THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH, THE POWER OF PRAISE

Revelation 5:5,6,10

v.  5  And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not:  behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

v. 6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

v. 10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests:  and we shall reign on the earth.

Jesus, the Lamb Who was slain as the sacrifice on the cross of Calvary for you and me has become our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.  Now He is the Mighty One Who has come to dwell in us by the power of His Spirit.  He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

Remember that the word Judah represents praise.  As you and I praise the Lord and exalt Him and honor Him, He stands in our midst as the Mighty Conquering One Who has won, overcome, conquered satan, who is portrayed as a roaring lion.  God’s power is released when I praise and worship Him.  He is the LION!  He is the MIGHTY ONE!  THE MIGHTY ONE, THE LION is in me and is there for me and is released when I praise.  My praise is like a roar to hell and satan and all his demons.  Therein lies the power of God!  When I praise God, I am saying that I have total confidence in Him, faith in Him.  Praise is the highest form of faith in God that there is!  Praise God!  Glory to God!  Hallelujah!

I have been told that an older lion roars the loudest because his teeth are not as good as they used to be.  Whether that is true or not, I do not know.  All I know is that Jesus has rendered satan powerless and given you and me the authority to tread on all of the demons of hell.  We are the ones with the power delegated to us now.  We are the ones who are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus Who loved us and gave Himself for us.  We are the ones who are called kings by The King.  We are the ones who are called lords by The Lord.  So, no matter how satan walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8), not only are his teeth not as good; they are removed.  Jesus came to this earth with the sole purpose of removing satan’s power and authority over all mankind.  Satan is defeated!  We are victorious!

Hallelujah!  Rejoice in Jesus and who you are in Him.

BLESSED

Psalm 1:1-3, KJV and Amplified Bible

Blessed is the man that walks and lives not in the counsel, plans, advice, and purposes of the wicked or ungodly .  He does not follow their advice, their plans and purposes, their counsel.  He does not stand in the way in submission where sinners walk.  He does not sit down to relax and rest where the scornful and mockers gather.

BUT, this blessed man’s delight and desire is in the Word of God, the teachings and instructions of the LORD.  This blessed man meditates on the LORD’s teachings day and night.  He ponders and studies God’s Word consistently and habitually.  He utters, mutters, speaks and talks the Word of God all the time.  He even imagines it as He sits by day and sleeps by night.  God’s Word is forever painting images on his mind and his spirit.

THEN, this blessed man is like a tree that is planted so firmly and tended so carefully by the rivers of water.  He is ready to bring forth fruit in its season.  Like the leaves on this tree, this blessed man does not wither, grow weary, faint, give up or become tired or fade out of the picture to become as nothing.  Everything he does is blessed and prospers, comes to maturity.  He is successful and accomplishes all that he intended to do.  He increases and thrives and advances in growth, wealth or any good that he attempts.

Do you want to be blessed and prosper and be mature as this person in Psalm 1?  We see his secret as clear as day.  Immerse yourself in God and His Word all the time.  Let Him be your guide, your counsel, your advisor in all that you do.  It is He Who will prosper you.  It is His Word which will train you and guide you into maturity.

I speak to you today:  Be blessed!  Now you know how to achieve success!

GOD’S GIFT, ENJOY THE GOOD OF ALL YOUR LABOR

Ecclesiastes 3:13, Amplified Bible

And also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor —- it is the gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 3:12,13, The Bible, James Moffatt Translation

For men, I find, there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they are alive; it is indeed God’s very gift to man, that he should eat and drink and be happy as he toils.

Do you see in the above verse what I see?  I am seeing this with different eyes today, like I have never read it before.  Every person is to eat and drink (in other words, enjoy God’s provision for our hunger and thirst) and enjoy good—-it is God’s GIFT!  It is God’s PRESENT to us, His Beloved Ones!  What we receive from our labor, our work here on this earth is the gift of God for us to enjoy life while we are here.  GIFT!  Look at that word.  GIFT!  Do you see it?  We don’t need to complain and gripe about how hard our job is or how hard our assignment is.  We will enjoy good from it because it is God’s GIFT!  The One Whom you are actually serving is the Lord and not man.   Rejoice in the Lord.  It is He Who has put you there.  Enjoy where you are on the way to where He has destined you.  Enjoy God’s GIFT!

