saying, “Don’t do it?”

PS…My husband lovingly and encouragingly told me the same thing this week.  I think I will follow the instruction of both wise men in my life.