We are to enjoy the good of our labor.  I looked up that word “good” and here is the meaning from the original Hebrew word:  As a noun it means good, a good or good thing, man or woman.  As an adverb it means beautiful, favor, bountiful, cheerful, graciously, joyful, kindly, merry, loving, pleasant, precious, prosperity, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well (favored).  That gives me cause for rejoicing.  What a coincidence that the Lord should give us this teaching in the month of December, the month of gift-giving.  God is the original gift-giver.  We cannot out give Him!  What a delight to serve Him!

Colossians 3:23, 24, Amplified Bible

Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men, knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [and not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [real] reward.  [The One Whom] you are actually serving [is] the Lord Christ (the Messiah).

Everything that we do in this life while we are here on this earth is to be done as unto the Lord.  It is not to be done for boasting or recognition or acceptance.  We do what we do with excellence for the Lord and not for men.  It is not to please men but to please God.  Oh, yes, when we please God, our work will please men because it will be done without gripping or complaining and with the excellence that only God can give us.

We are to have singleness of motive to do our work as a service unto the Lord.  It is not to be done with eye service only when man is watching us but consistently excellent all the time, rendering our service to God and not to man.  Whatever good we do, God will reward us (Ephesians 6:5-8).

We are to enjoy the fruit of our labor.  That reward is a gift of God.  He is the One Who rewards us.  Those rewards of God will translate into human reward and promotion by man.

Serving God, whether it is in our workplace, at home, at church or anywhere else, gives us not only earthly rewards but eternal benefits.

I AM GROWING IN GRACE

Psalm 92:14,15

[Growing in grace], they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment].

[They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

Every day we are to grow in grace.  We will ever be learning of the many facets of God’s grace: His loving-kindness extended to us as His children, kindness given willingly without any conditions placed on our deserving it.  His loving-kindness is His whole nature, with all His ability, given to us without measure and without prerequisites.  God’s grace is ours.  When we accept Him into our life, all He is becomes ours, is made available to us.  What a God we serve!

As we grow in God’s grace or love and ability, we bring forth His fruit, which is delicious to eat.  People enjoy partaking of love and joy and peace and gentleness and goodness.  They like that.  We have that to offer to others.  It’s not the product of our own human natures, but the product of God’s nature in us as His children.  We bring forth this fruit, even in old age.

We are FULL of the vitality of God, which is like sap to a tree.  His life in us is like sap is to a tree.  His life causes us to live in great vitality, full of life and energy.  At the same time, we are wealthy in the verdure or vigorous, flourishing growing condition of trust, love and contentment in God.  We are full of verdure.

We are living examples, memorializing the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness to His Word.  He is our Rock, steadfast, immovable, stable, durable, dependable, always there, strong for us.  What a memorial we are to the goodness of God.  He carries us all the days of our lives, and when we come to the place of the completion of our assignment here on earth, He carries us from this earthly residence to our heavenly residence, which is being built for us right now.

We are living the good life which God has planned for us to live.  His plan for our lives is perfect in every way.  The Master Designer has designed the perfect plan for us.  All we have to do is know what it is and walk in it.  The more time we spend with Him, the clearer that plan becomes, and the more contented we are living out the fullness of that plan.

Galatians 2:20b,21,22b, Amplified Bible

The life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

[Therefore, I do not treat God’s gracious gift as something of minor importance and defeat its purpose]; I do not set aside and invalidate and frustrate and nullify the grace (unmerited favor) of God.

God’s grace is His gracious gift of love in action for you and me.  It is the greatest gift you can ever receive.  Let go of your own human efforts and sink down into the fluffy pillow of God’s grace (His ability to do what you can’t do).

As someone has so aptly put it:  Enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going!

Psalm 92:12,13, Amplified Bible

I AM FLOURISHING

The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible].

Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God.

As a child of God, we are to thrive and not just live in a survival mode like the rest of the people in this world.  We have God in us.  God is total life, total love, total light, totally healthy, totally strong, totally fruitful, totally enduring, totally sound and complete.  With Him in us, we are equipped to do the impossible or the possible for that matter.  He is there for us, to do for us what we can’t do.  He is there to watch us do what He has designed us to do.  It gives the Lord great pleasure to see us succeed and enjoy our accomplishments.

Like the palm tree, we are to live long lives, standing upright in the good times and in the bad times.  People tell me that a palm tree, unlike many other trees, withstands strong winds in a difficult storm, because it bends with the wind but does not break.  We are to be like that also.  With God we can withstand all that comes our way and not be uprooted and destroyed.

A palm tree also produces fruit.  We are to be the same way, producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit of God comes to dwell in us when we accept Jesus, and He produces fruit—-love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control.  You notice that I said that He produces the fruit.  A tree does not produce fruit with much straining or striving.  The tree simply grows in its environment and the fruit is produced.  Likewise, grow in the environment of God and fruit will be produced in you by the Lord.

We are to grow like the cedar in Lebanon.  A cedar is beautiful, has a stately appearance, endures while it keeps on growing and is practically indestructible.  Of course a cedar is an earthly tree, but we are the planting of the Lord Who is incorruptible, indestructible.  With Him we become indestructible in the face of the things we encounter in this world.  With Him all things are possible.  He takes care of us.

We as God’s children are planted in His household, and we flourish in His courts.  What a wonderful household we live in, God’s household.  He is a perfect Father.  He treats us well.  We are children of the King Whose Kingdom is without measure.  We are His children.

As King’s kids we flourish.  What does flourish mean?  To expand, prosper, increase, increase in wealth, enlarge, shoot out, enter into a state of prosperity, become extremely successful.  Wow!  Do you see what we have available to us?  As children of God, we expand, prosper, increase, become extremely successful.  If we are not doing that, let’s ask God why we are not prospering or being successful.  He has the answer to that question.  I am asking God that question myself for certain areas of my life.

Are you flourishing?  Are you growing in God?  Are you living long, thriving and enjoying your life?  The Lord is there to cause you to flourish, grow, live long, thrive and enjoy life.  He has the answers.

I AM GROWING IN GRACE

Psalm 92:14,15

[Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment].  [They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

I am growing in grace.  I am growing in God’s enabling ability, power.  I am growing in His favor.  Favor is on my life.  Favor goes before me and behind me and I am crowned with favor.  Favor is the gateway to God’s perks.  We get the favored parking space.  We get the favored upgrade on the plane.  We get the job that others long for.  It is because the blessing of the Lord rests upon His children.  We are His favorite children, each one of us individually.  That is hard for us to wrap our minds around, but it is true.  Don’t you love it when you have a cart full of groceries and all the lines are long, and a clerk opens up a register and motions you to come over there.  I had that happen to me several months ago, and it was interesting.  The clerk opened the register for me and then when I went through, she shut it down.  I am not complaining about that.

Grace is God on us with His anointing, His power to do what only he can do.  It is His power on us to do the impossible.  It is Him using us to help others.  It is God on us to do what the ordinary person cannot do.  It is wonderful.

Because I am growing in grace, I shall still bring forth fruit in old age.  Why?  Because God fills my mouth with good things, words so that my youth is renewed like the  eagle’s, strong and powerful and soaring like the eagle.

Even in my old age I shall be full of sap, spiritual vitality and rich in the verdure of trust, love and contentment.  Verdure is a vigorous, flourishing, growing condition of health and vigor.  As I grow older, I’ll take all of that I can get.  I appreciate it now more than ever.  I am rich in the vigor of trusting God, of loving Him and of being contented in Him.

I desire to be a living memorial to God’s goodness and the fact that He is faithful to His Word to me.  I want to be a living example of His Word working in me, so that others can see and desire Him.  Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is faithful to His promises.  I must receive that and believe it for myself.

He is my Rock and there is no unfaithfulness in Him.  He will always be there with me, never leaving me, always faithful to me and to His promises for me.  God is faithful.  His faithfulness is new every morning for me.

My prayer for you today is that you will see and know this faithful God.  He is a joy to be around!

I AM FLOURISHING

Psalm 92:12,13, Amplified Bible

The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible].  Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God.

I love these verses in Psalm 92.  We will be studying verses 14 and 15 tomorrow.  They are such melodies to my soul.

I am righteous.  What does that mean?  I have been made right with God and been given His ability to think the way He thinks and to do things the way He doe them.  Now that takes some practice and time spent with Him and His Word to learn from His manual (the Bible) how He does things.  He thinks differently than you.  If you have spent any time with Him, you already know that.  Every day we have to renew our minds to way He thinks.  For example, He says that we are to give when we need something.  In the world we hoard when we are in need.  The two ideas are at exactly opposite ends of the pole.  But that is the way God is.

Because I am righteous, look at all that I am.  First of all, I flourish like a palm tree.  Palm trees withstand the storms of life when other trees are uprooted and fall.  A palm tree is generally long-lived.  It is useful and fruitful.  We flourish like the palm tree.  Flourish means:  To expand, prosper, increase, increase in wealth, enlarge, shoot out, enter into a state of prosperity, become extremely successful.  I like that, don’t you?  I like to increase in wealth and become extremely successful.  Why?  So I can help others and bring joy to their lives.

I grow strong like a cedar in Lebanon.  I am full of God’s majesty; therefore, I am majestic.  I am stable because the Lord of stability lives in me.  I am durable because God always endures long.  He never wears out.  Neither do I, in Him!  I am incorruptible because the incorruptible One lives in me.  He is incorruptible.  Nothing decays Him.

I am planted in the house of the Lord.  I am planted there.  I am not going anywhere.  I am fixed in Him and His house.  Because I am planted in the house of the Lord, I flourish (succeed, prosper, increase and expand) in everything I set my hands to do in the courts of my Lord.

How refreshed we are in Him!

I HAVE SET MY LOVE UPON HIM

Psalm 91:14-16, Amplified Bible

Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness—-trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never].  He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.

We are to set our love upon the Lord.  We are to love Him first, above all other people and things.  We are to love Him above our spouses and children.  But we cannot love Him until we know how much He loves us.  Don’t focus on trying to love Him.  Focus your attention on how much He loves you, and the first thing you know is that you will be responding to His love for you.

When we set our love upon the Lord, He delivers us.  He sets us above all the problems and troubles of this world.  How does He do that?  He does that as we know and understand His name.  When we understand the value of His name, we trust Him completely, knowing He will never forsake us.  His name is above every name, and every knee must bow to His name.  The knee of sickness and disease and lack must bow to the name of the Lord Jesus.  There is no other name on earth that has the power of the name of Jesus.  All other names of things are in subjection to the name of Jesus.  They are not greater than He is or His name is.  He has given us His name as power of attorney, in His place, to use as we need it.  Use His name when needed.  He will back you.

Proverbs 18:10

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and they are safe, high above evil, strong, set aloft.

The Lord will never forsake you.  He assures you of that in Hebrews 13:5,6, Amplified Bible.  “…for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support.  [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)!  Assuredly not!]  So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified].  What can man do to me?”

We call upon the Lord and He answers us.  He is always right there.  His line is never busy; He never puts you on hold; He never ignores your call and lets it go to voicemail; He never keeps you waiting.  In today’s modern world, that is such a blessing to me.  He is always available.

He is with me in trouble.  He delivers me from all my troubles.

The Lord honors me.

He satisfies me with long life and shows me His salvation (deliverance, healing and health, prosperity, well-being) in every area of my life.  In Him is life and there is no death.  In His pathway there is life and there is no death.  That means that in Him we simply take off our earth suit when the assignment He has given us on this earth is finished.  We don’t have to vacate our bodies with sickness and disease or accidents brought on by satan.  There is a no trespassing sign on us that says:  Keep Off!  Private Property!  Owned by Jesus Christ!   Only one catch to that—-we have to enforce it.  We have already done all the dying we are going to do when we accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord.  We have died to self and are alive in Him.  Glory to God!

NO EVIL BEFALLS ME

Psalm 91:9-13, Amplified Bible

Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, there shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent.  For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].  They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.  You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot.

You have made the Lord your refuge.

You have made the Most High your dwelling place.

Therefore, no evil comes near you.  No plague comes near your dwelling.

The Lord gives His angels charge over you to accompany, defend, guard, protect, keep preserve you everywhere you go.

The angels bear you up away from danger.

God has given you authority over all the demonic forces (lions, serpents, adders).  You trample them underfoot.  In other words, they are under your authority.  They have no authority over you.  They have no power over you.

In terms of the power God has given you, let’s talk about several scriptures in the New Testament.

Hebrews 2:14,15

Jesus has rendered the devil powerless where you are concerned.  He completely paralyzed him and put him out of commission forever.  He is rendered absolutely helpless.  Jesus has brought him to naught and made him of no effect.  In modern language, he has been reduced to zero.  Jesus has delivered you from the devil’s authority.  Now you have the authority over him.  Jesus has redeemed you, released you from the devil’s captivity or bondage

Colossians 2:14,15

Jesus has nailed to the cross the handwriting of all the ordinances that satan has written against you, the law of sin and death.  Therefore, it is cancelled and blotted out and wiped away forever.  God Himself has disarmed the principalities and power that were set against you; He has triumphed over them in Jesus.

1 John 3:8

Jesus was manifest in this earth to loosen, undo, dissolve, destroy the works of the devil for you.  When Jesus went to the cross, the works of the devil were destroyed forever where you are concerned.

Colossians 1:13,14

The Father has delivered you and drawn you to Himself from the control and dominion of darkness (which is satan, all the demons and all their assignments of depression, oppression, etc.) and transferred you into the Kingdom of the Son of His Love, Jesus, in Whom you have your redemption; your release is secured through the blood of Jesus, which means the forgiveness of your sins and all that sin brings.

What about the angels?  Hebrews 1:14 tells us that the angels of the Lord are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who are heirs of salvation.  If you are born again, that is you.  Psalm 103:20  “Bless the LORD, you his angels, (His mighty ones) that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of the Lord.”  And the voice of the Lord is the Word of God in your mouth.

I SHALL NOT BE AFRAID

Psalm 91:5-8, Amplified Bible

You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday.  A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.  Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked.

We are not to be afraid.  We are not to fear.  God has not given us a spirit of fear (fear is the spirit of the devil) but He has given us His Spirit of power, His spirit of love, His spirit of a calm, well-balanced, sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).  There is no fear in God.  God is love and there is no fear in love.  Perfect love casts out fear, expels it, flushes it away (1 John 4:18).  The remedy for fear is the love of God.  If you are afraid in an area of your life, dwell on scriptures concerning the love of God.  Dwell on how much He loves you.  Someone who loves you is going to guard you from any harm.

John 16:33 is a very special scripture to me.  When I am in fear somewhere in my life, I go to it.  This scripture tells us what we have in the world and what we have in Jesus.  In the world we have tribulation, challenges, trials, distress and frustration (all of the things listed here bring pressure, stress).  BUT BE OF GOOD CHEER!  Take courage, be confident, certain, undaunted.  In Jesus we have perfect peace and confidence.  That peace is the rest, which is a result of faith in God and His Word bringing results to us.   We can rest in Him for He has already overcome the world.  He has deprived it of the power to harm us and has conquered it for us.  Jesus has done that for us.  He has already taken care of anything that would come against us.  What we have to do is to believe we receive what He has done for us—-physical health, prosperity, well-being, welfare, financial health, wholeness in every area of our lives on this earth.

Prior to John 16:33, Jesus tells us in John 14:27 that He leaves His peace with us in this world.  Therefore we do not have to let our hearts be troubled or afraid.

We don’t have to be afraid of terror or terrorists or their evil plots nor of any chemical or biological warfare or any plagues or pestilence or sudden death either in the daytime or in the night season.  God watches over us.  We are hidden in Him.  We are only spectators to these things because we are inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High God.  All we do is witness the reward of the wicked, as a thousand fall at our side and ten thousand at our right hand.  Nothing comes near us.

You may or may not do this or believe it, but I know that it is accurate.  Plead the blood of Jesus over you and your loved ones.  Draw a bloodline around you and your family and your homes, properties, your vehicles in which you travel, your finances in the bank and retirement and job.  I know of all my friends who do this and their finances have not been touched, even in these times of high cost and financial destitution.  Also, I am praying every day now that I and my family will be at the right place at the right time, that we are not where any evil comes near.  Pray and believe God.  Be very alert to the Holy Spirit.  Learn to hear His voice clearly.  John 10:1-5 and 27-29 clearly tell us that we do not listen to the voice of a stranger, satan, but we hear clearly the voice of our Shepherd.  Many months ago, the Lord told me to start speaking these scriptures over myself and my family.

Know of a certainty that the Lord is taking total care of you and your family.  It is a settled subject.